New World with Four Husbands-Chapter 171: Introduction of a new friend

"Come on, I’ll introduce you to my friends." Coco told Jonathan, leading him to the butcher shop.

"You don’t have to—"

"Shush! That’s nonsense! I mean— introducing you to them wouldn’t do you any harm, right?" Coco insisted and smiled at him, her footsteps quick and light as she picked up the pace.

The black haired scarred mediator looked conflicted at first, but he did not say anything else to protest against her wish and just followed behind her.

When they reached the butcher shop, Coco opened the door and walked inside unannounced.

"Customers are not allowed inside the shop— oh, Coco." Jacques dropped what she was saying about no customers welcome inside when she turned away from what she was doing and saw Coco walking through the door.

"What are you doing here? I assumed that you won’t be hunting any monsters today because of the batch you bought yesterday." The pink haired woman said.

"Yeah, I wasn’t really planning to bring anything back." Coco sheepishly agreed and smiled, "I’m only here to introduce my friend to the two of you— speaking of which, where’s Renaldo?"

In the middle of speaking, her eyes roamed the place and didn’t see the tall mediator that was usually found butchering meat by the counter.

Jacques smiled softly and giggled. "He forgot to bring the money we earned yesterday so he went back to the house to get it. Don’t worry, that was a while ago, he will be back any minute now."

Coco blinked and nodded her head. "Well, in that case.. Let me introduce you to my friend first. Do you mind?"

Jacques raised a hand and waved dismissively, silently giving Coco the permission to introduce Jonathan to her, before going to what she was doing, her eyes flickering from the knives she was cleaning to the door.

"Fantastic!" Coco beamed and turned to the door, "Come on, buddy."

The scarred mediator looked anxious, his uneasiness clear in the way his eyes darted around and his fingers fidgeted in the basket.

Coco’s face softened a little as she watched Jonathan swallow and muster up enough courage.

"Jacques won’t bite." Coco assured him and smiled, "She’s very kind and loving. Don’t worry, okay? Introduce yourself just this once and if you’re still not up for it, then I’ll walk you back home."

"No.. No, no, no.. I do want to meet new friends.." Jonathan mumbled and lowered his gaze.

He knew he was about to be introduced to another person that Coco knows personally, but the thought made him uncomfortable.

His insecurities and the fear of being judged were very present at the moment which was made worse by the fact that his face was covered in unsightly scars that no one wants to see.

He couldn’t help but feel nervous, his thoughts racing with the what ifs and what others would think.

Coco let out a sigh through her nose and reached out, her hand holding Jonathan’s hand, with gentleness, and tugged him inside the shop.

The scarred man only felt even worse, feeling nervous as he got dragged inside of the shop by his friend, his heart beating fast with anxiety— his throat clogging with someone unknown and ears ringing.

He can’t help it.

It has been since he was last introduced to someone new— which didn’t end well— which made his mind filled with doubts and worst-case scenarios.

What if he drags Coco’s new reputation through the mud because of his face?

His fear of being judged or misunderstood makes him a bundle of nervous energy.

He tried to hide his anxiety, tightening his hand on the basket while the other tightened on Coco’s hand, keeping his eyes averted and looking everywhere, but the person he was supposed to meet.

However, his body language betrayed his nerves. freewёbnoνel.com

"Jacques, this is Jonathan." Coco introduced her friend as soon as he stepped inside the shop, "He’s a big guy, but he’s really adorable and lovable once you get to know him."

Coco stood next to the scarred man, her eyes kind and supportive, her words warm and reassuring. "He’s a great person."

"Strong, reliable, and knowledgeable." She said, her tone earnest, her words were carefully chosen, trying to highlight and play up the man’s good qualities despite his nervousness.

"I know you’ll get along with him after he shy away from his shell." Coco finished the introduction with a proud huff.

However, Jonathan stiffened as he was being introduced, his heart still pounding from his nervousness while waiting for Coco to finish speaking.

Although his friend’s praise quickly distracted him from his anxiety, his attention shifted as she spoke about him.

The words of praise helped soothe his worries, the nervousness gradually leaving his body as he stood up a little straighter, his confidence growing with every word of Coco’s glowing praise.

"Now, Jonathan, this is my dearest and lovely friend." Coco turned to the mediator beside her and gestured towards the pink haired woman by the table who was oddly quiet, "Her name is Jacques and she’s very sweet."

Jonathan tentatively raised his gaze from the floor, his gaze moving up to the person he was being introduced to.

His heart skipped a beat as his eyes landed on the woman a few feet away from him, his breath caught in his throat and irises blown wide.

To say the least, she was stunning— with soft pink hair, framing her face in a way that illuminated her soft, delicate features that he couldn’t help, but stare for a moment, his anxiety momentarily forgotten in the face of such a stunning sight.

Her pink hair cascaded down over her shoulders and framing her round face that it made it look like she was glowing.

She was absolutely beautiful, her eyes sparkling with a kind of light that seemed to illuminate her entire being.

"This is the new friend I made recently." Coco spoke up, but her words fell to deaf ears because Jonathan felt like he was being hypnotized.