Morning sunlight streamed through the tall infirmary windows, spilling warm golden rays across the quiet room and gently brushing against Lunara's face. The brightness made her eyelids twitch, and after a moment she slowly stirred, her consciousness drifting upward from a heavy, foggy sleep.
Her eyes opened halfway before she immediately squinted, the sudden light blinding her for a moment.
"Mm…"
She lifted a hand and rubbed her eyes lazily, her mind still sluggish as she blinked several times, trying to clear the haze clouding her thoughts.
The unfamiliar white ceiling above her slowly came into focus.
For a few seconds she simply stared at it, confused, before her gaze drifted sideways and finally registered the quiet surroundings of the room. Clean walls. Medical equipment. Curtains separating several beds.
Only then did realization begin creeping into her mind.
'…A hospital bed?'
Lunara pushed herself up slightly, wincing faintly as the memories of the previous night remained frustratingly blurry.
"Huh… where am I?" she murmured under her breath while looking around the room in confusion. "What happened?"
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from the side of the room.
A female attendant wearing a white coat had noticed Lunara waking up and quickly walked toward her, holding a digital tablet in her hands. Her expression was calm and professional, though her smile carried a polite warmth that softened the otherwise sterile atmosphere of the infirmary.
"Good morning, Ms. Lunara," the attendant greeted gently. "It's nice to see that you've finally woken up. How are you feeling right now?"
Lunara instinctively grabbed her head, pressing her fingers lightly against her temples as she tried to recall the missing pieces of the night before.
Strangely enough, her body felt perfectly fine. In fact, it almost felt too light, as if all the exhaustion had mysteriously disappeared.
"Umm…" she muttered uncertainly. "Can you explain what happened? How did I end up here?"
The attendant nodded understandingly and gave a reassuring smile before glancing briefly at the tablet in her hand.
"Well, according to the report," she began calmly, "you were brought here last night while unconscious."
Lunara blinked in surprise.
"Unconscious…?"
"Yes," the attendant confirmed. "Two of your students carried you here. Their names were Ashan and Zevi."
Hearing those names immediately triggered a faint spark of memory in Lunara's mind.
"They ran all the way here while holding you," the attendant continued. "According to their explanation, you were talking with student Ashan when you suddenly fainted. Student Zevi arrived shortly after, and both of them rushed you to the infirmary immediately."
She chuckled softly.
"They looked extremely worried about you."
As the explanation unfolded, the scattered fragments of last night slowly began piecing themselves together inside Lunara's head.
The conversation with Ashan.
Holding his hands.
And then,
That overwhelming sensation.
The memory returned suddenly and vividly, and Lunara's entire face flushed a deep crimson.
'Oh my god…'
'What have I done?'
Her hands clenched the bedsheet slightly as embarrassment rushed through her mind like a wave.
'I actually passed out in front of my own student…'
'That's unbelievably embarrassing.'
But another thought quickly followed, replacing embarrassment with confusion.
'…But what exactly was that feeling?'
Her brows furrowed slightly.
'It felt so good that I completely lost control of my body.'
'What in the world was that?'
Still feeling puzzled, Lunara looked back toward the attendant.
"Miss… could you tell me the cause of this?" she asked seriously.
The attendant nodded again, her expression turning slightly more professional.
"Before explaining that," she said, "I need to ask you a few questions. Some of them might feel a little personal, but it would help a lot if you answer honestly since they are related to this matter."
"Of course," Lunara replied immediately. "Ask anything."
The attendant stepped slightly closer to the bed.
"Alright then."
She glanced down at the tablet briefly before speaking again.
"First question. You are not currently on your period, correct?"
"Yes," Lunara answered without hesitation.
"Have you taken any elixirs or medicine recently?"
"No."
The attendant hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice slightly.
"Then… very recently, did you engage in any kind of sexual activity?"
Lunara's face instantly turned red again.
She shook her head quickly.
"No! Nothing like that happened."
"Hmm…"
The attendant tapped the tablet thoughtfully.
"That's strange."
"When I examined your body last night, I noticed that your hormone levels were abnormally elevated. However, there were no signs of illness or poisoning."
She leaned slightly against the bed rail while explaining.
"At first I suspected a condition called vasovagal syncope. It's one of the most common causes of fainting. It happens when a person's blood pressure suddenly drops, which temporarily reduces blood flow to the brain."
She paused briefly.
"That's why I asked whether you had engaged in sexual activity. Intense physical or emotional stimulation can sometimes trigger that kind of response."
Lunara stared at her blankly for a moment.
"But according to your answers," the attendant continued slowly, "there might be another factor behind it."
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Is there anyone you suspect who could have caused this reaction?"
Lunara immediately shook her head.
"No. I can't think of anyone who could do something like that."
The attendant crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"What about those students who brought you here?"
"Those two?" Lunara repeated.
She shook her head again.
"That's impossible. They are good juniors. I can't imagine them doing anything like that."
"But you were last seen with student Ashan," the attendant pointed out. "The long-haired one."
"What about him?"
Lunara hesitated briefly before answering.
"…It's true that I was talking with him before I fainted," she admitted. "But I didn't sense any ill intentions from him."
The attendant nodded slowly.
"That might be true."
She scrolled through a few notes on the tablet.
"He was the one carrying you here, after all."
She smiled faintly.
"He seemed extremely worried about your condition."
Then she added something that made Lunara's eyes widen in surprise.
"Actually, he stayed here the entire night beside you."
"The other student left after a while, but Ashan remained."
"He only left early this morning."
Lunara blinked in astonishment.
"…Really?"
"Yes," the attendant confirmed. "He said he had some things to do."
Lunara fell silent for a moment, absorbing that information.
A strange warmth quietly spread through her chest.
"Then… can I leave now?" she asked after a moment.
The attendant smiled again.
"Of course. I'll prepare your discharge right away."
…
A short while later, Lunara stepped out of the infirmary building.
The cool morning breeze brushed against her face, but instead of refreshing her, it only deepened the strange mix of emotions swirling inside her mind.
"Ahh…" she sighed quietly while running a hand through her hair.
'What should I do now?'
She frowned slightly.
'I have no evidence that Ashan did anything…'
And honestly, even thinking about it is embarrassing enough already.
'How am I supposed to face him now?'
Just then,
"Lunara!"
Two voices called out at once.
She looked up just in time to see two girls running toward her across the courtyard.
They were her closest friends and fellow instructors at the academy.
"Lunara, what happened?!" one of them asked breathlessly.
"We heard you fainted last night!" the other added anxiously. "Sorry we couldn't come sooner!"
Lunara quickly raised her hands in a calming gesture.
"Alright, alright," she said with a gentle laugh. "I'm perfectly fine now, so there's no need to panic."
"I think I just fainted from overworking."
Both girls immediately stared at her with disbelief.
"Overworking?" one of them repeated flatly.
She crossed her arms.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"You're a healthy A-rank fighter in your twenties," the other added skeptically. "People like you don't faint from 'overwork.'"
They both leaned closer suspiciously.
"Stop lying and tell us what really happened."
Lunara grabbed both of their hands reassuringly.
"I'm serious," she insisted. "I don't know the exact reason, but I'm fine now."
The two girls exchanged doubtful looks but eventually sighed.
"Fine…"
Then one of them asked,
"Have you at least eaten breakfast?"
Lunara shook her head.
"Not yet. But before that, there's someone I need to find."
She gave them an apologetic smile.
"Can we talk later?"
"Of course," they replied.
…
As Lunara walked toward the training grounds, her thoughts returned to one particular person.
'If my guess is right… Ashan should be sparring with Zevi right now.'
'There's a high chance I'll find him there.'
And sure enough,
When she arrived at the training ground, she immediately spotted the two boys standing in the middle of the field.
But instead of sparring, they seemed to be arguing about something.
However, the moment they noticed her approaching, both of them rushed toward her at the same time.
"Oh my, Instructor!" Zevi said with a wide grin. "Why are you here already? You should rest for at least a day!"
"Instructor," Ashan asked immediately, his brows slightly furrowed with concern, "are you feeling alright?"
Lunara smiled warmly at both of them.
"I'm fine," she assured them. "As soon as I woke up and heard what happened, I wanted to see you myself."
Zevi scratched the back of his head, clearly relieved.
"That's good to hear. You scared us pretty badly yesterday."
Ashan quietly exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders.
"I'm really glad you're okay."
Lunara noticed that reaction.
Something about it made her pause for a moment.
Then she turned toward Zevi.
"Zevi," she said gently, "could you give us a moment? I need to talk to Ashan."
Zevi blinked once before grinning knowingly.
"Ahh, sure."
He waved casually while walking away.
"I'll go warm up over there."
Once he left, an awkward silence settled between them.
Lunara lowered her head slightly.
"Ashan… thank you."
He blinked in surprise.
"For what?"
"For carrying me to the infirmary," she said sincerely. "And for staying with me the whole night. The attendant told me everything."
Ashan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Anyone would've done the same," he muttered. "You collapsed right in front of me. I couldn't just leave."
She looked up at him carefully.
His expression was honest, almost embarrassed.
There was no arrogance in his eyes.
No expectation for praise.
"I still want to thank you," Lunara said softly.
"You handled the situation calmly and took care of me."
"That means more than you think."
Ashan met her gaze.
"I was just worried."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Lunara suddenly remembered the sensation from last night, the overwhelming pleasure that had completely stolen her consciousness.
Her heart beat a little faster.
"Umm… Ashan?" she said hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Last night… did something happen that I might not remember?"
Ashan narrowed his eyes slightly.
'…As expected. She's suspicious.'
'It's unavoidable; I was the only one there with her.'
He shook his head calmly.
"I don't know what you mean," he said evenly. "But I have no idea why you fainted."
"Maybe it really happened because you overworked."
Lunara bit her lip slightly and looked down.
'What was I expecting to hear anyway…I should stop thinking about this.'
The morning breeze passed quietly between them while the sounds of distant training echoed across the academy grounds.
Finally, Lunara straightened her posture, returning to her usual instructor composure.
"Once you finish training today," she said casually, "I owe you a proper thank-you."
Ashan blinked.
"Lunch is on me."
"Ah… are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied firmly.
Then she added with a small smile,
"Not just you. Bring Zevi too."
As she turned and began walking away, Lunara suddenly realized something strange.
She was smiling far more than usual.
'Why am I smiling so much…?' she wondered quietly.
Behind her, Ashan watched her leave with a thoughtful expression.
Neither of them realized it yet,
But something subtle had already begun to change.