Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 337: Wake-Up Battles and Moving Day

He felt genuinely sorry about it, but today was important—moving day—and he couldn’t afford to be late.

"Father!"

Time for the first wake-up attack: Squish Hug Attack!

Rocco pushed against his father until he rolled onto his back, then crawled up on top of him.

Like a little koala, he wrapped his arms and legs around him tightly and gave a big, squeezing hug.

While he was at it, he couldn’t help but rub his cheek against his father’s firm, muscular chest.

Rub, rub, squish, squish.

"Mmph... unbelievable. Even this isn’t waking him up..."

Alright, onto the next move: Cheek Smoosh Attack!

Stretching out both arms, Rocco patted his father’s cheeks with his hands.

He pinched them, pulled them into long stretches, and kneaded them around.

Finally, he even pressed his own cheek against his father’s and rubbed them together, desperately trying to wake him.

Unfortunately... even that wasn’t enough.

"Mmmh... What else can I do...? Hm?"

Just as Rocco was wracking his brain for the next strategy, he suddenly noticed something.

Was it his imagination, or was his father’s body trembling slightly?

Looking closely, even his eyelids were twitching.

And his lips—his mouth was twitching as if he were trying very hard not to smile.

Staring intently at him, Rocco puffed up his cheeks in frustration.

He clung even tighter to his father’s body and gave a few little bounces.

"Father! You’re actually awake, aren’t you?! Stop teasing me!"

Pouting furiously, Rocco shouted.

At last, his father’s eyelids slowly lifted.

The moment those amethyst eyes locked onto Rocco, they curved into a soft smile.

At the same time, the corners of his mouth, which had been trembling earlier, fully lifted into an easy, gentle grin.

"──...Good morning, Rocco."

Rocco found himself completely caught in the sweetness of that gaze.

His father casually pulled Rocco closer, hugging him tightly as they toppled over together.

At that moment, the sun finally rose, pouring bright light in through the balcony windows.

The amethyst-colored eyes so close to Rocco shimmered even more brightly, and he couldn’t help but stare, utterly entranced.

"U-uhm. Good morning!" Rocco stammered.

"Yeah. Did you sleep well?"

"Mm, yes! I did!"

Rocco felt a gentle hand patting his head.

The affectionate nuzzle from his father was so unusually soft that Rocco found himself a little dazed.

True, whenever they played together, his father was always kind—but today, it felt like he was being even more tender than usual.

No, not just kind—sweet was probably the better word for it.

Normally, his father’s bangs were neatly slicked back, giving him a stern, composed appearance.

But now, messy from sleep, they fell over his forehead, making him look unexpectedly young.

If his hair were just a little longer, Rocco thought, he’d almost resemble Sylas...

While thinking that, Rocco quietly accepted the squeezing hugs and nuzzling affection.

Mmm, it was warm and cozy, and it felt so nice.

"...Ah! Wait! I was supposed to wake up early today!"

The expert hugs, the head pats, and the nuzzling had nearly melted Rocco into giving up entirely.

Snapping back to reality, he hurriedly pushed against his father’s chest, trying to get up.

But for some reason, his father only tightened his grip, making it impossible for Rocco to move.

Facing his father’s handsome, expressionless face, Rocco hesitated slightly before speaking up.

"Uh, Father? Could you, um, let me go—"

"No."

"...Huh?"

"No."

A complete and utter refusal, like a stubborn child.

Rocco blinked his eyes rapidly in surprise.

Meanwhile, his father kept holding him with a perfectly straight face, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

W-what was happening?

Starting to feel a real sense of danger, Rocco began flailing his arms and legs in protest.

"N-no! I really have to get up today! Please let me go!"

"I said no."

"Even if you say ’no’...!"

Seriously, what was with this man today?

His father bundled Rocco up tightly, pulling the blanket over them all the way to his neck.

Rocco stared at him in horror.

N-no way.

His father had completely curled up as if preparing to go back to sleep.

But no matter how comfy he tried to make himself, it didn’t change the fact that they had to get up.

"Faaather?"

"It’s still nighttime. Go back to sleep."

"Mmmph. The sun’s already shining right through the window!"

Unable to help himself, Rocco gave a sharp retort to his father’s nonsense.

...

"In the end, I totally overslept," Rocco grumbled.

"Come on, come on," Georgio said cheerfully as he fixed Rocco’s hair.

"We still have an hour before the moving crew gets here. We won’t be late or anything."

That was true, sure... but it wasn’t the point.

Rocco had wanted to wake up early and greet the day with a sharp, alert mind!

Even if they weren’t technically late, the fact that he had slept in at all made him sad.

Still, his father had looked incredibly happy when he finally got up from his second sleep, and Rocco himself felt refreshed after such deep rest.

Alright, he thought, let’s take it positively—all’s well that ends well.

Switching gears, Rocco glanced at the mirror—and noticed his collar was crooked.

He quickly adjusted it until it sat just right.

There! Now he looked totally cool. He nodded proudly at himself.

Meanwhile, Georgio was still fiddling with Rocco’s hair, looking a bit troubled.

Seeing that, Rocco blinked and called out to him, "Georgio, is my hair not cooperating?"

"No, no~! Master is always super cute, you know," Georgio said, fussing with Rocco’s hair, "but today’s a very important day! So of course I want to make sure he looks the absolute cutest, right? That’s why I’m torn!"

Rocco listened, nodding thoughtfully. Ah, he got it now.

It didn’t seem like Georgio was battling a particularly bad case of bedhead, which was a relief.

Still, Rocco couldn’t quite understand why there was anything to agonize over.

Couldn’t Georgio just tie it up quickly or stick in a hairpin and be done with it?