I Became a Raid Boss-Chapter 213: I didn’t know it would turn out like this (2)

There is a saying that books are food for the soul.

I’ve never really looked up the exact meaning of that phrase, but I have my own guess.

There are all sorts of books in the world, right?

Some books are just for fun, some try to spread an author’s philosophy, and others share useful information...

I could probably group them like this, but if I were to break it down in detail, I think I’d be talking for a long time without even finishing.

However.

I believe that the essence of all books, regardless of their purpose, is the story they tell.

Whether it’s a book meant to bring joy, or one that shares knowledge, ultimately, it’s a book that contains a story the author wants to tell.

"Yeah."

That's what I think.

Some people might not agree, but that's their opinion, so I don’t feel like getting into it.

Now, the reason I’m rambling like this all of a sudden...

It’s because a phrase I saw online a while ago just popped into my head.

"Reading manga or novels isn’t reading. Saying that you're reading those things is wrong."

The response to that was pretty intense, wasn’t it?

And, as intense as it was, I remember there were a variety of reactions.

"In this day and age, at least reading that is better than nothing," "What kind of amazing books do you think you’re reading?" "I think the same way," "It’s pathetic that you’re trying to get attention with this stuff"... and so on.

As you can probably guess by now, I was against that previous statement.

A book is a book, right? Why does there need to be any hierarchy?

Maybe it’s because I’m not so into studying, but...

Anyway, my stance is this: "Reading manga is reading."

So.

"...Kana, what are you doing?"

"Filling up my food for the soul."

I could confidently answer Da-eun like that.

Through the comic book I was holding, I caught a glimpse of Da-eun’s face showing some sort of disapproval.

She was interrupting my serious reading time, huh.

It was a bit of a frown-worthy action, but what could I do? As a cultured person, I had to let it slide.

Isn't this the power of reading?

I answered Da-eun’s question and resumed reading.

However, the unwelcome guest who had interrupted my reading didn’t leave the room. She kept hovering around me.

"Kana, Kana."

"..."

"Kana."

"..."

"Excuse me, Miss Canary? Tweet? Tweet-tweet?"

"...That’s the sound of a sparrow."

"They’re the same kind of bird, right? See, Kana responded."

"What...?"

...Wait, is that actually true?

When I see dogs, I know that dogs of different breeds can communicate with each other.

So, maybe the same is true for birds?

If they’re the same species, maybe small breed differences wouldn’t matter...

"No, it’s not like that."

Before I realized it, I had been caught up in Da-eun’s pace and was lost in thought, so I quickly shook my head.

"...I’m not a bird."

Why was I even thinking about such things?

I’m not a bird, and what came out of Da-eun’s mouth wasn’t bird sounds either. It was dog sounds, actually.

"Dog... dog sounds?! Kana, you, you...! You shouldn’t be saying such bad words to your sister!"

"Why?"

"...Ugh? Well, because it’s morally wrong...?"

"If saying bad words is morally wrong, then what’s ethics?"

"...Ah! Forget what I just said!"

Da-eun made an ‘X’ with her arms.

"Even if we’re close, it’s not good to exchange insults. It could hurt feelings over something trivial. So, Kana, you should only say nice things to your sister. Got it?"

"I don’t get it."

You can’t possibly think you’re going to convince me with that, right?

"...Sigh."

Anyway, the moment I got caught up in Da-eun, my focus was long gone.

At this point, it felt like the words in the speech bubbles weren’t even text anymore. They looked like drawings.

Still, I tried to pull together my scattered attention and turn them back into text.

"Hey, Kana. You’ve been like this for days... Don’t you think you should get out a little?"

"I’ll go out after I finish this volume. Stop talking and bring me the next one."

"Do you even plan on going out? You said that yesterday too..."

"Sigh."

Just as I was starting to get my focus back, I shot Da-eun a glare.

"I told you I’d go out after finishing. Stop bothering me and go out already."

"...Sigh. Our Kana has changed..."

"Ah, just go out already."

"Totally a rebellious teenager."

Pretending to cry dramatically, Da-eun sluggishly opened the door and left.

Finally, the room was calm again.

Satisfied with the silence surrounding me, I leaned back against the head of the bed.

Flick.

"..."

Flick.

"...Sigh."

My reading speed had already been slow, but with Da-eun scattering my concentration and practically crushing it into dust, turning the pages had become excruciatingly slow.

Thud!

I finally slammed the book shut with a loud noise and got up from the bed.

At this point, it was obvious that if I kept reading, I wouldn’t be absorbing any of the content.

When I reached for the doorknob to go outside, I suddenly had an odd feeling and pulled my hand back.

"...When was the last time I went out?"

Not today, for sure.

Maybe yesterday?

But it felt like it had been so much longer.

I hadn’t transcended human limitations completely, but with the small biological functions like eating and sleeping, I’d reached a level of transcendence. I could go days without eating and still feel fine.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go outside, though.

So, I hadn’t really felt the passage of time since I had been so immersed in my reading.

I didn’t have a biological clock to track the time for me.

"...I must have annoyed Da-eun."

Da-eun knew what kind of body I had, but she also worried about me a lot.

Considering I was skipping meals and clinging to books, it would make sense that she’d be worried.

"..."

It felt a bit heavy in my heart, having sent her away so coldly after her concerns.

But that’s a lie.

I did feel a little bad, but ultimately, Da-eun was the one who recommended the comic books to me.

If I’m at fault, it’s only because I faithfully followed her recommendation.

"Yeah. I didn’t do anything wrong."

I reached for the doorknob and turned it.

"-Wha-?!"

As the door opened inward, Da-eun, who had been leaning against it, tumbled forward.

Naturally, since I knew she was doing that, I stepped aside as soon as the door opened, avoiding any awkward physical contact.

Thud!

"Ouch..."

Da-eun, making a loud sound, groaned on the floor.

"What were you doing?"

"Y-you... spying?"

Is it okay to just say that so easily?

I briefly thought about that, but since I knew Da-eun wasn’t an Imperial spy and didn’t have bad intentions, I didn’t make a big deal of it.

Normally, I’d have to look up at her, but now she was awkwardly looking up at me with a half-smile, lying on the floor. I threw a casual comment her way.

"Let’s eat."

"...Huh?"

"You know, Koreans live off rice."

Even though I wasn’t born in Korea this life.

But since I used to be Korean, it shouldn’t be a problem.

After finishing our simple meal, Da-eun and I sat together on the sofa.

"...Huff."

Inhaling.

"Sigh."

Exhaling.

By the way, the breathing sound I heard wasn’t mine.

"This is it. This is what I wanted..."

Da-eun, who was holding me from behind, buried her face in my hair, breathing heavily.

"...Do you realize how much of a pervert you are?"

"I don’t mind being called a pervert. I’m going to enjoy this moment."

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"..."

Da-eun had said that I had been holed up in my room for three days.

Which, if you think about it, meant I hadn’t washed in three days.

Of course, as I mentioned earlier, even though I hadn’t showered for a few days, it’s not like my body was covered in grease and dirt, but I could understand how it might feel a little unpleasant. Yet, Da-eun was hugging me, saying she was happy.

"Sigh... This sweet smell... I think I’m going to feel alive again."

"If you’re satisfied, let go now."

"Umm, I haven’t touched Kana for three whole days, so I’m still not satisfied..."

Da-eun, trailing off with her words, carefully let go of me.

"If I keep doing it, Kana’s going to hate it, so I guess I should stop here, huh?"

"It’s already too late."

If she knew I was going to hate it, she shouldn’t have hugged me in the first place.

I mumbled quietly and shook my hair out.

The hair that touched my hands felt strangely damp, but that was probably just my imagination, right?

It had to be... it had to be.

"By the way, it looks like you really enjoyed that comic book."

"Yeah..."

I hesitated a bit but then slightly nodded.

"...It wasn’t bad."

"Honestly, I didn’t expect you to get so into it. I thought you’d read a few volumes and then get bored, but you actually took it seriously. I was surprised."

"..."

To be honest, there were a few times when I almost gave up when I first started reading. I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this?" or "What good does this do?" as I slowly read each word.

But whenever I was about to put the book down, I became curious about the next part.

So, I kept telling myself, just a little more, just a little more, and then this happened.

"I thought you’d like it, but I didn’t expect you to like it this much."

There was an undeniable laughter in Da-eun’s voice.

She probably didn’t even try to hide it.

"Once you finish that one, do you want me to recommend another one?"

"...Yeah."

"Alright, alright. But no reading all night like last time, okay?"

"..."

"If you don’t answer, I’m not lending it to you."

"...No."

"Hey...!"

Da-eun jumped up in surprise when she heard my answer, but...

Anyway, I answered.

Building up food for the soul is a good thing, but why is she acting like that?

I just couldn’t understand it, so I quietly shook my head.