Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 20: Yanigihori's Last Stand -First Strike- (Part 1)
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Kousaka Honoka, reporting back for duty! It's finally time… we're done running, and we're done being on the defense! Maki awakened her Stand, and now we, the girls of μ's, the Student Council, and even Fumiko-chan are ready to make our assault and settle this once and for all! But something feels wrong… an uneasy feeling is sitting in my chest…!
It was only 5 AM when Kousaka Honoka awoke, that morning, having gone to bed at only 7 PM the night before, in preparation for the day ahead.
Honoka's family had been shocked that she went to bed so early, even with the explanation she wanted to wake up very early for Idol training. Alright, do I have everything? She thought to herself, checking her bag. There were some 'normal' things she usually brought to actual training: a bottle of water, some snacks, and an energy drink. But also included today was some gauze, Tylenol, band-aids, and even a whistle.
In such a short time, her life had become so chaotic. One day she was just a School Idol singing and dancing, the next she was fighting an ex-cop. Yet… yet…
Honoka couldn't help but smile. They were doing good too… after all, that terrible Wakaki wouldn't have been stopped. And Fuhai was a terrible man, who would have kept doing terrible things if she hadn't stopped him! And now, Yanigihori…
Truth be told, Honoka didn't know how to feel about her. She was her enemy, but unlike her others thus far she had treated Honoka with nothing less but her upmost respect. But… she was her enemy, right? I don't want to fight her, Honoka thought to herself. It wasn't just because of the danger, something about her, just… she didn't want to call Yanigihori her enemy despite everything that had occurred between them. Is this what being older, what being an adult was like? She saw in so many movies and animes how grownups could never resolve their differences, and thought she would never be like that, but now it felt like it was happening all the time. Was this all she could do; fight people she could not touch with her music?
She clenched her fist. Regardless… for now, she had to fight. To protect the people she cared about, and herself… Even if she didn't really understand why she had to fight, she understood what she would fight for. And when it was all over…
She could celebrate by listening to her new song! She grinned, thinking of two days ago.
"Honoka-senpai, are you sure about this?" Maki had asked her, as she began recording. "It's not that I or anyone else mind this solo of yours… but do you really want to focus on it now, with everything going on?"
"That's why I want to record it now!" Honoka had said, grinning. "These lyrics I've been working on… are all about coming far! And resolve! And I… that's why I want it to go live Saturday! After we're done with Yanigihori and all that stuff… I want this song to be symbolic of that! The path we've walked on, and how far we've come! So… yeah, let's do this, Maki-chaaaan!"
Honoka smiled, looking at her phone. We're going to do this. We're going to win.
Honoka sent out the group text.
[Honoka] is everybody ready?
[Maki] I'm ready.
[Rin] sooooo ready! let's go kick some butt :3!
[Umi] Ready.
[Kotori] Ready!
[Nico] reporting for duty! let's blow these losers sky high so we can get back to being IDOLS!
[Fumiko] im ready honoka!
[Nozomi] Ready to fight~
[Eli] I will be departing with Nozomi shortly. We are ready to fight.
[Honoka] hanayo? are you up?
[Umi] Hello? Earth to Hanayo?
[Hanayo] sorry about that, ya'll~! i'm ready, guys :)))))
[Honoka] Who are you?
Everyone was typing, but Honoka got to it first.
[Hanyo] whatcha mean?
[Rin] That's not how Kayochin texts! Who are you, and why do you have her phone!?
[Hanayo] ehehehe… guess i shoulda read her history before, oops~
[Maki] Who are you!?
The other nine girls' eyes widened as they were greeted to an image; Suzuki Emi, with one eye closed and sticking her tongue out, making a peace sign with the camera. And behind her, in the corner, was Hanayo, tied up and gagged.
[Hanayo] i was reaaaaaaaaaally hoping id surprise you all by you like sending this to you when you all got here. i feel sad now :(
[Honoka] LET HER GO!
[Eli] You're making this worse for yourself, Suzuki.
[Rin] YEAH! LET HER GO OR ELSE!
[Hanayo] see… this is how this is gonna work. ur all gonna come as planned. ur just doing it with one less member; one at our mercy. don't u dare forget that. remember how kobayashi-chan wanted to cripple you fucking assholes? yeah well, wouldn't it be funny trying to see her dance with no feet ;D?
[Rin] LET HER GO!
[Hanayo] honoka-chan! i REALLY want to fight you especially! so lets dance today, i can't wait!
[Hanayo left the chat.]
Honoka began a group call. "Dammit! Everyone, change of plans, there's no time for any of us to eat beforehand! We said we'd leave at 6, meet up at 7, then head straight over there… we don't have time to meet up or get there at our leisure! Head straight to the warehouse! Understood!? If you can grab a Granola bar or two or something, eat some on the way there so you're not distracted by hunger!"
"Roger!" Rin yelled, the rest swiftly agreeing… except for two.
"Is that really wise, though?"
As always, Eli's voice was the calmest, and coldest.
"Of course! What the hell do you mean, Prez!?" Honoka demanded.
"The enemy has taken one of our own… for all we know, there might be more traps. Hell, if anything, this is likely a trap; by taking Koizumi, we're heading straight into their turf hotheaded…"
"Of COURSE, it's a trap! We don't have any other options though!" Nico said. "Hanayo is in danger, we need to rescue her!"
"I think we should do reconnaissance instead," Eli said. "We should observe their movements for a day, then reschedule the actual assault to tomorrow."
"Are you saying we should just abandon Hanayo!?" Maki demanded. "That's heartless, even for you!"
"Yes, it I am. And yes, it is," Eli replied as cooly as ever. "I think it's reckless; Yazawa even stated she knows this is a trap! We're playing into their hands because they know we're -or rather, all of you- are hotheaded! I also want to see Koizumi returned safely, but we can't just rush into this!"
"Rushing into things is how we do things, Eli!" Honoka yelled into her phone. "The first thing you need to understand… is we're all a bunch of hotheaded idiots! Except for Umi, Maki, and Kotori!"
"Yeah!" Fumiko yelled in agreement. "… H-hey, did you just call me stupid!?"
"Because we are, nya!"
Eli groaned. "There's nothing I can do to convince you all to hold off…?"
"Not a thing in the world!" Honoka yelled into her phone. "If you won't come, then we'll continue our assault without you!"
Eli sighed. "… Then I will be there with Nozomi. I am going to get her first; if you all reach the warehouse before us, go in and we'll catch up with you! I hope you know what you're doing, Kousaka?"
"What part about 'hotheaded' didn't you get? Of course I don't!"
Despite everything, Honoka was grinning now.
"But that's never stopped us from accomplishing anything before!"
Stay safe, Hanayo!
"At last, the time for battle is upon us. After μ's, we resume our search and claim the Arrow for ourselves. Then, I shall fulfill every promise I have made unto you."
Yanigihori if nothing else seemed to enjoy her speeches, even when few were around to appreciate them. Indeed, Miano and Akeno (and of course, Wakaki) were absent, leaving only Yanigihori's inner circle and a certain bug-loving Stand user to hear her.
The group had gathered in the warehouse-turned-yakuza-base, Yanigihori sitting above the other girls on a lawn chair rested upon a large metal storage container, looking down at her compatriots. And to her side was the still unconscious Hanayo, tied in rope and gagged. "It is regretful such measures had to be resorted to… but we have come too far to fail now."
"We are severely outnumbered. Anything we can do to even the odds is fair, as far as I'm concerned," Takamaki said. "She's one of the strongest ones… with her gone, the enemy is far weaker. It was a good idea, Yanigihori-sama."
"Kyahahahahaha! You should've seen the look on her face when I did it! Caught her totally off guard, too! Like, she looked all 'whaaaaat!? What the heck!?' And then she had a knife in her shoulder and chloroform on her face!" Emi said with a laugh, sticking her tongue out and making a slashing motion across her throat.
"S… so she's really knocked out still… n-no chance she's gonna get back up?" Kobayashi asked, adjusting her large glasses. Her face and arms were slightly scarred by the vicious onslaught of fire ant bites she had endured, but they seemed to be healing nicely. "I-I can't believe we're really doing this…" She gulped; she really didn't want to fight with Nico and Kotori again… In fact, she was having second thoughts about this whole thing in general.
"Nope! Hit her with a good blow to the head AND chloroform! And we still got plenty of that if she gets back up!" Emi said, making a peace sign.
"The least you can do is pretend to feel about it," Takamaki scolded. "Can't you see Yanigihori-sama is upset we had to use such… cowardly methods?"
Emi just laughed though. "You 'warriors' and your pride! A win is a win, that's all there is to it!"
"Between the four of us, we have nine opponents even now with this development. Most notably, Ayase and Kousaka, both of which have extremely powerful short-range Stands…"
"I… Is it even possible?" Kobayashi gulped wen all eyes were on her. "I-I mean… a-are you sure we shouldn't get more followers first or something?" She asked, raising her hands.
"It is now or never," Yanigihori said. "It is regretful the operation wasn't completed…"
"Figures that Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan slept in a different place tonight," Emi said with a sigh. "If I had gotten all of them, victory would've been absolutely assured… but where's the fun in that, anyways?"
"We crush them, and they either stay out of our way for good, or we force them to serve us. Regardless, we'll be able to focus on the arrow entirely. But we cannot with these enemies opposing us," Yanigihori reasoned. "Kousaka even told me… it does not matter. She will oppose us regardless due to our difference in ideologies. We cannot ignore them. The Idol Study Club μ's, and the all-girl gang 'Arrow Hunters' cannot coexist. That… is all there is to it."
"I'm just… you know, really worried… we're so outmatched…" Kobayashi said, adjusting her large glasses.
"Have some faith," Takamaki spat. "We're making your dreams come true when this is all over."
Kobayashi narrowed her eyes. "That'd mean more coming from a girl that hasn't been weakened…"
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"You're underestimating Jori!" Emi said, ignoring her boss' displeasure and trying to stop a fight before it could begin. "Jori can take on at least half of them, or maybe Eli and Honoka… we just need to deal with the back! Besides, you're complaining a lot for someone that won't be fighting the frontline… you did do what we asked, right?"
"Of course!" Kobayashi said, snapping her fingers, as many concealed bugs came out. "I've been making my「Worker Bees」almost nonostop the past two days! M-my arm is really sore, you know!" She said. "S-so… you want me to do sneak attacks or something."
"Yes and no. You're going to be on guard, and our contingency," Yanigihori said, jumping down to the other girls. "Those limp-dicked coward yakuza were using this as a base… they have cameras all over. Come with me," Yanigihori instructed, the girl gulping as she followed her boss, leading her to another room. "W… whoah…"
In a room there were dozens of monitors, each connected to cameras; almost the entire property was on surveillance. "You'll be keeping an eye on things here, and keeping in touch with us via walkie talkie. These cameras are video only, but with your「Worker Bees」covering every corner of this complex…"
"… Combined with these cameras, I can create a sensory network that can also detect sound!" Kobayashi realized the plan now. "And give assistance in battle from afar… and since I have cameras, I don't need to rely on a queen to mark a target, and I can be accurate about it!"
"I knew you'd understand, Yanigihori said. "In particular, I want you to try to keep Tojo away from Takamaki. Without her, 「Castle of Glass」should be able to connect its blows on its enemies. Takamaki's Stand is mighty, it is just against Tojo that a terrible matchup occurs. If we avoid this, Takamaki can likely deal with most of their Stand users… Does that make sense?"
"Y… yeah…" Kobayashi said nervously.
"Still not feeling good?"
"I'm just… I-I'm really scared… I'll see Yazawa and Minami again! I'm kind of…" She blushed. "You know… s-scared of them… I-I'm sorry, boss! I promise I… ahh…?"
Nothing surprised her more than Yanigihori pulling her into a comforting hug. "Boss…?"
"I understand. You have lived a life without much physical pain, even though your soul has been hurt… every other single one of us has been taking punches our whole lives. To you, who has never experienced such fights… it must have been traumatic. And you're a first year, the youngest of us all, so you haven't had a chance to further grow into this… But I promise you, it will be worth it," Yanighori said, letting go. "Your insectarium, the grandest in the world, will become a reality. And if not… I will become your slave to use as you see fit."
Kobayashi was shocked by the kindness shown to her, eyes wide as Yanigihori began walking off. "A… and what about your dream!?"
"Hmmm?" Yanigihori stopped, looking over her shoulder.
"You keep… you keep saying you'll give us Japan. The 'Japan we desire,' a Japan ruled by the truly strong, not the wealthy and politicians! But… What about what YOU want? I want my insectarium, Homura and Miyabashi both had something personal too… what do you want, boss?" She finally found the courage to speak to her boss not as a servant, but as an equal. "I feel like… like what you say, that's just a byproduct of what you want…"
"You got some guts asking the boss question like that, I like it~" Emi said, while Takamaki glared, clearly unhappy. "What DO you want, Jori-chan?" She asked with a giggle, like she didn't know.
"… A Japan ruled by the strong, I sincerely believe is in this country's best interest," Yanigihori said. "But I will admit… my personal desires are much more selfish than that," she said, smirking. "You'll all have to wait and see what I want, in due time…" she sighed.
I don't have that much time left to make it come true…
Emi laughed again, clapping. "Mysterious as always, Jori-chan!"
"Have some respect!" Takamaki said, her temper flaring. "She's your boss, dammit! She takes pride in being a warrior, why can't you ever respect that!?"
"Sheesh… have you forgotten I've known her longer than you, Takamaki?" Emi snapped. "So I think I know her better than you, even her pride… Ms. Almost Bridge Jumper," she said, glaring as Takamaki stormed out, before laughing once more.
"Jeez… you know, if she just did things my way from the beginning, we would've dealt with these Idols a loooong time ago!" She said with a grin, turning over to Kobayashi. "But it's always this damned pride they have… it pisses me off, ugh!" She said with a sigh, turning over to face the first year. "If they had let me just do it my way, I would've picked off all of μ's, one by one!" She said with a sigh, reaching into something in her pocket, taking out what seemed to be a cigarette pack…
… And putting five in her mouth, blowing out smoke. Those aren't lit… does she smoke those e-cigarettes? Kobayashi thought, confused, eyes widening. And then… in one go, she swallowed them!? She… she just ate cigarettes!?
And Emi noticed her confusion, grinning. "Want some?"
"I-I-I-I… I don't smoke…" Kobayashi said meekly, earning a chuckle.
"Neither do I. That shit ruins your heart and lungs, you know? I don't get how Takamaki and Yanigihori stand it!" She said, tossing the 'cigarette' pack to Kobayashi who caught it, reading it.
"… Candy cigarettes? 'Makes real powdered smoke?'"
"I love it! I eat like, a pack of those a day… unhealthy I know, I reaaaaally need to go on a diet one of these days and cut out the sugar from my life or I'm gonna turn into a fatty!" She said, giving her tummy a squeeze and frowning. "Hey, do me a solid. That minifridge over there, get me a cold drink and toss it, will ya?"
"Alright…" Kobayashi said, setting the candy down. "B… beer?" She asked.
"Naaaah. Both my parents and all four grandparents were worthless drunks. There's a genetic factor to that stuff… don't like risking it. There should be some orange juice packets behind it, though!"
"R-right… I see them," she said, tossing some orange juice to Emi.
"Awesooooome~ You know what, you're alright, Kobayashi!" Emi said, inserting the straw and drinking happily. "Between you and me, we got just too many serious girls here… I mean, we're delinquents! We should be terrorizing Tokyo on our bikes! But ever since we became the Arrow Hunters its just work work work… Lame, right?"
"Its probably not my place to say, I was a shut-in before all this…"
"Oh, right. Well trust me; back when it was just me and Jori and Hiijiri, tearing up the town, those were good old days… in fact, truth be told? I actually kind of miss Wakaki a bit…"
"Y… you miss her!?" Kobayashi asked, shocked. "D-despite everything!?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong; I'd love to slit her throat after what she did, and I wouldn't betray Jori-chan in a billion years! But like… she liked having fun, you know?" She went on, taking another sip of orange juice. "We went for a bike ride once and knocked over an ATM, even mugged another high school girl… I'd kill her before even thinking of it, but that was the first night of real delinquent fun I had in ages! It's a shame you don't find fighting fun… we'd be waaaaaaay closer friends if you did, Kaori-chan!"
"You think… fighting is fun?"
"Of course! The adrenaline when you punch somebody and see them writhe around a bit… and the adrenaline YOU get when someone knocks you to the ground leaves you with a black eye can't be compared! The thrill of the fight, I love it! Hiijiri and Jori both agree fighting is a lifestyle… but I see it as something more! It's when we as humans are the freest, more than anything in the world! You've all had a chance to fight… I feel like I'm boiling over, I can't wait to finally fight μ's! I want to fight the strong ones too. So, it's fine if you don't want to fight, 'cuz I'll definitely be doing my fair share, kyahahaha!"
"… What would you do?"
"Hmmmm~?" Emi was starting to walk off before hearing Kobayashi speak.
"What would you have done... if you never met those two?" Kobayashi asked, unable to keep the question to herself.
"Hmm… if not kept in check by my friendship? Honestly? I'd raise so much hell, someone would have to kill me!"
That grin genuinely unsettled Kobayashi.
"I'd probably be just like Wakaki, 'cuz I don't got a shred of honor in me!"
"Alright, girls, we're here!" Honoka yelled as she arrived… the last, other than Nozomi and Eli.
μ's and Fumiko arrived outside the mostly abandoned warehouse, all on-guard, and their Stands drawn.
"This is pretty bad… Even though we have the numbers, we're at an extreme disadvantage now," Nico rumbled. "It's bad enough they have the 'home playing field.' They also 'have Hanayo…' We KNOW it's a trap like Ayase said, but we can't just leave Hanayo in there!"
"Let's storm it!" Rin said. "Even if Eli and Nozomi aren't here, all of us together have to be enough to bulldoze everyone in our way and get Kayochin back!" She said. "Right!?"
"I want to get her back too, but that's probably not wise," Maki said. "We can't just run in there… If there is a bad trap set up for us, all that'll do is set us up so that we're all trapped by it!"
"We should go in groups," Umi suggested. "Like we expected to before. "But we need to compensate for losing Hanayo. We need new combinations to ensure every group is compensated in all areas…"
"I second that decision," Kotori said. "If anything goes wrong, the other teams can respond…"
"… I'm sorry, Hoshizora-san, but I agree," Fumiko said. "Let's form teams."
"Ok… Ok! I have this figured out," Honoka said, looking at everyone. "We'll head in three new teams! Me, Kotori, and Umi will form one group. Nico, Fumiko, and Maki will form a second group. Rin, I want you to serve as lookout and wait for Nozomi and Eli to arrive. But if they're not here within half an hour, come in and join Nico's team, got it?"
"No way! Why am I the only one not involved in this plan!?" She angrily asked. "She's my best friend since childhood! I want to be involved in this! Why can't Maki or Nico stay on standby!?"
"「Cat Scratch Fever」covers a long range, Rin-chan," Honoka reasoned. "Despite being a Close-range Stand, it can travel nearly a hundred feet from you, with a powerful ability that can incapacitate them. If anyone tries to escape… I want you to keep them from running away!" Honoka said. Her sound was logic, but still…
"I think this is a load of crap. I want to be involved in this," Rin swore, eyes narrowing. "But… I can't deny it makes sense. Thirty minutes. I'll wait thirty minutes; a minute later and I'm coming in there!"
"We understand, Rin," Honoka said, nodding. "Are we all clear, are we all in agreement?" Everyone nodded except Rin, who only crossed her arms. She summoned her own Stand, slashing a few rocks on the ground to turn them into cats, becoming her eyes and ears as she had them spread out. "Alright… Let's do this! Operation 'Save Hanayo' is a go! Right now, rescuing Hanayo is our priority! Even if it means letting Yanigihori or anyone else go, rescuing our friend is our absolute priority!"
"We'll never leave one of our own behind… it's not the Idol way!"「Circus」said, materializing next to her user.
"Everyone… be safe!"
"Jesus, this place is creepy…"
Nico was constantly looking around as she ventured into the warehouse. It was unsettling, these abandoned places. So dusty, things left behind when it was being cleared out, and dark.
"It's like the place where we fought Hiijiri…" Fumiko observed. "I don't ever wanna be in an abandoned place like this ever again after this…"
"Focus, girls," Maki instructed her seniors. "The enemy can be anywhere…"
Fumiko nodded. "Hii… Takamaki was so strong…" She thought back on that scary day. "Even if she's still injured, if she can fight, she'll be a real problem…" Fumiko said. "Even with Nozomi-senpai on our side, it was scary…"
"We should expect to fight her again," Maki said. "At the very least, this place with all these old freight containers to hide behind… but we're at an extreme disadvantage without Nozomi and her「Ace of Spdes.」If I was Takamaki, I'm the group I'd want to take on…"
"Jesus… c-come on, you trying to scare me!?" Nico exclaimed. "At least say something like 'even if she's strong, we can beat her!'" Nico said. "Something reassuring, come on!"
"I'm not, because I don't know for sure!" Maki said. "You had to have been there… the good thing is both of our Stands are good for messing with people's heads. We might be able to confuse her if we all work together… or in a worst case scenario, run."
"Tch! That's so lame,"「Circus」said. "Running off… just saying it makes me feel cowardly!" the sentient Stand said, crossing her arms.
"Better that then dead, right?" Maki reasoned, and that seemed to shut her up. "Our mission isn't to be heroes… it's to save Hanayo! So, we need to suck up feelings like that for the sake of our mission!"
"Y… yeah! You're right, Nishikino-san!" Fumiko said. "No matter what happens… I want to support μ's, so I'll follow the plan!"
"This wouldn't be so bad if we had Nozomi and Ayase with us… honestly, what assholes!" Nico exclaimed. "They have some nerve not even telling us how close they are!"
"Knowing them… after what happened with Hanayo, they're probably going to be following their own plan instead of working with us," Maki reasoned. "We shouldn't even consider them part of the plan, when they're probably going to do their own thing when they get here."
"Bitches," Nico swore. "Never want to fucking see them again after this, I swear."
Maki and Fumiko didn't say anything in response to that as they ventured inwards… and failed to notice; all the ants watching them quietly, and listening to them, hidden within cracks and old boxes….
"I have confirmation. Eli and Nozomi aren't with them… coming your way are Nico, Maki, and Fumiko," Kobayashi reported into a walkie talkie. "The other second years are in their own group… and I don't see the third years other than Nico anywhere on the cameras, and my Stand isn't hearing them either!"
"Thank you, Kobayashi," Takamaki said, ending communications on her walkie talkie.
"And meeeee~?"
"Suzui-san, Honoka's group is coming your way…"
"Kyahaha, perfect! Keep watching! I'm gonna give you a show you'll never forget! And don't forget to keep helping us out, too!" Emi said, hanging up as well.
And Kobayashi sighed, looking up at the ceiling, and taking a glance at the subdued Hanayo. "… Nana…"
I bet you're really ashamed of me right now, aren't you?
"This is too quiet," Maki said stopping the group as they ventured further in their side. "Like… don't you feel it? The hairs on the back of my neck all feel like they're standing up…"
"… I feel it," Nico said. "The calm before a storm…"
"The quiet before a Stand battle," Fumiko said, her fists balled. "… Just come out!" She yelled out. "Come on, come on! I know you're there! So stop screwing with us and show yourself!"
"That eager to fight, eh? I can respect that…" Maki's and Fumiko's eyes in particular widened, recognizing the voice. They looked above at the railing above them, noticing a familiar figure.
"Hiijiri!"
"Didn't think I'd see you again," Fumiko said, an aura of power around her. "Hmm… what to say, what to say…"
The Otonokizaka girls were quiet, looking at their enemy. "This is the part where the villain monologues, right? We have a back-and-forth, we insult eachother and you take the moral highground and I attack in frustration… but…"
Her power poured into her doll, forming「Castle of Glass」in its terrifying glory. "You know, this is interesting… me having the high ground, and all. It puts a twist compared to last time, doesn't it?"
Maki gasped in horror. "Shit… shit! Everyone! Take cover! Take cover!"
"Glass Arrow Storm!"
Meanwhile, the Otonokizaka second years headed deeper into their side of the complex, their guard still up.
"If someone attacks us… it'll probably be Suzui, right?" Honoka asked.
"Yeah… I think Yanigihori is probably going to wait until the end. When we're all more tired," Umi reasoned. "Or she wants to save her strength for Ayase and Tojo…"
More like she wants to save it for me, Honoka thought bitterly, heading in.
"… I don't like this… Kotori said. "This quiet…"
"Everyone… guards up," Honoka instructed. "You don't know when- whoah!"
The second years stepped back as what looked like some kind of white portal opened in front of them. And a second later came what to them looked like a girl's arm, holding what looked to be something between a large kitchen knife and a machete. It has an elegant, slim look to it, with a curved tip and the bottom portion being serrated. For reasons they didn't understand the knife seemed to have circles in the blade, and its handle was green. The arm swung at them, launching some kind of visible shockwave from the "zombie slayer knife," as they were known, before retreating back into the portal.
"「All Star!」" Honoka yelled, blocking the attack with a crossed guard, wincing in pain after. Even though she blocked it, her Stand -and by extension, she- was bleeding from the attack. "Girls! Stay sharp!" Umi drew a rose from her hand which became her「Sleepy Storm,」and Kotori's「Kaze ni Notte」grabbed her protectively. "Where… what was that!? Where are you!?"
"… Honoka, behind you!" Umi yelled as another portal opened behind her, and Honoka barely jumped out of the way to avoid what would have been a knife in her shoulder, not unlike Hanayo. But before she could counterattack, it withdrew back. "This must be… I don't think this is Yanigihori! It has to be Suzui!"
"That I am!" Emi's voice echoed. It was odd… from wherever she was, it was like her voice was everywhere. Above them, below them, next to them, it made it impossible to pinpoint her location. "You did good, dodging it! Most people can't… just ask Hanayo!"
"Come out, Suzui!" Honoka demanded. "Don't make us hurt you!"
"Uhh… hurting eachother is kind of the point of all this, silly! I've been denied a fight for WAY too long! And I'm going to get my fill with you three, got it?" Emi said, laughing. "You know… I think I should introduce myself. I've always liked doing that, having proper introductions!"
"She's toying with us!" Umi said.
"I don't think so… remember how she was before? I think she's… really just like that," Kotori said, still keeping her guard up.
"I'm Suzui Emi! 18 years old! Both my parents were completely worthless alcoholics, so let's not talk about them! I'm 5'2, I weigh 103 pounds, and my bra size is an E75! I don't drink or smoke, but I love really sugary candies and root beer and orange juice! You already know how much I absolutely love Idols and their music, so it shouldn't be a surprise I love pop- I'm a huge fan of K-pop too! What else, hmm… I'm not a fan of anime or manga; I prefer live action TV and novels, actually. My favorite novel and movie is Parasite Eve! I'm usually not too fond of video games either, but I have played all of the games from that franchise, but nothing can beat the original movie for me either!"
"This is… unsettling…" Umi said. "She's introducing herself like she wants to be our friend…"
"Everyone… this is gonna be a hard one, I just know it!" Honoka said. "You know… I don't think I've fought besides you two. My two closest friends… together like this, at least," despite it all, that was enough to make the three smile, just a little.
"There's an exception though… I love love love love zombie stories, they're the best! Even if it's an anime or a manga or a video game, I'll play it if its about zombies; I even have some of those Biohazard games on my old PS1 and Dreamcast! And my favorite zombie story is actually a comic- American manga. It's about this cop who wakes up after a coma after being a shot, only to realize the world ended during his nap! I actually donate a lot of my money to a scanlation group for it! A while ago they introduced a new villain, and so far, he's my favorite character who isn't one of the main survivors! I should have mentioned, I have a thing… I think naming weapons and bikes is super cool, which is part of the reason I love learning about Stand names!"
"Everyone…" Honoka whispered. "Get ready…!"
"Soooo, I decided to name my Stand in tribute to it! So get ready or not, here I come! With my Stand!"
And a portal opened, and from it emerged the head and torso of the still grinning Emi.
"Me and my「Lucille!」"
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 21: Yanigihori's Last Stand -Lucille- (Part 2)
Kept you waiting, huh?
It took months, but have a Christmas gift; Honoka's Bizarre Adventure is back in business, baby! This took me so long to write... after such a hell semester, it was great to finally get writing back into this! I can't help but be sad the return is one of the shorter chapters; I always knew this would be an exposition chapter without fighting, and I didn't want to force it to be padded out. I do hope to be able to keep updating this story at a reasonable pace, though!
Also, if you're familiar with Gakkou Gurashi/School-Live! please consider giving another project of mine, Hear The Ringing Echoes, a rewrite of the manga from the end of the Highschool Arc onwards a read! Those chapters might come out quicker than HBA by virtue that, unlike HBA, I do not have to create Stands for each character or write 15+ page fight scenes. But no matter how much I write and what projects I do, HBA will always be my most important passion project.
I'm on vacation until the 2nd in the Dominican Republic, with spotty wifi; I wrote most of this on the plane here. Hopefully I'll be able to start Chapter 21 soon, and if not I want to at least try to fire out a chapter of HTRE.
Merry Christmas and happy Holidays everyone! and remember; may every road take you a memory of Great Days! And a happy New Year!