Seraphim is a Bystander

Work Visit - Part 2

 
 
After greeting each other, Ayaka-chan-san glanced at Aoi, looking slightly fidgety.

"Is that by any chance... your child, Yuuka-senpai?"
"Yes, this is my son, Aoi. Come on, Aoi, say hello."
Prompted by his mother, Aoi peeked out from behind her, clearly shy, and opened his mouth.

"...Hello?"
Hearing that, Ayaka-chan-san’s already warm smile grew even deeper as she crouched down to meet Aoi’s gaze.
"Hello there! My name’s Ayaka. You can call me Ayaka-chan or Onee-chan—whichever you like!"

"Mmm..."
Aoi, still embarrassed, clung tightly to his mother. Yuuka gave an apologetic smile to Ayaka-chan-san.
"Sorry, Ayaka-chan. He’s been going through a shy phase lately. I’m sure he’ll warm up soon."

"No worries! He’s absolutely adorable. Honestly, I thought he was a girl at first."
While the two chatted, Aoi seemed to grow curious and began peeking out more often from behind his mother’s shadow. Both women noticed this, and though they didn’t say anything, their smiles deepened.
"Well then, it’s almost time. Shall we get going?"

"Yes, please take care of us."
Ayaka-chan-san then held out both her hands toward us.
"Aoi, would you like to hold Onee-chan’s hand?"

"Aoi-kun, can you hold her hand?"
She probably needed physical contact for the teleportation. Yuuka took one of the offered hands, and Sō casually placed one paw on Ayaka-chan-san’s foot, apparently sensing what was going on.
"Mmm..."
Looking a bit shy, Aoi reached out and grasped the offered hand. Ayaka-chan-san smiled warmly and gently held his hand in return before activating her power.

"Alright, here we go—〈Teleport〉!"
With that, the atmosphere around us shifted as Ayaka wrapped us in her aura—and in an instant, the scenery changed. The peaceful park was gone, and in its place stood a towering skyscraper.
"We’re here! Welcome to the Anti-Virtual Lifeform Agency!"

Near the entrance, a sign read:
Akatsuki Anti-Virtual Lifeform Agency.
By the way, "Akatsuki" is the name of the country I reincarnated into. The language and such are mostly the same as my previous life, but here, technologies and sciences based on supernatural abilities are highly developed.
"It’s been a while. I wonder if everyone’s still the same?"
"Yes! Most of them are in the office today, so feel free to say hi!"

Mom looked up at the building with a nostalgic expression. The Anti-Virtual Lifeform Agency, or "Anti-Virtual" for short, was where both of my parents used to work. It's a state-run agency that basically handles anything related to virtual lifeforms. The people who came to suppress Sō when he was possessed were also from here.
"Today is just a tour and a check-up, right? Shall we head to reception?"
"Yes, and thank you again, Ayaka-chan."

…Wait, a check-up? I thought this was just a tour.
I was curious, but I couldn’t ask myself, and Aoi was too fascinated by the massive skyscraper to care. His eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Yuuka and Ayaka-chan-san quickly finished checking in and headed into the elevator. It had glass walls, allowing us to see outside, and Aoi stared in ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ awe the whole ride up.

"Kouta-senpai should be in training right now, so how about we stop by and watch first?"
"That sounds good. Please take us there."
Ayaka pressed a button, and the elevator smoothly began ascending. Since Kouta was apparently training on one of the upper floors, the elevator climbed rapidly, and Aoi’s enthusiasm continued to rise.

"Ayaka-chan, what kind of training is happening today?"
"It’s a combat training session! Kouta-senpai didn’t say it aloud, but he seemed really fired up about it!"
"Hehe, that’s just like him. I hope he doesn’t push himself too hard and end up getting hurt."

While the two talked, the elevator stopped. When the doors opened, we were greeted by a group of people in uniform—some of them the same ones who had come to deal with Sō—and there stood my father, Kouta.
Tips: Aoi-kun looks like a girl at first glance.