Chika could tell Elloran had at least some inkling of what they were up to, and he was grateful the guy was at least getting the women out of the way. He didn't really want to find out how that kid would react to having a gun pulled, either.

He pulled his hand off and traded with Shito, then flexed his fingers to make sure everything was attached properly. It always felt good to have his own hand back, and he wished they had longer than just an hour they could spend this way.

They'd done this hundreds, maybe even a thousand times now. Chika's sword materialized in his hand with no effort on his part, and he knew without looking that Shito's gun would be there, too. He positioned himself to guard Shito's back, in case the child guard decided they were a threat after all. It would be a lot less messy if Shito was the one who killed the corpse.