Seraphim is a Bystander

The Futaba Household

 
 
“…Aoi-sama, we have arrived.”

“…Ah, thank you, Katagiri-san.”
Aoi, who had been eating the lunch his mother made and napping in the car, woke up at Katagiri-san’s voice. Looking out the window, just as he said, they had already arrived in front of the gate to the Futaba estate.
“Well then, Aoi-sama, your grandfather is expecting you. Shall we go?”

“Yes. Thank you, Katagiri-san.”
Aoi and Katagiri stepped out of the car and began walking toward the mansion where his grandfather awaited. The vehicle then autonomously rolled off toward the nearby parking area.
Unlike the Ichijo family estate, which sat isolated and far from other buildings like an island unto itself, the Futaba estate was situated in a city block surrounded by several buildings and residential homes — a large mansion nestled within the urban landscape.

According to Aoi’s grandfather, Kouzou:
“Honestly, I don’t even need guards, and having a house so far from the city is just inconvenient.”
Though Kouzou didn’t see the need for a grand residence or sprawling grounds, he begrudgingly stayed at the mansion in order to house the archives and heirlooms passed down through generations.

It’s likely that one reason he allowed Aoi’s father to live a normal life was because he himself found an overly luxurious lifestyle to be tedious.
“Aoi-sama, welcome.”
“Thank you, Okude-san, as always.”

Aoi and Katagiri bowed respectfully to the familiar guard standing by the gate, then entered. Unlike the Western-style Ichijo estate, the Futaba mansion was a single-story traditional Japanese-style house. When they stepped into the entrance, a waiting servant immediately greeted them, took Aoi’s belongings, and guided him deeper inside.
“Kouzou-sama and Mika-sama are expecting you. This way, please…”
“Thank you, Kimura-san. What are Grandpa and Grandma doing now?”

“They’re both having tea in the garden at the moment.”
Exchanging words with the elderly female servant, Aoi made his way to where his grandparents were. The garden they arrived at was impeccably maintained, and Kouzou and Mika were sitting on the veranda with tea in hand, looking out over the scenery.
“Pardon me, Aoi-sama has arrived.”
“Good. You may leave.”

At Kouzou’s words, the servant bowed and quietly left. Turning to face Aoi from the garden, the two elderly figures still had remarkably upright posture and youthful energy for people nearing their seventies.
“Grandpa, Grandma, good afternoon.”
“Good to see you, Aoi. Katagiri, thank you for bringing him.”

“Welcome, Aoi-chan. I’ll pour you some tea right away.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
After greeting them both, Aoi sat on a cushion that Katagiri had quietly prepared by Kouzou’s side, and received a cup of tea from his grandmother. Once he took a sip and felt the warmth settle him, his grandfather spoke up.

“…Today was your school’s entrance ceremony, wasn’t it?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. That’s why school was only in the morning, and I could come early like this.”
“…I see.”

Though his grandfather said this in his usual blunt tone, his grandmother chuckled and chimed in.
“Oh, come now. Don’t pretend otherwise. As soon as the date was set and you heard from Kota that Aoi-chan would be giving the entrance speech, you were all ready to barge into the ceremony yourself, weren’t you?”
“M-Mika?! I told you not to say that!”

“Haha… Grandpa, what were you planning to do?”
“Hmph…”
Kouzou awkwardly turned away and took a sip of tea — the very picture of someone trying to "sip away" their embarrassment.

“Ahem! Anyway, Aoi, the reason we called you here today is to pick out an outfit for an upcoming dinner meeting.”
“Ah, the one you mentioned before, right? Is this outfit not good enough?”
Aoi stood and showed off the suit-like formalwear he had recently had resized to fit his growing frame.

“It looks great on you, dear, but it’s not quite suitable for a dinner party.”
“Yes, that’s your attire for bodyguard work. I’ve arranged for a formal kimono like the ones I used to wear.”
“A kimono, huh… Oh! Is that why I’ve been learning how to put one on lately?”

“Exactly.”
Yes — part of Aoi’s recent Futaba education had included kimono dressing lessons. He had wondered why such an outdated skill was necessary, but now it all made sense.
“Now then, let’s pick out the design.”

“Hehe, let’s find something that looks just perfect on you, Aoi-chan.”
Even his grandfather was wearing a faint smile now, and as his grandmother beamed, Aoi began to sweat inwardly — he had a feeling this was going to take a long time.