I Became a Raid Boss

Buzzz-

“….”

Buzzzzzz!

“…Uh, Kana?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going to pick up?”

“Yeah.”

So?

Da-eun looked at me, confusion practically radiating from her as she stared.

“It’s annoying.”

It’s obviously spam. Why bother?

At first, I used to answer without a second thought. But every time I did, it was about loans, internet offers, investments, and things like that.

“Ah, right.”

Da-eun nodded as if she understood perfectly.

“There really is a lot of spam. I used to get so annoyed that I seriously thought about turning my phone off.”

“Then just turn it off.”

“But then I’d miss important calls. Hmm… Well, for you, most of your calls are spam since you don’t really have anyone to keep in contact with.”

“Exactly.”

I haven’t shared my contact with anyone else, so who would even call? I only gave my number to Uncle and Auntie, but unless something’s going on with Da-eun, they wouldn’t reach out to me first.

So any call I get right now is obviously spam.

Unlike other spam calls that usually give up if ignored, this one kept calling persistently. But if I keep ignoring it, it’ll eventually give up, right?

Head tilt.

I tilted my head, suddenly feeling like I’d missed something since Da-eun started talking.

Then, as I replayed the conversation in my mind, I found what had felt odd.

“I didn’t share my number with anyone, so how am I getting spam calls?”

I haven’t signed up for anything, either.

“…Oh.”

“?”

“Kana, you’re not supposed to uncover the secrets of the world.”

“Here we go again.”

“…What’s with that look, like you’re listening to some sleazy sales pitch?”

“Wow.”

Clap, clap.

“You read me perfectly.”

How did she see right through my thoughts? I clapped to applaud her insight.

“That’s not a compliment! You’re mocking me, aren’t you?”

Da-eun raised her voice but quickly regained her calm.

“Anyway, there are some ‘grown-up matters’ tied into this. Baby Kana doesn’t need to know just yet, so I’ll explain it to you later, okay?”

“…Baby?”

“…Oh my! Kana’s acting cute! Ahh, why didn’t I record this?!”

“You think that looked cute?”

Yep, Da-eun’s definitely not thinking straight.

Shaking my head, I noticed my phone, which had been vibrating this whole time, finally stopped. Looks like they gave up.

“If the buzzing bothers you, just flip the phone over next time. It’ll go completely silent that way.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Still, there are times when Da-eun says something actually useful.

So, when she starts talking, I try to listen, at least a little.

“…Sometimes? …Try? Is that really all my words amount to?”

“That’s already being very generous.”

“That’s so mean!”

Da-eun pouted, acting like I’d said something terrible. But isn’t it true that the harsher and more bitter the truth, the harder it is to swallow?

“That’s why, to become a better person, one has to accept it humbly.”

“You say weird things too, Kana!”

“…Oh no, I’ve caught Da-eun Syndrome.”

“…You’re really too much.”

Da-eun sniffled as she said this.

I scratched my cheek.

‘…Should I apologize?’

It’s not like I feel guilty because I made her cry.

She’s not actually crying, and she doesn’t even look hurt, so there’s no reason to feel guilty.

See? She’s even smiling right now.

Through the small gap between her fingers, I could see the corners of her mouth curling up slightly, so I sighed.

Once, I asked if I was being too snappy with her.

‘Huh? No, not at all. I actually like that Kana acts friendly towards me. I mean, I’m the only one you treat this way, right?’

‘…Well, that’s true.’

‘So it’s fine! It just means you feel comfortable around me.’

She’d said this with a bright smile.

I had a lot to say at the time, but seeing her clear smile made all those words disappear.

…Anyway.

Considering that even Auntie would slap Da-eun on the back when she starts her nonsense, I didn’t think what I said was too harsh.

So why was I hesitating to apologize?

It’s because Da-eun’s in charge of the snacks, of course.

If she got annoyed, she’d threaten to withhold snacks, so I had no choice.

It’s not like eating too many snacks would harm my health, but since Da-eun’s the one paying for them, and I’m basically freeloading, I have no option but to listen to her.

‘Ah, I’m hungry… Maybe I’ll have a snack. …Huh? Where’d all the snacks I bought the other day go?’

‘….’

‘Wait, what? There’s no chocolate, no candy, no bread? I bought enough to fill a truck….’

‘….’

‘Uh, Kana? Don’t just stand there, answer me!’

‘I… didn’t eat them.’

‘So, what? Did Auntie sneak in and eat them? Or maybe a hungry thief took only the snacks?’

‘…Maybe a rat took them?’

‘Aha. So we have rats now, huh?’

‘….’

‘Kana.’

‘Y-yeah?’

‘Snacks. Confiscated.’

‘…!’

…Honestly, I did eat quite a lot.

I told myself I’d just have a couple, but by the time I looked around, there were only empty wrappers everywhere.

Such terrifying addictiveness…

Even though my memory was a bit hazy, I still clearly remembered the taste of chicken.

After enduring a lecture and a cavity check, I was finally freed from Da-eun’s glare.

With my guilt, and since she usually lets me do whatever I want, control over the snacks shifted to Da-eun.

So, if I wanted my snacks today, I had to keep my mouth shut.

One wrong word here, and I’d cross the line.

“Da…”

~♪

“Huh?”

As I was about to call Da-eun, her phone began to play a song.

It was the same song she had mentioned liking on our last trip to the camping site.

With perfect timing, the ringtone went off, making her miss the sound of my voice as she picked up her phone.

“Hello?”

Maybe it wasn’t someone she knew well.

Da-eun’s greeting was the typical formal response you’d give to a stranger.

“Yes? Who is this? …Ah. But why are you calling me…?”

From what I could hear, it seemed like a call from someone unexpected.

By this point, my curiosity quickly faded.

It’s not like I’m interested in eavesdropping on other people’s calls.

So I stopped paying attention to Da-eun and slumped onto the sofa.

Even though there wasn’t anything particularly interesting about the conversation, I still felt a bit deflated now that it ended so abruptly.

“Buu-”

I mumbled nonsense into the cushion, maybe with a hint of dissatisfaction.

“…Kana.”

“….”

“Kana?”

“…Hm?”

While I was lying there with my face in the cushion, Da-eun gently tapped me on the back.

Was the call over?

There’s no way I could have fallen asleep in such a short time.

No one just sleeps and wakes up without even knowing it.

“All done?”

“No, it’s not that….”

When I raised my head to ask, Da-eun looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.

Or maybe she was gauging my reaction.

“They want to talk to you.”

“…To me?”

I blinked in surprise at her completely unexpected words.

…Who could it be?

Was it Auntie or Uncle?

I wanted to ask, but Da-eun handed over the phone, gesturing for me to take it quickly.

“…Hello?”

I used the same greeting Da-eun had just given.

But I noticed my voice sounded even more stiff than hers.

-…Hello? Did you seriously just say ‘hello’?

“…Ow.”

The sudden loud voice nearly made me drop the phone.

That voice… sounds oddly familiar.

I didn’t catch what was said because of the shouting, but the familiarity made me think it was someone I knew.

“Who is this?”

-Who do you think?! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?!

“Ah.”

So, it was Edel.

Realizing who was calling, I let out a short sigh of recognition.

“Long time, no see.”

-…

Though I greeted her out of the fondness we shared from working on the same plan and spending several days together, there was only silence on her end.

After a long pause, just as I was about to hang up, Edel finally spoke.

-Haah… I’d rather die than deal with this. So, why haven’t you been answering your phone?

“Phone calls? You actually made one?”

-I just called a moment ago!

“Oh, you’re right.”

The missed call on my phone matched the number of the current call.

“My bad. I thought it was spam.”

-You… really? After that many calls, you couldn’t check at least once?

“I did think it was persistent. But how did you get my number?”

-Well, as a god, isn’t it natural for me to know?

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t exactly wrong, but…

…Watching this supposedly mighty god get upset over a few missed calls made it a bit hard to take seriously.

In some ways, she’s oddly human.

-Well, I might not exactly be a ‘god’ anymore, technically.

“Couldn’t you have just left a message if I didn’t answer? There are plenty of messaging apps nowadays.”

-What’s with that weird, old-fashioned tone?

“…”

-If you have something to say, it’s better to talk over the phone. It’s faster to share opinions that way. But these days, kids are afraid of phone calls… guess it’s true.

First, she calls me old, and now she’s calling me a kid.

Which tune am I supposed to dance to?

“Just get to the point already.”

I wasn’t in the mood to go along with the whims of this unpredictable god, so I cut off Edel’s chatter right there.

—

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