Seraphim is a Bystander

Day 2 of the School Trip: Student Representative’s Speech

 
The moment of silence ended—though whether it felt long or short, I couldn’t really say.
At the teacher’s call for the student representative to speak, a small Now connecting prompt appeared at the edge of my vision.
That probably meant my face was now being displayed in front of everyone else.
I stepped up to the spot the teacher had indicated beforehand and gave a bow.
I had given speeches like this before, but those had always been scripted. This time, I had to speak from the heart.
Feeling just a bit nervous, I took a deep breath, organized my thoughts, and began.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Aoi Futaba, the student representative.
First, I’d like to thank Mr. Itashiki for allowing us to visit this exhibit today.”
I turned to face Mr. Itashiki, who was standing with the teachers, and bowed.
He returned it with a warm smile.
“I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to learn about the Dragon Calamity here.
I once attended a memorial ceremony for the Calamity and heard from someone who had lived through it.”

(Technically, I heard the details later from my grandfather—but saying it this way makes more impact. It’s not a lie, just… selective truth.)
“At the time, maybe because they didn’t want to scare me, the people who spoke at the ceremony seemed so positive.
I remember wondering, ‘Did something like that really happen?’”
There were many who had lost family, and yet those who spoke seemed to be living forward-facing lives… or at least, that’s how it looked to me then.

“But after seeing the footage and the artifacts today, I could truly feel the terror of it.
I realized how close to home it really was.”
The exhibit didn’t portray the Calamity as some distant historical anomaly.
It showed it for what it was: a disaster caused by pseudo-creatures—just like the ones we fought recently in that danger zone.
It’s a threat that could still happen in our time.
“What I learned today is that it’s our responsibility to pass down what we’ve seen and understood, just like Mr. Itashiki and the others do.
That way, if something like this ever happens again, we’ll be prepared to respond and understand it properly.”

“Once again, thank you, Mr. Itashiki, and everyone who maintains this exhibit.
This concludes the student representative’s address.”
I bowed again, to the students, the teachers, and Mr. Itashiki, then returned to my original place.
As I stood beside the teacher, she whispered to me softly:
“Futaba-kun, that was wonderful.”

“…Thank you.”
Then the lead teacher gave a short closing remark, and the exhibit portion of our trip officially ended.
It was time to return by bus to our hotel—the same one we stayed at last night.
As the students began boarding, I stayed behind for a moment with the teachers to give Mr. Itashiki «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» a final thank-you.

“Futaba-kun, that was a fantastic speech. Thank you!”
“Oh… I just said how I honestly felt. I’m not sure I expressed it that well, to be honest.”
He smiled gently at my modest reply, still praising me warmly.
“No, really. By the way, you mentioned having been at the memorial ceremony before?”

“Yes… well, I was there more as part of the security detail, I suppose.”
I stumbled a little in my answer, but Mr. Itashiki continued with a slightly curious expression.
“Actually, I was there too. Did you happen to notice me?”

“Huh…?”
Just like during our first introduction, he wore that same pasted-on smile as he asked.
Was he really there at the venue? As the person in charge of this exhibit, it wouldn’t be strange if he’d been invited as a guest of honor…
“Haha, well, there were so many people there, it’s no surprise if you don’t remember.
You were part of the security team, right?”

“Wait—you remembered that?”
If he saw me, he must’ve been in or near the VIP section.
But I don’t remember seeing him during my patrols around that area…
...Then again, my memory isn’t perfect, and that second day had been overwhelming. Maybe that’s why it’s fuzzy.

“It was pretty memorable, seeing someone so young serving as security.
That left an impression.”
“I see… I think I’ll be assigned to security again next year.
If I see you then, I’ll be sure to say hello.”
“Haha, I’ll look forward to it.”

Just as we were wrapping up our conversation, one of the teachers who had finished packing up called for me.
It was time to head to the bus. As I turned around to leave, I glanced back—and my eyes met Mr. Itashiki’s.
“…”
He waved at me with a smile.

I bowed in return and climbed aboard the bus.
“…I’m looking forward to seeing you again.”