Chapter 231: Chapter 231: I Forgot To Be Mad At You

Fauna held onto him a little longer, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar warmth that had haunted her for years.

She could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest, the faint scent of his skin and hair—it was grounding, soothing, everything she’d missed without even realizing how much.

For a fleeting moment, the world outside her hospital walls, the constant emergencies, the flashing lights, the endless calls for help, disappeared.

In its place was this quiet, fragile peace.

Hugging Mika gave her a calm nothing else ever had. In her work, every hour was life and death; every mistake weighed on her soul.

But here, in his arms, that tension slipped away. She could breathe, for once.

She felt safe. She felt whole.

And it terrified her how good that felt.

She wanted this moment to last forever, this stillness, this warmth, this tiny pocket of happiness she’d been denied for too long.

But then, all at once, something in her mind clicked.

Wait.

She wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Not right now.

Her eyes snapped open in realization, and she immediately froze, still perched on him like some affectionate monkey. Her brain caught up with her heart, and a rush of flustered indignation colored her cheeks pink.

And then suddenly, in one sharp motion, she pulled back from his chest, though her legs stubbornly refused to let go, and folded her arms across her front, puffing her cheeks out like a sulking child.

Mika blinked in surprise, the sudden change seeming comical after the affectionate flood seconds ago.

He finally removed the oxygen mask, still catching his breath, staring at her as she sat on him pouting, cheeks puffed, eyes narrowed but soft, angry in the most adorable way imaginable.

"Um...excuse me, Miss Fauna." He finally said dryly. "But could you tell me why exactly your cheeks are puffed up like that, and why you’re refusing to look at me right now?"

She huffed, still looking away.

"I’m angry right now, Mika!" She said firmly, voice full of childish indignation. "I’m very, very angry!"

That made him laugh.

"Yeah, I can see that." He said, smirking faintly. "But why exactly are you angry?"

Her head whipped toward him, her hair bouncing with the motion.

"Isn’t it obvious!?"

She snapped, though her voice cracked halfway through, betraying the pout beneath the attitude.

"Someone decided it would be perfectly fine to disappear for more than a year! A whole year, Mika! Not a single visit, not a single call—not even a message! You just left me hanging here, all alone!" She jabbed a finger against his chest, glaring up at

him.

"Tell me, how do you think someone’s supposed to feel after being abandoned like that, hmm?"

He winced slightly at her words, though a teasing glint lingered in his eyes.

"Well." He said after a pause. "If you were that angry, then why did you just jump on me, crush me into your chest, and tell me how much you loved and missed me a hundred times over before this little tantrum started?"

That made her freeze for a moment, her lips parting slightly. Then her face turned red, and she puffed her cheeks out even more.

"T-That’s because—!" She stammered, her voice rising an octave. "I totally forgot I was supposed to be angry a moment ago! I was just so happy to see you that I got...carried away, okay?!"

She crossed her arms again with an exaggerated pout.

"But that doesn’t mean I’m not mad at you! I’ve been planning this scolding and being angry at you for months! So now that you’re here, I’m going to be angry—whether I want to or not! I just...took a little detour before getting to it, that’s all!"

Mika couldn’t help the grin tugging at his lips as he looked at her, this adorable woman pouting and lecturing him like a scorned child after suffocating him in affection moments earlier.

She was the very embodiment of contradiction—gentle, fierce, loving, and childish all at once, and somehow, that made her all the more endearing.

Mika’s grin widened as he looked at her, unable to resist the urge to tease.

"You know, what you’re doing right now is completely useless." He said lightly.

"Useless?" Fauna blinked, tilting her head in confusion, her pout faltering for a second. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that no matter how angry you get with me, it never lasts." He chuckled, folding his arms. "You might puff your cheeks out and pretend to scold me—but it only takes a few seconds before you melt. Out of all your sisters, you’re probably the easiest one to appease."

Her mouth fell open, utterly scandalized. But Mika continued, clearly enjoying himself.

"When it comes to the others, I actually have to say something. Maybe give them a heartfelt apology or two—sometimes even beg for forgiveness...But you?" He grinned. "You always forgive me first. You fold without me doing a thing. You’re hopelessly soft when it comes to me."

Fauna gasped, scandalized.

"How rude!" She jabbed a finger at his forehead, her expression bouncing between indignant and flustered. "How dare you call me weak? I’ll have you know I’m one of the five Battle Angels who saved this world! So calling me weak? Absolutely not! That’s an atrocious thing to say, Mika!"

Mika snorted, though he quickly masked it behind a smirk.

"I mean it!" She said, glaring now, though the way her nose crinkled only made her look more adorable than intimidating. "Don’t you dare look down on me! I can be angry if I want to. I know how to keep a grudge. I’m every bit as strong-willed as my sisters, thank you very much."

Her tone was so serious that Mika almost believed her, until she added with an exaggerated pout,

"In fact, I’m even stronger than them when it comes to resisting you! No matter what you do, no matter what you say, no matter how many compliments or gifts you throw at me, it won’t work! I’m an iron wall! Got that?"

"An iron wall, huh?" Mika raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening.

"Yes!" She said, nodding furiously, though the expression on her face was anything but iron-like.

Every little twitch, every spark in her eyes, made it obvious that she was brimming with emotion. She was the least poker-faced person in the world.

"You’re sure about that?" He couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

"I’m absolutely sure." She replied, glaring with all her might.

"Well then." He said, stepping a little closer, his tone playfully challenging. "Let’s see about that, Fauna. Let’s test if your words hold up."

"I’m not going to do anything, no tricks, no sweet words. I just want you to look at me. Look straight into my face, right into my eyes. And let’s see how long you can keep up this act of yours."

Fauna froze for a second, eyes narrowing.

"What? Mika, you think that just by looking at your face I’ll stop being angry? Is that it?"

"Something like that." He said teasingly.

She gasped, pointing at him dramatically.

"That’s ridiculous!" She declared. "You really think I’m that easy? Sure, you might be charming and cute and...and ridiculously good-looking and—"

She stopped, blinking rapidly before shaking her head in a flustered panic.

"No—wait—that’s not the point! I mean, you are, but still!"

Her voice grew louder, defensive.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself, mister! I won’t just forgive you because of your stupidly perfect face! You can’t charm your way out of this one!"

"Then prove it." Mika taunted. "Go on, Fauna. Look straight into my face. Don’t look away"

"I will!" She said fiercely, puffing her cheeks again. "I’ll prove you wrong, Mika! I’ll show you I can hold a grudge just fine!"

And so she did, staring straight into his eyes with all the stubborn energy of someone trying to prove the world wrong and show that she really wasn’t soft and a hardened spirit.

But the moment Fauna actually looked into Mika’s face—her entire body faltered.

All the false confidence, all the supposed anger she’d built up—it melted away in an instant.

That familiar mess of silky black hair, those calm, dark eyes that always seemed to pull her in like gravity, that same gentle smile she had loved for as long as she could remember...It hit her all at once, a wave of nostalgia crashing over her.

In her mind’s eye, she saw every version of him she had known over the years.

She saw the little baby who used to tug on her sleeves with tiny fingers.

The toddler who’d stumble and fall, then look up at her with teary eyes, waiting for comfort.

The boy who’d excitedly show her his drawings, proud of every messy line.

The teen who’d grow taller every year, his face changing, maturing, becoming more handsome with every season.

And now, the man standing in front of her, confident and warm, with a presence that filled the entire room.

Every single image of him flashed through her mind like fragments of light, and her composure cracked completely.

Her cheeks flushed pink, her lips trembled, and her heart hammered in her chest as if trying to escape...not even realising that she had already lost the moment she glanced at him.