At that moment, Wise felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. With his wealth of experience, he naturally knew where that feeling came from.
He subtly glanced at the two women beside him, who were staring at him intently, before turning his attention back to the sisters in front of him.
"Even if you say that, I don't remember anything about it. Would you mind telling me what happened when we first met?"
It was only natural for Wise to have no recollection. After all, who would ever expect two Ethereals to suddenly turn into humans?
The twin sisters sitting across from him exchanged a glance, and a trace of disappointment appeared on their faces, clearly because Wise had forgotten them.
Still, they weren't discouraged. Instead, they began recounting their first meeting, taking turns to speak.
"I was dancing because I heard music. Oh, and you weren't alone either. This lady was there too, and she and a few others beat me up," the younger sister said matter-of-factly.
Her sudden statement left Ellen slightly flustered, since she had no memory of such an incident. More importantly, she had no reason to suddenly attack someone.
'Could I have been sleepwalking?' Ellen wondered, feeling confused.
While she struggled to understand, Wise suddenly grew quiet, as if a distant memory had just resurfaced.
Then the older sister continued the story. According to her, Wise and the others had approached them just as they were about to begin dancing.
At that time, she had intended to avenge her younger sister. Yet the moment she saw Wise, everything changed.
It was as if their minds had been completely pulled away in an instant.
"That's right! You even promised to give us a new stereo," the younger sister added angrily. "But when we woke up, those little dogs had already destroyed it."
Although those 'little dogs' later volunteered to assist with their experiments as compensation, she was still furious about it.
After hearing the entire story, Wise, Belle, and Ellen all fell silent. The information was difficult to process, and for a moment, none of them knew how to respond.
Eventually, Wise broke the silence.
"Let me confirm something... was our first meeting inside the Ballet Twins?"
"Oh, yes! It was some kind of building like that, but we can't remember the exact name," one of the sisters replied.
Her answer made Belle and Ellen exchange uneasy glances, their expressions caught somewhere between disbelief and surprise.
The sisters spoke with such certainty that it was hard to doubt them outright. In the end, both girls could only shift their gaze toward Wise, silently waiting for his thoughts.
The latter, though silent on the surface, was actually communicating with the system in his mind.
'System, can you explain what's going on?' Wise asked internally.
A moment later, the system's voice responded.
[Uh, my dear Host, this... It's actually quite simple. You know about your physique, right?]
'I do. But what does that have to do with this?'
[Alright, let me put it this way. Simply speaking, your physique, combined with a charm value of 200, stacked together with the direct and prolonged contact you had with the Twin Ethereals before, created a rather obvious effect. It directly stimulated their desires.]
[However, as Ethereals, they don't possess that kind of capability. So this power, almost like a natural law, automatically transformed their bodies...]
Hearing this explanation, Wise was surprised by how his physique could be applied in such a way. Even so, the reasoning still didn't feel complete.
'I understand the theory, but that doesn't explain everything. Why did they become like this? And how are they able to leave the Hollow?'
[Well... that part...]
The system hesitated, sounding slightly awkward before lowering its tone.
[I'm sorry, Host. I interfered a little. When I thought about two girls who had fallen deeply in love with you yet couldn't express their feelings because of their appearance and their inability to leave the Hollow... I couldn't help but feel sorry for them.]
'So you changed things on your own?'
Faced with Wise's questioning, the system sincerely apologized. However, he knew that even so, the system would probably dare to do the same thing again next time.
For now, he decided to let it go and focus on the matter in front of him.
The twin sisters continued blinking at him, excitement sparkling in their gem-like blue eyes. To them, it seemed that Wise had finally remembered who they were.
Still, Wise asked them to wait briefly before turning to explain everything to Belle and Ellen beside him.
Since he couldn't reveal the existence of the system, Wise had no choice but to attribute everything to his unusual physique.
Both girls already knew about it, yet hearing that his physique could even transform Ethereals into humans still left them visibly stunned.
"Even so, their case is extremely special, and something like this rarely occurs. So please keep this matter confidential," Wise added.
Upon hearing Wise's words, Belle and Ellen both nodded in unison.
They also understood the seriousness of the matter. After all, because of Wise's physique, the Ethereal sisters before them had not only returned to human form but were also able to leave the Hollow.
If anyone ever found out, Wise would definitely be taken away for research, and after that, seeing him again would probably be impossible.
To prevent such an outcome, both girls naturally kept the secret to themselves.
As for Wise, he felt a deep sense of relief. Their honesty and trust moved him more than he showed on the surface.
His gaze soon drifted back to the Ethereal sisters. No special reminder was necessary.
The system had already mentioned that it had inscribed the instruction 'do not reveal their Ethereal identity' deep into their subconscious.
Wise then tried summoning the panels for the sisters, and to his surprise, they actually appeared.
Aside from both having favorability above 100, the panels also displayed their names.
The older sister was named Odile Nymph, while the younger was Odette Nymph. Together, their Ethereal name was the Twin Marionettes.
However, when Wise told them their names, both sisters froze at the same moment, as if time itself had stopped.
Then, slowly, tears began sliding down from the corners of their eyes.
Wise didn't say anything. He simply stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around them both.
Something about that warmth seemed to reach them, and the sisters quietly leaned into him without resisting.
In truth, the moment he discovered their identities, Wise had already asked Fairy to investigate any rumors connected to that building.
One particular report stood out. Guests inside the building had apparently heard a broadcast urging them to evacuate immediately.
Looking back now, it was obvious that the sisters had been the ones behind that message.
They were the first to notice the Hollow, yet instead of escaping, they chose to warn everyone and buy others time to get out. In the end, they couldn't save themselves.
People with hearts like theirs should never have been left to roam the Hollow as Ethereals.
Even if their memories were gone, at least now they were finally free from that place.
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