I Became a Raid Boss

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-…Huh!

“…Yuki, you’re fighting well.”

“It’s not like it’s unwatchable.”

Yuki and Da-eun were actively engaged in their training.

In truth, I had no worries about whether Yuki would keep up.

Seeing her actions, the chances of her losing interest and falling behind were very low, and even if she did, it didn’t matter much.

Although she was the most talented Earthling I’ve seen so far, she was still just a hunk of metal barely shaped like a sword.

If it had been one of my busy students I’d been painstakingly teaching who chose to leave, I would have felt some disappointment, but that wasn’t the case here.

So I taught her that if she wanted to follow, it was up to her, and if not, then fine by me. To my surprise, she had even more enthusiasm than I expected.

Still, I didn’t teach her carelessly or anything.

On the other hand, there were unexpected effects as well.

“…”

“Hmm? Do you have something to say?”

“No.”

“Come on~ that’s boring.”

Pat pat.

Da-eun paused watching Yuki’s broadcast to pet my head.

Feeling her soft yet slightly playful hand ruffle my hair, I gently closed my eyes.

The unexpected effect I didn’t foresee was how it boosted Da-eun’s enthusiasm.

Despite the skill gap, it seemed that the motivation from training together sparked something within her, making her more passionate than before.

And her efforts were showing visible results…

‘-Not exactly. Yeah.’

If she had undergone some life-changing event, I might understand.

But even if her mindset had slightly changed, the world isn’t so accommodating as to allow for remarkable development.

Still, it’s nice to see her working hard.

Unless it’s out of revenge for her parents, there’s no reason to look down on someone who is striving to achieve their desires, right?

“…?”

Having emerged from my sea of thoughts, I realized the hand that had been petting my head had stopped.

Opening my eyes and looking up, I saw a pair of black eyes, similar to Yuki’s but with a different hue.

However, those eyes seemed fixed on something other than me.

Swoosh!

A sound reached my ears just then.

While quite realistic, it didn’t feel entirely so since it came over the speakers.

On the screen, Yuki was playing her broadcast.

Da-eun spoke without taking her gaze from it.

“Yuki’s fighting is always intense, you know.”

“Yeah.”

I stopped looking up at Da-eun and turned my attention to the screen.

Yuki, having severed a monster’s arm, swung her great sword again, sending a large head flying into the sky with a spray of red blood.

“Isn’t that closer to being clumsy rather than intense?”

“Well, those two don’t necessarily conflict. Just like Kana is cute and cool!”

“Do you really have to make that comparison?”

“It’s not a comparison; it’s the truth. You could ask anyone on the street, and ten out of ten would agree with me!”

“That’s a nuisance.”

Why would you stop random people on the street to ask that?

“That just means Kana is really cute. It’s not like I think that’s really how it is.”

A thin, elongated finger lightly pinched my cheek, just slightly and not painful at all.

Since it wasn’t painful, I just stayed still, but the finger that seemed to have been satisfied with pinching now began to poke my cheek.

…What a hassle.

“Ah.”

Trapped in Da-eun’s embrace, I couldn’t move, so I opened my mouth wide.

I tried to bite that annoying finger, but—

“Hehe, you missed it!”

Having already pulled her hand away, I ended up just snapping at thin air.

Wriggling my body in annoyance, Da-eun burst into soft laughter.

“Puhuhu… Has your cuteness increased a lot lately?”

“…Does this look cute to you?”

“…Gasp! Are you saying that all your actions are cute, and you don’t need to act cute at all?”

“Ugh.”

“Stop sighing and answer! Do you really think that way?!”

As Da-eun pressed a microphone, seemingly from nowhere, toward me, I sighed again.

…Anyway.

So, for a week and a few days after that,

Yuki and Da-eun were fervently training.

They never said when to come or go, but they came early every morning and stayed until evening, dragging their exhausted bodies back home, which spoke volumes.

Sometimes they even napped in the gym out of weariness.

But humans can’t live on dew alone.

Especially those living in modern society need more than just water and food.

Things that acquire value through social agreements and form the basis of society…

To put it briefly, money.

“By the way, isn’t Yuki going to stream?”

“Ah.”

Yuki, responding briefly to Da-eun’s words, tried to pretend she didn’t hear.

“But it’s total chaos right now!”

She couldn’t ignore the continuing words and, stopping her swordplay, shuffled home.

Even the crazy battle fanatic Yuki had the sad fate of needing to earn money to live, so she returned to her original job after a long time.

The result of that was the broadcast Da-eun and I were watching now.

I logged into Silia Online and watched Yuki hunting monsters before casually throwing out a remark.

“That’s a weird habit she’s developed.”

“Yeah?”

“Look at that.”

I pointed at Yuki with my finger.

Just then, her great sword plunged into a monster’s chest.

“She’s swinging the great sword like it’s a longsword.”

Perhaps after days of wielding a longsword, it seemed she had automatically started fighting as if she was holding a longsword.

“Is that so? I can’t really tell… Well, if Kana says so, then it must be true.”

“Hmm….”

Glancing over.

“That could be.”

“That ‘hmm….’ you just said carries quite a bit of meaning. Care to share it with this onee-chan?”

“No.”

“Isn’t it more about denying it rather than just saying no in cases like this?”

“No.”

“…Aah, you little brat!”

While we were bickering back and forth, Yuki on the screen tilted her head.

It seemed like she felt something was off.

But true to herself, she didn’t change her fighting style.

“The system is definitely cheating.”

“What could our Kana possibly find wrong with that?”

“It’s ridiculous that she can swing like that without any physical enhancement!”

Ignoring the finger that was poking my cheek, I grumbled.

“It’s completely unfair.”

That she fights swinging the great sword like it’s a longsword.

Though it sounds simple, it’s not an easy feat at all.

There’s a reason each sword style suits its respective sword.

Whether it’s length, size, or weight.

There’s a difference with every aspect, so how can she maintain the same swordsmanship?

Yet Yuki was covering all of that with her ridiculous physical abilities.

“That’s what makes me anxious.”

Actually, it wasn’t worry but more curiosity.

“If things go south and dimensional beings invade Earth, what kind of trouble will ensue?”

The fact that many people are playing Silia Online means, conversely, that superhumans with physical abilities like Yuki would flood in.

Even with my lack of understanding of social phenomena, I could easily guess it would not end in mere chaos.

Hearing my thoughts, Da-eun also wore a serious expression.

“…Hmm.”

Unintentionally, I had given her something to ponder as I stroked my cheek—

“Ah.”

I realized I was still trapped in Da-eun’s embrace.

So instead of scratching my cheek, I just tilted my head slightly.

Swish…

A few strands of hair had gotten inside her clothes, causing Da-eun to flinch slightly.

“Huh…?!”

“Ah, sorry.”

“No, no. It’s actually a good thing.”

Da-eun gathered my hair and ran her fingers through it like a comb.

For a moment, she smiled, saying it was still nice and smooth.

“Yeah. I understand why Kana is worried.”

Da-eun spoke in a somewhat calm voice.

“The game becoming reality and awakened players fighting against monsters… it sounds like something out of a novel.”

“Novel?”

“Yeah. There’s a genre that deals with those themes.”

While discussing it softly, Da-eun’s hands were busy.

“It’s a common theme in such novels. ‘What happens when a person suddenly gains power?’”

Some people who were dissatisfied with reality gain power and run rampant,
Some dream of being the rulers of a new world and stand against existing society,
While others might surprisingly integrate without much fuss, Da-eun explained.

Listening quietly, I asked.

“So what’s your point?”

“Just.”

Finishing a large combing motion, the comb left her hand.

“There’s enough knowledge of regular developments that you could manage it smoothly… something along those lines. It’s like a form of indirect experience? …Of course, that’s half a joke, though.”

Da-eun smiled shyly.

“Kana is strong enough that no matter what happens, you’ll get through it. I mean, even if players went wild, they’d be nothing more than a handful to you, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Maybe I had been overthinking things too much.

Hearing Da-eun’s words made me feel a bit clearer in my mind.

I’d never really been one to worry too much about such matters anyway.

I guess I unconsciously grew tense thinking about how my new home might be destroyed.

As I let go of the strength in my body, I relaxed.

“If there ever comes a time when Kana is overwhelmed… I’ll help!”

“I’ll pass on that.”

“Why?!”

“….”

If I were in a situation where I needed help, it’d only be dangerous for Da-eun to intervene.

I kept that thought buried inside instead of voicing it out loud.

Then, ignoring Da-eun, who was pouting with her lips, I turned my gaze back to Yuki’s broadcast.

It had been several minutes since she began hunting, yet Yuki showed no signs of fatigue or boredom, continuing to hunt vigorously.

In fact, seeing her corners of her mouth slightly rise, it seemed she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

“…I think at least one person would be happy.”

If that thing I mentioned earlier happened.

Though it was somewhat lacking in context, Da-eun, quick on the uptake, nodded.

“Yeah. I agree.”