Chapter 95

Sophia isn’t stupid.

In fact, she has a meticulous and cunning side, like a snake.

Sophia visiting Kid late at night to provoke him wasn’t an impulsive act done out of recklessness.

Kid was the only witness who could solve the Zodiac case…

And he was the former leader of TKK, whom she had been chasing for years.

Only if Kid spoke up could the entire case be resolved.

The fact that Kid was an excellent gunslinger and could die didn’t matter to her.

Sophia had a reason to believe in him.

Five years ago.

When the naive Sophia was trying to prove her abilities by digging into TKK’s affairs.

The leader and deputy leader of TKK, who rarely showed themselves, personally came out to capture Sophia, who was just a rookie agent.

But when they revealed themselves, they didn’t kill her.

It wasn’t exactly what you’d call mercy from the strong.

It was what Kid said right in front of Sophia.

“Kid, so we’re not killing her?”

“…Nah, we’re not. No matter how useless she is, she’s still the protagonist of this game.”

Game… and protagonist.

Sophia had no idea what game he was talking about or why she was the protagonist.

“This guy has no intention of killing me.”

From Kid’s words, Sophia realized there was some unavoidable reason why he couldn’t kill her.

That’s why Sophia provoked him even more.

And after pushing him to his limits, she got the result she wanted from his frustration…

“Yeah, I’m that Kid. So what are you gonna do about it?”

“……”

“If you wanted to live long, you should’ve gritted your teeth and pretended not to know. Stupid girl.”

When he finally showed his true colors, Sophia couldn’t help but shrink back like a frog meeting a snake.

‘…Stay calm, Sophia.’

His threats were just bluster.

Even after all this time, it was clear Kid still couldn’t kill her.

If he could’ve, someone as skilled as him would’ve taken her out quietly long ago.

He was a gunslinger, a legend even among the roughest outlaws.

The fact that Sophia was still alive was proof that Kid couldn’t touch her.

But…

“…Hey, I’m tired, okay? Say something. Let’s wrap this up so I can get some sleep, huh?”

*Thud.*

No matter how much she told herself it was fine… no matter how hard she tried to stay rational…

‘Sophia-!!!’

‘No-!! Uncle-!!!!! Come over here…!!’

‘Ugh… Haaaah….’

It was hard to control the primal fear.

*Snap.*

Skilled gunslingers act on instinct faster than their minds.

Sophia was a skilled gunslinger.

*Click.*

Before she knew it, Sophia had drawn her gun and aimed it at Kid.

And then…

*Bang.*

“……”

“…What am I even doing?”

Kid was an even better gunslinger than Sophia.

The moment Sophia pulled the trigger, Kid reached out and tilted the barrel upward.

It happened in an instant…

*Crack.*

Kid, now visibly angry, gripped Sophia’s wrist tightly.

‘…Damn it.’

She hadn’t planned to draw her gun, but fear made her act irrationally.

Worst of all, she had allowed Kid to close the distance.

“Ouch…”

“……”

*Shiver.*

Sophia tried to pull her arm free, but it didn’t budge.

Sensing that Kid wouldn’t let her go easily, Sophia glared at him and shouted.

“Let go-!”

“……”

“Let go, you monster-!”

*Snap.*

When Sophia swung her other fist at Kid’s face…

*Crack.*

Kid subdued that too and asked,

“…What are you trying to do? Do you really want to die?”

Kid’s face gradually lost all expression.

Though his cold demeanor sent chills down her spine, Sophia stood her ground.

“…You can’t kill me anyway.”

“……”

“I’m the protagonist, right? That’s why you keep letting me live.”

“…You.”

When Sophia brought up the protagonist thing, Kid seemed flustered for the first time.

‘…Good.’

Seizing the opportunity, Sophia pressed on.

“Kill me.”

“……”

“Pull out your gun and kill me right now. You can’t, can you?”

Despite Sophia’s taunts, Kid couldn’t retort.

He just looked exhausted, his eyes growing sharper.

Sophia was glad Kid wasn’t wearing his old white mask at that moment.

If he had been, she wouldn’t have been able to see his expression.

The sight of that arrogant man, who thought he was special, rendered speechless was truly satisfying.

‘Finally.’

She had finally struck back at the man who had brought her unforgettable humiliation and pain.

Thinking that, Sophia…

*Snap.*

*Click.*

“But guess what? You can’t kill me, but I can kill you.”

Breaking free from Kid’s grip, she aimed her gun at him again, pressing harder.

“Go to the Sheriff and tell him everything before I shoot you.”

“…What?”

“That Joe is Zodiac. And… what kind of person you really are.”

“……”

“Reveal everything and pay for your crimes. If you don’t, I’ll kill you right now.”

*Click.*

Sophia placed her finger on the trigger, making it clear she wasn’t bluffing.

*Whoosh.*

The wind howled, and snow began to fall from the sky.

The atmosphere grew tense, as if something was about to explode.

And then…

“…Pfft.”

Kid suddenly burst out laughing, just like before.

“……”

Once again, his…

Sophia, worried about getting caught up in the mess, didn’t react to his laughter at all.

Then Kid stopped laughing for a moment and opened his mouth.

“…Yeah, I can’t kill you.”

“……”

“You’re the protagonist. If a ‘Game Over’ screen popped up the moment you died, I’d lose my mind.”

Kid brought up something Sophia couldn’t understand.

As Sophia tilted her head in confusion, Kid continued.

“But hey, why are you acting like it’s not true?”

“…What?”

“You can’t kill me either.”

“…!”

That was it.

What Sophia wanted wasn’t just to kill Kid.

If that were the case, she would’ve shot him in the head the moment she figured out his identity.

What Sophia wanted was to publicly reveal the identity of Kid, the leader of the outlaw group TKK, and expose his crimes one by one in front of everyone.

Sophia believed that was the ultimate revenge she could take and an atonement for her dead uncle.

That’s why she couldn’t kill Kid yet.

Kid had figured out Sophia’s true feelings.

“Th-that’s not…!”

She should’ve denied it right away, but Sophia, flustered, stumbled over her words.

And in that moment…

*Bam!*

Her world turned white.

‘…Huh?’

Sophia couldn’t understand what had just happened to her.

All she knew was…

Her vision suddenly flashed white…

*Thud.*

Her body lost balance and fell.

‘I can’t… breathe…’

She couldn’t even breathe properly.

“But hey, stupid girl, just because I can’t kill you doesn’t mean I can’t hit you.”

Only after hearing Kid’s words did Sophia realize what had happened.

Kid had struck her stomach.

And at a speed that ordinary people couldn’t even follow with their eyes.

“Ugh… huuu…”

The moment she realized it, an overwhelming pain surged through her.

Sophia was a rich girl.

Not just any rich girl—she was the granddaughter of the founder of the Pinkertons.

Of course, no one dared to lay a hand on her.

Just like five years ago when Sophia was shot in the leg by Kid, her first experience with being shot…

This time was her first experience getting hit in the stomach.

But Kid didn’t seem to just want to give her a first experience…

*Bam!*

“Why are you wasting energy on someone who’s about to pass out from exhaustion… huh?”

“Ugh…! Huh…! S-stop…!”

Kid lifted Sophia and delivered a second… and then a third strike.

“Huuuuk…!”

As Kid’s fists rained down, the brief sense of superiority Sophia had felt for suppressing him disappeared.

Instead, her consciousness faded amidst the sharp pain.

**

Annoying.

Unable to bear the exhaustion, I threw a couple of punches filled with irritation at Sophia.

“Ugh…! Ahh…!”

Sophia, who had no tolerance for pain, quickly crumbled under the blows.

“Phew…”

I sighed as I watched Sophia, tears streaming down her face, writhing on the floor after the third punch.

“…Damn it.”

I messed up.

Not only did I admit to being Kid in front of Sophia, the protagonist, but I also knocked out the precious granddaughter of the Pinkertons by punching her in the stomach.

“Ugh…”

Ah… maybe she wasn’t knocked out.

Finally regaining some sense, I approached Sophia, who was still groaning in pain, and spoke.

“Damn it, why are you going so crazy trying to catch me? You were living a quiet life in the countryside.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m not the final boss or anything, you know? You’re supposed to take down the South Brotherhood, not obsess over me.”

If this kept up, Sophia would definitely chase me until the moment I made a million dollars and returned home.

Wiping my face, I whispered into Sophia’s ear.

“…I didn’t want to spoil it, but the leader of the South Brotherhood is actually Luke Jefferson, the mayor of San Francisco. So you should go and…”

“Bull… ugh… stop talking nonsense.”

But of course, Sophia wasn’t going to believe me.

“Ugh, damn it.”

Feeling frustrated, I got up.

In the distance, I could see the bed in the office.

The moment I saw the bed, I had the urge to run over and lie down.

But if I really slept in that bed, I’d wake up to an even more exhausting morning tomorrow.

Maybe I’d even wake up with handcuffs on.

‘What should I do now?’

I’d laid hands on the precious granddaughter of the Pinkertons, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Pinkerton agents flooded Justice Town tomorrow.

Just Pinkerton agents?

‘…The organization has found out about the leader’s location. …Cough, soon Gonzales will send a bunch of enforcers here.’

It wouldn’t be long before TKK enforcers were also dispatched to Justice Town.

If I stayed here, the town would turn into a bloodbath.

So maybe it’s better to…

“…Should I leave?”

I originally planned to spend my later years here in Justice Town.

I wanted to sip honey and make a million dollars in this outlaw haven.

But maybe that was just my greed.

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