Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]
Chapter 72: Unexpected Danger

Chapter 72: Unexpected Danger

Tears streamed down his face and his voice quivered as he suppressed a sob.

The situation feels tense, until the rustling in the bushes grew louder.

What was it—a hitman?

Some enemy mafia operative?

Whatever it was, Rocco steeled himself further.

No matter who dared to threaten Sylas, Rocco, the super-cool older brother, wouldn’t let them!

"If you want to get to my brother, you’ll have to go through meee!"

Then, a soft sound broke through the tension.

"...Wuff~."

"Huh? Wha...?"

Rocco froze mid-shout, his dramatic pose faltering.

A shockingly adorable whimper had replaced the ominous rustling, and Rocco’s resolve crumbled into confusion.

"Wha... Wh-what...?!"

Emerging from the bushes was a ball of fluff as white as cotton candy.

Its round body was covered in soft fur, its bright red eyes sparkling like gems.

Its tail wagged furiously, and its ears perked up in excitement.

Rocco’s breath caught, his eyes widening as realization struck.

Tears streamed freely down his face as he cried out in overwhelming joy.

"Laxus! Laxuuuus!!"

The little puppy, wagging its tail even harder, bounded towards Rocco with an adorable yip.

Rocco dropped to his knees and opened his arms wide, ready to embrace his beloved pet as his sobs of relief filled the air.

With an adorably high-pitched whine, Laxus trotted over to Rocco, his little legs moving quickly.

The fluffy, snow-white pup was immediately scooped up into Rocco’s arms, where he curled up cozily, nuzzling affectionately against his chest.

"So cute..."

Rocco murmured as he pressed his cheek against the soft fur.

"Just too—wait!"

He snapped out of his daze.

This wasn’t the time to get carried away with snuggles.

"You silly thing! I was so worried about you!" he scolded, his tone stern but his grip still tender. "You can’t just run off like that! Bad dog!"

"Wuff~"

Laxus whimpered softly.

Rocco wanted nothing more than to shower Laxus with pats and call him a good boy, but he knew he had to stand firm.

This was serious.

He puffed his cheeks and furrowed his brow, attempting to look as angry as possible.

As Rocco gave his stern lecture, Laxus looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, his fluffy ears drooping pitifully.

He let out another soft, mournful whimper, inching closer with an air of innocence and regret that seemed almost too perfect.

"M-Mph..." Rocco faltered, his resolve wavering. "You’re too good at this..."

Finally, he sighed in defeat.

"Alright, fine! Just this once! But next time, I’m really going to be mad!"

Laxus let out a happy bark, his tail wagging furiously.

Rocco couldn’t help but blush as he hugged the fluffy pup closer and rubbed his cheek against the soft fur.

"You’re just too cute," he admitted, his earlier scolding completely forgotten.

As Laxus wagged his tail in triumph, Rocco began to wonder if he’d just been expertly outmaneuvered by his own dog.

But then again, he thought, Laxus was just a sweet, innocent little pup.

Surely, he wasn’t scheming anything.

It was just Rocco’s weakness for his adorable companion that had gotten the better of him.

In the end, Rocco concluded the fault was his alone—for losing track of Laxus in the first place.

Overcome with guilt, he hugged Laxus even tighter, his eyes brimming with tears.

"I’m so sorry, Laxus! I’ll never lose you again!"

Laxus gave him a soft, approving bark and then wagged his tail as if to say, All is forgiven.

"My little pup is the best," Rocco said with a grin, wiping his tears.

And indeed, to Rocco, Laxus was the most wonderful dog in the world.

"...Is that your dog?"

A deep voice startled Rocco out of his playful moment with Laxus.

He froze, realizing he’d completely forgotten about Sylas who was standing behind him.

That’s right—Sylas had been helping him search for Laxus!

Feeling a mix of embarrassment and excitement, Rocco spun around to face Sylas.

He forgot about his earlier panic and he was eager to show off his beloved pup.

With a smug grin, he prepared to present Laxus like a treasure, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Look at this amazing—"

Before he could finish, Laxus, who had been calmly nestled in his arms moments ago, began to squirm wildly.

"Wuff~! Wuff~!"

"W-whoa! Laxus? What’s wrong all of a sudden?"

The tiny pup wiggled and wriggled, his fluffy tail and round little backside sticking up as he tried to bury himself deeper into Rocco’s arms.

Feeling confused, Rocco furrowed his brows, glancing down at Laxus’s trembling body.

Then he realized.

Laxus, soft and timid as he was, must have been overwhelmed by Sylas’s intense presence.

Of course!

To a sweet, gentle dog like Laxus, Sylas’s aura probably felt like the terrifying shadow of a demon king.

"I get it, I get it. It’s scary, huh?" Rocco murmured, nodding sympathetically.

He hugged Laxus tighter, shielding the pup from Sylas’s piercing gaze, and turned his body slightly to put some distance between them.

With an awkward, toothy grin, Rocco looked up at Sylas, trying to smooth over the situation.

"S-sorry, Brother... Laxus is, um... really shy around strangers. Probably."

Rocco, ever the terrible liar, couldn’t help but stumble over his words.

As he hesitated and added a suspicious "probably" at the end of his excuse, his wavering gaze gave him away completely.

He immediately regretted it, an internal scream of frustration echoing in his mind.

His demeanor was so shifty, it was as if he embodied untrustworthiness itself.

If this were his previous life, he’d surely have been stopped for questioning by the police daily, driven to his untimely demise by sheer exhaustion.

"...That’s irrelevant. Hand over the dog," Sylas demanded, his voice cold and unyielding.

To dismiss someone’s shyness as "irrelevant" in this era of inclusivity?

If this were a regular workplace, such a comment would’ve landed him smack in the middle of a power harassment scandal.

Rocco cast a pitying glance at Sylas, mentally warning him, Be careful, Brother, or you’ll end up having trouble with HR someday.