Chapter 317: CPR Training

Mika stared at the buzzing phone for a second before answering.

He wasn’t sure why Anya was calling—with her, the reasons could range from an emergency to something entirely random. Still, he picked it up.

"Hey, Anya." He said in a curious tone and started walking through the hospital once again.

Anya’s voice came through the receiver, cool and melodic as ever. "I actually called you to say thank you, Mika. For what you did day before yesterday. Without your help, I never would’ve been able to finish it."

Mika blinked. "Finish what?"

"The manuscript, of course." She replied, sounding faintly amused. "Not only did you help me with the initial draft, but you even finished the final version yourself. It freed up so much of my time...I actually got to relax a little."

"So I wanted to thank you properly."

Mika smiled faintly, already opening his mouth to say, ’There’s no need to thank me.’

But she cut him off before he could even begin.

"I know what you’re going to say." Anya said with a soft laugh. "You’ll tell me we’re family, that there’s no need for thanks, and all that sentimental stuff. So I’m not going to say it."

"Oh really?" Mika chuckled, amused.

"Really." She said with playful firmness. "Instead, I’m going to show my gratitude differently. The next time we meet, I’ll show you a new technique I’ve been working on."

"Something I know you’ll appreciate. Let’s see what you think of it then."

That made Mika grin despite himself.

"A new technique, huh? Now that’s something I’m looking forward to."

"Good...I’ll keep on practicing just for you." She said warmly, and he could hear the smile in her voice, followed by a teasing tone. "Oh, and before I forget—congratulations on your little victory against Auntie Yelena."

Mika raised an eyebrow. "Wait. How do you know about that? I don’t think I mentioned it to anyone."

"Please." Anya scoffed lightly. "Even if you didn’t, it’s all over the news. Every single outlet covered it."

"You think a sky full of glowing swords and a Valkyrie who looked like Charlotte would go unnoticed? Half the world recorded it."

"And even if they didn’t—people only had to look out their windows to see a giant sword cutting through the clouds."

Mika chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. Not like we were trying to hide it, after all."

As he spoke, he stepped through the hospital’s long corridor, emerging onto the open terrace garden where patients were walking or sitting beneath the sunlight.

He waved at a few children playing near the benches; they waved back cheerfully.

"But tell me something." He said, still smiling. "How did you know that I was the one who won? For all you know, it could’ve been Yelena."

Anya let out a small laugh.

"Oh, please. I watched the entire fight. After the point when Giant Charlotte grabbed onto that sword and thrust it back, it was obvious who came out on top. The moment I saw that, I said to myself, ’Yup, Mika wins.’"

She paused, then added teasingly,

"And to mention there’s no chance Auntie Yelena could ever win. Sure, maybe in the past she could’ve won against you. But these days? Not a chance."

"I bet she was fuming by the end of it. Probably even teared up a little."

"Tear up a little? She bawled her eyes out."

Mika’s laugh echoed softly over the phone as he continued walking along the terrace path.

"She was hugging Charlotte and crying her heart out like a kid who lost her favorite toy."

Anya giggled.

"Oh, I wish I’d seen that. Auntie Yelena’s always so prideful and noble. But when she gets flustered, she’s absolutely adorable. To see her actually crying...what a missed opportunity."

Then her tone softened, "Anyway, the reason I called wasn’t just to say that."

Mika’s smile faded into curiosity. "Hm? Then what’s up?"

"It’s about my Mom." Anya said quietly.

Mika stopped walking for a moment.

"Fauna? Did something happen to her?" He asked, concern creeping into his voice. "I’m heading to meet her right now."

Anya hesitated on the other end.

"No, nothing bad happened. She’s not sick or anything. It’s just..." She sighed like she herself didn’t know what to say. "She’s been acting a little strange lately. Ever since yesterday morning."

"Strange how?" Mika asked, starting to walk again, his tone careful.

"Well, you remember how she used to be before—overworked, pressured, always mumbling to herself?"

"Yeah." Mika said, his voice thoughtful. "I remember. I’m glad she got past that."

"That’s just it." Anya let out a small hum. "It’s like that habit came back—but not in a bad way this time. It’s different."

"She sits around sometimes and suddenly blushes, like she’s remembered something really embarrassing. And when she spaces out now, she doesn’t look sad."

"It’s like she’s somewhere else entirely...like she’s in her own little fantasy world, with pink clouds and ponies or something."

Mika had to bite his lip to hide his grin. ’So it worked.’

Anya continued, unaware. "It’s almost like she’s feeling...euphoric, embarrassed, and dreamy all at once. I honestly don’t know what to make of it."

He was doing his best not to laugh.

"But what’s even stranger...." She added, her voice dropping to a half-whisper. "...is that she keeps saying your name."

That made Mika stop again.

"She keeps muttering, ’No, Mika, we can’t,’ or ’Mika, please don’t go,’ or ’Mika, how is this possible? I’m your mother...’"

Anya’s voice was genuinely confused now. "I tried piecing it all together, but it doesn’t make any sense. Do you have any idea what’s going on?"

Mika composed himself quickly, hiding the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"No idea." He said innocently. "She seemed perfectly fine the last time I saw her. Maybe she’s just...daydreaming too much. But don’t worry. I’m on my way to meet her right now."

"I’ll ask her directly and make sure she’s okay."

"Alright...if you say so." Anya hummed softly in thought. "Just make sure she’s fine, okay? It’s weird seeing her like this."

"I will." Mika promised, his tone gentle. "And even if she’s feeling off or sick, she’s still the greatest healer alive and she’s in a hospital, surrounded by other doctors. There’s nothing to worry about."

That earned a small laugh from Anya.

"You always know how to make things sound simple."

Her voice grew brighter again.

"Anyway, my team and I are heading out soon. We’re doing some team-bonding rounds today—visiting a few places together. I figured I should trust them more and not overthink everything like you said."

Mika smiled faintly. "That’s good. You’re always too serious about work, you know."

"Yeah, yeah." She chuckled. "You’re right. Anyway, I’ll stop worrying for now since you’re checking on Mom yourself."

"Take care of her, Mika. And...thank you again."

"Always." He said softly.

"Bye-bye. I’ll send you a couple of pics of the hangout today later. Maybe even some secret spicy ones."

She gave a cheeky promise before hanging up.

Hearing Anya’s report over the phone had already filled Mika with quiet joy—not only because Fauna had apparently been daydreaming about him, but because it confirmed what he suspected deep inside: last night had worked.

He had gotten through to her.

Fauna wasn’t just confused.

She was slowly starting to see him not as a son or a child she had to take care off.

But as a man, a man she now had trouble thinking about without blushing.

A man who had unsettled something deep inside her, something she wasn’t sure how to handle.

’She’s fighting it.’ Mika thought with a wide grin as he tucked his phone away and walked faster. ’She’s struggling with her feelings.’

’And knowing her, she’s probably completely off her rhythm at work now. Fumbling her words. Spacing out. Clumsy, flustered, caught in some kind of romantic daze.’

The thought of seeing Fauna in such a disheveled, dreamy state made his heart race.

He headed straight toward the the place where most patients and staff tended to gather during visiting hours—expecting, perhaps, to find her hiding behind a pillar or maybe red-faced and distracted while her juniors whispered to each other in hushed amusement.

But what he found...was entirely different.

The large green patch was filled with patients of all ages—children, teenagers, adults, elderly—arranged in neat rows on colorful mats.

In front of them were rows of CPR training dummies, the kind with clickable chests for practicing compressions.

And there, in the center, was Fauna.

Not flustered.

Not distracted.

Not a hint of disarray.

She was radiant.

Her usual warm, gentle smile lit up her face as she demonstrated chest compressions on a dummy, counting aloud in a playful rhythm.

"One, two, three, four—stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive!"

She sang lightly, turning a popular song into a fun teaching tool.

The children giggled and copied her, tiny hands pushing on their dummies with enthusiastic clicks.

"Perfect!" Fauna praised a little girl who got the rhythm right. "You’re a natural, sweetie! You just saved Mr. Dummy’s life!"

The adults chuckled, some mimicking her singing, others exchanging fond looks.

Cecilia and the other staff stood behind her, helping adjust positions, passing out more sanitation tissues, beaming with pride at their mentor.

Fauna on the other hand moved between rows, correcting posture with gentle touches, explaining mouth-to-mouth in a way that made even the shyest patients laugh.

"Pretend it’s some billionaire." She teased a blushing teenage boy. "A billionaire who’s going to reward you handsomely after saving his life!"

The boy turned red, but laughed and tried again.

Everything was...perfect.

Organized.

Joyful.

Exactly like the Fauna he’d always known.

And witnessing, Mika stood frozen, smile fading into confusion.

This wasn’t what he’d expected.

No blushing stammers.

No spaced-out stares.

No clumsy mishaps.

Just...Fauna.

The same gentle, competent, beloved doctor everyone adored.

He leaned against the bench, watching her with narrowed eyes.

Had previous night meant nothing?

Or...

Was she simply that good at hiding it?