Fauna pressed a button on her phone and chirped brightly. "Okay, bye-bye, Cecilia! See you soon!"
She hung up with a delighted flourish, set the phone aside, then turned toward Mika with a cheerful smile.
"They’re coming! I called Cecilia and the others—they’ll be here any mont now!"
But the mont she looked down, she froze. Her eyes widened at the sight of herself still perched snugly on Mika’s lap—legs tucked to the side, back resting against his chest, his arms loosely around her waist.
"Oh my!" She squeaked, scrambling. "We can’t let them see us like this! Absolutely not! This is! This is—"
She tried to get up in a panic.
But Mika’s hand suddenly shot out and wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her right back down into his lap.
"M-Mika?!" She gasped, startled.
Mika tilted his head, smirking. "Why do you want to get up, Fauna? Don’t tell you’re actually shy about others seeing you like this? That doesn’t sound like you at all."
She blinked, flustered. "W-Well—"
"In fact..." Mika continued, raising an eyebrow. "isn’t this exactly the kind of thing you would brag about? You’re the type who’d proudly sit on like this and want everyone to see it."
Fauna opened her mouth...then slowly closed it.
Then, after a mont of consideration, she nodded honestly.
"That’s true, Mika." She admitted. "That is exactly what I want. I want to sit on your lap for the whole day. I want you to hug and kiss and comfort . You’re the best seat I could ever ask for."
Her voice was bold. But then her face flushed crimson and she shrank a little.
"...But you won’t like that."
Mika blinked. "Huh?"
She fiddled with her fingers nervously, her cheeks pink as she went on to say,
"I know how you are when it cos to affection in front of others...You’re always so shy and reserved. Every ti I tried to hug you in public before, you’d pull away...So I thought you wouldn’t want anyone to see us like this. That’s why I tried to get up..."
But before she could finish, Mika cut her off by tightening his hold and pulling her closer, resting his chin gently on top of her head.
"Fauna..." He said softly. "That was the old Mika. The shy one. The one who didn’t know what he wanted."
She stilled, eyes widening.
"But this one?" Mika whispered warmly. "This one has changed. And he doesn’t mind others seeing us like this. At all."
Her breath caught.
"You...really don’t mind?" She whispered. "You’re really not joking? You’re not going to suddenly push off your lap the second they walk in and embarrass in front of everyone?"
"Just how bad a image do you have of ?" Mika snorted.
Fauna giggled weakly. "P-Pretty bad."
He rolled his eyes. "Well, this ti, believe . As long as you want to sit on my lap...I don’t plan on stopping you."
Her entire body trembled with pure joy. Then—
"Mikaaaa!" She squealed, squirming happily against him. "I don’t know what I did recently to get this much blessed luck, but I’m not questioning it!"
And before he could even react, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and began praying like a saint who had just received divine enlightennt.
"Oh heavenly forces, thank you for returning my baby Mika to ...I will make sure to return this karma by helping so many other people out in the near future." She whispered dramatically under her breath.
Mika stared at her, speechless, then burst into quiet laughter at her childish antics.
But just as he was enjoying the absurdity—
Click.
The door suddenly opened.
Both Mika and Fauna turned their heads.
And standing there were the four doctors from earlier.
Cecilia stood in the front—glasses sharp, posture rigid, face as stern as stone and without even seeing them fully, she began speaking.
"Lady Fauna, I knew it. You just couldn’t resist having tea with us after all. But don’t worry, we haven’t left yet, so if you’d like to—"
She froze mid-sentence.
The other three froze as well.
Their eyes widened.
Their jaws dropped.
Their souls seed to leave their bodies.
Because the Lady Fauna they knew...
...the dignified, world-renowned doctor saint...
...the elegant role model of their entire careers...
...was sitting on soone’s lap.
Comfortably. Lovingly. Warmly tucked into this boy’s chest which completely caught them off guard.
But Fauna on the other hand just waved her hand cheerfully.
"Oh! Hello, everyone!"
But this casual greeting didn’t stop the three doctors in the back from getting flustered at the sight they were seeing.
In all their months training under Fauna, they had never, ever seen her so intimate with soone.
Not even during playful monts with her daughter.
Hugging? Yes.
Playful affection? Sure.
But sitting on soone like this?
Never.
Cecilia, however, had a completely different reaction.
Her eyes with a complex mixture of irritation, disbelief, and a strange...burning jealousy?
She didn’t know why, but the boy in front of her made her competitive spirit flare out.
But she still stepped forward with professional stiffness.
"Excuse for asking, Lady Fauna." She began, her tone sharp but controlled. "But...are the rumors people whisper about actually true?"
She glanced at Mika, then back at Fauna, then spoke bluntly:
"Is it true that you have a gigolo? Or a boy toy you play with? Because...that is what this looks like."
The other three nearly choked in horror.
"C-CECILIA!!"
"W-WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"
"YOU CAN’T JUST—"
But Fauna only blinked and smiled sweetly.
"And why would you say that, Cecilia?" She asked calmly. "Why would you believe such an absurd rumor?"
Cecilia pointed stiffly at Mika. "Isn’t it obvious?"
"Because the boy you are sitting on..." She continued without sha. "...is clearly a playboy. Or soone who fools around with won."
Fauna blinked. Then—slowly—she smiled sweetly as if this was the funniest thing she’d heard all week.
"And why exactly would you say that?" She asked gently. "You haven’t even spoken a word to him. You don’t know his na. So why call him that?"
Cecilia didn’t hesitate. In fact, she smiled boldly, lifted her chin, and pointed directly at Mika like she was presenting evidence in a courtroom.
"Isn’t it quite obvious?" She declared.
Mika and Fauna blinked, confused.
The other doctors braced themselves.
Cecilia continued confidently, as if she were delivering a scientific presentation.
"Just look at him." She said.
She pointed to his head.
"First, that hair. Is it silky? Is it glossy? Is it enchanted? I don’t know! But it is far too perfect. I am offended by how lustrous it is. It makes even jealous."
Mika stared at her, stunned, as she thhe pointed at his cheeks, leaning closer.
"Then—his skin. Smooth. Polished. I have never in my entire dical career seen soone without a single blemish . Not one! Impossible. Suspicious!"
Fauna stifled a giggle behind her hand.
But Cecilia went on, confident she was right.
"And that jawline..." She said, tapping her own chin as if comparing asurents. "Sharp enough to carve diamonds. Cut glass. Slice wood. No normal man has a jaw like that unless he intends to use for evil."
Mika raised an eyebrow. "For evil?"
Cecilia ignored him.
"And finally..." She said dramatically, her voice dropping. "...those eyes. Look at them."
She leaned in slightly, staring at Mika’s eyes with an intensity that genuinely startled him.
"Dark. Deep. Mysterious. The eyes of soone who has seen too much and seduced too many."
Fauna burst into soft laughter, while Cecilia clenched her fist triumphantly.
"So yes..." She declared proudly. "...it is only natural he would be a gigolo—using his face and charm to please older won and satisfy his custors."
"Anyone who looks like ’that’ must be trouble. Only a fool wouldn’t notice."
She even looked proud of herself, as if she had solved so monuntal mystery.
But Fauna, wiping a small laugh from her lips, leaned forward.
"Cecilia...rather than proving that he’s a gigolo, doesn’t this just prove that you find him incredibly handso?"
Cecilia froze.
"You just listed every part of his face in great detail. You even complinted his hair, his skin, his lips, his eyes...I an, do I need to say anything else to prove you like him?"
Her face turned bright red.
"W-Wait—no! I didn’t an it like that!" She sputtered, waving her hands. "I an—yes, he is handso, but that’s beside the point! And—he—um—no! That’s not what I ant at all!"
The three doctors burst into giggles.
This happened all the ti—Cecilia would lecture like a strict professor one second, then fall apart like a flustered schoolgirl the next.
It was adorable, honestly.
And it was one of the reasons Fauna loved her so much.
Finally, realizing she was being laughed at, Cecilia straightened her back, shook her head aggressively, and declared,
"Enough about that."
Then she pointed again at Mika.
"Lady Fauna, if this boy isn’t your boy toy, then who exactly is he? Your secret lover? If so, I don’t mind! I’ll keep your secret." She nodded seriously. "It is only natural for a woman to seek companionship."
"Then why don’t you seek companionship?" One of the other doctors snorted. "Don’t you want a partner?"
Cecilia straightened her spine like an officer receiving an award.
"My partner..." She declared proudly. "...is my future as a doctor. My achievents. The lives I will save. That is all I need. I don’t require emotional attachnts or distractions."
Fauna giggled softly, glancing back at Mika.
"See? Isn’t she adorable? My precious little Cecilia."
"Adorable is a...generous word." Mika said in dismay at the character in front of him.
Fauna giggled harder. Then she addressed Cecilia directly again.
"No, Cecilia. Mika is not my lover. And he certainly isn’t a gigolo. And actually...you of all people should know exactly who he is."
All four doctors blinked in confusion, while Fauna smiled warmly and continued.
"I’ve spoken about him so many tis before. You already know him, it would be quite shocking if didn’t."
They all exchanged looks. Cecilia herself narrowed her eyes suspiciously and stepped closer—examining Mika’s face inch by inch.
For a long mont, she said nothing.
Then suddenly—
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
And she gasped loudly enough to echo.
"It’s you!"
The other three jerked in surprise.
Cecilia pointed dramatically.
"IT’S YOU! YOU’RE HIM! YOU’RE THE ONE LADY FAUNA ALWAYS TALKS ABOUT—MIKA ARCHIVISTE!"
The other three doctors’ eyes went even wider.
"That’s him?!"
"The Mika?"
"The prodigy she never stops talking about?!"
"The one she praises more than her own daughter?!"
The room filled with whispers of disbelief.
Seeing Mika in person felt like eting a mythical creature—Fauna spoke of him so often, with such passion, that he sounded unreal.
And yet...here he was.
Even more handso than the photos Fauna carried around like a shrine.
But while the other doctors marveled at his good looks—
Cecilia’s eyes narrowed.
Her expression shifted into sothing fierce and competitive like she’d finally found her rival.
She stepped forward, pointing sharply at Mika.
"You!" She declared, voice firm. "You have caught my attention."
Mika blinked. "Uh...thanks?"
"No. Not thanks. QUESTIONS." She snapped her fingers. "I want answers!"
Before anyone could react, she launched into a barrage of complex, rapid-fire dical questions without even stopping to breathe.
"One! Outline the tabolic response during acute mana poisoning and list the priority interventions!"
"Two! Explain the complete chanism of action of tri-phospho healing conduits and how they differ from dual-channel systems!"
"Three! In patients with multi-layer mana fractures, what stabilization thod yields the best recovery outco?!"
"Four! Diagnose this: female, twenty-six, fever, mana reflux, arterial crystalization!"
"MIKA ARCHIVISTE!" She then demanded, stepping closer with every question. "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW AND PROVE YOUR WORTH!"
Mika stared at her.
His brain froze for a second.
’What in the actual fuck...?’
Even Fauna blinked in shock.
"Oh my." She whispered. "Mika...I think she’s challenging you to a duel."
—
Illustration of Cecilia is available in the comnt section
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