At the back of Shun's neck, the Celtic triangle-shaped red mark was emitting a faint red glow.
Because he felt a slight itch at the back of his neck, Shun subconsciously rubbed it against his shoulder. This small action was immediately noticed by the attentive Ana.
Ana thought Shun might be feeling some discomfort somewhere on his body. Her nerves still hadn't fully relaxed, so she immediately asked, "Shun, what's wrong? Is there something uncomfortable at your neck?"
Shun shook his head. "Nothing, it's just a little itchy."
"Is that so? Let me take a look to see what's going on." Ana still couldn't let it go. After all, she had been driving at seventy kilometers per hour on the road back then Shun had been solidly struck. Was it really possible for there to be absolutely no problem?
It wasn't that Ana hoped Shun had some serious injury, but this was simply too abnormal. Shun wasn't one of those Kaslana human-shaped Gundams.
Ana leaned over, gently pulled open the collar at the back of Shun's shirt, and tilted her head to look at his neck.
Her chestnut-brown hair draped onto his shoulder. The fine strands brushed against Shun's nose, making it a little ticklish, while a faint, fresh fragrance drifted into his nostrils.
Do girls' shampoos all smell this good? As for why Shun didn't think it was her natural body scent…
He suddenly recalled a fragment of memory he had once read a report saying that women's sweat glands are more developed than men's, so under normal circumstances, women's body odor is stronger than men's.
Especially on the feet. So fragrant, jade-like feet or whatever that kind of thing doesn't exist! Having such a random, somewhat indecent and completely useless memory pop up made Shun feel a bit melancholic.
His eyes unconsciously drifted downward, landing on Ana's feet wrapped in brown thigh-high boots. He wondered if Ana's boots were breathable and what her feet might smell like.
While Shun was lost in these random thoughts, Ana naturally also saw the faintly glowing imaginary imprint. Seeing it, her heart couldn't stay calm.
A Stigmata? It was actually a Stigmata! Due to the shock, Ana's pupils involuntarily dilated, her mouth slightly agape she was utterly stunned.
Forget how extremely rare innate Stigmata were to begin with Ana had never in her life seen anyone outside of the Kaslana and Schariac families possess an innate Stigmata.
The main thing was… Shun was male! It was already rare enough for a man to have any Honkai energy adaptability at all how could he have a Stigmata?
"Shun, tell me honestly what is your gender?" Although she didn't really believe Shun was female, that possibility would still be far easier to accept than discovering an innate Stigmata on a male body.
"How is that possible? I'm a pure-blooded true man!" Almost as an instinctive bodily reaction, Shun blurted it out. If the situation weren't inappropriate, he would have even wanted to drop his pants to prove it to Ana.
"…" Ana remained somewhat shocked. In a way… had she just witnessed history? The probability of even possessing an innate Stigmata was less than one in a hundred million.
The probability of it appearing on a male body might be less than one in ten billion.
"Ana, what's wrong?" Seeing Ana stay silent for a long time, Shun asked in confusion.
"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking about something." Ana withdrew her gaze and pulled back. Then she continued, "Shun, do you remember ever having some kind of red tattoo or marking on the back of your neck before?"
"? A tattoo? I don't have one?" He didn't even know how tall he was right now how would he know if there was a tattoo on the back of his neck?
"Sorry, I figured you probably wouldn't know right now either." Ana wasn't surprised. She was now debating whether or not to report the Stigmata on Shun's body to higher-ups.
After thinking for a while, Ana decided not to tell anyone else about the Stigmata on Shun not even the rest of the Snow Lotus Squad.
There were many reasons for this decision.
First and most important: Shun's own wishes had to be considered. The current Shun clearly lacked full cognitive awareness. As an ordinary person who had never been exposed to Honkai, he definitely wouldn't understand what an innate Stigmata truly meant. If Shun recovered normally or came to understand the real significance later, Ana might ask for his opinion before deciding whether to report it.
Second: Schicksal itself had internal problems. Ana came from one of Schicksal's three great families the holy maiden family, the Schariac family. Although she was young and lacked seniority, she had access to information that ordinary Schicksal employees could never know.
For example, Schicksal had secretly conducted various human experiments for a long time something the vast majority of Valkyries were unaware of. But for the Schariac family, many things were not secrets at all.
The cause of the Second Honkai Eruption more than a decade ago was tied to Schicksal's human experiments. So for Shun's safety, she had to conceal this matter for now. During this period, she also had to do her best to prevent others from coming into contact with Shun.
"Shun, there's something very important I need to tell you!" Ana placed her hands on Shun's shoulders and spoke gravely.
"Huh?" Shun jolted slightly, his mind unconsciously wandering.
This… it couldn't be… a confession? Looks like my charm is still pretty strong, huh? Shun thought with smug confidence.
(The protagonist at this moment bears some resemblance to a Stellaron Hunter, though Stellaron Hunters only lose memories while the protagonist nearly had his consciousness completely erased, so there are differences.)
"Ana, I think we should get to know each other better first. You're a good girl." Shun painfully rejected Ana's "confession."
"Hah? What are you even talking about?" Ana was completely thrown off by Shun's ridiculous train of thought. Once she processed it, she couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"…" Ana delivered a light flick to Shun's forehead. "Be serious. What I'm about to say is directly tied to your life and safety."
"…Oh, so that's how it is." Shun quietly repented for his overconfident assumption. Then he said, "Since it's something important, I'll trouble Ana to tell me."
"Then I'll get straight to the point. Shun, from now on, you must absolutely never let anyone else see the red mark on the back of your neck. If that red mark gets exposed, I'm afraid even I won't be able to guarantee your safety. Do you understand?"
Ana's solemn and warning tone made Shun realize this was no joke. He nodded and replied, "Don't worry only Ana is allowed to see my body."
Hearing this, Ana gave him another light knock on the head, then said helplessly, "I think I'm starting to understand your personality. As the old Shenzhou saying goes, 'It's easy to change rivers and mountains, but hard to change one's nature.' Even with amnesia, you're still not behaving."
Shun rubbed his slightly sore head and smiled. "That's only because it's you, Ana. Right now I don't know anything, and you're the only person I can trust. Plus… I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Deep down, I just know you wouldn't hurt me."
"I see…" Ana simply chalked it up to Shun's imprinting behavior. Since he was amnesiac, it was natural for him to feel goodwill and trust toward the first person he saw.
As for the sense of déjà vu that he had seen her before it was probably just an illusion. Before joining the Snow Lotus Squad, she had never been to Asia.
But what she didn't know was that Shun's words "I've seen this little sister before" were not nonsense. In a certain sense, he really had seen this little sister before.
"Alright, for now, just stay here during this time. I'll ask the captain for leave and come here to keep you company. Don't worry I already said it: on my name as Schariac, I will take responsibility for you to the very end."
Ana smiled gently as she made her decision. From this moment onward, Shun and Ana's fates became tightly intertwined.