**Chapter 15: Ghost Star Eclipse**
Close to noon.
There’s still a long way until three in the afternoon, so Night Star can chat with Eypar for a while longer.
Most of the time, it’s Eypar who brings up topics, like what pranks she’s been up to recently.
As for Night Star, the social buffoon, he’s just passively chatting along.
“Hmm~ Well…”
After listening for a bit, Night Star can’t help but think that Eypar’s pranks aren’t too out of line, though whether they left psychological scars on the victims is still up in the air.
He genuinely feels a bit sorry for them in his heart.
I mean, come on, how unfortunate for them to be frightened by such an adorable girl!
If a long-term single noble stumbled upon Eypar, he might be the one to get scared instead of her, right? After all, when you’ve been single for too long, even a ghost girl can look like a goddess.
Just then, Eypar’s quirky hair twitched and she switched to another topic.
She seemed to recall something.
“You just mentioned the word ‘Star,’ what is that?” Eypar’s curiosity was piqued.
“You mean like superpowers? I vaguely remember having something similar when I was alive.”
Even though Eypar has forgotten loads of stuff, she still remembers this.
“Could that be the Stars you’re talking about?”
Eypar’s quirky hair continued its merry dance as if it were some kind of central processing unit.
“Ah…” Night Star’s expression froze, suddenly uncertain about how to respond.
Generally speaking, he shouldn’t be spilling the beans about the existence of Stars to ordinary people; outsiders shouldn’t be trusted with too much information.
But…
Eypar doesn’t exactly fit the ordinary mold, right?
She’s now a harmless ghost girl after all.
Plus, Night Star isn’t a Night Watcher.
That role belongs to Night Lan!
So it seems like Night Star doesn’t really need to adhere to those ridiculous rules.
“Stars are a marvelous power residing within the human body; they come in all shapes and sizes with bizarre effects, kind of like the superpowers in movies, but with a difference. They can transform into Star Eclipses, which are a terrifying phenomenon…”
Night Star then leisurely explains the definition of Stars to Eypar, doing his best to satisfy her curiosity.
Following that, he even shares the existence of Night Watchers with her.
“Night Watchers are a very scary bunch; they specifically deal with the bizarre phenomena and various oddities caused by Star Eclipses. They might be able to see you too, so you absolutely mustn’t pull any crazy stunts, or you’ll end up scattering your soul at the hands of a Night Watcher who’s all about ‘bad deeds,’ got it?”
“Mmhm, I think I get it! This sounds so interesting!” Eypar’s quirky hair spins even more energetically, clearly intrigued.
“Ugh…”
Night Star facepalms, covering his forehead with his hand.
He’s genuinely worried this silly girl, upon discovering the Night Watchers, won’t run away but will rush right over, risking being treated as a Star Eclipse by the very Night Watchers who can see oddities. That’s genuinely concerning!
Then Night Star recalls what Eypar just said.
She must have been a Star Holder in her previous life; that much is certain.
So, the question is, did the Stars inside her cause her to end up like this?
Thinking it over, it’s entirely possible.
When studying Night Watcher lore, he learned that the remains of Star Holders need to be handled properly.
Non-natural deaths of Star Holders are the most likely trigger for Star Eclipses.
Whenever a Night Watcher dies, a special organization is responsible for handling the body, ensuring there’s no chance of a Star Eclipse before passing it on to their family.
By the same token, non-Night Watcher Star Holders are subject to the same rule.
But not every Star Holder’s remains can be dealt with in time.
First off, Night Watchers don’t even know about it.
Secondly, the number of deaths in a certain period isn’t small, and the Night Watchers just don’t have time to confirm everything.
That’s one of the main reasons why Star Eclipses are on the rise in society.
Now, here’s a possibility.
If Eypar held Stars in her lifetime, could her d*ath have caused the Star Eclipse that transformed her into the ghost girl she is now?
“Hmm…”
Night Star ponders for a moment, his crimson eyes fixated on Eypar and her quirky hair swaying back and forth.
“You might not be an ordinary ghost; you could be a Star Eclipse!”
Upon hearing this, Eypar’s quirky hair stiffened momentarily, her expression blank as she processed what Night Star had just said.
“Is that so?”
“Um, at least that’s what I’ve gathered from my studies.”
If Zero Meow were present, she’d probably be thrilled, knowing Night Star quickly applied the knowledge she taught him.
However, Night Star feels a tad perplexed.
If Eypar really is a Star Eclipse, she’s a pretty harmless one.
Her presence seems to have almost no impact on society; those little pranks are barely noticeable. Calling her a Star Eclipse would be a complete embarrassment to the concept of Star Eclipses!
And the most vital point:
Her eyes still hold a human spark; she hasn’t lost herself, which is the most valuable aspect.
If getting rid of the Star Eclipse would make her disappear, Night Star wouldn’t want to notify the Night Watchers of her existence.
Hide information?
Ha~
Night Star isn’t a Night Watcher, just an average citizen with no clue about anything.
Yup, and Night Lan doesn’t know anything either.
Plus, what does Night Lan have to do with Night Star? (Fog)
After a brief contemplation, Night Star decided he would protect this ghost girl.
“Um, um, um~” Eypar snapped back to reality, a thoughtful expression creeping into her eyes.
“So I’m probably going to be hunted down by those Night Watchers? Like Taoist priests dealing with ghosts?”
“Right, so you need to stay far away from them.”
“But how do I distinguish a Night Watcher?”
Oh right, figuring out how to identify a Night Watcher is indeed a problem.
Eypar loves playing little pranks on people, but if her luck runs out and she bumps into a particularly powerful Night Watcher, it could spell disaster—there’d be no running away.
Night Star scratched his head in distress, momentarily unable to think of any effective suggestions, finally forcing out, “Anyway, Night Watchers have this mysterious aura. If you see someone who seems extraordinary, just take the detour.”
“Like you? I feel like your aura isn’t ordinary either.”
Eypar circled around Night Star, her eyes filled with curiosity, much like a puppy sniffing about.
Night Star casually shrugged it off, “I’m just an ‘extraordinarily ordinary’ citizen. But you could use me as a reference since I’m also a Star Holder, not a Night Watcher.”
Upon hearing this, the spark of curiosity in Eypar’s eyes reignited.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are your Stars?”
“Not telling you; that’s a secret.”
“Come on~ You can’t tease me like that! I’m genuinely curious; satisfy me!”
With her insatiable curiosity, Eypar flitted around Night Star, nearly sticking herself to him.
Night Star didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
Even though Eypar looks like a ghost, being close to her didn’t give off a hint of chill, completely shattering his preconceived notions of ghosts.
Ignoring that she seemed a bit translucent, she could very well pass for a human.
But can this ghost girl be touched?
Night Star couldn’t help but wonder about that.
“Hmm…”
Looking at Eypar, who was just a breath away, Night Star instinctively reached out a hand to touch her.
“Hmm?”
Eypar’s drifting figure abruptly halted, her big, curious eyes staring at the small, pale hand that passed right through her chest, her quirky hair forming a question mark.
Well, that was awkward.
