"Alright then. If you believe you can learn something from this, I have no reason to stop you. Even though I'm pretty sure you're wasting your time, you won't give up even if I say that, right?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Steven pushed the stack of Lungmen dollars Gavial had placed in front of him back toward her.
He had already said it before—he wasn't like those profiteering merchants. He believed in fair exchange. Since she was willing to be a test subject for his research, Steven figured not charging her would already be kind enough. Asking her for money would be a bit too heartless.
Gavial watched as Steven pushed back the money, initially thinking he would refuse her. However, his next words brought a hopeful gleam to her eyes.
Sure enough, though this guy was a bit eccentric, he wasn't too hard to deal with if you reasoned with him properly. In fact, sometimes interacting with Steven was far more comfortable than playing mind games with others. After all, he always spoke his mind without beating around the bush.
"So, does that mean you agree?"
"I don't mind. It doesn't matter who it is. I'm just trying to test out some of my medicines. The person helping me isn't important to me."
Steven spread his hands. Since Gavial was willing to take the risk, he had no reason to stop her, right? After all, she wasn't like Gladiia, who was practically his adopted daughter.
"And since you're so determined, take off your clothes first."
Steven crossed his arms and stood up, once again scrutinizing her from head to toe.
"Huh?"
"You... Are you that kind of person?"
Gavial's gaze turned strange as she clutched the collar of her shirt.
She hadn't expected Steven to be so direct. No wonder he didn't take her money—he was waiting for this moment!
"Yes, I'm that kind of person. You should know that people only have two states: hungry and... naughty. I just ate, so naturally, I only want to be naughty now. So if you want me to agree, start stripping."
Steven grinned mischievously. Of course, he knew why Gavial thought that, so he decided to play along with her assumptions.
"If I say that, will you cooperate with me or scream for help? Let me be clear—if you scream your lungs out, someone will probably come to save you."
With a teasing smile, Steven looked at the slightly flustered green-haired crocodile girl, barely holding back his laughter.
But it was precisely this remark that made Gavial calm down. She didn't see any disgusting desire in Steven's eyes—only amusement at her embarrassment.
This jerk was purely trying to mess with her!
"You... You want to check the Originium crystals on my body, right?"
As she spoke, Gavial realized this was probably what he meant. With his peculiar thought process, it was entirely something he would do.
"Of course. Otherwise, what? It's late at night, we're alone, and I can't resist your charm, so I plan to act like a beast? Would that sound better?"
Steven chuckled, watching as the girl who had looked so noble and righteous, ready to sacrifice herself for science, now appeared awkward and embarrassed. To him, it was a source of amusement.
As he saw it, living a little more playfully—was there anything wrong with that?
"Alright, fine! Stop talking already. I'll take it off!"
Even though she knew Steven wouldn't actually do anything, Gavial couldn't stand his mouth any longer. Waving her hand dismissively, she took off the black coat she was wearing.
Once she was sure Steven didn't have any ulterior motives, Gavial didn't act as shy as an ordinary girl might. As her outer coat came off, her white wrap top and slender, well-toned waist were revealed.
Steven had to admit, just in terms of waists, Gavial's was the most stunning and unique he'd ever seen.
Although he wasn't exactly a seasoned flirt with lots of experience with beautiful women, in the internet age, seeing beautiful girls didn't require knowing them personally.
Even so, in his memory, there wasn't a single waist that could rival Gavial's.
Her slim waist, barely big enough for two hands to grasp, was devoid of any excess fat, with clearly defined abs. The enticing curve where her thighs met her lower abdomen made Steven unconsciously lick his lips.
Her waist was slender yet exuded vitality. You could tell by the faint outline of abdominal muscles that Gavial must have worked hard on core training. It was hard not to imagine what kind of firm, springy sensation it would have if touched.
However, if there was any flaw in her near-perfect waist, it was the few strange black crystals protruding from her skin near her cute little navel.
"Could you stop staring at my waist? It's making me feel weird."
Feeling uneasy under Steven's gaze, Gavial shifted uncomfortably and used her crocodile-like, scaly tail to cover her navel, grumbling at him.
He hadn't been looking at the Originium crystals much at all—just staring at her waist! Even though she didn't usually care about how others looked at her, it didn't mean she wasn't capable of feeling shy.
"No can do. You're not letting me look elsewhere, after all."
Steven couldn't help but make another cheeky remark, though the teasing in his gaze had lessened. Gently moving aside Gavial's tail that was covering her waist, he focused his attention on the strange black crystals.
"Can I touch it?"
"If I say no, will you not touch it? Just don't touch any weird places."
Gavial rolled her eyes. Even as she answered, Steven had already reached out his hand. Clearly, her response wouldn't have affected his decision.
This time, Steven didn't joke around. Touching a woman's waist wasn't something to be taken lightly—what if she made him take responsibility afterward?
His fingers lightly pressed against the black crystals, applying a bit of pressure. They felt cold and hard, like actual minerals.
Smooth and firm, it felt as if it could be some sort of body modification, were it not for the fact that Steven knew these were symptoms caused by Oripathy, he might have thought it was some kind of decorative implant, like a belly piercing.
After all, when it came to experimenting with body modifications, humans had always been quite creative.
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