Seraphim is a Bystander

A New Encounter on the Horizon

 
Several years had passed since that first training session with his father. Aoi was now five years old. In the time since, he had continued to train both his supernatural abilities and his weapon techniques. What he once couldn’t even scratch with his scythe, he now could cleave clean through in a single swing. He had also gained enough control over his powers that he could now use them as naturally as a part of his own body.
“Your follow-through is weak!”

“Yes, sir!”
Their training had progressed beyond just practice swings—they now sparred against each other. Despite his young age, Aoi had managed to land clean hits on his father from time to time, using his supernatural powers and innate combat instincts, even though his father fought only with pure physical ability and no powers of his own.
“What’s wrong? Come at me harder!”

“Haaahh!”
By supplementing his small body with both trained muscle and supernatural reinforcement, Aoi had finally reached a point where he could fight against his father without being completely overwhelmed. Thanks to his massive innate power reserves, his combat potential had increased significantly.
“Your footwork enhancement is weak!”

That said, even with supernatural reinforcement, a five-year-old’s body could only do so much. His father still had a far superior reach and could easily exploit any weaknesses in Aoi’s technique.
But—
“...!”

Aoi swung his scythe from a range that looked too far to reach—but at the moment of attack, he channeled power into the weapon and extended the staff’s length. In doing so, he suddenly expanded the scythe’s range, attacking from well outside his father’s expectations.
“Ggh…!”
The already tricky motions of the scythe were made even more unpredictable by Aoi’s clever technique. Even his father, usually unflappable, was caught off guard and had to scramble to block the sudden strike.

“Yaaah!”
“Too soft!”
Aoi spun the scythe, trying to catch his father off-guard on the other side with the blunt end. But Father reacted swiftly, knocking the staff upward and disarming him. The scythe spun through the air, out of reach.

With his weapon lost, Aoi stood stunned as the flat of his father’s greatsword gently touched the side of his neck.
“...I yield.”
“Alright. That’s enough for today.”
Father lowered his sword and declared the training over.

“Haa… Haa… I was so close…”
“Phew… That last move was a clever one. Even if you didn’t land it, you managed to throw me off. That kind of trickery gives you an edge.”
As Aoi sat catching his breath, his father—barely winded—spoke [N O V E L I G H T] calmly, offering advice. Aoi’s frustrated expression showed how much he hated falling short.

“Don’t make that face. You’re growing stronger steadily. There’s no need to rush.”
“But… I’m going to be a big brother soon. I need to be strong enough to protect my little brother…!”
Yes, Aoi wasn’t just training to become stronger for himself.

His parents had recently told him he was going to have a baby brother. They asked him, as the big brother, to protect him. Already progressing at an exceptional pace, Aoi redoubled his efforts from that day on.
“...I see. Just don’t push yourself too hard. You need to be strong enough to protect yourself, too.”
“...Okay!”

Seeing the urgency still lingering in Aoi’s expression, Father gently patted his head, his voice kind. Aoi nodded firmly, though the tension didn’t fully leave his face. Sensing this, Father seemed to think for a moment before speaking.
“Aoi, I know someone who’s a scythe user. Would you like me to ask if they’ll teach you?”
Aoi’s eyes went wide for a moment before the meaning sank in—and then he beamed and nodded enthusiastically.

“Really?! When?! When will they start teaching me?!”
“Calm down… I said I’d ask. Don’t get your hopes too high. To be honest… I’m not very good at dealing with that person.”
As Aoi practically bounced with excitement, Father scratched his head awkwardly and started contacting someone through his nanomachine interface.

“...Hello, it’s been a while. This is Kouta Futaba. …No, it’s not about work. …No, really, today’s not a business matter…”
For a while, Father continued speaking with a strained expression. Aoi watched silently, sensing the tension.
Eventually, the call wrapped up.

“Yes… then in three days… Okay. Thank you. Goodbye.”
Father ended the call and turned back toward Aoi with a face more exhausted than after their training session.
“...Aoi, in three days we’re going to take a little trip.”

“They’ll teach me?!”
“...Not sure yet. They said they want to see you first before deciding.”
According to Father, the person was… difficult. Someone he worked with, a master of the scythe as far as he knew—but also someone he least wanted to deal with.

Still, they had agreed to meet. And so, three days later, Aoi and his father would head off to visit them. With his excitement riding high, the day’s training came to a close, and the two returned home by car.
As they opened the front door, Aoi’s mother came out from the living room, walking slowly. Her belly had rounded considerably.
“Welcome home, dear. Welcome back, Aoi.”

“Yuka! Don’t worry about greeting us—go sit and rest!”
Father rushed over, worried. But Mother simply smiled warmly.
“It’s fine, really. I’m just stretching my legs.”

At her feet was Sou, the dog, who had become her constant guardian ever since her belly had started to grow. Aoi had told Sou to protect their mother whenever he was away, and the dog took his duty seriously.
“I’m home, Mom! Sou, were you a good protector?”
“Grrruf.”

Sou gave a proud bark, and Aoi gave him a loving pat. His parents looked on with gentle smiles.
—And so, between kindergarten, training, and reading books, the days passed quickly. Before he knew it, the day had arrived to meet the person who might teach him how to wield a scythe properly.