Chapter 25 - Unforeseen Side Effects
Tokyo, Japan, 19 April 1986
"JIJI!" I said as I entered my room, and finding him being buried under very thick layers of blankets only feed my concern even more. "What's wrong?"
"Close the door... It's cold..." said Jiji weakly as he barely peeks from inside the blankets that cover the entirety of his body, even covering his head. I closed the door before sitting at his side and grabbed his right hand... It feels rather cold, so...
"Hang on, I'll remove the Fool, so you would feel better..." I said while Whitesnake moves to remove the stand disc from Jiji's head, but to my surprise, Jiji raised his left hand to softly push aside Whitesnake's hand.
"Sssh, there is no need for that... Can you two just let this old man get some sleep? Everything would be better tomorrow, I promise," said Jiji before resuming putting his head under the blankets again.
"But Papa! Holly also saw the purple vines coming out of your body, and something happened to me as well, you should have your stand removed before..."
"Oh come on! You know that I made of tougher stuff!" whispered Jiji in an obviously annoyed tone. "Free-falling from orbit with one arm and survived to tell the tale, I just need my rest! That's all!"
"But the purple vines we see earlier!"
"Oh? This?" said Jiji, poking his right arm out of the blankets, and after a while the purple vines we only get glimpses of earlier turned out to burst out of his hand.
"Those... Those..."
"I only realized about them after Holly points that out, but since I could now consciously control them, this could be simply something related to The Fool," said Jiji wiggling those purple thorny vines for a time before retracting them back into his hand. "This is not something that you should be worried about, so..."
"Those ~wiggling~ vines ~writhing~ on my Papa's hand..." said Darkness, being red-faced showing part disgust, part exhilaration at those purple vines. "They look like those ~tentacles~ I've read in Jozuma's secret books that granny burned three days ago!"
"HMPPPFFF!" I reflexively choked on my own laugh over Darkness' unfortunate statement. On the second look, now those wiggling, writhing vines that appeared on Jiji's hand definitely looks like those hentai tentacles. I would bet that Darkness will lose the disgust part on her emotion if those are coming from anyone but her own Papa.
"OH MY GOD! LALATINA! DON'T SAY THAT!" Jiji screams in horror as he is obviously absolutely horrified at how his precious, innocent daughter ends up mentioning that in front of him.
Well, that's our Lalatina, Jiji; overly active imagination of her combined with her super creepy masochism, hope you like it because she is your daughter now, and it's not like you could hide behind a facade of detached noble like what happened in our previous life. Seriously, Darkness' father back then did know about her, ehem, affliction, and tried to get her a nice match. Sadly, before she knows me, she only wants someone that is the scum of the scums, and after that, well... Better not thinking about that, she's my aunt now... It would be a different matter if Megumin is the one who ends up as my cute little sister and Darkness is the one who is not related, but...
Dammit, what am I thinking? Should try to limit those kinds of fantasies Jozuma! Dammit! Think about what Yoshikage-san would say if he knew you are being that kind of pervert!
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" said someone as the door opened, and Jiji is rather quick to hide inside the mass of blankets once again.
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...
"Oh, hi great-granny," I said awkwardly as great-granny just looking exasperated at us but softened once she looks at how Jiji still being under the pile of blankets.
"What happened? I heard your father scream, so..." said great-grandmother to Darkness.
"Papa shows us his ~long~, ~wiggling~, ~writhing~..." said Darkness with her inappropriate red face, which immediately earned her...
*THWACK!*
Great-grandmother's fist on top of her head.
"Myou..."
"If you want to say those purple vines seen by Holly earlier, don't say it like it was something inappropriate!"
"But great-granny, if you don't burn my hentai manga collections, you could see their similarities with those tentacles..."
*THWACK!*
"YOU ARE THE WORST FOR CORRUPTING LALA LIKE THIS!" said great-grandmother while I could only lie on the floor, holding the nasty bump on my head.
Corrupting Lalatina? That should be the reverse, you old witch!
"Hey mom, could you just stop and drag those two rascals out of this room? I need my sleep..." Jiji peeks out his blanket coverings before quickly hides back underneath. And as if he just forgot to cough... "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"
"Avdol said that those who lack the mental strength to cope with their stands would have symptoms of fever and abnormally high body temperature," said great-grandmother, who sat on Jiji's side and took his right hand from underneath the blanket. "Yet your hand is cold to touch."
"This is something..." said Jiji before stopping as he said something different to my great-grandmother. "Well, maybe this is the result of The Fool developing a new ability, but..."
"So?"
"I won't die just because The Fool apparently develops a new ability mom, it will take just a night of good sleep and..." said Jiji, now claiming that his sickness is a side effect of his new stand power, apparently something about The Fool, but why did I never end up sick? Maybe I am indeed tougher than Jiji? At least mental wise?
"I couldn't detect if anything is wrong with you through Hamon," said great-grandmother in a very concerned voice. "Avdol did say that he is worried if Holly, of all people, start developing her stand and become sick over that, but why are you ending up being the one who gets sick, and it was all of a sudden instead of being a gradual one."
"Oh yeah, Holly," said Jiji while he keeps mumbling underneath the layers upon layers of blankets. "Tell Jozuma to remove her stand if she proves incapable to withstand that, but..."
"Should you be more worried about... Yourself?" I said as I summoned Whitesnake at my side. "You know that in this situation I should just take The Fool out of your head so you won't be sick, right?"
"Errr... Just don't worry about me too much. COUGH! COUGH! I have a feeling that this is just a natural process over developing those purple vines. I would be fine tomorrow, I promise!" said Jiji, seemingly being annoyed of our presence here. "I just need to become accustomed a bit, nothing more than that."
"Accustomed? Did they do something or..." said great-grandmother, apparently pondering on the possibilities.
"Uh, Jiji... Maybe I should take The Fool out of your head for a while and return at you later. You know, Yoshikage-san, Megumin's brother, is here, right?"
"..."
"Jiji?"
"Did... Did they want to meet me, specifically? I mean... Am I really needed out there?"
"No, but..."
"Why did he come here when I need to get accustomed with my stand?"
"Joseph, Avdol said that stand-related sickness will result in fever and high temperatures, but you end up with the opposite symptoms," said great-grandmother while opening blankets that cover Jiji's face...
And we did see his face being literally drenched in cold sweat, and his expression is something you expect with someone who is in fear of their life.
"What happened Papa?" said Darkness, who is also concerned with Jiji's condition.
"No... No... It's nothing... Don't... Don't worry about me... I will be fine tomorrow..." said Jiji with a smile that is obviously forced.
"What happened to you? You never this frightened before..." said great-grandmother while Jiji immediately hides his head under the blankets again.
"Uh, something... About my newly developed ability... I'm fine... I'm fine..."
"Joseph! You are obviously NOT. FINE." said great-grandmother while she tries to open Jiji's blanket coverings, but found it being held very tightly. "What frightened you like that?"
"I... I... I must face my own worst nightmare... I just know it... I might look like this for a night... But I would be fine... It is the required process! When you get a stand you'll understand! Just ask Jozuma!"
"Me?" I said while great-grandmother is looking at me. "Well, I never get sick, but uh... Whitesnake's abilities... Never really explore them, so..."
"Joseph, please be rational! You are obviously frightened by something, and as far as I know, the stand you took from that dog in New York should be something related to sand," said great-grandmother as Jiji covered his head back under the blanket. "As far as we know, there's no stand being related to nightmare..."
"Nightmare? Hmm... But I don't recall Whitesnake spitting on your face Jiji..." I said reflexively, thinking on what I have done to Kakyoin, but then great-grandmother just looking at me with suspicion.
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"Your stand, not only have the ability to steal the others' stand and memories but also creating nightmare?" said great-grandmother with raised eyebrows, while I could see even Jiji did peek his eye out of his cover of blankets.
"You can give me ~nightmares~!" said Darkness in a much happier tone than it would be appropriate.
"To be honest, yes... But I didn't recall Whitesnake ever spitting on Jiji's face... No don't look at me like that; Whitesnake's spit did have both hallucinogenic effects that made you see undead and monsters, while still being acidic enough to melt human skin. You already knew about Kakyoin case, right?"
"I want to prove that! PLEASE SPIT AT ME..." said Darkness, who now practically grabs Whitesnake by the collar and begged to be spat upon.
"OH MY GOD!"
*THWACK!*
"STOP BEING THAT CREEPY LALA!" said great-grandmother in irritation before realizing something even more important as Darkness is now practically hanging from Whitesnake's neck. "You could 'touch' stands now? That's..."
"Oh well... Shall I tell them your story...? Or..." I looked at Darkness, who could only take a breath and sighed. Of course, with another matter that is her wrecking Yoshikage-san's car and apparently ruined his date.
"Granny, Papa... I... I... After granny angrily chasing us off to the streets, I end up turning into... A Scary Monster..." said Darkness.
And Jiji basically jolts himself into sitting position as soon as he heard that.
"Scary Monster?!" said Jiji and great-grandmother in unison.
"Y... Yes... But I'm not sure if..."
"Well, Lalatina... Maybe you could try transforming here so they would understand," I said while Whitesnake positioned his hand around Darkness' head.
"Wait... I don't think that would be..." said Darkness, apparently unsure about what would happen.
"If you get out of control, Whitesnake could take your stand disc out of your head anyway," I said confidently. "Or should I just took both your stand and memory discs and let them observe?"
"NOOOOOO!" said Darkness with her face turning red.
"Jozuma! You should never peek at Lalatina's memories like that!" scold Jiji, apparently concerned that I will take advantage of her.
"Well... That's why I tell her to try transforming here... Don't look at me like that, auntie Lalatina. You only run and wreck things that block your path. You didn't end up attacking innocent people. I think you will found it would be easier to be in control of your stand as long as you keep your focus on that. You can do that! I believe in you, auntie Lalatina!"
"Myou..." said Darkness in a whimper, but she did close her eyes, take a deep breath, and seemed to try to focus herself.
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"Oh... My... God..." said Jiji as he looks at how Darkness' hands transformed into a pair of claws, and there's a tail poking out of her skirt.
"That was stand related?" said great-grandmother.
"She could touch and interact with stands more or less freely now, so it's likely that was her stand," I tried my best to explain, but I still don't know much about them. "Maybe you should call Avdol, or..."
"You are a dinosaur!" said Jiji as Darkness' transformation is complete and she opened her eyes, showing the vertical-silted blue eyes.
"And you are still in control!" I pat her shoulder while Dino-Darkness' eyes only look at me warily. "Now try transforming back to human... Come on, you can do it..."
Without much further ado, the dinosaur parts subsided and her face gradually turned into a human again. Leaving Jiji and great-grandmother looking at each other with confusion on their faces.
"Well, I think only stand users could see stands but..."
"That must be something like The Fool, it needs to be bound upon something, and that stand of yours is bound to your own body..." said Jiji while reflexively doing some tricks with her left hand, inverting it to become a right hand, and back at being a left hand.
"You're not afraid that I am a Scary Monster now?" said Darkness in disbelief.
"Well, as long as that transformation is not permanent... Why not? In fact, that should be very handy in combat situations..." Jiji raised his eyebrows as we talk further about the situation earlier.
...
"Which reminds me, you said she wreck things up?"
"Well, I do end up... Well, breaking some things on my path... And..." said Darkness, apparently either ashamed about what she has done or genuinely not paying attention.
"During her initial transformation, she wrecked some cars, but one of the most important things is she wrecked Yoshikage-san's car, that's why he's here..." I said while averting my gaze toward Darkness' guilty face. "Nobody else knew that dinosaur is Lalatina, but Yoshikage-san and his girlfriend because he has been very kind toward me, I would feel extremely guilty if he did not receive his compensation... So..."
"So they are here because Lalatina wrecked their car?" said Jiji in exasperation, and I do notice that Jiji refers to Yoshikage-san as plural, but maybe that's just Jiji thinking Yoshikage-san already married or something. "Alright, tell them they could have $10000! You don't have to get me off just for that! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"
"What?" I am just being very confused on how easy Jiji just give $10000 for Yoshikage-san, someone he has not even met. As far as I know, that could easily buy you a new car already. But maybe that's the perk of being a billionaire.
"And told them that was from... From Sadao... Errr... The Kujo family... No, don't look at me like that, I'll give you the money, but just tell your mom to claim she is the one giving them the money. I just want you to be in your future in-laws' good grace, that's all."
"Owh..." why did Jiji don't just tell them the money is coming from Joseph Joestar himself or the Speedwagon Foundation then?
"Why don't you just give them a check?" said great-grandmother, apparently puzzled with Jiji's very specific order.
"Because that would have my name on that!" said Jiji as he looks around to our confused faces. "No, I meant, what's wrong with me trying to help Sadao's image? And since he would be Jozuma's in-law... Well?"
"But Megumin knew you were here, so..."
"That's why you should tell them the money is from your father, not me! You are the one who told them about stands being Youkai or something, and as those are Japanese things, the reparations should be paid under Japanese name! Understand?"
"Well... I got your logic Jiji, but why not the Speedwagon Foundation, so..."
"Just do it dammit! Don't let them ever knew that Joseph Joestar is the one who paid for their wrecked car! Think of your father's image! And tell them to keep secret about 'those Youkais' understood?"
...
Long story short, we used my mom's money (about a million and a half yen) to pay for Yoshikage-san's wrecked car (as Jiji gave us the money in dollars). Of course, my mom was initially also confused with the request to claim the money comes from Kujo Sadao instead of Joseph Joestar, but maybe Jiji was right about something we don't understand, so she ends up doing exactly as her father said her to do so.
"Isn't this too much, Mrs. Kujo?" said Yoshikage-san, raising his eyebrows while the onee-san at his side could only gulp looking at how the wad of 1500000 yen being handed that easily.
"You have been very helpful with our family, Yoshikage-san. We also hope you will keep secret about the Youkais in our house."
"You... Youkai?" said the onee-san.
"Well, where is Aqua-san?" said Yoshikage-san while looking back to the onee-san at his side. "Not all Youkai looks like a reptilian monster... Aqua-san, the servant of this house, is also a Youkai."
"Uh... Aqua is... Doing something with the Dinosaur-Youkai previously rampaging on the streets," I think of something that could distract Yoshikage-san from the fact that Aqua is actually being stored as stone-Aqua under series of ultraviolet lamps.
"Correction, that wasn't a dinosaur, that's a Reptilian-Youkai. Dinosaurs have feathers," said Yoshikage-san in irritation, and I could only roll my eyes on how he ended up with such specific term for referring to Darkness' transformation.
"She's a wingless dragon onii-sama, not just a reptilian!" chirped Megumin in.
"She?" said Yoshikage-san while raising his eyebrows.
"Uh..." I said while nudging Megumin to stay silent. "That was..."
"Ah, I see... That rampaging... Dragon-Youkai is Aqua-san, right?" said Yoshikage-san with raised eyebrows, and we could only look at each other. Luckily, I am able to nudge Megumin before she speaks anything about it. Let him think it's just a Youkai thing, and I'm sure Yoshikage-san will stay silent about that.
"Oh well, I... I can't tell you... Supernatural contracts and all... Well, you know..."
"Don't worry too much about it," said Yoshikage-san with a charming smile in his face as he put his hand on my shoulder while looking at the onee-san who sits at his side. "We'll keep about that secret, right? Higashikata-san?"
"Eh... Well, yes... Of course..."
"It must be hard dealing with supernatural kinds of stuff while your family is visiting you, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san politely.
"Well, thank you for your concern, Yoshikage-san," said my mother politely.
"Just give my regards to your father and grandmother, Mrs. Kujo," said Yoshikage-san with a bow after we stood up. "This is more than enough for us to hail a taxi after I drive my car to the repair shop."
"Well, I'm sorry if we end up bothering you too much, Yoshikage-san."
"That's not a problem, Mrs. Kujo."
...
Tokyo, Japan, 20 April 1986
Waking up in my own room after spending more than two weeks outside is definitely a welcome experience. Sure, feel kind of bad since Megumin and Darkness end up sleeping at the living room, but...
"No Avdol, I feel much better now... Yes, don't worry about it... No... I didn't know, but I am fine now... There's no need for that... No... Oh... Why?" said Jiji in front of the telephone when I walk toward the bathroom.
"..." I decided to just leave Jiji alone about the matter of stands and Speedwagon Foundation, well; maybe Jiji was just being under the weather and...
"What? Well, tell them to get off from my house... Tell them to stop their concerns about my dogs... Especially not about spaying and neutering... I could afford to raise and pay for my own pack of mutts dammit! Tell them to fuck off and bother other billionaires who adopted their dogs straight from the streets instead of using animal shelter services... No, I don't know anyone with that name... Could be a scammer... Yes, I understand... Well, and our prisoner? Hmm... Use your own judgment about that... Correct... And always keep an eye for anyone with two right hands..."
"What's the matter, Jiji?" I asked after Jiji closed the call. "The man with two right hands, you don't mean..."
"The partner of Hol Horse, we have shreds of evidence that he has been involved in a mysterious rape-murder case in France, two years ago."
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"Well, do you intend to catch him or..." dammit, I don't want to be dragged into any sort of stand-related shenanigans again this soon.
"Let's be fair, aside of a witness that saw the perpetrator having two right hands and Hol Horse's memories about him being a man with two right hands, we have no real links about the case... The loosely-related network of those stand-based criminals meant aside of some safe houses known in Hol Horse's memory, we did not know where the hell they are based, or even if they have any sort of base at all."
"So... That means we would not do anything about them as long as they are not doing something that forces the Speedwagon Foundation's attention, right?"
"Let's be fair here, we only have five known stand users, one is a comatose prisoner under our custody... And you know Lalatina's stand is not the most subtle, unlike yours..." said Jiji while scratching his head. "All while we must first deal with that Pillar Woman of yours, so... I think just keeping an eye on them would be the wisest course..."
"Ah, right Aqua... So, you know..."
"Well I do have other works to do, and it is in my best interest to solve the matter at Japan as soon as possible anyway... I'll discuss that with your great-grandmother..."
"Well, thank you then, Jiji..." I said, but then I did notice that it seems Jiji is in a hurry to leave Japan as soon as possible because previously, he always refuses to discuss things over Aqua before the containment bunker is complete.
...
What's happening out there?
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