Seraphim is a Bystander

The Night Before Awakening

(Back to Aoi’s perspective. )
 
My body was flying through the air. I had charged straight through the gaps in the storm of books, trying desperately to wake Seras.
I instinctively closed my eyes at the impact that struck me afterward—but strangely, I hadn’t lost consciousness.
The reason became clear immediately.

    “Looks like I caused you quite a bit of trouble.”
    “…Sleeping a bit too long, don’t you think?”
Hearing Seras’s words, paired with her rare apologetic expression, I became certain that everything had been resolved.
I still had plenty of questions—like how I survived that brutal collision—but I figured Seras must’ve handled it somehow.

    “Hmm… well, looks like not that much time has passed.”
    “It’s been a whole day, though?”
    “Ah, sorry. That’s actually pretty quick for me, you know?”

Seras scratched her head as she spoke, and I felt genuinely relieved that I’d managed to wake her up.
Maybe that line about “just 200 more years” in her sleep talk was real after all… If she’d really kept sleeping that long, I wouldn’t have lived to see the end of it.
    “Anyway, I already returned your body to normal, so don’t worry. I really am sorry.”
    “…Thank goodness.”

I’ve accepted by now that I have a face that often gets mistaken for a girl—but even so, having my actual gender changed was just too much for me.
    “Still… why did it take you so long to wake up this time?”
    “Hmm…”

At my simple question, Seras frowned slightly in thought.
She’s always had this air of hiding something from me, but I really hoped she’d be honest with me when something serious like this happened.
    “Did something happen when you went out with your mom?”
If she got caught up protecting her mom or something, then it wouldn’t be her fault.
Even if not, I’d like her to at least explain things, so I know how to handle it next time.

    “Hmm…”
My words made her scratch her head even more, clearly troubled.
…Maybe I shouldn’t have asked?
Just as I opened my mouth to say “You don’t have to tell me,” Seras suddenly turned toward me, as if she’d made up her mind.
    “Alright! You know what? I’ll just tell you! It should be fine!”

    “Ehh… Are you sure?”
I’ve always suspected that Seras wasn’t keeping secrets for her own sake, but rather because of some unknown rule or obligation.
So is it really okay for her to spill it like this?
    “It’s fine! …Probably! It’s not like anyone explicitly told me not to!”

    “…You sure about this?”
While I stood there worried, Seras suddenly spread the six wings she’d been hiding until now and summoned a glowing ring above her head like a crown.
    “You already know I’m an angel, right?”

    “Well, yeah… that’s kinda obvious just looking at you.”
I’d vaguely assumed she was some kind of virtual being or something born from a supernatural ability…
    “To put it simply—I’m not from this world.”

    “…Excuse me?”
So much for my guesses—she shut them down with a single line.
Not from this world?
    “And just to add… I’ve existed for over 5 billion years.”

    “………Come again?”
    ……………Come again?
    “Aoi? You okay?”

    “Huh?!”
Crap—I spaced out in the middle of our conversation.
Guess I’m more exhausted than I thought.
Dreaming inside a dream is weird enough, but the idea that Seras is a 5-billion-year-old angel from outside this world is so # Nоvеlight # outrageous, it has to be a dream…

    “So yeah, like I said—I’m a 5-billion-year-old angel from outside your world.”
    “Ughwah.”
Nope. Not a dream.
Wait—what am I even saying?

    “Aoi… you sure you’re okay?”
    “Y-Yes! I’m fine! Please continue, I’d really like to hear the rest.”
    “O-Okay… So, about why I slept all day—turns out I just overslept because I hadn’t had proper rest in forever.”

    “…That’s all?”
    “Yeah, I was surprised too. I just slept without worrying about the time for the first time in, like, a few thousand years.”
    “…”

…Yeah.
I don’t want to understand it, but I do.
This person (…thing?) operates on a completely different scale of time from us.
If you haven’t properly slept in a few thousand years, I guess sleeping for 200 wouldn’t seem like a big deal…
    “I told you before, right? I don’t actually need food or sleep biologically.
Sleeping is more of a hobby for me.”
    “…I see.”

Now I just feel guilty for waking her up.
Sure, I didn’t like having my body changed—but still…
Maybe I could’ve let her sleep a bit longer.
    “Anyway, your body’s back to normal, and I’ll be more careful from now on, so don’t worry.”
    “…Alright. If you say so, I won’t dwell on it.
But if you ever feel sleepy again, just rest as much as you want, okay?”

    “Haha, thanks.
There’s still more I want to talk to you about, but—
there’s just one more thing I have to tell you before you wake up.”
    “Okay. What is it?”
If she wanted to say it before I woke up, I guess it must be important.
I waited for her next words.

    “Aoi—I want you to train in using my powers in your dreams from now on.”
    “…Your powers?”