Seraphim is a Bystander

Post-Incident Cleanup and Return to the Front
 

By the time I woke up, a new day had already begun—the sun was up and the date had changed.
I checked the clock. There was still plenty of time before the day’s scheduled activities would begin.
First things first, I sent Master a quick message:
“Please contact me once you’re up.”
Then I started getting ready.
At some point, someone had changed me into the hotel’s sleepwear.
…Did someone dress me while I was unconscious?
Still in pajamas, I washed my face, fixed my hair, and changed into my work uniform that had been laid out in the room.
As I was getting dressed, my stomach growled—loudly.
Come to think of it… I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.

“Man, I’m starving…”
Just then, a message came in from Master.
Let’s see…
“I’m heading over now.”
Guess I’ll wait for him in the hallway.
I stepped out into the hotel corridor and waited.
Before long, Master came barreling around the corner at full speed.

“Huh—Mast—?!”
Without slowing down, he rushed up and scooped me into the air.
Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve been picked up like this.

“Aoi! Are you okay?!”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I could move around no problem.”
“I see…! That’s good!”

“Er… right.”
He finally set me down with a look that was a mix of relief and joy.
It was a rare expression—I hardly ever saw Master wear his emotions so openly, even though he was always kind of rough around the edges.
“Master… before we talk, can I eat something first?”

“Oh! That’s right, you haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday. The hotel serves breakfast—wanna go?”
“Yes please, I’m starving.”
And so Master led me to the hotel’s breakfast area near the lobby.
It was a buffet setup—we grabbed whatever we liked and brought it to a table.
As expected of a high-class hotel, all the food looked amazing.

“…Aoi, you eat a lot, huh?”
“Hmm? Did you say something?”
I carried my tray to where Master was already sitting.
It seemed like he muttered something, but I didn’t quite catch it.
Oh well. Time to eat.
“…Wow! This is so good!”

I’ve never really had fancy food like this before.
It’s really tasty.
Mom’s cooking is still the best, but this is really up there. I couldn’t stop myself from shoveling in more.
“…If she eats this much, maybe I should start ordering extra…”
“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“Nah, never mind. Anyway, about what happened after you passed out…”
According to Master, the terrorists at the banquet venue were taken care of without incident.
Thanks to his efforts, none of the guests were harmed.
However, the man in black that I encountered had caused significant damage to hotel staff.
Although there weren’t many fatalities, nearly all the employees near the courtyard lost consciousness or sustained serious injuries.
The remaining staff had been extremely busy since this morning.
“…What was that guy in black even trying to do?”

“That’s still unclear. You’ll probably be questioned later, but did he say anything?”
“That’s the thing… I’m not really sure. He said something about a prior contract, but… he definitely seemed like he wanted to eliminate any witnesses.”
“…I see. That lines up with what we heard from the hotel staff.”

The surviving employees said the same thing—they couldn’t tell who had harmed them.
No one knows how the terrorists managed to bypass the hotel’s tight security, or even what their specific goals were.
“…So, Aoi, what do you want to do from here?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”

Just as our conversation reached a lull, Master looked at me with a serious expression.
“After what happened yesterday, [N O V E L I G H T] there’s no guarantee that things will be safe from here on out. If you want, you can go home. No shame in that.”
Oh, that’s what he meant.

But that was obvious from the start—when I decided to follow Master on his job, I already accepted the risks.
“Of course I’m staying. I’m totally fine physically… and more importantly—”
“More importantly, I want to become even stronger.”

“……I see. Then I won’t say anything else.”
When Master replied, his expression was… hard to describe.
It was like he had steeled himself for something.
But really, I’m just doing what I want to do.
No need to overthink it.

“Alright then, once you finish eating, we’re heading straight to work. First stop: reporting to Fukayama about what happened yesterday.”
“Yes, sir!”
I savored the last bites of my meal, then headed out with Master to meet Fukayama-san.

The moment we arrived, I could feel it—the atmosphere around the other guards had shifted.
It was even heavier than before.
Like soldiers who had returned to the battlefield.
…Not that I’ve ever actually seen soldiers on a battlefield, but still.