Seraphim is a Bystander

School Trip Day 1: Transformation
 
After we all finished drawing our fortunes and taking pictures around the shrine grounds, we headed toward the exit while chatting about our impressions.

“If that was the first stop, then the last one’s gotta be something else!”
“Yeah, I can’t wait~!”
While the rest of the group walked ahead, full of excitement, I subtly slowed down to match Sasaki-kun’s pace, who was lagging a little behind, and quietly spoke so no one else could hear.

“…Sasaki-kun, are you okay?”
“Eh? Futaba-kun…? W-What do you mean?”
Sasaki-kun looked startled when I spoke to him, like he was trying to hide something—but also like I’d hit the nail on the head.

I still didn’t know why that fox woman had told me all of this, but it had been obvious even before we came to the shrine that Sasaki-kun was trying to hide how unwell he was.
“I won’t force you to talk about it. But if anything’s troubling you, I want you to know you can rely on me, okay? I’ll do anything I can to help.”
“Futaba-kun… You really are…”

His voice trailed off, and Sasaki-kun’s face twisted into an expression that was happy, yet on the verge of tears—an odd, fragile mix. That look made me think again that maybe he’d really been suffering.
I was just about to follow up on that when we passed back through the same torii gate we had entered earlier.
The moment we crossed it, the mysterious sense of calm I had been feeling vanished, replaced once again by that unpleasant, nerve-prickling sensation.

At the same time, Sasaki-kun slowed his pace and lowered his head, falling silent.
“Sasaki-kun…?”
When he looked up at my voice, it was immediately clear something had changed.

The eyes I could glimpse through the gap in his bangs had narrowed into a sharp, piercing gaze. His pupils, which had already seemed clouded before, now looked completely corrupted.
Then, he twisted his mouth into a crooked smile and spoke.
“Futaba-kun, would you mind if we talked, just the two of us?”
“…!”

That strange tone, that completely different expression—it all clearly confirmed what the fox woman had warned me about. This wasn’t just “like” someone else. Someone else really had taken over.
“…Okay. I’ll talk to the others. Just wait here a moment, alright?”
“Sure. I’m counting on you.”

He grinned unsettlingly as I jogged over to the rest of the group.
“Hey, everyone! Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Aoi-kun? What’s up? …Oh, wait, Sasaki-kun’s still over there…”

As they turned toward me, the others noticed Sasaki-kun standing behind me, head lowered. Their expressions turned worried. I turned to Runa-chan and Ken and spoke while looking them directly in the eyes.
“It’s Sasaki-kun… I think he’s not feeling too well. We’re going to head back and rest a bit—can you all go on ahead without us?”
“Eh? Then we’ll wait too!”

“No, it’s okay. I think the crowd might have made him a bit dizzy. Having too many people around might just make it worse. If it looks bad, I’ll call the teacher right away.”
“…Alright. Then we’ll go on ahead—but message us if anything happens, okay?”
“I will. Thanks, everyone.”

After seeing ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) them off with some reassurances, I returned to Sasaki-kun. He was still standing there with that eerie smile on his face, staring straight at me.
“Looks like that went well. Shall we go, then?”
“…Can I ask where we’re going?”

“Hmm, let’s see. Anywhere’s fine as long as it’s quiet and we can talk. Oh—actually, there’s a good spot nearby!”
He responded without hesitation and immediately started walking, clearly knowing exactly where he wanted to go.
From time to time, he glanced back to make sure I was following. Each time he did, I caught a glimpse of that uncanny smile again. It was unnerving—so much so that I couldn’t bring myself to say anything during the walk.

After a few silent minutes, we turned into a dim alleyway. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then sat on a nearby crate and looked straight at me.
“Now then… shall we have a little talk?”