I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 254: Is this the life of a celebrity…?

I didn’t say it out loud because I knew Daeun would get smug about it.

But if I were being completely honest, being petted by Daeun felt a little strange... but not entirely unpleasant.

At the very least, it was far better than having my cheeks squeezed like some kind of toy.

Not that I didn’t enjoy that in its own way...

‘...No, wait.’

What the hell was I thinking just now?

Had I gotten used to it after enduring it so much?

...Could it be that all those times she messed with me were just to prepare for this moment?

How much of it was planned, and how much of it was just her playing around?

Once that thought took root, Daeun’s smiling face, as she continued to stroke my cheek, no longer looked as innocent as before.

She was terrifying... Daeun.

“Hmm? Why are you shivering? Are you cold? Should I turn on the heater?”

“...I’m fine.”

As I trembled from the horrifying realization, Daeun’s hand finally left my face.

“Oh, right...!”

“?”

She spoke as if she had just remembered something she had forgotten.

Daeun pulled out her phone from her pocket.

“Good, we still have time.”

“Time? Time for what?”

Was she talking about dinner?

But we had just eaten lunch not too long ago.

She wouldn’t react that dramatically over something like that.

“You remember the filming we did last time?”

“The A Cup of Pause thing?”

“Oh, you remembered?”

“It hasn’t been that long. How could I forget?”

“Well, yeah. You’re smart, after all. Anyway, today’s the first broadcast.”

“Really?”

Now that she mentioned it, the PD had said something about this being around the time.

“So why bring it up?”

On the last day of filming, the PD had made a suggestion.

They asked if we’d like to gather for the first episode’s airing.

They explained that doing a live watch-along with viewers would be great for promotion.

And the way they spoke made it clear that they were desperately hoping we’d agree.

“We already said we weren’t going to watch it together.”

Of course, that had nothing to do with me, so I refused.

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The PD had asked me to reconsider, saying I could let them know even a day before, but I had completely forgotten about the first airing until now.

“We said no to watching it with everyone, but it’s fine for just the two of us, isn’t it? Besides, seeing how I was filmed is important. If I check how I looked, I can improve next time.”

“...I’m not a streamer.”

“Well, something like this might happen again, so wouldn’t it be useful? Or... do you just not want to watch it with me?”

“That’s not it... Fine. Let’s watch it.”

Did she really need to pull out the ultimate move?

I thought it was a bit unfair, but honestly, I was curious about the show too, so I agreed without much resistance.

“It’s a rule to eat something while watching stuff like this.”

“Then let’s eat.”

“Knew you’d say that.”

Daeun dropped her fake act of contemplating and beamed.

“I’m still kind of full, but if we order now, the food will arrive when we’re hungry. What should we get? Chicken? Pizza? Jokbal? What do you like, Kana?”

“Chicken.”

“Knew it. You really love chicken. Didn’t you also cook a chicken dish when we first met?”

“That wasn’t chicken. It was a cockatrice.”

“Same thing. They look alike, don’t they?”

“...”

She had a point.

The reason I hunted and cooked cockatrice in the first place was pretty much what she just said.

But... was she really the one to say that?

“You ran away screaming when you found out it was monster meat.”

And now she was saying, ‘Chicken, cockatrice—same thing’?

Did she really think I’d just let that slide?

Daeun’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Ugh, well, that’s...!”

“That’s what?”

“...Honestly, it makes sense!”

Daeun, after searching for a rebuttal, finally shouted in frustration.

“Cockatrice is one thing! But orcs—! Orc meat is a hard no!”

“They’re both monsters.”

“But orcs walk on two legs! And they look somewhat human!”

“Do they?”

I pictured an orc in my mind.

No matter how I looked at it, it was nothing more than a bipedal pig.

“Anyway, no. Just no. Something about it just instinctively feels wrong. Like I’d get sick if I ate it...”

“For someone who says that, you sure ate it happily.”

“I wouldn’t have eaten it if I knew it was orc meat! Ugh... just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

“You’re such a picky eater.”

Why did she have so many food preferences?

Didn’t she also refuse to eat the fish we caught back in Raxia?

“...That was a monster, though. And I really don’t want to hear ‘picky eater’ from you! Who’s the real picky eater here?”

“I can eat it. I just choose not to. You can’t eat it at all. That makes you the picky eater.”

“Hmph. If that’s the case, then I also can eat it. I just choose not to.”

“Lies.”

“It’s true~.”

“Keep lying, and I’ll bring back monster meat from Silia.”

“Then I’ll ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) make your meals so green you’ll think you’re in the middle of a meadow.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Should we just get fried chicken?”

“...Half-and-half.”

“No pickled radish, right?”

“Yeah.”

Mutually assured destruction only leads to ruin.

Daeun and I silently acknowledged this truth, reaching an unspoken truce.

Or at least, I thought we had.

“But pickled radish isn’t green. Do you hate that too?”

Daeun just had to drag the finished argument back up.

“So you really want to see this through to the end, huh?”

“No...! I was just genuinely curious. You eat cubed radish kimchi and shredded radish salad just fine.”

“...It’s too sour.”

“You hate sour things more than spicy things?”

“I hate both. But cubed radish kimchi and shredded radish salad aren’t that spicy.”

So I could tolerate them to some extent.

“Unlike a certain someone’s past mistake.”

“...Ahem. I have no idea what you’re talking about. Oh, look! The menu has ice cream too. Should we get that?”

“Didn’t you say you were full?”

“So do you want it or not?”

“...Order it.”

“Pfft, got it.”

But why does a fried chicken place even sell ice cream?

Was chicken and ice cream a good combination?

...I couldn’t imagine it.

Well, there must be a reason for it. They wouldn’t sell something nobody buys, right?

With that, I stopped thinking too hard about it.

There were some distractions while ordering, but we successfully placed it.

Then, while exchanging idle chatter, we waited for the delivery to arrive.

Some time later, the intercom rang with a clear chime.

“They’re here!”

Daeun, grinning, dashed to the intercom.

Apparently, security procedures had gotten stricter since the last stalking incident, making deliveries a bit more tedious.

Daeun had commented on it before:

“I thought people would hate the hassle, but surprisingly, everyone’s happy about the increased security. Then again, with how dangerous things have gotten lately, it makes sense.”

Just turning on the news showed how chaotic the world was, so it was better to be safe, even if it was inconvenient.

—Ssshhk.

“...!”

While I was lost in thought, something cold suddenly pressed against my cheek.

Instinctively, I flinched, and a soft chuckle followed.

Obviously, a sudden chill in a warm room wasn’t natural.

My eyes naturally landed on the most likely culprit.

“...What are you doing?”

Daeun, holding a cold beverage can against my cheek, grinned.

“Did that surprise you?”

“I wasn’t surprised. But why would you randomly press a cold drink against my face?”

“I brought the chicken in, and you didn’t even notice. You were so deep in thought I got curious.”

“You could’ve just asked.”

“But this is a classic trope, you know? The heroine presses a cold drink to the daydreaming protagonist’s face.”

“...So?”

“No reason. Just thought of it.”

What was she even trying to say?

I sighed, watching as she hummed and set the table.

As she opened the box, the faint scent of fried chicken suddenly exploded into the air.

Even after being reborn in Silia, I had never forgotten that glossy, golden-brown glaze. I swallowed instinctively.

But something felt off. I tilted my head.

“...Where’s the ice cream?”

“I put it in the freezer. If I left it out, it would melt.”

“...Weren’t we supposed to eat it with the chicken?”

“Pfft, who eats chicken with ice cream? I think there was a similar dish in a cooking survival show once, but it’s definitely not a mainstream thing. And a long time ago, there was even something called ‘ice chicken’ on the market, but it disappeared almost instantly.”

“Hm.”

I figured as much.

So it wasn’t meant to be eaten together—just as dessert.

I felt relieved, but at the same time, a little disappointed.

Honestly, I was a bit curious.

Chicken is savory, ice cream is sweet—it could be that perfect balance of salty and sweet, right?

“If you’re that curious, I can take it out.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I might be curious, but I had no desire to actually try it.