Seraphim is a Bystander

School Trip Day 1: Transit
 

The trip to Kyoto-Kate was by linear motor train. Pressed up against the window with Ken and Sasaki-kun, I was amazed at how quiet it was and how fast the scenery sped by.
As we were absorbed in watching out the window, I overheard whispering from next to us. Turning to look, I saw the three girls from our group glancing over at us and talking.
“(Boys really do love this kind of stuff, huh…)”
“(I mean, I get it with Katsura, but it’s kind of surprising to see Aoi-kun and Sasaki-kun like that too.)”
“(But the three of them… are kinda cute like this.)”
““(Totally.)””

I couldn’t catch everything they were saying, but they noticed me looking and quickly said, “It’s nothing!” to cover it up. What was that about?
“Is this your first time on a linear train, you two?”
“Yeah!”
“Uh, well… I’ve ridden it a few times before.”

Unlike Ken’s energetic response, Sasaki-kun had apparently ridden one before. But judging by his excitement, maybe—
“You really like linear trains, Sasaki-kun?”
“Y-Yeah… I actually like stuff like this. …Is that weird?”

“Not at all! They’re so cool, right? I kinda got caught up in it too.”
“I-I see…”
Sasaki-kun smiled slightly, looking a bit relieved. Then, Ken—who was sandwiched at the bottom of our window-watching group—looked puzzled and spoke up.

“Hey Sasaki, why do you always hide your eyes with your bangs? You’ve got a pretty nice face, you know.”
“Wha…? Y-You saw…?”
“Yeah. You’ve got a good smile too, you know?”

“...!”
Startled by Ken’s words, Sasaki-kun quickly retreated to his seat and looked down. Seeing that, Ken looked a bit guilty and leaned toward me, speaking in a small voice.
“...Hey, did I just say something I shouldn’t have?”

“Hmm… Who knows? Maybe he just doesn’t like having his face seen.”
“You think? …Alright then!”
Without explanation, Ken moved to the seat next to Sasaki-kun and turned toward him.
“Sorry, Sasaki! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“...No, it’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong, Katsura-kun…”
“You sure? Well, anyway, sorry!”
Ken left it at that and went back to watching the scenery. The girls who had been watching from a distance looked kind of awkward after that. I wasn’t sure if Sasaki-kun just didn’t want people to see his face, but either way, I wanted to shift the mood—so I pulled out some snacks from my bag.

“Anyone want some snacks?”
“Hey, yeah! Thanks, man!”
“Are you sure? Thanks, Aoi-kun!”

Everyone happily started sharing snacks, helping ease the tension. Even so, Sasaki-kun still sat quietly with his head down. I held out some snacks where he could see them, and he looked up at me, surprised.
“Sasaki-kun, want some too?”
“…Futaba-kun. T-Thanks.”

“No problem. Did you bring any snacks yourself?”
“Ah… I didn’t bring any.”
He said it somewhat apologetically, and I was a little surprised. The teachers had said we could bring just enough to eat during the ride, so I’d assumed everyone brought something. But I guess if you didn’t want extra luggage, not bringing snacks made sense.

“I see. It’s not like you hate snacks, right?”
“N-No… I’m fine.”
“Then let’s all share!”

“Totally! Hey, Saizono, that one looks good. I’ll trade you this for one!”
“Sure. Here, Aoi-kun, Sasaki-kun—take one too.”
Runa-chan handed Ken a snack and passed a couple to me and Sasaki-kun too. Soon, our whole group was sharing snacks, and even Sasaki-kun, who hadn’t brought any, ended up with a nice little pile in front of him.

“E-Everyone… I feel bad taking this much…”
“It’s fine! Stuff like this tastes better when you share it!”
My words made everyone laugh, and we all started munching on snacks. After that, we played cards and small board games. The two-hour ride passed in the blink of an eye.

…At first I was a little worried, but thanks to how kind everyone ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) in the group was, I think we all had a good time during the ride.
“Alright, we’re here! Ugh, my shoulders are stiff!”
“Ken? You sound like an old man.”

“It was fun, but sitting still that long just ain’t my thing!”
“Yeah, my butt’s a little sore too.”
We joked around while getting our bags down from the overhead rack and exited the train. On the platform, we lined up while a teacher gave us instructions.

“Alright! First, we’re heading to the hotel where we’ll be staying tonight! Everyone, be sure to greet the hotel staff politely!”
“““Okaaay!”””
Once we left the station, a completely different world opened up before us.

Wooden buildings stood everywhere, and most were lower in height than the buildings in our town. There were temples and shrines scattered around. Unlike the bustle of our hometown, this place had a stillness to it—kind of like my master’s estate. And most of all—
“…It’s like… another world.”
Something about this place felt fundamentally different from our own town. That strange, vague feeling swirled in my chest.

“……”
I thought I saw Sasaki-kun watching me curiously. But with his long bangs hiding his face, I couldn’t make out his expression or where exactly he was looking.