Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas crouched down next to the boy to take the photo. The boy was overjoyed and held his phone with hands trembling with excitement while one of his friends took the picture for him. The photo was taken, and the boy grinned from ear to ear.

"Thanks, Tanaka! Good luck with the next games! We'll be rooting for you!" The boy waved cheerfully before running back to his friends, who started laughing and commenting excitedly.

Lucas stood up and looked at Ethan, who was still standing there with a surprised expression on his face.

"You... you're a soccer player?" Ethan asked, clearly stunned. "And from what that boy said, you play for Brighton?"

Lucy laughed to see Ethan's reaction. "Oh, that's right! I'd forgotten to mention that."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, visibly embarrassed. "I swear I did not know! I thought he was just... you know, a normal guy who likes to skate awkwardly."

Lucas gave a lopsided smile. "Well, technically, I'm just a normal guy who skates awkwardly. Soccer is the only thing I can be good at, I guess."

"Skating doesn't seem to be a problem for you anymore," Lucy pointed out.

Ethan shook his head, still trying to process everything. "I can't believe I'm hanging out with a professional skater without knowing it the whole time. And I even teased you about skating. Dude, I'm sorry."

Lucas laughed and patted Ethan on the shoulder. "Relax, it's no problem. And I'm not even a pro yet."

They sat back down on the rustic wooden benches of the hot chocolate stand. Ethan took a thoughtful sip of his drink and looked at Lucas with a new perspective.

"So, what's it like being a professional footballer? It must be intense."

Lucas thought for a moment before answering. "It's a mixture of many things. There's the exciting part, like watching your own games with narration and having a few people who support you. But it's also a lot of hard work, constant training, and pressure to improve every day."

"And have you ever thought about quitting?" Ethan asked, genuinely curious.

Lucas looked at the horizon for a moment, reflecting on the difficulties he had faced on his journey. "Yes, many times. Sometimes things got tough, especially when it seemed like I wasn't improving or when I was dealing with defeats. But I always remembered why I started playing. The love of the game was always stronger than any difficulty."

Ethan nodded slowly, looked at his watch, and realized that it was already getting late. "I think it's time to go. My leg is asking for a comfortable bed. After all, I arrived in town earlier today."

The trio stood up, returning the empty mugs to the stall and thanking the vendor before heading towards the exit of the skating park.

As they walked, Ethan looked at Lucas with a more serious expression. "Hey, man, now that I know you're a soccer player, I'll be cheering you on at the next game."

Lucas smiled. "Thanks for the support. I hope to see you at a Brighton game one day."

Lucy smiled at them both. "You two make a good pair. Who would have thought that an afternoon of skating would turn out like this?"

When they reached the meeting point where they would each go their separate ways, Ethan held out his hand to Lucas and shook it firmly.

"Take care, Lucas. And keep chasing your dream. I'll be following your games from now on."

"Thanks, Ethan. Take care of that ankle and don't strain it too much."

Lucas watched Lucy and Ethan walk together towards the exit of the skating park. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, feeling a slight twinge of discomfort that he couldn't fully explain.

Ethan seemed like a nice guy, and that was making Lucas feel a little bad for having done that at the skating rink for a silly reason.

While Lucas waited for the cab he had called, he continued to watch the two of them from a distance.

Lucy gestured animatedly as she spoke, and Ethan seemed completely involved in the conversation.

Lucas tried to push away the thoughts that were forming, telling himself that there was nothing wrong there. After all, Lucy had already confessed, and Ethan just seemed to be a good friend of hers, right? WRONG.

Suddenly, Lucas saw Ethan slip one of his arms behind Lucy's neck, trying to pull her into a side hug. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

For a moment, he succeeded.

Lucy looked surprised, but not immediately uncomfortable. Then Ethan looked back, directly at Lucas. His gaze was empty, and the smile on his face said something that Lucas interpreted instantly: "I won."

'Son of a bitch...'

Before he could think of making any reaction, Lucy pushed Ethan's arm away and said something Lucas couldn't hear, but her tone sounded firm.

"Ethan, back off a bit. People might take this the wrong way." Lucy said with a serious expression.

"Calm down, calm down. I was only joking." Ethan said.

Lucy then looked back over one shoulder, clearly searching for Lucas with her eyes. Her gaze went to where he was, but Lucas's cab had just arrived, and he was already getting into the car. He closed the door with a soft sigh, looking out of the window for a moment before the vehicle moved.

Lucy bit her lower lip thoughtfully. 'Did Lucas see what happened? And if he did, did he get it all wrong?'

The cab drove through the quiet streets of the city, and Lucas looked outside, trying to sort out his thoughts.

'Why does this bother me so much? Do I really like Lucy?' he asked himself silently.

Lucy was his friend, and he trusted her. But that look on Ethan's face - that look of triumph - wouldn't leave his head. And Lucas didn't look long enough to see Lucy pushing Ethan away.

The cab driver noticed the silence and tried to make conversation.

"Cold night, huh?"

"Very cold."