I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 144: A New World, A New Daily Life (2)

As Daeun supported me while walking, she suddenly spoke.

“Kana, you don’t like cumbersome things, do you?”

“Are you self-reflecting now?”

She finally opened her eyes to reality.

To think she could evaluate herself objectively... I’m touched.

“It’s fine. Even if Daeun bothers me, I can understand a little.”

“...I’m talking about clothes, not self-reflection.”

“So it wasn’t self-reflection?”

“Do you want to get scolded?”

Daeun raised her hand.

Though she looked ready to smack me, I knew she wouldn’t actually hit me. So, I just stood there calmly, watching her.

At most, she might pinch my cheek, and since I had teased her, I figured I’d let her get away with that much.

“Oh my, oh my!”

“Trying to hit such a small child... tsk tsk.”

“She even looks like she’s not in good health....”

“....”

Unfortunately, the passersby didn’t know the context.

Noticing the murmurs around her, Daeun hesitated, glanced nervously, and slowly lowered her hand.

If only she’d acted confidently, they might have brushed it off as playful teasing. But her hesitance just made things look worse.

As the stares bore down on her, Daeun hung her head and muttered in confusion.

“Kana’s not the one getting hit, so why am I the one being treated like this...?”

“No one’s getting hit.”

“You hit me yesterday!”

“That was because you deserved it.”

If you oil someone’s hair, you should pay the price.

I grabbed my long hair, pretending to sniff it, and Daeun winced.

“It still kind of smells like chicken....”

“Liar! That’s impossible!”

“But walking around smelling like chicken doesn’t sound so bad.”

“No! I won’t allow it! To sully Kana’s scent with something like chicken is practically blasphemy!”

“...You sound like a pervert.”

Seriously.

“Anyway, what do you think?”

“You mean about clothes? I prefer comfortable ones. You already knew that; that’s why you asked, right?”

“I figured as much, but you never know. Maybe you wore what you did in the other world because you had no choice. Come on~ Be honest and tell me.”

“I already did.”

“Liking pretty clothes isn’t something to be embarrassed about. So just admit it, okay? Speak your true feelings!”

“...Why do I feel like you’re asking for what you want, not my actual opinion?”

“Hehe, busted?”

“You weren’t even trying to hide it....”

Daeun giggled sheepishly.

As for clothes... I mean, of course, I’d prefer neat ones over sloppy ones.

But that’s about it. I wasn’t looking for anything particularly special beyond that.

“Kana, look at that! Isn’t it super pretty?”

Even now, as Daeun gushed over clothes.

“Yeah, really pretty.”

“...You’re not even remotely sincere.”

It’s not that I disliked it; I just didn’t feel strongly about it.

I could tell it looked different from other clothes, but I didn’t see what made it “pretty.”

“When that happens, you should imagine how you’d look wearing it. Picture yourself in it, and it’ll seem pretty to you.”

“Hmm....”

I tried picturing myself in the fluttery dress but tilted my head.

“Still don’t get it.”

“Then trying it on would make it easier to understand. How about it?”

“That’s... no.”

So this was her plan all along.

Her subtle way of steering me toward it was almost convincing, but I caught on just in time and shook my head.

Clicking her tongue in disappointment, Daeun backed off.

“Alright, let’s get a few sets of training clothes, some pajamas, and mostly casual outfits.”

True to her muttered words, the stores Daeun took me to were mostly for comfortable clothing.

We browsed, held clothes up to me, and even tried some on.

As we visited store after store, I eventually asked her if we really needed to go to so many.

Couldn’t we just buy everything in one place?

Daeun’s eyes went wide, as if I’d said something outrageous.

“When you’re buying clothes, you have to check out multiple places before deciding.”

This from the person who pulled out her card with such gusto whenever she saw something she liked.

Regardless, that’s what she said.

It was only after I noticed the third shopping bag hanging from my arm that I began to feel something was off.

‘Is this... all happening without my input?’

The process was simple:

When Daeun found something she liked, she’d ask me to try it on.

Once I put it on and came out, she’d smile proudly, give a thumbs-up, and head to the register.

From selecting the clothes to bagging them, everything proceeded smoothly without me saying a word.

Not that Daeun was choosing completely on her own.

“Ooh, this one looks good too.”

The clothes she picked were all aligned with my tastes.

So I couldn’t exactly complain about not being consulted.

Honestly, I had expected her to choose things recklessly and argue her way out, so I was a bit surprised.

“Well... as much as I’d like to pick for myself, these are clothes Kana will be wearing, so I have to consider Kana’s opinion.”

“...Who are you, and what have you done with Daeun?”

“That’s rude!”

Contrary to my expectation of chaos, it turned out to be a surprisingly peaceful time.

“...Isn’t this one too short?”

“It’s just for wearing at home. And if it’s for home, comfort is key, right?”

“Well, it does look comfortable....”

There were a few clothes I was hesitant about, but they weren’t outside my boundaries, so I accepted them.

They did look comfortable, after all.

After leaving some clothes for alterations, I sat on a bench to catch my breath.

It was frustrating to feel so tired after just this.

‘I need to recover soon.’

Annoyed, I pressed my heel lightly into the ground.

Crack.

“Ah.”

A crack spread from the spot where my heel touched the tile.

...I didn’t do it.

I rubbed the cracked tile with my foot, pretending to fix it, and noticed Daeun was missing.

“...?”

She said she was going to pay, but where did she go?

Looking around, I found her in front of a clothing store, peering into a shopping bag.

I walked up quietly and tapped her on the back.

“Daeun?”

“Eek?!”

Daeun jumped like a startled cat, then turned around, clutching her chest.

“K-Kana! It’s you....”

“Why so jumpy? Did you do something you shouldn’t have?”

“D-do something I shouldn’t? Of course not!”

“Hmm....”

Suspicious.

I was about to press her further when—

“More importantly, aren’t you hungry? I’ve heard this food court is really good. It’s lunchtime, and we’ve been walking around a lot. How about we grab something to eat and rest?”

“...Okay.”

Closing my mouth, I nodded.

Then again, Daeun acting strange was nothing new, so there was no point in overthinking it.

"How was it? Good, right?"

“Well... yeah.”

True to Daeun’s boast, the food was pretty tasty.

Of course, while Earth’s culinary culture might be more advanced than Sillia’s, the food here wasn’t better than what I’d had at banquets back then.

After all, in a world where a bad dish could cost your head, chefs cooked like their lives depended on it. It’s hard to beat that.

Still, this had its own charm, so it wasn’t bad.

“But why would you eat that?”

That didn’t mean I understood Daeun’s choice of food, though.

“Because it’s delicious! You’d get it if you tried some, Kana...”

“Ugh... I’m good.”

The thought of the bright red dish she devoured so enthusiastically made me shiver.

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Even imagining it made my tongue feel like it was on fire.

As I trembled at the thought, Daeun glanced at me and chuckled.

“...What’s so funny?”

“You’re cute, that’s all. ...And it reminds me of the past.”

“The past?”

“When you first told me your name.”

“Ah....”

Oh, that—the thing that might have been food, or maybe a torture device.

“To be honest, when I brought it to you, I thought I might die. Like, ‘You’re giving me this to eat? Die!’... Something like that.”

“So, you knew, and you still did it? That’s outrageous.”

“Well, back then, you were so mean! You wouldn’t even answer properly when I talked to you....”

“So you’re admitting you gave it to me to mess with me?”

“...Ah. Is that how it comes across?”

Daeun the criminal.

The charge: tampering with food.

Verdict: death sentence.

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?!”

“Attempted murder is always taken seriously.”

If I hadn’t remembered my past life, it might have actually killed me.

That’s how intense the taste was.

“...Thank you for sparing me?”

“Just behave from now on.”

“Would I dare do otherwise?”

Such a cheeky brat...

I heard her mutter something under her breath.

She probably thought I couldn’t hear.

‘I heard that.’

Not long after, with Daeun clutching her side, we resumed exploring the mall.

With the essentials like clothes, food, and shelter sorted, we moved on to other necessities.

Fluffy comforters, soft pillows, a giant stuffed animal that was big enough to hug with both arms...

Wait.

“...A stuffed animal? Why?”

“Because it’s cute! Doesn’t it look like you?”

“In what way?”

“They’re both birds! This one’s a canary, too!”

“....”

Well, whatever.

We arranged to have the bulkier items delivered and continued carrying the smaller ones to the car as we shopped.

Clap!

“Ah! I almost forgot!”

Daeun clapped her hands as if she’d just remembered something important.

“We almost missed the most crucial thing.”

With that, she suddenly clung to my arm, looping hers around it.

“Still more to buy? I really want to go home....”

“Hehe. You’re calling it home now. Just one last thing, and then we’ll go. Okay?”

Sigh.

To be fair, I was genuinely tired.

The bustling crowd meant we often bumped into people, which added to the exhaustion.

But if she says it’s the last thing...

...She’s said “last thing” about five times now, but I’ll believe her just this once.

The place Daeun brought me to had a sleek, modern vibe.

All the stores we’d visited were modern, but this one felt even more so, probably because it was filled with gadgets.

“Kana, you need a phone. I usually wouldn’t buy one here, but we’re in a hurry, so it can’t be helped.”

“In a hurry?”

It didn’t seem urgent to me.

Ignoring my small protest, Daeun tugged me toward the displays.

“See anything you like?”

“Hmm....”

I glanced around and replied.

“No.”

How could I possibly like something when I didn’t even know what I was looking at?

“Not even based on how it looks?”

“Not really.”

I gave a similar answer to her follow-up question.

No matter how much I looked, I couldn’t figure it out.

Scratching my cheek, I tugged on Daeun’s sleeve.

“I’ll just get the same one as you.”

She didn’t seem the type to use something bad, so it should be fine.

At my words, Daeun’s eyes sparkled with emotion.

“You want to use the same one as me? Got it!”

From there, things moved quickly.

Daeun barely had to ask before a staff member brought over a phone identical to hers.

The employee, clearly eager to secure the sale, beamed the entire time.

The phone was activated, and payment completed in no time.

I didn’t know much about Earth’s prices, but it didn’t seem like she’d spent a small amount today.

Watching her buy everything without hesitation confirmed that she really must be as successful as she claimed.

“All done! Here, Kana, your phone. ...Wait a second.”

I reached out to take the phone, but Daeun pulled it back, leaving me empty-handed.

Snatching something away before giving it is petty, but since she hadn’t technically given it yet, I couldn’t complain.

While I sat there idly, she fiddled with the phone before finally handing it to me.

“My number’s in it!”

“That’s why you took it back?”

“I couldn’t let anyone else have the honor of being the first contact in your phone!”

“Honestly....”

What a fuss over nothing.

Still, I didn’t feel bad.

“Thanks.”

As I smiled faintly, Daeun returned the gesture, ruffling my hair through my hat.

Feeling the soft touch through the hat, I held the phone tightly.

For some reason, the numbers on the screen felt oddly reassuring.

After staring at it for a while, Daeun helped me up.

“You seem to like it. Great. Now that we’re done, shall we head home? You can look at the phone more there, right?”

Her tone was coaxing.

I nodded.

“Yeah, but....”

“But?”

“How do you turn it off?”

...I wasn’t staring at it because I wanted to.

Daeun stared at me blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“Here, this is how you use touchscreens.”

She patiently explained each step.

But I could hear the laughter she couldn’t quite hide slipping into her words.

...Anyone could not know this!

I pouted slightly, sticking out my lips.