Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 6: Hanayo Wants to Swap (Part 2)
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
I-I-I never thought I'd be the one in a situation like this…!
Rin and I stumbled on something scary, and in doing so, I was struck by the same arrow Honoka was! And now… the 'Stand' power has awoken in me too!
I don't know what's going to happen… but I can't be scared! For Rin's sake, and everyone else's! Like Honoka, I… I… I'll fight on!
"A-and… that's what happened…"
Given the situation of the incident, the first people that Hanayo and Rin called were the fellow members of μ's, rather than the police or even a hospital. And all the other four girls could do was listen, horrified as Hanayo and Rin gave their story. After a group text they had met up in a park, all girls listening carefully.
"Are you OK, Hanayo, Rin?" Maki was the first to speak, the cool girl visibly worried. "Those 'Stand' powers… did they hurt you really badly?"
"That must have been so scary!" Kotori exclaimed. "I'm sorry none of us were there for you…"
"If only I was there," Honoka said bitterly. "I could've helped…!"
"I-Its ok, nya! I mean… I'm kinda bruised, but I'm OK!"
"I-I'm fine too," Hanayo tried to assure. "I don't think I've ever been hurt like that…" She admitted, biting on her lip. "I… might not be able to dance as well for a little while." She admitted, frowning. Rin nodded afterwards.
"Yeah… I think they really hurt my sides. Hopefully I'll be good in a day or two for practice…"
"Practice?" Umi asked. "Forget about that. This is much more serious." She almost snapped, facing the two. "They know you're Otonokizaka students. And if they're really 'Stand users' then that means we can't just go to the police or anything like that… we can't count on them staying away from the police either. This is bad. This is really bad. This isn't even like Honoka's incident anymore…"
Honoka tapped her foot. "You said… they reacted strongly to the arrow, right?"
"Yeah," Hanayo confirmed. "They said there was a 'black and pink' Stand with it… it looks like they tried fighting it, but they couldn't beat it. I couldn't see it before getting my Stand, so it just looked invisible to me though…"
"Ok…" Umi sat on a park bench, the others following suit. "Here's what we know. These delinquent girls have Stands, and they dressed similarly to Suzuki… and not only are they after this arrow, but there appears to be a Stand that is awakening Stand users in this city… it is safe to assume this Stand is what attacked Honoka and me," she said with a frown.
"So, it's really not just us…" Honoka was the one who went on. "That means… there's probably Stand users all over Tokyo, I bet!" She concluded. "If these girls can recognize the Stand with the arrow… then that just means it has to have happened enough some people are ware of what's awakening their powers!"
"Yeah…" Umi replied. "Not to mention Yoshikawa, and that Cyan Stand that everyone appears to be knowledgeable about now… Who knows how many more Stand users there are in this city?"
"It's so confusing," Kotori replied. "Especially since Maki-chan and I can't even see Stands. We really can't help out."
"See… hey, Hanayo-chan!" Honoka jumped up, smiling. "Can you show us your Stand?"
"E-eh?" Hanayo asked. "D… do you really think I can?"
"Of course! It sounded like you were already using it before… In fact, let's test it out; 「All Star!」" Honoka grinned as her orange Stand appeared once more, having the ghostly apparition give a thumbs-up, Hanayo gasping in shock upon the sight.
"Y-you can see it!?" Rin asked, excitedly. "What does it look like!?"
"A-A little tall… orange, with hair kind of like Honoka-chan's… and there's stars on its body!"
Umi took a good look at Honoka's Stand once more, it being the first time she had really looked at it for more than a few moments. "That's… right. She can really use the power, too…"
"So, it's real…" Despite everything, even after seeing the damage on that wall, there had been a small part of Maki that had doubted all of this. But if even Hanayo could see it now, there was no denying it. "Stands…"
"Scary…" Kotori said. "That being attacked by that horrible thing can give you such a power, I don't like it… but I'm happy you two are alright…"
"It's so cool, nya!" Rin was just as excited as last time. "To think Kayochin got a cool power…! I mean, I'm sad we had to go through all that for you to get one, but at least now Kayochin has a supercool power~!" She was trying to stay upbeat, but even μ's could not help but notice the distress in her voice as the poor girl tried to hide her worry. "You're just like Honoka-chan now; you can be a superhero if you want!"
"Rin…" Hanayo's voice was quiet, as she frowned.
"Hoshizora-san, please don't try to hide how you feel…" Umi said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Rin's grin wasn't fading. "I'm happy for her! Now she doesn't… ah…" The looks she was receiving was enough to finally make her falter. "… I'm happy she has this power to protect herself now, but if those people come back… I can't stand the idea of Kayochin having to fight!"
"Rin…" Hanayo said quietly, trying to force herself to say more.
"Kayochin is gentle… she shouldn't have to do this; I should fight for her!" Rin exclaimed. "I want… to protect her, no matter what happens!"
"But you can't. Only these 'Stands' can hurt other Stands, from what we've seen," Maki replied, her voice colder than usual. Rin glared, but Maki looked off into the distance. "We need to be practical. This isn't an Idol thing. This is something with our physical safety on the line."
"Nishikino-san is right," Umi replied. "And if Suzuki is connected to these girls in any way, and she's looking into μ's… alright, everyone, I'm going to propose something." The rest of μ's quickly listened in. "I want to propose a buddy system. Outside of our homes and classes, let's try to always be around somebody else at all times for our safety. And for the next few days, let's cut down on practice as well, especially as Hoshizora-san and Koizumi-san recover," it was met with nods. "It'll work like this. From now on, let's try to stay in groups of three. I'll be with Kotori-chan and Nishikino, and Honoka-chan should stay with Hoshizora and Koizumi. I don't think they know I can see Stands yet, so we'll be a low priority for them… but you two need to stay together, if only so Honoka and Koizumi can protect Hoshizora."
"That's messed up," Rin objected. "I should be the one protecting —"
"I agree."
"K-Kayochin?"
Hanayo gave a weak smile. "You've always looked after me… this time, let me look out for you, Rin."
"… Alright…"
"Oh… Hanayo-chan! Before I forget… can you show us your Stand?" Honoka asked, smiling. "I really wanna see it!"
"M-My Stand?" Hanayo hadn't even thought about it. "I just… h-how do I even do that?"
"Imagine it like a power within you- just drag it out! I know that sounds weird… but it's like second nature now! It's just… I don't know, somewhere inside you!"
Inside me… Hanayo closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking of the emotions she had felt not too long ago. The desire to swap, the desire to protect Rin… all the emotions had come from within her. Those emotions were still there. But she didn't want to swap to avoid her problems anymore. The power to 'swap' was in her Stand, she knew it, but she wanted to use that power to protect instead of run. She didn't need to be saved… "I don't want to be saved…" She muttered to herself, a green aura enveloping her. Umi's eyes widened, whereas Honoka grinned and laughed a little. To her, it was exciting.
"I… I… I don't need to be saved!"
And with that Hanayo's eyes fluttered open, her Stand materializing fully next to her. Like Honoka's it was a feminine humanoid, standing just slightly taller than Hanayo herself. The Stand's body was light green with brown hair worn into a ponytail on its side, not unlike Honoka's. It wore a schoolgirl's outfit; that of the Otonokizaka first years', but colored green. What drew Hanayo's attention was the kanji symbols in it's left and right eyes: the symbols for "Rice" and "Swap" particularly, as well as the muscular physique of her Stand. "Whoah…!"
"Weeeeeeeeeh, your Stand looks so cool Hanayo-chan! And it even gets to wear our cute outfits, talk about a winner!"
"It's… I wasn't expecting that," Umi admitted. "Still, it's good you can summon it too… it looks like you can do it easier than Honoka did, even?"
"Do you have any idea of what your Stand's power is? Like how mine can vibrate and make things vibrate?"
"Well…" Hanayo tugged on her collar. "It's… I don't understand it but… it looks like my Stand can 'swap' things. I think that's it's power!"
"Swapping?" Kotori asked. "Like… how so?"
"I mean… H-Honoka-chan, can I use you to demonstrate?"
"Yeah!" Honoka seemed excited to help. "Come on, lay it on me!"
"Honoka, be careful-!" Umi scolded, but Honoka stuck her tongue out.
"Come on, it's helping out one of our juniors! Besides, if we're gonna do this buddy thing, it's good for Hanayo-chan to get more used to her powers!"
"I… well… Koizumi-san, do you know how this works…?"
"K… kind of! I only did it a little bit before…" Hanayo took a deep breath. How did I do this… I saw I was about to be hit, right? And I just imagined swapping my place with one of those two girls… so, I want to swap places with Honoka-san! And with that Hanayo's Stand rose its hands, making circling motions with both; and in the blink of an eye both Hanayo and Honoka swapped their physical locations, earning gasps and murmurs around them.
"Oh my God!" Kotori exclaimed, bolting upwards. "Y… you were just there… and she was just…!"
"I can't believe it…" Maki replied, eyes wide as dinner plates. "It's… it's like magic! You two… it's like you teleported to each other's locations!"
"Sooooo coooool… I can't believe Kayochin has such an amazing power!" Rin was trying to stay upbeat.
"… It seems like a useful power," Umi observed. "If you have to fight…. You can use it to evade your enemy or get close to them. All in all, it seems like a very versatile power, Koizumi-san," Umi smiled, trying to keep Hanayo's spirits up.
"It's soooooo cool, Hanyo-chan!" Honoka grinned and patted her friend's back. "Between you and me, I'd swap it for my Stand's vibrating powers!" She only half-joked, nudging her side.
"Y-you all think it's that good?" Hanayo smiled, finally seeming to gain her confidence. "I'm… that's really great to hear!"
"Swapping… think you can swap anything else?" Honoka asked, finger on her chin. "Or is it just locations and stuff?"
"I mean… I don't know! I just got this power an hour ago…"
"Think, Hanayo-chan! What would you want to swap with, that isn't just our location? What would you want to swap anything with?"
"Honoka, don't push her!" Umi scolded.
"I guess… umm…" Hanayo tapped her foot. "Sonoda-senpai's voice is so strong… I wouldn't mind having it for myself, I guess," Hanayo didn't even notice her Stand circling it's hands once more.
"It might be best to hold off on… eh!?" Umi's eyes widened in alarm as she heard the voice come out of her throat. "I… Did I say that!? Kotori! Do I sound like Hanayo to you!?"
"Y-you do!" Of everything Kotori expected, that was the least.
"W-why do I sound like… Koizumi! Talk, right now!"
"I… Um… H-How do I sound?" And sure enough it was Umi's voice that came out of her mouth. "I… it worked!? I swapped voices with Sonoda-senpai!?"
"C-change it back! Right now, Koizumi!" But Rin couldn't help but laugh. "I-Is this funny to you, Hoshizora!?"
"It's kinda funny! Kayochin's voice coming out of your serious face…" Rin giggled a bit, as did Honoka. But both immediately ended at the look of Umi's glare, which seemed to drill into their souls.
"Alright… Um… swap the voices back!" And Hanayo's stand waved its hands once more, the two girls' voices swapping back to normal. "Testing! OK, that's my voice…" Hanayo almost felt sad; Umi had a really fantastic voice, after all.
Umi gasped with relief. "OK…" Yeah, that was her voice back alright. "I'm sorry, that was probably… I didn't even think about it! Just… ah…"
But she was caught off-guard by Rin's hug. "You shouldn't stress about it, nya! You're new to this, so you should practice a lot!" Hanayo was about to say something, before Honoka joined in the hug too.
"It's so cool you seem to know how your Stand works so quickly! I'm still getting used to using 「All Star」, and I still think your Stand's power is cooler than mine… you're doing really great Hanayo!"
"Surprises aside… I agree as well," Umi gave a smile to help assure the first year. While she didn't hug, her smile did help erase the guilt that had briefly overcome Hanayo. "It would be worth your while to keep trying out this power. Truth be told, if Honoka is willing to help you out, then I would keep trying it out with her. As long as we have these powers, we have to get used to them." Umi looked at her hand, where the arrow had one pierced. The voice had not spoken to her, even when she had attempted to talk to it once more… "What are your plans for this weekend? I think you should practice with these powers."
"Well… My parents are actually out of town for their anniversary. I was going to ask if Rin wanted to come over…"
"A two-day slumber party, nya! I'd loooooove to go, Kayochin!"
"Oh! Can I stay over too, Hanayo!?"
The first year was caught off guard. "Y… you really want to, Honoka-chan!?"
"Yeah! It'd be a great bonding experience, not just as Stand users but as members of μ's too! The three of us can get closer! How about the three of you?"
"M-My house isn't big enough for everyone, I think!"
"I don't know, it just feels… awkward," Maki admitted, with Kotori and Umi nodding along. Maki was still warming up to the group, and nobody wanted to force her.
"The archery club has a tournament next weekend. I was hoping to get more practice in this weekend too." Umi admitted. "What about you, Kotori?"
"My dad's coming back from a business trip in China but he wants to spend a day in Tokyo before going back home to Hokkaido, so I was really hoping to spend a day with him before he goes back. He's only going to be here a day since my stepmom's birthday is the day after, soooo…" The other girls nodded in agreement, before Honoka looked back.
"Well then… I guess it'll just be the three of us for two days!" Honoka said with a grin. "This is gonan be great! I haven't slept over at Kotori's or Umi's since we were first years! Do you two play games!? Like ghost stories or anything like that!?"
"Not to much, but Kayochin and I loved watching animes and movies and watching things online!"
"Oh! This is gonna be sooooooooooo great! I promise you two won't regret this! I'm like, the best at sleepovers!" She declared, fistbumping the air.
"It's settled, nya! Kayochin, I'll go grab my stuff from home and head right over!"
"Me too, Hanyo-chan! My parents are used to be doing this, they won't think anything of it!"
Hanayo smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad weekend, after all.
"I'm gonna kill these fucking assholes, Miano!"
Akeno Miyabashi was in a foul mood, to say the least.
Miano sighed as she watched her oldest and dearest friend kick over a trash can, inspecting her nails for dirt. "Akeno… we need to go the boss about this. The arrow created another Stand user! You know how it is… any new Stand user, we're supposed to report immediately. In case the boss wants to make them Arrow Hunters too! Even if they'll cramp our style…"
"God, when did you become such a kissass? We used to do whatever we want, whenever we want without a care!" Akeno glared at Miano, the shorter delinquent gulping in response. "Did juvie really fuck you up that badly!?"
"Shut the fuck up!" Now Miano got pissed, her face contorting into a glare as she stormed over. "Things are different now! These 'Stands' change everything, too! It's not like the old days now… we're part of a team now!" Miano wasn't particularly fond of answering to somebody either, but the slightly younger girl certainly was taking it with more grace than Akeno was. "Remember when we fought that police guy? He kicked our asses! Losing the arrow like that sucked… but we're part of a team now, so we gotta report it!"
"For now, anyways…"
"Eh!? Akeno, what does that mean?"
"I was just thinking… if we get the arrow, that means we call all the shots, right?" Akeno's grin frightened Miano. Akeno's grin was usually something she let out when bullying others or was about to kick someone's ass, but this time there was something more… sinister, behind it. "The boss wants the arrow to build her Stand army. We control the arrow? We control the gang, and we control the boss too."
"Akeno…!"
"I'll be the sukeban, not her! There's only room for one in a gang, and it should be me! Don't you agree?"
"… If… it's what you want to do…"
Akeno grinned, flexing. "Relax. We'll start by recruiting this girl, and we'll build it up from there until we can challenge the boss. The arrow, this whole damn city… We'll be able to build our dream at last!"
"The dream…"
Akeno's grin vanished, replaced by a sincerer smile. "A place just for ourselves in the world where we can never be hurt again. That's what we said we'd build when we were still little, right? With the arrow, we can build it, I'm sure of it! We don't need the boss or Suzuki… we didn't need them back then, did we!? We're just letting ourselves think we need them…"
Miano often thought of that dream. In her heart she yearned for it, truth be told; the world just for them. What they had talked of so much when they were little and hurt and alone, the fantasy world that could exist just for them, where everyone who had once hated them would be forced to serve them and they could live as queens for the rest of their days. Before they had obtained their Stands it had simply been just that; a child's dream. But ever since obtaining their powers and learning of the arrow Akeno had begun talks of actively pursuing the dream… and it scared Miano.
"Akeno-chan…"
"Miano, please, believe in me!" She grasped her friend's hands, grasping them gently and smiling, looking into her eyes. "I can do it, I know I can! As long as you're with me, pushing me on, there's nothing I can't do! I'll build it for us! Our dreams, our hopes… They're finally in grasp, Miano-chan! I won't let that bitch just take it from us…!"
Miano gave a weak smile, grasping her hands back. "If this is how you feel… then I'll support it. I'll fight all the Arrow Hunters if I have to! For our dream, our castle…"
But she didn't know if she'd want to live in a castle built by this Akeno.
"Log Date, 11-18-8210! The enemy is advancing closer and closer! I don't know if I can survive! If I die, let my parents know I love them! And my sister too! Mr. Tiny Whiskers, I will be with you soon enough! I will… noooooooooooooooooo-!"
"NYA! I found her!"
"Nooooooooooooooooooo! I-I've been… defeated…!"
And that was Honoka's final words, before Rin's pillow slammed into her face. "Ugaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Team Hoshizoranya has defeated the Team Orange Menace! The universe belongs to Rin and Kayochiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!"
And with that Honoka, Rin, and Hanayo burst into laughter as the final round of their pillow fight game to an end. It was a long match, with the girls using nearly the entire house for various rounds and a few team switches. This had been the seventh round, and the girls were starting to tire out.
"N-no fair! You're so athletic, it should be two-on-one!
"I still beat you both of you like that, nya!" Rin protested, before grinning. "It's not your fault… nobody can beat me at a pillow fight!" Rin laughed, before Honoka laughed back.
"Hanayo-chan, how did you ever stand a chance before?"
"I didn't! I just had fun still… also Rin-chan let me win sometimes!"
Honoka laughed, smiling. "This is really fun, both of you! Hanayo, your house is awesome; you even have a real Western fireplace! We oughta do this again sometime… What do you think? We should do it during Winter so we can use it!"
"Absolutely!" Rin agreed. "If we do it at your house, can we get free candy too?"
"I'll ask my parents!"
"I-I want to do it too! I mean… s-sleeping over with someone that isn't Rin sounds fun!" Hanayo hadn't really done this with anyone else, and it was funner than she thought. She felt her anxiety dissolve around Honoka, in the same way it had only ever dissolved around Rin. Was this just her attachment to her fellow School Idol as a friend, or did Honoka really just naturally have this effect on people?
"Now what should we do?" Honoka asked, looking at her fellow two friends. "Wanna watch TV or something until we fall asleep?"
"Umm… W-we don't have cable, so I don't know if much is on…" Hanayo admitted quietly, sighing. "But I can hook up my laptop to my TV, so we can watch stuff on there!"
"Woohoo! Youtube, here we come! Have you ever heard of those 'fail' videos? I bet we could watch those for hours! Compilation stuff!?"
"Well… I-I usually watch that with Rin when she comes over, but… I was wondering, maybe we could watch School Idol videos?"
"Oh?" Rin asked. That was a new one.
"S-Since we're all School Idols, I thought it'd be nice for you two to see what other School Idols are like! The competition and everything like that!" As she got more excited her confidence grew, her voice becoming louder and a smile on her face. "I'd like to show you some of my favorites!"
"I'm game! How about you, Rin?"
"Of course I am, nya!"
"Then it's settled! Hanayo, show us the Idols!"
Hanayo smiled as she rushed to her room, quickly setting up her laptop. Rin and Honoka got comfortable on cushions on the floor, as Honoka tilted her head. "Ya know… our videos are all hosted by the 'School Idol Festival Association' right?"
"Yeah! That's the website… why?"
"I notice there's a lot of advertisements for the Yoshida Conglomerate. Why do they appear so much on here? Do they really care about School Idols that much?"
Hanayo frowned. "It's… a weird situation. I've looked all over countless Idol forums and websites, and nobody can figure out the Yoshida's interest in School Idols, but they basically run the whole program now!"
"Eh?" Rin asked. "How does that even work, nya?"
Hanayo's solemn expression remained. "In the past, Idols were treated… really badly. Abused by their managers and forced to work abhorrent hours in degrading conditions, even forbidden from doing things like dating! So, in the late 90s and early 2000s, there was a series of protests and lawsuits by former Idols. The resulting lawsuits called for reform and new laws were passed in order to protect Idols and their rights… especially School Idols, who had been worked to the point of being unable to do school for the sake of profit! That resulted in the School Idol Festival Association!" Hanayo smiled as she went on, happy to infodump about this passion of her's. "A nonprofit organization made up entirely of advertisers and the board of directors! They can't make money off our music, and they can't set schedules for us, so we can be School Idols following our own schedules based on our own needs, instead of producers!"
"Whoah… guess we got a lot to thank to those Idols, huh?" Honoka asked, her eyes still on a Yoshida Conglomerate advertisement on the corner of the screen.
"Yeah! If we didn't, this wouldn't be anywhere near as fun or enjoyable…. But in the past two years, the Yoshida Conglomerate became the major shareholder. As of now, the Yoshida Conglomerate accounts for 85% of the School Idol Festival Association's advertising and funding… and the director of its Tokyo branch is the president of the School Idol Festival Association!"
"Yoshida… don't they make cars and stuff, nya?"
"Cars, technology, and medicine. So, nobody knows why they have such an interest in this stuff… there's a lot of controversy too, because one of the CEO's daughters is a School Idol too. People say they're afraid they're manipulating the ranks to help her… I think her unit is really good, so I don't think that's the case!"
"Oh?"
"Yeah! LOVE⭐PARADE!" Hanayo kept on smiling as she searched up a video, showing a video of a song consisting of five girls. "They're the second most popular group now, they're the idols closest to A-RISE in popularity! I think they deserve their popularity!"
Honoka tapped her foot a bit, before shrugging. "That's really interesting… ah well! We just gotta be the best we can be!" Rin rose a fist at the suggestion. "Still though, weeeh… I don't think I could do this with a producer looking down on me! Umi-chan is scary enough!"
And the girls all giggled in response as they kept on watching the videos. East Heart, Midnight Cats, LOVEPARADE, and A-RISE. Before they knew it a few hours of watching and singing along had passed, the girls each having the time of their lives.
"Alright, you know how it goes~!" Honoka grinned, clearing her throats as she began singing.
Being closed in by sorrow and just crying - That isn't you! Rin!
Rin smiled, before she continued.
With your blazing heart, you can definitely clear the way to the future! Kayochin!
Hanayo's smile did not fade, letting her own voice sing loose and free! This is divine!
With your blazing heart, you can definitely clear the way to the future!
"Alright, all three of us, together!" Honoka instructed, the first years happily following along.
I'm sure (I'm sure) your (dream's)
Power (right now) can set things in motion I believe in you,
So START!
It felt like a dream, to Hanayo. She never though she could have fun like this, not just with Rin but with anyone else. To be like the Idols she loved so much like a child… the Idol her mother never could be… She felt a newfound determination in her. She wanted her mom to be proud of her. She wanted her mother to see her singing and dancing! She wanted to keep all her fans happy!
Not just for herself, but for everyone else as well!
The mood after the rain
Amidst growing expectations
Even the times when we stumbled
Let them become memories!
Every day was full of hope and dreams, now!
Mama, I'm going to make you proud!
Tomorrow will blossom!
Hope will blossom!
A fun, hummed melody blossomed
DASH!
If nothing else, when she was with μ's, she felt like she was on top of the world.
"That song is sooo good, nya!" Rin complimented. It was still technically μ's' only song uploaded, but still! "I can't wait for us to sing new songs though!"
"You and me both!" Honoka said with a smile. It's getting late, though, huh?"
Rin whined. "I don't wanna sleep though, I'm all fired up now!" Undermined by her yawn right afterwards. As Hanayo got comfortable in her own sleeping bag (Hanayo considered it rude to sleep in your bed when everyone else!), she noticed Honoka face her.
"Hey, Hanayo-chan, I had an idea? Before we go to bed… why don't we try naming your Stand?"
"N-Name my Stand?" Even Rin seemed very interest in that.
"Yeah! It looks like most people name their Stands… I got 「All Star,」 and that Yoshikawa guy called his 「Blue Slide Park,」 and didn't you say one of those bullies say 「Union of the Snake?」 It looks like everyone gives their Stand a name… so we should give you one too! I named it 「All Star」 'cuz of all the Stars on it… What do we call your's?"
"Weeeh, I wish I could see it!" Rin exclaimed, pouting.
"I-I don't know! It's all green though… How about… G-Green Swapping? Because it's power is swapping stuff?"
"That sounds super lame though, Hanayo! This Stand is a part of you, so it needs a cool name too! It's all green though, so maybe we can fit "green" in there…"
"Something with grass? Grass is green!" Rin suggested, the others thinking about it for a moment.
"I don't know…" Hanayo said, biting on her lip. "Swapping Green…?"
"Hanayo, that's just the lameness swapped around!" Honoka chuckled at her own reference once she realized what she did. "I think the green should be a part of it though…"
"… Clover!"
Hanayo and Honoka looked over at the smiling Rin. "Clovers are good luck if they have four leaves… so why don't we have clover in the name? As a good-luck charm!" Honoka smiled at that.
"Hanayo-chan! Thoughts?"
"I think clovers are pretty…" Hanayo had a small smile. "I wouldn't mind having it in the name… Green Clover?"
"Close, but no… why don't we try a different color?"
"B-But my Stand is dressed in green!"
"That's what I mean! It'll be a… uh… uhhh… whatever you call something with a different name than it means! Red Clover? Blue Clover?"
"Cat Clover!"
"Water Clover!"
Hanayo sighed, taking a bite into a leftover peach she had been snacking on earlier, thinking to out loud. "… Peach Clover?"
The two girls stopped their small bickering at that, thinking on it. "Sounds… nice, but maybe something is missing. Don't you agree, Rin?"
"It sounds cool… but it could be cooler! Maybe… don't use the word peach itself, something else that means peach…?"
The three went quiet, before Hanayo spoke up.
"… 「Momoiro Clover!」"
"「Momoiro Clover…」" Honoka recalled there being a professional idol group with a name just like that… "I like it! How about you, Rin-chan?"
"I love it, nya! Rolls off the tongue, 「Momoiro Clover!」" She encouraged with a smile, before turning over to face Hanayo. "Kayochin, I love it!"
It made Hanayo beam in pride, summoning her Stand next to her to observe it. "I guess from now on… I'll call you「Momoiro Clover.」" She said with a smile, Honoka and Rin returning it as she grasped her Stand's hand. "A part of me, huh? It's still kind of scary… but exciting, too!"
"Tomorrow let's practice with our Stands a bit, alright?" Honoka offered. "We should get used to Stand-to-Stand combat! So, let's spar a little to get used to moving our Stands like that!" She summoned「All Star」to make her point, as Hanayo nodded.
"I know I can't see them, but I'll cheer you both on!"
And with that Honoka snuggled into her sleeping bag, smiling. "I think this is gonna turn out great. I can't wait!"
"… I think so too, Honoka-chan."
Hanayo really did, smiling as she slumbered off to sleep.
"Amazing how easy it is to find a place when you rough somebody up, huh?"
Akeno and Miano grinned as they stood outside the Koizumi household, both of them in their traditional outfits and facemasks, ready to begin their assault on those inside it. Posing as Hanayo's friends from school it was easy enough to find the house asking around (as much as they wished they could have just used their boss' Stand instead), and even better when some old lady told them her parents were out of town… even easier!
"So, Miano, what can you see using her Stand?"
Miano's eyes narrowed, her Stand looking into the house with her. "Tch… they barricaded most of their doors. No way we can just break in. But since they got a chimney… I can have my Stand crawl in to unlock a window!" Miano replied, looking down at the ghastly「Union of the Snake,」a Stand resembling twelve black pythons with red heads all connected gruesomely at the tail, a writhing mass of snakes. She had to step back to avoid one of the snakes trying to bite her, glaring. "Ugh… I wish my Stand was more like yours. Akeno, throw it up!"
Akeno summoned only the arm of her Stand, using it to toss it up at the roof. "Aaand… perfect! Like tossing rings at a carnival!" And the「Union of the Snake」slowly crawled towards the chimney, climbing in and plopping down.
"… D-did you two hear something?"
「Union of the Snake」crawled towards a window, one of the snakes using it's mouth to force to undo a lock, allowing the two delinquents to crawl in. "Nice place… nice than our houses," Akeno said, Miano nodding. "Let's see what we can steal while we're at it, alright?" Miano gave a small chuckle in response, and a thumbs up as well. "Let's see if we can sneak in her room… now won't that be a surprise~?"
But the two frowned behind their masks as they stepped on the very creaky stairs. "Shit, it's loud…! Miano, go slower!"
"I-I'm going slower than you, idiot!"
But the bickering was stopped by haring a door slam open and lights flicker on, an orange-haired girl running into the hallway and glaring at them.
"The hell? That isn't Koizumi!" Akeno scolded, Miano raising her hands in defense.
"This is the right house, I swear!" And she faced her fellow second year, glaring.
"Get out of here right now! I won't let you hurt Hanayo!"
"… So this is her place?"
"… Oh."
Uh. Ooops. "J-Just get lost! Or else!"
The girls chuckled in response, their Stands summoned. Honoka was able to look at the Snake stand next to Miano, and the humanoid Stand next to Akeno. It was a humanoid purple Stand, standing at 5'7 and piercing blue, insect-like compound eyes. No hair or other features other than a mouth and being muscular, in terms of appearance it was the simplest Stand that she had seen yet. "Girl, we don't know who you are, but you really don't want to mess with us. 'Cuz we got real power, power you can't even dream of!"
Honoka glared, not intimidated. "You mean your Stands, right?"
The girls' eyes widened as「All Star」materialized, both taking a step back. "S-she's a Stand user too!?" Akeno exclaimed, Miano staying on-guard.
"Two-on-two… I already killed one person, so don't think I won't go to any length to protect the people I love!" Honoka informed the two. Discomfort filled her as she thought of having to execute Fuhai, but the guilt had disappeared.
"Someone dead… Yoshikawa Fuhai did disappear suddenly the other day… you did that!?"
Honoka only glared, Miano leaning in to whisper. "W-what do we do!? Even we couldn't beat that guy!"
"Tch! Just relax… That 2D power caught us off-guard, but as long as we're careful here I'm sure we'll be fine…" And she pulled away, glaring as she saw Hanayo run out of the room as well. "You…"
"Rin! Call the police right now! We'll hold them off!" Hanayo summoned her「Momoiro Clover」to defend, standing alongside「All Star.」
"That's a really bad idea," Miano began, the heads of her Stand staring into the room they had all come from… a thud heard a moment later.
"R-Rin!?" Hanayo's eyes widened as she ran back into the room. "H-Honoka! Rin's passed out! And… And she's cold, really cold!"
Honoka's eyes widened in alarm before staring back at the two, Miano speaking before she could. In addition to the twelve heads of「Union of the Snake」being able to look through walls with x-ray vision… it can decrease the temperature of anything it looks at, so long as all twelve heads are focusing on the same target," she explained, grinning from behind her mask. "Even now I'm decreasing her body temperature… care to guess what happens if it gets too low?"
Akeno made a beheading gesture with her finger. Miano had no intention of becoming a murderer, but scaring them into thinking she would do it was just fine in her book.
"STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!"
"Alright, alright, jeez…" Miano undid her Stand's power, warmth still returning to Rin. "Oi, she'll live and return to her normal body temperature, don't worry! Non-Stand users can't resist the power, so it worked faster on her… but she won't be calling the police before we're done with you!"
"What do you want?" Honoka asked, taking a single step down the stairs.
"We want you to be our lackeys, to be blunt."
"What an amazing offer," Honoka spat.
"It's not an offer, it's a demand. Join with me as equals to fight against the Arrow Hunters, or we'll kick your asses and force you to join. Kind of a no-brainer, if you ask me."
"Arrow Hunters…?"
Akeno stepped back. "There's a group of Stand users of girls our age. We're all gangsters, with our sukeban being someone searching for the arrow. As you can guess, we're all Stand users. Our boss wants the arrow to build an army of Stand users, for…" She groaned. "She won't even tell us why. But look at how powerful Stands are… can you imagine what a hundred of us together could do?"
Honoka paled at the thought. A hundred people as wicked as Yoshikawa or these bullies with the power of Stands? These people can't get the arrow, no matter what! Honoka thought. "We don't want to follow our boss anymore. We want the arrow for ourselves, to build our dream!" Akeno declared. "The dream Miano-chan and I have had since we were little is in reach. But we'll need to fight our boss first… and we need allies for that! The more Stand users we can find, the greater our chance! To build our castle… we're telling you to join our side!"
"And I'm saying, no way! We already belong to a group… μ's! We don't belong to anybody else!"
"μ's… the School Idols? Hey, isn't that the one with that song Emi keeps blasting at the warehouse?" Miano asked. "I saaay… hey, hey, hey start dash, that song?"
Akeno laughed. "Seriously? School Idols? That lame shit Suzuki keeps listening to? You'd prefer to do that lame-ass dancing as opposed to actual power?"
"Any day of the week, sister!"
Akeno sighed. "Listen, I get it. Your crappy school is gonna close down, so you wanna go down with it in a blaze of glory. Be some famous pop singers or whatever… That way you can still say you did something memorable even when they bulldoze your school! I get it, I get it… why else would you want to be soulless pop stars like that? Regurgitating that cavity-inducing bullcrap!" Honoka gritted her teeth at the disrespect to their passion, but she continued before Honoka could say anything. "But now we're talking about something serious. If you don't take our offer… the Arrow Hunters will reach out to you. And they won't be as nice as we are," Akeno went on, chuckling.
"It's not an invitation, don't you get it? It's a summon." Miano explained, not quite as amused. "We didn't have a choice to join. It was join or have the shit beaten out of us until we joined, and we took the latter after a fight," she explained, Honoka's eyes widening in response. "I heard one of our senior members stopped by your school just to investigate a rumor of awakened Stand users… I'm guessing it was you."
"Suzuki…"
"Why even be some stupid Idol after learning about Stand!? Look at the power we have! Why would you want to sing and dance as opposed to gaining power?"
"Because they inspire me!"
Hanayo glared as she walked out of the room, having placed Rin on her bed to rest. "I've always… been shy and quiet! And weak and pathetic, too! I've never been strong, having to borrow power from everyone around me, hoping for others to save me. Even my birth…" Hanayo balled her first. "Even my birth robbed my mother of her dreams!" Honoka's eyes widened in alarm, the other girls going silent as well. "But I don't need to be weak anymore! µ's… the courage and strength µ's gives me is more than you can imagine! The courage Idols give me, and how much I want to be like them! Even before obtaining this Stand power, µ's helped me become a new person! And I'm still getting there… but it's because of µ's I can stand on my own now! Because of Idols!"
"Hanayo-chan…" Honoka was smiling.
"So don't… don't you dare say this dream is for the weak! Idols… you have no idea how hard they try, so take it back!"
"Tch… God that's lame! Eh, Miano? … Miano?"
"… Goddamn you…!"
"Miano? What's wrong?"
"You cost your mother your dreams, and yet you talk to me so self-righteous!?" Miano spat, ripping her mask off. "You bitch…!"
"W-whoah, hey, calm down Miano-!"
"Maybe I did…" Hanayo's fists balled once more. "Even though she says it wasn't the case… what can you say about the unplanned teen pregnancy?" Honoka gasped at her words, but Hanayo closed her eyes and kept her composure. "But even though my birth caused everyone to ridicule my mother and treat her horribly, she always loved me and supported me, even though I'm the reason she couldn't be an Idol… So I want to be a great Idol for her, too! For both of us! I want her to be proud of me, of the Idol and the woman I'm becoming! So… I… I'll live out the dream she couldn't live out, either!"
As she spoke, Miano thought of her own childhood, of when they lived in the motel.
"You stupid brat! What did I tell you touching those!?"
"I dropped out of school for you… the least you can do is not fucking fail Japanese! It's your native language! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"
"It's bad enough you ruined me… why couldn't you be worth something, either!?"
"Worthless!"
"Stupid!"
"BRAT!"
As she remembered the slaps for the first time in months, Miano's look contorted into one of pure hatred as she charged forward.
"W-whoah! Idiot, what are you doing!?"
"I won't… be worthless! I'll show you! I won't take that from some pissant Stand user who just awoke!"
"「All Star! 」"
"「Good Girl Gone Bad! 」" Akeno yelled, her Stand grabbing Miano before she could rush forward. "Idiot! You know that's not what your Stand is good for! Let me… deal with this!" And with that Akeno's Stand rushed up the stairs reaching to land a series of punches on「All Star,」Honoka's stronger Stand deflecting all the blows.
"FAITO DAYO!" 「All Star」 yelled, launching a vibrating punch that sent「Good Girl Gone Bad」down the stairs, Honoka and her Stand rushing down as the girls backed off, with Hanayo trailing behind them.
"Now we got open space…" Akeno mused, a hand on Miano's shoulder. "Please, calm down! We can't win if you're like this…!"
"Sorry, just… I wanna fuck that first year's face up, got it!? I don't care if she joins us, she's the kind of person I hate the most!"
"Don't worry, you'll be able to…" She pulled her into a quick one-armed hug before facing their enemies. "Alright… Kousaka, right? That's the person Suzuki wanted to investigate… now let's do this properly!"
"With pleasure! Do your thing!"
"FAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITOFAITO…!"
But Honoka did not end her Stand rush with a vibrating punch, noticing that 「Good Girl Gone Bad」has absorbed every blow. "What…!?" She inspected the opposing Stand's arms, they had become silver from her fists to right below the elbow… or, rather... "Steel…!?" Whatever it had done to itself, the power of「All Star」that had brought down Fuhai Yoshikawa with its powerful punches dealt no damage!
"Stronger than that, titanium!"「Good Girl Gone Bad」went in for a few strong punches, the sheer strength of the punches able to break through「All Star's」defense with ease, a punch to the Stand's face sending both the Stand and it's user back a few feet.
"H-Honoka!" As she rushed forward she fell to the floor with a gasp. Without even realizing she had moved too close to Miano… and so had her Stand! She looked at her Stand, the snakes compromising her Stand wrapping itself tightly around「Momoiro Clover's」legs, immobilizing them both as Stand and user!
"My Stand isn't as good for close-combat as Akeno's… the grips of the snake are incredible, but it's slow as hell and can't do much except constrict! In battle, it's a supporting kind of Stand! If this was two-on-one, I'd have you immobilized while Akeno beats the shit out of you! At least I got you down…" She stepped on Hanyo's head, chuckling. "Our teamwork can't be beaten! Our union is inseparable! For now and forever!"
"It really was just that 2D ability that through us off our game… your Stands are going to be way easier to beat than「Blue Slide Park.」" Akeno said, cracking her knuckles. "Our invincible union can't be beat!"
"This is bad… Hanayo!"
"We're going to achieve our dream, and build our castle! Like something out of a European legend… a place just for me and Miano!" How the memories to their childhoods came flooding back…
"Hey! Why are you crying? And why were those boys being so mean to you?"
"M… my mama died…!"
"Huh, I never knew my mama. I guess you miss her a lot, huh?"
"No… M-mama was mean… s-she called me mean names and hit me, but… she was my only family! Now that mama's gone… I-I'm gonna go to a foster home. I-I don't miss mama, but… I-I'm scared!"
"Hmmm…" The young Miano finally looked up at the girl talking to her. A girl her age, dressed head to toe in an expensive, pink Lolita dress with more laces and frills than she could count. "Then don't you worry! My papa's a big strong yakuza… once I tell people you're my friend people will stop messing with you! Yeah… but only if you promise to be my bestest friend in the whole wide world, OK?"
"O… OK!"
"Then it's settled! I'm Miyabashi Akeno! And who are you?"
"H-Homura Miano!"
"Ok then! Besties forever!"
Akeno gritted her teeth.
"Our dreams, versus your love of being idols… we'll put it to the test!"
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 7: Hanayo Wants to Swap (Part 3)
Stand profile: HANAYO KOIZUMI
Stand Name: Momoiro Clover
Namesakes: Momoiro Clover Z (Japanese idol unit)
Type: Close-range Stand
Stand Cry: None
Appearance/Personality: Momoiro Clover resembles a light green feminine humanoid figur. The Stand possesses short brown hair, tied into a ponytail at the right side of its head. The Stand is decently muscular, and wears an outfit similar to Hanayo's own first year uniform (even after graduating, it continued to wear a schoolgirl's outfit): although instead of a bow tie, it wears a more masculine tie. Replacing the pupils of its green eyes is the kanji for "rice" in it's left eye and "swap" in it's right.
The Stand shows no signs of personality normally, but has a tendency to materialize and show excitement when Hanayo enjoys or talks about rice: especially if she's exaggerating her expressions doing so. When it does so, it typically copies Hanayo's physical motions.
Abilities-
Swapping: The primary power of Momoiro Clover is to "swap" attributes or locations. Using her Stand, Hanayo can swap things like voices, hair-color, the color of clothing, so on and so forth on a seemingly unlimited scale with very few limits on what her Stand can "swap." However, only one thing can be swapped at a time, at which point another attempted "swap" will undo the previous swap. A noteworthy exception to this rule is swapping physical locations, essentially teleporting two objects or people around. This is treated as a one-time, permanent change and making a new swap does not undo it.
Stats-
Power: A
Speed: B
Range: C
Precision: A
Durability: B
Development Potential: A
Like always, reviews and feedback, including critical feedback is immensely appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read, may every road take you to memories of Great Days!