I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 149: I Don’t Know Anymore (3)

The young girl, whose head had been bobbing unsteadily, finally slumped forward.

“...Ah.”

Startled, she jerked her head back up, but only briefly.

Bobbing...

The oversized mascot head began to sway again.

**- She looks tired.

Dozing off, so cute.It is bedtime for kids.What were they doing with the streamer last night...? (Message deleted.)Good night, lol.**

“Are you sleepy?”

“No... I’m not...”

“...So, are you sleepy or not?”

“I’m not sleepy...”

“If you’re tired, it’s okay to go to bed.”

“I’m not tired...”

‘That’s not convincing at all.’

Watching the swaying mascot head, Daeun worried the girl might hurt her neck at this rate. Unable to ignore it any longer, she gently scooped Kana up into her arms.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s go to bed.”

“Mm...”

Kana grumbled in mild protest but soon let out soft, steady breaths as she drifted off to sleep.

‘If she was going to fall asleep this quickly, why put up a fight?’

Chuckling softly, Daeun carried her to another room and laid her carefully on the bed. Kana, half-asleep, grabbed the edge of the blanket and wrapped herself snugly.

“Kana, seriously... Even if you’re sleepy, at least take off the mascot head before sleeping.”

Daeun couldn’t imagine sleeping comfortably with the bulky costume on. Was Kana so tired that it didn’t bother her, or was she simply used to it?

Shaking her head, Daeun carefully removed the mascot head to avoid waking her.

“Good night.”

After placing a pillow under Kana’s head, Daeun tiptoed out of the room and returned to her soundproof booth.

“I’m back.”

**- Rickshaw.

Cadmium.Car shop.Kindness.Oh, she’s back!!Pfft!Did you put her to bed?**

“Put her to bed? I guess so. She wouldn’t wake up, so I just tucked her in.”

**- Got it.

It’s about that time for kids to sleep.Still, she sleeps early for her age....Could it be because of her age?**

“She’s not sick or anything. Her body’s just a bit weak.”

**- Oh, a delicate beauty.

Does she have an illness?Now that you mention it, she does seem frail.**

“No, it’s nothing like that. I don’t want to get into the details, but yeah, her health’s not great. That’s why I didn’t want to bring her on the stream in the first place...”

**- Apologies...

We’re trash.Yeah, I kind of feel bad now.In another stream, we’d have been banned already.**

As Daeun trailed off, the viewers filled in the gaps, correctly guessing what she left unsaid.

Though Kana’s condition wasn’t dire, it wasn’t a lie to say she wasn’t in the best health.

‘It’s not a lie, after all.’

With a feigned air of dignity, Daeun lifted her chin.

- Aren’t you going to bed?

“Me? Hmm...”

Glancing at the clock, Daeun realized how late it had gotten. She’d started streaming later than usual, and after chatting for so long, time had flown by.

“Yeah, I should probably get to bed too. I came back on to wrap things up before I go.”

**- Nooo!!!!

ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠPlease stream a little longerㅠㅠAw, I just tuned in...**

The atmosphere in the chat had become noticeably calmer after the new rules were implemented. While the viewer count had dropped due to the bans and time-outs, Daeun found the current environment far more pleasant.

‘This is much better.’

It would’ve been ideal to start off this way. Like how popular restaurants decline in quality when overcrowded, her stream’s quality had suffered from rapid growth.

‘Maybe I should hire more staff...?’

Since starting Sillia Online, her stream’s style had changed significantly. Managing it the same way as before was bound to cause problems.

‘I should at least give the staff a bonus.’

If Daeun felt this overwhelmed, the staff helping her must’ve been dealing with even more.

As she mulled over her thoughts, comments trickled in.

**- You two really seem close.

For real, lol.Usually, even close relatives grow distant as they get older.Depends on the people, but yeah, that happens a lot.I used to be close to my cousin, but we got awkward in middle school, lol.For her to come over just because Daeun seemed down... they must be really close.Not just close, but Kana seems genuinely kind.So why isn’t she kind to us...**

“Haha, well, she is kind.”

Though Kana wasn’t technically her cousin, and she hadn’t come over out of concern, it was true that Kana’s presence had been a source of comfort for her.

Daeun’s soft smile reflected those thoughts. The chat, predictably, erupted in chaos, but anyone crossing the line was swiftly dealt with under the new rules.

“As I said before, we’re living together now, so it’s inevitable she’ll come up occasionally. But if anyone brings her up without reason or makes inappropriate comments, it’s an instant ban. And I won’t hesitate to send out invitations if necessary.”

**- ?

Invitations?Fan meeting?Yeah, right.**

“Yes, fan meeting invitations—to meet with the police. If you want to have a fan meeting with the officers, feel free to act up.”

Daeun didn’t enjoy imposing strict rules, but sometimes, it was necessary—just like how working adults had to wake up and go to work every morning, even if they didn’t want to.

‘I caused enough trouble back in Sillia...’

Edel and Kana had both warned her that the disasters plaguing Sillia might one day reach Earth. When that day came, hiding her presence wouldn’t be an option.

But until then, or until Kana decided otherwise, Daeun resolved to respect Kana’s wishes.

“Anyway, that’s it for today. Sleep well, everyone.”

**- Goodbye!

Thanks for the stream.Bye-bye-bye-bye-bye.**

Daeun ended the stream and leaned back in her chair. On the darkened monitor, her own reflection stared back, wearing a faintly bitter smile.

“...Even now, I’m relying on her.”

It was embarrassing.

What had changed from her time in Sillia?

As negative thoughts began to creep in, Daeun slapped her cheeks, snapping herself out of it.

Slap!

“Get a grip!”

What’s so different? Just because things got a little overwhelming doesn’t mean you should start thinking nonsense.

“Even Kana said it, didn’t she? Not to overthink it.”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

Kana had told me that since she caused the chaos, it was only fair for her to help fix it. It was probably her way of comforting me after hearing my deep sighs.

“She always pretends not to care, but she’s surprisingly kind.”

Though Kana herself had said it casually, the result was all that mattered. Oblivious to the truth, I smiled, touched by her kindness. Dwelling on the past would only ignore her goodwill.

That’s why, instead of wallowing in regret, I decided to move forward.

“Maybe I’ll order some fried chicken tomorrow... She seemed to love it the most last time.”

I muttered to myself as I picked up my phone to check today’s stream reactions. First stop, the fan café.

It was a space created for me, and thanks to my warnings, mentions of my “younger sibling” had noticeably decreased.

Satisfied with the posts there, I scrolled through them with a sense of relief.

“Next up...”

The community forums.

Not exactly my favorite place, but since most rumors started there, it was impossible to ignore. If I could nip potential problems in the bud here, I could prevent larger issues from arising.

“Hm...”

As I skimmed through the countless posts, I noticed something unusual.

“Why’s it so quiet?”

I had expected chaos, with people blatantly disregarding my warnings, but the posts were surprisingly tame. Instead of inflammatory comments, most were simple recaps of the stream: “She’s living with her cousin,” or “Her cousin isn’t in great health.”

Of course, there were still some troublemakers, but the reason for the calm became clear after I stumbled upon a particular post.

“Oh, so that’s why.”

It was a summary of the time I sued people for malicious comments. The fact that I had refused to settle or show leniency had made waves and left an impression.

Now that they knew my “cousin” was a minor, anyone with any sense would tread carefully.

“The laws on this are pretty harsh. Good thing I don’t have to go the legal route....”

Hiring a lawyer wasn’t an issue. The real problem was that suing someone might expose Kana’s identity. Anyone desperate enough to get sued would likely use that information to cause trouble online.

For now, it seemed like I wouldn’t have to worry about that, and I let out a sigh of relief.

[Is it just me?;]

Someone grieving the death of an NPC suddenly being fine after their cousin shows up seems suspicious, doesn’t it?

(Picture of Kana sitting in a chair.)

(Picture of a small figure in a cat mascot costume.)

Even their body types look similar.

Am I the only one who thinks this is odd...?

Some posts tried to connect Kana with my “cousin,” but—

**- So, what’s your point?

┗ Yeah, and?

Do you think the Earth is flat?If you’re being controlled by nanobots, wave a carrot.Sure, sure. Anyway, the moon landing was fake, right?**

The theories were dismissed as cheap conspiracy nonsense.

Exactly the reaction I expected.

Satisfied that the explanation stream had gone smoothly, I exited the forums.

“Yaaawn...”

With the issues that had plagued me for days now resolved, and no unexpected problems arising, the tension finally left my body, replaced by a wave of exhaustion.

Rubbing my eyes after a jaw-splitting yawn, I muttered, “I should get to bed too...”

Click.

I turned off the soundproof booth’s light and shuffled to my bedroom. When I got there, Kana greeted me in the same cocoon-like position she’d been in earlier, still wrapped up like a caterpillar.

Click.

“Pfft.”

Unable to resist, I took a photo of Kana, her face peeking out adorably as she slept soundly.

“She’s so cute, seriously.”

Smiling softly, I climbed into bed, careful not to wake her, and hugged the bundle of blankets around her.

“Mm...”

Kana stirred uncomfortably but didn’t wake, quickly falling back into a deep sleep.

“Just for a little while...”

I told myself I’d only stay like this for a moment. Then I’d get up, wash my face, and organize things.

But contrary to my intentions, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

“Koo...”

Soon enough, my vision faded to black, leaving only the sound of two steady breaths echoing in the quiet room.

“?”

Morning came.

The sunlight streaming through the imperfectly drawn curtains woke me. Confused, I blinked and looked around.

“...Why am I lying here?”

I distinctly remembered streaming with Daeun...

Puzzled, I tried to shake off the drowsiness and sit up—only to realize I couldn’t.

Daeun, still hugging me tightly along with the blanket, was the reason why.

“Koo—”

“....”

Wrapped up in the blanket and held firmly in Daeun’s arms, I was utterly stuck. All I could do was blink, bewildered.

“This is suffocating.”

I muttered my frustration, but Daeun showed no signs of stirring.

“Hmm.”

After a moment’s thought, I decided not to resist the blanket’s warmth. Closing my eyes again, I surrendered.

Forget it. I’ll just sleep a little longer.