Chapter 19: Impressive all the way down.

Dr. Lirien stepped forward, her voice soft but firm, a teasing edge in her warm gaze. "Please take off your shirt, Mr. Noctis. We need good readings."

Ezra arched a brow, a little taken aback by her request. "Take off my shirt? Is that really necessary?" He questioned.

"Yes, for accurate readings," Daphne clarified.

’Liar.’ Ezra didn’t believe that. He knew how scanners worked in this world, they didn’t need skin. The tech could see through clothes just fine.

So this wasn’t about data. They just wanted a look at him. But he didn’t mind. In fact, he was glad that he had intrigued them to that point. It meant that it would be easier for him to get closer to one of them. Or maybe more than one if the opportunity arised.

With a shrug, he pulled his shirt over his head in one smooth motion, revealing a sculpted physique, faint scars from the Fade’s claws, and a calm, coiled tension that didn’t flinch beneath their gaze.

In simpler terms: Ezra was hot, and he knew it. He was even going to use it to his advantage here.

The silence shifted.

Their stares burned through him with interest , Daphne’s most of all. Her violet eyes roamed shamelessly on the handsome figure before her, heels clicking on the glossy floor as she stepped in. Closer than necessary. Way closer.

Dr. Aurenna’s gray gaze flicked down to his abs and quickly away. Dr. Sylis paused mid-swipe on her datapad, her green eyes lingering just a moment too long on his bare upper body. They hadn’t expected to see a good—no, handsome—physique from him.

Sure, he had an attractive face, but they’d assumed the usual male standard—average build, maybe a bit soft. Nothing like this.

Ezra caught their looks. That enhanced charisma from his bonds made his grin devastating. "Careful ladies, if you stare too much, I might have to charge you a fee."

The three women immediately looked away, clearly caught. Dr. Lirien exchanged a quick glance with Aurenna, both of them suddenly very focused on anything but him.

Aurenna cleared her throat and walked to a nearby console, pretending to review data that didn’t need reviewing.

Daphne, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as shy as the others. She let her gaze roam with clinical interest... and maybe a little too much appreciation.

"Impressive," she said, lips quirking. "You seem to be in excellent condition for a male."

Ezra smirked. "Thank you." And the best thing about it, was that he didn’t need to work out.

Dr Daphne turned to Sylis and Lirien, eyes glinting. "Tell me, Dr. Sylis, purely for scientific curiosity, do you think he’s impressive all the way down?"

Sylis choked at that question. "Dr. Daphne! I’m not going to answer that. " Her ears burned as the image of Ezra with nothing on slammed into her mind, uninvited and way too vivid.

"Why not?"

"I— I have a girlfriend!" she stammered, cheeks turning crimson.

Lirien’s eyes constricted slightly as she took him in and then she pointed at something. "What’s that scar on his rib?"

Daphne turned to him, finally noticing it too, she was too busy fantasizing the first time to pay attention to the cut near his rib. "Curious," Daphne murmured, voice low, a breath away from a purr. She leaned in, fingers brushing his rib where a jagged scar ran. "This one’s deep."

She didn’t move her hand.

Ezra didn’t step back. He looked her dead in the eye. Her hand lingered—barely. The touch sent electricity through him, but he kept his composure, drawing on that steady confidence the system provided.

He brought up the menu stats of his system, invisible to everyone else but him. A quiet glow flickered in the corner of his vision:

> [New Bond Progression Detected: Dr. Daphne Virellith]

[Touch-Based Sync – Initiated]

[Intimacy Threshold: Pending]

[Caution: Subject exhibits dominant personality. Recommend assertive engagement to sustain bond momentum.]

Ezra blinked once, lips twitching at the final line. Of course she was dominant.

"You got hit by a Faded," she said, her hand movements turning even more sensual ny the moment. "A deep scratch like this should’ve turned you. How are you still standing?"

So everyone kept saying. He understood that it was not expected. He shrugged. "No idea," he said, tone neutral. He bit back the urge to spill about the system.

’Why would I? Next thing, I’m telling them I’m transmigrated? Yeah, that’s dumb.’ If they knew about the Eros Engine, they’d stop playing nice and strap him to a table faster than he could blink.

But his pulse was racing—not from fear. From the heat of her nearness, the sharp scent of sterilized metal mixed with something feminine and dangerous.

The others watched, all pretending not to.

Dr. Lirien’s curls bounced as she tilted her head, a slow smile forming.

Dr. Aurenna crossed her arms, muscle tightening along her shoulders.

Dr. Sylis’s datapad dimmed from lack of touch, her attention fully on him now.

Finally, Sylis spoke, her voice clipped. "Once we run tests and figure out what’s... different about you, we’ll decide what comes next."

Ezra’s smirk returned, slow and razor-thin, enhanced by that borrowed charm. "Maybe this is normal for me, and there is nothing wrong."

He folded his arms across his chest, shoulders back, gaze leveled.

Daphne tilted her head. "You’re a guy who survived a Fade and beat it," she said, trailing her fingers across his chest like she was dragging the sentence out with her touch. "That’s not normal."

Ezra let her touch linger a second longer, then reached up and gently took her wrist—not rough, just enough to pause her motion. He was confident, commanding. "Are you done?"

Daphne grinned, and then put her arm on his chest and pressed him more, "Not yet." Their eyes locked, heat crackling between the challenge in his and the hunger in hers.

[Emotional Input Detected: Lust. Daphne wants you]

[Additional Signals: Curiosity, Competitive Instinct]

[Bond Strengthening – Dr. Daphne Virellith]