Black Badger

The senior’s eyes regained their sharpness.

Ricardo lifted his head and looked at me.

“Bullet check~....”

He was saying something that did not even sound like human speech.

I curled my palm and snatched the revolver out of the senior’s hand.

I removed every bullet from the well-worn revolver.

The bullets rolled out onto the wooden table with a clattering sound. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“Did you bring the game~?”

“Please go inside and sleep.”

I ignored the senior as he slowly pushed back his chair and stood up.

I swept the bullets rolling across the table into my palm. I did not relax my furrowed brows as I made sure to gather every last one.

“If you cannot sleep, I can at least make you some tea.”

Ricardo did not move, his hands shoved into his pockets.

He stood there and silently watched me, but I pretended not to notice. I shoved the bullets that filled my palm into my pants pocket.

I examined the revolver.

“Whose is this?”

I already sensed I would not get a satisfying answer, but I asked anyway.

Ricardo let out a small laugh and replied.

“My father’s.”

As expected.

I carried the revolver to the living room. It must have been inside the open drawer.

I put the revolver inside the drawer and closed it. Then, without asking permission, I opened the drawers below. If there were any bullets left, I was going to remove them all.

I should contact Kudo sunbae.

“There is nothing else, so stop it and sit down~....”

Ricardo lazily walked out of the kitchen.

“We need to play a game....”

“I said, please sleep.”

I had to work hard not to snap at him out of wounded irritation.

“It is already past ten.”

“I cannot just send off a junior who has only just arrived~.”

“I am not going to leave anyway.”

When I answered shamelessly, Ricardo blinked.

I looked straight into his deep green eyes.

“I am going to sleep here.”

Who knew what kind of trouble he would cause if he woke up in the middle of the night.

So I intended to stay in the living room the whole time after confirming he was asleep. A sharp man like him would not be thrilled about a junior here, but that was his own burden to bear.

Even if he dragged me out by force, I was not going.

Seeing my dumbfounded senior, I gave him a bright smile.

“I will sleep on the sofa while finishing the new game called From I.”

We argued for a while.

But in the end, Ricardo yielded to my stubbornness. He did not seem to have the energy to fight, given his condition.

Ricardo pointed to the guest room on the second floor, then went into the bedroom looking exhausted.

I sent the senior off with a broad smile from the living room.

“Sleep well!”

Without looking back, Ricardo raised his middle finger.

How rude.

The bedroom door closed. After confirming the sound of him lying down on the bed, I sat on the sofa.

I had really made it just in time.

Once relieved, I belatedly looked around. As before, the monitor and the game console were prepared. No wonder he told me to bring only the game chip.

I checked that the monitor was muted and inserted the game chip.

While the game was loading, I sent a message to Kudo. It was a bit late, but he would check it when he had time.

I was glad I came to Ricardo’s house, even this late.

I began playing until the senior woke up.

***

“Did you sleep at all~?”

Morning.

Ricardo came out of the bedroom and looked down at me.

I set down the game console and smiled.

“Yes. I got a little shut-eye.”

I had not slept at all.

I had stayed on the sofa pressed against the wall dividing the bedroom and living room. Accidents happen the moment you take your eyes off someone.

Besides, I was confident in staying up all night. If it was just one night, I could act like someone who had slept soundly.

The senior’s eyes narrowed.

I stood up and pointed toward the kitchen.

“Shall I take something out? If you prefer delivery food, I can order right away.”

Ricardo ignored my words.

He slowly walked to the wall pad. He stopped in front of it and jabbed at the pad with his finger.

“After gaming all damn night, you call that shut-eye~....”

Caught.

I shivered faintly at the grim tone of his voice. Ricardo seemed to be looking at today’s electricity usage displayed on the wall pad.

Is he angry?

“Go inside and sleep....”

“I am fine. I am not sleepy at all.”

Another round of arguing.

Ricardo yielded again. I insisted that I would sleep at home. I also made a fuss about wanting to check the game’s easter egg this morning. Jonathan Kudo had replied saying he would arrive in three hours.

I guessed today’s patrol area must be far from here.

Either way, my insistence on “wanting to see K’s easter egg as soon as possible” worked.

Ricardo took a shower, came out annoyed, and held out an espresso cup to me.

“Americano....”

When I raised my eyes at the muttering voice, the senior was right in front of me.

A gentle smile.

“Of course I am joking. Thank you, I will drink it.”

“Mm~.”

I drank the liquid in the small cup in one go.

Ugh.

Bitter.

I gulped it down like medicine, and Ricardo gave me a disgusted look.

What. How are you supposed to enjoy drinking this?

After putting down the empty espresso cup, I went to the sofa.

I did wonder if it was right to play K when he had been in such bad shape yesterday.

But a few minutes ago, I had almost gotten hit for suggesting that, so I quietly sat on the sofa. I switched the game chip from I to K and loaded the saved data.

The old wall behind the throne.

「May the Great World Tree bless you」

I used the controller to enter the sentence.

Of course that was the correct sentence. As soon as I wrote the final line of the hymn in red blood, the wall in the game began to shake violently.

My heartbeat shot up.

Would Kairos even be the type to leave a message for me?

I leaned forward so I would not miss a single letter.

The wall collapsed and a sentence appeared.

It was not handwritten.

[Have you returned?]

It felt like Kairos was whispering into my ear.

[People are saying you are dead.

Those who remain are grieving, saying they can no longer feel your presence.

I cannot feel you either, but I do not feel that you are dead.

I did not say anything to anyone for fear it would be false hope.

Ah! Did you enjoy the game? I hope you have fun playing the one I made!]

Wow.

It was so very Kairos. No one else could have written this. The way he left such a laborious message yet still worried about the “gameplay” aspect.

I forgot my senior was next to me and focused on the letter.

[How much time will have passed by the time you see this?

There is something I failed to tell you.

I learned too late that you cried the day before the war began.

I assumed you would be filled with betrayal and anger, never shame and despair.

Because you were right.]

I stared at that line for a long time.

The letter continued, but I could not move past that sentence for a while.

Something strange twisted inside my gut. I tried not to look directly at that huge pit of emotion.

...Let me finish reading first.

[Of course, history will no longer show whether you or Kyle were truly right.

But I think your judgment was correct.

I conducted my own investigation before the war broke out. I did not say it aloud, but I was quite busy.

You might think I was causing trouble again? ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Haha.

Anyway, listen.

The conclusion is this.

You chose the wisest option.

Your decision was the best one, made without averting your eyes from reality.

Do you think this is sweet talk to console you?

Of course not. You know me. I am a gambler to the bone.]

He was someone whose eyes changed completely when he stood in the arena.

A man of clean conduct and uncreased nature. A star of the era who knew exactly how to read the interests tied to each match and satisfy both the organizers and the royals.

He always craved victory.

[It is frustrating that I cannot prove you were right.

I believe you are allowed to resent the black-haired Captain more.

He never believed you till the end.

The third son of the Count, too.

They only pushed their own claims. You wavered endlessly, but they did not waver for a moment. I even remember them teasing you for overthinking.

Why did they treat you that way? They could have hesitated at least once.]

No.

Rei hesitated.

Only in the final moment. And so he was pierced by my sword and lost his life.

I cruelly pinned my hopes on my friend’s last hesitation....

But what had I claimed that made Kyle and Rei brush aside my words?

I did remember the resentment born from being disbelieved. It was a fierce emotion. Even now, thinking back on it brought tears to my eyes.

I did not get resentful over most things, either.

[But it is all in the past.

Let us bury the unchangeable and hope for the future.

It is the second life you granted us.

We will live it well. So that you can be certain your decision was right.

I wanted to tell you thank you. Hilde, you were the best leader we could ever have.]

The letter was nearing its end.

I stared at the screen without even thinking to put down the controller.

[We will always wait for you, so come back slowly, Knight Captain. Some of us do not grow old anyway.]

So they waited?

If they waited... then where are you now?

[Time changes many things.

But as for me, I will probably be in a similar place as always. It will not be hard to find me.

Ah! And no throne remains unrotted forever.

When you come back, let us wait for it to wobble, and then destroy it together.]

What throne?

I could not tell whose throne he meant.

Either way, the letter truly ended there.

Only one final sentence was carved at the bottom.

[Travel slowly. Until we meet again, may the World Tree bless you.]

Bang!

The front door burst open.

I flinched.

The immense sound snapped me back to reality. I barely managed to grab the controller I almost dropped and looked toward the front door where sunlight was pouring in.

The front door was open...

I had locked it last night.

But now it stood open.

Revealing a man standing there in backlight.

A man gasping for air, and Ricardo Sordi staring at the intruder without interest.

“You are paying for the repairs~....”

Jonathan Kudo strode inside.