Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Suffocating Love

Fauna tilted her head, her golden hair catching the soft sunlight as she smiled mischievously.

"So...Cecilia, why exactly did you corner me like that? You four looked like you were about to stage a mutiny."

Cecilia pushed her glasses up with a sigh, trying to ignore the teasing lilt in Fauna’s voice.

"It’s nothing dramatic, Lady Fauna. I just have some patient reports I need you to review. There are some irregularities, and your opinion would be valuable."

That single word, reports, was enough to shift the entire atmosphere.

The playful, lighthearted energy around Fauna dimmed, replaced by quiet focus. Her smile also softened into something calmer, more thoughtful.

She accepted the tablet from Cecilia and immediately began scrolling through the files.

The other three doctors instinctively straightened, as though gravity itself had increased. Cecilia, too, went silent, watching her mentor’s expression transform from one of childlike mischief to serenity.

"Hmm..." Fauna murmured, her eyes scanning the medical charts rapidly. "Patient 203-A has early-stage nerve necrosis. The healing spells are stabilizing the deterioration, but the mana flow in the peripheral channels is still inconsistent."

Her fingers swiped again.

"Switch to Type-B regenerative therapy, the biocellular strain we developed last month. It’ll adapt to the nerve structure better and reduce mana exhaustion by twenty percent."

One of the doctors quickly jotted it down.

Fauna moved to the next page, her tone thoughtful but firm.

"Patient 304, heart reconstruction post-curse trauma. The healing formula you’re using is good, but the ratio is off. Use a two-to-one dilution for the alchemy catalyst, and make sure to keep the pressure steady when you apply the cardiac rune. Otherwise, it’ll relapse within three days."

Cecilia nodded, tapping notes into her pad.

"And this one..." Fauna murmured again, eyes narrowing slightly. "Patient 179-C. The mana field around the lungs is fractured. If you just try to heal it directly, you’ll overheat his sacs and cause collapse. You need to weave the cure through the mana fractures, treat it like broken glass. Fixing it with force will only make it shatter further."

All of them nodded vigorously, completely absorbed.

Fauna’s voice, though calm, carried the steady rhythm of a teacher who had walked this path countless times, patient, confident, graceful. Every word she spoke turned complex magical medicine into something comprehensible, almost poetic.

And all the while, her eyes glowed faintly with mana, not from casting, but from sheer concentration.

After several minutes, she finally set the tablet down, exhaling slowly.

"You’re all doing well." She said softly, looking around at the group. "The methods are sound, and your execution is improving. Just remember, healing isn’t about dominance. It’s a conversation between life and death. If you try to shout over one side, the balance breaks."

Her voice was so gentle, yet every word carried weight.

The three doctors bowed their heads, murmuring in agreement. Cecilia, on the other hand, just stood there for a moment, watching her, smiling faintly.

It was always like this.

One moment, Fauna would be chasing butterflies and giggling like a child, her aura pure sunshine.

And the next, she would become this—the embodiment of the world’s greatest healer.

Her voice alone seemed to soothe pain, her gaze steady and resolute, her hands capable of rewriting the laws of medicine.

Cecilia had seen it hundreds of times, but it still left her breathless.

Fauna then handed the tablet back to Cecilia.

"Now then." She said cheerfully. "I think that’s that for today!"

"You’re leaving already, Lady Fauna?" Cecilia blinked, still half lost in admiration.

"Mm-hmm!" Fauna nodded, grinning ear to ear. "I’d love to stay for tea...but today’s special. I’m meeting someone really important."

Her voice carried a giddy excitement, and it instantly caught Cecilia’s attention.

"Someone important?" She asked, tilting her head curiously. "Not to mention, you’re unusually excited today, Lady Fauna. And that’s saying something. You’re always cheerful, but today it’s like you’re about to burst into song and dance."

"You noticed, huh?" Fauna giggled and clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels.

"It would be impossible not to notice." Cecilia raised an eyebrow, amused. "So, who exactly are you meeting?"

Fauna opened her mouth, ready to gush. "It’s—"

But before she could finish, a voice called from behind.

"Lady Fauna! Lady Fauna, may I have a second, please?"

They both turned to see the receptionist running toward them, clutching her clipboard nervously.

Fauna smiled warmly, instantly switching to her gentle, reassuring tone. "Oh, Joanne, darling! What is it?"

"Oh yes...The thing is the guest you’ve been waiting for—"

The receptionist froze mid-step, her eyes widening as she realised what Fauna had said.

"Y-You...you actually know my name?" She finally asked in disbelief.

Fauna blinked, a little puzzled by the shock, before saying as if it was obvious,

"Of course I do. I know every single staff member in my hospital, not to mention my head receptionist. Why wouldn’t I know your name?"

Joanne’s lips parted, and for a second, she looked like she might faint.

"Lady Fauna knows my name." She whispered under her breath, her hands trembling. "Lady Fauna knows my name..."

Cecilia sighed softly. She’d seen this reaction far too many times.

Fauna herself chuckled sweetly, waving her hand. "Alright, alright, don’t melt on me, Joanne. Now, what did you want to tell me?"

Joanne straightened her back immediately, forcing herself to focus.

"R-Right! My apologies, Lady Fauna. The guest you invited, Master Mika, has arrived. He’s currently waiting in your office and he—"

And that was all she managed to say before—

Whoosh!

The air around them seemed to vanish for a moment, followed by a blur of gold and green.

Fauna was gone.

The tablet on Cecilia’s arm wobbled from the sudden gust she left behind. The other doctors blinked, their hair blown back by the passing wind.

"...Lady Fauna?" Joanne stood frozen mid-sentence, her eyes wide.

"She’s already gone." Cecilia said after a moment, staring blankly at the space Fauna had occupied. "She—she literally ran off."

One of the doctors rubbed her head. "I’ve...never seen her move that fast before."

Another sighed. "Should we...follow her?"

Cecilia put the tablet into her coat pocket with a resigned sigh saying, "We probably should. Otherwise she might trip over a nurse cart again."

And just like that, the four doctors jogged after her, leaving Joanne behind.

Joanne, however, still hadn’t recovered. She clutched her chest, muttering in disbelief.

"Lady Fauna...knew my name...She knew my name..."

Meanwhile...

Down below, chaos had erupted through the hospital corridors.

Patients peeked out from their rooms, nurses gasped, and the staff collectively turned their heads as a golden-haired blur sprinted past them, her lab coat flapping wildly behind her.

"L-Lady Fauna?!" One nurse squeaked.

"Where is she going so fast?" Another asked, clutching her clipboard.

"I thought that was a child running through the hall!" A patient said, blinking in confusion.

But Fauna didn’t care. She was running faster than she had in years, weaving past staff and patients alike with the agility of a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes were locked ahead, filled with singular determination. She could already see it, the large double doors of her office at the end of the hall.

And when she reached them—

Bang!

The doors burst open, slamming against the walls.

And there he was.

Mika.

Standing quietly near one of the large glass display cases in the room, examining the beakers, old medical tools, and preserved research samples that decorated the space like trophies of history.

The moment he heard the doors burst open, he turned.

Fauna stood there in the doorway, panting heavily, her golden hair a little messy, her cheeks flushed from the sprint.

For a heartbeat, silence.

Then Mika smiled, calm, familiar, almost teasing.

"Hey, Fauna." He said, his tone warm. "It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?"

The instant Fauna realized that it really was Mika standing there, not a vision, not an illusion—but him, her eyes widened, glistening.

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, she looked completely frozen in disbelief.

Then her entire face lit up.

Her lips parted, her expression crumpling into one of sheer, overwhelming emotion as tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

"Mika!!!"

The shout came from the depths of her chest, raw, joyous, and utterly unrestrained.

Before Mika could even say another word, she bolted toward him. Her movements were so fast and impulsive that the air practically cracked behind her.

’Oh no.’ Mika thought. ’Here it comes.’

He’d seen this many times before, and he’d promised himself he’d be ready if it ever happened again. So in practiced motion, he reached for the oxygen tank resting by his side, pulled the strap of the mask over his face, and secured it just in time.

Because a split second later, Fauna leapt.

"MIKAAAAA!!!"

She collided with him full-force, not just hugging him—but jumping on him.

Her arms went around his neck, her legs wrapped tight around his waist, and in the same motion, she buried his entire face straight into her chest.

But Fauna didn’t notice any of that.

Her joy was overflowing. Her voice trembled between laughter and sobs as she clung to him like a lost child finally finding home.

"Mika!!" She wailed again, her voice breaking between sobs and giggles. "Mika, it’s really you! It’s really you! Oh, I missed you so much! So, so, so much!"

"You don’t even know how much I missed you! Every single day, I thought about you, and it hurt, and I couldn’t even sleep sometimes because everything reminded me of you!"

Mika, face still completely smothered, muffled a noise that sounded vaguely like a laugh.

Fauna didn’t even notice; she was far too busy drowning him in affection.

Her words came tumbling out in an endless, emotional stream, her voice half sob, half sing-song.

"Do you know how many times I saw something and thought, ’Mika would like that!’? Every morning I drink tea, and I remember how you always said I brew it too sweet!"

"And every time I walk through the gardens, I remember how you teased me for tripping over my own dress! Even when I treat patients, I think, ’If Mika were here, he’d scold me for overworking again!’"

She sniffled loudly, still clutching him tighter.

"Y-You have no idea how lonely it’s been without you! The others visit often—but it’s not the same! You’re my Mika, my precious Mika! And without you I-I—!"

Her twin peaks pressed against his face, burying him completely, while the thick swell of her cleavage sealed off what little air he could’ve drawn.

He could feel her warmth all over, her heartbeat pounding through her body, her breath trembling as she spoke his name over and over again, and though the oxygen mask kept him from actually suffocating, the sensation was still overwhelming.

But of course he expected this. He knew this would happen.

Every time Fauna saw him after a long separation, she completely lost herself in affection, hugging him, smothering him, drowning him in warmth and tears and love until he could barely move.

She never even realized how strong she was when she did it to the extent that he’d actually passed out right there in her arms multiple times when he was a kid—because he was smothered into blissful oxygen-deprivation by her overzealous love.

The memories still made him wince; it had left him just cautious enough to never let his guard down around Fauna again. And seeing that he was in a hospital, he thought why not just use a oxygen mask to solve the problem.

And yet, even now, feeling her bury him in her chest once again, the mask hissing softly against his face as it saved him from certain suffocation...he couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed.

Because, as suffocating as her affection was, it was also warm. Her body pressed tightly against his, soft and trembling with emotion, her scent surrounding him like sunlight.

He could feel every bit of her love, her longing, her relief, her pure unrestrained joy pouring into him through the way she held him, as though she were trying to make up for every second they’d spent apart.

It was worth it, all of it.

To feel that warmth again, to hear her heartbeat, to know that after so long, Fauna’s love for him hadn’t changed one bit.

And in that moment, Mika thought to himself, yeah...it really does feel good to be back.