Level Eater

Seeing that the two were struggling to find their words, Joey, the butler, started the conversation by explaining the basics of the inn.

He explained that during their stay, they were free to use the housing’s facilities however they pleased. That’s why, instead of an inn, it was more accurate to call it an apartment catered towards short-term residents – one that also provides them with servants.

He also told them where the rooms were located and some other general information about the residence.

Once that was done, they were led to their living room.

“Here, we have the living room. If you have any concerns, please ring the bell on that table over there. And finally, please enjoy your stay.”

““Thanks.””

“Well then, we’ll stop taking more of your precious time. Please call us whenever you require our assistance,“ said Joey.

“You don’t have to do that much…” the two replied meekly.

Joey and the maids bowed towards them one last time before returning back to their lounge.

Taking a look around the room they were in, it was much larger than all the previous rooms they had stayed in, living up to the name of a high-class inn.

On the ceiling hung a chandelier that was designed with such majestic grandeur that one had to see it to believe it. Underneath it, a set of wood-carved chairs and table were placed with a basket of never-seen-before fruit placed on the table.

The floor was also covered with a carpet, one with a texture that rivalled that of Persian carpets, with many other expensive-looking furniture decorating the top of it.

“This is more than I thought.”

“It might be a bit too much…”

Was what the two said at first but as soon as they consumed the lunch served to them and sat on the comfy couch, they fell in love with the lifestyle.

Tatsurou started reading a book while Ai lazed right beside him.

And time passed on this slow-paced day.

At night, they called the maids once again and ordered another lavish meal.

As the clock continued to tick on, the night sky appeared in the outside world.

“Hey, don’t you think it’s about time we take a bath?” asked Ai.

“Huh? Oh, it’s already this late huh… So, the bath is—”

While he was trying to remember where Joey told them the bath was, Tatsurou felt Ai grab the hem of his clothes.

Thinking that something might have happened, he turned towards her and saw her blushing to her ears.

She drew closer to him and whispered, “You know… we can do that today if you want.”

“… Uh, that’s… are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

It was not something that he could take as a joke nor was it something he could just pretend not to know.

Hence, he asked her in all seriousness.

Ai returned his gaze, looking him straight in the eyes and gave a nod.

“I see. Thank you,” he said as he pulled her into an embrace.

“Hm.”

Leaving the living room, they started to search for the bath. Not long after, they managed to locate the bath and entered it, revealing a spacious changing room. Walking in further, a large circular bath of around six meters in diameter was installed in the center of the room.

“So this is the bath…”

“Wouldn’t this qualify as a public bath…”

Looking at the pool-sized tub, they wondered how they should fill it with water as they could not see any taps.

Fumbling around, they eventually found four tanks about thirty centimetres tall installed in a square formation around the circumference of the tub, each with a tube extending underneath.

On top of every tank were two buttons – a blue one on the left and a red one on the right.

“You think this is the water source?” asked Tatsurou.

“There are buttons so why don’t we try pressing one? Look!” Ai said as she pressed the red button on the tank closest to her.

After pressing it, hot water started to gush out from the tube under it, releasing steam as it flowed down to the tub.

“See! We got hot water, Tatsu!”

“Yea— Ow… but it’s a but it’s a bit too hot,” Tatsurou said as he walked to the edge of the tub and placed his fingers in. Pressing the blue button next, room-temperature water started to fill the tub.

“Oh, so this is what a faucet looks like in here.”

“Okay, but where does the water come from? This small tank doesn’t look like it can hold that much water, can it?”

“I guess so, but wait…” he muttered as he fell in thought.

After a short observation, Tatsurou found a groove on top of the tank. Removing the lid and taking a closer look at it, he found that the inside was filled with not water but some sort of bluish liquid instead.

“This is similar to the thing we bought with the pocket watch. That, uh… magic fluid, right?” said Ai.

“Yeah, I thought so too. So this is probably a magic tool.”

“Another way to use magic huh…”

Finally learning where the large amount of water came from, Tatsurou placed the lid back and turned the other two tanks on as well.

Now, with four water sources, it only took about ten minutes for the tub to fill up.

The two pressed the buttons again to stop the flow of water.

“Well, now we know how it works… by the way, I know it’s a bit late to say it now, but couldn’t we have just asked them to do this?” muttered Tatsurou.

“Right… I forgot about that too…”

Still, being able to learn the norms of this world was still beneficial to them so they did not particularly mind it.

“So, uh… can I go first?”

“O,okay, sure.”

“I’ll call you when I’m done so wait for me in the living room, okay?”

“Okay.”

Though his expectations were left in tatters, Tatsurou obediently returned to the living room where he sank his body into the couch.

After some time, Ai returned to the living room with her hair still wet from the bath.

“Big baths are the best!”

“Really? I’ll be looking forward to it then!”

As an awkward atmosphere hung in the air, the two laughed in an attempt to hide it. However, when they realised that they were both still on edge, they eventually fell back into silence.

Then, Ai decided to break the ice.

“I’ll be waiting for you, okay?”

“— Got it.”

With that, Ai left the living room and headed to the bedroom upstairs.

Shortly after, Tatsurou left for the bath as well. 

It was Tatsurou’s first experience in a large private bath. Submerging himself under the water, he tried his best to calm his rapidly beating heart down. Even with the use of Life Magic, his heart immediately started thumping again.

Deeming that it was disrespectful to keep Ai waiting, Tatsurou cleaned himself and left the bath after changing into his nightwear.

A few moments later, Tatsurou was currently in a staring contest with the bedroom door. 

Taking a deep breath, Tatsurou placed his hand on the door knob and slowly opened it.

There, atop a magnificent king-sized bed covered by a canopy laid Ai, covered from head to toe with a luxurious coverlet.

As he walked closer, he thought that she might have already fallen asleep until he saw her beet-red face shyly peeking out from the blanket.

Though he was relieved that she was still awake, his heart continued to thump louder by the second. Still, he put on a calm front as he sat by her side.

As he sat, Ai suddenly pulled the coverlet off of herself, revealing her figure dressed in the one piece that she bought the previous day, her cheeks turning one shade redder.

“Ehehe. Surprised?”

“— Beautiful.”

“Y,you think so?”

What he said was without a doubt. It was what he simply felt the moment he saw her.

Being complimented in such a straightforward manner, Ai couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly, a thought flashed in his mind. Ai took the effort to dress herself up and yet, he was only in his pajamas.

“I should have worn something to match that dress, huh?”

“Fufu. It feels like we’re mismatched, aren’t we?”

“I’ll go change in a sec.”

“I don’t really mind it, though…?”

“But you’re already like that. At least let me try to match it,” Tatsurou said as he stood up.

In response, Ai shrugged her shoulders before saying, “It feels a bit all over the place…”

“Just like us?” he chuckled. 

“What’s with that…” she giggled as well.

With that short conversation, they found themselves a little less nervous.

Tatsurou then promptly left to change his clothes.

Shortly after, Ai heard three knocks on the door.

“Come in,” she said.

The door opened, revealing Tatsurou, now clad in his suit, standing outside with his ramrod straight.

Putting an act, he entered the room and once he was close enough, held his right hand out to her.

Though she was surprised at the act, Ai still extended her left hand to meet his.

With their hands intertwined, they walked closer to the bed, step by step. And when they reached the side of the bed…

“Ai, I love you. More than anything else in this world.”

“I love you too, Tatsurou. More than anything.”

Staring deeply into each other’s eyes, they exchanged their oaths.

Tatsurou pulled her closer and sealed her lips with his.

“Ai…”

“Tatsurou…”

Their words ran still, but the night was still young.

[TL] And then they …

Okay, knowing JP authors, I didn’t really expect this to happen (I expected a cliché that would interrupt them), but it did!

Though the sequence of events felt somewhat too fast since we’re only a few weeks into the story (plot-wise), but they have their pre-story relationship set up, so that’s that. Still, it’s hard for me to understand how they actually feel since idk how they got to this point (no backstory, sadly), so I couldn’t quite hit the spot when translating their interactions.

Aaaaanyway, we still have 11 chapters left in this arc! I’m curious to see how this event will affect their relationship dynamics in the long run!

Also: anyone has a better name idea for the title? Raw: 繋がる心。Comment down below!

[End]

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