In a VIP ward of a private hospital in Singapore, Ana sat nervously by the bedside, staring at Shun's serene face that looked almost like that of a dead person.
Several hours had already passed since she had carelessly struck someone with the car. Right after the incident, she and Angelina had immediately contacted the other members of the Snow Lotus Squad who were still enjoying the banquet.
Not long after, the transport ship "Skadi" rushed to the scene. With something like this happening, the banquet naturally could not continue.
The group had flown at near-maximum speed, breaching the airspace of several sovereign nations, just to get Shun to the best private hospital in Singapore.
Fortunately, although he was in a coma, the most advanced medical scans showed no injuries on Shun's body whatsoever.
Seeing that the person was truly fine, the rest of the squad had no reason to stay. They also had other official duties to attend to, so only Ana remained behind to keep watch.
Out of guilt as the one responsible for the accident Ana was neither a military doctor nor someone who wanted to become a general. Naturally, she would not hit and run. Whether the victim was injured or not, the fact remained that she had driven into someone.
She had to give him some kind of explanation at the very least apologies, compensation, whatever it took. Shun's vital signs were very stable; though his body showed signs of subpar health, there was nothing seriously wrong. He would probably be alright.
After a long while, there was finally some movement on Shun's peaceful face he was likely about to wake up. Ana quickly stood and used the time to tidy her appearance, waiting for him to open his eyes.
A moment later, Shun finally awoke. But his eyes simply stared blankly at the pure white ceiling of the ward, inhaling the sharp scent of disinfectant.
At that moment, his mind was completely blank. He didn't even have the classic "Who am I? Where am I? Where did I come from?" thoughts after all, he had only just regained consciousness after nearly having it erased entirely.
Until a pretty face filled with worry and concern entered his field of vision.
Chestnut-brown hair cascaded down to her waist. Lively pink eyes brimmed with care for Shun. A blue-purple hair clip adorned the left side of her head. She wore a black beret decorated with two white four-pointed stars. Her white Valkyrie battlesuit bore a blue-purple four-leaf clover emblem at the junction of her chest and abdomen. A blue-purple cape draped over her left shoulder, marked with white four-pointed stars.
Perhaps this was what "beauty" truly meant. For the first time since waking, Shun felt a flicker of genuine thought. In other words, if the Aeon of Pure Beauty, Idrila, were to appear before him right now, she would probably look like Ana.
Seeing no reaction from Shun, Ana anxiously leaned toward the bed and asked, "Sir, can you hear me? How are you feeling right now? Is there any discomfort?"
Afraid he might not understand, Ana repeated the question in English, German, French, Spanish, Shenzhou, Tagalog, Russian, Japan, Arabic, and Korean one after another.
After a while, Shun finally snapped out of his daze and responded. "I'm… okay. Aside from feeling like my head is completely empty, there's no discomfort anywhere else."
Hearing this, Ana let out a relieved breath. With his own confirmation, it really seemed he was fine. She stood up straight, placed her right hand over her heart, and spoke solemnly.
"Sir, hello. I am Ana Schariac, an A-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal. I am also the one directly responsible for you ending up in this hospital bed right now. But please rest assured I will take full responsibility for you until the end."
Realizing her words might have sounded a bit bold, Ana's pretty face flushed slightly. But once spoken, the words could not be taken back. She pursed her lips and did not retract them.
Hearing Ana's self-introduction, Shun was momentarily stunned before slowly replying, "Sorry, Miss Ana… right now, aside from my name, I can't remember much of anything. My name is Shun."
Shun… a person from Shenzhou? Ana thought upon hearing this. She quickly waved her hands and said, "It's fine, really. Your health comes first, Mr. Shun."
But… his body was fine, yet his memory was the problem? Ana, you've really gotten yourself into deep trouble now!
Meeting Shun's sincere, clear gaze, Ana felt he wasn't lying. The amnesia was probably real too.
As an A-rank Valkyrie, she was naturally well-trained in espionage and counter-espionage techniques she could tell whether someone was lying or not.
Hitting someone so hard they lost their memory… this was a huge problem!
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Shun. This is all my fault. But please believe me on my name as Schariac, I swear I will take full responsibility for you!"
"No, no, no." Shun shook his head. "Although I can't remember a lot of things right now, I can sense that my memory issue has nothing to do with you. As for why I can't remember anything…"
No matter how hard Shun tried, he couldn't recall what had happened. But since Ana said she had accidentally hit him with the car, it definitely wasn't her fault.
"I-I see…" Ana didn't know what else to say. If he himself said it had nothing to do with her, then insisting on taking the blame would just be looking for trouble.
But simply washing her hands of it wasn't something Ana could do either. So she gathered herself and asked Shun again.
"Mr. Shun, does that mean you really don't remember anything right now?" Though it felt a bit cruel to poke at someone's amnesia, some things had to be clarified.
Shun showed no special reaction, simply nodding silently. "Yes… my head feels completely empty. I can't remember anything."
As expected… Ana continued, "In that case, please allow me to arrange a place for you to stay first. Your memories probably won't come back anytime soon, so… at the very least, let me take good care of you during this time, okay?"
After hearing Ana's sincere words, Shun thought for a moment and agreed. Come on he might have amnesia, but he wasn't stupid. In a situation where he remembered nothing, refusing help from others would be a death sentence.
"Then thank you very much for your kindness, Miss Ana. Also… you don't have to call me 'sir.' I really don't deserve that."
Hearing this, Ana smiled. "Then Shun, you don't have to call me 'miss' either. Just call me Ana."
"Alright." Shun nodded and made to get out of bed. Since his body had no issues, there was no reason to keep lying down.
"Wait, Shun you can't get up yet! Even though your body seems fine, what if there's some hidden issue? You should stay here under observation for a few more days."
Ana gently pressed down on Shun's body. Instantly, he was pushed back into the covers, unable to move like Sun Wukong pinned under the Five Fingers Mountain.
Was Ana really this strong? She didn't even seem to use much force… Shun tugged at the blanket and obediently chose to listen to her.
At that moment, unseen at the back of his neck, a red Celtic triangle-shaped mark faintly glowed.