Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 288: A Heated Discussion

And... if he was already imagining such a future so naturally, then maybe—just maybe—his answer had already been decided all along.

As Laxus held him close, Rocco placed a hand over his pounding heart, feeling its rapid rhythm beneath his fingertips.

...

"The bath attendant duty is mine! It’s only natural that I should be the one to do it!"

"Don’t be ridiculous, you pervert! Our master has been deeply wounded by the previous incident—there’s no way I’m leaving this to you!"

How long had Rocco been standing there now, stark naked, hugging a fluffy towel to his chest?

For the past several days, these two had gotten into an argument every single time bath time rolled around.

But today, the insults were especially vicious.

It seemed that, after all their repetitive and fruitless bickering, they had finally realized just how pointless their fights were.

Yet here they were again, at it like sworn enemies meeting after a hundred years, ready to kill each other on the spot.

Meanwhile, Rocco had been standing there, completely bare, for a solid ten minutes.

At this point, his body was starting to seriously feel the cold.

"Shut up, shut uuuup! I’m the exception! Master enjoys it when I touch him!"

"That’s just your delusional interpretation! The reality is, you’ve been using his innocent ignorance as an excuse to shamelessly harass him, haven’t you?!"

"Haah!? That’s not true! And if we’re talking about real perverts here, you’re just as guilty! I know you’ve been sneaking into the bath with him!" freewёbnoνel.com

"Wh—?! H-How do you know about that—?!"

Rocco shot the two of them a deadpan glare before wordlessly wrapping himself in the fluffy towel.

It was freezing. The argument could wait—he needed warmth now.

For days now, their bickering had gone absolutely nowhere.

Who was the most suitable bath attendant?

Who was the real pervert?

Honestly, the fact that either of them thought they could claim the moral high ground was laughable.

Last night, Rocco had tried to propose a compromise: "Why don’t the three of us just bathe together?"

But his suggestion was immediately shot down with an overwhelming response.

"That would turn into a threesome!"

"If both of us lost control, there’d be no one to stop us! That’s dangerous!"

After getting a full-blown lecture from both sides, Rocco wasn’t exactly sure what was going on anymore, but he did make one firm decision—he would never get involved in their arguments again.

That said, nearly twenty minutes had passed now.

Standing around stark naked for this long was starting to reach his limit.

He really, really needed to get into the warm water soon.

At this rate, even if it meant risking another long-winded lecture, he had no choice but to act—to protect his cold, vulnerable body.

With newfound determination, he took a step forward, preparing to approach the two of them.

Or at least... he tried to.

"Mmh?! Mmm?"

Just as he was about to take off, his feet suddenly left the ground.

His limbs dangled helplessly in the air as he was swiftly lifted from behind, firm hands gripping him under the arms.

It took him a few frozen seconds to register what had happened.

"I came to see what all the ruckus was about, and... what is this disgraceful squabble between perverted fools?"

"Father!"

Rocco turned his head, realizing that the one holding him was none other than his father.

His father wore a look of both exasperation and disdain, pulling Rocco close as if shielding him from the two troublemakers.

It was rare for his father to come all the way here himself.

It seemed their argument had grown so loud that it echoed throughout the entire estate.

Now that Rocco thought about it, this was a bathhouse.

Shouting here was bound to carry.

He glanced at the wide-open door leading to the hallway and let out a thoughtful hmm.

In hindsight, it was a miracle the yelling hadn’t been heard earlier.

"Ah! Old master, perfect timing!" One of the squabblers perked up. "Hey, Ragar, let’s have old master decided which one of us is the real menace to our dear master!"

"Hmph. Fool. The old master is a logical man. The outcome is clear, yet you willingly march to your own doom. As expected of an idiot and a perverted fool."

The two of them glared at each other, brimming with hostility.

It seemed they had decided to put an end to their long-standing battle by having his father deliver the final verdict on who was the real pervert.

Despite the circumstances, neither of Ragar or Georgio showed any signs of backing down.

Instead, they were dragging their old master into their childish spat.

As Rocco grew increasingly anxious, his father—still holding him—delivered a lightning-fast iron fist to both of their heads.

"You morons. You are both equally perverted menaces to my pure, innocent Rocco. Get lost. Now."

"Owww!"

"Ghh...!"

The two of them collapsed onto the floor, writhing in pain.

Without a second glance at their suffering, his father simply stepped over them, swiftly removing his own clothes and—like Rocco—becoming stark naked.

For a moment, Rocco was baffled.

Wait, why did his father suddenly stripping his own clothes, too?

But when his father started walking toward the bath while still holding him, it all made sense.

Apparently, since the two troublemakers had been kicked out, his father had decided to bathe with him instead.

"Father, are you going to wash up and splash around with me?" Rocco asked, tilting his head.

"...Splash around?" His father hesitated before clearing his throat. "A-Ah. Yes. We will bathe together, Rocco."

"Yay, yay!"

He would get to lather up and have fun soaking in the bath with his father!

As he snuggled happily in his father’s arms, reminiscing about the last time they bathed together, his father looked down at him with a slightly confused expression—but, despite that, a small smile softened his face.

Rocco hummed contentedly as he soaked in the warm water, nestled securely in his father’s embrace from behind.