Seraphim is a Bystander

A New Family Member
 

“Woof woof! Kya kya!”
“…Grrr…”
…Wait, what just happened? Did Aoi activate the purification on his own?

Held safely in his mother’s arms, Aoi reached out his hand toward the virtual being. In response, the creature gently lowered its head, as if submitting to him.
“…What’s going /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ on here?”
“Aoi…?”

Unbothered by the confusion of the adults around him, Aoi continued to interact with the virtual being. He seemed to instinctively understand that the evil force that had possessed it was now gone—thanks to his own purification.
Still, I never expected Aoi to open my circuit and pull out my power without permission. Normally, that would be impossible. But he must’ve memorized—through sheer instinct—how I’d been using my power during purification all this time.
There were even visible flames during the purification, a clear sign that Aoi had used the power on his own.

I already thought he was a genius when he learned to circulate his own energy. But this… This is what it means to be a Hero Seed. I can’t believe he was able to tap into my power like that without help.
“Mika.”
“…It looks like the creature was possessed by something. But whatever it was, it’s gone now.”

Grandpa and Grandma exchanged words in perfect sync, as usual. Grandma’s insight ability really is impressive—she could see that the creature had lost its reason due to possession, but that now it had regained its sanity. As long as no one provoked it, it wouldn’t attack again.
“…So, Aoi did that?”
“…Seems like it.”

As my grandparents discussed the situation, a few more people arrived. They were all wearing matching uniforms and carrying weapons—most likely the people Dad had contacted earlier.
“Kota-san, about the virtual being in your report…”
“Yeah… it seems my son has already neutralized it.”

“Your son, sir…?”
Their eyes all turned to Aoi, who was happily petting the virtual creature without a care in the world. While the newcomers stood there speechless, Dad calmly explained everything.
“…I see. We’ve confirmed that no civilians were harmed, so no further action is needed. According to regulation, we’re not permitted to lay a hand on non-hostile virtual entities. We’ll escort it to the outskirts of the city—”
“Grrr!”

The virtual being growled, interrupting the agent’s words, then pressed itself tightly against Aoi’s side. Blue flames still flickered occasionally from its body, but the warmth it gave off felt gentle and comforting.
“Woof woof!”
“Hmph… Seems like it’s chosen to follow Aoi.”

Aoi giggled and hugged the creature as it came closer. The adults continued their conversation—though it seemed complicated, I couldn’t focus on it. I was too captivated by the sight of Aoi playing with the pure white wolf. …He’s just too cute.
“Well then, we’ll send the necessary paperwork to your home later.”
“Sorry for the trouble.”

About ten minutes later, the situation had been resolved. The armed group departed, and Dad approached the creature. Kneeling down to meet its eyes, he asked,
“…Do you want to stay with Aoi?”
“Grrr.”

The creature gave a small growl and cuddled even closer to Aoi. Smiling gently, Dad turned to Aoi and said,
“Aoi, starting today, our family just got a little bigger.”
“Kya kya!”

I’m not sure he fully understood, but Aoi still beamed with joy.
Tip: Seras-kun-chan also loves animals.