Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 152: Heartfelt Bonds

A person like him, a combination of all the cursed beliefs, was born into this world.

How had he ever come into existence?

Someone who would ever accept such a monstrous person would surely never appear in his lifetime.

—He had thought this way.

Laxus, as always, showed a pitiful, childlike crying face that was hard to believe belonged to the child of a mafia family.

To be honest, when he had heard about this peculiar person who had a Beastman as his attendant, he had been curious...

"...Yeah. I’m worry, I’ll listen to you properly."

The beast transformation faded.

The fur that the boy hold seemed to like disappeared and the human form of Laxus appeared in its place.

As expected, Rocco’s face looked a little sad, which made Laxus’s lips soften.

Truly, this child didn’t seem to harbor any prejudice when it came to Beastmen.

Laxus lifted Rocco gently so he will not frighten him and set him on his lap, pulling him into a warm embrace.

The small body settled comfortably on his embrace without any resistance.

Was Rocco trying to comfort him?

The little hands that gently patted his arm were incredibly endearing.

"Thank you, Rocco. Actually, I had kind of forgotten your words."

"I knew it, ugh... You can’t do that... You have to listen to me properly."

Laxus tightened his embrace around the small body that was clung to him.

His thoughts wandered back to the kind words Rocco had once said to him.

Red is not the color of a cursed child, but the color of a hero.

Rocco really liked him.

Wolves are protectors, incredibly cool animals.

What he had been hearing were just the words of unpleasant people whose ideas didn’t align with his own.

He had the right to choose the words he listened to.

Yet, it was he himself who had shut himself off and twisted his thoughts, choosing to only hear the negative voices.

This country was filled with people who despised red eyes and wolves, but being in the majority meant there were also minorities.

And among them, like Rocco right in front of him, there were those who saw things differently.

Laxus felt his chest tighten as Rocco, with his tears streaming down his face, tried his best to speak in a faltering voice.

His attempt at words was endearing.

"I’m sorry, Laxus, I’m so sorry... Last time, I said something awful... You tried so hard, smiling and all... But I said you were shallow... I’m sorry..."

The sight of Rocco, struggling to form words while crying so hard, was heart-wrenching.

He was such a pure-hearted child.

In truth, everything that had happened was Laxus’s own fault, but Rocco would never think that all the responsibility lay with him.

He probably had never considered such a thing.

"No, Rocco, you didn’t do anything wrong. On the contrary... you were right when you called me shallow. It woke me up a little. Thank you."

Laxus gently cupped Rocco’s soft cheeks in his hands.

Rocco’s big eyes blinked and sparkled, his expression so cute, his small frame so huggable.

It was... so adorable.

However, then, Laxus felt his face heat up.

He had no idea what to do.

Was it always like this when someone fell into a trap so suddenly, so quickly?

"I can’t stop using this shallow smile... but... it seems like you’ve already seen through me. So, from now on..."

His cheeks flushed, not from a mask or pretense, but from a genuine, awkward shift in his feelings.

"I hope... I can speak with you using my real words and expressions from now on."

If it were possible, he only wanted to hear Rocco’s words.

They were warm, kind, and soothing—like a gentle embrace.

He wanted to hear only his voice.

Laxus couldn’t help but wonder if the attachment he’d felt all along was more than just a passing pleasure.

Could it be...?

"Yeah! From now on, we’re friends!"

Unaware of Laxus’s dark emotions, Rocco beamed at him with a carefree smile.

"By the way, Rocco, how did you end up here?"

Suddenly, Laxus asked that question.

When he thought about it, it was indeed strange.

For him to suddenly appear in the corner of a garden that should have been empty, it must have seemed quite odd to him.

Rocco rubbed his tear-streaked eyes and stood up.

He had naturally ended up on Laxus’s lap, but upon reflection, he realized what he had been doing...

Was there really any villain who would curl up comfortably on the main protagonist’s lap like that?

"I saw you from the balcony, Laxus. You looked all fidgety and suspicious, so I followed you to see what was going on."

"Really? Was I that suspicious?"

"You were really suspicious. I got worried and decided to follow you."

It wasn’t that Rocco was worried.

No, it was because Laxus looked so suspicious that Rocco got worried.

That was the sole reason.

Laxus nodded his head with a sense of confirmation, and then he smiled happily, saying, "I see, I see!"

"Thank you, Rocco. Meeting you tonight has been the highlight of this century for me."

"Eh... we’re going to do lots of fun things, right?"

To think that meeting him was the best thing to happen in this century—Rocco couldn’t help but feel that Laxus’s sense of joy was a bit too dead.

There were so many fun games to play, like tag or hide-and-seek, so they should enjoy them to the fullest.

After all, Laxus was still just a child.

Hmm... Rocco gave a sympathetic look, and then Laxus suddenly smiled brightly, as if he’d come up with a great idea.

"Then let’s play together! I feel like I could have fun doing anything with you, Rocco!"

At the sudden invitation, Rocco’s eyes widened in surprise.

He never expected Laxus to say something like that.

Laxus seemed unusually sincere today... almost childish.

He looked younger than when they’d met before, and suddenly, Rocco realized something.