Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 96: Betrayed by Fluff

They must have completely misinterpreted his words!

Ah, that explained it.

He had wondered why their romantic arc seemed to be progressing so fast.

Of course.

Their love story wasn’t there yet.

That part was still far, far down the line.

The earlier topic clearly referred to some "plan" between the two of them, not anything related to romance.

Ah, so that’s how it was.

Rocco realized with a mental thud that he had jumped to conclusions, letting his overactive imagination run wild.

His face flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"R-right! That’s it! I must’ve been half-asleep and was just trying to make a cool exit!"

Rocco hastily tried to mask the fact that he’d been entertaining some rather inappropriate fantasies.

No, no, no, I totally knew what was happening!

Not daydreaming at all!

He plastered on an awkward smile as cold sweat trickled down his temple.

The two people before him seemed to buy his excuse, nodding their heads with an "Ah, okay, that makes sense."

They gently plopped Rocco back onto the sofa before resuming their seats side-by-side across from him.

...They were sitting awfully close again.

Rocco couldn’t help but notice.

They really were close, weren’t they?

"All right, let’s start the strategy meeting," Laxus announced.

Strategy meeting!

The phrase lit up Rocco’s inner child, his eyes sparkling with interest.

What kind of strategy could it be?

He fidgeted excitedly in anticipation, only to suddenly freeze as a question popped into his mind.

It wasn’t something new—it was a lingering thought he had brushed aside earlier in all the confusion.

However, now that it had resurfaced, it nagged at him enough that he had to ask.

"Wait a sec. Speaking of which... Laxus, why exactly were you staying with me in your dog form? Even if my father caught you, wouldn’t it have been easy for you to escape?"

The question was simple but fundamental.

Rocco had gotten so swept up in the flow of events that he hadn’t stopped to think about it.

When he did, it struck him as odd.

Why was Laxus here in the first place?

Being captured by his father was one thing, but willingly staying as Rocco’s pet?

That was a whole other mystery.

For someone like Laxus, who could easily sneak into the Di Malvento estate, escaping should have been just as simple.

And yet, he didn’t run—not even when the situation turned dire.

It was almost as if he had intended to be caught and stay with Rocco from the very beginning.

No way... that’s too calculating, isn’t it?

He wouldn’t go that far... would he?

As Rocco’s face gradually paled, Laxus flashed a wide, mischievous grin.

Uh-oh.

That grin spelled trouble.

"Too bad. I was hoping to just steer the conversation away from this," Laxus said, smirking.

"Wh-what?! Nooo!"

Rocco dramatically slumped, crushed by the revelation.

He could almost hear the comforting world of fluffy, heartwarming days he’d shared with Laxus crumbling into pieces.

The cute little whimpers Laxus made when they met?

A sham.

The way he had snuggled up to Rocco so affectionately?

Just an act.

Was it all a calculated ploy, mocking him from the start?

Had Laxus been thinking, This guy’s such an easy target.

So predictable and gullible?

It made sense—Rocco wasn’t much of a challenge for someone as cunning as the ultimate scheming protagonist.

But still... it hurt.

Knowing that Laxus never truly thought of him as family stung him deeply.

Realizing this, Rocco’s chest tightened, and his emotions bubbled over.

"Ugh... ngh... waaaah!"

He tried to hold back the sobs and tears but failed miserably.

The moment the first tear fell, they poured out in a torrent, and Rocco wailed like a dam had burst.

Laxus and Sylas who are standing nearby, widened their eyes in shock.

Don’t you dare pretend to be surprised, you two!

You two were probably mocking me together, weren’t you?

Laughing at how gullible I am!

Rocco thought as he scrunched his tear-streaked face, his cheeks burning red with indignation.

"I won’t be fooled again! Hmph!" he cried, trembling as he stomped a foot.

The two of them exchanged frantic glances before rushing forward, kneeling in front of him with exaggerated gestures of concern.

"You bastard...! How dare you make my Rocco cry?!" Sylas growled, grabbing Laxus by the collar with a fiery glare.

"I didn’t mean to make him cry! I just... I just thought he was so adorably clueless, I couldn’t help teasing him a bit!" Laxus stammered, raising his hands in surrender.

Sylas’s furious expression was like a demon’s as he held Laxus aloft, and the sight made Rocco blink in astonishment.

Sylas was a proud and confident man, someone who rarely showed his emotions unless under extreme circumstances.

Would he really display such anger, even as an act? ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

The ferocity of his expression left Rocco stunned, frozen in place with his mouth and eyes wide open in a dumbfounded look.

Naturally, his tears came to an abrupt stop as well.

"Oh, he stopped crying," Laxus remarked.

"Rocco! I’m sorry, Rocco... I should never have let this scumbag near you," Sylas said, his voice filled with regret.

"’Scumbag’? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? Hey, come on!" protested Laxus.

"Silence, scumbag. Don’t touch Rocco. Don’t even go near him," Sylas hissed.

Sylas pulled Rocco into a tight embrace, causing Rocco’s confusion to deepen.

Why was Sylas hugging him?

Sylas was supposed to hate him!

This felt almost as if Sylas was genuinely worried about him.

No, no!

Don’t be fooled.

This must be part of the plan.

Sylas had to be in on it, scheming with the ever-devious Laxus to trick and ridicule him.

Yes, that had to be it!

"Grr... Enough! Enough already! Just go ahead and carry out your plan or whatever! I’m not helping you, no matter what!" Rocco shouted, his patience snapping.

He had reached his limit.

Finding out that he’d been mocked behind his back was too much for him to bear.