Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 220: I’m Serious About This

That’s just how life worked, huh...?

Even ants had to struggle every day just to get their food—just like he had to struggle to survive.

As he fell into a spiral of negativity, Laxus let out a soft sigh before effortlessly lifting him into his arms.

Even when Laxus patted his back gently, Rocco wasn’t sure if his heart would recover anytime soon...

"Hmm... Rocco, do you want to pet something fluffy?"

"Fluffy...?"

"Want to touch a wolf’s fur? It’s super soft."

"Shrrr!!!"

Instant recovery.

Like a wilted flower blooming back to life in an instant, Rocco’s dark mood completely vanished.

For a few seconds, Rocco swayed with excitement before Laxus lowered his gaze slightly.

Then, with a small pop, a pair of animal ears sprouted from his head.

Without missing a beat—snatch!—Rocco grabbed them and immediately started nibbling them.

"Ham! Ham-ham...! Nngh!?"

As he enthusiastically chewed, Laxus’s body began to shift, his form smoothly transforming.

Rocco blinked in surprise as his line of sight steadily lowered, and before he knew it, the transformation was complete—a majestic wolf now stood before him.

Gone was the usual gentle expression—what remained was a cool, sharp presence, crimson eyes piercing and intelligent.

Rocco’s heart gave a tiny, involuntary thump.

"C-Cool...! You look so cool! Wolves are so awesome! I love them!!"

"...Hah, really? Do you really love wolves?"

"I do! I love everything cool!"

With a delighted huff, Rocco dove straight into Laxus’s thick, fluffy fur and burying himself completely.

Fluffy. Warmth. Bliss.

He let his limbs go limp, sprawled out across Laxus’s back as the wolf began walking toward a shady spot under a nearby tree.

Once there, Laxus gently set Rocco down, curled his large body around him, and completely wrapped him in softness.

"What is this...? Is this... heaven...?"

"You’re drooling. So cute. Do you want to take a nap? Can I give you a goodnight kiss?"

"Mmm... No kisses...!"

The fluff was too powerful.

Rocco could no longer resist the sleepiness overtaking him.

He vaguely heard Laxus murmuring something about bedtime kisses, but his brain—already slipping into sleep mode—refused to process it properly.

Which was probably why it malfunctioned.

Still half-asleep, he reached out, cupped Laxus’s fluffy face in both hands, and pressed a small smooch right onto his nose.

For a moment, everything froze.

Laxus’s red eyes widened in shock.

His entire fluffy body went rigid.

"...Hah?"

Rocco heard the dry, stunned voice, but all he could do was let out a soft, sleepy giggle.

Nuzzling deeper into the warm fur, he mumbled drowsily—

"Hehe... Goodnight kiss... Just for you..."

With that, he yawned, snuggled in further, and drifted off to sleep—completely unaware that Laxus was on the verge of self-destruction.

"Wha— What the hell is going on!?"

"...That’s my line."

...

Rocco had long since fallen asleep, and Laxus had already returned to his human form.

It had been a while since this sequence of events had played out, but just as Laxus was finally beginning to calm down, Sylas stormed in, looking murderous.

However, the moment he spotted Rocco sleeping peacefully, he went completely still and silently tucked his gun away.

That had been only a few minutes ago.

Now, Sylas sat there with his arms crossed, staring at Laxus with an ice-cold glare as Laxus continued to silently writhe in agony, still holding Rocco in his lap.

They had been like this for quite some time now.

"Listen, just listen! Rocco kissed me! He kissed me! He said it was a goodnight kiss! How adorable is that!? I got hard, man! Can I just go ahead and f—"

"Die, you piece of shit. I’ll kill you. Rot in hell, you thieving bastard."

Laxus found his throat being squeezed in an iron grip.

Maybe he should tone it down a little.

It would be unforgivable if his stupidity ended up waking Rocco.

If necessary, he would hold his breath—no, stop breathing entirely—if it meant ensuring Rocco’s peaceful slumber.

Laxus sighed softly, watching the way Rocco’s chest rose and fell with quiet, rhythmic breaths.

Too cute.

"Keep pushing it, asshole. You know there are plenty of ways I could dispose of a single human without Rocco ever finding out."

Laxus chuckled wryly at Sylas’s rather serious statement.

And honestly?

He didn’t doubt it.

If Sylas really put his mind to it, he could eliminate Laxus without Rocco ever noticing a thing.

But then again, the same could be said for Laxus.

If he truly wanted to, he could kill this uptight bastard, leave Rocco all alone, and take advantage of his vulnerability.

And yet, neither of them crossed that line.

They never took that final step.

Because at the end of the day, everything they did was for one reason—

To protect Rocco’s smile.

"Look, I get it. You don’t trust me because you know what kind of person I really am. But listen to me— I’m serious about this. About Rocco."

Laxus’s voice was quiet but firm as he held Rocco closer, the boy still drooling in his sleep.

Sylas froze for a second before his brows furrowed in displeasure.

But he didn’t argue.

Which meant that, at the very least, he understood just how serious Laxus was.

"...You don’t need to tell me that."

Sylas muttered under his breath, and Laxus blinked in surprise.

For the first time, he noticed the conflicted look in Sylas’s eyes.

A small, knowing smile tugged at his lips.

So that’s what this was.

Now, he finally understood.

"Good. Then I’ll just keep working to prove it to you."

Sylas scoffed and turned his head away.

"...Don’t bother. In fact, stop trying. Just get over him already."

"Haha! Yeah, not happening."

...

After Rocco’s relationship with Laxus had officially progressed, quite a bit of time had passed.

Nothing particularly bad had happened, nor had any major incidents occurred... Lately, life had been so peaceful that it was hard to believe that he was still living in the mafia world.

There were no rumors about the rebellion of the king’s younger brother or anything else of that nature.