I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 182: Is this real? (4)

Thud.

"Ah, damn."

The man grimaced.

"I’ve only gotten it halfway open."

Well, thinking positively, at least it’s half-open.

...That’s not really true.

The sole of his sneaker stomped out a cigarette butt with a rough motion.

Should I light one more?

The man rummaged through his cigarette pack.

"Only a few left..."

He had thought there were still some left when he came to the smoking area.

The answer was right beneath his feet.

Scattered all over the floor were countless cigarette butts.

The number easily surpassed five, so it wasn’t surprising that there were no cigarettes left in his pack.

It was only then that the man’s mind snapped back into focus.

Had he been following his usual pace, he would’ve had enough to last for days.

He couldn’t be bothered to buy more, and the recent price hike on cigarettes meant that his wallet was dangerously thin.

The man placed the last cigarette in his mouth.

Click, click!

They say that nothing works when it’s a bad day, and no matter how many times he flicked his lighter, the flame refused to catch.

By the time his frustration reached its peak—

Whoosh!

The flame, fueled by his anger, flared up.

Finally managing to light the cigarette, the man took a deep drag.

As nicotine seeped deep into his lungs, he felt his mind finally clear up.

With his head clearing, he felt more at ease and picked up his phone, which he had set down for a moment.

"Ugh, idiots."

Why are there so many stupid people in the world?

The man let out a chuckle as he scrolled through the comments on his post.

There was no hiding it.

The man, holding the cigarette in his mouth, was none other than the one who wrote the post about J, the streamer, and her cousin.

It had only been a day since he posted it, and despite the dozens of replies he had removed, the post still had hundreds of comments, making it the most popular post he had ever written.

Of course, not all the comments were friendly.

There were people who had come to check out what the commotion was about, and some were accusing him of being a criminal.

‘Criminal, my ass.’

A single photo didn’t make anyone a criminal.

If they had an issue with it, he could always just say he took a photo of the scenery.

Stalking declaration?

That was just something he said casually.

The man had used a VPN to post because it was a habit, not out of fear.

"Even so, I don’t like it."

He’d revealed something people were curious about, and now they were calling it fake, saying there’s no evidence. He couldn’t stand it.

In that moment, he felt as though he understood the suffering of the noble-minded.

He’d never cared if people believed him or not, but now that they were calling him a liar, his mood soured.

Thpt.

The man ground the filter between his teeth, then spat the cigarette butt onto the ground.

‘Evidence? If they really want proof, I’ll show them something they can’t deny.’

If he showed clear evidence, the people who were slandering him wouldn’t be able to say a word anymore.

And then, he’d laugh at them, those who ran away with their tails between their legs.

The man tossed the empty pack into a trash can and left the smoking area.

His steps were light, filled with a sense of noble purpose as he prepared to reveal the truth to everyone.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing just throwing your cigarette butt away like that?! Come back and pick it up!"

"Sorry...!"

"People like you are the ones who give smokers a bad name. You get that?"

I was about to leave, but I turned back when I heard the elderly man nearby scolding me and picked up the cigarette butt he had thrown.

‘Damn, old fart...’

I swallowed the words I couldn’t bring myself to say.

Ding-dong!

"...Huh?"

Ding-dong!

Even though I pulled the blanket over my head, the doorbell’s persistent sound still reached my ears.

...Who the hell is ringing my bell at this hour?

"Technically, it’s not that early."

"Does that even matter right now...?"

"Hehe... Since we’re already up, how about getting up? Sleeping too much isn’t good for your health."

"I don’t want to..."

I could get up if I really wanted to, but why bother?

There’s nothing to do anyway, so what’s the point of getting up?

Ignoring the hand that was gently tapping me, I burrowed deeper into my blanket.

"Ugh. If you keep sleeping like this, I wonder if someone’s going to carry you off. If it were Kana, you’d probably just sleep even if someone took you. You’d probably think, ‘I’m too lazy, I’ll just sleep,’ right?"

Maybe that’s true.

It’s not so much that I’m lazy to get up, but that I’d be fine even if someone did carry me off.

Anyway.

I was doing my best to ignore the sound of the doorbell while wrapping myself in the warm cocoon of the blanket when I felt Da-eun’s presence getting farther away. It seemed like she was heading to answer the doorbell despite everything.

"..."

For a moment, I tried to focus on the sleepiness threatening to swallow me up.

"Ugh..."

The doorbell stopped, but the drowsiness I had been fighting off didn’t come back.

Back and forth, back and forth.

After hesitating at the crossroads, I finally poked my head out of the blanket.

It was essentially a declaration of surrender.

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I wanted to sleep more, but now that I couldn’t, what else could I do?

Forced awake by an unexpected guest, but that wasn’t reason enough to leave the bed.

As I said earlier, there was nothing outside the bed that would make it worth leaving, so I might as well just roll around here.

Bang.

"Kana~"

The door, which had been closed, creaked open, and a familiar face appeared.

"Are you sleeping~?"

"No."

"Yeah, you sure look like you are."

"...?"

What’s with this conversation that doesn’t even sound like one?

I stopped rolling around on the big bed and looked up in confusion as Da-eun approached, wearing an odd smile.

She plopped down on the edge of the bed.

The bed bounced slightly from her movement.

Da-eun didn’t say anything, just kept smiling and looked down at me.

"Who was it?"

I was the one who finally spoke first.

"A guest."

"...What kind of guest rings the bell like that?"

If it was a debt collector, I’d understand, but...

I said it grumpily, and Da-eun chuckled softly, reaching her hand out to me.

Her long fingers brushed aside the pink hair that was tickling my eyes.

"The guest said they wanted to see you, Kana. Do you want to meet them?"

"A guest? Me?"

"Yeah?"

"Who are they?"

"That's a secret!"

"Huh?"

"If I told you in advance, it wouldn't be fun!"

"..."

This conversation makes no sense.

"Hey, stop with the bad words!"

"How is that a bad word?"

Anyway.

There’s no way someone who doesn’t know me would want to see me, and even if they did, they must be someone I know.

If they’re visiting this early...

"Is it my aunt?"

"Hmm~ I wonder. Maybe it’s my mom, maybe not."

"If it’s right, it’s right. If not, then it’s not."

I gave Da-eun an annoyed look at her cryptic response and sat up against the headboard.

"Do as you wish."

There’s no way Da-eun brought some weird person here, right?

Having prepared to meet the guest, I gave a half-hearted permission.

The "preparation" was just me sitting up after lounging, though.

Da-eun smiled slyly at my permission.

"Heard you? Come in!"

The door, which had been slightly open, swung wide, and I looked at the person entering, then said to Da-eun.

"You said they were a guest."

"They are a guest, right?"

"No, they’re not a guest, they’re a guest who’s a guy."

"If you want to be specific, they’re not a guest, they’re a ‘guy.’"

The visitor, no, the "guy" walked toward the bed.

They hesitated to sit on the bed, but then seemed to remember they were still in their outside clothes, and awkwardly sat down on the floor instead.

I looked down at the silver hair, which was lower than my line of sight, and asked.

"Why are you here this early?"

"You haven’t been to the gym for days."

"Days?"

I counted on my fingers.

No matter how many times I counted, the fingers on one hand didn’t add up to the other hand.

"It hasn’t been that long, has it?"

"A few days is long enough."

"Oh, right."

That’s just how Yuki is.

On the outside, she seems fine, but once you talk to her, you realize something’s a bit off.

I slid off the bed, still leaning against it, and sank back into the blanket.

"What if it’s just to see a guest?"

"Well, if you’ve disappeared for a few days without saying anything, it makes sense to check in on you."

"...Did I not say anything?"

"Nope."

Yuki answered firmly.

Da-eun scratched her head awkwardly.

"I didn’t tell Yuki either..."

"You didn’t have an obligation to tell me."

"Still, when someone disappears suddenly, it’s a bit of a shock, like a kind of decency."

"Hmm."

"And, being someone who knows our situation and is familiar with these problems, it might’ve been helpful to have her opinion."

"Not exactly trustworthy... but, okay."

There was no need for Da-eun to convince me.

I knew what she said was probably right, given her experience with social situations.

Following my unspoken permission, Da-eun explained to Yuki why I had to stay home for a few days.

Of course, the reason wasn’t just that I’d been holed up at home, but...

"Aha."

After hearing everything, Yuki nodded.

"Well, if that’s the case, I guess it’s understandable."

"Have you had similar experiences, Yuki?"

"Yeah. Plenty."

She didn’t fully expose the details, but she didn’t hide them either, so naturally, stalkers were bound to get interested.

Yuki continued.

"It’s strange, though. I only do those 24-hour no-contact hunting streams, and still, those kinds of people get interested."

"Those people don’t always try to get close to streamers. I’ve heard some people do it for the sense of superiority, to feel like they can control famous people."

"Heh."

"So, Yuki, how did you deal with it when it happened?"

"My way probably won’t help."

"Eh?"

Yuki kindly answered Da-eun’s puzzled look.

"I solved it with a match."

"...Eh?"

"Well, I actually solved it with sparring. When a stalker came after me, I’d call them to the ring, and if they won, I’d give them whatever they wanted."

...What a simple, brute-force solution.

But that’s probably the solution that suits Yuki best, so both Da-eun and I were speechless and just looked at each other.

It was Da-eun who spoke first.

"What if you lose?"

"I’ve never lost."

"So, what happens if you lose? Those kinds of people aren’t going to ask for anything normal..."

"You just accept it. The world of competition is ruthless."

"Are you crazy?"

Da-eun turned her head sharply, her words dripping with disbelief.

"Please tell me you don’t think like Yuki."

"Of course not."

Why would I ever engage in a bet with someone like that?

I’d just wipe them out.

Da-eun nodded after hearing my response.

"I see. I guess I can’t leave this to Kana."

"So, you’re staying quiet."

Though I know my views are a bit different from the usual around here, I get it.

So, even if it might seem irresponsible, I’m leaving it all to Da-eun.

I just answered when asked, but I had no intention of stepping in myself.

"If they refuse to accept a bet or keep bothering me after losing, what do you do?"

"First, the second one almost never happens. After they get beat up in the ring, they usually run away as soon as they get off. If they don’t keep their promise, you call in the authorities. It’s the same if they refuse the bet."

"Shouldn’t the order be reversed...?"

"Anyway, as long as it’s solved, right?"

"Yeah, not really."

Yuki frowned at the firm refusal, and Da-eun sighed.

"I thought I could help."

"I told you."

Not exactly trustworthy.

"Yeah. I should’ve listened to Kana. She never says anything wrong, right?"

"Not exactly. ...Wait, are you teasing me?"

"Hehe."

I glanced away, then realized what Da-eun was up to and shot her a side-eye.

Da-eun smiled innocently, then hugged me.

It was a clear attempt to smooth things over since she didn’t have an argument left.

"So, are you going to stay inside until this is all sorted?"

"It’s not that I’ll stay locked up... I’ll just try to avoid going out too much. I don’t want to give them more ammunition."

"Should I solve it for you?"

"No, thanks."

"Meh."

After being rejected once again, Yuki looked at us with a pout, but strangely with envy in her eyes.

"If you just drive around, it might be fine, but there’s always the possibility of something happening."

"It won’t be solved in just a day or two."

"Yeah, I think so too. But hey, I think spending some time quietly with Kana isn’t such a bad idea. Kana’s been busy lately, and we haven’t had a chance to relax like this. Right, Kana?"

"I think we’ve been pretty relaxed."

"I’ll give you chocolate, okay?"

"Okay. I think so too."

"That’s bribery."

Yuki muttered in discomfort, witnessing the bribery firsthand.

Then, she suggested another solution.

"Or, how about staying at my place until it’s all sorted?"

"I’m not really... a fan of that."

That wasn’t something I liked either, not just Da-eun.

"Once you leave your house, they say it’s a real mess."

"You know that saying?"

"..."

"Hehe... Sorry, it was a joke. Don’t get grumpy."

"I’m not grumpy."

I’m not an animal, after all.

"You might not be an animal, but you are a cat. Kana-nyan!"

Suddenly, something was placed on my head.

Though I couldn’t see it, it wasn’t hard to guess what it was.

It was clearly the hood of the pajamas I was wearing.

"Yuki, look at Kana. Isn’t she cute?"

"Oh..."

"Oh, what’s with the 'oh'?"

I shook my head, trying to get rid of Da-eun’s hand.

Along with that, the suspicious thing that covered my head.

"Aww, she’s cute..."

"Who cares."

I pouted, finally realizing I had been cajoled into wearing them reluctantly.

I never wanted to wear this kind of outfit.

...Although, surprisingly, it was pretty comfortable.

"If you really want to train, you can meet me at Cilia. I’ll spar with you a few times."

"Hmm... I guess I have no choice."

I thought Yuki would insist on training for a while, but she surprisingly accepted easily.

Maybe she had similar experiences.

Anyway, it was nice to not have to talk about it anymore.

"Since you’re here, how about training for a bit?"

"Sure."

"Wait, wait! The homeowner is right here listening, and you two are making a mess of the place?!"

"Don’t worry. I’m not planning on doing anything crazy."

I wasn’t keen on my house becoming a mess.

"Just like when you first came here."

"...Ugh. Can we forget about that already?"

She’s really dragging that out, huh.

Da-eun shuddered, her expression giving away everything she was thinking.

That was the price of putting something strange on someone’s head.

With a smirk, I stood up.

Since I didn’t want to make any more noise in the bedroom where I was supposed to rest, I decided to head to the living room.

"Da-eun, hurry up."

"...Me? Me too?"

"Do you have something else to do?"

"Not really, but..."

"Then hurry up."

"Heh... I was planning on rolling around with Kana today, but you ruined it!"

"Was that my fault?"

Ignoring the noise behind me, I walked to the living room first.

Anyway, like Da-eun said, it looks like I’ll have to stay inside for a while.

It’s a bit suffocating, but it can’t be helped.

However, the situation unfolded a bit differently than we expected.