Seraphim is a Bystander

School Trip Day 1: Spirits and Abilities

 
Right around the time Sasaki-kun had calmed down, we got a message from the rest of the group—apparently, we were almost at the next destination.
After confirming that Sasaki-kun was physically fine, we decided to talk while walking.
“...I, I really caused you trouble, didn’t I, Futaba-kun…”

“Don’t worry about that. But… did you stay conscious while you were possessed?”
“Y-Yeah. I couldn’t move or do anything, but I saw it all…”
“I see. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

As we strolled side by side through the streets of Kyoto, I occasionally waved away the black shadows that drifted toward Sasaki-kun.
They didn’t seem all that powerful—just brushing them aside with a hand imbued with Purifying Flame (浄火) was enough to make them vanish instantly.
“...That thing—Futaba-kun, is that your ability?”
“Huh? Oh, this?”

Sasaki-kun watched my hand curiously.
I held up a flame of Jōka/Purifying Flame for him to see.
He seemed to sense something from it—his eyes widened in surprise.
“This isn’t my usual ability. If you asked me what it is… I don’t really know?”
“I-It’s not your ability? You can get rid of spirits without powers?”

“Honestly, I don’t know how I can do it… But say, Sasaki-kun—by ‘spirit,’ do you mean that black shadow that was possessing you?”
“Y-Yeah… It’s the malice left behind by people who never became full virtuals. That becomes a spirit. Normally, spirits can’t really affect people but…”
He trailed off, seemingly reluctant to say more.
The spirit that had possessed him had been weak—easy to purge with Jōka—but even then, it had still managed to take him over.
Whatever the reason was, I didn’t want to force him to talk about something painful.

“You don’t have to say it if you don’t want to. Everyone has things they’d rather not talk about.”
“N-No… It’s okay. You might not believe me, but… I don’t have any abilities.”
“...You don’t have any…?”

What came out of Sasaki-kun’s mouth was something I’d never even imagined.
Everyone’s born with some sort of ability. I’d never heard of someone who wasn’t.
“Y-Yeah… And since I don’t, I guess that makes me really easy for spirits to latch onto. It’s been like that since I was little…”
“I see…”
The only real way to deal with virtuals—or even their precursor spirits—is through abilities.
There are a few rare cases where non-powered techniques can neutralize them, but they’re incredibly uncommon.

“So I have no way of defending myself from spirits. If I get possessed… there’s nothing I can do.”
“...That must be really tough.”
“N-Not usually! Spirits don’t often get close to people… and they’re never this many. Kyoto’s just… different.”

“Yeah, this city does feel strange. I’ve felt on edge since we got here.”
As I said that, the vague discomfort I’d been feeling since arriving in Kyoto solidified into something real.
Sasaki-kun blinked in surprise.
“F-Futaba-kun, your senses must be sharp… People with abilities don’t usually notice spirits at all.”

“This is actually the first time I’ve felt something like this, so I’m not really sure why I can even see them.”
“I-I see… You might keep seeing them even after we go back, but they won’t come near you, so it’s okay.”
“Got it. Thanks, Sasaki-kun.”

As we continued walking through the city, brushing away the occasional spirit, a thought occurred to me.
“So what did you usually do when you got possessed?”
“U-Um… Well, my family’s actually from Kyoto. A lot of my relatives have shrine-related powers—they serve gods. So they’d exorcise me.”

“Wait, you came all the way to Kyoto every time?”
“Y-Yeah… My mom’s ability lets her sense when I’m possessed, so whenever it happened, she’d bring me here right away.”
“Wow… You’ve really been through a lot.”

So that’s why he said he’d ridden the bullet train several times already.
I couldn’t begin to imagine the kinds of struggles he’d faced, but… I could tell he’d been carrying burdens he couldn’t easily talk about.
“U-Um… Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, ask anything.”

He glanced at my expression a little nervously, so I gave him a reassuring smile.
When it came to spirits and the supernatural, he clearly knew more than I did.
“F-Futaba-kun… why are you so strong? When you held me down, it felt like you were used to it…”
“Ahh… How do I explain this…”

Honestly, the reason I’m so used to fighting isn’t something most people would relate to.
It’s tricky to explain without mentioning the Futaba family.
“Uh, well… a lot of people in my family used to work in anti-virtual operations. I looked up to them as a kid, so I started training early on.”
“R-Really? That’s amazing… No wonder you’re so good at using your abilities…”

“Compared to my teachers, I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“But still! Even the way you summoned those floating flames—so pretty!”
He leaned forward excitedly.
It was rare to see him like this.
That’s when I caught a glimpse of his eyes through his bangs, and remembered the ride here on the bullet train.

“Hey, by the way… why do you always hide your eyes? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“Ah… w-will you promise not to laugh?”
“Huh? Yeah, I promise.”

“Well… I started hiding them so spirits wouldn’t notice I could see them. But then it became a habit, and now I just… get embarrassed if people look me in the eyes.”
“…Pfft.”
Even though I tried not to laugh, a little chuckle escaped.
So back on the train, he was just shy—not gloomy.

Seeing me laugh, Sasaki-kun’s face turned red as he protested.
“T-That’s mean…! You promised you wouldn’t ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) laugh!”
“S-Sorry! Heh… But your eyes are really beautiful, you know? Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“They’re not… Don’t tease me like that…”
“Ehh? Even Ken said you had a really nice face, though?”
“Hearing that from you and Katsura-kun just makes me feel miserable…”

That kind of banter reminded me of something Ken and I would’ve done.
The fact that I could do the same with Sasaki-kun now… it made me smile.
It felt like the distance between us had shrunk in an instant.
“Heh… Hey, Sasaki-kun, is it okay if I call you by your first name? You can call me by mine, too.”
“Eh… I-I can?”

“Yeah. No need to stay so formal all the time.”
Sasaki-kun hesitated for a moment, then turned toward me with a determined look and said:
“…Then… Nice to meet you, Aoi-kun.”

“Yeah. Nice to meet you too, Rei-kun.”
As I felt the distance between me and Rei-kun shrink, the two of us continued walking—heading toward the destination where our classmates were waiting.