Three days had passed since the end of the individual examination incident.
While not much information was revealed to the public other than the unexpected encounter of a monster that was not supposed to show up, the incident certainly caused a huge commotion within the city of Tristania. Not only were the school grounds shut down for investigation, there was also a wide sweep of the forest area all around issued by the guild to ensure that something like this wouldn't happen again. Worse case, a nest of the same centipede monsters would be found below ground.
Nothing was found, of course, but everyone was still on high alert. The city had yet to issue a statement, but the school authorities was willing to take responsibility for the lack of proper safety and security reasons. A lot of students were heavily injured, including a few higher-ranking nobles and even royalty so it was expected that there would be a certain level of backlash from the public. Thankfully, because this was the first time something of this calibre had happened, it was understood ultimately that there was a perpetrator behind this and the blame shouldn't fall solely on the school.
With the incident now being handed off to the government for closed investigation, students were given an emergency two-weeks leave as a result of so many students being injured. Until there was a simple majority of students who had recovered enough to move around would they be allowed to return to school. All medical efforts were focused on the students who were heavily injured, regardless of their class.
Despite all the efforts, the lack of an answer left an ominous cloud hanging over the city of Tristania.
- - - - -
Lunaria was currently being admitted in one of the private hospitals that was normally closed off to public visitors unless they had a permit. The reason she ended up here was due to the speedy request from her parents after they were informed of what had happened to her. While she was blacked out for quite some time, it seemed that Lunatea and Laevia had come over in a hurry to make sure she was fine before departing yet again. Being dragonkins was convenient for fast travel, especially during situations like this.
While Lunatea wanted to stay longer, they were busy with internal affairs back in Aravel and had to leave. With Sera, Rena and Shoko's persuasion, Laevia managed to bring Lunatea back eventually a day after Lunaria had woken up. Shoko was one of the lucky few who suffered only minor injuries after the whole incident, making her the errand girl for Lunaria for the next few days until Lunaria was capable of applying healing magic on herself again.
"Man~ dragonkin healing magic sure is amazing," Shoko grinned, watching as Lunaria's injuries quickly got better. "Thanks to Laevia-sama, she helped to heal the entire hospital before she left and many people were already healed."
"Mother is very kind. She lives up to her name as a saint," Lunaria muttered, looking at Shoko with a small smile. "I'm sorry that you have to keep caring for me for the past few days."
"It's alright. I feel guilty that I didn't manage to do much during the fight either, so this is compensation for watching so many people get injured," Shoko looked a little upset at herself. "Like with Kaze…"
"…." Lunaria didn't add anything to it and turned her head to the side.
In the same room with her, Kaze was lying down in a separate bed. He still hadn't woken up since his collapse after the fight.
Since the exam had been cancelled, there was no way to determine how their points would be accumulated now. Based on witnesses, many people agreed that it was Lunaria who dealt the final blow to the centipede monster since they couldn't see anything from the mist. As a result, despite Lunaria's multiple protests against the people who came to her for her testimony that it was Kaze who defeated it, there was no reason for them to believe her. They rather choose someone who was a dragonkin with naturally strong power instead of a nobody whom no one even saw him participate in the first place. Only Lunaria and Shoko saw Kaze block the attack from the mist obstructing everyone's sight, making this all the more frustrating for Lunaria.
She didn't want the achievement all for herself, she wanted it to belong rightfully so to Kaze. It was true that she killed it once, but then Kaze was the one who destroyed it the second time round in its stronger form.
While she didn't know how Kaze did it, it was certain for sure that he must have some sort of hidden strength that he had never shown before. Either that or Kaze got lucky, narrowly avoiding death.
Whenever Lunaria's mind randomly flashed back to the image of Kaze taking the beam attack from the centipede in front of her, Lunaria's heart throbbed a little. It was painful, thinking of how someone weaker than her, someone who she promised to herself to protect, ended up being in a worse state than she did. Even after she applied magic to heal his wounds, he hadn't woken up.
As she was discharged earlier than Kaze, she was allowed back to her dorms to stay. School was not open either, giving her the time to constantly visit Kaze in the hospital. Since he hadn't woken up even though his wounds were healed with magic, he was still placed under surveillance by the hospital in the case of something unexpected happening.
Lunaria didn't mind the long distance it took to travel back and forth from her dorm to the hospital every day. Even as she walked down the streets and got recognised by people as being the 'saviour', portrayed by newspapers, she ignored all the stares and whispers she received. If anything, it only placed a heavier burden on her that the one who saved Shoko and her life was forgotten. Kaze had no one to care for him like how Lunaria had a lot of friends. She was grateful that so many people came to see her after she was discharge, but only sadness lingered in the back of her mind.
Today marked the fifth day since she was discharge and Kaze still didn't show signs of waking up. It was unusual that he hadn't woken up, as though he was in a coma of sort that prevented him from getting up. As the days passed before, Lunaria's worries grew to the point she was unable to sleep peacefully at night.
Sighing, Lunaria pushed open the door to the hospital. The nurse in charge of the admissions noticed Lunaria and gave a polite bow, exchanging smiles with her. The hospital knew Lunaria due to what Laevia did, which was something that they couldn't thank her enough. Indeed, many did not know that Laevia used to be called a saint in the war 500 years ago so they didn't know of her capabilities. Healing this many people with an Advanced-class spell was normal for Laevia. They felt grateful and allowed Lunaria to help with taking care of Kaze.
"Good morning Kaze," Lunaria whispered softly to him when she entered his room.
Closing the door behind her, she tied her hair into a ponytail and got to work. The nurses taught her what she needed to know, from changing sheets to wiping down his body. That meant she had seen him naked before, but who cared? Lunaria was too worried to bother about something as minor as that because she felt responsible for his state.
Using magic to levitate his body above the bed, she swiftly changed the sheets of his bed and fluffed his pillows before lowering him back down. Taking care of his clothes by stripping him under the blanket, Lunaria shivered slightly whenever her fingers touched his skin.
Due to how he was always dressed, Lunaria only saw him in casual clothing once before. Even then, she didn't know that his body was so built. With scars on all parts of his body, it was almost like he was a war veteran but it was the obvious results of having trained so hard. It made sense about why Kaze was so strong on his own, even without being able to use magic to enhance his attacks. That wasn't the reason why Lunaria shivered though, for she had seen a fair share of muscular people in her days. She felt nervous about touching him, as if scared that he would suddenly wake up and scream at her.
It just reminded her once again of how fragile humans were compared to dragonkins. As a dragonkin herself, the injuries she sustained were quickly repairable with magic but Kaze could die at any time. For him to be so reckless when fighting, it showed Lunaria that he cared more about her than he did for himself. He was willing to throw everything to ensure that she did not die back then, leaving him in this state right now.
Lunaria wiped down his body with a wet towel and changed him into another pair of hospital clothes, careful not to touch his certain private areas of his body. She still couldn't help but blush when changing pants for him, as she was not used to this line of work.
"… Kaze…"
She muttered his name softly while sitting beside his bed, staring at his face. Lunaria didn't even notice that her friends had arrived to check on her because they knew she was going to be here.
"Lunaria," Sera tapped her on the shoulder lightly, finally getting her attention. "You haven't eaten right?"
"O-Oh, Sera," Lunaria rubbed her eyes, secretly wiping away the tears that happened to leak out and accepting the food from her friend. "Yeah, breakfast…"
"Sheesh, Shiro is worried you know?" Rena puffed her cheeks as she took a chair to sit down next to Luanria. "She said you haven't been sleeping much lately."
"Mm, just nightmares of the day itself," Lunaria absentmindedly nodded while eating her food.
"Hmm, please don't make us babysit you just because you can't take care of yourself," Shoko crossed her arms. "We know you are concerned for Kaze, but we are concerned for you."
"… Sorry for making you worried…" Lunaria muttered, looking down in shame. "If only I was stronger…"
"Stop blaming yourself. We all feel just as helpless in the face of so many disadvantages," Sera placed a hand on Lunaria's shoulder. "With the barrier taking away the mana and you unable to use your dragon form, there was only so much we could do."
Silence permeated the room after this, leaving the group of friends in a slightly awkward situation where they didn't know what to talk about. With Lunaria, the centre of the group, feeling down, they were lost as well. It was rare that Lunaria cared so much about someone to the point of feeling depressed, even if she was caring in the first place already. That just showed how much Kaze meant to her, for she must have felt in debt to him.
"How is Yuuji?" Lunaria asked, her eyes laying on Kaze. "Is he alright?"
"Yeah. Chris and Irene looked for us the other day to find you but you were in the hospital," Shoko nodded. "They said His Majesty wants to have a private audience with us after hearing about it from Yuuji."
"I see… did Mother not say anything?" Lunaria gulped, feeling inward trepidation once more.
"She did, as you requested before she left the nation. While we don't know how the talk went, she relayed your words to the King of the nation," Sera explained. "This was before she left. You were too preoccupied and emotionally unstable at the time for us to tell you, so we sort of forgot about it until you asked now."
"Laevia-sama was surprised to find out that you are so worried for someone," Rena smiled. "She was happy for you, you know? It had been a while since she saw you like that, ever since Ash-"
"Rena," Sera quickly stopped her friend. "Not that name."
"… Sorry," Rena gulped and looked away. "I forgot."
"… Who is Ash?" Kaze asked softly.
"Oh, no one," Lunaria quickly responded, obviously trying to block out certain memories. "He was someone back in Aravel, he-"
At that moment, everyone froze. Turning their heads creakily to Kaze, they just realized that he was already awake. With a weak smile on his face, his eyes were open and he was listening to their conversation. Their brains barely registered that it was him speaking until seconds later, too stunned to respond.
"Hi guys…" Kaze chuckled lightly in a hoarse voice.
"…. YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!"
A slapping sound came from Kaze's room, shortly after followed by doctor and a nurse rushing into the room at the sign of Kaze's awakening.
"He is fine, surprisingly," the doctor nodded his head at the three friends after checking on Kaze. "I mean, if you don't count the slap mark on his face…"
"Thank you doctor," Sera sweatdropped, glancing at Lunaria who was facing the wall and crossing her arms. "We got it from here."
The two professionals left the room, giving them some privacy once again.
With Kaze lying in bed and a huge slap mark across his cheek, the four of them glanced nervously at Lunaria. She was in a very bad mood, so much so that she slapped Kaze the moment he woke up.
"Lunaria…" Kaze tried to speak. "Um…"
"Don't talk to me," Lunaria immediately cut him off. "Idiot."
"U-Uuu…"
It took another hour of Lunaria fuming before she was finally able to face him.
With so much emotions finally pouring out, she cried into his chest while complaining about his recklessness and how he scared her half to death. Her friends could all only listen silently as Kaze accepted her complaints, understanding the reason why she felt this way. By the time Lunaria had calmed down, he had to change his shirt from how much tears it had absorbed.
"Um… I heard from them that you were the one who cared for me this whole time…" Kaze muttered slowly, unsure of how to form his words. "The doctor told me that earlier… thank you Lunaria."
"H-Hmph, you made me worry for nothing," Lunaria pouted, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "Had I known you would be so insensitive and rude as to listen to us talking, I would have thrown you to the centipede monster as sacrifice."
"Ahaha… I just didn't know how else I should interrupt," Kaze scratched his cheek while smiling wryly. "Still, I am really grateful for all the care you have given me and I am sorry for how worried I made you feel. Shoko, thank you for healing me back then. I wouldn't have been able to save you and Lunaria."
"It was nothing~" Shoko grinned. "More importantly, should I let you know what Lunaria did to you while she cared for you? She changed your bedsheets, wiped your body, looked after you, cried at you…"
Kaze's face slowly turned red as Shoko began listing down the set of things that Lunaria did while he was hospitalized and unconscious. Lunaria, whose blood pressure was about to rise through the roof from Shoko, felt too embarrassed to even face Kaze properly that she buried herself in the corner of the room and covered herself with her wings. Even Sera and Rena couldn't help but laugh at their friends, knowing that this managed to help lighten the atmosphere.
"Oh, Kaze!" Yuuji suddenly appeared at the door, panting heavily as he seemed to have rushed over. "You are awake!"
"Yuuji," Kaze's tensed face relaxed when he saw his friend. "Why are you here?"
"Shoko contacted me as soon as you woke up," Yuuji grinned, giving Kaze a shake before hugging him tightly. "She told the nurse, who contacted the palace, who contacted me. Chris and Irene should be on the way too."
"Ah, please find Mitsui too," Kaze remembered all of a sudden. "Mitsui Levib. She helped me a lot during the exam."
"Mitsui?" Lunaria's ears perked up at the mention of the name. "Who is that?"
"Ah, didn't I tell you? She and Kaze found me," Rena smiled and nodded her head. "I don't know how they met but you have to ask Kaze that."
"Kaze… explain yourself."
Receiving the cold glares from Lunaria, both Kaze and Yuuji felt shivers down their spines. While they weren't entirely sure why she was reacting the day she did, it was clear that they needed to be careful and not further anger Lunaria in this state. For some reason, she was being extremely hostile today, her mood swings in the extreme.
"I-I might have an idea on who that is…" Yuuji smiled nervously. "She was the one who told me about the situation."
"O-Oh, so she did find you," Kaze quickly averted Lunaria's cold gazes. "What did she say?"
"Everything about the centipede and we hurried over to your location," Yuuji explained quickly, not wanting to suffer the wrath of Lunaria's glares. "And… she is my cousin."
"… What?" Kaze blinked. "But…"
"She must have pulled a fast one on you," Yuuji sighed, glad that Lunaria's glares softened at the mention of Mitsui being his cousin. "Mitsui Levib, you said? Her name is Mitsui Thros Bivel. If you read my family name backwards, the spelling of B, I, V, E, L, rearranges to L, E, V…"
"…." Kaze, who had just come to discover the truth of the minx, felt like his soul had escaped him. It was no wonder he felt her name sounded familiar.
"Ahh, have I been found out already?"
Turning to the direction of the voice, Kaze found Mitsui standing there with a cheeky grin on her face. She seemed to be doing fine from the looks of things, but he was too flabbergasted by how he was played to call out to her.
"How are you, virgin boy?"
"Like I said, stop calling me that!"
"Kaze…."
Lunaria's gaze hardened once more at Kaze when she heard the nickname Mitsui gave him, causing Kaze to shiver once more as to why Lunaria reacted this way. It wasn't like it was his fault that she decided to tease him.
Chris and Irene showed up right as Mitsui giggled from teasing him.
"Kaze! We are- A, Are~? W-Why is the atmosphere so cold?" Irene's smile became cramped when she entered the room.
"I-Is there a blizzard here or something?" Chris shivered, looking around for answers as everyone other than Mitsui looked away nervously. "What is going on? What did we miss?"
It took another half an hour of explaining from all sides before Lunaria stopped intimidating Kaze with her glares.
That day, everyone learnt that when it came to Kaze, no one should tease or tempt Lunaria.
Everyone other than Mitsui, that is.