Hearing his words echoed back to him flusters him a little bit, but that smile of his still remains. He stops the combing again, so he could reach out and give Tonbokiri's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"And let us experience more new things together, my friend."

Out of context that might sound like a love confession, but honestly, Izuminokami valued loyalty and friendship to no end, and wanting to experience new things with his friends is just a feeling that comes naturally to him.