Chapter 96

As soon as the thought of leaving Justice Town crossed my mind, I left the squirming Sophia behind and stepped into the office.

If I were to leave this place, I wouldn’t be coming back, so I needed to gather any necessary items beforehand.

But…

“…Huh, nothing much here.”

No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t find anything particularly valuable to take.

Well, did I even have anything I’d grown attached to while living in this damn game?

The only thing I truly cared about was money.

*Swoosh, swoosh.*

I haphazardly stuffed my clothes into a small bag.

And then…

“…Oh, gotta take the gun too.”

I went through the back door to the storage room and grabbed the weapons I’d need.

After packing up so simply, I ended up with two small bags.

After living here for four years, this was all I had to take.

With a somewhat empty feeling, I took one last look around the office.

The bed, of course, caught my eye the most.

“…Ugh, I’m so damn tired.”

If I could just lie down there for 30 minutes, I’d have no regrets.

But if I lay down now, I probably wouldn’t get up until tomorrow morning.

I clicked my tongue and walked out of the office.

“Ugh…, grrr…”

Sophia was still groaning, clutching her stomach, unable to fully recover.

I gave her a pitiful glance and walked past her.

As I ignored her and walked by, a furious voice came from behind.

“…I’ll—!!”

“…….”

“I’ll definitely catch you…!! I’ll catch you and expose your crimes to the world—! I swear…!!”

Even after what I did to her… even after beating her, she still hasn’t come to her senses.

No matter what I say, Sophia won’t give up and will keep chasing me.

The only way to escape her is to run away.

To a place she can never follow… outside this game.

[Logout Unavailable]

[Amount Remaining for Logout: $963,154 / $1,000,000]

Now the end is truly in sight.

With the $5,000 promissory note Jet gave me, I only need about $30,000 more to go home.

‘With that much money… even outside Justice Town, I can make it quickly.’

Before heading home, I vowed never to see Sophia again and left her with one last word.

“Catch me if you can.”

“…K-Kid—!!”

*Thud.*

“What’s all the noise in the neighborhood?”

“…Ugh.”

I stepped on Sophia’s back as she screamed, and she finally passed out, exhausted.

She might freeze to death in this winter cold.

I took a small blanket from my bag and gently placed it over Sophia’s unconscious face before turning away.

It was goodbye to the office where I’d lived for the past four years.

**

“Heeheehee.”

“Heehee.”

“Oh, sorry for waking you up at night, guys.”

One person, two voices.

One was No Name, the other was Bonnie.

As I left the office, I thought about leaving Bonnie behind and only taking No Name…

‘But a horse costs a fortune. How can I just leave it?’

It felt like a waste to leave it.

So I decided to take both No Name and Bonnie.

“By the way, I should probably rename you… What kind of name is Bonnie, anyway?”

Most people call me Kid, but as you know, that’s just a nickname. My real name is different.

Noah H. Bonnie Jr.

So Bonnie is actually my last name.

It feels awkward having a horse with the same name as me.

I tried to give it a new name, but…

“Let’s pick a new name. What do you think?”

“Heehee—!”

“…What? You like your current name?”

“Heeheehee.”

Bonnie protested so strongly that I couldn’t change it.

“Ugh, what was your owner thinking, giving you such a name?”

“Heehee.”

“Huh? Where’s your owner?”

“Heeheehee.”

As I was talking to Bonnie, we reached a fork in the road.

To the left was Deaf Man’s Tavern, leading out of town, and to the right was Emma’s log cabin.

“…….”

After a moment of hesitation…

*Clack.*

I turned the horse’s head to the left.

“Heehee—!”

“Heeheehee!”

The horses protested, as if asking why we weren’t going to Emma’s.

I chuckled and said to them,

“Sorry, but I’m not planning to see Emma.”

“Heehee!”

There’s not much left until I go home.

From now on, I’ll focus solely on money and quickly return home.

I had a feeling that Emma’s presence would only be a hindrance.

‘I don’t want to leave any lingering attachments in this world.’

So I’ll leave this town alone.

Without even saying goodbye to Emma.

‘…It’s not the boss’s fault.’

But then I remembered the last words Emma said to me.

The warmth I felt when she hugged me seemed to linger.

My body subtly leaned toward Emma’s log cabin, but…

“…….”

I clenched my teeth and kept going.

‘This is the right thing.’

It might feel a bit sad to part ways, but…

This was the right choice for both me and Emma.

**

Even if I left without saying goodbye to Emma, I planned to say farewell to others.

The NPCs I’d built connections with while living in Justice Town.

Jet and Bob.

Since Deaf Man’s Tavern was closer than Jet’s house, I headed there first.

*Creak.*

But when I entered the tavern…

“Oh, Kid’s here?”

“Kid.”

“Sheriff?”

Inside were not only Bob but also Jet.

Since Jet usually didn’t drink, I was surprised to see him at the tavern.

“What’s this? Sheriff, you don’t usually drink.”

“Just… felt like it today.”

“…….”

“You looked tired, so I thought you’d come for a drink. Sit down. Let’s have one for Joe.”

It must’ve been because of Joe.

Joe got along well with most of the townspeople in Justice Town.

That included Jet.

Despite being the sheriff, Jet’s hot temper meant he didn’t have many close friends.

For Jet, losing one of his few friends must’ve been hard.

“Why aren’t you sitting? Huh? Wait… your outfit… Kid, are you going somewhere?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah. Kid, where are you going?”

I stood there without sitting, and Jet and Bob tilted their heads, asking.

I smirked and replied,

“I’m leaving town.”

“…Huh? For how long?”

“Probably never coming back…”

“…….”

At my sudden announcement, their eyes widened.

But…

“…Oh, really?”

“Damn, lost a regular.”

They didn’t seem all that shocked.

I felt a bit unfairly treated.

“Hey, I’ve been around for four years, and that’s all the reaction I get? You guys are cold.”

“You came like the wind, so I always figured you’d leave like the wind.”

Jet said that and downed the whiskey in his glass in one go.

“Still, you’re leaving the village, huh…”

“…”

“It’s strangely sad.”

*Chuckle.*

Jet, who hates alcohol, filled his glass with whiskey once again.

“I thought I’d feel relieved when you’re gone… but I guess I’ve grown attached to you after all.”

And then he downed it in one go.

Meanwhile, Bob went into the kitchen, and for a moment, it was just the two of us.

I took the chance to say what I wanted to say to Jet before leaving.

“Sheriff.”

“…Yeah?”

“There’s the bounty left after I caught Zodiac, right?”

“…Oh, right. I forgot about that. What do you plan to do with it?”

“Just give it all to Joe’s family. Or you can take a cut and use it yourself.”

“…!”

The remaining bounty was easily over $5,000.

Jet looked surprised that I was just handing over such a large sum.

Well… it’s not like I could just make money out of thin air. I had no choice.

“But there’s a condition.”

“…A condition? What is it?”

“That Zodiac I caught… there’s that girl, Rize, right?”

“Yeah, what about that vicious kid’s body?”

“Just… after all the checks are done, bury her in the ground.”

“…!”

Jet looked confused as to why I was making such a request.

…Honestly, I didn’t know why I was asking either.

She’s just an NPC… and a dead body at that. It shouldn’t matter to me what happens to her.

“…Alright, I don’t get it, but I’ll do as you say.”

“Thanks.”

Still, Jet readily agreed to my request.

Just as I bowed my head in gratitude to Jet…

“Kid.”

Bob, who had gone into the kitchen, came back out and called me.

And in his hand…

“What’s this?”

“Water and food. I figured you wouldn’t have packed properly.”

There was a sack of food bigger than my backpack.

‘This is enough for a month.’

It was an excessive amount, but I accepted it without a word.

“Thanks, Bob.”

“I should be thanking you. Thanks to you, I’ve had to deal with the bar getting wrecked a few times, and every time you drank for free, it pissed me off…”

“…So you’ve got a lot built up against me, huh?”

“But it was fun. Really.”

“…Yeah.”

Without the Deaf Man’s Tavern, I wouldn’t have been able to soothe my lonely heart.

It was a bit awkward… but I shook Bob’s outstretched hand.

After saying goodbye, the two of them came out of the tavern to see me off.

Among them, Jet looked at Bonnie next to No Name and asked.

“…Wait, isn’t that Emma’s horse? Did you get permission from Emma?”

“This is actually my horse. No need to ask for permission.”

“Wait… so… did you not tell Emma you’re leaving the village?”

“…”

When I didn’t answer, both of them clicked their tongues in unison.

“Tsk tsk.”

“This guy looks fine on the outside, but what’s wrong with him?”

“…What am I supposed to do?”

At my question, they both answered as if they had rehearsed it.

“What do you mean? You should run to her right now-!”

“…”

“Hey, Kid. Don’t be stubborn and go to Emma’s house. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Regret…

No.

If I go to see Emma now, I’ll definitely regret it in the future.

But…

“…I guess it’s polite to say goodbye.”

The small temptation that had been in my heart… combined with Jet and Bob’s advice, made me change my mind.

“…Alright, I’ll go say goodbye to Emma too.”

“That’s the right decision. You should definitely say goodbye. You’ve worked with Emma for years.”

“Then I’ll say my final goodbye to Emma and leave. …Take care, both of you.”

“You take care too.”

“Kid, come back anytime you want.”

Come back? Hell no.

I’m not just leaving Justice Town, but soon I’ll be leaving this damn West altogether.

I’ll never come back to this damn world.

But…

‘Still… it’s a bit sad.’

Even if they’re NPCs, saying goodbye to people I’ve known for years feels a bit off.

I waved my hand at them and rode off.

Even when I turned back after riding for a while…

“Take care-!”

They were still waving at me.

**

It didn’t take long to get from the Deaf Man’s Tavern to Emma’s log cabin.

I spent the time thinking about how to say my final goodbye to Emma.

‘It’s better to keep it short. If I drag it out, it’ll just make things harder.’

After today, I’ll never see Emma again.

I decided to keep it brief and end things with her cleanly.

When I arrived at Emma’s house…

*Knock knock.*

“Emma.”

I knocked on her door with a trembling hand.

“…Boss?”

Emma came out quickly, as if she wasn’t asleep.

She was wearing a thin slip from last time, with a jacket over it to keep warm.

“What brings you here at this hour…”

“…”

Seeing Emma like that, I felt a strange sensation, but I quickly composed myself and said what I had planned.

“I’m leaving the village today.”

“…What?”

“It’s sudden, but that’s how it is. I probably won’t be coming back to Justice Town.”

“…Oh.”

My decision to leave Justice Town was really sudden.

Emma’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

That look… was… pretty.

Honestly, Emma was the most special person to me in Justice Town.

Thanks to her, working in Justice Town was so much easier… and she comforted me many times.

…There were even times when I almost fell for her charms.

But now it’s time to say goodbye.

I forced a smile and reached out my hand to Emma.

And…

‘Take care. I’m leaving.’

…was what I was supposed to say.

But…

“…”

“…”

For some reason, I couldn’t get the words out.

I’m a human who will eventually leave this world.

Emma is an NPC.

No matter how we feel, we can’t be together.

…Our ending can only be tragic.

That’s why it’s right to end things here.

It’s right, but…

“Do you want to… come with me?”

“…!”

I ended up saying it.

A decision I’ll surely regret for a long time…

A decision that will leave a painful scar on both our hearts in the future.

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