Ethan found all of this hard to believe.
But seeing the complex way Nicole looked at him, he knew that this was all real and not so kind of fabrication or illusion made by the Progenitor who had once covered the entire world in ice.
"How did you know it was ?" Ethan asked. "Back then, when I asked you who this Mister Ghost was, you said he was your imaginary friend when you were younger."
"Of course, I didn't know that it was you when I first t you in the academy," Nicole answered. "The old you was naive... and I'm sorry to say this, but you were also quite stupid."
Ethan nodded because he agreed with her words.
"However, after you returned with Lily from your journey to the past, you changed," Nicole added. "You beca more calm, more mature, and frankly... more like my type?"
A faint smile appeared on Nicole's face when she first had her suspicions that Mister Ghost and Ethan were the sa person.
"But suspicions are just suspicions." Nicole admitted. "So I tested it out and called you Mister Ghost. When I saw your reaction back then, it was heartbreaking because I could see that you truly didn't know who I was referring to.
"You were neither lying nor trying to cover up anything, so I decided to no longer ntion it. But when you were sent back to the past again with Joanne, my suspicion finally returned. "What happened twice can happen a third ti. And so, I thought that, perhaps, the next ti you returned to the past, you'd et the younger version of myself."
Nicole then glanced at Ethan before pinching his hand, making the young man stiffen.
"I know you didn't consciously do it, but you're the reason why my preference shifted to n with long hair and a calm deanor. Also, there was this one ti when we slept together-I covered your face with a handkerchief to see what you would look like with a blank face.
"Your appearance back then was similar to Mister Ghost, who had no facial features. That was the other thing that convinced that you and him were the sa.
"But what if you were wrong?" Ethan inquired. "What if Mister Ghost was not ?"
A devilish smile appeared on Nicole's face, which made Ethan think of sothing that Nicole told him on the eve of her journey towards Brynhildr Academy.
"I only like Mr. Ghost," Nicole replied.
"Hahaha."
"There you go again. You think I'm lying huh?"
Nicole pondered a bit and thought of an idea.
"Say, Mr. Ghost, how about we look for a body for you to possess?" Nicole proposed. "Let's look for soone close to my age. Also, he must be handso. That way, we can get married. Should we go raid a morgue?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ethan asked the young lady, who was looking at her with a devilish smile plastered on her face.
"If you are Mister Ghost, then I'm sure you know what I'm thinking right now," Nicole replied casually.
"Hah... give a break." Ethan smiled bitterly.
"It's your fault," Nicole replied. "Who asked you to be the ideal Prince Charming to a frail, delicate, and adorable nine-year-old? Also, you saw everything when I was younger."
"I didn't look at you when you were taking a bath when you were young," Ethan denied Nicole's slander.
"... You really didn't peek?"
"Of course not."
"Well, it doesn't matter. Since you've already seen everything during our warming up sessions."
Ethan was very tempted to remind her that he hadn't only seen everything but also had a taste and feel of every part of her inside the Painting of Enlightennt.
However, Ethan didn't speak about this with Nicole.
Back then, he had felt hot and bothered whenever they had their regular session after coming out from the painting.
But he endured it for the sake of his best friend.
After the two chatted for a while, Ethan finally breached the topic that he wanted answers about the most.
"What's going on with you and Baradiel?" Ethan asked. "Why has she taken over your body?" Nicole's expression beca complicated after this subject had been brought to the surface.
"After much trial and error, Baradiel and I realized that we're really not compatible with each other," Nicole replied. "We need a catalyst to act as a dium to stabilize the opposing power levels between us.
"After nurous attempts, my lifespan dwindled to the extent that I might die after a few days. As a last resort, Baradiel froze until she could find a way to stabilize the two of us. "She even said that we should wait for your return. Perhaps, you could be the catalyst that would stabilize both of us completely."
Ethan nodded. "Then what should I do?"
"You will need to return my Origin Crystal," Nicole's face reddened a bit. "After that, my Origin Magic and Baradiels' Legacy will return to how it started when I was nine years old. "Although it doesn't fix the problem. It will give us ti to think of a solution. Also, if you managed to save , Baradiel asked to pass a ssage to you.
"She said that you shouldn't try to extract her Legacy and make it your own. If you do that, she
will turn you into a block of ice and freeze you for eternity.
Actually, there was one more thod that Baradiel thought of, but Nicole was too
embarrassed to say such a thing.
The process she and Ethan had to go through so she could get back her Origin Crystal was
already embarrassing enough.
But knowing that he was, in fact, Mister Ghost, made the thought of doing it with him more
agreeable to her.
She wasn't lying when she said that she only liked Mister Ghost.
Although her proposal about raiding a morgue might seem like a joke, she was actually very serious about it.
"I can return your Origin Magic Crystal, but I can't do it right now," Ethan replied. "I shared so of my life force with you, so I'm drained at the mont.
"I don't know how long we've been here in this dark world, but I spent years with you in the past. I don't know what Baradiel is thinking, but I have a feeling that she will not trap here since she also knows that the Fomorians are about to invade."
Nicole nodded in understanding.
"Don't worry. I'm not in a hurry," Nicole said with a smile. "In fact, even if my body is ready, my heart is not yet ready. I need so ti to prepare myself. Also, I want it to be special."
Nicole stared at Ethan, and the young man nodded in understanding. "Right." Ethan nodded. "Doing it on the battlefield is not really very romantic."
"Indeed." Nicole, who was still lying on the altar, covered her lips and yawned. "Ethan, I'm still feeling sleepy, so I'll sleep for a while. I don't know how long I'm going to sleep, but since my life is no longer in danger, you don't have to worry about .
"Lastly, Baradiel isn't a bad person. She's just... old and numb to almost everything already. What she lacks is warmth. However, don't misunderstand. The kind of warmth she needs and the kind of warmth that you might be thinking about are different."
"... Do I look like a rabbit to you?" Ethan asked in a challenging tone.
"No," Nicole replied. "But you have a history of picking up girls wherever you go."
Ethan wanted to refute but found himself guilty as charged.
Lilian, Princess Ramona, Samantha, were young ladies Ethan picked up and took ho.
Although there were circumstances behind it, it didn't change the fact that they were not ladies whom he originally planned to have a relationship with.
One thing led to another, and before he knew it, they were already his lovers.
But he didn't regret anything. Not one bit.
They were now his won, and he would not let anyone take them away from him.
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