Endless Leveling Done Right!
Chapter 146: The Heart Moves Where The Heart Wills [Part 2]

Chapter 146: The Heart Moves Where The Heart Wills [Part 2]

Alex was a healthy young man.

He had experienced what it was like to take the stairs of adulthood in his past life, so he understood what Efa wanted from him.

It was very hard for him to ignore the young lady’s determination, especially when he knew very well that he didn’t dislike her either.

Efa might be older than him by three years, but she was cute and petite.

If Alex and Efa stood side by side, a stranger would assume they were about the same age.

As the water washed away the soap on his back, Efa lightly patted his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Turn around."

There wasn’t a tinge of her usual mischief in her voice. The playful tone she always used with Alex was gone, replaced by determination.

This time, she wasn’t teasing him. It was as if she wanted him to understand how she truly felt through her actions.

Alex wanted to meet that determination of hers, so he turned around to look at her face-to-face.

Her beautiful blue eyes met his own, and for the first time, Alex felt like he was seeing her for what she really was.

Her hair used to only be shoulder-length, but she had grown it out and tied it in a ponytail.

While she might not be the most beautiful girl in the world, Alex’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat as he gazed upon her face.

Efa smiled sweetly because she realized that Alex finally understood how she felt about him.

This was no longer a game, and there was no point in hiding anything.

She didn’t mind if this would become her last memory of him, but she decided to face it head-on.

Regardless of what happened next... regardless of the consequences, she was prepared for it.

Even if Alex were to push her away, she would accept it.

She didn’t want to have any regrets.

Efa knew that once Alex entered Frieden Academy, there would be fewer opportunities for the two of them to meet because he would need to focus on his studies.

So, while there was still time, she bared her heart to him, even though that same heart was now pounding wildly inside her chest due to anxiety, embarrassment, and dread.

"If you don’t like it, you can push me away," Efa said as she hugged Alex and rested her head on his shoulder. "I just want to know how you feel about me. I promise that this will be the last time that I will do something like this. The only thing I want is your honesty."

Alex stood still, feeling her warmth despite the cold water that was falling on top of their heads.

But he understood that this was something he couldn’t run away from.

Efa had gathered her courage for this moment, so he knew that running away wasn’t an option.

If he tried to downplay this moment or treat it as some kind of a joke, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Alex raised his right hand and lightly stroked the back of Efa’s head. She trembled ever so slightly at his touch.

She couldn’t help but tear up a bit because her emotions weren’t really stable at the moment.

As the water continued to fall upon their bodies, the two remained holding each other until Efa finally pulled back.

The young lady had already regained her composure and started to lather Alex’s body with soap.

"Let’s finish this, shall we?" Efa said softly, doing her best not to let Alex see her eyes.

She was relieved that they were inside the shower room because the young man might have teased her had he noticed the tears that were falling from her eyes.

Alex smiled faintly and allowed Efa to clean him up properly.

The young lady carefully scrubbed away all the dirt and sweat from his body, then rinsed him off with clean water.

Once she was sure Alex was squeaky clean, she gently dried him with a towel before nudging him out of the shower room so she could also wash up.

Alex continued to dry his hair with a hand towel as he looked through the window of his room.

The two moons in the sky illuminated the world, and the sea of stars spread as far as the eye could see.

Alex had made an important decision, and his heart was at peace with it.

Perhaps he was too deep in thought that he didn’t notice that someone had already walked up behind him.

Only when someone hugged him from behind did he snap out of his daze.

Turning around, he looked at the young lady who was making his heart beat faster inside his chest.

Efa pulled him and led him to the bed, wishing to sleep beside him.

As they lay under the covers in a tender embrace, the two talked about themselves.

Their childhood.

Their dreams when growing up.

And the realization that some dreams might not be possible to accomplish.

Of course, Alex couldn’t possibly tell Efa that he came from another world, or that for many years, he had only known Arcana as the setting of a game.

The young man struggled to explain some things because the technology of Earth was very different from the technology of Arcana.

But, he told her what he could tell and simply winged the rest!

Efa didn’t mind it since she already knew that Alex was a very mysterious person. She simply listened as the young man told his tale about a world that seemed to be familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"So these planes are completely made up of metal," Efa said. "Just like airships, right?"

"Yes," Alex answered. "But they’re not fueled by magic cores or magic crystals. They’re powered by jet fuel. Frankly, I don’t really know what jet fuel is, but that’s what they are called."

"I see." Efa smiled, enjoying her conversation with Alex, while lightly patting his chest.

On that night, the two knew a little better about each other.

The food they liked to eat.

The places they wanted to go.

The monsters they hated the most, and a few more things. Their conversation lasted past midnight.

Both of them listened to each other’s worries and frustrations.

Sometimes, both of them would chuckle as they talked about something funny, or sigh because there was nothing they could do about the worries in their hearts.

Efa and Alex then gazed at each other before sharing a sweet and lingering kiss that warmed both of their bodies.

While they didn’t cross that final line and simply held each other in an embrace, a promise was born between them.

Soon, Alex fell asleep, his heart at peace.

Efa looked at his face for a few more minutes before planting a kiss on his forehead. She then held him tight and closed her eyes.

Just like Alex, she felt that a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders and was looking forward to the next time they met each other.

By then, the young man would have spent a year in the academy.

Efa was certain that the next time they met, they would finish what they had started.

Alex didn’t lie to her, and even told her about the ladies that he saw in his "dreams," whom he would meet inside the academy.

He told her about their background, which made Efa giggle because the young man beside her seemed to be shooting for the moon.

But she liked that part about him.

Alex seemed to be moving towards a goal that she couldn’t see at the moment.

However, she believed that whatever that goal would be, it was something that was truly important for the person she had chosen.

Whether he would be able to succeed in wooing their hearts would depend on his ability.

Since Alex had shared his secrets with her, she understood that he didn’t want her to have any regrets in life.

Both of them had given each other a year to fully sort out their feelings, so the next time they met, things would never be the same again.

High above the celestial realm, Cupid was giving Alex a thumbs-up.

As a Messenger of Love, he was well aware that love had many faces.

A happily ever after might not be possible for everyone.

But not taking that leap of faith had made many people regret their decision in the later parts of their lives.

"The heart moves where the heart wills," Cupid muttered before flying away to meet up with Lily so he could give her a report on how awesome Dim Dim had been during the second trial of Frieden Academy.