Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 253: Lessons in Connection

It would just be a normal, universal thing that anyone could feel about anyone.

But—

"Eh, not really? I like him, but I wouldn’t care if he hated me. I mean, it’s just Ragar."

"...What?! H-how come?!"

"Because it’s Ragar," Georgio repeated nonchalantly. "If it’s not you, Master, then I don’t really care."

Rocco froze.

That was not the answer he had been expecting.

His jaw practically hit the floor as he flailed backward in disbelief.

No way—he was back to square one! His mind reeled as he slumped over in despair, shrinking into himself.

Georgio, watching Rocco’s reaction with a puzzled tilt of his head, suddenly wrapped his arms around him in a firm, comforting hug.

...Was he trying to console him?

T-thanks, Georgio...

Hearing Georgio’s gentle voice ask, "What’s wrong?" only made the confusion in Rocco’s head bubble over.

Before he could stop himself, he blurted out everything.

"I don’t get it... I really don’t get it. If you like someone, shouldn’t you always want them to like you back? Shouldn’t it be the same for everyone? Why... why is there a difference? What is the difference...?"

Rocco cared about a lot of people.

Sylas, Laxus, his father, Georgio, Ragar... he loved them all.

And because of that, he didn’t want any of them to hate him.

Because—wasn’t that just how it worked?

But talking to Georgio, talking to Laxus... it was like they were operating on an entirely different wavelength.

Some people they wanted to be liked by.

Others, they could take or leave.

But why?

What made them separate the two?

Rocco had never had deep relationships in his past life.

He didn’t understand these things the way other people seemed to.

No matter how hard he tried to grasp it, the difference remained just out of reach.

As he rambled on, caught in his own frustration, Georgio eventually let out a soft sigh, smiling wryly as he gave a helpless little shrug.

"Ahh... I think I get it now."

"Huh? What do you mean? What did you figure out?"

Georgio let out a thoughtful hum, his expression caught between amusement and exasperation, as if he was struggling to put his realization into words.

"I finally understand why Master is always so cute, so clueless, and such a little fool. If you’ve been stuck in a cage since you were little, of course you’d grow up without understanding something like this."

"...Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t get it..."

"Haha. Well, of course you don’t."

Georgio ruffled Rocco’s hair with a few light pats, making him puff up his cheeks in annoyance.

It felt like he was being made fun of, and that was irritating.

"Stop messing around and just explain it already!" he huffed, crossing his arms in frustration.

Georgio chuckled and, after calming Rocco down with a few soothing gestures, carefully chose his words before continuing.

"In short, you don’t have enough samples. For you, there’s only ’family’ and ’Laxus.’ That’s it. So when you come across a feeling you can’t categorize, you get all confused and end up sulking about it."

"S-Sample? Difference?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Basically, your social circle is way too extreme! You either love someone with your whole heart, or you have zero interest in them whatsoever. Of course, you wouldn’t understand the in-between."

Even after that explanation, Rocco still didn’t fully grasp it.

Seeing his blank expression, Georgio suddenly broke into a wide, mischievous grin.

A shiver ran down Rocco’s spine.

Something about that smile screamed trouble.

Before he could react, Georgio pulled him into a tight hug and, in an overly cheerful voice, declared, "—Which means! Since our little Master is still such a baby, it’s time for him to take his first step into adulthood! You’re gonna learn all about human relationships!"

...

"You want to attend the upcoming soirée?"

At those words, a deep frown appeared on his father’s face, making Rocco shift uneasily.

Y-Yeah... This wasn’t looking good.

"Y-Yes! I mean, I’m already twelve... I thought it was about time I got used to things like that..."

That night, after taking Georgio’s advice to heart, Rocco had marched straight to his father to make a request.

He wanted to attend the upcoming soirée where the mafia families would gather.

Until now, his father had forbidden him from attending any meetings or soirées unless it was absolutely necessary.

The reason?

Because he was still a child.

But if that were the case, then how did that explain Sylas?

His older brother had been attending such gatherings since he was much younger than Rocco was now.

There didn’t seem to be any strict age restriction, so Rocco saw no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to go.

That’s why he had cautiously made his request... but, as expected, his father had immediately fallen silent, his expression darkening.

Just moments ago, when Rocco had strolled into the office, his father had greeted him with a warm smile.

But the moment he mentioned the soirée, that smile vanished.

His father had always been stubbornly against letting him attend such gatherings, but why?

Was it because he was worried about Rocco’s tendency to act recklessly?

"I want to become a proper mafia member like you and my big brother! That’s why I have to do that thing—um, that thing... you know, making a... what’s that? I forget the name"

"Connection."

"Yes, that! Making a connection!"

Rocco tried his best to sound persuasive.

He stumbled over the words a little, but Strasbourg, who had been blending into the background as usual, smoothly corrected him.

Thanks, Strasbourg.

Rocco puffed out his chest, feeling proud of his argument, but his father simply let out a long, deep sigh, looking thoroughly exasperated.

Why?!

"Haa... Honestly. Come here, Rocco."

"Huh? O-Okay!"

Rocco had been expecting his father to be moved by his cool and logical argument and grant him permission with tears of pride in his eyes.

Instead, his father just gestured for him to come closer, still looking unimpressed.