Star Hedonist-Chapter 16: Impressive

Nyx stares at Clara, a mix of confusion and curiosity on her face.

Then she glances at the mysterious white-haired man on the other side of the room.

"I'm listening."

Clara hesitates. "Eh—"

She clearly doesn't know where to start, so she grabs Nyx by the hand and pulls her toward the white-haired man.

"Come on, I'll show you."

Nyx follows Clara hurriedly toward the mysterious man.

Hearing them approach, he turns. Their eyes meet his, and he flashes that confident, expectant smile.

Such a charming smile.

The girls stop right in front of him. Standing so close makes the difference in size between them feel even more pronounced.

Both of them gaze at him with bright eyes, thoughts running through their minds.

'1.96 meters?' Nyx wonders.

'Maybe 1.97?'

'He's so big...'

Clara stares at him with a silly grin, then takes Nyx's hand and guides it toward his chest.

A flicker of curiosity flashes in his eyes, and she stops her movement.

"Can I?" Clara asks him.

"..."

He maintains his confident smile and curious gaze.

Clara lifts her other free hand.

"This."

She points to her own chest, presses her open palm against it, then gestures toward his bare chest.

He takes her hand and places it on his chest himself, making her cheeks turn pink without her even noticing.

"Ah?"

Clara is surprised by his sudden action, but her smile grows even more affectionate when she feels his heartbeat.

She smiles at him.

"That's not quite what I meant."

Clara moves her hand slightly to the side and then brings Nyx's hand, which she was holding, to his chest as well.

The white-haired man looks at Nyx.

His expression isn't as affectionate as the one he gives Clara, but it's friendly and welcoming.

When Nyx touches his bare chest, her eyes widen slightly, and her lips curl into an excited smile.

"So hot..." she comments, looking into his eyes.

Clara nods. "He is hot, for sure!"

Nyx chuckles and shakes her head at Clara. "I mean his body temperature."

"Oh?" Clara laughs too. "Yeah, his chest is really warm, isn't it?"

"Wait!"

Nyx grows more surprised as she presses her hand against the white-haired man's chest.

"His heartbeat is so slow... and deep."

Clara looks at her, concerned.

"But you can still feel it. And it seems to be in the right place."

"I mean, like ours, like a human heart."

Nyx shakes her head. "Actually, his heart seems to be positioned perfectly in the center of his chest."

"Really?" Clara also rubs her open hand over the center of his chest.

"..."

He simply watches the girls with an amused smile while they 'massage his chest.'

Nyx nods with a confident look.

"Let's check with an X-ray, but yeah, it feels perfectly centered."

Clara pulls her hand back and glances at Nyx.

"Whatever. That's not what I wanted to show you, but..."

Nyx also pulls her hand away, and Clara points to the white-haired man's chest, specifically to the small, shallow, circular marks on his skin.

"Wounds from fighting the Vhorr'Ka?" Nyx frowns as she examines the injuries up close.

"What the hell???"

"They're healing so fast!"

"How is this even possible..."

Nyx stares at Clara, who simply smiles and shakes her head.

"It wasn't the Vhorr'Ka's acid venom."

"It wasn't??"

"No." Clara shakes her head. "Those burns were superficial and already completely healed."

"This was something deeper."

"What??"

Clara takes Nyx's hand again, and both of them turn their expectant gazes toward the mysterious man.

He gives them a small nod, allowing them to proceed.

They reach forward again, touching his bare chest.

Nyx runs the tips of her cybernetic-free fingers over the small, round scars on his chest.

"This doesn't seem like acid at all..."

"The skin is already healed, but the muscles still seem to be regenerating... but so fast..."

"It looks like an old wound."

"But also a fresh one..."

"What could have—"

"Shotgun bullets." Clara interrupts Nyx.

"Really?" Nyx is once again shocked.

Clara nods, her expression completely serious.

"Not just any shell..."

"Titanium rounds."

"AND—"

"From just a few meters away."

"A hell of a gun. A lethal shot."

Clara points to the center of the white-haired man's chest.

"BAM!"

"Right in the middle."

"But he got up fast, and together, we finished off that damn pirate!"

Clara grins proudly and winks at the white-haired man, who winks back at her.

Nyx looks at him, her expression even more impressed and intrigued.

"Damn! So he's not just as tough as a Miamina turtle—he regenerates as fast as a silver bat?"

The mysterious man remains as calm and amused as ever.

But Clara's grin only widens, an excited, almost greedy glint flashing in her eyes.

"That's not even the most impressive part."

"IT'S NOT???"

Clara stands directly in front of Nyx.

"Remember how that mysterious box's metal was freezing cold?"

Nyx watches as Clara raises her open palm.

"I didn't have Louis' fancy gloves, and the cold metal burned my palm when I opened the box."

"Huh?" Nyx is confused. But that confusion only grows when she looks at Clara's palm.

It's completely flawless.

No scars, no burns, nothing.

Her skin is perfect.

Nyx feels like her mind has been flipped upside down, as if nothing makes sense anymore.

She looks at Clara, her expression utterly baffled.

"What are you saying?"

Clara's smile grows even brighter as she glances at the white-haired man, her eyes filled with gratitude and deep affection.

Nyx's curiosity burns even stronger.

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Are you saying that he actually..."

"Somehow, he was able to use his super regeneration on YOU?"

"But how??"

"Did you just touch him, and it...?"

"Or maybe that red liquid from the box?"

As Nyx spirals into a frenzy of curiosity, Clara feels her cheeks heat up.

"Ehh..."

She's completely amazed by the mysterious man's ability to heal her, but she suddenly finds herself shy when it comes to telling her best friend how it happened.

"Don't play coy now, Clara!"

"Alright, alright..." Clara sighs.

"It wasn't the liquid. It was him."

"But as how did he do it..."

As Clara's expression turns more timid, Nyx's expression grows more concerned.

"How, Clara?? How???"

"Well, it..."

Clara doesn't know how to say it, so she nervously touches her lips with the tip of her finger while glancing at the white-haired man.

Specifically... his mouth.

A thought pops into Nyx's mind, and she immediately starts shaking her head, a horrified expression crossing her face.

"No, Clara."

"Don't tell me that..."

"No, no, no..."

"You wouldn't do that."

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Clara tries to put on an innocent look.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"How was it NOT???"

Nyx grabs Clara's shoulders and stares into her eyes.

"I can't believe you found a mysterious man inside some ancient sarcophagus..."

"Clearly NOT HUMAN!!!"

"And you..."

"YOU KISSED HIM???"

Clara feels like a guilty child being scolded.

She tries to look away, but her eyes meet his.

And... her lips curve into another excited smile.

"Oh my god!" Nyx lets out a deep sigh.

"Come on, Clara!!"

Nyx rushes toward a nearby laboratory counter and pulls something from a drawer.

A large syringe.

The needle glints in the light, and the chamber in the middle is connected to a digital display on the back.

"We need to analyze your body right now!"

Nyx grabs Clara's arm to insert the needle—

But the white-haired man steps forward in a defensive stance.

Clara immediately places her other hand on his chest, stopping him.

"It's okay. She just wants to help."

He seems to understand and backs down.

Nyx doesn't waste time and inserts the needle into one of Clara's veins.

A small sample of blood flows rapidly into the syringe, swirling inside the container.

Data begins appearing on the small screen.

"That was so irresponsible, Clara!"

Nyx scolds while reading the data.

"We have NO idea what kind of microorganisms live inside him..."

"Even the simplest alien bacterium could kill you!"

"Damn! We don't even know what he is!"

Clara gently places her hand on Nyx's shoulder.

"Calm down, my friend."

"I know it was irresponsible, but..."

Clara's eyes glow with excitement as she glances at the white-haired man with a grateful smile.

"It made me feel so good."

"I've never felt this... this... AMAZING!"

"For real. I felt so full of energy, so powerful..."

"And I felt that..."

Nyx continues reading the data on the screen.

Her eyes widen.

"No way..."

Clara grows curious—and worried.

"Did you find something wrong??"

"No." Nyx shakes her head in disbelief.

"No??"

"No."

Nyx looks into Clara's eyes.

"The scanner didn't find anything different in your body."

"It's just a first analysis, but it should have detected any anomalies..."

"But."

"But??" Clara grows even more curious.

"What did you find, Nyx??"

Nyx takes a deep breath and then looks at Clara.

"You're healthy."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"Healthy as hell!" Nyx exclaims.

"Like, you have so many vitamins and hormones dancing inside you..."

"It's like you just came out of some miracle treatment that improves your body in so many ways..."

"That's insane!"

"Oh?" Clara's smile brightens as she turns to the white-haired man.

Her expression is filled with excitement and deep gratitude.

"Thanks, Big Guy!"

She winks at him.

He smiles back at her.

And for a moment...

It's as if he's saying something.

She can almost hear his voice in her mind—

That deep, confident, charming voice.

You're welcome, darling.