My Little Pony: Friendship is a Bizarre Adventure
Part 4: ~ Diamond is Charitable ~
Episode IX: The Mangaka And The Novelist, The Pen That Broke The Sword
Koichi walked with Senset down the sidewalk, his head a bit lowered as she glanced around nervously, both somewhat embarrassed.
"S-So... I didn't know that you liked, that kind, of content."
"I could say the same for you, it surprised me for sure, but uh this doesn't get to anyone else. Understood?"
"Promise."
As they walked, they found Hazamada in crutches with a leg cast and a band aid on his nose.
"A-Ah! Hazamada!? What're you doing out of the hospital?"
"Huh? Oh! You're uh, Koichi! And that chick, you're Sunset Nijimura, right?"
Koichi turned to her with a raised brow.
"Hey, which is it? I see you write your name as Sunset, but you have everyone call you Senset!"
Senset waved him off.
"Bah! No one appreciates a good joke, I'll tell you later but Sunset is my documented name. Official certified stuff. But, Hazamada, what're you doing out of the hospital early?"
He rubbed his neck with a smile.
"W-Well... My leg is only a bit stiff, not broken, and I healed faster thanks to a bit of help with Koichi sending me medicine. Hey, Koichi, where're those asshol- friends of yours? Josuke and Parity?"
Koichi held up a finger.
"It's Rarity, and they went home today, his great niece is going home and they wanted to see her off."
"Gah! That shitty rainbow haired brat!? Good riddance! I can't stand those two, but you seem like a cool guy, Koichi."
"I-I am?"
"Yeah! Do you like comic- oh, I shouldn't ask that with girls around."
Senset held her arm and looked away as Koichi looked to the ground.
"A-Actually..."
"We were on our way to the book store..."
"I heard the new novel by my favorite author and animator is debuting right here in Morioh! Even though she's from an entirely different country, she works hard to get as far and out there as she can! What few animations she does are short, but lighthearted! But her cover art and select few pictures by each new chapter are drawn by a famous manga artist. I started to look into his work and..."
"Senset let me borrow one of the previous novels and I have trouble putting the book down just to eat!"
Hazamada eyes widened.
"H-Hey... That mangaka wouldn't happen to have worked on, Pink Dark Boy, has he?"
Senset's eyes began to shimmer.
"Yes!~ His art style is unique, I never get tired of it, and I'm a word gal! The way that he represents her characters aren't just accurate and fashionable, they're memorable! I hear that some of their work are actual collaborations!"
Koichi smiled brightly.
"Pink Dark Boy?! That terror manga with the psychological scenes? I love it! It's so creepy and out of this world, but the characters and locations are so realistic, even the experiences feel like they could happen to anyone no matter how weird it gets!"
Hazamada smiled and motioned for the two to come closer.
"Well check it. The name of the mangaka is, Rohan Kishibe, and he lives right here in Morioh Town!"
"N-No Way!" "Oh My God!"
"I know right?! N-Now I know this because his real estate agent had spoke about it outside my door! It's been well kept under wraps so fans don't swarm him! Let's do him a favor and just keep it between us... But, let's not be too selfless and go ask for an autograph!"
"I-I can't believe it! Right here in town?" "Hell yeah, let's go get these signatures!"
Hazamada pointed to a lovely mansion just a few steps away.
"He's actually right up here! Look, only his family name hangs on this tiny sign upfront!"
Senset looked to the sign.
"Hey, it says Kishibe and Faust, instead of just Kishibe... Faust is a weird name for Japanese."
"Who cares! Hey, Koichi! Go ring the doorbell!"
Koichi jumped and pointed at himself.
"M-Me?! Why me?"
"I'm still an upperclassman! I'm above you in more ways than one!"
"Ugh...! Okay... That's not really fair though..."
They approached the house, and Koichi alone stood in front of the door. He carefully reached out to ring the doorbell, anxious and excited to meet this man that inspired him. However, a hand seized his wrist, a feminine hand from behind the door. It creaked opened with a bit of fog pouring from inside the dark building. A woman's face was there. Red messy hair tied poorly into a bun that sprawled all over her head. Light skin with dark rings under her eyes and a strange smile that crept up into frightening grin. Even her eyes seemingly had more rings in them. She spoke with a rasp.
"And just, who do you think you are, coming to us unannounced or without an appointment? Are you a prankster, HUH?!~"
Koichi yelled in surprised, but that turned into a shriek as she let go of him with her own scream. The door opened and the rest of her came into view. A simple sleeveless dress decorated in multitudes of strange symbols. She wore a bathrobe over the dress with even more symbols it. She had mismatching socks and a pair of slippers that weren't the same size, nor were they on the right feet. She bowed numerous times with a worried tone, the rasp gone, replaced with great sincerity.
"Ah! ! ! I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I didn't expect young guests! I thought you were those delinquents from up the street! Please forgive me, I'm truly sorry!~"
Koichi was confused as the woman bowed again, but didn't raise herself, in fact she began to snore. Senset snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face. She woke up and began to apologize again.
"Ah!~ I'm so sorry! Er, who are you? Why are you kids here?"
Koichi and Hazamada glanced at each other confused, but Senset's eyes were like starlight, shining with great admiration.
"You... You're... I-I can't believe I'm meeting, THE, Lauren Faust! You wrote some of the most well written pieces in a long time! Bye Bye Beastie, Love is a Door Best Open, No One's A Zero, so many uplifting books!"
Ms. Faust raised her head alone from the bow and tilted her head.
"S-Someone all the way out here... Familiar with my work?"
"Of course! It's all so educational, but also exciting and engaging!"
"You... Learn, from my writing? Hehehe~ That's very good! That means that, we could be, compatible... But still, who are you?"
Senset bowed deeply.
"Sunset Nijimura, ma'am."
She put her hands on Koichi and Hazamada's head and forced them to bow.
"A-Ah! Er, Koichi Hirose, ma'am! I reallly like your, Sisters for an Evening and Demonic Mentality, it's kinda strange but very passionate!"
"Toshikazu Hazamada, I guess... A-Aren't your covers done by, Rohan Kishibe?"
Ms. Faust canted her head and nodded.
"Rohan is the closest thing I have to a friend! O-Or rather, I'm the closest thing to a friend for him... I-I think! He-Hehe-HeheheHe-Hehe-Hehehe!"
She stuttered while laughing as she raised herself and began to mumble incoherently as she counted on her fingers.
"Uh~ He should be done with his work in eleven point two seconds! He always finishes on an hour on the dot. It's three fifty nine, so when it hits four..."
The three raised their hands to look at their watches as the clock hand reached four. They looked back up and jumped as a man suddenly stood next to Ms. Faust. An undercut haircut that was slicked sideways. He wore light baggy clothes, a green kappa like headband, and pentip earrings. He always wore a condescending expression.
"Lauren, who are these people?"
The novelist didn't even glance at him, but she raised her arms to gesture to him.
"Ah! There you are, these are fans of ours! I think they go to that highschool... Er, Grape Hills!"
Hazamada gasped at the sight of the man.
"Y-You! You're Rohan Kishibe! I-I've seen your face on the New Years issue special! Ha! R-Rohan-sensei!"
Senset eyed the man curiously as Koichi bowed with Hazamada. There was something off to her. Why was Rohan such a clean cut and well looking man, but Ms. Faust looked like a movie representation of an asylum patient. She said nothing about it now, but would be sure to keep a close eye on the two. Rohan looked around, almost cautiously.
"So... Where I live has been leaked?"
Ms. Faust covered her mouth with a gasp.
"That'd be no help at all! We'd be hit with annoying interviews daily, just like in Tokyo!"
"Exactly. I moved out here to escape the worthless busyness of people who don't understand."
Hazamada waved his hands and shook his head.
"N-No! I overheard a real estate agent talk about it at the hospital not too long ago! I was released just two days ago!"
Ms. Faust frowned as she looked closely at his casted leg.
"Oh no... What an unfortunate event you must have undergone."
"Ac-Actually, it's just really stiff, not actually broken."
"Oh!~ That's still rather unfortunate."
Koichi spoke up.
"W-We know it's rude to just, come here without an invitation but, we were wondering if you could sign autographs for us! We understand if you're both too busy-"
"Not at all." "It'd be a pleasure!"
"... eh?"
Rohan smiled casually as the authors gestured for their guests to enter.
"I've just finished actually, and Lauren has reached her two hundred word margin for the week, we can give you a small tour of our workplace."
"Think of it as a reward for finding us and acting rather well mannered for your age! W-We've come to experience a certain craze in our audience... H-Heh-Hahaha!"
Senset's eyes widened as she clasped her hands together.
"No way!~ That'd be so, awesome! Bu-But is that really okay?"
They nodded and led to the trio inside. The house itself was kept relatively clean, but the workplace itself was spotless, taking all three of them by surprise. Koichi and Hazamada marveled at the sights.
"Look! A hand drawn color illustration! That's amazing!"
"Ah! This one is just as impactful, look at this piece of art! I don't know this character, Rohan-sensei!"
Sense scoffed.
"That's Garnet Glory, the main antagonist of Bye Bye Beastie and main protagonist in the prequel, Nothing Wrong With Tragedy! Her character is all about how people handle hurt and acceptance! She's written as a physically powerful warrior, but is rather lean here. Still, it is a very amazing piece, it's like she was ripped right out of the book!"
Rohan shook his head.
"In a way, she was, Lauren drew that. In fact, a number of my own side projects have inspirations from her main work. Of course, it's only in the side stories, not many are released to the public."
Senset then looked to the right corner of the room.
"Yeesh, who left that sorry excuse out?"
A small desk with numerous shelves sat there, countless papers crumpled on the floor and pinned to the walls, and a lamp. Ms. Faust pointed to the atrocious sight.
"Oh drat, I forgot to clean up after myself!"
"Wait... Th-That's where you work?!"
"Of course!"
"But that's... So disorganized, unstructured, chaotic!"
"Well, I guess we all have a little bit of eccentricity in us!"
Rohan sighed and shook his head.
"Lauren is a textbook definition of a work fanatic. She has a two week process when writing, and your witnessing the very end of that process. Normally, she appears and brainstorms for the chapter, eventually coming up with an idea to expand upon and how the story progresses. However once she starts to write... Not even I can get her to stop. She simply focuses so much on her writing, that she'll forget to breathe for small spurts of time. I tried getting her help, but the best I can do is place the bare necessities by her. She'll eat and drink if such things are within her reach. Brush and floss, pay bills and write letters, all with one hand as the other, well, writes. Only if it's within reach."
Ms. Faust shrugged as her eyelids began to fall.
"What can I say? I guess I just, love, giving my readers something to read!~"
Senset began to feel less inspired and more disturbed. Then, Rohan motioned to his own work.
"Even so, we use all of this together. Ever since the newest developments in fax machines and copiers, we can send our work right to the bookstores of Japan."
Ms. Faust began to snore lightly as Hazamada noticed how empty the entire building had been.
"Excuse me, Rohan-sensei, but where does the rest of your team work?"
Senset snapped her fingers, waking Ms. Faust up.
"Ah right!~ Where're your proofreaders and all that!"
"Eh?! Oh!~ Uh, we don't have any."
Rohan peeked through his blinds and looked out the window.
"I work on my manga alone. Occasionally I'll look through Lauren's work for spelling and grammar, as well as proper translation."
The trio exclaimed all at once.
"Wh-What?! You do nineteen pages weekly by yourself?!" "No way! B-But you're not joking! H-How amazing!" "Oh My God! You do all that writing in just... No wonder you look like you're insane! You'd have to be to do all that work with such a tight deadline!"
Ms. Faust giggled as she began to fix her hair.
"I-It actually takes Rohan only four days! Five if in color. As for me, I do it all within a week. The rest of our time is spent traveling!"
Rohan leaned on his table and folded his arms.
"I chose this job to get away from dealing with people. Even Lauren is more of a ghost that haunts me than some vexatious ink artist or supposed line editor. She can be rather useful in my research for inspiration."
"I used to have a team when I started, b-but we grew apart as the project grew bigger. I saw that, the changes they wanted to make weren't simple design flaws, but integral character traits and censoring my messages to my audience!"
Senset nodded.
"I remember hearing about that! You broke off from your team when they wanted to change the main character of Sisters for an Evening from Queen to Princess!"
"W-Well I was at the boiling point, but there were several cases beforehand! Did you know that, Garnet Glory was supposed to be romantically attached to the Duchess? That was to reach out to those hiding from the world that, there IS someone out there for you!"
"Whoa..."
"Oh, Sunset you've got something!"
Ms. Faust picked a spider off of Senset's shoulder.
"Ooh!~ This is the, Araneus Ventricosus, the Devil Spider. A typical spider found within both the mountainous regions and households like this one! Astonishing!"
"N-Not, really, those things are everywhere."
Rohan pointed at Senset.
"Exactly! That's what makes it astonishing. Hold it carefully, Lauren."
He took a magnifying glass and carefully inspected it. Ms. Faust then turned to the trio.
"Do any of you know the, secret, to writing fictional work? Be it a graphic novel, an extensive book series, your favorite animes and cartoons, even movies such as a Disney film or the likes of Alien?"
All three of them shook their heads. Rohan answered without glancing up from the spider.
"It's Reality. Reality is the lifeblood that makes a work pulse with energy. Reality itself is entertainment! You may believe that writing a comic is about straying as far as you can, and achieving your own fantasy wonderland. That, is not the case! Those are where the harem otaku trash hive preys on their sniveling warped content!"
"Rohan you're starting to rant again. At least use this pen, the tip is as thin and sharp as a scalpel!"
"Ah, you're right."
Ms. Faust grabbed a pen and held it up above the spider. Rohan halso grabbed the pen as they directed it with excellent precision. Koichi didn't understand the scalpel talk. Senset thought that the two simply were raving now. The pen tip was aimed at the body of the spider. Ms. Faust smile grew wider as she and Rohan began to bring the spider closer.
"This very spider is a small but excellent example!~ Ah, I'm so happy I get to teach this, but most people would yell and stomp it flat without thinking!"
They traced the tip in a circle on the body.
"A manga artist, a novelist, a movie director, any one with true vision and passion must understand reality! What is the difference between male and females of this species. How the legs move. The patterns on the surface."
"Where to find the eyes, what type of pincers or mandibles it may have, where is the web excreted from? What happens..."
They stabbed the spider. It moved frantically, desperately, all in vain as it couldn't escape.
"When the thread is exposed to the air?"
"Or how about the arrangement of the internal organs?"
Both eagerly moved and twisted the pen to pull the tiny organs out. The arachnid moving erratically as it suffered in silent agony.
"How long does it suffer until it dies?"
"How many legs can be taken, or pulled off, until it succumbs to it's fate?"
"How does it react to being sliced open."
Their faces pressed against each other as they became one. The same sickly smile on their faces.
"These are the things we do to achieve reality!" "These are the things we do to achieve reality!"
Senset, Koichi, and Hazamada were all shocked and disgusted at the display. Senset shouted.
"What the fuck?! Th-That's utter cruelty! Ms. Faust, you teach against such things, it's always been about the goodness of helping and bonding with your fellow neighbors! No matter who or what they are!"
Rohan glared at her.
"Cruelty?! Who are you to criticize the Great Rohan Kishibe?!"
Ms. Faust looked over to Senset.
"Oh I know it's hard, but like a soldier who kills in war, it is to protect those they have in their hearts at home! Can't you understand that? Haven't you ever done something wrong for what you believed was right, even when the world frowned upon you for doing so?!"
Senset opened her mouth, but paused. She had done such things. With Keicho, there were many cases of people who were shot or stabbed with the Arrow, that simply weren't Stand Users. These people died or were seriously injured. She lowered her head with a nod.
"I... Have... I know that feeling."
Ms. Faust smiled sweetly.
"I knew we had a connection, Sunset. Oh! We almost forgot! How does it taste?"
Both of them licked the spider and its innards. Koichi and Senset reeled back in great horror as Hazamada gagged and covered his mouth. They all looked at each other with a similar thought. They had to get out of there. Rohan nodded contently.
"So, this is the taste of this particular spider, I'm now closer to writing reality."
Ms Faust picked it off of the pen tip and ate it with a crunch. Rohan gasped as he took up a piece of paper.
"Ah! Lauren, tell me the full experience!"
"Absolutely repulsive! Even the after taste leaves nothing to be desired for! The crunch is similar to that of the skin of fried food, such as tempura shrimp or chicken! You can barely feel the hair on the legs through the saliva! If I weren't so starved, I would have puked!"
"Fantastic! This is why I can rely on you, Lauren! You'll always share an experience with me to the fullest!"
Hazamada couldn't hold it anymore, but refused to stain the wood floor with his bile, he was nearly drowning himself in his own vomit. Rohan noticed this and began to sketch.
"Yes! That suffering is ideal! The disgust and uncomfort, it's all so honest!"
Hazamada finally swallowed it as he looked to Rohan in surprise.
"It.. Is? Y-You were sketching me?"
"Was. Please, if you have any of that feeling left, let it out all over the floor! Full of shame!"
Hazamada inwardly squealed and did his best to fake throw up. Senset and Koichi reached out to help him, but Ms. Faust shook her head.
"No, no, no!~ We're sorry, but we've stockpiled on fake vomiting."
Rohan scoffed and placed the paper and pen down.
"Exactly, Lauren. There's no room for fakeness in my manga. Still, this was about autographs, yes?"
"Ah! Rohan! I should make them tea while you get the marker from the kitchen!"
"You should go to your room and recover from your work. But even then, you won't listen, you're so stubborn."
"It's my determination!"
She hummed a lighthearted tune as she and Rohan left the kids in their workplace. Hazamada rubbed his neck.
"Wow... I didn't expect this... They're both amazing! To go such lengths for their work, it's actually genius!"
Senset slapped him behind his head with a huff.
"They're goddamn insane! Let's get the fuck outta here! C'mon, Koichi!"
Koichi looked to the exit.
"I am getting a sense of déjà vu... I'm starting to believe in that stereotype, anyone involved in the manga business is, eccentric!"
Hazamada barely kept himself from falling and glared at Senset.
"Hmph! I don't see what's wrong with that! Your group is full of weirdos! Like Ms I Laugh Like Anime Villain!"
Senset sneered at him.
"This coming from an actual, quote on quote, redeemed villain? Psh!"
"You're on the same boat as me!"
"No, I'm on the one full of intelligent good looking people with flowing hair of perfection. Your boat is the one of sinking, drowning, sewer rats."
"As if! You guys can leave, but I know what I see on that desk, and I ain't leaving it alone."
Hazamada held up the folder as Koichi gasped.
"Wait... I-Is that...?"
"The newest Pink Dark Boy!~ Wanna get a sneak peek in with me, Koichi?"
"I... We, shouldn't! It's not our right to read it..."
"Psh! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Do you want to live in regret for the rest of your life?! Officially finished work like this are like government confidential files! Only the mangaka and his editor are allowed to see it before proper publishing! And as I peek in it, that Laura lady IS his editor! Sheesh, they really do everything together after all!"
Senset was beguiled. She looked over to Ms. Faust's desk and saw it. The newest original work. Phantom of the Crystal Lake. She couldn't help herself but sneak away from the two to get a closer look. She didn't have too, Koichi's own curiosity overrode his caution.
"I-If it's just one peek... Alright!"
"That's the spirit! Now, here we go!"
Hazamada took the manuscript out.
"What?!" "What!?"
Both were blown away by the sheer lines. The artwork was extraordinary, the writing, out of this world. They couldn't stop reading.
"This intensity! This immersive feeling! It's incredible! Hazamada! Turn the page, quickly!"
"Yeah! This is the good shit, right here, no regrets Koichi! None at all!"
Rohan and Ms. Faust reentered the room. They had spied on the kids, waited for them to take the bait. Ms. Faust noticed that Senset had yet to take hers.
"Sunset... If you want to, you can read my novel now."
"Wh-Are you serious?! I-I have permission?!"
"We're a lot alike, you and I, I want to know what you think of it."
"Yes ma'am!"
Senset had forgotten nearly everything as she dove for the book. However, she noticed the lack of a title there was on the cover and opened up the book. All the pages were empty.
"What...? Is-Is this... A joke?"
"No, Sunset. It's a calling. Even though it is a completely empty barren book, you want to fill it with something. Right?"
She looked behind her and froze as she saw Ms. Faust hold her hands up, as if to direct an angle for a camera shot. Her eyes dulled and became a psychadelic pattern of vibrant colors. Senset's hand unravel and change. Her arms extended as she fell to the floor, the limbs began to flatten and become like that of film. Although animated in a cartoon artsyle, her memories played with such accuracy, some she swore never happened or happened differently. Every detail about herself and all she knew, even things she didn't know about herself was inside.
"What a wonderful site! This source of inspiration is fantastic! Thank you so much, Sunset!"
"What... Is this...? I don't feel pain... But..."
"I call it, [Pure Imagination], whoever happens to be in my 'film shot' becomes film themselves! Exciting, isn't it! Wait... You're not supposed to understand that! You're supposed horribly confused but in a comatose state! Hm..."
The boys turned to see Rohan approach them.
"So... You were compatible with my manuscript after all, Koichi."
Koichi felt odd. Numb. He looked at his hand and saw the skin peel back. Rather blood and muscle, paper and pages flipped, all with personal information. Soon, his whole body had opened in several areas with this effect.
"Eek... I... I can barely scream..."
Hazamada cried out and ran. Rohan raised a brow as Hazamada opened up as well.
"You can be apart of this too. You both may have, just what I'm looking for. Don't worry about your bodies, I've simply turned you into books, now I can experience your lives to gather inspiration for my work."
Ms. Faust screamed as she saw one film play.
"A-Ah! R-ROHAN! You'll never believe this!
Rohan groaned and turned to Ms. Faust.
"If the shouting is from finding out you have, yet another, crazed fan who sexualize your characters-"
"No, that's an unfortunate outcome, but I've come to terms with it! There are others, like us! Sunset, Koichi, her brother and their friends! Even Hazamada there! They've even got names!"
"Ah! Really? Is that so?"
"[All Seeing Eye]! [Echoes]! [The Hand]! [Crazy Diamond]! Etcetera!~ But, even with this fantastic discovery, we've only just begun..."
Rohan brought a writing utensil up and began to write into the pages... Senset and Koichi smiled happily as they waved goodbye to Hazamada. With a bag full of rare fan merchandise, and even priceless autographs. Koichi looked up to Senset.
"Wow! Even though she looked like a maniac, Ms. Lauren is an amazing person!"
Senset pulled out a copy of one of the side collaboration stories. A light graphic novel crossover.
"And I knew Rohan was a GREAT artist, but he's a real GREAT guy for helping Ms. Faust out like he has. The two most opposite people make the strangest combination! You'd think these two wouldn't work well together, but they actually compliment each other surprisingly well!"
Koichi looked back at the house.
"If they're not too busy... I'd really like to come again!"
Rohan and Ms. Faust waved the two goodbye, heartfelt smiles on their faces.
"Such good kids, eh Lauren?"
"We're never going to let them go, are we."
"Not in this lifetime."
That night, Senset weighed herself and shrieked.
"What The Fuck!? This is ridiculous! This is impossible! I-I lost so much weight! An-And... Did I get shorter...?!"
Okuyasu kicked the bathroom door down with The Hand summoned. He charged in with a snarl and looked around.
"Who's the unlucky bastard!? Huh?! C'mon out you dead man! I'll make you wish you weren't even born, fuck faced c-"
"Oku! Okuyasu! Bro, c-calm down! I just, got surprised is all. It's this scale, is it broken?"
Okuyasu looked at the scale and nodded.
"It has to be! Even after Josuke fixed it with whatever else he could, it never gets Dad's weight right."
"That's because Dad's body is constantly changing..."
"O-Oh...! Well whatever! C'mon, it can't be that much of a change!"
Senset blinked and scratched her head.
"What's not that big of a change?"
"... Huh? You just screamed about your weight!"
"Okuyasu, that's the stupid shit Rarity would be yelling about."
"B-But you just..."
"But whatever. We're about to miss our movie!"
"Oh yeah! Hey Dad, get down here, I got the popcorn ready!"
The next morning, Koichi and Senset walked together to school, both had gotten up earlier than usual.
"Uh, Senset, do you think it's a bit odd that we're headed down this road?"
"What's odd is that I didn't wake Okuyasu up when I did. I mean, I have a prerecorded tape that acts like an alarm, but even then I at least try to get him up."
"But... We past the bus station to school."
"Yeah... This is the road to Ms. Faust and Rohan's place."
"This is their house right here!"
The two stared at the manor, the door opened wide, a faint light shone from the workplace room.
"Hey, Senset? How'd we get here?"
"I'unno, but it'd be rude to just enter, even for a hi."
"The door's wide open, anyone could come in."
"Except us, we're almost late for school!"
"W-We weren't keeping track of time!"
"They could be working really hard right now."
"Walking in so suddenly would be a bad idea."
They entered the building with little hesitation and closed the door behind them. They locked the front door. Josuke, Okuyasu, and Rarity had followed after them since they had wandered away from the bus stop. Josuke raised a brow.
"Whoa, whoa, Senset breaking into someone's house is weird but not out of character. However, she'd never bring Koichi into any of her schemes, she actually cares for his future!"
Okuyasu raised his head at the manor.
"Even then, she's not just some crook, she only ever does this against people who's wronged her. I'da known if something like that happened recently, but it hasn't. Strangest of all is that school hasn't even started yet!"
Rarity inspected the house from afar and snapped her fingers as she pointed at the sign.
"Even I know Senset waits after school hours to hatch her schemes... Faust! Doesn't Senset read something about a Faust?"
Okuyasu pointed at Rarity with wide eyes.
"Aaah!~ That's her favorite author! But it can't be the same one, the lady isn't in Japan. She's from some kids books company... I think."
Josuke rubbed his chin as his eyes sharpened.
"Things just got interesting..."
Koichi and Senset walked right into the workplace. Rohan's hair was a mess, his eyes wide, and his jaw clenched as he scribbled madly onto a manuscript. They looked to Ms. Faust's part of the room. Her hair untied and danced wildly as she worked. Eyes bloodshot and skin paler than before. Her left hand occupied a typewriter, her right hand wrote notes and scripts, and her mouth held a pen as she drew several drawings onto a series of papers. In the eyes of Koichi and Senset, the pages came to life as they moved. Covers, spines, binders, rulers, several dictionaries, and even a book on criminology laid neatly on the floor by her side. She worked on three different books at once. Senset thought of simply turning away from the freak show.
"You two are working hard today!"
She mentally cursed herself and prayed Koichi, the man of reason and common sense, would save her.
"We'd really would like to see what you're working on!"
She sent him telepathic death threats to him and his dog, but they'd never make it. Koichi himself berated own talking. He had meant to excuse them and pull Senset away. Rohan stopped and gave a tired smile, but eyes full of wicked life. Ms. Faust stopped and stared at Koichi and Senset, her face changed from a blank expression, and twisted into a eerie smile. A bandaid laid over her bruised nose.
"We've been expecting you!~" "We've been expecting you!~"
Rohan dipped his pen in ink. Ms. Faust readied the pen in her mouth and flexed her fingers.
"Give us twenty minuets! I only have two pages left for next week!" "Give us about five minuets! I'll have the last page of book two and three done for next month! I'll have the movie of Sundown Lane done in five, er, the storyboard at least!"
Ms. Faust sped up in her writing as Rohan's hand blurred. Pink Dark Boy was drawn with no roughs or sketches on the sides or paper. The hand blurred again as the background was drawn seamlessly. He used a calligraphy brush next, and dipped it in the inkpot. He swatted at the air above the manuscript, the ink drops splashed onto the paper and added detail, all aligned perfectly. The two had finished under three minuets. Koichi and Senset stared in stupefied amazement.
"She's... A writing machine! That kind of work... There were no spelling errors on any of the pages, if she made a mistake, that would have been the end of it! And like Rohan,she drew that storyboard without any roughs! S-She may as well use that as the finished product! They're, godlike!"
"That kind of skill with a calligraphy brush alone, that's completely impossible! Y-Yet, there it is!"
The two authors held up their finished pieces. Rohan held only a page while Ms. Faust held up book one.
"I've never done this, draw and write nineteen pages all in one night! I'm bursting with creativity, gushing with life to draw! A need to draw! Koichi, this is all thanks to you!"
"Whe-Whu-When I saw and memorized them, Sunset the inspiration you guh-goo-gave me, it stuck to my heart and clung to my soul! I've never had research and look up so many words! With your experience, and this thick criminology book, I lived the life of a criminal through you!"
"Hurry up! I need more reality! Your experiences!"
"Sunset give me more of your knowledge! Give the whole world, OUR, story!"
Senset and Koichi stepped back, but Koichi soon began to unravel and peel apart into pages, Senset's flesh and clothes popped off into strange images, like a film reel that had rolled down a slope. Both shouted as the memories flooded back in.
Rohan giggled as he confirmed everything Ms. Faust had stated. Koichi was a Stand User, and had come to confront many before Rohan's and Ms. Faust, including Keicho Nijimura. The man responsible for shooting them with a Golden Arrow during a convention. He read all about Jotaro and Rainbow Dash, what little Koichi knew of DIO, and all of his Stand encounters.
"This is... Incredible! This is, outstanding! The perfect material for my manga, and it's all thanks to you, Koichi!"
Ms. Faust giggled as she analyzed Senset's film.
"Ah!~ You're a tough girl who almost lost touch with that sensitive side! It says here, that your older alone is the reason you hold morality as close to you as you do now! Without, Okuyasu or any of your new friends, you'd probably have undergone your last resort. Using your own Stand to cheat at the lottery, probability would be in your hands like a puppet is played by a puppeteer! Hah! You come off as a greedy selfish girl, completely full of herself, but you live in constant fear and insecurity! Your Stand shows as many ways you can fail equal, if not greater than, the number of ways to succeed! My audience, no, OUR audience will love you as a main character! That struggle between right and wrong within! So enticing!"
Rohan chuckled as he read Koichi's file.
"Page eleven! Koichi, you're a rather cowardly boy, giving under pressure quite easily compared to normal people. However, even before your Stand, when push came to shove you will not back down! You become a courageous person for the sake of others! You even gave someone else your escape to safety when it cane down to who would live! Rarity, is it? You hold her in high regards, despite what you think of her! Her Stand, could it defend against ours? Ah~ But even if it comes to that, she can't defend herself. That's good! Even I know that if the so called User is immobilized, so to is the Stand, as it is apart of us in every way! Koichi... My readers, they'll love you!"
Koichi's blood ran cold as he panted slowly, but his eyes narrowed at Rohan, he had to fight back. He summoned his Echoes.
"D-Don't move! If you don't I'll-"
"You'll attack me with your sound? Hmph... Try it."
Ms. Faust watched more and more of the film as scenes played out before her.
"You learned how to fight from so many places! All from your travels around the world with the Arrow! Hm?"
Senset lifted her head.
"I'm... Going to... Kick, your, ass!"
She pulled herself up, and threw a punch at Ms. Faust, which had missed as she simply leaned to the side.
"Please, Sunset, I don't want to get viole-"
"I Got You!"
Senset pulled down her arm and swung it to the side, directing her fist as she used her arm like a whip, and punched Ms. Faust's face with an audible crunch.
"Take that fist! And write all about how it broke your fucking nose!"
Ms. Faust gasped as she watched the fist fall, and nodded several times.
"That's a great idea!"
"... Wh-What?!"
The woman then grabbed her nose, and snapped it back to place without even wincing, something Senset found utterly terrifying.
"D-Didn't that hurt?! What the hell are you made of?!"
"Determination! As long as I have a single reader, I'll go all the way to grant then quality content!"
"But... Why?! With this ability... You could get so much money!"
Ms. Faust scowled. Then, roared right in Senset's face.
"DO YOU THINK I WRITE BOOKS AND ANIMATE SHORT FILMS FOR A PROFIT?! DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF ME!?"
"I... Thought you wanted to teach girls like me, to have hope..."
"EXACTLY!"
"Huh?!"
"I want everyone to know that life is hard, and reality is very cruel, but as humans we can make life better together! Just look at you and your brother! Even in the deepest recesses of your mind and heart, there's not a single scene of you believing him to be stupid! Everyone but you calls him dumb, and that kind of stubborn hope is what I look for! Sunset, THIS, is why you are the perfect material! Your story will attract curiosity, your character will teach hope, and at best a better future is attained! At worst , someone wasted their time and by extension, OUR time!"
"That's... What?!"
"I'LL TAKE THESE SCENES, AND MAKE MY FIRST REAL MOVIE!"
Rohan saw Echoes ready to attack with sound as Koichi pointed at him.
"E-Enough games! I'll really do it! I won't hold back!"
"Then quit talking, and do it!"
Echoes threw sound at Rohan, but the attacks completely missed. As if Koichi hadn't even aimed at him.
"H-Huh...?!"
"I put a safety lock on you. That is the power of my, [Heaven's Door], to edit the book I made you. I wrote inside that you can't attack me. I'll put one on that girl and boy too. She's dangerous. Now, no matter how you try, you cannot harm me in anyway."
"B-But why?! You're only twenty, but you have the money to buy a place like this by yourself, with that kind of incom-"
"Money? Income?! DO YOU THINK THAT THE GREAT MANGA ARTIST ROHAN KISHIBE DRAWS FOR A PROFIT!?"
"E-Eeep...!"
Koichi shrank back as Rohan snarled furiously.
"Ever since my debut at sixteen, I have drawn for passion alone, simply the knowledge of someone reading my work gives me a sense of fulfillment. However, there is the possibility of my readers losing interest, and thoughts of that plauge my mind! To find the right material, to use it correctly and timely, all of it soon fades away as I begin to lose motivation! But thanks to you, I have the perfect inspiration for my masterpiece! Now, TO TAKE YOUR REALITY!"
Rohan cackled as he tore the page out. Koichi flailed weakly with a squeal. Ms. Faust peeled a select few films off of Senset. Rohan readied his pen and manuscript as he approached Senset.
"Thank you, for coming to visit."
Ms. Faust nodded with a chuckle.
"Come again at anytime, we'll be expecting you both!~"
Koichi and Senset screamed as they fell to the floor. Rohan and Ms. Faust stood up as they held out the file and film.
"You'll lose weight from every experience we take from you..."
"But y-ye-ya-you! Will live on in our works! Never be forgotten, so in the end it doesn't matter..."
"SO HURRY UP AND GIVE US THE REST!" "SO HURRY UP AND GIVE US THE REST!"
The authors both crept closer and closer, but stopped. Rohan glared at the door behind Senset and Koichi, he stepped back to his desk and pulled Ms. Faust back with him.
"Robo-Rohu-Rohan! What's wrong?"
"Someone just kicked down the front door, and is-"
Okuyasu shouted out from behind, he and Rarity climbed through the window.
"Koichi! Senset! We're here to save you!"
"Who the fuck do you think you two are...? FIX MY LIL' SISTER, NOW!"
"W-Wait, Okuyasu! Don't just jump in-"
Okuyasu sent The Hand to strike Rohan, but the manga artist flashed his manuscript. Even upon contact, The Hand had unraveled into a series of scrolls, which in turn did the same to Okuyasu. Rarity gasped.
"I-I didn't think to coat him in my Shine! What just happened?!"
Senset and Koichi opened their mouths, but only prolonged gibberish came out. Rarity summoned her Shine On and pointed at Rohan.
"Something is going on, and you're the cause of this nonsense, I swear every month it's something with this town!"
Ms. Faust held her hands up and gasped in a marveled expression.
"So it's true!~ Rarity, you really are a master seamstress, such creative tones! It's all rather, unique, true finesse!"
"Huh...? You've heard of my wo-"
Senset shouted out.
"Hey Rarity, look right into that lady's eyes when your talking! It's very rude, to NOT make eye contact, right?"
Rohan's eyes widened as Ms. Faust's face changed to that of terror. Rarity caught on and sneered.
"Is that right? Then, the page the man just showed Okuyasu did that? Thank you, for the hint!"
Rarity sprinted forward, tripped on a stray pen, and as she fell she looked right into Ms. Faust's eyes. Her limbs elongated and flattened as it turned into film. Her life as she knew it, and some she didn't, played before her.
"Augh! What is this?! Senset!~"
Rohan laughed as he rolled his wrist.
"Sunset, you have a spiteful but cunning personality, you purposely told Rarity to fall for our trap in full genuine heart. By doing so, you bypassed my safety lock. Rarity never listens to you, thus even if you were being sarcastic she'd have ignored your words! That could have become somewhat of a nuisance. Now then... Okuyasu, Koichi, Rarity, Sunset. Why do you all think, Josuke Higashikata, is hiding behind that door?"
Everyone looked to the one exit in the room. Rohan held up Koichi's file.
"It says here that, Josuke is the kind of guy to sacrifice himself for even a stranger's well being."
Ms. Faust held up a single piece of film. Where Josuke saved Senset and Okuyasu from Bad Company's assault.
"Sunset holds him in rather high regards! She believes that Josuke, would even rescue an enemy if he believes in them. The way your face explains this, it looks as if you're unsure why he saved you today! I could use someone like this!"
"Even so, a true artist looks into every possible action."
"What if he went for help? Jotaro's Time Stop and Rainbow Dash's Rainboom, it'd be the end for us, surely."
"Which is why I believe this will be insurance enough."
Rohan grabbed Okuyasu's hand but frowned.
"[Shine On]... If it were applied earlier, I wouldn't have been able to turn Okuyasu into material, now I cannot edit him. No worries..."
Rarity looked up in smug victory, but unintentionally gazed right at Rohan's manuscript, the rest of her body peeled away into pages.
"Aah... This feels, not right, not at all!"
"And now, to add my touch. Listen closely, Josuke, and read out loud Rarity."
Rohan wrote on a page on her arm and held it to her eyes.
"Erm.. I will commit suicide through strangulation? Oh-puh, kff! As if that would ever-"
Rarity began to wrap her fingers around her own throat, and squeeze tighter than she thought possible. Josuke stomped out from his cover, with his eyes closed, and charged at Rohan and Ms. Faust. Both were surprised.
"Well, well, you chose a most childishly simple tactict."
"But a very effective one! Rohan!"
"I've already seen through it."
He threw sharpened pen tips with great accuracy, the items stabbed into Josuke's face and eyelids, yet he kept them closed.
"Ah! He's even more durable than in the files!"
MMs. Faust stood by Rohan's side as she held up the film. Her index finger pressed onto the center and the sound played.
[ "Hey, Oku, that guy with the shitty hair actually stopped Angelo." ]
Josuke stopped as Rohan smiled.
"Excellent thinking, Lauren! Comments about his hair are his trigger, even Koichi thinks his hair is ridiculous! I'm going to laugh at your hair, Josuke! That's from like, twenty or thirty years ago, you still thinks that's cool? It only looks more of an asshole that you can be! His thoughts not mine."
Koichi screeched.
"NO! NO! NO! I DIDN'T- CRAP! THAT WAS ONLY ONE TIME!"
Senset and Okuyasu both shouted.
"J-Josuke! I-It was before we met! D-Don't open your fucking eyes!"
Josuke don't go berserk, calm down, c'mon!"
Rarity began to tremble as she shook her head as she shrieked past her choked breaths.
"Da-Darling! Ple-Please! Do calm do-down! Just think o-"
Josuke roared as Crazy Diamond flew out and hovered above him.
"What..The HELL! DID YOU JUST SAY? ! ? !"
Rohan held his manuscript behind his back as Ms. Faust held up her hands.
"So... You do become enraged. Honestly, it's us who should be offended, to be exposed to such a hideous sight!"
"Like war, all it does is scar and wound the world by existing, I'm sorry but I can't be inspired by this! Who ever would?"
Ms. Faust then mumbled under her breath.
"Okay, that one may have been a bit much... Especially for a lie."
Rohan however, continued with a growing sneer.
"You believe that's something fit for the light of day? Even your bare ass would be more appropriate! It looks like a dirty nest that a bird died away in! Utterly, deplorable, uninspiring."
He poked the pompadour and watched with glee as Crazy Diamond launched a barrage of fists. Ms. Faust and Rohan were a step ahead. They had already used their Stands. Rohan held out the manuscript. They had won.
"[Heaven's Door]!" "[Pure Imagination]!"
Josuke's Crazy Diamond, punched them both in the face.
"Gurhk?!" "Arack!?"
Crazy Diamond furiously barraged the two with its fist with little to no mercy.
[ "DODOOOOORARARARARARARARARARARSRARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARAAAAAAAA! ! ! !" ]
With a final blow from the Stand, the two flew into thetheir prized bookshelf, and broke it, the structure toppled over them. Everyone returned to normal, but Josuke, continued his merciless rampage.
"Where'd You Fly Off To!? Come On Out! I'm Not Done With You! You Hear Me, Manga Artist, Novelist!? I'M NOT DONE KILLING YOU YET! ! !"
Everyone huddled together as Rarity coated them with her Shine. Chairs and tables, sharp wood, even parts of the copier and fax machine flew their way. Josuke began to destroy everything with his own bare hands. Rarity was breathless before the sight.
"I never knew... I thought I was scary when I lost it... But, he's throwing things, at us, without looking! Is he even aware where he is!?"
Okuyasu shook his head.
"Nah... That's exactly it. He's the kind of guy to lose it, and black out the entire time, who knows how long he'll be like this..."
Senset clung onto Okuyasu and trembled.
"He's normally so laid back... I never thought he could ever get so violent! He's not even mad at me or Koichi! S-So... Why am I so damn scared?!"
Koichi squeaked as a typewriter broken in two bounced off of them. Josuke lifted Rohan's whole desk over his head and threw it out the window. All of this week and last week and even this weeks work had been lost. He destroyed the prized portraits and illustrations on the walls.
"I-I never knew he got this bad... This is a nightmare!"
Rohan and Lauren nearly crawled out from under the bookshelf. They watched the file and film fly back to Senset and Koichi. The two were whole at last.
"Wh... What...? How can... Someone, so pure hearted... B-Be-Be so... Violent...?"
"Wh... Why...? Why does he get... So mad...? There's got to be... Some reason... Right...?"
Rarity snapped her fingers with a nod.
"Ah! I know why! Tomoko told me the story, but Josuke was just conscious enough to remember! If I recall correctly, he was only a small child at the time, struck with a sudden illness that threatened his life. This was due to curse of DIO, and was during Rainbow Dash's quest for her Element of Harmony! Tomoko had taken Josuke onto the road to the hospital, but Morioh had been struck with a terrible blizzard, even with snow chains on her tires... They had been stuck. The road was a desolate one, long and said to be cursed. Now, this here is Josuke's part of the story. His illness was so terrible, an angel had descended to take him away! Or so he believed. The angel took care of him, comforted him, and gave him heavenly candies. He was too sick to eat them at the time. Now back to Tomoko, who noticed a school delinquent stood behind her car. He was beaten and bloodied, but he had a pompadour, just like Josuke's. This delinquent, placed his school jacket by her rear tires and began to push the car. He told her to drive, and to not stop at all, to leave him behind. The wind was loud, it was too dark to see his face, but Tomoko had done as she was told... Josuke watched the young man free their car, but only saw his hair. From that day forth, he idolized the man, and his hairstyle is the only means he knows how to thank him..."
She began to sniffle and rub her eyes.
"It's quite a sad story, but a beautiful on- THAT DIRTY PEASANT!"
Everyone jumped then looked to where Rarity glared. Rohan held up a pen and began to write, but it had no ink.
"Ah... I only want to sketch and make notes of that story... I've already lost, so there's no point in fighting..."
Lauren then nudged Rohan and squeezed her hand by his side. A small puddle of her blood laid there.
"Use that... Before you pass out...! I have a photographic memory... As-As long as I don't suffer amnesia... I'll keep these experiences forever... Such a great source of inspiration... A lesson that even in hopelessness, a single good act can change the world...!"
Rohan chuckled as he began to write.
"I can always rely on you, Lauren... No one else gets it the way you do... I'm so happy we moved to Morioh Town...!"
Okuyasu blinked at the sight.
"These two are crazy... They're actually dying right now but..."
Senset and Koichi nodded.
"Yeah... Even now, I still really admire Ms. Faust. She's definitely got her heart for her readers and fans."
"Rohan may be a snobby guy, but good and bad notwithstanding, he's a real super manga artist!"
Everyone froze as Josuke stomped his foot onto the paper.
"THERE YOU TWO ARE! I TOLD YOU, I'M NOT DONE PUNCHING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU! ! !"
"E-EYYYYYAAAAAGHHH!" "KY-K-KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The two hugged each other as Josuke began the final assault. Rarity only lowered her head with a sigh.
"In a way... You have to admire that kind of strength. It did just save us."
All around the block, screams could be heard. Pink Dark Boy would from then on be on a monthly schedule. All of Lauren's books and movies would be put on hold until further noticed. Crazy Diamond, didn't fix a thing for the entire day.