Seraphim is a Bystander

A glimpse of heroism
 
It’s been a while since we had a bit of action.

Several months had passed since Aoi’s grandparents came to visit, and his first birthday was just around the corner.
“Ma~ma, vroom vroom!”
“Yes, there are lots of cars, aren’t there~?”

Today, we were all out—my parents, grandparents, and me—going from toy store to toy store, looking for a birthday present for Aoi. He was steadily growing, and lately had started saying short words. His cuteness just kept leveling up.
“Do you think Aoi-chan likes cars?”
“…Hmm. Kota, wasn’t it about time we replaced the car?”

“…Yeah, but… you’re not seriously thinking of buying a car for his birthday, are you?”
Grandma smiled as she watched Aoi being cradled in Mom’s arms, while Grandpa stood silently—expressionless as always—but clearly plotting something outrageous for a birthday gift.
…He’s hard to read, but he’s totally smitten with Aoi.

“Gwampa, vroom?”
“…! Right. Let’s go, Kota.”
Uh oh…! Grandpa’s been hit with a critical charm attack! He’s totally flustered… Aoi, you terrifying child…!

And so, Aoi had Grandpa completely wrapped around his finger, while Dad got dragged along for the ride. Watching them from the sidelines were Mom and Grandma—smiling gently. …And me, just observing it all.
But peaceful moments never last.
My spiritual ring suddenly picked up a disturbance, and moments later, both Dad and Grandpa snapped to attention.

“...Kota, be ready!”
“Got it! Mom, Yuka—take Aoi!”
People down the street were screaming and running toward us. Looking in the direction they’d come from, I spotted a massive dog-like creature wreathed in black flames rampaging through the street.
“It’s a small virtual entity, but its threat level is unknown. Mika?”
“Threat Level: B. That high-temperature flame could be dangerous if touched.”

Maybe because of their professions, both my grandparents and parents stayed calm and composed, quickly moving to deal with the situation. Dad touched his ear, probably contacting backup, while Mom instantly deployed a protective barrier using her ability.
Hmm, I don’t know exactly how dangerous a B-level threat is, but this match-up doesn’t look great. From what I can /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ sense through my ring, our side is stacked with power types, while this thing looks like a speed type…
As my family raised their guard, the flaming creature locked eyes on us—or rather, on Aoi, who hadn’t run. …Wait, is that thing possessed?

Looking closer, I realized the entity had originally been a sacred beast revered in some legend, but had lost its sanity after being possessed by something.
…I want to help, but with the current lineup already doing their best, me stepping in would just complicate things—especially if Grandma activates her insight ability and picks up on my presence. That would be very bad.
While I was weighing my options, the virtual creature dug its claws into the pavement and charged—closing the distance in a flash. As expected, babies are easy targets for evil spirits. It dodged past Dad and Grandpa and circled around behind Mom, who was holding Aoi.

“Fast!”
“Yuka!”
The creature’s flaming claws slashed at Mom, but the barrier barely held. Cracks were already forming. It wouldn’t last much longer.
…What do I do? Aoi’s current power isn’t enough. Do I take the risk and intervene?

As I debated, I felt a strange emotion coming from Aoi—completely out of place.
“Woof woof!”
Despite the dangerous situation, Aoi was excited—probably because it was his first time seeing a dog-like creature. Even stranger, I felt a wave of concern from him… Did he somehow know it was possessed?

“Aoi, no!”
Mom hugged him tightly to shield him, but Aoi still stretched out a hand toward the beast, his eyes filled with worry.
…Fine. I’ll handle it.

I was just about to project my spirit outside—when suddenly, without me doing anything, I felt our circuits connect. Mine and Aoi’s.
Then—
“Woof woof, bad!”

My power was lightly pulled out by Aoi—and he activated a purification.
Blue flames burst forth from him, engulfing the virtual entity and completely smothering the black fire.
『Guuuh!』

The creature let out a pained cry, but as Aoi’s flames purified the darkness, the oppressive aura faded—and in its place, a divine presence began to emerge.
“Woof woof?”
“…Grrr…”

Now calm, the creature transformed into a pure white wolf lightly cloaked in blue fire. It walked slowly toward Aoi and gently licked his outstretched hand.
“Kyaa~!”
“…Aoi?”

At that moment, it felt like the hearts of everyone present—except for Aoi and the wolf—were in complete sync.
…Me included.
 

 
…What just happened?
 

FROM: AUTHOR
Spoiler: Aoi-kun loves animals.
 
 

Character Names (for reference):
Father: Kota
Mother: Yuka
Grandfather: Kozo
Grandmother: Mika
Looks like we’ll meet the maternal grandparents eventually, too.