Before her stood a brand-new two-story detached house.
Morioh was a spacious town with beautiful scenery, so unlike in modern cities, apartment buildings were relatively rare here. Most families lived in standalone homes. It wasn't like Hare Menjou's situation at all—Hare had been a rich girl who could afford a luxury villa in the hyper-dense metropolis of Tokyo. In 1999 Morioh, a house like this was within reach for any family with a single steady income.
"Mom, this girl is my good friend!"
The moment they got home and kicked off their shoes in the entryway, Yasuho dragged Inori in front of her mother.
Mrs. Hirose was a mature woman who looked considerably younger than her actual age, still wearing an apron in the classic housewife ensemble. Inori put on a slightly shy act and greeted her with a polite bow.
"Hello, ma'am... my name is Inori."
"Oh my, what a cute girl! Don't be shy, just make yourself at home."
Naturally, Inori left an excellent first impression on Mrs. Hirose. People back then still held very traditional views, and "beautiful on the outside, beautiful on the inside" was a deeply rooted belief.
"Mom, Inori's had some family trouble recently, so she'll be staying with us for a while. That's okay, right?"
"...Of course."
She said the words, but her expression froze for a split second. Then she frowned and turned on Yasuho in a tone that was half-joking, half-scolding.
"Honestly, you—bringing someone home to stay without even telling me first! The guest room upstairs hasn't even been cleaned yet."
"It's fine, ma'am, I can handle it myself!" Inori cut in quickly. "Thank you so much for taking me in."
"Oh my, what a well-mannered girl. So unlike my Yasuho."
"Mom!"
Yasuho puffed up her cheeks and glared at Mrs. Hirose with a look of pure betrayal.
Something about this family's atmosphere felt slightly off. Probably related to what Koichi had mentioned before—the older sister being deceived by a man.
"Come on, Inori, I'll show you the room."
Yasuho grabbed Inori's arm and practically hauled her toward the stairs, calling back without turning around.
"Koichi, you come help too!"
"Yes, sis!"
Koichi Hirose was the most obedient boy in the household. He never dared defy his two sisters or his mother. While most boys his age went through a rebellious phase, gentle-natured Koichi was the exception. He was the type who almost never did anything that would make others dislike him, yet when the moment called for it, he could summon genuine courage and fight.
...
...
After the siblings and Inori had worked at it for a while, they managed to set up a clean, tidy room. Yasuho lent Inori her own bedding and spare clothes, and before long Mrs. Hirose had dinner ready—a spread of colorful little dishes holding an assortment of elegant home cooking. Vegetables, grilled fish, chicken cutlets, fried tofu... just looking at it made one's mouth water.
Inori hadn't eaten a proper home-cooked meal in ages. Back in the previous world, she and Hare had always been too busy for this sort of thing, only preparing a real dinner on special occasions.
Thinking of Hare again, Inori's expression dimmed. She didn't know if she would ever see that girl whose warmth had always reached her, but as long as there was even the faintest hope, she would find a way home.
"Wow! This is amazing, I've been wanting this for so long!"
Koichi's eyes lit up. He blurted out a quick "Thanks for the food!" and immediately picked up a piece of golden-brown, perfectly crispy cutlet with his chopsticks.
"Eat up, Ko. Starting tomorrow you're a high schooler—you need to grow taller!"
Mrs. Hirose watched her son with a loving smile.
"Huh?"
Inori had just sat down and reached for her chopsticks when those words stopped her cold.
The first day of school... that's when Diamond is Unbreakable begins.
"What's wrong, Inori? Is the food not to your liking?"
"No, not at all—I just spaced out for a second... thanks for the food!"
To prove she wasn't being polite for show, Inori said the words and carefully picked up a piece of tofu. The texture was exquisite... she really hadn't eaten anything like this in a long time. After becoming the leader of Funeral Parlor in the previous world, she'd practically stopped eating dinner at home, and the communal cafeteria at Funeral Parlor certainly didn't serve delicate dishes like these—it was nothing but boxed meals, every single day.
"I wish I had a daughter like Inori. So adorable..."
Mrs. Hirose rested her chin on both hands, admiring the girl as she ate.
Inori had changed into a short-sleeved shirt and shorts that Yasuho lent her, since her original black outfit had been so filthy she'd thrown it straight into the washing machine.
"Your daughter's not bad either, you know."
Yasuho picked up her bowl and chopsticks with a sour look.
"Hey! You haven't said 'thanks for the food' yet!"
"What does it matter!"
"Honestly, you..."
...
...
Even in the original world, the Hirose household had two children—their eldest daughter Ayana and their son Koichi. But now Yasuho had somehow become Koichi's new older sister, making the spacious house considerably livelier. Ayana was a third-year at the local girls' high school and was apparently out at a dinner gathering with classmates tonight. Sixteen-year-old Yasuho and fifteen-year-old Koichi both attended Budogaoka High School—the same school as the original story's protagonist, Josuke Higashikata.
Then again, Inori recalled that Josuke was also an incoming first-year, which meant Yasuho, being a year older, would technically be his upperclassman. That was an amusing little wrinkle.
After dinner, Inori took an early bath and retreated to her room to lie down.
This was her first night after crossing worlds... she instinctively reached for her phone to check her personal website, only to fumble at empty air before remembering she'd left it behind in that world. Not that it would work here anyway—it was a piece of technology from 2039.
She suddenly realized she had nothing to do.
Inori stared blankly at the ceiling, then closed her eyes and whispered a name.
"King Crimson."
A flash of red light. The familiar "⊙皿⊙" face materialized before her. Despite having undergone one evolution, King Crimson had somehow reverted to its classic form—the base version with Epitaph and Time Erasure.
Inori sat on the bed in her white shorts, pale legs stretched out, chin propped on one hand. She stared at its ugly face for a while, then shifted her gaze to the smaller face on its forehead.
King Crimson blinked its emerald eyes. It didn't seem to understand why its master was scrutinizing it like this. A bead of cold sweat slid down its silver-white metallic face.
"ACT 1. Everlasting Crown."
At Inori's murmur, the Red King immediately began transforming against its own will. Its overall frame didn't change dramatically—a layer of dark-red, mercury-like substance seeped through its skin and enveloped the entire body. Then the Stand's texture shifted: no longer the signature red base with white racing stripes, but a deep crimson as smooth and lustrous as polished metal, gleaming with reflected light.
The remaining armor at the shoulders, waist, and feet turned from white to black, and kept radiating wisps of ominous dark vapor. The red-and-black color scheme made the Red King look noticeably more sinister, the trailing black smoke giving it the appearance of a demon. On the back of its right hand gauntlet was an emblem resembling the Void Genome.
But the most striking change was the face Inori had been fixated on. The mouth was gone—the red skin of its face flowed seamlessly into its neck. The protruding green eyes had retreated into triangular sockets, their outer corners sweeping sharply upward. The small face on the forehead was largely the same but had also lost its mouth and turned black, looking at first glance like a crown perched atop its head.
"Mm, that's more like it."
Because she had summoned the future Red King via Yet to Come during her first awakening, this was actually Inori's first time seeing ACT 1's proper form. This was the upgrade activated by absorbing all three Void Genomes—its abilities were no longer foresight and Time Erasure, but the power to seize other people's Stands, along with the ability called "Yet to Come": replacing the present with a future timeline.
Inori nodded in satisfaction, but then frowned.
"But... somehow it's lost its charm."
Ugly as it was, watching its facial expressions had been entertaining. Now it didn't even have a mouth.
"Change back."