Seraphim is a Bystander

School Trip Day 1: The Fox Spirit’s Whim
 

Before I knew it, it was well past noon—I spaced out and panicked a little.
While still confused about Sasaki-kun’s sudden change in behavior, we eventually arrived at our first destination: a shrine. Though it’s called a shrine, it isn’t one where the god currently resides. Rather, it’s the birthplace of the deity, and the site is watched over by the god’s messenger—a fox spirit.
“Wow…! Amazing…!”

Passing through the large torii gate, I immediately felt the atmosphere change. Unlike the eerie, tingling feeling I had when entering Kyoto-Kate, this sensation felt more like I was being gently enveloped by some great force.
Hearing Runa-chan’s awed voice as she took in the beauty and ambiance of the shrine, I too felt an odd sense of peace wash over me.
“Man, it’s incredible that these old wooden buildings are still standing…”

“Right? I heard that thanks to the god’s power, they even survived the Dragon Calamity.”
“T-That’s amazing… You’re really knowledgeable, Futaba-kun.”
“Not really. I just happened to hear it from my grandpa once.”

“O-Oh, I see…”
…Huh? Sasaki-kun’s acting like his usual self again?
The unsettling feeling I’d sensed from him earlier had disappeared, and he was back to his usual timid, halting way of speaking. The sudden shift left me puzzled again.

(“…Aoi-kun, is Sasaki-kun okay?”)
(“…Yeah, he’s acting a little strange, right?”)
Even Runa-chan seemed to notice, whispering quietly to me. But it’s not like we could investigate the cause, and we didn’t know him well enough to pry. All we could do was keep an eye on him.
“What are you two whispering about?”

“Ah, sorry, Tsubaki-san. It’s nothing.”
“…Really?”
We quickly rejoined the group and continued exploring the shrine. There were a lot of other tourists as well, and it felt like we could get lost if we weren’t careful. Not long after, we came across a long line for the offering box. We exchanged some e-money for coins at the shrine office and joined the queue.

“Why do we still use coins for shrine offerings, I wonder?”
“Hmm, probably because it’s tradition?”
Chatting about small things as we waited, our turn soon came. We tossed in our offerings and followed the procedure we’d researched in advance: two bows, two claps, and one final bow. Everyone clasped their hands, closed their eyes, and began to pray.
But just as I was about to open my eyes for the final bow, I noticed that all the ambient sounds around me had vanished.

“…Huh?”
Opening my eyes to check what was going on, I realized that the crowd of people who had been there seconds ago had completely vanished.
Even the classmates from my group who’d been beside me were gone.

It was like I was the only one left in this vast shrine.
…Was this some kind of virtual phenomenon?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a woman’s voice echoed above me.

“Kakaka! No such low-grade thing could enter here, fool!”
“!?”
Startled, I looked around but saw no one nearby. Then, following the voice upward, I spotted a woman standing on the shrine’s roof, looking down at me with a playful smile.

Just from the way she carried herself, I instantly understood—this woman had created whatever space I was in now.
“This land was entrusted to me by my master, after all!”
She spoke confidently, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, with nine tails and fox ears. There was no mistaking it—she wasn’t human.

“Um… excuse me. Did you do something to the others?”
“Hmph? Of course not. It’s the opposite, child.”
“Opposite…?”

So rather than her doing something to them, she did something to me?
“Yes, indeed. Right now, it’s only your consciousness that’s been summoned here. Not even a second has passed outside, so relax.”
“I see… Thank you, I guess…?”

“Kaka! Don’t worry about it. This is just me meddling for fun!”
The fox spirit laughed cheerfully, her voice light and amused.
As I watched her, I realized something: the comforting, soothing sensation I’d felt ever since passing through the torii gate—it was coming from her.

As I was still processing that, she smiled and spoke again.
“The reason I called you here is simple—to give you a warning about the one traveling with you.”
“A warning…?”

“Yes. I don’t know his name, but I mean the gloomy boy who hides his eyes behind his hair.”
“You mean… Sasaki-kun?”
It was obvious who she was referring to. Ever since we got to Kyoto, Sasaki-kun had been acting off. A bad feeling twisted in my gut.

“Well, I don’t care what the boy’s name is. But something unpleasant has latched onto him.”
“Something unpleasant…!? Is Sasaki-kun going to be okay?!”
“Calm yourself. He’s within my barrier right now, so nothing bad can happen—for now. But once you leave this shrine, the abnormalities will start to surface again.”

She spoke so casually, but my mind was spinning in confusion. So Sasaki-kun was being affected by something unknown to me…?
What am I even supposed to do about this?
I’ve never encountered a “phantom” or whatever this is supposed to be—let alone fought one.

“Kaka! I noticed none of you realized, so I thought I’d give you a little tip. But from here on, it’s up to you to handle it, child.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that—?”
“Anyway, this is as far as my meddling goes. The rest is up to you! You’ll figure something out, surely!”

The fox spirit cut off my question, clapped her hands with a laugh—
and in the next instant, I found myself once again standing in front of the offering box, hands together.
The noisy crowd had returned, and glancing to my side, I saw my classmates just now opening their eyes from the prayer.
Still confused, I followed everyone’s lead and finished with the final bow.

“What did everyone wish for~?”
“I wished for—!”
As everyone chatted happily and headed toward the omikuji stand, I found myself watching Sasaki-kun in silence.

Something bad had latched onto Sasaki-kun…
That fox spirit said I could do something about it, but…
I’ve never even seen, touched, or fought anything like a “phantom” before.

Still…
If we’re going to enjoy this school trip together—
Then I have to do something. I have to protect everyone.