Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]
Chapter 183: Tension and Bonds

Chapter 183: Tension and Bonds

It was not unusual for nobles who had lived in wealth yesterday to suddenly fall from grace and be scattered.

And more often than not, the mafia was involved in such cases.

If Rocco were to compare things to his past life, it would be similar to the mafia or debt collectors, somewhere in that realm.

Anyway, the issue with his father’s false accusations and his guardianship had been completely resolved.

Since turning six, it felt like one event after another had rushed by in a whirlwind.

Rocco reflected on it all and wondered how much time had passed since life had calmed down after the chaos.

...

After a huge storm passes, the calm that follows is almost eerily quiet.

Before Rocco knew it, the seasons continued to change smoothly, and the fated day was approaching.

While things had shifted quite a bit from the original story, the time for the beginning of the main events—according to the original plot—was drawing near.

At the center of the world were the two main protagonist.

Sylas and Laxus, who had both now grown into fifteen-year-old young men.

Rocco ran down the hallway, carrying his stuffed rabbit, eager to meet Laxus as they had planned to play together.

As he turned a corner, he collided head-on with someone.

"Ow!"

With a loud "thud!" Rocco’s frail body was knocked backward, barely managing to stay on his feet.

Just before he fell, the person he collided with grabbed his hand, pulling him toward them.

Rocco was caught and gently held in the person’s arms, preventing him from crashing to the floor.

"Rocco, are you okay? Did you hit anything?"

Rocco rubbed his slightly sore nose and looked up at the voice, his eyes sparkling.

It was Sylas.

Every time Rocco saw him, it seemed like he was growing taller, and his features were becoming even more striking, giving off a refined, handsome young man’s aura.

Not long ago, Sylas’s hair—once only reaching his chest—had grown all the way to his back over the past few years, shining like silk.

His amethyst eyes now carried a shadowy glint, the kind typical of the mafia, making Rocco feel like he was being suffocated just by looking into them.

Sylas had grown tall, so much so that when standing beside Rocco, who hadn’t grown much, Sylas looked like a giant.

Despite this, Sylas still easily picked Rocco up as he always had, and Rocco knew there was no point in resisting—so he simply hugged Sylas back tightly.

"I’m fine! But, big brother, are you hurt?"

"No problem. You’re as light as a feather, Rocco. I barely even felt the collision."

Inside, Rocco felt his eyes sting, though he knew Sylas was just trying to comfort him.

The innocent sincerity in Sylas’s eyes only made the sting worse.

It felt like Sylas was subtly reminding him that he was still small and hadn’t grown like everyone else.

Rocco sighed and slumped his shoulders, muttering, "I see..."

"You seemed to be in a hurry. Is there something you need to do?"

Rocco blinked in surprise when he was suddenly asked.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t told Sylas about his plans for the day. He nodded and said, "I’m going to play with Laxus," but as soon as the words left his mouth, the air around Sylas suddenly tightened.

What’s going on...?

"...Play? With that bastard? I haven’t heard anything about that."

"Ah, uh... well, I forgot to mention it..."

"Forgot? Really? Or were you planning to do something with him without telling me?"

Uh-oh!

The rare "Sylas’s mysterious angry mode!" had been triggered... again!

This was the kind of anger that Sylas only seemed to activate when Laxus was involved.

It always came on suddenly, and the threshold for his temper was impossible to predict.

Rocco knew he had just set it off once more.

There was nothing for it now, so Rocco hurriedly tried to calm Sylas down with his usual method—talking soothingly to ease him out of his anger.

Phew, the crisis was averted for now.

"Then... would you like to play with us too, big brother?" Rocco asked hesitantly.

"Play."

Wow, that was a fast answer.

Sylas responded so quickly that it took Rocco by surprise.

He nodded eagerly.

Alright, alright. It would be a post-facto report to Laxus, but the more the merrier when it comes to playing, right?

In the end, it would all work out.

Rocco thought he handled that little incident pretty smoothly—he was pretty cool for managing a crisis like that.

With a "let’s go!" Rocco raised his fist triumphantly, and with Sylas joining the party, they headed off to find Laxus.

"...Are you out of your mind?"

The excitement from the "let’s go!" was long gone now.

Standing in front of Laxus, Rocco trembled, looking up at him nervously.

Sylas, who was standing beside him with a smile that could freeze a room, maintained an unreadable, emotionless expression despite Laxus’s icy tone.

The air between them was thick with tension, and Rocco could feel the cold sweat running down his back.

Laxus was definitely upset, so Rocco cautiously looked up at him from under his lashes, trying to gauge his mood.

Laxus, like Sylas, had only recently turned fifteen, the age when the story in the original work was supposed to begin.

His already mature presence had only grown more enchanting with age, now radiating the aura of a true handsome young man.

With a languid, mesmerizing gaze and a smile that could charm anyone from across the room, Laxus now looked every bit like the beautiful youth from the illustrations in the original work.

Rocco, as a former fan, couldn’t help but feel a warm, nostalgic smile spread across his face.

He almost felt like a mother watching her child grow up—seeing Laxus become such a handsome young man.

But right now, Laxus stood before Sylas with a smile that carried the cold, intimidating air only a beautiful person could give.