Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: µ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 2: Fight On, Honaka Kousaka! (Part 2)
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
I-I can hardly believe this is happening! In only a single day, my entire life has become so chaotic!
I became a School Idol so I could save Otonokizaka from closing! That's all I wanted to do and that was my only goal, but during our practice Umi-chan and I were attacked by a strange arrow that left no wounds on us! I got into a big fight with Umi, and now I seem to have some sort of… power!?
This man calls it a Stand, but all I know is this; but I know if I don't fight and take this seriously, this man is going to kill me!
"FAITO DAYOOOOOOOOOO!"
And with a single massive punch, the Stand rush came to an end and sent Fuhai and his Stand flying in the wall, cracking it. As Honoka gasped for breath, she inspected her own hands, then the Stand in front of her. I… did I really do that?
Every punch her Stand had launched she had felt on her own hands, every scream her Stand let out she had felt herself yell; it was as if the two were in perfect unison, together as one. She lifted her right hand, watching her Stand left its right hand as well. And then without raising her own left hand she willed her Stand to raise its left hand, and it did so anyways. "This is… a Stand?" She asked herself, her Stand balling its fists, and nodding in response to her question.
"Little bitch…"
Honoka was snapped out of her train of thought but he realization Fuhai had gotten up, glaring daggers at her. "How dare you… insult me like this…!"
"I-Insult!? I'm just trying to defend myself! The police are definitely on their way already, get out!" She looked over at her parents; both her mother and father seemed to be unconscious, although it was her stabbed father she was most concerned about. "Just get going! You can't push me around now, I'm gonna fight back!"
But Fuhai laughed. "Oh? Really? It looks like you just properly awakened your Stand. Do you even know its true power?"
"Power!? This isn't some video game, you just saw how strong it is! And I'll kick your butt with it, too!" Honoka tried to put on a tough air, but that insult and taunt didn't do much for her confidence, especially when Fuhai grinned again.
"All Stands in addition to their fighting skill has an ability tied to it. The fact you don't even know yours… God, I should've killed you yesterday. Truth be told, I wanted you to live your entire life with the fear of that day. Well, we all make crappy decisions now and then!"
Fuhai walked backwards, into the wall itself: like before he seemingly turned into a 2D portrait, his Stand following him. "With the power of「Blue Slide Park」I can turn myself and anything I want into a 2D object! Once I do it becomes flatter than paper, able to travel freely! This power makes me invincible; even if I'm cornered, I can become like this! Its fortunate enough the arrow blessed me with this power- I'm invincible too!"
Honoka glared, running ahead with her Stand in front of her, having it unleash a series of punches on the world, stopping upon the realization the man in front of her wasn't hurt. "W… what!?" Honoka made the mistake of advancing even closer to inspect it, only to have the wind knocked out of her once the man's hand came out of the wall and slammed into her stomach. "Guh!"
"You're not punching me, you're punching the wall! No damage is being inflicted on me; it's the wall itself that takes all damage!" Fuhai declared with a laugh, before Honoka came to a horrible realization- she had lost track of Fuhai's Stand.
Frantically looking around her, Honoka's eyes widened in horror as she looked under her. 「Blue Slide Park」had also become 2D, a flat drawing crawling on the floor of Homura. And as she tried to jump away one of those arms grabbed at her leg, throwing her down. Honoka tried to use her Stand to kick the arm away, but 「Blue Slide Park」had already retreated back into the floor. "Now do you understand!? Ever since I was little, luck has always sided with Yoshikawa Fuhai! Even when pushed to the absolute depths, in my darkest hour, everything works out for me! Even when I was finally done in, the arrow blessed me with a power beyond anything I could imagine! Once I get plastic surgery to change my face and make it to America, I'll be able to live as a king for the rest of my days, ha! Some brat like you can't stand against me!"
Honoka gulped, sprinting as she saw the enemy Stand approach, seemingly gliding across the floor. What's with this thing!? Shouldn't it have some kind of weakness!? Honoka wasn't one for video games or anything like that, but she knew the bosses always had some kind of weak point you could hit; but Fuhai and his Stand seemed invincible while in this state. Try as she may, there did not seem to be any actual weakness to exploit. And this was still her house, she couldn't simply destroy it in order to defeat him.
Honoka gasped as she heard police sirens in the distance, smiling as she faced the front door. "Thank God!" Fuhai, meanwhile sneered, but not before grinning.
"Kousaka Honoka, that's your name, right?" Honoka simply glared at him, watching his form shift from the wall to the floor, sliding away on the floor. "You have made an enemy of Yoshikawa Fuhai! I know where you live, your family, and I will have my revenge, do you understand me!?"
"Try anything and you'll regret it, you bully!"
Fuhai snickered as he slinked away. "We will have a rematch soon, Honoka! And this will be a proper Stand battle. You and me, little girl, fighting to the death! Until then, enjoy living your last days in fear!"
Honoka could do nothing as he slide away on the floor, before rushing towards the sides of her parents. Both of her parents were unconscious, but she was happy to see her father was still bleeding as the paramedics arrived.
"This is the police! Are there injuries!?" One policeman asked, entering with his gun drawn. Honoka did not stand up, staying by her father's side.
"My mama and papa! That man injured both of them! I'm the eldest daughter, Kousaka Honoka!"
"Do you know where the suspect went!?"
"The back! He left a little while ago though, so he might have gotten away…" Honoka knew not to bother trying to explain what happened, as one police officer ran towards the backdoor. She knew they would never catch Fuhai in a hundred years, but that was not her concern. As the paramedics came in to her parents' side, she approached an officer.
"I-I know there's a lot of questions I need to answer, but can I please head upstairs? My sister locked herself in her room, I told her not to come out until the police came. I want to tell her it's safe now."
"That was very smart thinking, young lady. Yes, go ahead. Just to be safe though, we're going to take you with us, alright? Like you said, there's a lot of questions that need to be answered."
Honoka nodded and ran up the stairs, going up to Yukiho's sliding door. "Yukiho! It's me, Honoka! The police are here, it's safe now! You can come out! … Yukiho, can you hear me!?" Thankfully her sister opened the door a moment later, eyes red and puffy before hugging her sister, before Honoka hugged her back.
"Where's mom and dad? Are they OK?"
Honoka gulped. "… The burglar hurt mom and dad. I think mama is just knocked out, but dad has a knife in his side…" Honoka noticed the look in her sister's eyes become one of panic and horror as she tried getting out of her gasp. "Y-Yukiho, calm down! He… he…" Honoka stopped, thinking of what to say. There was a knife in his side. She didn't know how serious the wound was. How could she make a promise to her sister without knowing what would happen for sure? Honoka felt her heart in her throat; was last night the last time she would speak with her father? Would she be attending a funeral soon? And her mother! What if the injuries were worse than they thought?
"Honoka! What's going to happen!?"
But she shook her head. Even if they fought and bickered now and then, they were siblings; and as her older sister, Honoka has a responsibility she had to fulfill. And so, she forced herself to smile, wiping away one of her sister's tears.
"I don't know what's going to happen in the long run," Honoka admitted. "If I was Umi-chan I might be able to, but I'm not. But here's what I can tell you; you're safe right now," Honoka gripped her sister's shoulders. "For now, we're safe," Honoka was not an eloquent speaker or speech-giver, but for Yukiko she would for this moment give her absolute all to comfort her. "And I'm safe, and I'll be with you. Take your phone charger, we're going to be very busy today probably."
Yukiko nodded, her crying finally stopping as she left the hug. "… I love you, Honoka."
"And I love you, Yukiko-chan," Honoka said, pecking her sister's forehead. "Maybe we'll have to stay at grandma's and grandpa's for a while, but we're probably gonna spend most of today at the police station, OK?"
"Yeah," was as all Yukiko could say as she grabbed her backpack, emptying to pack some things for the day. Honoka went to her room, plopping down on her bed. There were injuries, but they didn't feel very serious. How would she explain this to the police? She guessed she'd have to be honest; she tried fighting against Fuhai but lost terribly, barely saved by the police's arrival. Still, she looked at her phone, opening up µ's group chat on her phone.
"We will have a rematch soon, Honoka!"
How had things gotten this completely fucked up?Less than a week ago µ's had finally obtained new members. They were finally on their way to saving their school; and now there was this arrow, and Stands, and all sorts of things.
"And this will be a proper Stand battle. You and me, little girl, fighting to the death!"
Honoka wanted to cry as hard as she could, from the bottom of her heart. But for this moment, she had to be strong for Yukiko. She was afraid that her younger sister seeing her break would break her in return, and for the rest of µ's as well…
"Until then, enjoy living your last days in fear!"
Honoka only allowed quiet tears without sobs to fall as she messaged her friends.
[Honoka] The man from yesterday attacked my house. Not going to school today. Don't contact me.
She knew the bizarreness was probably only just beginning. And sure enough, as Fuhai declared, she knew she would be afraid until their reunion.
And afraid she was, no matter how secure she was.
The day went like a blur, just like the night before. The police asked many questions, and it felt like they were repeating the same questions over and over again. There wasn't too much to report as far as Honoka was concerned; she could not divulge the information about Stands, after all. As far as the police were concerned her story of trying to fight Fuhai matched the description of her injuries. She sighed as she sat down on a bench in the police station as the police talked to Yukiko, taking out her phone and narrowing her eyes. Since she came in here, she had tried to do everything she could to finally learn more about Fuhai. Honoka was happy to be living in the internet era as she read some of the headlines she had bookmarked on her phone:
Undercover investigation reveals corruption in Tokyo police department!
43-year-old police lieutenant Yoshikawa Fuhai listed as subject in Tokyo police corruption investigation!
Veteran officer accused of accepting bribes from criminals and destroying evidence! Believed to have yakuza ties!
Yoshikawa Fuhai escapes from police custody! Manhunt ensured!
But the knowledge brought her no comfort or resolution. She just knew how despicable her new enemy truly was, but it didn't change on crucial fact; she was in danger. Her family was in danger. The police could do nothing to protect her from someone with a Stand, she knew this. Yukiho, her mother, her father; they were all now very much at the mercy of someone who had none, with a power beyond conventional human understanding.
For lack of a better phrase? Honoka knew she was fucked. She gave a bitter smile at the realization, before sighing. How long could she last here? If she and her family were going to be safe they'd have to move away most likely. Kyouto? Nagasaki? They'd have to move away someway far enough that Fuhai would find it not worth his time to pursue. Or would he follow?
"Ms. Kousaka?"
Honoka's head shot up at the sound of a police officer approaching her. "Yes, sir?"
He gave a smile, trying to give her any reassurance he could. "We have good news for you. Your mother has regained consciousness, as has your father."
Honoka shot up from her seat, running up to the man. "A-are they OK then!? They're not… too hurt?"
The officer shook his head. "I'm happy to say the wound in your father's side wasn't too deep; he's in pain but he's expected to make a full recovery after a day or two in the hospital. Your mother is already here. In fact, I think she's waiting for you up front with your sister…"
"Thank you so much!" Honoka said with a laugh, running off. At least one thing was going right, at least one thing hadn't been ruined just yet. And when she saw her mother well, she almost knocked her down with her hug. "Mama! Yukiho!"
"H-Honoka, be careful with her!" Her little sister scolded, as Mrs. Kousaka gave a gentle smile as she hugged her daughter.
"I'm so happy you're OK," Mrs. Kousaka replied, holding her tightly. "When I saw that man charging at you, I was so scared-" She forced back a sob as she hugged Honoka tightly. "I thought you were going to die. I really thought… I…"
"Its OK mama, I'm OK," Honoka lied. She was as far away from OK as anybody possibly could be, mentally anyways. But for this moment she vowed to suck it up.
"It's not OK though. You and Yukiho were in danger. I'm sorry, I'm so so so so sorry," Honoka and Yukiho both felt something in their chests as they saw their mother tear up, starting to break down. "What kind of parents lets their kids come so close to danger? I'm…"
"M-mama, it's not your fault! It's only that man's fault!" Honoka reassured, Yukiho coming in to hide her from the other side.
"You helped protect us mom, that's all we care about," Yukiho went on, trying to put on a brave face. "Please mom, don't be angry at yourself…"
Mrs. Kousaka had both her children pulled into a tight hug. "I spoke with your father after he regained consciousness. We're going to stay in a hotel for a few days, OK? And then… then we'll figure out what to do next," the two teens nodded, knowing there was little they could do.
"… Do you think we might move, mom?" Yukiho asked, Honoka's eyes widening in alarm.
"I don't know, again, we'll figure it out. If it's not safe, though…" Honoka wanted to yell in protest. They couldn't move! Tokyo had been their entire life! It was the only city Honoka truly knew, her only highschool, her only friends, the idols she had recently come to admire and µ's!
Honoka thought a thought she had never truly thought before in that instant: What does Tokyo mean to me? Sure, it was a place she lived. It was where her family had owned Homura for four generations, even though most of their relatives now lived in Kyouto. Otonokizaka was a school she called her's, but what separated it from any other in Japan, truly? In fact, if she moved, she could go to a better school, could she not? And in this internet era she could still keep touch with every single one of her friends in Tokyo.
Yet there was something in Tokyo that was precious to her, so much so just the thought of leaving caused her great pain. What was it? Even Honoka could not pin it down. Her friends? Her school life? Being a School Idol? There was something golden in this town to her, and for the first time in her life she thought of her city as more than that. It was her home, but why? What made this city so golden to her?
Honoka mused on this as her family left, unusually quiet as the family made their way to the car to visit their father in the hospital. Honoka knew she was not smart, but she was blessed with great family and friends, and every road that she walked lead to memories of great days. Surely even if she moved somewhere else, would Honoka not walk those roads? After all, she was a nice girl; surely, she would meet new friends, and her family would still be at her side. Yet the thoughts did not leave her mind as she concluded a thought:
We cannot move, Honoka thought to herself. She knew the thought was abhorrently selfish and this incident involved more than her, but she could not push the thoughts out of her head. There was something in her life that was precious. This life she lived in this city of Tokyo that she felt she would never reclaim if she lived anywhere else, even though she could not understand why. We cannot abandon our home just because something evil threatens it, she thought on, her eyes closing.
I'll fight to protect it if I have to.
Honoka closed her eyes, falling asleep, despite knowing it would be a brief nap of not even 20 minutes.
"Mama! I'm heading to school!"
No matter how chaotic life was, it moved on. Even when it felt like the world collapsed on you, the world kept on spinning on its own accord without a care. And so, the Kouaskas had no choice but to keep up with that momentum. The hotel may not have been home, but it was comfortable enough for the three as Mr. Kousaka rested in the hospital, but only Honoka seemed willing to go about her daily routine. "Are you sure, Honoka?" Mrs. Kousaka asked her elder daughter with a frown. "I'll call you in, it's OK…"
"No, it's OK mama," Honoka assured. There was nothing more she'd like than to just stay inside where it was safe, and indeed, had it not been for her newfound powers she might have taken the offer just as Yukiho had. "I don't want to be afraid."
"I know, I'm just... be safe, OK? Remember, call the hotel's phone if you need to get a hold of me, I don't know where mine went…"
Honoka gave a smile before making her way to school; it was thankfully fairly close to Otokonizaka to walk by foot, just like before. Honoka didn't check her phone or alert her friends as she made her way to school. As she walked through the crowded streets, she had a thought:
Come to me, Stand.
As an orange aura surrounded her, her Stand materialized before her. For the first time Honoka truly inspected the Stand's appearance, looking it right in its eyes, the star-eyes staring back at her. As she looked around, she saw nobody around her registered the strange entity, going about their daily lives as if it did not exist at all. What are you, anyways? Honoka wondered. She raised her right hand and her Stand pressed its palm against her's, as per her will. Even though it had only been a day controlling it seemed also natural.
Still, she was thankful. Despite everything, if it hadn't been for this power, she'd be dead, right? Fuhai would have killed her whole family except for Yukiko, she figured. One step at a time, she figured. She had to do something about Fuhai; even if her family moved, they could never truly be safe as long as he had that terrifying ability. No police could possibly protect them, forever on the run and forced to abandon one home after the other, forever in fear until Fuhai finally came for his revenge.
If nothing else though, she could enjoy these days with her friends, right? If just for a little while...
"HONOKA!"
Honoka's train of thought was interrupted by the sight of her two oldest friends, both teary eyed as they approached and hugged her by both sides, Honoka smiling as her own eyes watered up. "Kotori, Umi, I... I'm..."
"We were so worried," Kotori began, forcing back a sob. "When we heard about Homura, I thought... I really thought- what if you died or something? I can't..."
"We missed you," Umi said, forcing back sob. "We're sorry we couldn't be there for you," she went on, tightening her hug. "By the time we got to Homura you were all already gone. I'm..."
"Shhhh," Honoka reassured, returning the hugs. "There was nothing either of you could do. I'm just happy I'm back," Honoka said, letting a tear fall. And then two, then three, and a few sobs. "It was... it was scary..."
"It's over now," Kotori reassured, which made Honoka bite her lip. It wasn't over, far from it. But she did not say that, patting her friend's back. "Yeah..." She said, nuzzling her cheek against Kotori's. "It's... over, for now..."
"K-Kousaka-san!"
"Honokaaaaaaaaaa!"
"We're happy you're alright, Kousaka-senpai."
Honoka turned her head to see the first years of µ's approach, smiling at their direction. "Girls..."
"We thought we were never gonna see Honoka-chan again, nyaaa!" Rin immediately joined the group hug, embracing the other girls as hard as she possibly could. "We were so scared when you ran away from the school, then learning about all those bad things... I'm never ever ever ever gonna let go, nya!"
Next it was Hanayo's turn to wrap her arms around the group. "We were scared. We're so happy you're alright!" Honoka grinned at her as she noticed her tearing up.
"We'reglad you're alright, Kousaka-senpai," Maki said with a smile, before noticing a glare from Rin. "H-hey, what's your- hey—!" she couldn't say much before being pulled into a tight hug from Rin.
"You don't get to opt out of it, nya!"
Maki struggled briefly, before giving a weak smile as she relented and joined the hug. "... We were all scared for you..."
"I know you all were, and I'm so sorry I didn't try talking to any of you," Honoka said. "I promise- no more secrets, OK? And no more running away. After practice tonight, there's something I want to tell and show all of you," Honoka went on, looking at Umi. "It's important. Its related to the arrow incident."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Maki tried to reassure.
"No. It's important," Honoka said. "We're friends, all six of us. I want you all to know what's happening. I want you to know my situation, OK?" And the girls of µ's nodded, as Honoka began to pull away. "But for now, I want to have… as normal a day as I can have, OK?" And Honoka couldn't help but smile at the sight of all her friends together again. It gave the illusion of normalcy, one that she appreciated.
However, the comfort it brought her was not an illusion or a lie, and in that moment, that was more precious than even the most precious diamonds in the world. It was enough to distract her even from the rumors and whispers around her as she walked throughout Otonokizaka's hallways, those she was only vaguely familiar once spreading rumors in their whispers: I heard she skipped class! Is she a delinquent? Did she really help rob a store? I heard she killed somebody! I heard there was a break-in at her store! What did you think—?
"I'm happy you're alright, Kousaka-san."
Of all people, Honoka did not think it would be Eli herself who would approach her.
"President…?"
Eli gave a gentle smile as she approached Honoka. "I'm sorry. For everything your family had to endure yesterday," news did travel quickly, after all. "I understand we haven't been on the… best of terms," that was one way of saying it. "But from the entire Student Council, we are wishing you and your family the best.
"… Thank you, Ayase-senpai," Honoka said with a smile. "I'm just… I thought you hated me?"
Eli sighed. "I don't hate you, Kousaka-san. I disagree heavily with you and your goals, but we are still students at Otonokizaka. You are still a teenage girl. And no matter what I think of you or your beliefs, nobody deserves what you just went through. And I'm sorry you had to endure it. And I want you to know that, at least when it comes to your family, this school and its students support you," Eli said with a small smile, before holding out an envelope for Honoka.
"Eh?"
"It was such short notice, but once the school learned about what happened, we tried to see if we could raise some money for your family," Eli explained. "Your family owns their own business, don't you?"
"Yeah, Homura. We're gonna be closed for a few days too…"
"Then I'm glad we did this. Just… something to help keep you afloat during the loss of income. It was short notice so it's all we could do. We counted about 11220 yen from the student body. I know it's not much, but at least give it to your mother, alright?" Eli wasn't surprised when Honoka didn't say anything at first, processing it. She was ready to walk off before being caught off-guard by a hug. "W-what!? Hey! G-get off me!"
"I-I'm sorry, I'm just… t-thank you sososososososo much, Ayase-senpai!" Honoka seemed ready to cry, and Eli couldn't help but be embarrassed by the looks given. "This is… this is so nice! Thank you so much!"
"I-It's fine, honestly. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more…"
Honoka smiled as she pulled away. "This is… part of the reason I love this school."
"Is it, now?"
"I don't know a lot of people. A lot of people don't know me. But this place feels… is nice. And the students inside it have good hearts, too! Just like this city…"
"Would you really say that? Tokyo can be seedy, you know."
"Maybe so, but… its home, you know? This highschool is home to me too. I bet there's a lot of other schools that wouldn't have even bothered to do this much. That's why…" Honoka's expression became more serious. "… I will absolutely save it, Ayase-senpai!"
The crows murmured at that. It wasn't a secret the student council president and Honoka were not on good terms with one-another. Was she really defying her even now? "… Is this a challenge or something, Honoka?"
"No. I just want you to know. This school absolutely won't close, no matter what. I will save it, no matter what! For my home! For everyone else here!"
"And you'll do it by being a School Idol?"
"Yes," Honoka declared. "And if that's not enough, I'll be anything else this school needs! For you and everyone else!"
"Useless, useless, useless…" Eli sighed. "You really are as stubborn as they come, aren't you?"
"The absolute stubbornist!"
It was the first time Honoka saw Eli actually smirk as a result of her actions. But she said nothing else as she walked off to head off to her own classes.
"She's always been like that, honestly. Don't beat yourself up, Honoka-san."
Honoka jumped at the voice behind her, before looking behind her- she had even been so on-edge her Stand summoned, before she dispelled it. "O-oh! Tojo-senpai!"
Nozomi giggled. "Please. Nozomi is enough."
"N-Nozomi-san! I'm, ah… I didn't mean to make her angry again…"
"I don't think she was angry. Maybe a bit annoyed, but not angry. She knows you mean well, Honoka-san," Nozomi explained. "You two are just… very different."
"I just don't want her to be angry," Honoka admitted. "Does she think I'm joking around or something? I'm really serious about being a School Idol, you know…"
"Eli is… complicated. Her beliefs and motivations are different than yours, based on her own life experiences, while you have had your own." Nozomi tapped on her chin. "You seem very distressed though, even unrelated to this."
"I did almost die," Honoka answered. "I just… I don't know. I'm scared," why was she venting out to somebody she barely knew, anyways? "I feel like I have… no direction right now. I don't know what to do."
Nozomi smiled. "Why don't we ask the cards, then?"
"Ask the what now?"
Nozomi giggled. "I'm rather skilled in reading the cards of the Tarot. They're often used in fortune telling, and to help divine the future. Perhaps it would be worth your time to let fate decide?"
Honoka went quiet, before nodding. "I… guess it couldn't hurt, ya know?" If it would take her mind off things…
Nozomi smiled as she brought Honoka into the student council room, shuffling her cards once they sat down, before placing several face-down on the table. "Please flip over one card, Honoka-san."
Honoka nodded as she did so. It looked like a man on a journey, and although Honoka's English was rather poor she could read the words; THE FOOL. "Oh… That's probably really bad…" Honoka sighed as Nozomi grinned.
"Quite the opposite! The Fool is one of the most opportunistic Tarot cards!"
"Eh? Really? But isn't it calling me dumb?"
"Is not every man a fool at one point? Do not misunderstand the card based on its name alone, The Fool is one of the most optimistic cards of them all! The fool represents the beginning of everything; you are only a fool because you have not had the opportunity to grow yet. The Fool represents new beginnings and adventures, that you should have faith in the future despite not knowing what it will bring. That's why its number is 0, because it is from there all future things grow. I am sure you will be blessed with beginner's luck, and it beckons on you to improvise and believe in the universe," Nozomi explained, and sure enough her junior's jaw dropped as her mouth formed a wide O, replaced with a grin.
"That's awesome! I love it! Oh man, thank you so much Nozomi-san!"
"Wait. Please flip another card over. If this card represents the beginning of your journey, I want to see what the cards believe in your future…"
Honoka stuck her tongue out slightly as her hand went from card to card. "This one… no, this one! No wait, this time! Oh, I got a good feeling about this one! N-no wait, it's a bad feeling, a really bad feeling!"
Nozomi giggled. "Relax, Honoka. The cards will not lie to you. No matter what happens, the cards will guide you to your future. Take a deep breath and relax… Look deep inside yourself and you will know what card to flip over."
Honoka took her advice, calming herself down. And at Nozomi's advice, an idea came to her; the Stand. It was a part of her, was it now? And Nozomi couldn't see it anyways… and so she summoned her star-marked Stand behind her, eyes closed. Look deep inside myself… my Stand… guide me!
And Honoka's Stand did just that, taking Honoka's hand and guiding it to a card at random. Honoka opened her eyes and de-materialized her Stand, flipping the card over. And so, she read it once more; THE STAR. "Star…?"
Nozomi smiled. "A wonderful card. The Star represents concepts like spirituality, hope, faith, purpose, and renewal… Honoka. This is what I believe the cards are telling me," Honoka leaned in. "Right now, you have just begun your adventure, The Fool. The struggling has only just begun, but… if you do not give in, 'The Star' will be your destination. It is what will wait at the end of your story. In this case… purpose and renewal, I think. I think it is saying to continue your endeavors as a School Idol and whatever else you need be, and you will find your purpose, Honoka…"
Honoka jumped and grinned. "This… this makes me feel so much better, thank you!" She said, glancing at the clock. "I-I have to go to class now, but do you think we can do this again sometime?"
"It will be my pleasure, Honoka-san."
"Thank you sososososo much! Take care, Nozomi-san!" And so, she raced off to her next class, Nozomi smiling as she raced off. Even as Eli entered the room a minute or two later, clearly not as concerned for being late for class. "Ah, Elichi. Have you come to be divined as well?"
"Why are you encouraging her?" Eli demanded. "She's brash. Naïve. Reckless. Immature and inexperienced…"
She chuckled. "Is that not good? It's from those things maturity has its roots in…"
"It's more than just being a School Idol, ridiculous and stupid as that idea is alone! Did you not see that display in the hallway!? If somebody else had been around…!"
"But they weren't. So, there's no harm done, Elichi," Nozomi said, opening an eye at her. "I'm simply doing as the cards instructed me to do…"
"You understand you are encouraging her to walk a dangerous path, are you not?" Eli closed the door behind her. "This is more than just about singing and dancing now. You had an opportunity to send her on a new direction and you didn't take it. Its about safety and well-being as well."
"You know she will not be at peace until the man who terrorized her family is caught. And you know he can't simply be arrested, Elichi. If she has the will to fight on…"
"This isn't a game, Nozomi!" She slammed her hands on the table. "This is…"
"Are you really looking out for your junior, Elichi? Do you really think you alone can shoulder all this worlds' burdens? Or do you simply do not think other people can do as you do? Because they can't dance or fight as you can?" Nozomi said, flipping The Fool upside down. "When inverted, The Fool symbolizes foolishness, recklessness, naitivity…"
"All traits exhibited by Kousaka Honoka! Nozomi, look at where I'm coming from! I mean it, I don't want you to do this kind of thing around those wannabe half-baked idols!" Eli's temper finally came to a boiling point.
But Nozomi did not budge, smiling as a purple aura enveloped her and her cards, the cards levitating around Eli and circling her, to which the fellow third year gave no reaction. "Elichi… you are not the only one who carries burdens now, you know. That girl has her own fights she most carry now. You are not a superhero capable of saving an entire city on your own." Eli finally went quiet at the end of Nozomi's small speech. "Now, I would like to ask you again, Elichi… would you like me to divine your fate?"
Eli said nothing as she paused, before heading onto her first class.
"… You're going to learn a lot from one another, I think…"
The day was, otherwise, uneventful, for the most part.
Honoka would not have lied; if you had asked her, she would have admitted the murmurings and rumors got to her, but the love and friendship of µ's had kept her going throughout the day. And when they reached that rooftop?
"1 2 3 4! 1 2 3 4!"
Things felt normal again. For the first time in two days, Honoka's life had felt normal once more.
"I saaaaaaaaaaay! Hey! Hey! Hey START:DASH!"
"Rin, you're not in-synch with the rest of us. A little faster, alright?"
"Roger that, nya!"
Honka grinned as she and Kotori resumed her stretches, as the first years focused on their harmonization; Maki had nailed it down to a T with her prior singing experience, but Rin and Hanayo were doing well in trying to catch up.
"Kotori, Honoka, push-ups!"
"Yes ma'm!"
Honoka immediately got into her position, as Kotori watched for a moment. Here was a girl who once barely survived gym now able to do nearly 20 pushups whenever it was demanded of her. And it was the same for her now- it wasn't just becoming popular or performers, they really had become stronger in the meanwhile. Kotori had been concerned about gaining weight before realizing it was muscle. Still, she noticed Honoka's movements were a bit… sluggish compared to normal. "Honoka?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you OK?"
Honoka frowned. "I'm still a bit sore from fighting that Fuhai guy, but I'll live! I just gotta get used to fighting through the pain…"
Oh. She didn't mean to say that out loud.
µ's went quiet before rushing to her side.
"What do you mean fight him!?" Maki asked. "W-we didn't know anything about that!"
"I-Isn't that man like 6'0? He's super tall, and I saw his picture online; he looked muscular!" Hanayo exclaimed.
"He looked like he could fight a bear, nya!"
"How did you fight him, Honoka?"
Honoka sighed as she as bombarded with the question, before raising her hands up. "N-no, this is good. I had something I needed to show you all anyways. And practice is almost over… There's an abandoned apartment not too far from here, right?" The rest nodded in response. "I don't want anyone else around when I talk about this."
It was a rather quiet walk after practice had ended, with none of the other girls used to seeing Honoka so serious. Once they arrived, Honoka took a deep breath before leading her friend into the alleys right next to it.
"So, what's going on, Honoka?" Maki asked. "How could you possibly fight a man like that?"
"… Its about that arrow, actually." µ's went quiet at that. "Umi, did you ever find anything out?"
"No. I read everything I could in the library, but I couldn't find anything related to an arrow that leaves no wound or 'Stands…'"
"Stand?" Hanayo asked.
"The man who attacked my house was clearly hit by that arrow too," µ's' eyes widened. "He said it to my mom; that he was 'chosen by the arrow' and gained a power he called a Stand because of it. And I was able to use my 'Stand' to fight his," she explained, before facing the group. "He said normal people can't see them, but…"
She summoned her Stand nonetheless. The rest did not react, but Umi gasped and dropped her back. "U-Umi!?" Kotori asked, surprised by her friend's shocked look.
"What is that thing?" Umi asked, taking another step back. She stared into the star eyes of Honoka's Stands, who stared back at her. "That's not a human being! Is that… a ghost!? No, it doesn't even look like that…!"
"I-I don't see anything, nya!"
"What does it look like?" Kotori asked, shocked.
"Orange… with hair like Honoka's, but stars on its body…"
"Yeah, that's my Stand!" Honoka replied, nodding. "I still… don't understand it fully, but I can make it appear when I want and make it disappear when I want to, and its pretty strong too! Just watch this—" and Honoka faced the building, her Stand as well, and delivered a flurry of punches powerful enough to severely damage the wall. Sure, public property damage wasn't something to be proud of- but surely the situation called for it?
… Well, maybe Honoka could have chosen a better location, but that was besides the point. Umi saw the Stand punch the wall again and again, and while the rest of the girls it was more akin to an invisible force attacking the wall.
"I can't believe it," Maki said. It defied all logic and rationality, but she couldn't deny it either.
"You… did something to the wall!" Kotori exclaimed. "This power… came from being attacked by that arrow?"
"I mean, I'm not sure, but what else could it be? He called his power a Stand and he got it from the arrow. I never had any kind of power before the arrow attacked me… He said the arrow blessed him with power. And now I have a power too. Its… weird."
"That's…" Maki began.
"I don't…" Hanayo went on.
"It's so…" Umi was about to go on, but before she could —
"Cool, nya!"
"R-Rin!?" Maki exclaimed.
"You got a superpower, Honoka-chan! You can be like… a superhero, nya!"
"R-really!?" That certainly got Honoka's attention.
"Yeah! You can be… µ's, the singing heroine! You sing when you show up, then use your power to beat up all the bad guys all invisible and stuff!"
Honoka stared for a second before grinning. "You're right! Fuhai even said normal people can't fight against Stands- I could kick some serious butt with this, Rin!"
"Forget being an Idol- you should be a superhero! If everyone knows a superhero comes to Otonokizaka it'll never close down, nya! Kotori-chan could make your superhero costume!"
"AMAZING thinking, Rin! Kotori, can you make me a superhero costume!?"
"Ummm…"
"Girls…" Umi began.
"My superhero name should have orange in it!"
"You need to look super cool too, nya!"
"GIRLS!" Both Rin and Honoka proceeded to shut up. "Honoka, you are not becoming a superhero!" Umi scolded. "If you were already in danger before, how do you think things will be if everyone knows you're fighting crime!? Think about it for a second!"
"S-sorry…" Both girls said, puffing their cheek out.
"… Its still a cool idea though, nya."
"Yeah!"
Umi groaned.
"Anyways…" Kotori began. "What are you going to do, Honoka? Please be serious…"
"I have no idea," Honoka admitted, sighing. "The police can't really protect me or my family. My mom talked about maybe moving…" the other girls seemed to panic at the thought. "If I did, I'd have to quit µ's…"
"… If its for your safety, you shouldn't be ashamed of it…" Maki assured. Rin seemed ready to protest, but a look from Hanayo stopped her. "This is just a school. Your life can't be replaced."
"That's not the only problem. What if he comes after us? We can't protect ourselves from this power. All we can do… is run and hope he doesn't pursue. And then, he'll get us…" she paused. "… Unless I fight."
"Honoka!?" Umi stepped forward. "Do you have any idea what you're saying!?"
"Yeah, I do. I fought for my life yesterday. And… he even said he'd come after me one day. And next time we met, it'd be a fight to the death with our Stands."
"To the death!? Honoka- you can't —" But Umi was caught off-guard by the very forlorn smile on Honoka's face.
"Honesetly, other than running, after what you've seen, what more can any of you suggest?"
µ's was silent.
Honoka insisted on walking home alone at that point. She said she had wanted space, but in truth, she was afraid of Fuhai attacking and her friends getting in the crossfire. Still, it felt nice to finally unload all that baggage. At least that was one major obstacle out of the way. She blinked as she noticed her phone ringing, smiling as she noticed it was her mother. "Hello, mama!"
… Wait, didn't mama lose her pho-
"Hello, Kousaka."
Honoka's heart sank as she heard Fuhai Yoshikawa's voice on the other line. "F… Fuhai…!"
"iPhones are nice, you know? I swiped this one while I was at your house."
"What do you want!? I'll- "
"I have your family."
Honoka's heart skipped a beat. "Don't… don't hurt them — "
"There's an abandoned factory not too far from where we last met. I'll text you the address. Come alone."
"… I don't… want to fight you. Just go away."
"But I want to fight you. There is an unwritten law that governs our universe: 'Stand users attract other Stand users.' And we are Stand users. The theory of gravity binds us and our encounters together. And more importantly? I'm fucking pissed, so I want a rematch."
"Listen to me! I'll — "
But he hung up.
Honoka knew what the smart thing to do in that moment was. To call the police. To head back to the hotel and barricade herself in. To call her friends and ask for advice. But to Honoka… it was her fight. Her battle. Only her Stand could ever resolve this, never the forces of the law. What would happen if she called her friends? They would be dragged into this battle, and her family would almost certainly be killed. And what if her family was not held captive? They would go to the police, yes, and then Fuhai would undoubtedly target them again. No matter what happened, it would all end in the same space. No matter what the actual situation was, Honoka determined that all things would lead to the same result if she did face this fight, no matter how much she dreaded it.
Was it foolish? Yes. Was it naïve? Yes.
Did Honoka feel like she had another choice?
No.
She sprinted towards the location.
Honoka had never been inside an abandoned anything before. The old machinery laid about, untouched by humans' hands for years and covered with dusty and cobwebs. Only broken windows allowed light to enter, barely illuminating Honoka's path. "Yoshikawa! I'm here!" She yelled out, inspecting her surroundings. "So come on out, already! Didn't you say we were gonna finish this!?"
"That eager to die, Kousaka?" Honoka looked up, seeing her tormentor grin down at her from a floor above, jumping down from nearly a floor above, safely landing with assistance from his Stand. "You know, if it wasn't me, it would just be somebody else, right?" Honoka just glared. "You can relax, that was just a bluff to bring you here," despite it all that did bring Honoka small sense of relief. There's lots of Stand users in Tokyo. These past few months they've been awakening because of the arrow. Some have already formed alliances."
"Alliances…?"
"One is a group of girls your age, who banded together to fight someone they call the Cyan Stand. Fuck if I know what that means, but all that matters is this: Stand users fight other Stand users. That's why I'm ditching this dump. Once I make enough money I'm going to the States, try to find a place with no Stand users were my power will make me supreme! It's not too late for you, Kousaka! You have an incredible power- you can make anyone bow down to you!"
"No way," Honoka declared. "I'm not like you. I don't want power, and I don't want money either! I want to be a School Idol- I want to save my school and have good memories with my friends and family! And you're in the way of that!"
Fuhai chuckled. "Things got complicated, that's all. Hell, I'll even keep my offer- join up with me. A girl like you can always use more spending money, can't they? If you don't ally with me, either the 'Cyan Stand' or that group of girls will force you to join with them… or destroy you! We'll split it 60/40. How about it, Kousaka?"
"Go to hell."
Fuhai's grin widened into a smile. "Truth be told, I was hoping you'd say that. I'm not so dumb I'd just turn down an ally, but I've really been looking forward to killing you…"
"And I've been looking forward to a peaceful life! With my friends and my family! A life without you in it…"
"Oh? So, you're going to kill me, Kousaka?" Honoka went very quiet at the question, looking down at her feet. In truth, she had never thought that far ahead. The idea of killing sounded so… horrible to her… but…
"… This is my city, Tokyo," Honoka began. "It's the city I was born in. The city I was raised in. The city where I live my life and go to the highschool I love! It is the city where four generations ago my family moved from Kyouto! The city where a Japanese sweet shop has been owned by my family, and what I hope to inherit from my father as my occupation! I was born in this city and I want to die in it, too! And you're hurting it! You're hurting the people who live in it just so you can be happy- even before you had your Stand you were a crooked cop who helped bad people just so you could be happy!" She yelled, narrowing her eyes. "And the law can't stop you… and… they can't protect my family either. Only by fleeing this place we call our home could we be safe from you…"
She stepped forward. Her resolve was clear, and as horrible as it sounded, she knew what had to happen next.
"I don't want to kill you, but if this is what I have to do to protect not only my family, but the city I love- and the friends who are the most important to me! So that not only I, but all of them can live safely in Tokyo… and I'll even fight all the Stand users that threaten it as well! It's just Otonokizaka anymore, I want to protect all of Tokyo as well! I'll try to beat you to a pulp instead of killing you… but if that's what it takes…
"Then I'll kill you, Yoshikawa FuhaI!"
"「BLUE SLIDE PARK!」"
I can't be afraid, Honoka thought, summoning her Stand. I have to fight on!
"FAITO DAYO!"
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 3: Fight On, Honaka Kousaka! (Part 3-END)
Stand profile: FUHAI YOSHIKAWA
Stand Name: Blue Slide Park (Mac Miller album)
Type: Short-range Stand
Stand Cry: None
Appearance/Personality: Blue Slide Park resembles a humanoid male wearing a dark blue Japanese police officer's uniform, complete with a hat. The uniform, however, seems to be devoid of any badges or decoration. Its skin is blue, with yellow eyes and a mouth with thin lips and red tear marks under its eyes. Its expression is fairly stoic, except when battling: in which case it becomes enraged.
Abilities:
3D to 2D, vice versa: Blue Slide Park's signature ability is to be able to turn 3D objects (that which exists in the real world) into 2D: making it as thin as paper. What is most notable is that once something becomes 2D, it can be implanted on any solid surface of floor: much like a painting. This allows Fuhai and his Stand to squeeze through impossibly tight spaces (like closed locked doors) to make easy escapes and entrances. In this state, anything that has been turned 2D is impervious to damage, as it is the surface that takes damage instead of the user and the Stand. In their own words, they can deal no damage in this form, but cannot take damage.
Objects like knives can also be turned into 2D and stored on walls, floors, etc. Fuhai uses this so he can have a steady supply of easy to obtain weaponry, turning them into "pictures" to access later.
Stats:
Power: B
Speed: C
Range: C
Precision: D
Durability: C (∞ as a 2D object)
Development Potential: A
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Wow! That was... longer than I thought it'd be. I thought this chapter would be what, 15 pages? It was almost as long as the last one! Well, I'm a tad bit late: my goal is to try to get an update on Fridays or Saturdays, but ah well... Anyways! I don't know if I'll have another chapter up this week, what with having a paper and a midterm I gotta work on. If I can, great! If not, well, it'll be next week! Next week will be the end of this arc to end this conflict with Fuhai, followed by a short intermission to follow up into the next arc.
If you want to talk to me about this, I'm active on tumblr! My personal blog is takamakiann, and my writing blog (i'm less active on it though) is writingsofawheel! I looooooooooove talking about this fic, so if you send me an ask, maybe I'll answer it if it's not too spoilerys~
Have a pleasant, non-bizarre day! As always, any kind of feedback (even critical) is well appreciated, and reviews are absolutely adored!