The night spent in the suite was, as expected, incredibly comfortable.
I woke up in the morning feeling more refreshed than ever.
And who greeted me was Billy, who had somehow snuck into my room without me noticing.
Leaning against the wall, she approached me as soon as I opened my eyes and said, “I visited the Boss last night.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, it turns out we had already identified Django and Josephine on our side.”
“How come you found them slower than me and Emma? Typical South Brotherhood. You guys are just killing it.”
“……”
“…?”
Even though I deliberately tried to get under her skin, Billy didn’t seem as angry as yesterday.
When I tilted my head in confusion, Billy revealed something unexpected.
Her face looked almost a little proud as she spoke.
“Our South Brotherhood has also uncovered some new information.”
“New info? What is it?”
“Those two are leaving San Francisco on a ship before midnight tonight.”
“……!”
“Their destination is Hawaii. Unless you plan to chase them across the Pacific later, we have to catch them today.”
**
Even though it was just dawn, the streets were already bustling.
Dockworkers heading to work, factory workers, and coachmen setting out to pick up morning customers.
We blended into the crowd and sneaked up to the inn where Django and Josephine were staying.
After keeping watch for a few hours, with me, Emma, and Billy taking turns…
“Boss, they’re coming out.”
“Okay.”
Finally, Django and Josephine appeared.
They weren’t carrying any luggage.
It seemed they planned to leave their belongings at the inn until they boarded the ship tonight.
Both were dressed neatly.
Django wore a sharp suit, a fedora, and carried a cane, looking every bit the gentleman of the era. Josephine was in an elegant dress.
Josephine, true to her wealthy upbringing, looked radiant even in her simple dress.
But Django seemed a bit awkward.
Still, both had the same happy smile on their faces.
Walking arm in arm, they looked perfectly matched.
“Let’s go.”
“…Yes.”
We secretly tailed Django and Josephine.
According to the South Brotherhood’s intel, Django and Josephine were leaving for Hawaii tonight.
I planned to seize the opportunity and capture them today.
Their first stop was a café.
“They must be here for breakfast.”
“Looks like it.”
Django and Josephine sat politely at a café table, ordering coffee, pancakes, and more to start their day.
Through my keen observation, we could even see what they ordered.
But we couldn’t get too close, so we pretended to have breakfast at a café a block away while keeping an eye on them.
As I sipped my coffee and watched them, Emma asked, “Boss, they seem completely off guard right now. Shouldn’t we grab them now?”
“……”
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“…No, not now. There are too many people around, and it’s too open. If we mess up, we could get reported.”
“Understood.”
Emma nodded obediently, and our tailing continued.
Their next destination was a nearby park.
They seemed to be taking a stroll after breakfast.
Django and Josephine were still off guard, but I didn’t capture them for the same reason as before.
After their walk, their next stop was the racetrack.
While modern people might view horse racing negatively, in this era, it was just a normal leisure activity.
So, we followed Django and Josephine into the racetrack.
“Boss, I’ve located their seats. Should we grab them now?”
“Ugh, Emma. How are we supposed to catch them in this crowd? Let’s pass for now and get them later.”
“…Yes, understood.”
“Since we’re here, let’s enjoy ourselves. Wanna bet some money?”
In the end, we didn’t capture Django and Josephine at the racetrack.
By the way, I lost all the money I bet. Damn it.
“Boss, Mr. Django and Miss Josephine are on the move.”
“Alright, let’s follow.”
After about two hours at the racetrack, Django and Josephine left.
They walked for quite a while.
Their destination was a massive restaurant.
They seemed to be having an early dinner.
We followed them into the restaurant, keeping a safe distance.
“Any recommendations here?”
“Our restaurant is known for its lamb steak and lobster dishes.”
By the way, lobster wasn’t considered a luxury dish in this era.
Just a few decades ago, lobster was cheap food eaten by black slaves.
It was only recently starting to gain some respect as a decent ingredient.
“Three lobster courses, please.”
“Right away, sir.”
We’re in San Francisco, so we might as well try some seafood.
From a distance, it looked like Django and Josephine also ordered the lobster course.
We leisurely finished our dinner, matching their pace, and left the restaurant.
Outside, the sun was slowly setting, and people were heading home.
But Django and Josephine didn’t return to their inn.
Their next destination was the harbor, where the sunset painted the horizon.
Django and Josephine walked along the waterfront, with the beautiful scenery as their backdrop.
‘Today’s schedule was like a classic date.’
They seemed to be making the most of their last day in San Francisco, creating memories.
And their faces were constantly lit with smiles.
Aren’t they bored?
Even though they’d been stuck together like magnets all day, every moment seemed to fill them with genuine happiness.
It was the same now.
What’s so fun about just walking arm in arm along the waterfront? Yet Django and Josephine were laughing joyfully.
Watching them, Emma asked me again, “Boss, there aren’t many people around now. Should we grab them?”
“……”
I didn’t answer Emma’s question, just kept watching Django and Josephine.
Catching on, Emma didn’t ask me again when we’d capture them.
Time passed, and Django and Josephine finally finished their stroll and returned to the inn after it got dark.
Since they were leaving for Hawaii on a ship before midnight, they’d probably come out with their luggage in a few hours.
That would be the perfect time to catch them.
It’s time.
Emma seemed to have that in mind as well, as she asked me one last time.
“Boss, when Mr. Django and Miss Josephine come out with their luggage, should we cover them then?”
“…Yeah, we should.”
My answer wasn’t very satisfying, and Emma tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“Are you thinking of not catching them?”
“No? That’s not it. Do you know how much money is tied up with that Go-stone couple?”
“Then why…? You don’t seem like your usual self today.”
“It’s just… they’re not outlaws…”
If Django and Josephine were an outlaw couple, I would’ve rushed to catch them without a second thought.
But Django and Josephine weren’t outlaws…
‘Thank you again for saving me today.’
Especially Django, who was so pure it reminded me of a pushover.
Even good-hearted Django would resist with all his might if I tried to forcibly take Josephine.
In the end, I would have to use forceful measures to take Josephine.
Even if they’re NPCs, it bothers me to mess with kind-hearted civilian NPCs.
Above all…
‘…Why does this feel so uneasy?’
Whenever I think about catching Django and Josephine…
Whoosh.
An indescribable something blocks me, making me feel like I can’t move forward.
I know what this is.
It’s the intuition derived from the [Superhuman Sense] trait I added when customizing the character ‘Noah the Kid.’
My intuition is telling me to stay put and not act.
The unease of separating kind civilian NPCs and this inexplicable intuition.
Just as I was deep in thought, holding my chin…
“Boss…! Mr. Django and Miss Josephine… they’re coming out…!”
“Huh? Already?”
Turning my head at Emma’s shout, I saw Django and Josephine each carrying their bags, leaving the inn.
It seemed they were planning to head to the harbor early to catch a boat.
“…Sigh, no choice.”
I couldn’t stall any longer.
Though it feels a bit uneasy and eerie, my intuition has been wrong before.
“Let’s go, Emma.”
I slowly moved, intending to catch them before they boarded the ship.
Tap.
“Um… Boss.”
Emma grabbed my arm and asked.
“One last question… is it 10,000 dollars or 20,000 dollars?”
“……”
10,000 dollars… or 20,000 dollars…
‘Ah… honestly, I want to make 20,000 dollars.’
I pondered Emma’s question until the very end…
“…We’ve ridden first-class trains and slept in suites. We’ve lived luxuriously. Let’s just make 10,000 dollars.”
After all, I want to leave this world as a human.
So, without drawing the knife in my back pocket, I followed Django and Josephine.
**
Django and Josephine walked arm in arm, savoring what might be their last moments in San Francisco.
“It’s not too cold, is it, Miss…?”
“Django.”
“…Ah.”
Josephine dislikes being called ‘Miss.’
Realizing this, Django quickly corrected himself with a smile.
“It’s not too cold, is it, Josephine?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Only then did Josephine smile.
That smile… was truly lovely.
Seeing Josephine’s smile, Django smiled back and asked with a hint of bitterness.
“Josephine. Won’t you regret leaving with me like this?”
Their destination wasn’t another part of America but the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Though many Americans have settled there, Hawaii is still a different country from America.
They weren’t just leaving their hometown but fleeing the country itself.
It must have been a tough decision…
“It’s already a done deal. I won’t regret it.”
Josephine firmly shook her head, showing no signs of regret.
“But still…”
“Django, let’s just talk about happy things.”
“…Okay.”
Though they’ve moved past the master-slave relationship, Django was still beneath this spirited lady.
At Josephine’s firm words, Django stopped asking if she regretted it.
Instead, he started talking about happy things as Josephine wanted.
“Yesterday, when we were apart, I met a white gentleman.”
“…A white gentleman?”
Josephine flinched at the mention of a white gentleman, but Django shook his head with a smile.
“He wasn’t a bad person. In fact, he was very respectful and polite.”
Django then told her how Noah saved him from thugs, went to a fried chicken place with him, and even gave him the white meat.
After hearing the whole story, Josephine’s face also lit up with a smile.
“He sounds like a great person.”
“He was a great person. But the first thing that caught my eye wasn’t his character.”
“Then what?”
“……”
Django thought of Noah again in his mind.
Born colorblind, Django’s world was always gray.
But Noah…
“…His body had color.”
He was the only one in this gray world who had color.
“…What?”
Josephine, who had known about Django’s colorblindness since childhood, was startled by his words.
“That is…”
Just as Django was about to explain in detail…
“Hey, that’s nice!”
“…?”
“Stop right there.”
With a line straight out of a third-rate villain, someone emerged from the shadows.
It was…
“Mr. Noah…?”
Noah, the only one in Django’s world who had color.
Surprised, Django called out to him, but Noah ignored him and spoke to Josephine.
“Mr. William sent me.”
“…!”
At the mention of William, Josephine’s father and Django’s former master, both froze.
Seeing them, Noah smirked and said.
“Miss, it’s time to go home.”