Seraphim is a Bystander

Alternating Days - Part 2
 

 
Ever since the commotion during morning homeroom, my classmates hadn’t made a big deal about my body.
Changing clothes alone in the bathroom during P.E. was a hassle, but surprisingly, my body size hadn’t changed that much. I could still wear my usual gym uniform without issue. …Though it did feel a little tight around the chest.

…Come to think of it, Seras once said, “I don’t go to the bathroom or anything.”
I’d assumed she was just handling things discreetly without letting me know, but this body really didn’t seem to need to go.
Even though I had a full breakfast, I hadn’t felt the urge even once.
I didn’t really get the logic behind it, but I was honestly grateful—saved me from having to confront some… awkward realities.
…That said, there were still plenty of problems.

The first happened during P.E. class while we were playing soccer.
Still not used to the unfamiliar body, I joined the boys’ team and the match began. At first, I moved like usual, though I could feel something was off.
Having trained under my mentors and fought real battles, I’d built up considerable physical ability, but I always suppressed it at school to avoid standing out. That habit helped me at first.
But then—

“Ao! Pass!”
“Okay!”
Right as I planted my foot to chase the ball kicked in my direction—

—I was suddenly outside the soccer field.
“…Huh?”
“…What the hell?!”

Confused, I turned toward the familiar voice.
It was Ken, looking just as shocked as I felt.
From where I ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) now stood, I was about 50 meters away from the field where I had just been.
And the ground between that spot and where I stood had a faint, torn-up groove running through it.
Apparently, the force of my step had torn into the ground like an explosion, leaving classmates around me covered in dust.

…Seras’s power was just way too strong.
Luckily, no one was hurt, and we managed to fix the field by smoothing out the kicked-up dirt.
But since I couldn’t control the power properly, they had me sit out of P.E. to prevent any accidents.
“Ao, your power’s kinda insane…”
“Uhh… I mean, I guess you could say that.”

While watching the others continue the game, Ken, who for some reason decided to ditch class and join me on the sidelines, brought it up.
“My power’s weird, though. I don’t really get it.”
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard what your ability is, Ken.”

“I haven’t told you?”
I’d never once asked Ken about his ability.
Maybe I avoided the topic because I thought he didn’t want to talk about it.
Turns out he just hadn’t brought it up because no one had asked.
Once I did, he answered easily.

“My ability’s called Chronostasis or something like that.”
“Chrono…what now?”
“Chronostasis. You ever heard of it?”

“…Not a clue.”
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name, having no idea what it meant.
Seeing my confusion, Ken chuckled and explained.
“I had to look it up too. Apparently, it’s that thing where the second hand on a clock looks like it’s stopped for a moment.”

“…???”
“You know, like when you stare blankly at a clock, and the second hand seems slower than usual?”
“Ohh… yeah, I think I’ve felt that before.”

Now that he mentioned it, I kind of understood. I nodded.
“Yeah, something like that, I guess.”
“So what happens when you use it?”

“No clue.”
“…Seriously?”
An awkward silence hung between us.
But Ken didn’t seem to care that he didn’t fully understand his own power—
Instead, he turned the topic back to mine.

“Well, I don’t get how mine works, but why does your power turn you into a girl, Ao?”
Ken already knew about my ability, Over-Spec due to Excessive Output, but even knowing that, it didn’t explain how it led to this.
“To be honest, I’m not totally sure myself… but apparently, I have a second personality?”

“…Huh?”
Ken stared at me like I’d grown a second head.
But then he looked closer at my face, realized I wasn’t joking, and his expression grew serious.
“…So what, this second personality of yours did something and that’s how this happened?”

“Well… something like that, I guess.”
“Man, can’t you be a little more clear?”
So I explained it all to him—about Seras, the other personality that had been inside me until recently.

I didn’t expect him to believe it right away, but he listened seriously the whole time.
…Though maybe having me in a girl’s body was already proof enough.
“Huh… well, when that Seras girl gets back, introduce me, yeah?”
“…Of course!”

And so, while sitting out of gym class, we spent our time talking—me telling Ken about Seras, and Ken sharing what little he knew about his own ability.
That one soccer accident had been enough trouble for the day,
But unfortunately, it wasn’t the only issue I had to deal with...