Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!-Chapter 194 193 - Expert Skater

Lucas took a deep breath before taking his first step onto the ice rink. As soon as his foot touched the slippery surface, he felt an immediate imbalance take hold of his body. His arms flailed in the air as he tried futilely to find some stability. In a matter of seconds, he felt the icy impact against his hands as he almost fell forward.

Lucy, who was standing next to him, grabbed his arm and laughed. "Hey, Lucas, you really weren't kidding when you said you weren't an expert!" She said, helping him to his feet.

Lucas sighed and tried to straighten up. "It's been years since I last did that. Like... for many years. That shouldn't be so hard, should it?"

Lucy laughed again. "Well, balance is everything. Try to relax a bit, don't hold on to the tension so much. You look like a robot that's just been turned on and I know the problem isn't your lack of leg skills."

While Lucas concentrated on not falling face-first onto the ice, Ethan skated easily around them.

Unlike Lucas, Ethan seemed to glide across the surface with no effort. His body moved fluidly, as if he were completely at home in that environment. Some spectators nearby noticed his skill and watched him curiously. At one point, he spun smoothly, sliding backwards with a precision that made some children and even some adults around him look impressed.

Lucas, still trying to avoid disaster, looked at Ethan as he approached and whistled low. "Wow... You're great at that. Don't tell me you've taken skating lessons or something."

Lucy gave an amused laugh before replying. "Oh, he hasn't just taken lessons. Ethan is a professional figure skater!"

Lucas widened his eyes in surprise. "What? Really?"

Ethan smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head, a little uncomfortable with the attention. "Well, yes. I live in Denmark now and train there. I take part in competitions."

Lucas blinked a few times. "That explains why you're sliding around on the ice like you were born here. I'm standing here looking like a newborn deer and you look like you could perform at the Olympics."

Lucy laughed. "Exactly! But it's kind of funny watching you struggle to balance."

Lucas rolled his eyes, but laughed along.

Little by little, he got used to the ice. Although he was still nowhere near being able to move easily, at least he could stand without having to cling desperately to Lucy to keep from falling.

After a while of skating slowly around the rink, he looked at Lucy and nodded to Ethan, who was skating alone up ahead.

"Hey, I'm already getting better. Why don't you keep up with your friend? He's come all this way. You should spend some time with him."

Lucy hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure? You've just stopped looking like you're going to fall over any minute."

Lucas smiled. "Yes, I'm sure. Go enjoy yourself. I'll keep trying not to completely humiliate myself here."

Lucy, blushing, smiled and nodded. "All right then. But if you need any help, call me!"

With that, she glided over to Ethan and started skating alongside him. The two seemed incredibly comfortable together, laughing and moving in sync as if they had been doing it forever. Enjoy new stories from novelbuddy

Ethan even took Lucy's hand at one point to guide her into a little pirouette, making her laugh excitedly.

Lucas continued to skate slowly near the edge of the rink, watching the children around him move with more skill than he did. He let out a sigh and crossed his arms.

"Great, even kids are passing me now... Incredible!"

He turned his gaze to Lucy and Ethan, who were skating together with smiles on their faces. There was something about the scene that made Lucas's chest tighten in a strange and unexpected way. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. Was it jealousy? Frustration? Or just inexplicable discomfort?

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The fact was that Lucy seemed happy at Ethan's side. And Ethan, even with his more reserved manner, clearly felt good around her.

It was then that Lucas remembered that look again, when Lucy had talked about Ethan being her "big brother". That look bothered him more than it should have.

He looked away and focused on the ice below him. "I don't know why I'm feeling like this... It's none of my business. But I also can't stand back and not have fun when I can just enjoy it."

Lucas took a deep breath, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that weighed on his chest as he watched Lucy and Ethan having fun together on the ice rink. He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away, and went back to concentrating on his own skating.

[Genius Replicator Skill activated!]

[Skill Copy Condition Identified!]

[Skill Available: <Expert Skater>]

[Skill Name: Expert Skater.

Description: Allows the user to skate with extreme ease, balance and fluidity, decimating the chances of falls and increasing control over abnormal movements on the ice.

Cooldown: None.]

That would be perfect! If he could copy this skill, he would finally stop dragging himself around the rink like a clumsy beginner. But before his excitement could fully build, another notification appeared:

[Condition for Copying: Make Ethan fall on the ice rink].

Lucas paused, reading the condition again to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

'Really? I have to make the guy fall?'

He looked at Ethan, who was gliding around the rink with ease, leading Lucy in elegant movements. He seemed completely immersed in the moment, completely unaware that Lucas was dealing with an unexpected dilemma.

Lucas crossed his arms. Take Ethan down? That seemed completely unnecessary. Besides, Ethan was a nice guy, and he had no reason to want to hurt him. But at the same time, if he didn't fulfill this condition, he would continue to skate like a complete amateur.

'He must have fallen many times before. What's going to change falling once more for me to have a new skill?'

Lucas was lying to himself, pretending that he wanted this skill so he wouldn't fall behind the kids or to he could have more fun. However, the truth was that seeing Ethan with Lucy like that bothered him so much that his pride couldn't take it.

Lucas Tanaka still didn't understand these feelings, because he had never been in love like this before in either of his two lives.