“…It won’t take long, so wait here for a bit. Make sure to lock the door properly.”
“Lock the door…?”
Emma was momentarily flustered when Noah told her to lock the door, but…
“…Ah.”
Soon, she realized what he meant and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll make sure to lock the door properly. Don’t worry and be careful.”
“…Alright.”
*Creak.*
As soon as the door closed and darkness filled the warehouse, Emma moved swiftly.
She found a piece of wooden plank in the corner of the warehouse and…
*Thud.*
…used it to lock the door from the inside.
“…Sis? What are you doing? Why are you locking the door…?”
“Shh.”
Emma was the most senior among the girls trapped in the warehouse.
Smart and always composed, she naturally became their leader.
After quieting the girls, she moved them all to the far end of the warehouse.
“Everyone, stay quiet. We’ll be able to get out soon.”
“…Huh? What do you mean we’ll get out…?”
*Bang-!*
“…!”
Before one of the girls could finish her sentence, a gunshot rang out.
And that gunshot was the signal…
*Bang bang bang-!!*
*Bang-!*
*Bang bang-!!!!*
*Bang bang bang bang-!!*
Soon, a massive gunfight erupted, reminiscent of a war.
“Kyaaaaah-!”
“Everyone, cover your ears.”
Calmly comforting the terrified girls, Emma kept a close eye on the situation.
“F***! That crazy bastard shot the boss!”
“Get the girls out of there! One of them is his woman!!”
Among them were gang members trying to take the girls, especially Emma, as hostages…
*Rattle rattle.*
“What the-! The door’s locked!!”
Thanks to Emma locking the door earlier, they couldn’t get in.
*Slash-! Splash-!*
“Ahhhh-!!”
Those who tried to break in were soon cut down in front of the warehouse.
*Bang bang-!*
Then came the familiar sound of gunfire and…
*Crash-!*
*Shatter-!*
*Clang-!!*
…a variety of other noises that were hard to identify.
“Kyaaaaah-!!”
“Save me-! Ahhhh-!”
Noah was using some kind of weapon, and the gang members were terrified.
*Bang-! Crash-!!*
*Boom-!!*
“Ughhh-!!”
“Ahhhh-!!”
The sounds of Noah wielding some unknown weapon and the gang members’ screams of terror continued.
And then, the horrifying noises gradually subsided…
*Boom-!*
*Boom-!!*
*Bang-!*
A punch, a final gunshot, and then silence.
“…It’s over.”
Sensing that everything was over, Emma unlocked and opened the door.
*Creak.*
“…!”
“Kyaaaah-!”
The scene outside was gruesome.
Gang members brutally killed by guns, knives, or something else.
A massive pool of blood.
And…
“…Sitting calmly in that pool of blood, enjoying the aftermath, was a man.”
*Step.*
Emma immediately moved toward Noah.
But…
*Thud.*
“…Sis, don’t go.”
“…The other girls grabbed Emma, stopping her.
Fear was evident in their eyes.
“That… that monster will kill you too. …I’m scared. Don’t go.”
“…Emma coldly slapped the girl’s hand away.
“Watch your mouths. The boss risked his life to save us.”
“…And the boss isn’t a monster. If you say something like that again, I won’t forgive you.”
Leaving the trembling village girls behind, Emma stepped out of the warehouse and approached Noah.
*Step, step.*
As she got closer, her shoes and clothes were stained with blood, but she didn’t care.
Emma walked straight toward Noah.
And then…
“Do you still like me, Emma? Even like this?”
When she got close, Noah smirked and asked.
“Huh? Emma, tell me.”
“…Honestly… I don’t like this side of you, boss.”
“…What?”
Emma was a devout Christian, a young woman in her early 20s.
She didn’t like blood… and seeing dozens of people slaughtered naturally made her frown.
Her body trembled at the sight of the gang members’ gruesome deaths.
“I’m not a pervert… Of course I don’t like it when you’re covered in blood and glaring at me with those terrifying eyes.”
“…You like me, but not every part of me.”
Of course, it was obvious.
Even Romeo and Juliet probably couldn’t like every single thing about each other.
Saying you like everything about someone is just fake and a false kind of love.
But Emma’s response seemed to have shocked Noah a bit.
“……”
After hearing Emma’s words, Noah’s pupils trembled…
Swish.
He slowly lowered the blood-stained hand he had pointed at Emma.
But…
Snap.
“……!”
Emma grabbed his falling hand.
Holding Noah’s hand, Emma buried her cheek into his blood-soaked hand and rubbed it.
“Sometimes you’re mischievous, sometimes scary, sometimes annoying…”
“……”
“But I still always want to be by your side, Boss.”
Whether Noah is in Justice Town, San Francisco, or even hell itself.
Emma always wanted to be by Noah’s side.
Thump.
Her heart was saying just that.
“Even if it’s just a boss and secretary relationship, it’s fine. I’ll always be by your side.”
“……”
Noah stared blankly at Emma, who was smearing blood all over herself.
In Noah’s eyes as he looked at Emma, there was an indescribable emotion.
Noah… seemed to be seeing someone else overlapping with Emma.
Someone from his past, not Emma.
“…What are you so obsessed with, Emma?”
“I think the same thing. What on earth have I been so bewitched by to end up liking someone like you, Boss?”
“…You’ll end up betraying me.”
“……”
At Noah’s unexpected words, Emma paused, and Noah continued with a smile full of sorrow.
He looked… desperate and confused.
“You’ll never understand me, and you’ll end up calling me a monster.”
“……”
“In the end, you’ll point a gun at me… and I’ll eventually leave you.”
…Leave.
Noah was indeed always looking at the horizon, a place he could never reach.
Where exactly is that place Noah so desperately wants to return to?
And…
“In the end, I’ll discard you like a worn-out rag, and you’ll hate… no, despise me.”
“……”
What is the nature of that scar deeply etched in Noah’s heart?
Right now, Noah looked as uneasy as a lost child.
In response, Emma…
Tightly.
Held him, covered in blood, in her arms and whispered.
“If you leave me, Boss, I’ll follow you wherever you go.”
“…No, you can never come there.”
“My dream is to travel the world. No matter where you go or hide, I’ll definitely find you.”
“……”
Tremble.
Why is someone who just killed dozens of gang members trembling in fear?
Emma held the trembling Noah even tighter.
It seemed to work… Noah’s trembling slowly began to subside.
**
I know exactly why Emma fell for me.
To find the reason, we have to go back 17 years.
When I entered this damn Western game, I had five traits.
[The Best Gunslinger in the West], [Master of Weapons], [King of Combat], [Superhuman Senses], and…
[Irresistible Charm].
When playing <Outlaw>, this trait increases the character’s likability and charm.
Especially, this trait boosts loyalty the longer you spend time with companion NPCs.
Emma spent three long years close to me, so she must have been affected by this trait.
The reason Emma likes me… is simply because the game programmed her to.
But this trait has its limits.
Many NPCs liked me because of this trait…
‘Kid, I actually liked you. Maybe from the moment we first met when I was six…’
Some even said they loved me…
‘I love you, Kid.’
But between me and them, there was a gap that even [Irresistible Charm] couldn’t bridge—the gap between a player and an NPC.
‘This inhuman monster.’
‘I hate you, Kid.’
In the end, all the NPCs who liked me ended up hating me.
…Emma will surely end up the same.
You’ll find me no matter where I go?
…What a joke.
I’m going to leave this game, so how can an NPC leave the game?
Emma and I could never have a happy ending.
Knowing that all too well, I decided never to give my heart to Emma.
…I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake I made before.
But…
I must have been so lonely these past 17 years.
“…You will definitely.”
“I won’t betray you, Boss. I won’t hate or despise you. And… even if you abandon me, I’ll follow you.”
“……”
“I’ll always be by your side.”
Tightly.
Even though I knew she was just a bundle of data, Emma’s embrace was warm.
…So warm that for a moment, I couldn’t tell if this was a game or reality.
