章 16: Tears, Hugs, and Family
His sudden shift in emotional expressiveness caught Rocco's attention, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Rocco hurried over to Georgio's side, who was sitting and weeping softly, tears streaming down his face.
He crouched beside him with concern that could be heard clearly in his voice. "Georgio, what's wrong? Are you sad?"
"Of course, I'm sad!" Georgio sobbed. "You said you'd love me, but then you started cheating on me with him!"
Watching Georgio's anguished expression and hearing the heartbreak in his voice made Rocco's chest ache.
Seeing that face made Rocco feel miserable too.
Since his past life, he had always been weak against the sight of someone crying.
Back then, his frail health had often left his parents grieving and in tears.
Yet, he had been powerless to stop their sadness, and that helplessness had filled him with shame.
This was why he couldn't handle people's tears.
Even as a member of the mafia family, where weakness was a liability, this soft spot wasn't something he could just shrug off—it was ingrained from his previous life.
He wasn't Rocco Di Malvento, the character whose life he now inhabited.
But It was Rocco from Earth who hated seeing someone cry.
Rocco Di Malvento wouldn't have acted like this, but him—being who he was—couldn't bear Georgio's tears.
And so, Rocco pulled Georgio into a firm hug.
"…W-What? Master?" Georgio stammered, startled.
"Don't cry, Georgio," Rocco said, his voice warm. "I love you. After all, we're family now. But you know what? I love Ragar just as much as you. Ragar is my family too."
"…That beastmen? Family?"
"That's right! Ragar is my family too. So, the two of you… let's see, you're brothers! Georgio and Ragar are brothers now, so you need to get along, okay?"
Rocco ruffled Georgio's crimson hair with a playful grin.
Georgio froze, his wide eyes blinking at Rocco's words.
After a few seconds, he let out a small sigh, lowering his brows in slight dissatisfaction but eventually nodded.
"You're my angel, Master… but I guess I have no choice. If Master says so, I have to accept it," Georgio muttered.
Hearing that, Rocco's expression softened with relief.
He had been worried for a moment, but it seemed Georgio had finally come around.
As Georgio nestled against Rocco's neck, rubbing his face affectionately, Rocco gently patted him on the back.
It was a relief—he had succeeded in winning over that Georgio the Hyena and making him an ally.
The heavy weight of that realization settled on him suddenly, draining his strength, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Young Master…!" Ragar exclaimed in alarm.
"Master?" Georgio echoed, his tone shifting to concern.
Come to think of it, Rocco had been out in the rain for a while, walking a long distance through the tense, dangerous atmosphere of the slums.
He hadn't noticed how much fatigue had built up in his body until now.
Rocco slumped against Georgio's chest, his body feverish as he closed his eyes.
"I need to keep working hard on the plan to secure my survival chance..." Rocco thought briefly.
But despite his intentions, his consciousness drifted away, swept under by exhaustion.
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