Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]
Chapter 73: Shattered Bonds

Chapter 73: Shattered Bonds

But then reality hit him like a truck.

This was the dangerous world of the mafia.

Here, power harassment wasn’t an exception; it was practically the rule.

His sensibilities as a former office worker were utterly irrelevant.

What a cruel, unforgiving world this is, Rocco thought dejectedly.

All he wanted was to live a simple life.

Having unremarkable childhood, grow up to work at a respectable company, pay his taxes diligently, and retire peacefully in a nice nursing home with the savings he’d worked hard to accumulate.

Was that too much to ask?

Lost in his spiral of self-pity and nostalgic thoughts of his past life, Rocco didn’t notice Sylas’s patience wearing dangerously thin.

His brother’s expression twisted into a scowl, frustration written all over his face.

"...Hey. Did you not hear me?" Sylas growled, his voice low and menacing. "Hand over that mutt. Or... are you protecting it because you know what it really is?"

"Wha—whaaa?!" Rocco stammered, his voice rising in panic.

Sylas, now visibly irritated, reached into his chest pocket.

What he pulled out gleamed ominously in the light—a black handgun.

Rocco’s mind froze as his eyes landed on the weapon in Sylas’s hand.

W-what the heck?! he thought, his internal scream deafening.

A gun?!

Is this seriously happening?!

This is the first time since my reincarnation I’ve seen something so terrifyingly "real!"

"Ha-ha-ha... ha-wa-wa-wha?!"

Although Rocco had read about guns in books and seen pictures of them, he had never encountered one in real life.

And now, here he was, staring down the barrel of one, wielded by none other than the overpowered protagonist.

There was no way he could pull off a cool, defiant line like, "Hmph. Go ahead, shoot me if you dare."

Instead, his legs gave out, and he collapsed backward, landing in a heap on the ground with Laxus still tightly clutched in his arms.

"O-oh, Brother... this can’t be happening...!"

Tears welled up in his eyes, spilling over as his entire body trembled—not just trembling but outright shaking like a leaf in a storm.

Oh no.

This is bad.

It’s so terrifying that I might wet myself.

No, no!

That would be too shameful, even for me.

My pride as a human being won’t allow it.

But still... my bladder’s definitely screaming for mercy.

Was this really it?

Was he going to meet his end here, in this absurdly sudden way?

And my cause of death is going to be "shot by a gun"? Rocco thought, his mind spinning.

When I meet my grandparents in the afterlife, I’ll have to tell them.

"Grandma, Grandpa, guess what? I died in a super dramatic, mafia shootout!"

As his thoughts spiraled into surreal escapism, Sylas’s voice cut through his haze, low and gruff with irritation.

"...Hey. Don’t push your luck. If you don’t want to die, then get away from my little brother. Now."

"U-ugh! If you’re going to kill me, just do it quickly—wait, huh?"

"...What?"

Rocco’s tear-streaked face twisted in confusion.

He blinked up at Sylas, his panic momentarily replaced by bewilderment.

Sylas, too, looked stunned, his expression slack with disbelief.

For a moment, an awkward, perplexing silence hung heavy in the air between them.

Rocco stood frozen, dazed, as a heavy silence lingered around him.

He wasn’t sure how many seconds had passed, but eventually, he snapped back to reality.

Slowly—very slowly—he peered down into his arms.

All he could see was his cute little pup, Laxus.

However, the way Sylas had just looked at Laxus wasn’t the gaze one would give to a "cute little dog."

"...L-Laxus? What are you...?"

What exactly were you?

That question never fully formed.

As Rocco’s confused gaze met Laxus’s, the little pup suddenly dropped his ears in sadness and slipped out of his arms.

"Ah! Laxus!"

Rocco called out as the agile pup dashed into the nearby grass.

He tried to stop him, but Laxus showed no signs of slowing down.

As Rocco scrambled to his feet to chase him, a loud, sharp sound suddenly rang out, followed by a deafening bang!

"Hyah!"

The sound was so heavy and intense that Rocco froze in place.

His body lost all strength, and he collapsed to the ground in a stunned daze.

What was that? he thought, his eyes darting around in confusion.

Then, his gaze landed on something in the distance—a puff of white, lying limply in the grass.

"...Laxus?"

With a body that felt like it had no strength left, Rocco crawled on all fours, reaching out in a daze toward the fallen figure.

He thought he heard Sylas’s voice calling out from behind, but it sounded so distant, as if his senses were entirely consumed by the sight before him.

With trembling hands, Rocco gently lifted the limp body of his precious pup and cradling him carefully.

He inspected Laxus’s tiny body, his heart pounding in his chest.

There didn’t seem to be any visible wounds on the pure white fur, and there was no blood pooling around him.

Was it just the loud noise that scared him?

Or maybe it was just that the wound hadn’t opened yet...?

Rocco’s expression turned pale, but then, out of nowhere, he saw a slight movement from the fluffball in his arms.

"...Wuff~"

Laxus small body trembled.

But it was moving.

It was a sign that his precious pup was still alive.

Laxus wiggled slightly, his ears perking up, and from within his fluffy fur, his bright red eyes—eyes just like a hero’s—peeked out.

Those beautiful ruby-colored eyes.

The moment Rocco saw those eyes, an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through him, and tears started to pour down his face.

"L-Laxus...! I’m so glad!"

He hugged Laxus tightly and cried out loud, ignoring any sense of composure.

Laxus whined softly in discomfort, but Rocco didn’t care.

It wasn’t his fault!

It was Laxus’s fault for scaring him in the first place!

"Ah! That’s right, the sound earlier...!"

Suddenly remembering the loud noise that had caused his precious pup to collapse, Rocco whipped around.