I Became a Raid Boss

As Da-eun was walking beside me, she suddenly spoke up.

“Kana, you don’t like anything too complicated, right?”

“Is this self-reflection?”

So, she’s finally opened her eyes.

To think she’s reached the point where she can objectively assess herself… it’s truly touching.

“It’s okay. Even if you’re a bit of a nuisance, I can understand to some extent.”

“…I was talking about clothes, clothes.”

“Oh, so it wasn’t self-reflection?”

“Do you want to get scolded?”

It looked like she was about to smack me on the head, but knowing she would never actually hit me seriously, I just stood there, watching her.

At most, she’d pinch my cheek. And since I’d teased her, I figured I could take at least that much.

“Oh my, oh my!”

“To think she’d hit such a small child… tsk, tsk.”

“She looks like she’s not in the best health either…”

“…”

Of course, the people passing by didn’t know we were joking.

Da-eun, who had jokingly raised her hand, noticed the murmurs around us and awkwardly lowered her hand.

If she had acted confidently, people might have thought it was just a joke. But her embarrassment made it look even more suspicious.

Receiving all the stares, Da-eun mumbled to herself with a bewildered expression.

“Why do I have to be treated like this when I’m the one who always gets hit by Kana…?”

“Who said you always get hit?”

“You hit me yesterday too!”

“That’s because you deserved it, Da-eun.”

When you grease up someone’s hair, there’s a price to pay.

I pretended to sniff my long hair, and Da-eun’s face showed a slight twinge of guilt.

“It still feels like there’s a hint of chicken smell…”

“That’s impossible! No way!”

“Though, if you’re walking around smelling like chicken, it might not be so bad.”

“No! I can’t allow that! Corrupting Kana’s scent with something like chicken smell would be an unforgivable offense.”

“…You sound like a bit of a pervert.”

For real.

“Anyway, what do you think?”

“You mean about the clothes? I like comfortable ones. Didn’t you already guess that?”

“I figured, but I thought I’d check just in case. After all, you might have had to dress that way out of necessity in the other world. Now, go on, be honest.”

“I already told you.”

“It’s not embarrassing to like pretty clothes, you know. Just admit it, okay? Come on, confess your true feelings!”

“…Are you asking for my honest opinion or just the answer you want to hear?”

“Hehe, you caught me?”

“You weren’t even trying to hide it in the first place….”

Da-eun laughed bashfully.

As for clothes…

Of course, I’d prefer something neat over something shabby.

But to put it another way, I don’t need anything more special than just neat clothes.

“Kana, look at that! Isn’t it so pretty?”

Even now, Da-eun was going overboard with excitement.

“Yes, it’s really pretty.”

“…You’re not being genuine at all.”

In other words, I’m not feeling it.

I can tell it looks different from other clothes, but I don’t really understand what’s supposed to be pretty about it.

“When that happens, you should imagine how it would look when worn. Just picture yourself in it, thinking, ‘Oh, this would look like that on me,’ and it might start to seem pretty to you.”

“Hm…”

Imagining what it would look like on…

Imagining myself in a fluttery dress, I tilted my head.

“I still don’t really get it.”

“Really? In that case, it would be easier to understand if you try it on yourself. How about it?”

“Maybe I shou… no, I don’t want to.”

So that’s what she was aiming for from the start.

The subtle way she led me in that direction was so smooth that I almost fell for her scheme.

As I shook my head, snapping back to my senses, Da-eun clicked her tongue and backed off.

“Alright, let’s buy a few tracksuits, some pajamas, maybe two or three casual outfits… I’ll keep it simple.”

As she muttered to herself, Da-eun dragged me around to various stores that primarily sold comfortable clothing.

Browsing, trying clothes against my body, even trying some on.

By the time we entered the third store, I couldn’t help but ask Da-eun if it was necessary to go to so many places. Couldn’t we just buy everything in one place?

Da-eun looked at me wide-eyed, as if I’d said something strange.

“When you buy clothes, you’re supposed to check out different places before deciding.”

Though, it was funny to hear that from someone who eagerly whipped out her card whenever she saw clothes she liked.

And so, I followed her around, feeling the weight of the shopping bags on my arm as they grew to more than three.

Hmm.

‘Isn’t… isn’t this going beyond my own intentions?’

Da-eun’s process for buying clothes went like this:

Whenever she found something she liked, she’d tell me to try it on.

Then, after I came out wearing it, she’d smile contentedly and give a thumbs-up.

Then, she’d pay for it.

From the moment she picked out clothes to the point they were neatly packed in bags hanging on my arm, the process was seamless.

The problem was that it all flowed smoothly without me saying a single word.

But, surprisingly, Da-eun wasn’t just picking whatever she liked.

“Oh, this one’s nice too.”

Everything she picked suited my taste perfectly.

So, naturally, I had no reason to complain about not being asked for my opinion.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised since I expected Da-eun to just choose things randomly and come up with some excuse.

“Well… I wish I could buy what I want, but after all, these are clothes for Kana to wear. So I have to follow Kana’s preferences.”

“…You… you’re not Da-eun, are you?”

“How rude!”

Because of that, what I expected to be a rather noisy day actually turned into a peaceful one.

“…Isn’t this too short?”

“You’re only going to wear it at home anyway. Isn’t it better to be comfortable if you’re wearing it at home?”

“I guess it would be comfortable…”

There were a few outfits that I felt a bit hesitant about, but they didn’t cross any boundaries, so I accepted them.

Like Da-eun said, they did seem comfortable.

After dropping off some clothes that needed alterations, I sat on a bench to catch my breath.

Getting this tired after only a little walking…

‘I need to get better soon.’

Feeling frustrated, I unconsciously pressed my heel into the ground.

Crack.

“Oh.”

The tile cracked from where my heel touched.

… I know nothing about this.

I tried to rub away the crack with my foot, only to realize that Da-eun had disappeared.

“…?”

She said she’d go pay, but where did she disappear to?

As I looked around, I spotted Da-eun standing in front of a clothing store. She hadn’t noticed me approaching and was peering into a shopping bag. Finally, I reached her side and gave her a light tap on the back.

“Da-eun?”

“Ah—!”

Da-eun jumped up. Not an exaggeration—she actually jumped and turned to look at me, clutching her chest in surprise.

“K-Kana… it’s you.”

“Why are you so surprised? It’s like you’re doing something suspicious.”

“S-something suspicious? No way! I would never.”

“Hmmm…”

Something was off.

I was about to question her suspicious behavior—

“But, aren’t you hungry? I heard the food court here is supposed to be really good. It’s around lunchtime anyway, so why don’t we rest and grab something to eat?”

“…Sure.”

I nodded, closing my mouth.

After all, it’s not unusual for Da-eun to be up to something odd.

***

“How was it? Pretty good, right?”

“Well… yeah, I’d say so.”

True to Da-eun’s enthusiasm, the food was quite delicious.

Of course, even though Earth has a more developed food culture than Silia, food from a place like this can’t quite compare to what I ate when I was dragged to feasts back then.

When lives are on the line if the dish is made poorly, it’s hard to match the flavor of food crafted with such seriousness.

Still, the food here had its own charm; it wasn’t bad.

“Why are you eating that, though?”

Not that I could understand what Da-eun ordered.

“Because it’s tasty! If you’d tried a bite, you’d get it too…”

“Ugh… no thanks.”

I shuddered just thinking about the fiery red dish Da-eun was happily devouring.

Just the thought made my tongue feel like it was stinging.

While I was shaking slightly, Da-eun glanced at me and chuckled.

“…Why are you laughing?”

“Why do you think? Because Kana is adorable… and it reminds me of the past.”

“The past?”

“Yeah, like when you first told me your name.”

“Oh…”

Right. That thing… that was either food or torture.

“To be honest, when I brought that to you, I thought you might die. Like, ‘Are you giving me this to eat? Are you trying to kill me?!’… It felt like that.”

“The fact that you knew and still did it is quite infuriating.”

“But, back then, Kana was so difficult! I’d try talking to you, and you’d barely answer…”

“So, you’re confessing that you brought it to mess with me?”

“…Uh, did I just say that?”

Criminal Da-eun.

The charge: messing with food.

Verdict: guilty.

“The verdict is way too harsh!”

“Attempted murder is always taken seriously.”

If I hadn’t had memories from my previous life, I might have actually died.

That’s how intense the taste was.

“…Thank you for sparing my life?”

“If you understand, do better from now on.”

“Of course!”

What a cheeky kid…

Mumble…

Da-eun muttered something quietly, probably thinking I wouldn’t hear.

I heard it all, you know.

A little later, Da-eun and I, with her arm around my waist, continued exploring the mall. Now that we’d taken care of the essentials, it was time to pick up other necessities.

A fluffy comforter, a soft pillow, a giant stuffed animal big enough to wrap my arms around…

Wait, what?

“…A stuffed animal? Why this?”

“Because it’s cute. Doesn’t it look like you?”

“In what way?”

“It’s a canary! Just like you, Kana!”

“….”

Well, anyway…

We arranged to have the bulkier items delivered and carried the rest or put them in the car as we shopped.

Clap!

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

Da-eun clapped her hands as if something crucial had just come to mind.

“I almost forgot the most important thing.”

Then, she suddenly wrapped her arm around mine.

“Is there still more to buy? I want to go home now…”

“Hehe. You called it ‘home.’ Let’s just get this one last thing, and we’ll go home. Deal?”

“Ugh…”

Honestly, I was exhausted.

The place was packed, and squeezing through the crowd meant I kept bumping into people…

But since she said it was the last thing.

…Even though I feel like she’s said it was the last thing at least five times now, I’ll trust her one more time.

The place Da-eun brought me to was a very modern-looking store.

Though all the stores we’d been to so far looked modern, this one felt even more so, probably because of all the gadgets around.

“Kana, you need a phone too. I don’t usually buy from places like this, but we’re in a bit of a rush.”

“In a rush?”

It didn’t seem like we were in any hurry.

Da-eun didn’t mind my mild doubt as she took my hand.

“See anything you like?”

“Hmm…”

I glanced around.

And answered,

“No.”

“How could I have a preference when I don’t even know what any of this is?”

“Isn’t there something you like the look of, at least?”

“Not really….”

So even when Da-eun asked again, I could only give a similar answer. I just didn’t get it, no matter how much I looked around.

I scratched my cheek and tugged on Da-eun’s sleeve.

“I’ll just get the same one as you.”

She didn’t seem like the type to settle for anything bad, so her choice should be reliable.

After I said that, Da-eun looked at me with an oddly touched expression.

“So, you wanted to use the same one as your big sis… got it!”

After that, everything moved quickly. Da-eun asked the staff to bring over a phone identical to hers, and within moments, they handed it over with a big smile—likely because it meant a sale.

In no time, the phone was activated, and the payment was complete.

I don’t really know the prices here on Earth, but I doubt what we spent today was cheap… Da-eun must be quite well-off if she can buy things so easily without hesitation.

“All done! Here, Kana, this is your phone… Hold on.”

I reached out to take the phone she handed over, but she quickly pulled it back, leaving my hand hanging mid-air. I suppose it doesn’t count as teasing if she hadn’t actually given it to me.

As I sat there, watching her fiddle with the phone, she eventually placed it in my hand.

“It’s my number!”

“That’s why you took it back?”

“I couldn’t let anyone else have the honor of being the first contact saved in Kana’s phone!”

“Honestly…”

She was making a big fuss over nothing.

But still, it didn’t feel bad.

“Thanks.”

When I smiled a little, Da-eun returned my smile and patted my head. Feeling the pat through my hat, I held the phone she’d bought me tightly.

For some reason, just looking at her number displayed on the screen made me feel oddly reassured.

After a while, Da-eun helped me to my feet.

“I’m glad you seem to like it. Well, now that everything’s done, shall we go home? You can look at your phone back at home, right?”

Her tone was gentle, coaxing.

I nodded.

“Yeah, but….”

“Hmm?”

“How do I turn this thing off?”

…I wasn’t staring at it because I wanted to.

Da-eun stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Here, this is how you tap.”

Then she carefully went through everything, explaining each function, though her laughter slipped out now and then.

…Just because I didn’t know, she didn’t have to laugh so much.

I pouted a bit.

—

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