Seraphim is a Bystander

Meeting the Master
 
Sorry for the late update.

Aoi now stood at the entrance of a large Japanese-style mansion, his father beside him. All around the estate, guards were stationed in visible positions. His father approached one of the armed men standing before the gate.
“Excuse me, I have an appointment with Lady Morimiya.”
“Yes, sir! You must be Mr. Futaba. Lady Morimiya is expecting you!”

The gatekeeper saluted Aoi’s father and issued a command to open the gate. Beyond it stood a traditional Japanese single-story mansion. Come to think of it, Aoi hadn't seen any buildings like this since being reincarnated. Probably, as technology advanced, these structures had disappeared outside of cultural preservation efforts.
They stepped inside and removed their shoes at the entrance. A maid-like woman greeted them and led the way, saying, “This way, please.” As they walked, Aoi couldn’t help but glance nervously at the elegant courtyard and luxurious furnishings, following closely behind his father.
Eventually, they exited the main residence and followed a long outdoor corridor leading to what appeared to be a training hall.

“Lady Morimiya is in training, so please keep quiet.”
The maid bowed and stepped aside at the entrance to the hall.
Standing before the door, Aoi’s father exhaled deeply and placed his hand on the handle. As he opened the large doors and stepped inside, they saw a beautiful woman moving with grace.

“...She’s beautiful.”
It wasn’t just her appearance—every movement she made was refined and elegant. At first glance, it seemed she was performing a dance, but on closer inspection, she was wielding a large scythe, sparring against invisible enemies. Her movements were so precise and fluid that they appeared like a choreographed dance.
As Aoi stood mesmerized by her mechanical, calculated movements, she finished with a decisive beheading motion against an unseen foe, then turned toward them and exhaled.

The moment she noticed them, her cold, expressionless demeanor vanished. She broke into a lively grin and ran over to them.
“Hey, Kouta! Long time no see! Come on, let’s spar already!”
With a big grin, she slapped his father’s back enthusiastically. He winced under her heavy-handed welcome.

“Please don’t challenge people to a fight the moment you meet them, Lady Morimiya…”
“Don’t be so stiff! We’ve trusted each other with our lives in battle before, haven’t we?!”
As she urged him to grab a weapon, she finally noticed Aoi, who was peeking cautiously at her from beside his father.
“Huh…? Hey, Kouta, is this the brat you mentioned?”

She crouched low with her legs wide, meeting Aoi’s eyes directly. His father gave him a gentle nudge forward.
“Let me introduce you. This is my son, Aoi.”
“I’m Aoi Futaba! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Trying not to be overwhelmed by her intensity, Aoi greeted her with a louder-than-usual voice. She responded with a big smile, ruffled his neatly grown hair, and introduced herself.
“Nice to meet ya! I’m Renka Morimiya!”
At that, Aoi’s father quietly encouraged him to ask for training himself. Pushed forward, Aoi hesitated for a moment but then steeled his resolve.

“Lady Morimiya! Please make me stronger!”
At those words, Renka’s smile disappeared, and she met Aoi’s gaze with a serious expression.
“Stronger, huh… Aoi, why do you want to be strong?”

“Because I want to protect the people who are important to me!”
Though her tone carried a hint of pressure, Aoi answered without hesitation. She smirked, gave his hair another good ruffle, and stood up.
“Alright then, how about a spar first? I’ll decide whether I’ll train you based on that!”

Renka grabbed the scythe she had just been practicing with and walked to the center of the training hall. His father sighed, as if to say “I knew this would happen.”
“Got a weapon? If not, I’ll lend you one.”
“I’m good!”

Aoi confidently replied and infused energy into the bracelet on his wrist, summoning his familiar scythe. Seeing him ready his weapon, Renka’s eyebrow twitched, and she smiled slyly.
“Alright. I won’t move from this spot, and I’m not holding back. Come at me however you like!”
Her declaration surprised not only Aoi, but his father as well. Despite the clear handicap she’d imposed on herself, Renka simply beckoned Aoi forward with a provocative smile.

“…Here I come!”
Aoi glanced at his father, who wore an expression of resignation. Aoi gathered his resolve, surged energy through his body, and launched ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ himself toward Renka.
“…Hoh.”

Just three steps from reaching her, their eyes locked. Realizing she was tracking his movements perfectly, Aoi veered off instead of closing the distance, attempting to get behind her.
“Hah!”
He moved to her unarmed side and struck from below with a rising swing, hoping to catch her from her blind spot—but she didn’t even turn her head.

“No good.”
With that short remark, she spun her scythe and struck down Aoi’s attack with the butt of her weapon. In the next instant, the blade of her scythe was inches from Aoi’s neck.
CLANG!

A heavy metallic sound echoed through the hall.
“Oops… Maybe I overdid that—huh?”
When Renka looked toward where Aoi should have been knocked back, she saw no one. A flash of realization struck her just as a child-sized scythe neared her neck.

“Whoa!”
“...!”
Feeling the wind from the swing, Renka quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike. As she turned toward the source of the attack, she saw Aoi falling from above, having swung midair.

Aoi had assumed from the start that his first attack would be blocked. He had used the recoil and her own strength to spring upward, setting up a follow-up strike from above.
“Gotcha.”
“Ugh…!”

Renka caught Aoi by the collar midair, holding him like a kitten as their eyes met. Defeated, Aoi sighed and let his scythe dissolve.
“I yield…”
“Yup! That’s my win!”

As she set him down, Aoi bowed his head, clearly disappointed.
“Thank you for the match, Lady Morimiya…”
Thinking he’d lost his chance to be trained by her, Aoi was surprised when she burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! Don’t get so down! You’re gonna get even stronger now that I’m your teacher!”
“…Really?”
“Starting today, you’re my apprentice. You can call me ‘Master’ if you like!”

Renka placed a hand on his head and grinned. Aoi looked up and smiled brightly.
“Really?!”
“Yeah! As long as I’ve got time, I’ll train you whenever you come by!”

“Th-thank you so much!”
And so, with his father watching from the side with a slightly complicated expression, Aoi and Renka formed their master-student bond.