“Are you coming here again?”
“... I don’t know. If Hourai is not here, there is no use coming back...”
Rokuta didn’t know what to answer upon hearing that.
“If I go to cities, the adults would wait for us and do mean things to us...”
“... You are right.”
And those mean things are not all done against the youma. The boy’s legs, extended from his ragged hem, bore a couple of spear-wounded scars.

“Do you want to live in a city?”
The boy turned back.
“... With the big one?”
“Well. Maybe not with him...”
“Then no, thanks...”
“However, should you change your mind and would like to live in a city away from the big one, come to Kankyuu.”
Kankyuu, the boy repeated to himself.

“Visit me! -- But you don’t have a name, do you.”
“No.”
“Hey, name yourself one.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then, maybe I’ll give you one.”
The boy’s face lit up upon hearing Rokuta’s words.
“--Please!”

Rokuta sank deep into thoughts, which is a rare sight. Cocking his head several times, he finally hit his hand, and wrote on the sand.
-- Kouya (更夜).

“How about Kouya?”
“What does it mean?”
“In the middle of the night.”
The boy accepted immediately.
“--Great!”
Kouya, the boy repeated to himself time and again.

They most probably would never meet again, Rokuta thought as he waved goodbye to the leaving Kouya.
“Kouya, if you have troubles, come to Kankyuu! I work at Genei Palace. Say ‘Rokuta’ and they will know.”
Okay, Rokuta nodded from far away as he rode on the youma.
“Please do come! Kouya!”

***

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