Seraphim is a Bystander

Delivering the Souvenir – Part 4
 

 
After I had somewhat forcefully introduced Seras-san to Grandpa and Grandma, things were... tense at first. They were both pretty surprised, and Seras-san wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about explaining everything, so I was getting nervous about how things would go. But then—
“Hmm… In that case, I suppose Seras is my granddaughter too, then.”

“What a blessing to have such an adorable new granddaughter, isn’t it?”
“...Why are they adapting so fast?”
It only took a little conversation for Grandpa and Grandma to realize Seras-san was a good person, and before long they were completely ready to accept her as another grandchild. Seras-san, on the other hand, was clearly overwhelmed.

“It’s a shame we can’t talk with Aoi-chan while Seras-chan is here.”
“Indeed…”
“Um… if possible, could you maybe stop calling me ‘-chan’...?”

“By the way, Seras-chan, do you have any favorite sweets?”
“Ah… I like pretty much all traditional Japanese sweets…”
As expected of Grandma—she smoothly got Seras-san talking, learned her preferences, and skipped off with a smile to prepare some sweets. That left just Grandpa and Seras-san sitting there, awkwardly.

“……(Aoi~? I wanna switch back now~?)”
“It’s okay. Grandpa’s here, and Grandma will be back soon with some tea snacks.”
“...! (No, that’s not the point!)”

…? What is the point, then? Anyway, Grandpa’s being especially quiet today. He’s not the talkative type to begin with, but he seemed happy earlier, so I doubt he’s feeling awkward or anything…
“Hmm… this is troubling.”
As I was pondering this, Grandpa suddenly muttered something aloud.

“…It means I’ve never given Seras a birthday gift, doesn’t it?”
Huh? …Ah! That’s true! Wow, leave it to Grandpa to notice something like that. Still, what was Seras-san trying to say earlier?
“Um…?”
“Oh? Did I say that out loud? Well, no need to worry. Just look forward to it.”

“No, really, I’m fine with things like that…”
No no, Seras-san—when someone wants to give you a gift, you have to accept the sentiment graciously. Actually, now I want to give Seras-san something too. I’ve been on the receiving end so often…
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here, I brought some dango. There’s red bean and sweet soy sauce. Please, have some.”

“...Thank you very much.”
Grandma returned, setting the sweets in front of Seras-san. Seras seemed like she had something to say, but her eyes were locked onto the mitarashi dango and wouldn’t look away. Must really like them.
“So, what were you two talking about?”

“Ah, I was saying how I should celebrate Seras’ past birthdays, since I missed them all.”
“No, really, it’s fine…”
As Grandpa mentioned the birthday gifts, Grandma clapped her hands with a big smile.

“Oh my! Yes, we should definitely celebrate Seras-chan’s birthday too!”
“Ahhh…”
As Grandma joined in and they began discussing what kind of present would be best, saying things like “She’s a girl, so…” and “She’ll be a middle schooler soon…,” Seras-san began scanning the room nervously. Maybe looking for an escape?

Then her eyes landed on Katagiri-san, who had been silently standing at the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ back of the room the whole time. For just a split second, I think I saw a very gentle smile on Katagiri-san’s face—but it vanished so quickly I wasn’t sure if I imagined it.
“Um! Speaking of gifts!”
“Yes? What is it, Seras-chan?”

“‘-chan’… oh whatever. Today, I still have other people to deliver souvenirs to from the school trip.”
Ah right—the souvenirs! I’d already contacted a few people, so I needed to hurry and visit them.
“Oh, is that so? Then we shouldn’t keep you here too long, should we?”

“Right… and with that, I’ll hand things back over to Aoi, so she can explain the rest.”
“Okay then. Seras-chan, do come visit again anytime, alright?”
“Yes, indeed.”

“...Thank you very much.”
With that final exchange, my awareness returned to my own body. I checked just in case, and yep—I was back to myself.
“Wow, the switch really is instant, huh?”
“Hmm.”

“Well, in any case… I hope you’ll both take care of Seras-san from now on too.”
“Of course.”
“Mm.”
After that, we chatted a bit more—about where I planned to visit next, the outfits we had recently taken measurements for, and how we’d probably need to take measurements for Seras-san too.

Then, I left Grandpa and Grandma’s house, heading for the next destination.
…Incidentally, even though this whole trip was supposed to be about giving souvenirs, they ended up handing me some fancy sweets to take home, so my load didn’t get any lighter after all.