Seraphim is a Bystander

First Training with Father - Part 1
 
 

Dr. Ichijou accompanied them as they headed to the same floor where Aoi had previously observed his father's training. Both Aoi and his father now wore the bracelets on their wrists.
“Come to think of it, what kind of training are you °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° planning for today?”
Apparently, Dr. Ichijou hadn’t been informed about the actual training content either, and asked on the way. Hearing her question, Aoi’s father realized he hadn’t explained and began to answer.

“...Since it’s his first time, I thought I’d start with a basic lesson on using special abilities and handling weapons.”
Special abilities? Not “powers”? Now that I think about it, I never really learned how people in this world actually fight. Maybe, just like I can use my powers for different things, they have their own methods for directly handling special abilities.
“I see. That’s perfect—then my gift won’t go to waste either.”

“...So, what exactly is this thing?”
Aoi’s father asked, gesturing toward the bracelet on his wrist, but Dr. Ichijou just brushed it off with a vague answer.
“You’ll see when you use it~ That’s part of the fun!”

“...I see.”
Resigned, Aoi’s father stopped pursuing the question and walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the training area, he led them into the same virtual combat room he used during his own training.
“I’ll watch from the monitoring room. I’ll let you know when it’s time to use that.”

“...Understood.”
With that brief exchange, Dr. Ichijou waved and headed into another room on the same floor. Though Aoi’s father looked a little dissatisfied, he quickly changed focus and turned toward Aoi.
“Alright then. Let’s start with how to handle your special ability.”

“Okay, Dad.”
Just like when he was in combat training before, Aoi’s father’s expression turned serious. Aoi, caught up in the atmosphere, responded with a touch of nervous tension.
“First, I’ll show you an example. Watch closely.”

Facing Aoi, he extended his arm. After a moment, a light blue aura began to gather around it. It started as faint lines but gradually thickened until it completely enveloped his arm.
“This is what we call a special ability. The form it takes varies from person to person, but everyone has one to some extent.”
“...Whoa. Do I have one too?”
“Yes, you do. You might not remember, but you used this power to save Sou.”

“...I did?”
Aoi turned to Sou with wide eyes. Sou gave a soft “grrr” and rubbed against Aoi, confirming it.
“In any case, this is a power you also possess.”

“...I do…”
Aoi looked at his open hands, as if trying to feel his own power. I’ve used Aoi’s power quite a lot since he was born, so it seems he’s instinctively aware of the energy flowing through his body.
“Let’s start by learning how to sense your special ability.”

Hearing this, Aoi tilted his head in confusion and asked:
“Sense it…? You mean that warm feeling inside my body?”
“...! I see… Then Aoi, tell me if you feel this.”

Surprised by Aoi’s words, his father gently took his hand and let his own ability flow into it. As soon as their hands touched, Aoi looked up in shock.
“Something cold just flowed into me!”
“...I see.”

Realizing Aoi could truly feel the energy, his father nodded, impressed, and moved on to the next step.
“Aoi, can you try moving your own energy?”
Aoi closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to manipulate the power he had just sensed.

“Nnngh… Haah… Did it work?”
While Aoi was focusing, his father held his hand to monitor any reaction, but Aoi’s power hadn’t moved. I’ve already tuned his circuits, so the issue wasn’t with his ability—it was just that he didn’t know how to will it yet.
“I’ll help guide you. Try copying what I do.”

“...Okay.”
Again, his father let his energy flow into Aoi’s hand. Aoi concentrated hard, mimicking the sensation of that energy moving through his body—his own energy began to respond.
“...!”

“Dad! Did it work?!”
Once he got the feeling down, Aoi’s power began to move on his own will. As he and his father exchanged glances, both felt it clearly.
“Y-Yeah… You did it.”

“Yay! I did it!”
As Aoi jumped with joy, his father gently patted his head, his expression a mix of pride and mild bewilderment. Most likely, Aoi had picked it up faster than normal because of the advantage of having me around.
“...Aoi might be a genius.”

“?”
Aoi, too excited to notice, didn’t catch those quiet words.
But I did.