[Houheiden Shrine]

Shortly after Ken and Kina make their way back up the steps, a diminutive shinigami follows up slowly. Adjusting his glasses, Hamasaki Hibiki looks up the shrine steps.

I hope Yamashiro-sensei doesn't mind... We can always meet them all together tomorrow.

As their teacher makes his way up the stairs, he can almost hardly be recognized. The black robes he wears are tidy and unsoiled, and he seems to be surrounded by an aura of mist. On his back, a short tonto with blue wrappings is secured. But the silvery blue hair and absent-minded look are unmistakable as Hibiki's.

Even after reaching the shrine proper, however, Hibiki does not approach the kids; though he doesn't exactly make a point of staying hidden. For now, he is content in surveying his surroundings.