I Became a Raid Boss

---

“So, I called a lawyer I know to hear what I should do. We decided to talk specifics when we meet.”

That was what had happened while I was on the phone with Edel.

Since I hadn’t spoken with Edel for long, it was probably during the time Da-eun witnessed my leisurely rolling around in bed.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

“Huh? Why are you sorry, Kana?”

“It’s because I looked back for no reason.”

I just felt an uneasy vibe and turned back for a moment, but who would have thought that in such a brief moment, a photo would be taken?

…Honestly, I didn’t expect it.

No, it’s more accurate to say that I didn’t even think about the possibility of a photo being taken.

I’m not interested in the act of taking pictures.

So even when Da-eun suggests taking photos together, or squeals with delight while taking them, I don’t really get it—

“That’s all a part of memories. Even if time passes and you forget this moment, you can look at the photos and reminisce. Like, ‘Oh, this happened,’ I really like that.”

Seeing Da-eun smile sweetly while saying that made me think that, even though I don’t understand, it’s not so bad after all.

…But still, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to use my photo as a phone wallpaper?

That’s not really reminiscing, is it?

“Well… I guess it’s careless, but…”

Ugh…!

Da-eun suddenly picked me up and plopped me down on the sofa.

“I don’t want to blame Kana for this. It’s wrong to take pictures of random passersby. How is it wrong to look back? Should I just keep walking straight ahead? It’s bizarre to blame the victim when the responsibility is clear.”

“…Still, if I had worn sunglasses like Da-eun said…”

“Maybe it would have been better than now. But it just shifted the topic anyway. Even though I shouldn’t be the one saying this, wearing sunglasses at night looks definitely suspicious.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course! What’s the point of wearing sunglasses if there’s no sunlight? It’s basically saying you want to hide your face.”

I felt a bit more pressure in the arm that was hugging me.

Not so much that I couldn’t breathe, but enough to feel slightly constrained.

Yet at the same time, a strange sense of stability enveloped me.

“I think of Kana as a bit conceited, but always confident. So don’t feel too beaten down by something that’s not your fault.”

“I’m not particularly beaten down.”

I just felt a little sorry.

Anyway, seeing her say that, it doesn’t seem like I need to feel guilty after all.

“Kana being cheeky is cuter.”

“Cheeky…?”

“Yep! How should I put it? It’s like a cat that confidently knocked over a vase placed on the shelf. …Ah!”

“?”

Da-eun, who had been gossiping excitedly, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Thanks to that, the moment I was about to say something, I lost my timing and shut my mouth.

“Thinking about it, I think Kana did something wrong!”

“…Suddenly?”

I don’t think I did anything wrong just a minute ago.

Unable to keep up with her sudden shift in attitude, Da-eun carefully set me down and dashed into her room.

Soon after, noises could be heard from the room.

BANG! BANG!

CRASH!

“…”

After the sounds that resembled an onomatopoeic expression of the uproar faded, the door opened again.

In the brief moment, I didn’t know what had happened, but her hair, which was usually pretty tidy… was now a complete mess.

Whether she realized her sleeves were rolled up or not, Da-eun approached me with something in her hand, smiling like an innocent child.

And she confidently handed it to me.

“Here!”

“…What is this?”

“It’s a gift and a punishment for you, Kana!”

“A gift? Suddenly?”

And if it’s a gift, then what’s the deal with calling it a punishment?

“It doesn’t have to be some special occasion to give a gift, right?”

“…Umm.”

That’s a good point… right?

On the other hand, isn’t it a little strange to give a gift for no reason at all?

Setting aside my desire to pick a fight, I accepted what Da-eun handed me.

The first thing I felt was a soft texture.

It wasn’t top-tier, but it was a nicely high-quality fabric that tickled my hand.

FLAP!

As I unfolded what was neatly wrapped, the fabric revealed its true form.

White… pajamas?

Why is this?

I tilted my head in confusion as Da-eun awkwardly smiled at me.

“I think it’s a bit silly to only have two sets of pajamas. Having more wouldn’t hurt.”

“Hmm.”

“So I bought it, no other meaning.”

“Hmm…”

“…Really.”

That can’t possibly be true.

I trust Da-eun, but I don’t believe her.

I know it’s a very contradictory statement.

If someone overheard me say this, they wouldn’t understand.

In short, here’s the deal.

I know that Da-eun won’t harm me or betray me, but that doesn’t mean I take everything she says at face value.

She doesn’t lie, but she doesn’t divulge every truth either.

Of course, as I just said, it’s not scheming, just a light selfishness that’s inconsequential.

So I’m sure what she just said is true, but there’s probably a bigger reason for Da-eun gifting me new pajamas.

I was convinced.

“If you don’t like it, just say so—”

Woosh!

“Taking back something you’ve given is a bad deed.”

I dodged her extending hand and turned away.

Then I thoroughly inspected the pajamas Da-eun had given me.

It’s big.

While it wasn’t extremely large in absolute terms, it was definitely bigger than the clothes I normally wear, and I found the reason on the front.

Seeing the buttons sparsely attached from top to bottom, it seemed like it was a one-piece outfit rather than a separate top and bottom.

Glancing at Da-eun’s anxious face, I continued to examine the garment.

Nothing else stood out as particularly special.

There were some cute pink patterns here and there, but that was something I could overlook.

“Hmmm.”

“See! You keep doubting it… I really thought of you when I did this!”

“That can’t possibly be true.”

“What do you mean?! How can you say there’s no way when I like you so much!”

“No, not that.”

I wasn’t suspicious but felt suspicious.

Once again grappling with my contradictory thoughts, I turned the clothes over again.

“Oh.”

“…Oh.”

Then I discovered something that I had missed before.

Fabric was rolled into the hole for the head.

As I pulled it out, two pointed ears popped out.

“…Cat ears?”

Something attached to the hood that looked like it would cover the head, resembling cat ears.

Of course, it didn’t look like actual cat ears, but it was undoubtedly inspired by them.

Looking at this made everything I had overlooked begin to look different.

The patterns I thought were random to break up the plainness were actually modeled after a cat’s body, and similar designs appeared on the arm and leg sections as well.

The most decisive factor was the buttons’ shape.

The pink buttons shaped like cat paw prints.

I couldn’t understand why I had missed it before; it was so blatant.

“…”

“…”

“What! Why!”

“I didn’t say anything.”

As we silently gazed at each other, Da-eun couldn’t bear the heavy silence that had settled between us and suddenly shouted.

“Yeah! I wanted to see Kana in cat pajamas! That’s not a crime! If wanting to see something cute is a crime, then I’ll humbly accept my punishment!”

“That’s not a crime.”

I nodded my head.

Da-eun has done this more than once.

She’d sometimes hug me whenever she thought I was cute, so I couldn’t help but get used to it.

“But it was a bit cringe.”

I had just confidently said there was nothing wrong moments ago, but I was also admitting it was wrong just to satisfy my selfishness.

Hearing my blunt opinion, Da-eun clutched her chest.

“…Ugh! So you’re fighting with facts…! Coward!”

“I think the coward is the one who rushed in at the last moment, Da-eun.”

“Agh! Stop! My life is already at zero!”

I might wear it if asked, but I didn’t particularly want to wear a hooded outfit to sleep.

It seemed it would get in the way and be uncomfortable.

Also, I felt a bit resentful that she had slyly pushed it on me.

Neatly folding the pajamas I was holding, I set them aside and ignored Da-eun’s sulky eyes.

“About that post earlier, can’t we just ignore it?”

“Hmm… It’s not that I haven’t thought about it. Maybe that’s the most effective method. There’s a saying that indifference is the best medicine, right?”

Returning to the main topic, Da-eun tossed her gloomy expression aside and spoke seriously.

“But conversely, it can also exacerbate the fire. Especially, people like this are more likely to escalate things.”

“People like this?”

“What do you think the reason is for taking a picture in such a short time and posting it in a public place? They want attention. To prove it… look.”

Da-eun presented her phone.

On the screen of the phone she showed me, someone’s community activity was displayed.

“The number of comments on the written post is way more than the comments on other people’s posts, right?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a saying to be careful with these kinds of people. They’re people too preoccupied with their own stories to care about others.”

“Hmm… That makes sense.”

I’ve seen it many times myself.

Mostly from vain nobles.

“So what are you going to do?”

“What else would there be?”

Ding!

Right at that moment, Da-eun’s phone rang.

“We’ll do it by the book.”

She would personally show how fearsome the law can be.

Da-eun grinned sharply.