“...”

  Nyx watches Cra.

  Cra watches the mysterious man.

  He looks at both girls.

  The atmosphere is strange, but Cra can’t stop smiling.

  And he finds the situation amusing.

  Nyx, on the other hand, lets out a deep sigh.

  “Cra… you have no idea how dangerous all of this is.”

  Cra taps Nyx’s shoulder. “I messed up, I know. But look.”

  She spreads her arms and spins, more radiant than ever.

  “I’m healthy as hell, just like you said.”

  Nyx shakes her head.

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Well, that’s concerning too, because we don’t know anything about…”

  “His lips?” Cra grins mischievously and winks at him.

  They can see Nyx struggling to hold back the urge to smack Cra.

  She takes a breath and calms herself.

  “Yeah, that.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  Nyx raises both hands.

  “Everything else?”

  “I mean, for starters, what he can do—not just being so incredible but also sharing his… thing…”

  “Now it makes sense why the Umbrakai would pay a billion and a half credits to take him untouched.”

  Cra’s expression turns serious.

  “I’m not going to let those fanatics do anything bad to him.”

  Nyx can see the determination in Cra’s eyes. Just like the affection when she gnces at the mysterious man.

  “I don’t want to just hand him over either.”

  Nyx gnces at him with a grateful expression.

  “He saved my life.”

  “But.”

  “But?”

  Nyx shakes her head.

  “I can’t even think straight right now… I haven’t even taken a bath yet!”

  “Mm!” Cra nods. “I need a bath too.”

  “And our friend here.” She points to the white-haired man.

  Nyx casts a curious look at him and then gnces at her own hand.

  “Although… he still smells good even after fighting a Vhorr’Ka.”

  Cra grins. “Right?”

  “He smells amazing!”

  Nyx puts on a thoughtful expression.

  “It must be some kind of hormone simir to ours but stronger… that would expin your current state.”

  Cra shrugs.

  “You’re the biologist here.”

  “Speaking of which, is there anything else you can tell me about him?”

  Nyx looks at him with a curious gaze.

  “Hmm… would you let me take a small sample to analyze more closely?”

  “...” He watches her with a curious expression.

  Cra shakes her head and ughs.

  “You forgot he was locked in that pyramid for who knows how many years?”

  “I think he’s learning our nguage, but you still have to use gestures.”

  “Oh?”

  Nyx picks up a needle and shows it to the white-haired man before pricking her own finger to draw a drop of blood.

  “Just a few drops would be enough.”

  He stares at the needle, and his expression turns colder—less excited than usual.

  Cra’s expression also becomes more serious.

  “No one likes being pricked and studied, do they?”

  A sad glimmer fshes in Nyx’s eyes.

  “Nobody.”

  Then she tries to smile at him kindly.

  “Look, I don’t want to study you like some kind of impressive specimen.”

  “I just want to know a little more about you.”

  “And given your situation, I’d say having some answers could be beneficial for you too.”

  “...” He simply continues looking at Nyx with a curious expression.

  Cra steps in front of him and gently holds his hands.

  “You can trust her.”

  “Ny—Himeko is our friend. She won’t use new information to harm us.”

  He gnces between Cra and Nyx, then extends his hand with a friendly expression.

  Nyx nods at him, also offering a warm look.

  “Thank you for trusting me.”

  She gently takes his hand and then tries to prick his finger with a clean analysis syringe.

  But to her surprise, the needle doesn’t pierce his skin at first.

  “His skin is tough!”

  Cra pokes his shoulder with her finger.

  “But it still feels soft like ours.”

  Nyx keeps trying, but no matter how much force she uses, the needle bends instead of penetrating the skin of his finger.

  “This won’t work like this.”

  She thinks for a moment and then points at her own open mouth.

  “Can I try your gums?”

  He simply opens his mouth.

  She leans in, bringing the needle close to his mouth. Being this close, she catches his breath and can’t help but be surprised again.

  “How does this guy smell so good???”

  Cra ughs as she watches. “Don’t mess this up, okay?”

  “I’m a professional.”

  Nyx still finds it difficult to pierce his gums, but using enough force, the needle finally punctures, and a few drops of his blood fill the syringe compartment.

  “Bck? His blood is bck??”

  Cra nods. “I actually saw a few drops on his chest after that bastard pirate shot him.”

  “Is it that weird for it to be bck?”

  Nyx smiles. “I don’t know why I even expected it to be red in the first pce.”

  She gently withdraws the needle and gives him a caring look.

  “Are you okay? Did it hurt?”

  “...” He simply runs his tongue over the area, and the tiny puncture vanishes as if it had never existed.

  Cra shakes her head.

  “I saw him take a full shot from a .12-gauge titanium shell without even groaning…”

  Nyx chuckles. “Yeah, he’s tough, got it.”

  Then she gnces at him again with a curious expression.

  “Not to ask too much, but another sample might speed up the process of discovering more about you.”

  “...” He still seems confused.

  Nyx picks up two cotton swabs and uses one to collect saliva from her own mouth, then shows the other clean one to him.

  “May I?”

  He opens his mouth again, and she carefully swabs inside, collecting a bit of his saliva.

  “Great. Now I’ll need a few hours to analyze these samples properly.”

  Cra gnces at the white-haired man with an excited smile.

  “I’m taking him to get a bath—he deserves it after all that mess.”

  Nyx gives Cra a sharp look.

  “Cra…”

  “What?”

  “You’re not thinking of… your bedroom?”

  Cra raises her hands.

  “I can’t just leave him wandering around, can I? Diego and Javier are waiting for any chance to stir up more trouble…”

  Nyx sighs.

  “You have a point.”

  “But!”

  “Please, be responsible.”

  “At least until we have the slightest idea of what we’re dealing with.”

  “Sure!” Cra gives Nyx a thumbs-up.

  Then she grabs the white-haired man’s hand and pulls him toward the door.

  “Come on, Big! I’ll show you where you can wash up and rex a little.”

  “Maybe even eat something delicious.”

  Nyx shakes her head as she watches Cra leave the b so cheerfully with the mysterious man.

  As soon as they’re gone and the door closes, she sits down and lets out an even deeper sigh.

  She looks down, staring at the cotton swab with his saliva.

  Her expression is a mix of curiosity and excitement.

  She can’t resist the urge and brings it close to her nose.

  “Damn!”

  “How does he smell so good?!?”

  While Nyx begins analyzing his blood and saliva, Cra quickly leads him through the corridors of the Safira.

  Her bedroom is just two doors down from Nyx’s b, right next to her own bedroom.

  Security is not too high, and Cra unlocks the door with her personal access card.

  As soon as they step inside, the white-haired man looks around in surprise.

  Cra’s bedroom is as rge as Nyx’s b, spanning several square meters. But unlike the previous space, this room is quite messy.

  Of course, all of Safira's rooms are messy due to the ship being turned upside down by the giant sandworm, yet Cra's bedroom is already naturally chaotic.

  A rge bed sits in the corner, and a small table in the center is covered with books, stone fragments, and various other items.

  A desk in the corner holds more dusty books, with even more stacked in bookshelves along the walls.

  Beyond a massive window that offers a breathtaking view of space from the upper section of the Safira, two additional doors lead to smaller rooms within Cra’s quarters.

  One of those doors is open, and the white-haired man can see various tools and a few weapons on a workbench inside.

  Cra notices him looking around and gestures toward that room.

  “That’s my little workshop.”

  Then she points to the closed door.

  “And that’s the bathroom. You can take a nice hot shower in there.”

  He looks at Cra. His confident gaze locks onto hers, and then he takes a step toward her.

  "Wait!"

  Cra raises her hand, making him pause, confusion flickering in his eyes.

  Then, a sly smile spreads across her lips.

  "You’re not gonna do that thing again, are you?"

  "..." He looks at her, intrigued.

  She sniffs the air pyfully. "That thing you did in Nyx's b."

  He smiles.

  And takes a deep breath, closing his eyes.

  Cra watches intently as he seems to be taking in the scent of the room—a mix of dust, old books, and her personal perfume.

  His lips curve wider, forming a deeply satisfied smile.

  And then...

  "Cra."

  He says her name again, and her heart beats faster.

  He opens his eyes, looks at her, and adds—

  "Good."

  Cra's eyes shine.

  "So you're really learning our nguage fast!"

  "..." He doesn’t say anything else, but he steps closer to her.

  He extends his hand, wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

  Cra tries to avoid looking into his eyes as her cheeks heat up, and her body grows warmer.

  "Nyx told us to take it easy…"

  She tries to resist, but the moment he leans in to kiss her, her body betrays her. In fact, she realizes she’s eager for it.

  Then he kisses her.

  His lips seal over hers in a soft kiss that quickly deepens as his tongue slips into her mouth.

  "Mmm~"

  She lets out sweet, muffled moans as she feels that warm energy flow into her again, making her body tingle.

  But Cra quickly breaks the kiss, looking at him with pleading eyes.

  "Take a shower first, okay?"

  "We can continue after..."

  "..."

  She ughs and points down at his pants.

  "You might smell good even after everything, but those pants stink of worm slime."

  She tugs him toward the bathroom.

  "Speaking of which, you need new clothes."

  As they step into the rge bathroom, she takes a good look at his body.

  "You're way too big. Matteo's clothes won’t fit you."

  "Fuck! And I am not asking that bastard Javier for anything."

  The white-haired man watches as Cra curses, an affectionate smile forming on his lips.

  She catches his amused expression and grins back.

  "Don’t look at me like that."

  "Ah! I think one of Jex's nerdy assistants was pretty tall."

  "Wait here, I’ll go see if I can find something clean for you to wear."

  "..." He watches her, curious.

  Cra gestures toward the rge gss-enclosed shower. "The shower’s there if you want to start."

  She turns to leave. "I’ll be back quick—"

  But he suddenly pulls her by the arm and captures her lips in another kiss.

  Just a brief kiss—but a damn good one.

  Then he lets her go, that teasing smirk on his face.

  She rolls her eyes, but her smile never fades.

  Then she steps out of the bathroom and out of the bedroom.

  He finds himself alone in the spacious bathroom, surrounded by unfamiliar objects he has no idea how to use.

  His eyes scan the room curiously.

  The mirror above the sink catches his attention, so he steps toward it and sees his own reflection.

  His eyes widen for a moment, and he slowly lifts his hand to touch his face.

  His fingers run along his jaw and chin as if sensing the absence of something.

  A deep feeling stirs inside him. A mencholy over his own face feeling unfamiliar.

  An identity lost to time.

  "Ah..." He sighs.

  Then, shaking the feeling away, he turns and scans his surroundings once more, his usual curiosity and excitement returning.

  Cra’s bathroom is like the rest of her bedroom—

  Clothes scattered in the corners, along with bottles of hair cream, soaps, toothpaste, and other personal items.

  The white-haired man doesn’t recognize most of these objects, so he picks them up one by one, inspecting them closely.

  He lifts a red ce panty from a pile of clothes and smiles as an idea forms in his mind about what it is.

  His eyes gleam as he lifts it closer to his face and takes a deep breath.

  "Hmm…"

  The scent is strong, clearly a used piece of clothing. Yet, beneath it, there’s the sweet floral fragrance of Cra, making even her used garments intoxicating.

  Still holding her panties, he continues exploring the bathroom.

  He steps into the gss shower stall and notices the rge, sleek white showerhead above him.

  The moment he stands directly under it, a motion sensor in the wall activates, and hot water begins cascading down onto him.

  "Huh?"

  His muscles tense, nearly stepping back by reflex, but the warmth of the water is pleasant.

  Somehow, he knows what this is—what purpose this device serves.

  But the word that comes to mind is not "shower."

  It doesn’t sound like Cra’s nguage.

  He lets the hot water run over his body, enjoying the sensation, but the soaked pirate pants feel uncomfortable against his skin.

  So, he removes them, tossing them outside the stall.

  Now naked, the feeling of hot water washing over every inch of him is... exquisite.

  He closes his eyes, pcing his hands against the shower wall, standing under the steady stream.

  The warmth, the sound, the pressure.

  That’s good.

  For the first time since Cra freed him from that box, he can simply... rex.

  Thinking about that, he tries to recall something—anything—before the box. Before Cra.

  But nothing comes to his mind.

  He digs deeper, forcing himself to remember.

  "Argh!"

  A sharp pain surges through his skull, and he clenches his teeth.

  The frustration builds.

  Why can’t he remember?

  It’s as if a part of his life was taken from him.

  Everything was stolen.

  And then Cra appeared.

  She set him free.

  She gave him a new beginning.

  A second chance.

  As he thinks of her, warmth floods his chest—affection, adoration, and an overwhelming urge to protect.

  Her panties are still in his hand.

  He brings them to his nose again, indulging in her scent.

  He may not remember anything before Cra, but he knows what he wants for his future.

  Her.

  He desires her, deeply.

  And now he knows exactly what he must do.

  Take her.

  Protect her.

  Make her happy.

  Love her.