I Became a Raid Boss

The girl’s head, which had been nodding unsteadily, finally slumped down.

“…Huh.”

Startled, she lifted her head for a moment.

Nod…

And then, the large costume head started to droop again.

—Looks like she’s tired, huh?

—Falling asleep is adorable

—Kids should be sleeping at this hour

—What were you doing with her last night, huh? (message deleted)

“

“…So are you sleepy or not?”

“I’m not sleepy…”

“It’s okay to go to sleep if you want.”

“I’m really not sleepy…”

‘Totally unconvincing.’

Da-eun watched the constantly drooping costume head with growing concern, wondering if Kana’s neck might snap at this rate. Eventually, she gently picked Kana up.

“That’s it. Time for bed.”

“Mmm…”

At first, Kana mumbled with slight dissatisfaction, but soon she started softly snoring. Da-eun chuckled softly, carried her to another room, and gently laid her on the bed.

After briefly shifting, Kana wrapped herself cozily in the blanket, clearly enjoying its feel.

“Kana, really… you should at least take off the costume before sleeping.”

I don’t think I could sleep comfortably with that on. How can she sleep so soundly wearing it? Was she just that tired, or maybe she’s used to it?

Putting her curiosity aside, Da-eun carefully removed the costume head without waking Kana.

“Goodnight.”

After propping a pillow under her head, Da-eun left the room and returned to her soundproof booth.

“I’m back.”

—Pushcart

—Cadmium

—Car Center

—Kindness

—Oh, she’s back!!

—Pfft!

—You put her to bed?

“Put her to bed…? Well, she didn’t wake up, so I just laid her down.”

—I see.

—Well, it is that time.

—For a kid these days, she sleeps early.

—Wait, how old is she again?

“She’s a bit frail, that’s why.”

—A delicate girl? Whoa…

—Does she have a health issue?

—Somehow, she did look a little fragile.

“Not a serious illness. I’d rather not go into it, but she’s not in great health. That’s why I didn’t want her on stream…”

—We’re sorry…

—Trash humans…

—Honestly, I did feel a bit bad;

—This wouldn’t even be allowed on another stream.

As Da-eun trailed off, the viewers picked up on her hint, reading between the lines. Even though Kana could probably still win if she fought, her poor health was indeed real.

‘It’s not a lie, after all.’

Da-eun tilted her head with a smirk.

—Aren’t you going to bed too?

“Me? Hmm…”

Da-eun glanced at the time. She’d started the stream later than usual, and after chatting so much, time had flown by. It was indeed getting late.

“I should get going too. Can’t exactly leave the stream running while I sleep, so I came back to wrap things up.”

—Noooo!!!

—😭

—Just a little longer, please 😭

—I only just joined…

Maybe it was thanks to the new rules, but the chat was much calmer. Of course, not as many viewers as before, since she had been liberal with the bans and kicks, but…

‘Still, this is much better.’

She should have set things up like this from the start. When popular restaurants lose their appeal, it’s often because they can’t keep up with the service or quality due to an influx of people.

Da-eun realized once again that there wasn’t anything particularly special about streaming.

‘Maybe it’s time to hire more staff…?’

Since starting Silia Online, her streaming style had changed a bit. There were so many changes, but she was still trying to manage things like before, which naturally led to issues.

‘I should probably give out bonuses, too.’

If even Da-eun was feeling this way, it was likely that the staff members helping her with management were struggling even more. As she finished organizing her thoughts, the chat lit up.

—You guys really seem close.

—True, lol.

—Usually, even if you’re close as kids, it gets awkward when you get older.

—It depends, but that does happen often.

—I was close with my cousin, but after middle school, it got awkward, lol.

—If she rushes to comfort her cousin just because she’s sad, how close are they…?

—Not just close, she seems genuinely kind-hearted.

—But then, why doesn’t she treat us like that…?

“Haha, my sister is kind, that’s true.”

Technically, she wasn’t even a real cousin, and she hadn’t exactly come over to console Da-eun, but it was true that her presence was comforting.

So, perhaps it wasn’t entirely a lie?

Thinking this, Da-eun smiled gently.

Her smile, drawn while thinking of Kana, caused another uproar in the chat. But anyone crossing the line was promptly “cut down” under the rules she had set.

“As I said before, we’ll be living together now, so I know she’ll come up in conversations sometimes. But if anyone brings her up randomly or says anything weird, it’s an instant ban. And if it gets worse, I won’t hesitate to send an invitation.”

—?

—Invitation?

—A fan meeting?

—You think?

“A fan meeting invitation, yes. If anyone wants a fan meeting with the police, go ahead and keep acting up.”

While Da-eun didn’t enjoy locking things down so tightly, sometimes, as with going to work every morning, there are things you have to do even if you don’t want to.

‘Back in Silia, I caused nothing but trouble….’

Someday, the calamity that had come to Silia—as Kana and Edel mentioned—might come to Earth too. If that day arrived, she wouldn’t be able to hide anymore. But until then, or until Kana’s feelings changed, she would do things as Kana wished.

“Alright then, I’m really going to head off now. Goodnight, everyone.”

—Byeee!

—Thanks for today!

—Bye-bye-bye-bye-bye!

With that thought, Da-eun ended the stream.

The familiar face on the now-blackened monitor gave her a faint, bitter smile.

“…Still, I ended up relying on her again.”

How embarrassing.

Was there any difference between her current self and when she was in Silia?

Da-eun, feeling negative thoughts slowly creep up, slapped her own cheeks with a sharp sound.

Slap!

“Get a grip!”

There’s no difference, really.

It’s ridiculous to complain about being in a tight spot now.

“Kana even said it. Don’t worry so much.”

Since the mess was caused by her actions, she should clean it up herself. That was probably Kana’s way of comforting her, seeing her sigh heavily.

“She always acts indifferent, but she’s surprisingly kind.”

Kana had probably said it offhandedly, but Da-eun didn’t know that. Thinking Kana was being considerate, she smiled, pleased.

Dwelling on past mistakes would only mean ignoring Kana’s kindness.

With that, Da-eun decided to move forward instead of regretting the past.

“Maybe I’ll get her some chicken tomorrow… She seemed to like it best last time.”

Murmuring to herself, Da-eun picked up her phone to check the feedback on today’s stream. She started with the fan cafe, a space created for her, where posts about her “sister” had visibly decreased, thanks to her warning.

After skimming through the posts and feeling satisfied, she began typing quickly.

“Next up…”

The community forum.

She didn’t particularly like this place, but since most rumors emerged here, she couldn’t ignore it completely. Cutting off any budding trouble here could resolve most issues.

“Hm…”

As Da-eun filtered through the endless posts on the community, she tilted her head, noticing something.

“Why is it so quiet?”

Da-eun had expected people to ignore her warning and create chaos, but surprisingly, it was calm.

Even when her sister was mentioned, the comments focused on things like “They’re living together” or “She’s not in good health,” with many comments centered on the broadcast content itself. Though, of course, not all of them were.

It was only after reading a particular post that Da-eun realized why.

“Oh, was it because of this?”

The post summarized an incident where Da-eun had filed charges against those who had thrown malicious words at her in the past.

Since she’d pursued punishment without leniency or settlements, it had left a lasting impression in her memory. The fact that she was a minor was revealed as well, making it clear that no one with anything to lose would risk it.

“The Child Protection Law can be a painful thing… Thankfully, it doesn’t seem necessary to take it to court this time.”

Hiring a lawyer was no problem.

The real issue would be if Kana’s identity got exposed during the legal process. Those bold enough to face a lawsuit would likely brag about it online.

However, it seemed that wasn’t going to happen right now, and Da-eun sighed in relief.

[Am I the only one finding this strange? ;]

Doesn’t it seem suspicious that the person who was depressed over an NPC’s death suddenly cheered up as soon as her cousin came over?

(A photo of Kana sitting in a chair.jpg)

(A photo of a girl in a cat costume sitting in a chair.jpg)

Even their body shapes are similar.

Am I the only one suspicious…?

A few posts suggested a link between her cousin and Kana, raising suspicions.

—So, what’s your point?

┗Yeah, what’s your point?

—Do you think the Earth is flat?

—If you’re being controlled by nano-chips, please wave a carrot.

—Yeah, yeah, and of course, the moon landing was fake.

These conspiracy theories quickly got shut down, treated as jokes. Just as Da-eun had expected.

Seeing the successful outcome of her explanation broadcast, Da-eun left the community with satisfaction.

Yawn…

With all the issues that had plagued her for days resolved, and nothing worrying her anymore, Da-eun finally felt the fatigue she had forgotten about. She yawned widely and rubbed her eyes.

“I should go to bed, too…”

Click.

Da-eun turned off the lights in the soundproof booth and staggered over to the bed.

When she got there, Kana, still in the exact same position Da-eun had left her in, welcomed her. She looked like a snugly wrapped cocoon.

Click.

“Pft.”

Da-eun let out a small laugh as she took a picture of Kana, who was fast asleep with only her face peeking out. So adorable.

Then, she carefully climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the bundle that was Kana, making sure not to wake her.

“Mm…”

Kana made a small, grumbling sound, as if uncomfortable. But clearly exhausted, she didn’t open her eyes and quickly drifted back into deep sleep.

“Just a little while like this…”

Da-eun thought she’d just stay this way for a moment, then get up to wash her face… clean up a bit…

But against her intentions, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Zzz…

Soon enough, her dark eyes were completely closed.

In the quiet, dark room, only two soft breathing sounds filled the air.

***

The next morning.

Woken by the sunlight filtering through the half-closed curtains, I looked around in confusion.

“Why am I lying here…?”

I had been streaming with Da-eun, and now…

Only blinking in bewilderment at the unfamiliar situation for a moment, I tried to sit up to shake off my drowsiness.

I tried, but…

If Da-eun hadn’t been holding me tightly.

Snore—

“…”

With a blanket wrapped around me and Da-eun holding me in it like a bundle, I couldn’t move at all. All I could do was blink in silent bewilderment.

“This is… suffocating.”

I muttered my feelings aloud, but Da-eun showed no signs of waking up.

“Hmm.”

After a moment of contemplation, I decided not to resist the warmth of the blanket surrounding me and closed my eyes.

Oh well. Might as well sleep a little longer.

—

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