I Became a Raid Boss

Depending on the person, it’s not strange to eat an early dinner.

Having left the house at a relatively early time before noon, Da-eun returned home only long after lunchtime.

Accompanied by Yuki.

As soon as she got home, Da-eun let out a deep sigh and headed for the kitchen.

“Did you eat well while I was gone?”

“Yep.”

“Hehe. Our Kana has grown up.”

“….”

Not wanting anyone to question if she was really Korean, Da-eun first asked about dinner and then opened the fridge to grab three drinks.

She handed one to Yuki, one to me, and twisted the cap off the last one in her hand—

Glug glug—

“Ahh…!”

In an instant, she finished the drink.

Then noticing I still hadn’t opened my drink, she asked me.

“Do you want me to open it for you?”

“No.”

Click!

Like the two standing in front of me, I twisted the cap off and brought the bottle to my lips.

The scent of orange wafted through.

Instead of chugging it down, I sipped, and seeing me, Da-eun flashed a faint smile.

What’s so funny about this?

“Why are you laughing?”

Even when I asked with a pout, Da-eun just kept laughing without answering.

Now even Yuki was staring at me intently.

“Is it funny?”

“Hah! It’s the delinquent mode of Kana…! Ugh, PTSD from school days….”

“Shiver shiver. So scary.”

“…Yuki, you shouldn’t do acting.”

“….”

After hearing Da-eun’s words, Yuki’s expression seemed to drop a bit.

She probably wasn’t really trying to act, so it must just be my imagination.

Even a Korean textbook would be read with more sincerity; there’s no way it was acting.

“….”

As I muttered, Yuki’s expression grew even darker.

“…Kana, you went too far.”

“…Me?”

What did I do?

Pointing at me, Da-eun nodded solemnly as if more determined than ever.

Then she told me I had to apologize to Yuki.

“Um, sorry…?”

Her strict tone left me confused about what I had done wrong as I stumbled over my apology.

…But really, what did I do wrong?

Da-eun didn’t give me an answer.

Giving up, I sipped my drink, and when there was almost nothing left in the bottle, I finally spoke.

“So, what happened?”

I knew there wasn’t any major issue, but that was really the limit of what I knew.

“Just resolved it amicably. Though I don’t know if they felt it was amicable.”

“I think it was super amicable. If they’d felt the taste of a fist, they wouldn’t have dared to come back.”

“That’s too violent… Shouldn’t a civilized person use law instead of fists?”

“….”

“Don’t think ‘do I really have to?’”

Da-eun seemed to read Yuki’s face as she spoke.

As Da-eun and Yuki bickered for a bit, Da-eun coughed to clear her throat, feeling my gaze.

And then she began to slowly unravel what happened down below.

“…That’s how it went.”

Da-eun finished her story.

“Hmm.”

I fiddled with the empty bottle.

Even though the contents had long disappeared, there was still a faint chill on the outside.

It’s indeed amicable.

…That was my impression after hearing the whole story.

What Da-eun said was this.

That night, the man who took our photo and posted it online confessed that he had been stalking Da-eun… or rather, us, unable to withstand the residents’ complaints and pressure.

However, because evidence was found that he took pictures of Yuki and other residents in the process, he couldn’t escape criticism even after confessing.

So Da-eun decided to forgive him on the condition that he deletes the controversial post and writes a retraction saying it was manipulated.

Feeling there was no reason for forgiveness, I asked.

“Did you really need to forgive him?”

“I wanted to handle it as quietly as possible. …Does it seem a bit strange saying this after stirring up trouble?”

Well, it does.

Even if it’s loud in real life, the goal was to quietly resolve things online as if they never happened.

So right there, he was made to write the post, and they got him to sign an agreement that he wouldn’t do this again before forgiving him.

“If it comes down to it, I’ve got a recording too.”

Da-eun shook her phone.

“And it’s just me being lenient. I doubt anyone else would have let it slide, so he’ll be tormented for a while and won’t have any mental space to stir up more trouble.”

“Well. They could’ve been torn to shreds.”

“…If you say that, it doesn’t feel like a joke.”

“But it wasn’t a joke.”

“…Anyway, Kana. It’s not always the best choice to resolve things in extremes. Have you heard of the phrase ‘gentle but firm’? It means that softness can sometimes overpower hardness. Softly coaxing someone might be better than aggressively punishing them. In reality, our country’s law aims for reformation.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“You looked like you had some complaints.”

“Not really, just some minor questions.”

But even those disappeared while I listened to the explanation.

Then Da-eun’s face brightened up.

“Well, I’m glad!”

“So, does this mean you’re coming back to the gym?”

As our conversation drew to a close, Yuki, who had been impatiently waiting, jumped in.

“I was bored being alone. I had so many questions.”

“You are something else….”

“Learn from Da-eun.”

“…Huh? Am I the weird one?!”

Da-eun, who had been looking shocked at Yuki, jumped in surprise at my words.

“Regardless, when it comes to training, Yuki definitely has a better attitude.”

“Mmm.”

“Is that so…?”

“It’s not ‘is that so’! It’s true. …Well, you’ve improved a lot compared to before.”

“It feels like you’re giving me mixed signals… but still, that was a compliment, right?”

“Yep.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

Ugh…!

Da-eun, having said that cheerfully, stretched her body.

Her stiff joints creaked as she stretched, and a scream escaped her mouth.

“It’s all because you don’t exercise.”

“I exercise quite a bit, thank you!”

Da-eun, who had flared up at Yuki’s words, suddenly turned her eyes away.

She looked at me, then Yuki, then back to me again, and again back to Yuki, before finally sinking her head.

“I want to say it’s a lot, but I really can’t say that in front of these two. Was this the feeling of being caught between gods?”

“Hang in there.”

“Don’t comfort me…. If I need consolation, I’d prefer it come from Kana.”

With a sidelong glance, she fixed her gaze on me with a hint of expectation.

Of course, I had no intention of responding to that look.

There was nothing to be consoled for anyhow.

Instead, I ignored Da-eun’s pout and fell into thought.

‘…I feel like I’m forgetting something.’

It’s not that important, but it also doesn’t feel completely forgettable.

Such a vague feeling.

“Kana?”

“…”

“Hello~ Kana? Can you hear me?”

“…”

“Want a snack? Would you like chocolate?”

“…Do you really think I’m a dog?”

“I told you earlier, I don’t.”

“Then the way you’re treating me…”

“This is just affection.”

While I continued my thoughts as the two laughed at me,

“…Ah.”

I finally recalled what I had forgotten and couldn’t hold back. I tugged on Da-eun’s sleeve as she argued with Yuki.

“Da-eun, Da-eun.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go hang out.”

“…Huh?”

Even I thought it was a random suggestion, but what did Da-eun think upon hearing that?

She blinked her wide eyes, completely taken aback, and didn’t respond at all.

Then suddenly, she pinched her cheek—

“Ouch…!”

Holding her now-red cheek, she let out a whimper.

“…This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“If you wanted to confirm, you could have just asked. I could have done it for you.”

“Maybe not from you, Kana.”

Oh? I feel like I heard a similar conversation earlier.

As I tilted my head, I casually threw out a line.

“…You don’t want to?”

“Not really! It’s just, I didn’t expect you to suggest something. I’m a bit surprised. …I guess I was feeling a bit frustrated.”

“…?”

Suddenly, Da-eun began to pat my head.

In fact, it’s not unusual for Da-eun to pat my head, so I didn’t mind.

It didn’t feel rough or lacking in consideration; instead, as she gently brushed my hair, I felt my heart relax.

However, watching me with mixed feelings of pity and guilt in her eyes as she patted me wasn’t something I was used to.

“It wasn’t that frustrating.”

“I know, I know. I understand your feelings.”

“But just so you know, whatever Da-eun is thinking about, it’s not like that.”

“Yeah, yeah. I understand. I’m sorry for making things tough on you.”

That’s not knowing anything at all.

If you were going to say that, you should have dropped that pitying look first.

My body felt light, and my now-airborne feet dangled in the air.

“Kana.”

“…Yes.”

Do I really have to say this while being hugged like this?

Da-eun, holding me without a word, chuckled softly.

“How about we move? To a house with a garden, where the air is fresh and the water is pure.”

“…Huh?”

“Shall we? Okay, I get it!”

“…Wait a minute.”

Da-eun was fidgeting as if she was ready to rush out of the house to find a real estate agent at any moment.

I couldn’t grasp the flow that led to that conclusion.

Instead of trying to decipher Da-eun’s mind, I blocked her way toward the front door.

‘Was this how it felt when I suggested we hang out?’

As I reflected to myself, I quickly shook my head.

…No way am I on the same level as Da-eun.