I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 191: Pajama party (1)

Late evening.

Though it was still too early to go to bed, we had arrived at the accommodation that Da-eun had reserved. We decided to sleep a bit earlier to prepare for tomorrow.

And we would be sleeping in the same room.

Although it was a large pension that was far too big for just the three of us, I couldn't understand why we had to all sleep in one place.

"Isn't it a little weird to sleep together when we're out for fun?"

"What's the problem? What's fun about just being out? Talking late into the night and then sleeping together is one of the best parts of a trip."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Yukki would think so too."

"It does seem a bit impersonal."

"See? Even Yukki thinks so."

"...'That' Yukki?"

Whether Yukki clenched her fists or not, Da-eun spilled the pillow she had been holding in her arms.

"Why do you think they make you sleep in the same room on school trips? It’s to build camaraderie and make memories."

"Huh? I slept in my own room though."

"Huh? Really?"

"I did share a room with someone, but like you said, we didn’t all sleep together. After hanging out, we’d just go back to our own rooms when it was time to sleep."

"...I’ve heard that kids today are more individualistic, but hearing it like this makes it really hit home."

"You're the same age as me, but you're speaking like an old person."

"Anyway!"

Bang!

Da-eun hit the pillow hard with her hand.

"Kanaya, do you know what I regret the most about my time in the hospital? It's that I didn’t get to have a normal school life, like the others. And especially, I regret not going on a school trip."

"By the time I started high school, my health got better, so I was able to keep up with school, but what I really regretted was not going on that school trip when I was in middle school."

Da-eun spoke.

"When you were the right age to be out playing with your friends, you were out fighting on the battlefield and didn’t have any real memories. That’s why I wanted to make some memories for you, even if it’s just this. Of course, I know it’s not enough..."

"Going out to fight on the battlefield is a kind of memory too, right?"

"...Just be quiet."

"..."

Yukki, who hadn't caught the mood, got hit with Da-eun's sharp glare and sank down.

I, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up after a long silence.

"So, what’s your true intention?"

"I’ve become someone who can’t sleep without Kanaya by my side...! So you have to take responsibility, Kanaya!"

"...What do you mean by—"

"Ahh— I’m not listening!"

Da-eun covered her ears and spun around.

Not like a kid, what is this...

Watching in confusion, Da-eun now lay on the bed and started squirming.

"Ugh..."

I didn’t actually have a problem with sleeping together.

Since we started living at Da-eun’s house, we’d always slept on the same bed, so there was no way I would suddenly be opposed to it now.

In other words, what Da-eun was doing right now was just unnecessary.

I had simply said I didn’t understand, but I never expected she would hit the accelerator and take it so far.

"I get it, so stop rolling around."

"You're making dust fly everywhere."

I waved my hand and scattered whatever bits of dust or fibers had risen from the motion.

"...Are you going to sleep together or not?"

"Don't you think it’s a bit late to ask that now?"

"Hehe. You’re right."

With that foolish laughter, the commotion finally ended.

We both lay down next to each other on the bedding.

"If you were an adult, we could have had a drink together..."

Da-eun, lying sideways, said.

"Do you like drinking?"

Yukki, also lying sideways, asked Da-eun.

"I don’t particularly love it, but you know, there’s a certain mood to it. When you’re out having fun, it’s nice to have a drink together."

"Hmm. I think I understand what you mean. Then, we can go out again after Kanaya turns 20."

"...I don't like that idea."

"Why?"

"Kanaya as an adult... It’s hard to imagine. The Kanaya I know is this cute little thing..."

"Even as an adult, you might still be cute."

"Well, I suppose so?"

"...What a curse you’re casting."

Listening to the back-and-forth, I opened my eyes and glared sharply from beneath the blankets.

"Do you know I’m listening to you?"

"But saying something about someone who isn’t here is a bad thing, right? Of course, what we said wasn’t gossip, but a compliment."

"Don’t start spouting the truth now. And to me, it was gossip."

"...Huh?"

"...Huh? You’re making that confused face again."

I turned away from Da-eun, who still had no idea what was going on.

Ignoring her disappointed voice, I faced Yukki, who was now staring blankly at me.

Seeing that face, I couldn’t help but complain.

"Why do I have to sleep in the middle?"

"Well, Kanaya is the center, the mascot, the emotional pillar of our group..."

I fled under the blankets to avoid the endless barrage of words.

Getting tangled in useless nonsense would defeat the purpose of trying to sleep early.

Now that I was under the covers, Da-eun’s meaningless ramblings gradually turned into a lullaby that was just about bearable.

We had to wake up early tomorrow for hiking, and yet she was making all this noise.

Instead of clicking my tongue, I curled up tightly.

‘...I should’ve brought it.’

Then, with a bit of regret, I flexed and relaxed my hand a couple of times.

I didn’t bring the pillow I always hug when I sleep at home. It felt a bit empty.

If I’d brought it, Da-eun would have probably teased me saying, "Kanaya is such a kid," and so I had left it behind.

If I went back to that moment, I would have made the same decision, but still, a bit of regret lingered.

Feeling that regret, I tightly hugged the blanket around me, and slowly, my eyes began to close.

I could have shaken off the sleepy feeling by opening the door, but I didn’t want to do that.

Instead, I opened the door and happily welcomed the sleep that had come for me.

"...Cool."

"...Cool."

The sound of breathing coming from the bulging bundle of blankets made Da-eun and Yukki stop their conversation.

"Well, well."

"She’s asleep."

"I noticed she was quiet earlier. She must have fallen asleep inside the blanket."

Fearing that Kanaya might wake up from hearing their voices, the two lowered their voices and whispered to each other.

"Isn’t it suffocating sleeping like this?"

Yukki, looking at the blanket bundle, expressed the same sentiment Da-eun had once shared.

"Kanaya says it’s comfortable. She feels secure."

"Like a cat in a box."

"Right? That’s why I call her Kananyang."

Perhaps, the reason Kanaya liked burrowing into the blankets was due to memories from childhood.

Having grown up in an environment where she was abused by her parents and had no one to trust, maybe it was instinctive for her to seek out a safe place, even if it felt a bit stifling.

She met someone she could eventually call 'dad,' but not all those memories would fade away.

Da-eun, thinking that the hypothesis she’d made had a good chance of being right, didn’t vocalize it.

Instead, she gently patted the blanket where Kanaya was nestled, doing so softly and carefully, making sure not to wake her.

"I thought I was dreaming at first."

"...At first? Oh, when we first met Kanaya at my house? That could have been it. I thought so too."

In truth, I almost grabbed God by the collar and shook him.

Da-eun laughed awkwardly, hiding the rest of her thoughts.

"And even now, sometimes, I can’t believe it."

"You sure say that, but there’s honey dripping from your eyes."

"Hehe, I’ll take that as a compliment."

Saying that, Da-eun accepted Yukki’s words with a happy smile.

Throughout her childhood, adolescence, and part of her youth, Da-eun had fought against illness, and she was more accustomed to being cared for than taking care of others.

Even when living with Kanaya, there were times when doubts would creep into her mind.

‘Am I really doing this right?’

Kanaya wasn’t the type to express her feelings easily.

Though, if you paid close attention, you could read the emotions and thoughts that were hidden beneath her calm surface.

And Da-eun knew they were quite varied.

However, Kanaya wouldn’t easily open up about them, so Da-eun couldn’t help but doubt herself.

Perhaps she was being too bothersome.

Maybe Kanaya didn’t open up because she didn’t trust her enough to.

Da-eun wanted to show her affection, but maybe it was a little too much.

"That’s probably not something you need to worry about."

Yukki, who had been listening to Da-eun’s quiet thoughts, spoke.

"If Kanaya didn’t like it, she’d have told you. She’s not the type to keep that kind of thing to herself."

"Still..."

"Well, I do think you can be a bit annoying, but even while complaining, she’s still playing along."

"That’s because Kanaya’s kind."

...Kind?

Yukki barely managed to swallow the words that rose to her throat.

"...If you really want to think that way, then think about this. Kanaya plays around with you sometimes, but she almost never does that with me."

She didn’t do it at all, really, but what little she did was more like light teasing.

"That’s because she feels comfortable with you."

"...I guess so."

Da-eun mulled over Yukki’s words.

It was something she told herself to comfort her, but hearing it from someone else made it a little more reassuring.

After a while of thinking, she smiled softly.

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"I hope so."

"Stop thinking about useless things. Why don’t you focus on becoming stronger instead?"

"Ah, that’s a bit..."

And with that, Da-eun firmly cut off Yukki’s attempt to motivate her.

After that, Da-eun and Yukki continued their conversation.

Little everyday stories, stories about broadcasts, experiences, etc.

Contrary to the image of Yukki being all about battle, she was surprisingly a good conversation partner.

As Da-eun had said to Kanaya, the two girls, who were the same age, talked softly and fell asleep, just as the first light of dawn began to break.

I wasn’t looking in the mirror, but I could tell what expression I had.

It was probably one of disbelief.

"...What time did we even go to bed?"

"Ugh... ugh..."

I sighed as I looked at Da-eun and Yukki, who were sluggishly moving like zombies, barely awake.

Somehow, I had a feeling they hadn’t slept at all and had just been chatting away.

How were we supposed to climb the mountain in this state?

"Sigh..."

Honestly, I wasn’t sure who was calling who a kid.