I Became a Raid Boss

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“People… no, living beings instinctively guard against and shy away from those who are different from themselves.”

Suddenly, Da-eun’s biology lecture began.

“Why do we have such instincts? There are several perspectives on that, but currently, the dominant opinion is that we evolved this way for survival.”

“For survival?”

“Yep.”

It’s undeniable that Da-eun often spouts nonsense, but not everything she says is just hot air.

If that were the case, we wouldn’t have gotten close like this.

When serious, she’s serious, and when light-hearted, she’s endlessly playful….

That’s Da-eun’s charm.

The reason I was quietly listening to Da-eun’s words was that her tone, while talking to me, wasn’t as light as when she rambles on.

It wasn’t the serious tone of someone putting everything on the table, either.

“A long time ago, very long ago, there weren’t easy ways to heal wounds, no convenient tools, and no sturdy homes to protect our bodies. Every day was a continuous struggle for survival.”

“And how does that relate to avoiding different beings?”

“It does relate. Rejecting the other was more advantageous for survival. For example, when an unknown plague swept through the tribe, which would be better for survival: approaching a healthy person or one who keeps coughing?”

“…Well, obviously the former, right?”

“Exactly. Depending on the plague’s symptoms, it could vary, but generally, that would be much more advantageous.”

“Hmm….”

“Also, the unfamiliar is synonymous with ignorance, and ignorance means danger. Get it? Do you understand a bit better now?”

“Sort of.”

I had an inkling that such tendencies existed, but hearing it like this felt quite novel.

There’s definitely some truth to it.

But that’s that.

“I only asked why we need familiarity, though.”

Being unexpectedly enrolled in a class like this left me a bit bewildered.

Maybe it was better viewed through the lens of psychology rather than biology.

Honestly, I’m not well-versed in academia.

Swoosh, swoosh—

Even while we were talking, her hand didn’t stop gently patting my head.

For some reason, I felt a bit lethargic….

As I lazily blinked my eyes, Da-eun’s voice floated softly from above.

“Kana came over from another world. And she can use powers different from others. Well, I can use them now too, but anyway, people can definitely feel there’s something different about her, right?”

Da-eun said with a giggle.

But.

“…”

I couldn’t quite laugh.

“Oh. Right.”

That statement reminded me of something I had almost forgotten.

Thanks to my past life, which I can hardly remember, the feeling of familiarity was only coming from me.

From the perspective of Earthlings, I’m just—

“An outsider.”

So it’s just like here, just like in Silia.

Was I disappointed by that?

“No.”

I shook my head.

I came to Earth to protect my father, who would be living a new life after reincarnation, and Da-eun; it’s not like I came here to settle down and live a cozy life.

Although my body is living in Da-eun’s house, I already know that I’m an impurity that doesn’t properly belong to either side.

So even if I suddenly remembered this now, I wouldn’t feel hurt….

“…”

Kuuuk.

…My clothes got a bit wrinkled.

Of course, it’s not like anyone would say anything about wrinkled clothes, but for some reason, looking at them made me feel stuffy.

Just as I was about to pat down the front of my top that I had been holding onto tightly.

Pook.

The hand that had been patting my head disappeared, and a familiar warmth wrapped around me.

“But look. The phrase ‘fear of the unknown’ essentially means that it can be overcome by knowing, right? Once people know what kind of kid Kana is, how cute she is, they’ll surely think—”

“That girl is no different from us.”

“—right?”

Da-eun’s ticklish voice teased my ears.

“Um… not quite? To say she’s no different, Kana is just way too cute. Ugh, this is quite difficult.”

“You silly—”

Da-eun had shifted from being serious to suddenly bouncing back with a playful voice.

Involuntarily retorting, I abruptly stopped my thoughts.

“Huh?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

…Right.

Though I said I wouldn’t pay attention, I was having pointless thoughts.

Dory dory.

“Gyaah?! Ka, Kana! Just a sec…! That’s ticklish…!”

As I shook my head, my hair must have tangled into her clothes, prompting Da-eun to let out a small laugh.

“Well then, who told you to cuddle?”

“But I have this illness where I’ll die if I don’t hug Kana for at least 3 hours, 41 minutes, and 52 seconds a day!”

“How are you still alive?”

“Probably thanks to the power of love? The overwhelming feelings of the sister for Kana allowed her to overcome the horrid illness.”

“If that were possible, there’d be no need to hug you…”

Looking up at her incredulously, Da-eun winked one eye at me as she looked down.

In the midst of that, I suddenly felt the arms that were holding me tighten.

Despite having just complained about feeling ticklish, I willingly surrendered my body to her stronger embrace.

“Usually, if you listen to what Kana is up to, what she likes, what has happened…. It should definitely help foster familiarity. I meant that when I said we should laugh and chat together. Of course, I won’t force it if Kana doesn’t like it.”

As if I could ever demand anything from Kana.

“How could I force someone stronger than me? Ugh… Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. They say little peppers are hot, and they were right!”

Da-eun chuckled mischievously as she said that.

I looked at the corners of Da-eun’s mouth that were smiling cheekily.

‘…Should I really hit her?’

They say spicy things are sensations;

Hitting someone is also a sensation, so showing her what real spiciness feels like doesn’t sound too bad.

Now that I think about it, I’ve never really hit her that hard. Right.

“…I haven’t hit you hard? Aren’t those times when we sparred a few in Silia enough?”

“That didn’t hurt much.”

“Just because it didn’t hurt doesn’t mean hitting doesn’t count!”

“Hm….”

“…What? That reaction feels like you’re thinking, ‘If it didn’t hurt or kill, it doesn’t count as hitting,’ doesn’t it?”

“…”

I was a bit surprised.

She’s not just reading my expressions but seems to be understanding my thoughts with just a sound.

Da-eun, you scary girl….

“Ugh, enough of that! So are you going to do it or not? Just tell me that! And by the way, ‘I’ll tell you later’ is not an option!”

“Are you a gangster?”

“If you obediently reply, there won’t be any bloodshed…!”

I couldn’t help but wonder whose blood that ‘bloodshed’ meant.

“Fine.”

“What did you agree to?”

“…I’ll join the broadcast.”

Setting aside my curiosity for a moment, I accepted Da-eun’s proposal.

It’s not particularly difficult, and in a way, it could help Da-eun too.

“If it turns out dull later, I’m going to hit you.”

“Based on my guess, I don’t think that will happen.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Who knows? What could it mean~”

“…?”

I asked again, but Da-eun steadfastly kept her mouth shut.

As I heard her occasional giggles from above, I sighed.

Well, Da-eun being strange is nothing new.

It’s not worth getting concerned about, anyway.

* * *

And so—

“Today, we’ve brought a very special guest. Now, please take off your mask and reveal your identity!”

“…Is there any meaning to this?”

Clatter.

I found myself standing in front of the camera once more.

This time, rather than Yuki’s Gymnasium, it was in Da-eun’s room.

I was curious as to why we needed to wear a mask when everything was already out in the open, but she was likely just trying to pull some silly prank.

I took off the fox mask I used when going to Silia and placed it on the desk.

“Surely, everyone already knows.”

It’s not like I was hiding my hair or wrapping my body; what’s the point of wearing a mask?

Unless someone had really terrible observational skills, recognizing me was a given.

“Not a chance! Zero percent and zero point zero one percent are distinctly different! They might guess that the identity of the special guest is Kana, but they can’t be sure until the mask comes off. There’s still a possibility it could be someone dressed up like Kana.”

“Doesn’t seem like they’re that sure, though.”

The chat was naturally overflowing with questions and hooks.

Thank goodness.

Since I’m closer to common sense than Da-eun….

“And normally, when you bring in a guest, this is what you do.”

“No way that’s true! When you had other guests, you didn’t do this at all.”

“…How would Kana know that?”

“Well, I know because I’ve seen them.”

“Seen… it? What?”

Da-eun struggled to contain her trembling voice as she questioned me.

I kindly replied.

“Your videos, Da-eun. They were fun.”

“…Kyaaaah!”

“Ugh!”

I quickly covered my ears in response to her ear-piercing scream.

It was so loud that I could hear it even through my hands covering my ears.

-Help!

-What is this chaos?

-Oh my ears;

The viewers were voicing their pain just like I was.

“What are you suddenly doing?”

“What are you doing, that’s what Kana did to me!”

“…Me?”

“Exactly!”

Caught off guard by such natural blame, I blinked as Da-eun nodded vigorously.

“What did I do?”

“You said you looked up my videos!”

“Yeah, so?”

“Why did you watch something like that!? More importantly, when did you?!”

“…?”

Am I the only one not getting this situation?

As I blinked, Da-eun started mumbling as she clutched her head.

“It’s like having my secret diary found… and not just that, but you left a comment about how well you liked it…”

“Not exactly a secret, though, right?”

She had posted it in hopes for anyone to see.

But Da-eun seemed to lose her composure.

She appeared more dazed than before.

With each thing I said, she seemed to spiral more, so eventually, I abandoned the idea of bringing her back to sanity.

Well, eventually, she’ll come back around by herself anyway.

 

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