Seraphim is a Bystander

School Trip Day 1: Free Time Ends
 
A man approached us—he had the appearance of a refined gentleman.
When he saw our confused expressions, he gave a polite nod and continued with a gentle smile:

"My apologies. I happened to overhear a bit of your conversation. You seemed to be having trouble, so I thought I’d ask. And also..."
"Nya?"
"...you were carrying such an adorable cat that I couldn’t help but notice."

Even to someone like me, who didn’t know this man at all, his warm smile made it clear he wasn’t a bad person.
"I see. Um… we were just trying to figure out what this ‘shiori’ is."
"Ah, a shiori! That makes sense—it’s not something you see every day."

"You know what it is?"
"Yes. I happen to use them often in my line of work, so I’m familiar with them."
Saying that with a smile, the man pulled an old-fashioned book out of the bag he carried in one hand.
Inside it, we could see something very similar to the “shiori” we were holding.

"…So, you put it inside books?"
"Oh? You've seen paper books before?"
"Yes, there were a few lying around at home when I was little. I really liked them, and now I’ve been collecting them ever since."

"That’s wonderful. Ever since nanomachines became widespread, paper fell out of use—but there’s something uniquely charming about it."
"Exactly! The smell, the texture—there’s just something I love about them!"
I had gotten a little too excited, since no one around me had really understood that feeling before.
But the man just watched me with a kind smile.

"Ah, sorry… I talked too much. So, um, what exactly is a shiori?"
"Oh, right. As you can see, it’s something you place between the pages of a book to mark where you left off reading."
"Ah, that makes so much sense! That would be useful!"
"Indeed. I often forget where I left off, so I use them all the time."

The shiori the man showed us looked different from the ones we had.
It was made of a material that seemed part paper, part cloth—what was it called again… washi, I think?
"Thank you so much for explaining!"
"No, no, it was nothing. …By the way, are you «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» in Kyoto for a school trip?"

"Yes, today’s the first day, and this was our free time block."
"…And the cat—is she from your home?"
The man glanced curiously at Yuzu on my shoulder.
Well, of course he’d ask—bringing a cat on a school trip is definitely strange.

"Ah, she’s actually a cat I met earlier at the divine residence. For some reason, she got attached to me and just won’t leave, so I’ve been bringing her along."
"…I see. Have you informed your school? If not, I could contact them on your behalf."
"…?"

That sudden offer came out of nowhere, and the man’s expression had shifted from gentle to serious.
I wasn’t sure why he was saying this, but he didn’t seem like a bad person, and somehow I found myself answering honestly without hesitation.
"It’s okay. I don’t fully understand it myself, but one of the god’s familiars said she would contact our teacher."
"Oh? Is that so? Then it seems I was meddling unnecessarily."

"No, not at all!"
When I replied, the man smiled gently again and stepped back, saying he didn’t want to intrude any longer.
"Well then, enjoy your time in Kyoto. If fate wills it, I’m sure we’ll meet again."

"Thank you so much!"
"Take good care of that cat, alright?"
With that, the gentleman gave a small bow and left the shop.
As we watched him go, Rei-kun—who had somehow completely faded from notice during the exchange—finally spoke up.

"Y-you’re amazing, Aoi-kun. I could never talk that easily with a stranger…"
"Ahaha… maybe I’m just a bit more used to it?"
"Even so, it was impressive… a-and that guy was really nice, huh?"

"Yeah, I’m glad we learned what a shiori is too."
Since I often read paper books, I decided to buy the shiori.
Rei-kun got one too as a keepsake, and we both continued to browse for more souvenirs.
"Everyone really bought a lot, huh?"

"Yeah, I’ve got a bunch of siblings at home."
"Oh yeah, Ken, you have a lot of younger brothers, right?"
"They were bugging me about bringing back souvenirs even before the trip!"

"Ahaha! By the way, we can send everything home once we get back to the hotel, right?"
Apparently, the school had arranged for a service to send the souvenirs back to our homes—just like they’d sent our luggage ahead of us.
"Alright, let’s head back to the hotel!"

"Yeah, everyone good to go?"
After confirming that no one had forgotten any souvenirs, we checked the photos we’d taken and shared them to our group chat.
And with that, our free time came to an end as we returned to the hotel.