Chapter 94

*Click.*

*Sigh…*

*…*

Arriving in front of the office, I let out a loud sigh so Sophia could hear.

“No Name, you worked hard today.”

*Hehe.*

Even though I saw Sophia, I deliberately didn’t go to her right away and instead put No Name in the stable first.

Then, with an openly annoyed expression, I headed toward the office door.

I tried to ignore Sophia, who was leaning against the office wall with all her might, but…

*Whoosh.*

“…I have something to say.”

*…*

Sophia stretched out her arm to block my path just before I could open the door.

*Sigh…* “I’m really tired. What is it?”

I’m sleepy.

So sleepy.

If I collapse into bed right now, I could sleep like the dead for two whole days.

I was so close to opening this door and lying down in bed, but…

Getting blocked at the last second made me unbearably irritated.

I glared at Sophia, but she glared back, refusing to back down, and opened her mouth.

“…It’s not too late. Just reveal the truth.”

“…What truth are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb! Zodiac isn’t Rize, it’s Joe—!”

Of course, she came because of the Zodiac incident.

From her perspective, she couldn’t accept that Rize was being accused as Zodiac when there was such clear evidence pointing to Joe.

But why is she coming to me about this?

“…I just reported what I saw. If you have a problem, take it up with the Sheriff.”

I’m so tired I have no energy left.

If this were any other time, I’d have sarcastically dismissed her or argued until I won and sent her away…

But I didn’t even have the energy to explain anything, so I just weakly gestured for Sophia to leave.

But…

“You need to tell the Sheriff yourself. Zodiac is Joe.”

*…*

Of course, Sophia didn’t budge.

*Tsk.*

Seeing that she wasn’t going to move from the office door, I decided to use force.

I grabbed her shoulder and pushed her aside, but…

“I won’t move until you tell the Sheriff.”

“…Lady, what’s your problem?”

She clung to the doorframe, grunting and refusing to back down.

Normally, I could’ve easily pushed her aside, but I was too tired to muster any strength.

*Ah… I really want to shoot her.*

If I just pulled out my gun and pulled the trigger, I could easily take care of this.

My sleep-deprived instincts whispered to me to draw my gun, but I held back…

“Please, just leave. Let me sleep.”

*Grr… Kyaah-!*

I used every ounce of strength I had left to push Sophia aside.

*Crash.*

After knocking her down, I opened the door, and the cozy interior of the office greeted me.

Especially the bed.

Seeing the bed, which looked so warm and inviting today, I smiled faintly and took a step inside.

But then…

*Thud.*

*…!*

“Where do you think… you’re going…!”

A hand dragged me back from the brink of blissful sleep into the pit of despair.

It was Sophia, who had fallen but grabbed onto my pant leg.

“…Let go of this, please.”

*Grr…*

*Yank, yank.*

I stepped on Sophia, who was desperately trying to stop me.

*Crunch.*

From her face to her hands.

I stepped on her pretty hard, but…

“Not… a chance…!”

Sophia endured my stomping and got back up, blocking my path again.

*Sigh…* “Seriously…”

Seeing the determination in Sophia’s eyes, I took a deep breath and asked,

“Detective, why are you going this far? Joe’s already dead. Let’s say, as you claim, Joe was Zodiac. Then since Zodiac is dead, isn’t it over? Why does it matter who Zodiac was?”

And then…

“…Because I’m in charge of this case now.”

Hearing Sophia’s answer, I couldn’t help but flinch for a moment.

“There are dozens of victims of Zodiac, and if you count their families, it’s over a hundred. It’s my responsibility to clearly reveal who Zodiac was, and it’s the least I can do for them.”

I thought she was just some arrogant rich girl, but… maybe she’s grown since I first met her.

Soon, Sophia’s eyes filled not just with determination, but with something darker.

“With great power comes great responsibility, right?”

*…*

“…That’s what you told me.”

I had a feeling Sophia had figured out my identity.

But this was the first time she’d so blatantly hinted that she knew I was Kid.

It was a bit unsettling, but I decided to play dumb.

“…Huh, did I say that to you? I don’t remember.”

“Don’t play dumb.”

She pressed on, almost as if she was about to pull out a gun.

“You know Joe was Zodiac. So why did you cover for him?”

*…*

“Who was that TKK member who suddenly appeared? I thought TKK was disbanded, but do they still exist? What’s the truth? Tell me, say it!”

Damn, I’m so sleepy.

I’m so sleepy I can’t hold onto my rationality.

Sophia’s sharp voice was really grating on my nerves.

She even crossed the line, assuming I was Kid and pressing me hard.

How do I get out of this?

How can I get past this?

How can I get Sophia to leave quietly so I can lie down in bed?

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

…I don’t know.

As someone whose brain stopped working a long time ago, all I could do was stick to my “I don’t know” policy.

Seeing me like this, Sophia’s face gradually lost all expression.

At first, I thought Sophia’s excitement had finally subsided, but no.

“TKK.”

If anything, Sophia was in the mood to go all the way today.

“Everyone fears that name, but most don’t even know what it stands for.”

“……”

“It took me over three years just to figure out what the organization’s name meant.”

Sophia’s vibe changed.

But even her sharp demeanor and piercing gaze couldn’t wake me up.

“To be precise, it wasn’t TKK, but T&KK.”

“…I don’t know why you’re telling me about TKK, but it’s quite interesting.”

“Twin & Kid Klan. Shortened to TKK.”

“……”

“TKK’s first leader, bounty of $150,000. Identity unknown.”

*Snap.*

Sophia pulled out a $150,000 bounty poster from her pocket.

The poster looked incredibly worn, as if it had been kept for a very long time.

“Noah H. Bonnie Jr.”

“……”

“You’re Kid, the first leader of TKK, aren’t you?”

“Pfft.”

“…Are you laughing?”

…I’m going crazy.

Maybe it’s because I’m so sleepy.

Seeing Sophia’s overly serious expression, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“…Ah, I’m sorry, Detective. I’m not in my right mind right now, so please bear with me.”

Unable to hold back my sleepiness any longer, I looked down at Sophia with half-closed eyes and asked.

“…So, what’s the proof that I’m that Kid?”

Maybe because I was tired, my words were short.

Does it even matter?

Sophia already started using informal speech with me anyway.

“…There isn’t any.”

“If there’s no proof, can you move? I’m so sleepy I feel like I’m going to lose it.”

“…There’s no proof now, but I’ll definitely find it. I’ll definitely find the evidence that you’re Kid and expose your crimes.”

So, she can’t arrest me right now, right?

‘…But why is she blocking the door and being so annoying?’

On the verge of losing my patience, I gestured for Sophia to come out, as if I were practicing Zen.

“…Yeah, good luck with that. For now, just come out, please. Let me sleep.”

“No, not until you reveal that Joe is Zodiac.”

But the conversation went back to square one.

This wasn’t like talking to a wall; Sophia was spouting the same thing as before.

“Why did you hide that Joe is Zodiac?”

“……”

“Did you have feelings for Joe? Is that why you didn’t want his family to get hurt?”

It’s true that I didn’t want Joe’s family to get hurt, but…

Having feelings for Joe…?

That’s a bit ambiguous.

I thought back to my memories with Joe.

Mostly, it was memories of me getting free rides in Joe’s carriage.

Joe would complain but still let me ride, and… he always greeted me with a smile.

Seeing my nostalgic expression, Sophia flinched and then shuddered in disgust.

“…Looks like you really did have feelings for that carriage driver, Joe. How dare you.”

“…Why? Am I not allowed to have feelings for someone?”

“With all the people you’ve killed, how can you say that? You inhuman bastard-!”

Sophia’s face was filled with uncontrollable anger.

And then…

*Twitch.*

Hearing her words, something inside me snapped too.

‘You inhuman bastard-!’

As soon as I heard that, my body, driven by instinct, almost drew my gun.

I quickly took a deep breath and forced down that intense urge.

But in the meantime, Sophia kept provoking me.

“Tell me, Kid-! Who is the real Zodiac? Tell me-!!”

“……”

“Reveal who the real Zodiac is and what kind of existence you were in San Francisco…! What crimes you committed, tell it all, Kid-!!!”

There was only one thing I could do now.

Somehow hold back my anger and calm down the excited Sophia.

First, dodge the issue, calm her down, and then head to bed to sleep.

I rehearsed what to say in my head, swallowed my irritation and anger, and opened my mouth.

“…Ah, seriously, you’re so damn annoying.”

But the words that actually came out of my mouth were quite different from what I had planned.

‘Ah, mistake.’

Tired and irritated.

All of it piled up, and I made a slip of the tongue.

But even after realizing my mistake, my mouth wouldn’t stop.

“Yeah, I’m that Kid.”

“……”

“So, what are you gonna do about it?”

In that moment, Sophia, who had been growling just moments ago, fell silent.

“You should’ve gritted your teeth and pretended not to know if you wanted to live long, you idiot.”

Soon, her face was filled with terror.

As if she had just faced a past memory she never wanted to recall again.

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