Chapter 82
At first, I doubted if I was remembering incorrectly.
But no matter how much I tried to recall, there should have been 6 Single Action Army revolvers here originally.
Then where on earth did the remaining one go?
If someone took it, who could it be?
It’ll have to be someone who knows about the existence of this warehouse...
"..."
"...There is a problem after all, isn't there?"
As I was briefly thinking about who might have taken the gun, Sophia looked at me with suspicious eyes and asked.
Oops.
This bitch has ghost-like intuition.
I inadvertently showed her a weak point.
And Sophia didn't miss that weak point, immediately narrowing her eyes and pouncing on me.
"Tell me, what are you thinking right now? What thoughts are making your face so serious?"
"..."
If I get caught up here, it's over.
So I continued my serious expression and answered nonchalantly, "Just..."
"Just what? Explain properly."
"I was just suddenly curious what kind of underwear Emma is wearing today."
"...Pardon?"
"...What?"
"...Huh?"
The three people who heard my answer, which completely deviated from the flow of consciousness, momentarily had blank expressions.
The first to come to her senses was Sophia.
"...W-what are you saying at such an important moment! You had such a serious face while thinking those perverted thoughts?"
"It's more important than anything else to me. Ah... Is it white today…?"
"Y, y-you pervert...!"
Perhaps lacking resistance to such jokes, Sophia forgot about suspecting me and left the warehouse with a reddened face, huffing.
The operation was successful.
"...So you and Emma had that kind of relationship? I thought as much."
Jett left following Sophia with an expression saying it was none of his business.
When the two left and only Emma and I remained in the warehouse, I immediately apologized.
"Sorry, Emma. Actually..."
"I know, you were trying to change the subject, right?"
As expected, the quick-witted Emma seemed to know why I suddenly acted so strangely.
But...
"...But why are you like that?"
"...Pardon? What am I…?"
"You look like a country housewife who barely escaped being harassed by a thug."
Emma, who said she knew everything, was firmly blocking her chest by crossing her arms.
Fidget.
Somehow, her thighs under her skirt seemed to be fidgeting slightly too.
"...It's just your imagination."
Emma left those final words and fled the warehouse.
I could see her ears were bright red as she left.
"...It feels like I've become trash."
But thanks to me becoming trash, I was able to send Sophia and Jett out of the warehouse.
I quickly searched inside the warehouse in that gap.
First, I looked to see if the Single Action Army had fallen somewhere else, but...
It's really not here.
The last Single Action Army was nowhere to be seen.
Next, I checked to see if anything else was missing.
And...
...Somehow it feels a bit empty. They took various weapons little by little so I wouldn't notice.
I could tell that not only the Single Action Army, but other weapons had been taken, too.
However, it was so unnoticeable that I couldn't tell which ones they had taken.
"...What ballsy bastard took my guns?"
I didn't know the identity of that ballsy guy yet, but I knew what he called himself in town.
Zodiac.
He shot Joe's younger sister with the Single Action Army he took from me.
And he would probably kill other people with the rest of the weapons he took from me.
I thought to myself that this was rather a good thing.
I was already frustrated as Liese was cleared from suspicion... but now I had gotten a decisive clue about Zodiac.
You idiot, you made a mistake.
I became eager to see that $12,000 face who dared to take my guns.
***
"...Since we couldn't find any other clues, let's go back for now."
After that, Sophia looked around our office for several more tens of minutes but couldn't find anything, so she finally got on her horse to leave.
But even as she was leaving, she shook her head as if regretful and looked around the office surroundings.
Finding her pathetic, I gave her sincere advice before she left, "Look, I'm really not Zodiac, so stop with the needless suspicion."
"..."
Before entering this damn Wild West, I played <Catch the Outlaws>, which was the basis of this world, countless times.
In <Catch the Outlaws>, one could choose between male and female protagonist characters.
Among them, the one I mostly chose was the female character, that was, Sophia in front of me.
So I knew a lot about her.
Sophia wasn't just stupid.
She probably already noticed that I wasn’t Zodiac.
"You..."
As expected, my prediction seemed right as Sophia hesitated with a somewhat stung expression and then...
"Haa... Never mind."
Soon swallowed a sigh and turned away.
Instead of the somewhat prim Sophia, it was Jett who left us with a final greeting.
"Well then, we'll be going!"
"Yes, go ahead. Let me know if there's any new information."
Emma and I waved goodbye, and after receiving it, the two rode their horses straight ahead.
But then...
"Ah, I almost forgot!"
Jett, who was riding his horse, turned his body as if he had almost forgotten and shouted, "I know your skills, but since Zodiac's next target is a gunslinger, stay with Emma tonight! Emma, stick close to Kid just in case you're in danger too!"
"..."
"Haha, how nice, Kid! Tonight, you'll be able to find out what you were so curious about earlier!"
What Jett was referring to that I was curious about was Emma's underwear.
Pleased to see the love of young people, Jett laughed heartily and left.
"...That man is still unmarried because he's so meddlesome like that."
It was clear that Jett being still unmarried wasn't simply because he was bald.
I clicked my tongue once and went into the office with Emma.
"Let's go in, Emma."
"...Yes. But Boss."
Then Emma stopped me as I was going in and asked, "Hmm?"
"Still, as the sheriff said, wouldn't it be better if I sleep here tonight?"
"..."
A strange throbbing could be glimpsed in Emma's eyes as she said that.
Having seen Emma for a long time, I knew well what that meant.
It was the signal before she did the foxy things she had been doing non-stop for the past 6 months.
If I spent the night with Emma like this, I didn't know what would happen tonight.
But...
It was also true that I was uneasy about leaving Emma alone because of Zodiac.
"Can't be helped. Stay over."
"...!"
So that day, I decided to spend the night in the office with Emma.
It wasn't the first time spending the night with Emma, but...
Thump.
Somehow I couldn't help feeling strangely nervous.
***
After working with Emma and having dinner, it quickly got dark.
Since we hadn't slept properly last night being at the Deaf Man's Bar all day, we prepared to go to bed a bit early, deciding to sleep early.
Swish—rustle.
Emma brought a spare blanket and spread it on the office floor.
By the way, of course, there was no floor heating in America at this time.
That meant the floor was deathly cold.
Though there was a fireplace, it couldn't warm the whole house.
If she slept like that, Emma would likely get her mouth twisted.
So I...
"Emma."
"Yes?"
"Are you trying to freeze to death sleeping there…? Just come up on the bed. Let's sleep together."
I clicked my tongue and called Emma to the bed.
At this, Emma blushed slightly and asked, "...Is that alright?"
"We have no choice. You haven't washed yet, right? Hurry and wash, then come. We'll turn off the lights and sleep."
"...Yes."
I, who had washed right after dinner, immediately laid down on the bed, and Emma went out briefly to wash in the meantime.
Thud.
While Emma was gone, I gauged the bed size.
"This... is definitely too narrow for 2 people in my bed."
At this rate, it seemed inevitable that Emma and I would have to sleep pressed together.
Should I just sleep on the sofa?
I briefly considered sleeping on the sofa, but soon shook my head.
The sofa in my office was a single-seater, so lying down was impossible.
It's cold anyway, might as well just sleep pressed against Emma.
I pride myself on having strong patience.
Last time I almost fell for Emma's seduction, but that was because I let my guard down.
Today's me was confident I could fall asleep peacefully like Buddha without falling for Emma's seduction no matter what foxy things she did.
Click.
"...Boss, I'm done washing."
About 30 minutes later, Emma who had finished washing came in through the back door.
At this, I, lying on the bed, indifferently ordered her to turn off the lights first, but...
"If you're done washing, hurry and turn off the lights and slee..."
...I had to close my mouth seeing Emma's appearance.
It wasn’t the first time I had spent the night with Emma.
For example, on the direct train to San Francisco.
Though we didn't lie on the same bed, we clearly shared the same room for a week then.
At that time, Emma wore outdoor clothes covering her whole body and slept on the sofa.
But now Emma...
Like most people in America at this time, she had taken off all her clothes and was only wearing a thin sleeping slip over it.
"..."
Emma's body curves were glimpsed through the thin fabric.
When clothed she looked thin, but undressed... those sensual curves...
As I blankly looked at her body, I suddenly recalled what I had said earlier to divert Sophia's attention.
— I was just suddenly curious what kind of underwear Emma is wearing today.
Today's me could absolutely not know that.
Because...
Inside that thin slip... there was nothing except her white skin.
For a moment, looking at Emma, I felt like I was forgetting everything.
Zodiac, Sophia, Liese, the South Brotherhood, TKK...
And...
Jenny James... Jamie James...
That this world was inside a game... that I had to return home...
I forgot everything and only saw Emma.
What woke me from that was Emma's small call.
"...Boss?"
Emma tilted her head looking at me frozen and approached the bed.
As if she didn't understand why I was acting like this, her eyes contained pure innocence.
"Ha..."
Seeing Emma like that, I let out a hollow laugh.
Acting like a nine-tailed fox but reacting as if she didn't know anything...
It was truly detestable.
To the point I wanted to devour her whole.