Lucas looked again at the system screen, where the condition for copying the skating skill was clearly described:
[Condition for Copying: Make Ethan fall on the ice rink].
He clenched his fists and looked away. "It's not like I'm going to really hurt the guy... and it doesn't have to be so direct. If I make him lose his balance sohow, technically, I'm not doing anything wrong... right?"
The moral dilemma burned inside him, but the desire not to be left behind spoke louder. He needed a plan.
Lucas continued to crawl around the rink, observing his surroundings. There were children skating near the edge, so holding on, others gliding with ease. And then he noticed sothing: a small group of teenagers playing at pushing each other lightly to see who could keep their balance.
Lucas had an idea.
He approached the group, trying to look as natural as possible. As he passed them, he allowed his own balance to wobble a little and thanks to this, he subtly bumped into the shoulder of one boy, who unintentionally overbalanced and bumped into another. This second one, trying to balance himself, ended up sliding in the wrong direction... straight into Ethan.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. The boy bumped hips with Ethan at the exact mont he was preparing to move faster. The impact, small but unexpected, was enough to destabilize him and they both fell to the ground together.
Lucy put her hands to her mouth. "Ethan, are you all right?"
Ethan blinked a few tis, confused, and then gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh... yeah, I guess I was just taken by surprise." He sat down on the ice, rubbing the back of his head. "Wow, it's been a long ti since I fell like that."
The boy who had caused the impact looked at him with wide eyes. "Sorry, lad! I didn't an to!"
Ethan smiled gently. "Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. It happens."
[Condition Achieved!]
[Skill copied!]
In the next instant, Lucas, who had distanced himself so as not to be blad for the whole ss, activated the skill and quickly approached to offer Ethan a hand to get up.
Lucas reached out to Ethan, who was still sitting on the ice, scratching his ankle.
"Here, let help you."
Ethan smiled, taking his hand and standing up carefully. When he put his weight on his foot, his expression twitched slightly for a second, but then he disguised it.
Lucy noticed the discomfort imdiately. "Ethan, are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
Ethan turned his foot slightly in the air and nodded. "Yes, yes. Just a minor discomfort. Nothing serious. But I think I'll slow down a bit, just to make sure I don't push too hard."
Lucas felt a slight weight on his conscience. He didn't really want Ethan to get hurt, he just needed the fall to copy the skill. But now that he could see that the guy seed to feel sothing, he tried to defuse the situation.
"Maybe we should get off the track and take a break? Have sothing hot and rest for a while?" suggested Lucas, hoping that Ethan would agree.
"Um... Ethan says he's fine. If he was really hurt, he'd tell you, right? Now that you've finally got the hang of it, do you want to go out, Lucas?"
Ethan laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you don't have to worry so much. You should both enjoy it. I'll just take it easy, but I'm good to go."
"Well, if you're sure... then let's go."
Now, with his new ability activated, Lucas glided across the ice with a fluidity he had never experienced before. It was as if his body already knew exactly how to move. It differed completely from before, when it felt like he was going to fall at any mont.
Lucy's eyes widened as she watched him skate with such ease. "Wait a minute... what do you an? You were about to kill yourself recently, and now you look like you were born for it?"
Lucas shrugged and smiled. "I guess I just had to get the hang of it. My body finally understood how it works."
She narrowed her eyes. "Hmm... that's suspicious. Have you secretly always been good at it?"
"If I was, I wouldn't have skated alongside children for so long," Lucas replied, and that made Lucy laugh.
The evening continued with them having fun at the skating rink.
Lucy challenged Lucas to join her in a few simple maneuvers, and he accepted, surprising even himself with the ease with which he could do them. Ethan, on the other hand, kept a more relaxed pace, not pushing his injured foot too hard, but still skating with grace.
After a while skating and having fun on the ice rink, the trio went outside and warm up a bit.
Ethan suggested a stall nearby, known for selling so of the best hot chocolate in the region.
The stall was simple, made of rustic wood with a few lights hanging from the top. Lucas, Lucy and Ethan approached the counter, and each ordered a hot drink to ward off the cold.
"Ah, that's delicious." Ethan blew lightly on the hot chocolate before taking another sip.
"Well, I have to admit, today was a lot of fun," Lucy said, smiling. "Even with the fall of our professional skater."
Ethan rolled his eyes and smiled sideways. "Yeah, yeah... at least that did so good, right? Lucas is now skating like a pro."
Lucas took a sip of his hot chocolate. "I just needed to get the hang of it."
It was then that a little boy of about nine or ten approached. He seed hesitant at first, but after looking at his friends a few ters away and receiving encouragent, he finally took courage and stopped in front of them. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire
"Hey... sorry to bother you, but can I take a picture?"
Ethan, who was in the middle of sipping his hot chocolate, lowered his cup and smiled, preparing to answer.
"Ah, sorry, big boy. I rarely take pictures like this. I hope you understand." He gestured with his hand for the child to leave.
But the little boy was confused and then looked at his friends before turning his face back to Ethan. "Huh? I wasn't talking to you, lad... I wanted a picture with him!" He pointed directly at Lucas.
Lucy held back her laughter, and Ethan's eyes widened, clearly taken aback.
"What? With Lucas?"
The child nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! What's up with you, Tanaka? We saw you at the skating rink, but I didn't want to bother you. In fact... at first we thought it couldn't be you, because you seed to have difficulty skating... But then, when you started gliding like a pro, we knew for sure! You're Tanaka from Brighton, aren't you?"
Lucas scratched the back of his head, a little awkwardly. "Ah... yes, that's ."
Lucy finally let out a laugh. "Lucas is a footballer, not a skater. Of course he'd get in the way at first."
The little boy laughed along with her. "That's true! But then he got great! My older brother always says you're one of Brighton's most promising players! And I really like your style of play too! Can you take a picture with ?"
Lucas nodded with a genuine smile. "Sure, it would be a pleasure."
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