I Became a Raid Boss

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Suddenly, this thought crossed my mind.

‘…It feels like I’m too focused on finding food these days.’

There’s a saying that goes, “You need clothing, food, and shelter.”

Clothes to protect the body.

Food to gain the energy necessary for living.

A home that safely shields us from all sorts of threats.

So, it’s not particularly strange to be searching for food, but—

‘It might be a bit excessive.’

To be honest, my quest for food had significance beyond mere survival.

There’s a word ‘taste’ right in front of food, and to insist I’m eating just to live seems rather shameless, don’t you think?

It’s not like eating a lot is making me unhealthy, nor is there anyone around to nag me about it…

Not that I’m not, but, yeah.

I began to wonder if I appeared as someone with a gluttonous appetite, that is, a person with a passion for food.

“Really? Kids are supposed to eat a lot to grow up healthy. Even if they look a bit chubby during their growth phase, it all contributes to their height. From what I see, Kana is actually the one eating less than she should!”

“Hey, honestly, Kana doesn’t eat that little. That being said, she doesn’t eat a whole lot either.”

“Oh my, look at you! Do you know how much Da-eun ate when she was in high school? There was a time she could finish a whole sack of rice in a week!”

“Whoa.”

“…That wasn’t that exaggerated!”

“When she’d finish off all the side dishes in an instant. Even if you turned your back, she’d be done. Is it hard to believe when I say our food expenses were out of control?”

“It wasn’t that bad!”

“It’s not an exaggeration. If you don’t believe me, ask your dad. See what he says.”

At the aunt’s retort, Da-eun’s gaze shifted to her uncle.

“Ahem…”

Pretending not to hear, her uncle desperately avoided Da-eun’s stare. Still unable to escape her persistent gaze, he finally spoke.

“…The food expenses were high, that’s true.”

“Still, it wasn’t to the point of being unbearable!”

“…”

“…Dad?”

He looked as though he had just been betrayed by someone he trusted fiercely.

This time, he successfully dodged her piercing gaze filled with betrayal.

“This is the truth.”

Boom…!

The aunt’s words felt like a lightning strike to Da-eun’s head.

Despite the shock on Da-eun’s face, a victorious smile appeared on the aunt’s.

“So, I really ate that much…?”

“Of course. Why do you think your grandma raised her hands in surrender?”

“Really?!”

“Yep. Did you think I was kidding?”

“It’s no wonder she stopped telling me to eat more after a while…”

Today, Da-eun uncovered many secrets of the world.

Thus, it seemed their little debate would end in victory for the aunt, but—

Da-eun’s eyes were still ablaze with determination.

In the moment her opponent basked in victory, she delivered her counterattack.

“-But when Mom tells Kana to eat more, it looks like she’s become a grandma now.”

“…”

The unexpected strike froze the aunt’s expression.

Even the uncle, who had been quietly eating, also stiffened.

Displaying the perfect image of a dutiful daughter, Da-eun.

The events that followed were too horrific for me to describe.

With her back set ablaze, Da-eun truly turned into a being of fire.

I averted my eyes from the scene.

The uncle, who was trying to ignore the chaos just like me, spoke up.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

Although the awkwardness hadn’t completely disappeared, after a few exchanges, it didn’t feel like I would die from embarrassment as it had at first.

I guessed the uncle felt the same way.

In his soft and casual manner of speaking, I could hardly remember how he had stammered through his words when we first met.

“Nowadays, it’s easier to find ingredients regardless of the season, but you know what? Eating seasonal foods is always the tastiest.”

“Mhm.”

“Try this too.”

“Okay.”

Returning the conversation to the starting point.

Even though I was aware that I was eating more than when I was in Silia, this couldn’t be helped.

“It’s delicious.”

How could I possibly resist something so tasty?

It wasn’t like I hadn’t tasted the delicacies from that other world, yet it all seemed so ridiculously delicious.

No sooner had I emptied my spoon than another piece of meat was placed back on it.

As I raised my gaze slightly, a barely visible smile met my eyes.

I hadn’t expected such warmth…

“It’s because Kana is so cute. When a cute girl like Kana offers me food, how can I not think she’s adorable?”

“…”

“…Ahem!”

Da-eun, freed from the aunt’s grasp, whispered.

Though she meant to be subtle, since the uncle clearly heard her, he coughed awkwardly.

At the same moment, the chopsticks that had been approaching with a piece of meat subtly backed off.

However, Da-eun didn’t miss that and grinned.

“So, you’ve totally become a doting dad? Dad, share a bite with me too.”

“…Just eat your own.”

“What? What? Are you only taking care of your little daughter and ignoring your big one? That’s so unfair…Ack?!”

“Aigoo! Just eat your food quietly!”

“Opposition to violence….”

What a violent aunt…

With that murmur, Da-eun fell silent when the aunt shot her a warning glare.

Even though there were four of us seated at the table, the atmosphere made it feel like there were two groups sitting separately.

One side a battlefield with explosions and bullets whizzing by, while the other was a peaceful dining table.

We both knew it wasn’t a serious fight, just a silly little banter between a mother and daughter, so the uncle and I paid it no mind.

Like a staged game of go-stop or WWE.

*

After finishing a satisfying meal, Da-eun politely declined her uncle’s offer to drive her home.

Since it wasn’t too far, she decided to take a stroll and enjoy the cool night air.

After seeing Da-eun’s parents off as they left first, we began our walk through the darkened streets to return home.

The clouds partly covered the moon, so the amount of moonlight reaching the ground wasn’t much, but the scattered street lamps provided just enough light to keep the darkness at bay.

“Now that I think about it, is this your first time eating out?”

“Nope. We ate out last time when we went shopping.”

“Oh… right. That happened.”

“Da-eun’s being a fool.”

“…What? How can you say something like that to your sister?”

“I don’t think Da-eun has the right to say that.”

As if she’d completely forgotten everything she’d said to the aunt at the restaurant earlier.

Isn’t she a fool?

“I just couldn’t imagine Kana going out.”

“You go out all the time.”

“Only recently. I’ve only gone back and forth between Yuki’s Gym and Silia, so….”

“That’s enough.”

Is going out only justified when it’s for something else?

“I couldn’t help it.”

“Hmm, that’s true. Since Kana’s so cute, if she wandered around carelessly, she’d quickly become famous. There would be entertainment agencies handing out business cards, begging her to come…”

“Ugh.”

I thought it was odd how quiet things were today.

Shaking my head, my hair slipped into my hood and tickled my back.

Twisting my body didn’t seem to ease the itch; it only intensified.

“Should I just cut it all off?”

“What, what?!”

“…Why are you so surprised?”

“Oh, never mind…. I thought you meant you were going to cut your own neck.”

“…”

I was so dumbfounded that I stopped walking and looked up at Da-eun.

Just then, we happened to be standing in a place with no streetlight, so only the faint moonlight illuminated her face.

But even so, I could see that she was wearing a sheepish expression.

“What do you really think of me?”

“…Cute, kind, sweet… and sometimes a little scary little sister?”

“I’ve never really treated you with anything resembling fear.”

To me, it seemed like she treated me much kinder than most people do.

As I absentmindedly pouted, Da-eun squeaked.

“Ugh! I’m sorry…! I was wrong, please don’t make that face!”

“…”

“When Kana gets all pouty, it breaks my heart…”

That voice was so sincere, it sounded drained of energy.

“I was just saying it. You get really strict when you go into training mode.”

“So?”

“So, um…? Uh… If it’s for you, I have no complaints, but since there’s such a big gap from your usual self, it just feels different, you know? It reminds me of the first time we met and also of the time you had me fight those players.”

“In short, you’re saying you find it scary because it reminds you of the past?”

“No… I was just saying it was scary.”

Even if she said that, those past events had definitely left a strong impression on her.

It felt a little unfortunate too…

Especially since bringing up those old memories threw me off.

To be honest, back then, I didn’t care much for living.

Dying would be a bit unsettling, but since I’d come back to life anyway, why would it matter?

That kind of thought.

“…I’ll try to keep it moderate.”

“Oh?! Really?! …Ahem.”

Da-eun, who had raised her voice in excitement, cleared her throat after catching my stern look.

“If you’re saying that for my sake, then you don’t need to. Like I said earlier, it’s something I decided to do. It would be shameful to whine about it now, especially since I begged you to teach me.”

“Mhm.”

“So, it’s okay to do it the way we were doing before.”

There was a remarkable determination in her words.

To think that timid and cowardly Da-eun would say something like this…

I pretended to be indifferent on the outside, but inside, I was quite surprised.

Now that Da-eun had expressed such confidence, I couldn’t afford to disappoint her.

“Got it. I’ll do my best too.”

“…Wait a second. Can I take that back? The moment you said you’d do your best, I suddenly got scared…!”

“No backing out now.”

At my firm words, Da-eun showed a sulky expression.