Seraphim is a Bystander

The Seraph and the Garden God's Discussion – Part 1
From Sera’s Perspective
 

Aoi’s school trip—long or short depending on how you look at it—was finally wrapping up. Their schedule in Kyoto ended today, and they’d be returning home tomorrow. Compared to the first day, today had gone by relatively peacefully.
From my perspective, there were a few troublesome encounters, but for Aoi, this trip likely felt like a proper, wholesome school excursion.
The Dragon Calamity exhibit may not have been fun, per se, but that’s part of what a school trip is for—it's not just about enjoyment but also learning. I should be grateful to the school for including something so meaningful.
Come to think of it, I also remember seeing a war exhibit during a school trip when I was ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ alive.
“…"

In this world, war may seem like a distant concept, but neither battles nor disasters are things you can truly stay untouched by. Even just having the records of past tragedies is valuable.
“Hey—”
That said, in any world, war and disaster are too numerous to count. Back when I was in the Celestial Realm, I just saw them as times when my workload spiked… but now, I am living in this world, even if just temporarily.
It’s not completely unrelated to my work either, so I decided it was worth committing to memory.

“Hey!”
“Hmm? What is it, Yuzu-chan?”
I stopped adding a new book to the shelves and turned toward the voice.
Yuzu had taken on human form and was glaring at me, clearly annoyed—her cheeks puffed in frustration.
…Wait, are those cat ears?

“What do you mean, ‘What is it?’ You've been ignoring me all this time! What exactly are you doing?!”
“Eh…? You were the one who called me over because you wanted to talk, but then you went quiet.”
“T-That may be true… but still!”

She had been meowing for attention after Aoi and the others went to sleep, so I brought her here.
But once she arrived, she just silently looked around, so I went back to my work.
“Also, Yuzu-chan… those ears. And that tail. What’s going on with that?”
“Ears? Tail?”

She brought her hands to the sides of her head and behind her.
The human ears she'd had before were gone, replaced by perked-up cat ears.
A fluffy tail swayed lazily beneath her kimono.
The moment she realized it, Yuzu began trembling—her face hidden beneath her lowered gaze.
“Wha…”
“Wha?”

“WHAT IS THIS?!”
She suddenly threw her head up and shouted, her face now bright red from either embarrassment or rage.
The sheer volume of her shout made the bookshelf rattle.
I quickly controlled the books before they fell, gently returning them to their proper places as I listened to her.
“What do you mean, 'What is this?!' It’s your body—how would I know what’s going on with it?”

“Who else would know if not you?! You’re the one who turned me into this beastly form, aren’t you?!”
“Ah… hold on a sec.”
Sighing at the complication, I summoned my halo for the first time in a while and took a good look at her—not just her physical body, but deeper… at the essence within.

“Ah. Yep, that’s on me. Sorry about that.”
“So it was your doing! What did you do this time?!”
“Well…”

I began to explain what had happened.
Though Yuzu calls herself a god, she’s essentially a pseudo-being—her form is built on the perceptions of others.
Originally, she only had the form of a deity.
But when I gave her the appearance of a cat, she became recognized as such.
Now, she’s both a god and a cat.

There aren’t many people who think of her that way—just a few, like my Familiar and the “Saint.”
But the real issue was me—I’d gotten used to thinking of her as a cat.
Since I’m a higher being, that perception alone had begun to alter her spiritual form, which is shaped by humanity’s collective belief.
“You have to fix this! I can’t maintain any dignity like this!”
“Hmm, that might be a little tricky. Your soul’s form has already adapted to it.”

I could fix it if I really wanted to, but… it’s not really a problem, and honestly, it’s cute.
So why bother?
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Outside this space, it’s easy enough for you to return to your original form.”
“Ugh… Why must I suffer like this…”

“Well, anyway. What did you want with me?”
Yuzu took a deep breath to calm her anger, then began smoothing out her disheveled hair before speaking.
“…About what we discussed yesterday. Since we have time now, I’d like to sit down and talk more thoroughly.”

“Ehh… I’m in the middle of organizing the shelves, though.”
“You of all people can multitask while talking, can’t you?”
“…Yeah, I guess.”

I summoned a large cushion behind her, and while redirecting the extra processing power from my still-active halo to automate the shelf sorting, I sat down and faced her.
“Alright. Ask away. I’ll tell you whatever I can.”