Chapter 20 - There's No Safe Zone in The West

It took about a week by train from Salt Lake City to San Francisco.

I brought a deck of cards in anticipation of boredom.

Moreover, the train had various facilities for first-class passengers, so I thought I could enjoy the train journey without getting too bored...

...or so I thought.

"I'm bored...!"

After just a few days, I ran out of things to do.

"I'm bored! So boreeeeed!!"

"..."

Even though I was rolling around on the bed like a child, shouting, Emma sat on the sofa reading a book without giving me a glance.

So I approached her deliberately and pleaded, "Emma! I'm bored!"

"..."

"Let's play cards, okay?"

When I held the cards in front of her face as she was reading, Emma frowned and replied, "...Why play card games when you're not even good at them?"

Actually, over the past few days, Emma and I had played various card games one-on-one.

And... I hadn't won against Emma even once.

"It's not that I'm bad, it's that you're good. I'll let you win this time, so come on."

"Let me be clear. It's not that I'm good, it's that you're bad."

"..."

"I've never seen anyone as bad at cards as you, Boss. Don't get carried away and end up ruining yourself, just never play cards again."

Having been declared "you're bad" by Emma, I became even more determined to play cards.

But Emma was adamantly against playing cards and instead recommended reading to me.

"...Why don't you read a book like me?"

Emma had been glued to a book throughout the journey, except when playing cards with me.

I checked the title of the book Emma was reading.

<Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare>

...It was truly a classic among classics.

Even people in the 1800s considered Romeo and Juliet a classic, but Emma was reading it with great interest.

Ah... maybe...

"Emma? Is this your first time reading it?"

"Yes, I found it in the common room bookshelf and decided to read it. It's quite interesting."

As I suspected, it seemed this was really Emma's first time with Romeo and Juliet.

Come to think of it, Justice Town was such a backwater that it didn't even have a bookstore or library.

For Emma, who had lived her whole life in such a place, even this classic of classics would be new.

No wonder her expression has been good these past few days.

Emma's expression was quite bright as she read, seemingly finding Romeo and Juliet very interesting.

Pile.

There was a pile of other books next to Emma, perhaps for her to read next.

Really, she's that happy just with Romeo and Juliet? But somehow... I want to tease her.

Was it because I was too bored from the tedious train journey?

Or was it because I was upset that Emma refused to play cards with me?

I wanted to slightly mar Emma's purely happy expression.

So I...

"Hey, Emma… Romeo dies at the end."

"...!"

I whispered a major bomb in her ear as she was reading about halfway through Romeo and Juliet.

"Not just Romeo, Juliet dies too."

"..."

"To be exact, what happens is..."

I was about to explain exactly how the two died while I was at it.

But...

"Juliet takes a sleeping potion, and later Romeo sees that and... Aaagh!!"

Thwackkk!

Before I could finish speaking, Emma threw the book she was reading at my face.

At that moment, Emma's face was more composed than ever, but I could immediately tell that she was extremely angry.

"...Get out."

Emma exhaled into the air as if trying to cool her anger, then coldly ordered me.

"...Haha, Emma. This is our room, where am I supposed to go..."

I tried to smooth over the situation by smiling belatedly, but...

Thud! Thud—!!

"...I said get out."

"Aaagh-! W-wait! Emma! I was wrong...! Ow—!"

I couldn't quell Emma's anger at being spoiled.

As Emma kept throwing hard books at me without stopping, I had no choice but to flee the room.

Bang!

"...Ugh."

Kicked out of the room in my socks, and the only place I could go was the common room for first-class passengers.

Bow.

Ignoring the attendant who immediately bowed upon seeing me, I jumped onto the sofa in the common room and lay down.

"Ah... I'm bored..."

It would have been nice if there was at least someone to talk to, but I was alone in the common room.

I thought there were quite a few other first-class passengers besides Emma and me, but I didn't know where they all were or what they were doing.

Despite being extremely bored with nothing to do, I just stared blankly out the window, shaking my leg like someone with anxiety.

Perhaps because I looked pitiful...

"Sir."

"...?"

The common room attendant who had greeted me earlier approached me with a demure attitude and said, "If you're feeling bored, how about mingling with the other gentlemen?"

"Other gentlemen?"

"Yes, all the first-class gentlemen are currently gathered at the bar, socializing."

"Huh? There's a bar here too?"

"It's behind the dining car. Would you like me to guide you?"

I thought I had figured out all the train facilities over the past few days, but apparently not.

If there was a bar, I could talk to people and drink alcohol—killing two birds with one stone, right?

Whatever it was, I thought it would be better than sitting here doing nothing, so I nodded.

"Yes, well, let's go take a look."

"Certainly, please follow me."

So I followed the attendant to the bar behind the dining car.

And just before arriving...

"Yes, just through this door..."

"Wait."

I stopped the attendant and...

"Sir...?"

Swish—

I checked his person.

There was a pistol tucked away.

"I was bothered by something sticking out since earlier."

"Ah..."

Checking if the other person has a gun—this was my occupational habit.

When I asked, the attendant answered without much surprise, "There's always a possibility of train robbers or Indians attacking. All staff members are armed like this."

"Oh, is that so?"

Well, being on a moving train didn't necessarily mean absolute safety.

Indians who hadn't fully integrated into civilization were still attacking people and bold outlaws formed groups to rob moving trains.

Understanding this, I nodded, and the attendant smiled and opened the door to the bar.

I took one last look at the attendant's face and then...

Step.

I entered.

Inside the bar, besides the bartender, there were three men sitting at a table.

They all looked to be middle-aged to elderly, wearing expensive clothes and smoking cigars.

They seemed to be other first-class passengers.

Swish—

As I entered and everyone's gaze turned to me, the attendant who had guided me here introduced me, "This is the last first-class gentleman. He was alone, so I brought him here."

"Oh!"

"Welcome!"

"Then, sir. I hope you have a pleasant time."

As the attendant who guided me left, I approached the gentlemen welcoming me.

"Please sit here."

"Nice to meet you."

The men, who clearly looked wealthy, seemed glad to see a new face and welcomed me rather than being territorial.

"Nice to meet you. Please just call me Noah."

"Alright, Young Noah. Welcome."

"Haha, the atmosphere livens up right away with a young fellow joining us."

Perhaps because they were all quite old, the rich gentlemen called me "Young Noah”.

I quickly scanned their appearances out of the corner of my eye.

Their faces looked relaxed and warm, so they didn't seem like bad people.

Above all...

"We were about to play cards, would you like to join us?"

Pile.

The thick stacks of money next to the three gentlemen.

It smelled.

The smell of real rich people, just like William...!

"I'd be honored to join, hehe."

"Haha, we're playing Texas Hold'em, so grab your money and sit down!"

The thing I liked second best after hunting outlaws was gambling.

Let's try to make 100,000 dollars with Hold'em today.

I sat down with a grin, thinking about cleaning out these innocent-looking rich gentlemen.

***

Tremble tremble.

Thud.

"...Damn it."

Emma, having finished reading <Romeo and Juliet>, threw the book on the bed, unable to contain her anger.

...Just as that damn boss had said, Romeo and Juliet really did both die.

"Haa..."

For Emma, who had lived her entire life in Justice Town, books were extremely precious.

The only book she had read until now was at best the Bible.

For her, William Shakespeare's <Romeo and Juliet> was like a whole new world.

She had been reading it enjoyably, even empathizing with Juliet, but to have the ending spoiled...!

"Ugh...! Ughhhhh!!"

Emma annoyed again at the thought of Noah, hit the pillow repeatedly to vent her anger.

Only after venting her anger so passionately did Emma realize her state.

...I got really angry.

Before meeting Noah, her life was like a calm lake.

Without any waves or shaking...

The life of a country girl whose only option was to meet a decent man and start a family.

But changes began after meeting Noah.

...Of course, not all changes were good, and sometimes Noah was so annoying she wanted to hit him.

Still, Emma preferred her current life to her previous one.

"...Has the boss gone out?"

Recalling this fact, Emma decided to forgive Noah.

It was also her fault for daring to throw a book at the face of the boss who employed her.

So she decided to go find Noah and apologize.

But...

"...He's not here."

Noah wasn't in the common room where she thought he would be.

As Emma tilted her head and was about to go somewhere else...

"Oh, are you looking for your husband?"

"...Pardon?"

The common room attendant recognized her and spoke to her.

"If you're looking for your husband, he's at the bar right now."

"Ah..."

Apparently, the attendant mistook Noah and Emma for a married couple.

Emma was about to shake her head and say that wasn't the case, when...

Thump.

...Huh?

Emma froze for a moment as she properly faced the attendant.

Emma's job was to assist Noah, the bounty hunter.

To help with his work, she had memorized the mugshots and personal information of all the wanted posters Noah had collected.

That was why she could recognize...

"Ma'am, shall I guide you to the bar where your husband is?"

"..."

Jackal Nayori, 33 years old, $260 dead or alive.

Crimes: 2 counts of murder, 6 counts of robbery.

The attendant in front of her was an outlaw.