morning~morning~morning...
Good morning! Morning! This is Morioh Radio Station, and as always, I'm here to serve you—your neighbor…
Early in the morning, Hori walked alone on the way to Shuchiin Academy. Pleasant birdsong entered his ears, dispelling the gloom left by Diego's absence.
Sigh, that Dio… After making breakfast early in the morning, he left a note saying he'd found something about a Stand related to space and wouldn't be going to school today.
I hope everything goes smoothly…
...
"Takanashi, I'm heading out to 'hunt' right now. Come with me."
Still that same morning, Diego intercepted Takanashi Rikka on the route she always took to school.
"…H-h-h-hunt?! This isn't what I think it is, is it, my contractor? You've fallen!" Takanashi Rikka's face flushed red as she sternly accused Diego.
"Huh? I'm allowing you to use your Stand today."
"What?! You want me to use my Stand to help you pick up hot girls with great figures on the street?! No way, you're such a pervert! My Evil King's True Eye isn't for that kind of thing!" Takanashi Rikka turned and ran, strongly resisting the idea of helping Diego hit on girls.
"..." Diego's face instantly darkened.
Very good. You've successfully angered a lion.
The World! Now comes the time that belongs only to me!
Diego slowly walked over to Takanashi Rikka, who had already run dozens of meters away. She was still frozen in her forward-running posture.
The World suddenly appeared, picked up Takanashi Rikka, followed Diego back to the original spot, and placed her behind him.
After Diego adjusted his pose and returned to the exact position he held before time stopped, time resumed flowing.
Bam!
Takanashi Rikka crashed straight into Diego, then sat on the ground in a dizzy duck-squat, shaking her dazed head.
"Hehe, sorry, there were human traffickers chasing me from behind, I didn't see clearly…"
When Takanashi Rikka finally saw who was in front of her, the words could no longer be taken back.
I'm done for…
"Hmm, human traffickers, huh…"
"I said I didn't mean it. Do you believe me?"
"Of course… I don't."
Diego grabbed Takanashi Rikka's cheeks with one hand and kneaded them like dough—up, down, left, right, baba.
"Dio… I'm sorry, it hurts… Dio…"
Wait, didn't I run away? How did I end up back at the starting point? Could it be that Dio's true ability is…
Controlling the road beneath my feet!
What a terrifying power…
"Now will you calmly listen to me?"
"Huh…?"
"That Stand Arrow from before—I took it from some old guy in a photo. Recently, according to the latest intel from the little dinosaur, one of a pair of brothers—the younger one—has awakened an ability related to space. I'm going to confirm whether it can help me get back." Diego carried a travel bag and held a stitched-together photograph showing a family portrait.
He showed the photo to Takanashi Rikka and pointed to the black-haired boy who looked somewhat dim-witted in the family picture, saying calmly:
"This is your first opponent. I need to check whether you have the capacity to bear this power."
"What happens if I lose?"
"Death. As my subordinate, you naturally can't be some mediocre nobody."
With that, Diego walked forward without looking back, leaving Takanashi Rikka standing there agonizing.
Indeed, chuunibyou usually stems from escaping dissatisfaction with real life. But when one truly gains power beyond ordinary people, without sufficient mental fortitude and resolve, it will only bring about one's own demise.
[Have you prepared yourself? My first servant… I have long been prepared…]
I can't give up here. If I lose my Stand, I'll never be able to see Papa again.
Although after obtaining her Stand she had only done mock battles with Dekomori Sanae and Diego's dinosaur minions, Takanashi Rikka still overcame her fear of the unknown and followed after him.
"Let me be clear upfront—if you run into danger, I won't come save you."
"Then I'm still going. I want to prove that I have value—that I'm a contractor worthy of the Brando name!"
"…Do as you like." A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Diego's mouth.
Failure isn't scary. What's scary is lacking the courage to face failure head-on.
...
A few minutes later, the two arrived at a house with its doors and windows boarded up with several wooden planks. It looked as though no one had lived there for three or four years.
"The person's inside. Your objective is to subdue him. Don't think about holding back—this isn't chuunibyou pretend-play. Time to get serious!" Listening to the sounds of fighting coming from within, Diego signaled for Takanashi Rikka to charge in.
Right in front of the house's main door, a short guy had a Stand Arrow stabbed into his chest, blood pouring out nonstop. A shadowy figure was dragging him inside.
Josuke Higashikata, with his signature pompadour, was currently battling Diego's target for this trip—Okuyasu Nijimura.
"Come a little closer! The farther you go, the farther you'll be from your friend—die already, Josuke Higashikata!"
"You erased the character for 'stop'… Does that mean your Stand's right hand has the ability to erase space?!"
The right hand can erase space. Intel acquired.
Stand battles are fundamentally information wars. No matter how powerful an ability is, if you don't know the enemy's Stand power, it's entirely possible to lose to someone far weaker than yourself.
Takanashi Rikka lifted the eyepatch from her right eye, releasing a faint yellow glow. She drew an umbrella from beneath her skirt, appeared behind Okuyasu Nijimura, and chanted:
"Burst forth, reality! Shatter, mentality! Banish this world!"
"Who's there?!" Okuyasu Nijimura whipped around, swinging his right hand that could bomb space and instantly closing the distance to Takanashi Rikka.
But he fell right into her trap. The moment he met her right eye, Okuyasu felt a wave of dizziness. When he came to again, he was already standing in a wilderness engulfed in flames.
Takanashi Rikka bit her thumb, sending a drop of blood flying. Under the gaze of the Evil King's True Eye, it erupted in blood-red light that quickly enveloped the umbrella in her hand.
When the red light faded, a massive purple-black battle axe appeared in her grasp.
"No way… Where did such a huge axe come from?" A bead of cold sweat rolled down Okuyasu Nijimura's face.
But since it's a battle axe, that means close combat.
The semi-cylindrical shape of The Hand glowed faintly as it swung fiercely toward Takanashi Rikka, erasing the space between them while simultaneously erasing the arrows launched by the axe's swing.
"Even though my brain isn't that smart, you're clearly even dumber than me. You actually summon a melee weapon to slug it out with my The Hand—die!"
The Hand had already reached Takanashi Rikka. With a fierce swing, it erased the space in front of her.
Takanashi Rikka crouched down at just the right moment. The blood orb hidden behind her was pulled forward by the erased space and shot straight toward Okuyasu Nijimura's forehead.
"Hmph hmph, the Evil King's True Eye is the strongest! Your attacks are muda muda!"
This guy… liar… That drop of blood didn't turn into an axe at all… That was Okuyasu Nijimura's final thought before he passed out.
"Muda?" Josuke Higashikata's expression grew serious as he loudly questioned Takanashi Rikka. "What exactly is your relationship with Mr. Dio?"
"Roar roar, what do you think our relationship is?"
"A-are you… lovers?" The honest Josuke Higashikata asked a question that was obviously impossible.
"Kyaa! We haven't progressed to the advanced contract of the Evil King's True Eye lovers' pact yet!" Takanashi Rikka covered her face, drawing circles on the ground with her toe. "But… do we look like that kind of relationship? Hehe…"
"No, not at all…" Josuke Higashikata gave an awkward smile, remembered Koichi Hirose being dragged into the house, gave up on the gossip, and headed straight inside.
As he passed Takanashi Rikka, he quietly warned her: "I don't know why you're here, but this has nothing to do with you. Leave quickly—it's dangerous inside."
Dio only told me to capture Okuyasu Nijimura. My mission should be complete. There's no need for me to go into that creepy house…
[Leave quickly—it's dangerous inside.]
No, I can't leave him alone.
Following the trail of Koichi Hirose's blood, Takanashi Rikka charged inside. The moment she entered was a staircase. Josuke Higashikata was confronting Okuyasu's older brother—Keicho Nijimura.
"This arrow… is the only holy arrow. Of course I have to take it back…"
Keicho Nijimura wore a black suit and sported the same golden upward-swept hairstyle as Polnareff. Standing at the top of the stairs, he held Koichi Hirose and yanked the arrow out of his chest. Blood gushed wildly.
"You bastards, haven't you two brothers had enough yet!" Josuke Higashikata's expression hardened. He summoned Crazy Diamond and charged up the stairs.
"Oh? You're sure you want to step into this house?" Keicho Nijimura gave a sinister smile.
On the floor, countless tiny figures holding rifles opened fire on Josuke Higashikata.
Rat-tat-tat-tat…
Bullets poured down. Crazy Diamond blocked some of the fatal shots, but the remaining small bullets struck Josuke's legs.
The bullets that missed Josuke flew straight toward Takanashi Rikka's face.
Oh no… I can't dodge!
"Thou shalt not harm my master!"
A massive golden warhammer appeared in front of Takanashi Rikka, blocking the attack unleashed by Bad Company.
"Master! Are you okay?" Dekomori Sanae rushed over, her tone unable to hide her anger. The giant hammer on the ground vanished as she summoned a lighter thunder hammer. "How dare you raise a hand against my master! You won't escape!"
With the roar of thunder, Dekomori Sanae swung her warhammer and instantly appeared in front of Keicho Nijimura's face.
"Fire—"
Boom!
Keicho Nijimura was smashed into the wall with one blow and knocked unconscious. Bad Company dissipated along with his defeat.
"There is only one path on these stairs—death!"
So—so violent… Wait, Koichi!
Josuke Higashikata leaned against the wall, sweat beading on his forehead. Limping, he made his way to Koichi's side.
Crazy Diamond placed its hand on Koichi. A faint purple light flashed, and Koichi Hirose's wounds instantly healed.
"Thank goodness, we made it in time."
"Yeah, we made it."
!!!
Diego appeared behind Josuke Higashikata, snatched the Stand Arrow, and put it into his travel bag. "Josuke, heal Okuyasu. I need to ask him something."
"Mr. Dio… you can't take that arrow!" Josuke Higashikata, blood still flowing from his leg, pointed at Diego's bag and shouted.
Diego glanced over but said nothing, simply walking straight out of the room.
What is with the Joestar family? With that much blood loss, he's still this energetic.
Seeing that Diego ignored him, Josuke grew anxious and slowly raised one finger.
"The Joestar family can pay to buy that arrow."
Your friend Diego has retracted the action of leaving the room. In an instant he crouched in front of Josuke Higashikata, his eyes suddenly gleaming—not with greed for money, but with admiration for the Joestar family's collection of Stand Arrows.
"How many dollars?"
"At most we can offer you this much." Josuke extended two fingers.
"200k, huh? I'll have to think about it. After all, the arrow itself is small potatoes—my pride is the big deal. But it's not impossible…"
"Not 200k—two million. 2,000,000."
"Deal! The Joestar family really produces talent in every generation."
Jackpot, jackpot. A useless broken arrow actually earned me 2 million.
Jackpot, jackpot. Actually, what I wanted to say was that I could promise up to 20 million, and we could still negotiate higher. I'll just take a little kickback from the middle.
The two exchanged smiles, each afraid the other might back out.