Seraphim is a Bystander

Self-Introduction Gone Wrong
 

In the Futaba household's living room, now filled with shock and confusion, I collapsed to my knees. Both of Aoi's parents came closer, looking even more bewildered.
"U-um, are you alright…?"
"Nee-san, you okay?"

"Gahh…!"
Ritsuki’s completely innocent follow-up blow left me sprawled on the floor, hands and knees down. The Seraph has fainted! Her motivation and dignity have plummeted to the depths!
Heh… To think someone actually brought me, a Seraph, to my knees. As expected of Aoi’s little brother. Nicely done…

“…Sorry, I’m fine now.”
I spoke while lifting myself up as my family peered down at me with concern. We all sat back down at the dinner table. Yuzu, who had been curled up on Aoi’s lap, tried to bolt the moment I appeared—so I picked her up by the scruff before she could flee. Cats really are adorable…
"Um…"

As I was recovering from the emotional damage Ritsuki had inflicted—thanks to some good ol’ animal therapy—Aoi's father cautiously began to speak.
"Ah, sorry. It’s a bit late for this, but… I’m Seras. I’ve been residing within Aoi this whole time."
I reintroduced myself to Aoi’s still-bewildered parents. Unsure how much to reveal, I stuck to the info Aoi had already provided.

Man… I’ve always been bad at self-introductions, even back when I was human. Every time I tried to be funny, it just got awkward…
"A-ah… I’m Kouta Futaba, Aoi’s father."
"I’m Yuuka, his mother…"

"I’m Ritsuki Futaba."
"I know! I’ve seen everything from inside Aoi. You’re such a good boy for introducing yourself, Ritsuki~!"
When I patted Ritsuki on the head after he introduced himself just like his parents, he let out a proud little huff and accepted the praise. He usually doesn’t show much emotion, so even tiny shifts like this are super cute.

"…? Um, was it Seras-san?"
"Yes, that’s right."
When I turned to Aoi’s mother, I saw a look of realization flash across her face. Maybe seeing how calm Ritsuki was helped ease her tension—both parents seemed noticeably more relaxed now.
"Seras-san… have we met once before, perhaps?"

"Ah…"
Judging from her expression, she remembered that incident. Honestly, I didn’t want to revisit that memory, since I’d caused them quite a bit of trouble back then…
"You’ve met her before, Yuuka?"

"Oh my, have you forgotten? She saved our lives."
Aoi’s mother said this to his still-clueless father. Yep… this is about that time, alright.
Resigned to the situation, I fully revealed my wings and halo.

"!?""Oh my… I knew it was you.""So pretty!"
The three of them reacted in their own unique ways to seeing me in my Seraph form. Even Aoi’s father finally seemed to connect the dots after witnessing my appearance.
"Could it be… you were the one back then!?"

"…Yes. When Aoi was still in the womb, I defeated the virtual entity that attacked you two."
『???』
I could hear Aoi’s confused voice in my head, but yes—that’s right. This was technically my second time meeting his parents face to face. Back when Aoi was still in the womb, I intervened to protect his parents from a rogue virtual being that was drawn by Aoi’s spiritual instability. I healed them ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) after the fight.

I thought I could avoid being recognized as long as I didn’t show my angelic form, but his mother had remembered me perfectly. As I stood there, both parents solemnly stepped forward.
"“Thank you for saving us that day.”"
They bowed their heads in unison before me. It seems they felt an immense debt—not just for their own lives, but also for the life of their then-unborn child. His mother even remembered my face over a decade later.

"Please, don’t worry about it. I didn’t want to die before I was even born, after all."
Back then, I didn’t feel any particular emotional connection to them. I saved them only because I didn’t want to lose Aoi before he had even begun life. Being thanked now, with the weight of family attached, honestly just makes it awkward…
"Still… we’re only here today because of you. Truly, thank you."

"…Alright, I’ll accept your thanks. But no need to be so formal with me. I share Aoi’s memories and emotions. So to me, you’re all my family, too."
"I see… In that case, I’ll speak to you just like I do with Aoi."
"That’s totally fine. I’ll keep things casual too."

They were a bit surprised by how suddenly I relaxed my tone, but even though I do acknowledge them as family, I still can’t completely shake the feeling that they’re “just humans.” That probably makes me a bit rude for a child, but I hope they’ll cut me some slack.
"Alright, I’m switching back to Aoi now. I share everything he sees and hears, and we can talk freely, so feel free to reach out anytime."
"R-right…"

"You’re welcome to reach out to me too, anytime."
"Yeah, I’ll probably show up here and there—looking forward to it."
Before they could ask anything else, I ended the conversation on my terms and handed control back to Aoi. When the body reverted to its male form, his family looked surprised once again.

『Is it really okay?』
"Yeah, don’t worry about me. You’ve got lots to talk about, right? You just got home—take it easy."
『…Got it. Let me know anytime you want to take over again.』

"Will do."
And with that terribly casual self-introduction, I somehow managed to get accepted by Aoi’s family. As I listened to the cheerful conversation around me, I could already sense a storm of future trouble on the horizon… but for now, the day came to a close.