I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 147: I Don’t Know Anymore (1)

“Sigh...”

“...”

“Siiiiigh...”

“...Daeun.”

“Yeah?”

“Letting out sighs like that won’t make the ground collapse.”

Unless it’s dragon breath, of course.

It wasn’t just her sighs—her face was filled with such concern that anyone seeing her might think she was shouldering all the world’s worries alone. Despite her dramatic demeanor, I couldn’t help but be curious about the reason for her prolonged melancholy. After all, this wasn’t just a one-day thing; she’d been like this for three days straight.

One day, I could’ve dismissed as "Daeun being weird again." But two days became three, and ignoring it any longer felt impossible.

“Is something bothering you?”

“Huh?”

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

Daeun scratched her head awkwardly.

“...You caught me?”

“How could I not?”

Her entire body screamed I’m worried about something, yet she thought it wouldn’t be obvious? Sitting quietly and observing her, I watched as she sighed again and plopped into the seat across from me.

Plop.

“It’s nothing major.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

“It really isn’t. ...Just a bit of a headache.”

She seemed to teeter on the edge of deciding whether or not to talk, but eventually, her internal scales tipped.

“So, you know that day when you broke the plates? Do you remember?”

“...Yeah.”

How could I not? It wasn’t that long ago. If I said I’d already forgotten, I’d either be shameless or incredibly dim-witted. Unfortunately, I am neither.

“...Why bring it up now?”

Was she about to chastise me for it? Sure, the new dishes she bought yesterday were pricier than expected, and I did feel more regret about my mistake after seeing the receipt... but she promised she wouldn’t get mad!

Nervously anticipating her words, I braced myself.

“Oh, I’m not blaming you.”

Noticing my expression, Daeun waved her hands dismissively.

“You remember how I was streaming when the plates broke? The sound got picked up on the broadcast. I told the audience it was my cousin messing around, but ever since then, they’ve been clamoring to see this ‘cousin.’ Even though I ban anyone who brings it up, they just keep coming back. It’s driving me crazy...”

“Ah.”

At last, I understood the meaning behind her sighs. She didn’t want to reveal me on stream but ignoring the chatter only made it worse.

“While I can manage the stream itself, the fan café and online communities are harder to control. Some people are even saying I lied and that I’m hiding a boyfriend... Ugh, the bigger my audience gets, the more weirdos show up.”

Daeun muttered that if she really did have a boyfriend, it wouldn’t bother her as much.

“Honestly, if I really had a boyfriend, at least I wouldn’t feel this unjustified.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“...What?”

“I used to wish I’d been born a man. It’s unfair.”

“....”

Half-serious, half-teasing, my comment made Daeun narrow her eyes and scan me up and down before shaking her head firmly.

“I can’t accept that! Kana, you look perfect just the way you are!”

“...Why does Daeun get to decide that?”

“Anyway, that’s the situation. Sigh... And I can’t just stop streaming either.”

“If you want to take a break, just do it.”

“I already took a few days off, and people are still uneasy about it. If I suddenly announce another break amidst all this ‘boyfriend’ nonsense, it’ll just make things worse.”

“...That’s tough.”

For a moment, I thought life in Sillia was better.

‘...Actually, no.’

I quickly corrected myself. This wasn’t entirely unique to Earth. Similar things happened in Sillia’s social circles, especially among the nobility—constant gossip about who had a secret lover or whose gaze lingered on someone a little too long. It was toxic, made worse by the power these people wielded, capable of ruining lives over trivialities.

Maybe gossiping was just an inherent human trait.

“If it were me, I’d just take the break.”

And leave the fallout to Aaron.

To my somewhat reckless suggestion, Daeun responded:

“But if I do that, I won’t be able to buy you delicious chocolates.”

“...If that’s the reason, I can’t argue.”

If only she’d led with that! I nodded solemnly, earning a bewildered look from Daeun. But it didn’t last long. Her face soon clouded over with worry again.

“Honestly, unless I quit streaming altogether, taking a break is the worst option.”

From the way she spoke, it was clear she wasn’t planning to quit. And it wasn’t like abandoning her source of income without a backup plan was a realistic choice.

As I mulled over her dilemma, a thought struck me.

‘Is this really that big of a problem?’

In the end, the viewers only wanted one thing—to see the "cousin" Daeun mentioned. If that’s the case, the solution seemed obvious.

“I’ll help.”

“...You will?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought we agreed to keep you hidden. Did you change your mind?”

“No, not at all.”

I shook my head.

“There’s no need to show my face.”

Point.

Following the trajectory of my finger, Daeun’s eyes landed on a mascot costume tucked in the corner of the room. Her face lit up.

“Oh!”

It was a perfect disguise—completely covering not just the face but even the slightest hint of hair. I had no idea why something like that was in the house, but it couldn’t have been more fitting for this situation.

“You’ll just need to tweak your voice a bit.”

If I did that, no one would think I was “Kanaria.” Even if someone suspected, saying it out loud would make them sound delusional.

“...This could work.”

Daeun, stroking her chin thoughtfully, seemed to find the idea plausible.

“I didn’t want to burden you... but if you’re okay with it, would you do it for me?”

“I don’t mind.”

It would be strange for me to reject my own suggestion. Besides, I wouldn’t be showing my face, so there wasn’t much risk.

Most importantly—

“If my sponsor disappears, I’ll be in trouble too.”

“...Kana, your inner thoughts are showing.”

“They weren’t inner thoughts.”

“Kana, Kana, what on earth are you saying...?”

Even so, the plan, which seemed flawless at first glance, had one potential pitfall.

“What if they don’t believe it even after I appear on the stream?”

If that happened, all our efforts would be for nothing. Tilting my head, I voiced my concern, but Daeun didn’t seem worried.

“That’s fine. The important thing is that I made the introduction. If anyone keeps pestering me afterward, I’ll have a solid excuse to ban them. And, honestly, people who don’t believe it now won’t believe anything, no matter what I do.”

She muttered that the situation had only escalated because of certain troublemakers who loved to stir chaos.

Accepting my suggestion, we started brainstorming and piecing together a plausible story.

Or rather, Daeun did most of the work. Since I was new to Earth and didn’t know much about Daeun’s family situation, it made sense for her to take the lead.

“How does this sound? Pretty convincing, right?”

“Daeun, was it your dream to become a writer?”

“What? Haha, not at all! Like I said before, I hate sitting still for long periods.”

She waved off the idea with a laugh, though her storytelling skills were surprisingly impressive.

“Maybe it’s from watching so many dramas and reading books?”

The power of secondhand experience, she claimed. Thanks to her skills, our little scam came together smoothly.

“When should we introduce me?”

As I read and reread the prepared script to memorize it, Daeun asked the question. When, indeed?

Tapping my lips with a finger, I tilted my head.

“Strike while the iron is hot.”

The longer we delayed, the more Daeun’s sighs would weigh on the atmosphere. She’d been sighing so much lately that even the most patient person would’ve smacked her on the back by now. While I tolerated it, the constant sighing was still draining.

“Let’s do it today.”

“...Where’d you learn that phrase?”

In a past life.

Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I simply shrugged.

It’s not unusual for viewers to want to see a streamer’s family members. Reasons vary: they might hope to learn about parts of the streamer’s past that haven’t been shared, see an unpolished side of them, or enjoy the chemistry between family members.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

The clamor to see Daeun’s “cousin” stemmed from such curiosity. While the initial spark may have come from malicious instigators, the fact that the topic persisted indicated a genuine interest.

So, when Daeun announced the reveal of her cousin:

-OMG OMG OMG OMG

-We won!!!!

-So hyped for today’s stream, smash that like button!

-Lol, smash what?

The reaction was ecstatic. It was a rare opportunity to glimpse the elusive cousin who’d been teased for so long. Speculation about her appearance ran rampant.

-Am I the only one curious about how the cousin looks?

-If she takes after the streamer, she must be pretty.

-She’s probably a total nerd.

-If she were pretty, she’d have wanted to appear on stream earlier. Bet she’s ugly.

-Not everyone flaunts their looks, dude.

-That’s rich coming from someone ugly.

-Lmao, these people aren’t afraid of lawsuits? She’s a private citizen, you know.

Despite Daeun’s usual low-profile approach to her appearance, her objectively good looks had undoubtedly contributed to her streaming success. This fueled the assumption that her cousin would share similar traits, a mix of hope and wishful thinking rather than logic.

With expectations high, the countdown to the stream ticked away. The viewer count climbed steadily as the scheduled time approached.

Finally, the notification appeared:

[Journey has started streaming.]

[Special Guest: My Cousin]

-Here we go, my addiction.

-Let’s dive in~~~

-First!

-(Hello, Journey!)

The chat exploded as viewers flooded in. Daeun, usually starting with a holding screen to let people gather, opted instead to broadcast live from her soundproof booth immediately. The smooth start only amped up the excitement.

However, as minutes passed with no appearance from Daeun or her “cousin,” murmurs of confusion began to fill the chat.

Squeak.

The booth door opened.

Thud.

A small figure wearing a cat mascot costume entered and sat on the chair. Clearly not an adult, the sight froze the chat for a moment.

Tilt.

The cat-headed figure tilted its head, seemingly curious about the silence, triggering an avalanche of responses:

-??????

-?

-??

-?

-Is this a joke?

-LMAO!

-No way lol.

-Omg, hahaha.

-Could it be...?!

Watching the swirling chaos of the chat, the girl under the cat mascot—Kana—thought to herself:

‘So this is hell.’