A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 197: A Lonely Heart

"W-want to... go in together?"

"Huh? No, I don’t want to."

What was he even saying?

"W-why not?"

"Come on, it’s just impossible. Why would I, the one being targeted, have to get in with you? Just go in alone, quickly."

"No! But... but you might run off while I’m in there!"

"Well, yes, I would run off."

Honestly, who wouldn’t run off in that situation?

This conversation hardly felt like one between a kidnapper and a victim.

The idea of suddenly saying, "Yeah, let’s took a bath together!" was impossible.

"No, no, no! I don’t care, then I’m not going in either!"

Seriously, who’s throwing this tantrum?

"...I see. Then just be careful not to catch a cold. I’ll be going now."

"No! Don’t leave!"

This guy had completely devolved into a childlike state.

Qiong Xing wanted to ask how old he is, but the thought of him getting happy about the attention made him hold back.

"Move."

"No!"

"Step aside."

"N-no..."

"Let go."

"No, no, no!"

Ahhhh, this spoiled little brat!

Every time Qiong Xing tried to leave, the red-haired boy blocked the door.

They had been repeating this standoff for about thirty minutes and Qiong Xing was completely exhausted by the persistent whining.

"Ahh, enough already! Stop saying ’no, no’ all the time and just get in the bath!"

"Ugh, no... Achoo!"

Ahhhhhhh!

As his frustration peaking, Qiong Xing cast a body-strengthening spell on himself and grabbed the soaking and disheveled man by the collar and dragging him toward the bath.

The man shouted something along the way, but Qiong Xing ignored it.

Well, it had been noisy, so he’d delivered a quick chop to quiet him down.

"Listen carefully. If you try to attack me in any way, I won’t hesitate to kick you in the groin and leave immediately. Understood?"

"Wha—? W-what—"

"Do you understand? Answer me if you do!"

"Y-yes!"

Qiong Xing instructed him to remove his clothes.

He quickly stripped himself, wrapped a towel around his waist and then picked up Lian in his arms.

For a brief moment, he wondered what he was even doing, but decided not to think too deeply and headed to the bath.

"Wow... this is huge."

The circular bath was big enough to fit five or six adults.

His excitement spiked considerably.

The large baths were definitely better.

"Sit down. If you move around too much, water will get in your eyes."

"Y-yeah."

He laid Lian on a bath towel and began washing the man’s hair.

It was strange that someone who had been so noisy earlier was now so calm while having his head washed, but Qiong Xing decided it was better than wasting energy getting irritated.

"Your hair is surprisingly thick... and long, too."

Unlike himself, who didn’t like long hair, the man’s red hair that was tied in a single braid down to his waist was unexpectedly stiff to the touch.

"Is... is that bad? You don’t like long hair?"

"Not particularly. I’d cut it if it got in the way, but if you grow it because you like it, that’s fine. It suits you."

He wasn’t being preachy about individuality, he just thought people could do what they liked with their hair.

He wasn’t working in an office with bosses who would criticize him for looking unprofessional.

He remembered seeing a man with green, spiky hair, pierced everywhere and was shocked.

When he asked if it hurt, the man just laughed and said it didn’t.

Compared to that, his red eyes and long red hair were nothing to worry about, especially since it actually suited him.

"Hehe, I see."

"All done. Wash the rest of your body yourself."

"Okay~"

It seemed like his mood had improved, so Qiong Xing let him take care of the rest himself.

While holding Lian, he stepped into the warm water a little ahead of him.

Hearing Lian giggle and squeal with joy brought a deep sense of relief and happiness.

"Lian really loves the bath, doesn’t she?"

"Kya—nma, ma, nma!"

So adorable.

No matter what anyone said, a child was always precious.

Those chubby little cheeks, the soft hair just like Elias’s, the matching golden eyes—everything about him was dear.

"Wh-what about me?!"

"...Huh?"

Even while stroking Lian’s head and rubbing their cheeks together, the read-haired boy suddenly said something incomprehensible again.

His brain must have been seriously affected.

"I-I’m... not cute."

...Right. How could someone say they were cute when they were taller, bigger, and more muscular than Qiong Xing?

Unlike Leander’s ears or tail, which could be adorable in their own way, this man’s size and presence didn’t lend itself to "cute."

"Am I... not cute, so it’s no good? You dislike me?"

He’d been asking repeatedly if he was disliked... was this some new trend?

"You want to... be cute?"

What if he had a cross-dressing hobby?

Should Qiong Xing support it?

"No! Not like that! If I become cute, will you stay with me?"

"No?"

Why would it come to that?

Qiong Xing didn’t seek cuteness from him in the first place.

Even if he tried to be cute, or even succeeded, it didn’t matter.

"More importantly, make sure you soak up to your shoulders. If you don’t get warm, there’s no point in us being in here together."

For some reason, Qiong Xing pushed the sulking man deeper into the water so he could warm up.

"I want to stay together."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to stay together."

"...."

This conversation is really hard.

No matter how much Qiong Xing tried to understand, if the other person didn’t respond, it was meaningless.

It was exhausting.

As he went back to playing with Lian, he felt a tentative hand grab his arm.

It was so light that he could easily shake it off.

"...I-I’m scared of being alone."

"I see. But you have your older brother, don’t you?"

"Yeah. But for how long? You can’t promise forever, right? One day we might be killed like our parents were, and that’s it."