Originally, I just came to the Deaf Man’s Tavern to grab a quick breakfast, but after dealing with a bunch of stuff, time got away from me.
So, contrary to my original plan, I ended up having a rushed lunch at the Deaf Man’s Tavern before heading back to the office.
“I’m back.”
“Boss, you’re here.”
“Emma, you’re already at work.”
Emma was already in the office, cleaning up.
“Where did you go?”
“Just had some food at the Deaf Man’s Tavern.”
I gave Emma a vague answer, tossed my coat aside, and flopped onto the sofa.
Then Emma, while tidying up my coat, asked with a concerned look.
“…Did something happen outside?”
“…Huh?”
“Your expression seems different than usual.”
“….”
At Emma’s sudden remark, I touched my face.
“…My face looks the same as always, doesn’t it?”
“No. The corners of your mouth are a bit lower than usual. And your gaze is a bit sharper.”
“….”
…She’s a ghost, I tell you, a ghost.
Admittedly, I was annoyed this morning because of the Rush and Gold guys.
It’s frustrating that Jet, Bob, and other NPCs I need are in danger because of that gang…
It’s also annoying that the Rush and Gold gang is smarter than I thought…
And to deal with them, the original protagonist needs to come to Justice Town, but who knows when that’ll happen…
Honestly, the thought of facing that protagonist again is annoying too.
Now that I say it, everything’s annoying.
The root of all this annoyance is the Rush and Gold gang.
So, I stared blankly at the ceiling and muttered without thinking.
“Rush and Gold… should I just take care of them?”
“…Huh? Oh…”
I wasn’t really asking Emma, but she heard my muttering and, after pondering for a moment, replied.
“Honestly, I’d like it if you took care of them, Boss.”
“…Why?”
“I don’t particularly like Justice Town either… but it’s still my hometown. I don’t want to see it trampled by outsiders.”
“Hmm…”
…Well, I’ve only lived here for three years, but Emma’s been here her whole life.
She probably wouldn’t be happy to see her hometown fall apart.
Emma finished cleaning and said in a meaningful tone.
“…So, I wish someone would save our town in crisis. Like a hero.”
“A hero? Pfft-ha!”
A hero.
That word really doesn’t suit me.
A hero is just free labor, isn’t it?
Thinking that, the answer came quickly.
“Alright, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s just keep ignoring them.”
“…You’re not going to step in?”
“There’s no money in it, no money.”
Even if I take down the Rush and Gold gang, there’s no money to be made.
Their gang has about 40 members, right?
Dealing with a large gang like that is a huge hassle for me, and even if I succeed, they won’t pay me?
I wouldn’t take such a sucker’s quest.
“Unless the townsfolk pool together and give me around $4000, maybe. Otherwise, no way.”
“….”
“So, Emma, you know what to do.”
Originally, I wake up at noon when the sun is high.
Even though I slept well, I must’ve woken up too early because I started feeling sleepy.
So, I decided to take a quick nap on the sofa.
Then Emma asked me a question.
“Is money the only thing that matters to you, Boss?”
“Huh? Yeah, of course.”
It was a natural question, so I answered casually with my eyes closed.
Then…
“Why do you hoard money so desperately, Boss?”
“….”
Emma asked a question she usually doesn’t.
“…None of your business. Why do you care if I hoard money or not?”
I need to save a million dollars to go back home.
I can’t tell her that.
So, when I brushed her off, Emma persisted.
“I thought you had changed a bit after our trip to San Francisco. But I guess not? Is money still the most important thing to you?”
“Yeah, money’s the most important thing to me.”
“Then why did you let Django and Josephine go?”
“….”
Hearing that, I opened my eyes and sat up on the sofa.
“…What are you getting at?”
There were several reasons I kept Emma as my only secretary.
Emma’s pretty, good at her job, has a sharp memory, and remembers the faces of many outlaws.
Besides that…
I liked her quiet, reserved personality.
For the past three years, Emma never pried into my life or touched on my personal matters.
But suddenly, what’s this?
It’s strange to see Emma trying to probe my thoughts now.
“Emma, are you still high from that one trip to San Francisco after 22 years?”
“….”
“Your character’s changed. I liked you when you were just a quiet, hardworking rock.”
A bit irritated, I said something sharp to Emma that I normally wouldn’t.
Then…
*Poke*
“…Huh?”
Emma slightly lowered her head.
Emma definitely changed after the trip to San Francisco.
One of those changes was that her expressions became more vivid.
Right now, Emma’s face… looked a bit hurt by what I just said.
“You’re right, I’ve changed. But you know what? I thought you had changed a bit too, Boss.”
“Changed? Yeah, right.”
Startled by Emma’s expression, I turned away and lay back down on the sofa.
And to signal that I wasn’t going to talk anymore, I buried my face into the sofa. Emma…
He asked with a tone that suggested he might be the last one.
“Uh… then, Boss.”
“……”
“What if I also borrow money from those guys?”
…Emma borrowing money from the Rush and Gold Gang? What for?
I chuckled at the absurd assumption and replied.
“Then I guess I’ll have to hire a new secretary.”
“……”
After that, Emma stopped asking me anything and just focused on catching up with household chores.
‘Is it a late puberty thing?’
I noticed Emma had changed, but today’s behavior felt a bit unfamiliar.
‘Well, she’ll probably return to normal soon.’
Back then, I didn’t know.
I had no idea what Emma was thinking deep down.
**
A few days later, Emma treated Noah as usual.
She went to his office as usual, did the household chores as usual, and organized the wanted posters as usual.
But beneath the calm surface of her daily life, a huge storm was brewing inside her.
It was all because of Noah.
Realizing her feelings for Noah, Emma slowly began to be consumed by desire.
The desire to become someone special to Noah, just as he had become someone special to her.
But for that to happen, Noah himself had to change.
For the past three years in Justice Town, Noah had acted like someone who valued nothing but money.
However, in San Francisco, Noah made the choice to let Django and Josephine go.
Seeing that, Emma thought Noah had changed.
She thought there was now room in his heart for something other than money.
But…
‘Okay, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s just keep ignoring it.’
‘It’s not about the money, it’s about the money.’
When Noah returned to Justice Town, he reverted to his old self.
This made Emma anxious.
Above all…
Watching Noah obsessively save money while always looking westward made her uneasy.
She feared that once Noah had saved enough money, he would one day…
Emma was constantly shaken by the fear that he would leave for the unreachable end of the west.
Clatter.
Thud.
“…Ah.”
Maybe it was because she was lost in thought.
Emma, who usually never made mistakes, dropped a bowl while doing the dishes.
It was a wooden bowl, so it didn’t break, but water splashed onto the floor.
Just as Emma was about to grab a towel to wipe the floor…
“Ah, Emma. Leave that for now and go to the Deaf Man’s Tavern.”
“…Mr. Bob’s place?”
Noah, lounging on the sofa as usual, gave Emma the order.
“Last time I helped Bob out, and he said he’d give me a bottle of good liquor as thanks.”
“Ah…”
“I thought about going myself, but… as you can see, I’m busy.”
“……”
After their not-quite-argument, Noah treated Emma as usual.
So Emma also treated Noah as usual.
“Yes, understood.”
Emma left the dishes and went out, dressed in her outdoor clothes.
“Bonnie, let’s go.”
“Hehe.”
It was a good chance to ride Bonnie.
Emma took Bonnie out of the stable, mounted her, and grabbed the reins.
Whoosh.
Bonnie was swift.
And above all, smart.
Even though Emma had only ridden her a few times with Noah, Bonnie seemed to recognize Emma as her owner and moved without hesitation.
‘This feels great…’
Galloping across the wild plains was more exhilarating than she had imagined.
But… even this couldn’t erase Emma’s tangled thoughts.
Justice Town? The Rush and Gold Gang?
…Honestly, she didn’t care what happened to them.
What mattered to her now was her relationship with Noah.
Suddenly, Emma remembered something she had heard in San Francisco.
The words spoken by Luke, the mayor of San Francisco and the ruthless leader of the South Brotherhood, as Noah got off the carriage.
‘You still don’t see people as people.’
…Emma sometimes felt that too.
The person I like doesn’t even see me as a person…
Just imagining it was horrifying.
‘…What does the Boss think of me?’
She wanted to peek into Noah’s heart.
She wanted to confirm his feelings.
‘What if I also borrow money from those guys?’
‘Then I guess I’ll have to hire a new secretary.’
…No matter what it takes.
Emma knew the thoughts in her head were foolish, but she couldn’t help being drawn to them.
After all, first love is always clumsy for everyone.
People experience their first love at a tender age, suffer from clumsy love, and grow from it.
The problem was that this growing pain came too late for Emma.
Curious about how much she meant to Noah, Emma’s vision blurred for a moment, consumed by that sinister desire.
