Seraphim is a Bystander

Seras the Seraph and the Budding Hero
 
“Um…?”

Aoi stood frozen in his pajamas, looking bewildered as he glanced at me, clearly expecting an explanation. Not that I could offer a good one—I hadn’t expected Aoi to show up here by himself in the first place.
“U-Uh, long time no see?”
“Fufu, even though we just talked yesterday? But yeah—long time no see.”

“…Right.”
He nodded, still clearly confused. I was pretty sure he remembered yesterday’s reading session, but it looked like he wasn’t entirely sure whether it had been a dream or not.
“That was Purifying Flame, right? For something you hadn’t used in a while, you did well.”

“Ah, thank you. So it was you who gave that to me, wasn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t say I gave it to you, but sure—close enough.”
“…Thank you. Thanks to that, I was able to help my friend.”

Aoi bowed his head sincerely. Strictly speaking, Purifying Flame was something he picked up on his own, imitating my purification ability. It wasn’t something I had consciously granted him.
“Don’t mention it. I just helped you remember how to use it.”
“…You did?”

“Yup, I did.”
Even someone like Aoi—with naturally high potential and a memory bordering on abnormal thanks to my influence—couldn’t recall things from when he was in the womb or before gaining self-awareness. So it made sense he didn’t quite get what I meant.
He fell silent for a moment, then looked at me seriously and asked:

“Um… Seraph-san, what are you? Why do you lend me your power?”
“Ahh… figures you'd be curious about that.”
Until now, I’d kept him from remembering me too clearly, partly because his heart wasn’t yet ready. But after the Sasaki incident, he’d become fully aware of me.
That’s probably why he managed to enter this space on his own this time.

“...Yeah, I suppose it’s time I told you.”
“...?”
Soon enough, the world will start demanding more from Aoi—more ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) as a hero. He’s still growing, but mentally, he’s far more mature than he used to be. And while he’s unaware of it himself, the reason he came here was likely because he’s starting to feel his own limitations.

“...I’ve been inside you since the moment you were born.”
“Inside… me?”
“That’s right. You’re me. And I… am you.”

“…Sorry, I don’t really get it.”
“Haha! I mean, yeah, of course not.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Aoi’s confused face. I mean, anyone would be weirded out if someone clearly not human—and not even the same gender—suddenly said, “You and I are the same.”

“Well, rather than explaining, maybe it’s faster to just show you.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a good example waiting outside, so… let’s wake up, yeah?”

“Wait, what?”
Without waiting for his reply, I clapped my hands together.
Until now, I had never taken control of our shared body while Aoi was awake. But this time, I forcibly woke him while simultaneously switching to take control myself.

My vision switched in an instant, and the ceiling of the hotel room where Aoi was sleeping came into view. As usual, the body was female. I didn’t bother suppressing anything this time, so both the wings and halo were fully visible.
『Eh?! What is this?! What’s happening to my body?!』
His voice echoed inside my head. He must be feeling what I usually feel in that space—a strange rush of my sensations and emotions flowing into him.

“(Normally I’m the one over there, and you’re the one here. This time we’ve swapped—get it now?)”
『Uhh…?』
I could feel his complete confusion seeping through. It was kind of funny, actually.

“(Anyway, let’s go deal with what’s outside, shall we?)”
『Wait—outside? What’s out there?!』
As I focused, the same information I sensed flowed into Aoi. Now he, too, could feel the presence lurking outside the hotel.

“(Alright, here we go. Teleport.)”
『Wait—』
In the blink of an eye, we arrived in a deserted alley behind the hotel. The dim backstreet was softly illuminated by the light radiating from the halo above my head.

“Kii?!”
『Whoa?!』
“There it is. That’s what I’ve been sensing for a while now.”

A faint, golden glow revealed a creature standing there—a rat, over a meter in length. Its large, beady eyes reflected the light as it glared at us from the darkness.
“That’s a Cornered Rat.”
『Cornered… rat? It’s a virtual entity, right? Why is it in the middle of the city?!』

“Its concept is based on a rat with nowhere left to run. So ironically, it doesn’t appear in places where there are escape routes.”
Driven from its home by human expansion, surrounded by predators. That’s its whole identity—it doesn’t hide in forests, it appears where it's forced into a corner and then strikes back.
“Kiii!!”

『W-We have to fight it! Let me take over—I’ll fight!』
A Cornered Rat is a virtual being that becomes stronger in proportion to the threat it’s facing. I hadn’t kept that info from Aoi, so his panic was justified.
“Don’t worry. Actually, you and it don’t get along very well, so I’ll handle this.”

As I reassured him, I formed my scythe for the first time in a while. Approaching the creature, which was trying its best to look threatening, I raised the blade high.
『Look out—!』
“Kii?”

Aoi’s desperate warning contrasted sharply with the reality. The rat didn’t even resist. My casual swing sliced clean through it.
『...Huh?』
“Ki?”

“Told you it’d be fine.”
Still not realizing what happened, the creature let out a tiny squeak as it split in half and collapsed. Aoi seemed to understand what I’d done through our shared senses, but he clearly hadn’t followed the speed of it—he was still in shock.
“Now that that’s done, let’s sit down and have a proper talk.”

『Y-Yeah…』
I could feel Aoi’s mental image—his mouth hanging open in stunned silence. Smiling, I casually dissolved the scythe into light.