Seraphim is a Bystander

Interview
 

 
After that, Master led me through a crowd of guards who all looked incredibly tense, and we arrived at where Mr. Fukayama was. He was speaking with a man I hadn’t seen before. The two of them were in a serious conversation when Master cut in.
“Fukayama, I brought Aoi.”

“Ah, Mr. Mamoru, Aoi-kun. Thank you for your time.”
While exchanging greetings with Mr. Fukayama, the man standing next to him looked at me with a curious gaze.
I wasn’t sure what to do, but Mr. Fukayama soon introduced him.
“Aoi-kun, this is Mr. Fukuda. He’s here from the Metropolitan Police Department.”

“Nice to meet you.”
Mr. Fukuda replied briefly and gave a slight nod.
He was… pretty intimidating. Big build, stubbly beard… definitely not the kind of person I’d met before.
“And this is Aoi-kun, the one who accompanied the young lady yesterday.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
As I bowed and lifted my head, I caught sight of Mr. Fukuda’s face—his expression was full of pure surprise.
Did I do something weird…?
“…This kid is the one who fought the guy Mamoru’s girl let get away?!”

“Um, I believe I’m that kid…”
Ah, I see.
Thinking calmly about it, it does make sense for someone to be surprised that the one who handled the escapee was a child—especially if Master couldn’t catch them.
“…Didn’t expect a kid with such a pretty face.”

“A-Ahaha…”
“Anyway, I’d like to hear the details about yesterday. Come with me.”
With that, Mr. Fukuda led me to a large vehicle with the police department’s symbol on it.
Inside, there was a quiet space for conducting interviews, and I was told we could talk there.

He had me place my hand on some strange device while I answered all of his questions about yesterday to the best of my memory.
Once I finished, Mr. Fukuda scratched his head and glanced at a screen before speaking.
“I see… well, it looks like everything you said checks out.”
“Really? How can you tell?”
“Ah, that device you’ve got your hand on reads data from the nanomachines in your body—visual, auditory, stuff like that.”

“Wow! You can do that?!”
“Yeah. Though regular folks aren’t allowed to use it.”
Makes sense. If you could pull up someone’s data just by touching them, that’d definitely be a privacy issue.
…Oh, now that I think about it, I’ve been wondering about something.

“Can I ask something?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“It’s nothing important, but… does the device record what happened while I was unconscious?”

I’m just curious what happened after I blacked out.
Mr. Fukuda scratched his head again and replied.
“Ah—there’s no data from while you were unconscious. Dunno the exact reason why, though.”
“Oh, I see. I was just curious, so that’s a bit disappointing.”

“Well, anyway, your story matches up with the nanomachine data, so we’re done here.”
With that, he pretty much shooed me out of the vehicle, and I returned to join up with Master and Mr. Fukayama.
“Sorry to keep you all waiting.”

“Alright, we’ll be heading out to meet with the Ichijou family and then to the memorial.”
Today’s schedule included a visit to a memorial for those who died in the Dragon Disaster, located about 40 kilometers from the hotel.
There had been talk of changing plans ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) due to the terrorist attack, but while I was unconscious, it was apparently decided to proceed as scheduled.
“Today, all guards are authorized to carry weapons at all times. Stay more alert than you were yesterday.”

“““Yes, sir!!”””
At Master’s command, everyone scattered to retrieve their weapons.
He himself pulled out his great scythe from his belongings and began reviewing the itinerary and formations while waiting for the Ichijou family.
“We’ll be going into an area with frequent phantom appearances today…”

“If any show up, the response protocol is…”
As various checks were being made, a few minutes passed—and then the elevator doors in the hotel lobby opened, and the Ichijou family appeared.
…Thankfully, the young lady, who was usually hiding behind her parents, didn’t seem pale or unwell.