I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 188: Because that’s romance (2)

"Wow...! A house with a garden, that sounds amazing! Da-eun, you're the best!"

I probably wasn’t expected to react like this.

...But then again, maybe Da-eun did expect it.

"Are you finally calm now?"

"Yeah..."

Having declared my surrender, I got off Da-eun’s lap.

It seemed like a typical Da-eun move, but this time, she had been especially wild, and I had a hard time stopping her.

I asked, as I watched Da-eun, who was calmly brushing off dust.

"So, I’ll ask. What’s this new whim about?"

"Well..."

Da-eun hesitated, her lips moving before she answered.

"Where we live now is in the city. Even if we go for a walk, it's just a nearby park, and there are always people around."

"So?"

"...Well, Kana, you don’t like showing yourself, right? The reason you don’t go out much is probably because of that. And when you do go out, you bundle up tight."

Fidgeting.

Her slender fingers moved restlessly, as if the owner couldn’t speak for herself and had to do it for her.

When the fingers finally stopped moving, Da-eun opened her mouth again.

"If we go somewhere less crowded, wouldn’t it be more comfortable for you?"

"...Me?"

"Yeah. If we go to a house with a garden, you could enjoy the breeze, right? And, like I said earlier, you could even grow a flower bed."

"A flower bed..."

"It’s not just because of you, Kana. I’ve been vaguely thinking about this for a while. I figured it might be a good idea to move now, so I mentioned it."

So, there’s no need for Kana to feel guilty.

Although Da-eun said that, I didn’t believe her words entirely.

Even if she had thought about it before, the biggest reason was probably me.

Honestly, when I heard about the flower bed, I was a little tempted.

But then, after thinking about it a bit more, I realized there’s no real need to grow a flower bed.

I had only grown one to show my dad, not because I actually enjoyed it.

Sure, when the wind blew and the colorful flowers danced, it was nice to watch.

But if I had to go through all that trouble again...

Weeding out the growing weeds, fertilizing the wilted ones, catching pests that ate the leaves or drained the nutrients, and removing dead flowers.

Even just listing these things makes me think... I don’t really want to do that.

"Hmm."

I scratched my cheek, lost in thought.

I probably shouldn’t be saying this after all the negative things I’ve said, but Da-eun’s suggestion wasn’t all bad.

Setting aside the part about not wanting to be seen, my nature itself leans toward a more peaceful environment, away from crowds.

So, if Da-eun had said, "I don't want to live surrounded by people anymore. I want to live somewhere quiet, away from people," I would’ve just accepted it without a word.

After all, it's not like it’s my money being spent, and if the landlord says it’s okay, what could I possibly say about it?

Like the saying goes, if the temple doesn’t like it, the monk should leave. If the landlord’s decision doesn’t sit well with me, I’d have to leave.

Of course, in this case, it suits my preferences, so I wouldn’t leave, but still.

Also, I recently read online that it's not uncommon for people who are tired of city life to choose to move to the countryside.

"Da-eun, do you want to become a nature person?"

"Huh? A nature person?"

She tilted her head at the unexpected question, and after a brief pause, Da-eun slapped her palm.

"Wait, are you talking about that show where they find people living in nature? The one where they went to visit people living naturally?"

"Yeah, that’s it."

Technically, I wasn’t referring to the show itself, but the image of those "nature people" that became popular through it. Da-eun probably understood that, so I nodded without correcting myself.

"I’ve thought about it, but... I don’t think I could live like that. A life without infrastructure would be too hard... But why do you ask?"

"Well, you said earlier that it’s about living somewhere less crowded than the city."

"...Ah?"

Da-eun’s face shifted, as if she had just realized something.

"No, Kana, I think you misunderstood. I wasn’t talking about living deep in the mountains. I just meant somewhere less crowded than the city, not completely cut off from civilization."

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"Will that solve your problem?"

"Um... It’ll probably be less stressful than it is now."

"Yeah, that seems likely."

"Then it should be okay, right?"

"Mm."

My response dragged on.

If I shook my head slowly here, it would be a perfect expression of denial.

Once again, the answer was within the problem.

"It’s just less."

It doesn’t completely solve everything.

If Da-eun really wants to get rid of all her worries, she’d have to live in the mountains, severing ties with society completely, but didn’t she already say she didn’t want that?

Spending real money and time to move for just a little improvement didn’t sit right with me.

Besides, a place like that would have even less infrastructure, just like Da-eun said.

"But, even so, it’s better to be less miserable than more miserable."

"Who’s miserable?"

"Well, Kana..."

"...Why would I be miserable?"

I had said repeatedly that her way of thinking wasn’t the only correct one, but she didn’t listen.

Now, I sighed at how she was glaring at me with wide eyes.

"It’s a little frustrating, but it’s no different from the usual, small frustrations that everyone feels as a member of society."

"Do you think I look like someone who just tolerates everything?"

"Definitely not. Unless you're turning everything upside down."

"..."

I intended to get that response, but hearing her say it so firmly made me feel a bit annoyed.

"So, if I really hated it, I would’ve ignored Edel’s advice and boldly done whatever I wanted."

After all, I’ve never been shy about giving those arrogant nobles a lesson in manners, even if it risked my reputation.

If I had been worried that it would harm Da-eun if I walked around openly, that’s a different matter.

‘Maybe if I call it cosplay, I could get away with it somehow.’

Or, perhaps cover it up with a bigger issue.

Da-eun, who had been silent for a while after hearing my words, finally spoke up.

"Right. Kana, you’ve always been that way."

"I’m not a kid."

"In my eyes, you are."

"...It’s great being older."

"...Hey, you! Are you mocking a lady’s age?!"

"Da-eun, stop being childish."

Seeing her face soften, Da-eun returned to her usual self.

But there was no need to pull my cheek like that.

After playing with me for a while, Da-eun gave a satisfied smile as she pulled away. I rubbed my cheek, finally free.

And then I added something I hadn’t said earlier.

"Living in a house with a garden means there will be a lot of bugs."

I remembered how Da-eun freaked out when she saw a moth stuck to the elevator wall.

I couldn’t imagine her calmly dealing with a swarm of bugs.

For a brief moment, Da-eun’s face showed disgust.

"Yeah, I guess people should live in the city. You know the saying? 'Send the horse to Jeju, and the people to Seoul.' Ever heard of it? Oh, now that I think about it, I kind of want to visit Jeju again. Since Kana also said we should go out, how about we go to Jeju this time?"

"That’s crazy."

After a stream of words from Da-eun, Yuki, who had been quiet up until then, threw in a sharp comment.

It was so spot-on that I couldn’t even argue.

"You hate bugs, but now you want a house with a garden?"

"Yeah, but... but...!"

Da-eun pouted.

"It’s... my dream! A house with a garden is every Korean’s dream and ideal!"

I silently glanced at Yuki.

She shook her head without saying a word.

Then, she stepped back slightly, as if to distance herself from Da-eun.

Da-eun caught my glance.

"...Kana, won’t you catch the bugs for me?"

"Dream on."

"You’re so mean...!"

Watching her bury her head and pretend to cry, I felt a mischievous urge growing inside me.

Specifically, I wanted to catch a bunch of bugs and release them into Da-eun’s room.

Since Da-eun and I share a room, I couldn’t actually do it, though.

"Anyway, we’re done with that conversation, right?"

"Yeah. It’s not like I hate Kana, right?"

"It’s not that I hate it, just that I don’t see the point in moving."

"Well, that’s not the important part, so let’s move on."

Da-eun winked at me.

"What’s important now is where we’re going to travel, right? So, let’s start the travel destination selection meeting! Yay!"

"Yay."

"You're really responding to this? Kana, you're such a good person."

"Just doing my part."

Since I was the one who brought up going out, I had to at least show some minimal effort.

If I hadn’t, Da-eun would’ve just gone off on her own as usual.

Even though it wasn’t exactly enthusiastic, Da-eun seemed satisfied with my response.

Da-eun, all fired up, kept talking, and Yuki and I just quietly listened or occasionally responded.

It didn’t feel like a meeting but more like Da-eun’s presentation.

Clink!

"Oh! Wait!"

Da-eun’s excited explanation suddenly paused.

"Do you want to come with us, Yuki?"

"Huh?"

Yuki blinked, surprised by the unexpected question.