That man wouldn't permit anything less. It was a point of agreement realized by Masanori in that moment and accepted without resistance.

"Sometimes, old men know something useful."

Sometimes, but not always and it tended to vary from old man to old man. The reluctance that colored his statement was accompabyed by the mental image of a particular old man. His epression expression very briefly gained a note of severity before he relaxed it. Glancing to Ami once again, he nodded.

"Come on. Let's get going," he said, prepared to match her pace for pace.