It was an old trick, enough so that Shōryū tended to assume Enki would be far heavier than a small child had the right to be at any given time. He allowed the grip, his smile briefly slipping into something gentler whilst Enki wasn't looking.

His voice, however, didn't change one jot.

"You're too kind, Taiho, but he wouldn't want a layabout like me near his horses."