Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 16: Elichika
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
This is Ayase Eli speaking.
The battle with Wakaki was an absolute failure. While we emerged victorious in the fight, Wakaki escaped with the Red Arrow and with all her information. We failed to obtain any useful information- it was a complete waste of time. And to top it off? I had to reveal the secrets of my Stand... it hardly matters. I'll press onward, and seize the future myself, no matter what stands in my way!
Eli loved dancing.
It was something special to her, ballet. While only partially Russian, it was that country she had called her home, despite not being the country of her birth.
In the beginning, it was just tapping her foot to rhythm of music. Then nonsensical movements to the beats. And then, before long, real dancing. The young Eli loved to dance more than anything, and upon learning both her mother and grandmother had practiced ballet, almost begged her grandmother to let her do so as well.
"I can make something great from myself!" Eli thought to herself in those young days. "I can make grandma and mama and papa and everyone else super proud of me! Maybe one day I can be in the Olympics!"
Like most children, Eli was a 'dreamer.' And those dreams of 'the future' gave her inspiration. With 'dancing' she could claim 'the future' for her own, she believed. And she was immensely talented, performing in competitions even in Moscow. Amongst most child dancers, she was indeed immensely skilled, far more than most her age.
But there was a cruel component to 'dreams' she did not understand yet. That 'dreams' often clash with 'reality.'
"You failed again?"
"I… I'm sorry…!"
Eli was immensely talented… but so were others. Eli was a prodigy, but in this rigorous field of dance, she was very far from the only prodigy. Perhaps it was an inherent or natural skill, or perhaps they tried much harder, but Eli could never truly catch up to them. It was not the first failure; it was not the last. But eventually, the 'failures' took a toll in her heart.
"Don't worry about the audition," her kind grandmother said, hugging her and consoling her, still smiling. "You tried your hardest, and I love you."
Eli remembered looking at the winners, and even though she knew it shouldn't have, two separate feelings to settle in her heart. One was 'jealousy,' and the other was 'cynicism.'
As a First Year in highschool, Eli and her sister moved back to Japan. But Eli was not quite as hopeful or kind as she once was.
"'Reality' is what must be focused on," Eli reasoned. "Rather than chase after things that may or may not come true, I will 'seize my future' with what I can 'realistically grasp' with my hands."
For many years, it remained that way, until a new path was forcibly pierced into her.
"You… you can become a Stand!?" Honoka asked, shocked and gasping.
"No… My Stand is 'armor.' When I summon my Stand, it manifests as an armor that I wear," Eli explained. "When this armor is summoned, I become superhuman. I gain incredible physical strength, speed, endurance, and agility: far more than any normal human should be able to ever possess. With this power, I am more than capable of fighting against other Stands," Eli went on. "I do not summon a Stand to fight for me; it is myself who does the fighting!"
"That's… that's amazing, Ayase-senpai!" Honoka said, smiling as she took a few steps forward. "I can't even imagine how scary that must be, fighting a Stand directly like that! Even with「All Star」fighting can be kinda scary, especially against someone like that Wakaki… You're something else! And you've been fighting before all of us too, right?" Honoka asked.
"I believe… when the 'Pink and Black' Stand started awakening Stand users in this city, for whatever reason, I was among the first," Eli said. "I know Yanigihori and Suzuki were among the first as well… and then their confident, and then the rest of these 'Arrow Hunters,'" she said, looking over to Akeno and Miano. "Isn't that right, Miyabashi, Homura? You obtained your Stands… not too long ago, did you?"
"More or less," Akeno said. "These past two months have bone like a blur at this pace… Getting out of juvie, awakening Stands, the Hunters… It hasn't been too long. You've been at it longer, then?"
"Four months," Eli said, taking a step forward.
"That's more or less when the boss said she and Suzuki got their Stands," Miano confirmed. "While the rest of us has been about two months or so…"
"And now, you're going to tell me everything I need to know," Eli declared, tension filling the air. "Yanigihori can't be allowed to claim the arrow… I don't trust you, or your lot. And since Wakaki escaped, you two will be giving me the answers I need to protect this town," with that, any goodwill from the shared victory over Wakaki's defeat disappeared.
"Try us, bitch," Akeno said with a glare, 「Good Girl Gone Bad」next to her. "Don't matter if we just had a big fight, I'll take you on!" Miano didn't summon her Stand, but glared at Eli while hugging Akeno.
"H-Hold on, please don't do this!" Honoka ran between them, arms outstretched as she faced Eli. "We just had a major victory! W-we all worked together and beat Wakaki! Please, let's not fight!" Hanayo and Rin were still tending to Maki and Aya, but Umi got in-between them as well.
"Ayase, please, I'd like to ask you to ally with μ's!" Umi asked. "You're a powerful Stand user, and while we may not individually be as strong as you are, that doesn't change the fact that as of now, six of the seven members of μ's are Stand users! Yanigihori will continue attacking us, right? We already know Akeno and Miano will leave us alone… so rather, we should unite together to fight her! If she's been a Stand user at least as long as you and Wakaki, she's bound to be a powerful enemy, right?" Umi reasoned. "We should work together… Even if you don't want to be an Idol, let's at the last be allies!"
"I refuse."
"W-why!?" Honoka asked. "Now you're being unreasonable! You're just one person against multiple enemies! I think by this point, we outnumber the Arrow Hunters! We can end this soon. Maybe…" Honoka smiled again. "Maybe we can even call a truce!"
"Huh?" Akeno asked, turning to Honoka. "A… are you serious?"
"Yanigihori sent you all to hurt us, and in particular I'm really angry about what the girl with the bug Stand tried to do to Kotori, Nico, and Hanayo… but there's been no permanent damage! Nobody has died, and everything Wakaki did wasn't related to your group! So… I think we can all make peace! We should all sit down, come to an understanding about the arrow and what to do with it, and maybe—"
"How can you be this stupid?"
Honoka went quiet as the Student Council President took a step forward, glaring. "Reason!? Haven't you learned anything so far!? The police man, these enemies, and above all Yanigihori listen to might, not words! Once I defeat Yanigihori this will be resolved!" Eli declared, fist on her chest. "First, I will 'defeat Yanigihori…' Then, I will 'claim the arrow!'"
"W-wait, you want the arrow too!?" Honoka asked. "Why!?"
"So, it cannot fall into the wrong hands! You've seen scum like Yoshikawa Fuhai with Stands… I don't know what Yanigihori wants, but I don't trust the intentions of a girl like that. The arrow will be mine- and then it will be safe. Safe from any who might abuse… and if need be, its power granted to the worthy who will protect society!" Eli said. "There is too much crime in this world that cannot be stopped simply by the police… but Stand users? This arrow is more than a 'tool of power,' it is a 'tool that can reshape society' in the right hands! And I… I want that power, to protect this country, and this city!"
"Ayase-san…" Honoka wanted to say more, but couldn't think of anything else. Up until now, everything she and μ's had done was in self-protection. It made her feel small and insignificant, knowing that these powerful fighters had genuine ambitions and dreams with the arrow. Honoka had not thought of a future as a Stand user- she still thought of a future as an Idol! Have I been thinking too small this entire time?
"Hold on, timeout… listen, I get you're enemies and all but… I don't think Yanigihori-sama has evil ambitions for the arrow," Miano said, hoping to break the silence that had formed. "She says… she'll make all our dreams come true with its power. All of us, even if we're not that strong, will have our dreams answered for our loyalty. She even said… that if there is a dream she cannot make possible with the arrow, she will surrender the arrow to us once she has fulfilled her own dream and become our servant!" She said, surprising everyone, including her girlfriend. "I don't know what it is, she won't tell us… but does that sound like someone evil to you!? Yanigihori has a dream she needs power to fulfill, but she's not evil or anything like that! So maybe… maybe she will listen to reason! Maybe—"
"Useless!" Eli said, pointing at her. "Like I'd trust your words, anyway? Maybe when you're tied up, I'll be more willing to believe you… I don't trust any of you delinquents. I will have my answers when Yanigihori and Suzuki are defeated, and I know I have the power to never let another innocent person die!" She yelled, choking up for a bit. "… I'm done… being a failure. Not anymore… never again!"
"Ayase, please…" Honoka said, taking a few steps forward. "You're only human… you can't carry a burden like this on your own! Please, let us help you! Let's bury the past and work together! Even if we're not friends, we should at least be friendly to eachother!"
"I told you, I'm not human, not anymore," Eli said with a hiss, her Stand forming around her. But this time, she did not form a helmet, letting them see her clearly. "This is a Stand! This is what lets me become a warrior! Become justice! I'm seizing this uncertain future with my own two hands! This city's future! Your future! My future!"
Honoka got serious.
"Then its not a future I want to be a part of!" She yelled, 「All Star」appearing next to her.
"H-Honoka! You can't be serious!" Umi exclaimed. She wanted to yell, but overexerting herself with her incomplete Stand made even that sound exhausting.
"You'd fight their battle for them?" Eli asked.
"Y-yeah! Hey, don't fight my fight!" Akeno said, taking a step forward.
"I want to stop this," Honoka said, her fists balled. "You know, this Idol thing… this is the first time I've ever thought more than one step at a time, you know? And here you and Yanigihori-san are, with all these plans… I don't really know what I want," Honoka admitted. "I'd love to just go back to singing and dancing and ignoring all of this Stand stuff and never fighting again… but that's a selfish way of looking at things, isn't it?" She asked Eli, but she did not respond. "So rather… I have a 'new plan.'"
"Do you, now?" Eli asked, skeptical.
Honoka stuck her right first forward. "The first is… I want to 'save the school,'" she said, now extending her pointer finger. "The second is; I want to 'end this conflict with the Arrow Hunters,'" she said, holding up her middle finger now. "And lastly… I want to 'become your friend!'" And with that her ring finger extended, much to everyone else's shock.
"W… what!?" Eli, Umi, and even the delinquents yelled at once.
"You seemed… hurt. I don't know what's happened, but something happened to make you like this! All cold and closing your heart like this… but I don't care what you say, you're still human! And there's a 'human' inside of your that wants to break free! And I want to be her friend! I want to be your friend! I'd like it if all of μ's were your friends, but at the least, I want to help you!" Honoka said, now smiling. "I want… more than anything in the world right now, to help you!"
"… What kind of mockery is this…?" Eli asked, now glaring. She had glared at μ's plenty of times, but in the past, she just looked annoyed. Now? She looked genuinely angry. "How dare… how dare you assume to know anything about me!? What I want, what I need is none of your concern! Who the hell are you to decide if I need friends or not!?"
But Honoka just grinned.
"Just an idiot with a Stand, clearly!" She said. "Kousaka Honoka… Age 16, second year of Otonokizaka High School, School Idol… and a Stand user that owes her life to you! After all, that guy would've killed me back then if not for you… so I wanna return the favor!"
"What a load of garbage!" Eli yelled, rushing forward and leaping into the air.
"Umi, get away! You two as well!" Honoka yelled. Akeno was ready to protest, but she knew Honoka was serious, and begrudgingly left with Miano.
"Be careful, Honoka!" Umi said, getting out of the way. The strings attached from Eli's fingers, slashing against「All Star,」guarding with its arms Honoka winced as she felt the sting on her own arms, but did push on.
"I'm not here to have a big fight with you, Ayase!" Honoka yelled. As Eli charged her Stand delivered a punch that Eli blocked with her right arm, narrowing her eyes as her Stand got stuck. "Just like with Wakaki…"
"My Stand is extremely 'sticky,'" Eli explained, taking the opportunity to slug「All Star」in the gut, earning a cough as Honoka was still immobilized. "I can choose what my Stand's surface sticks to and what it doesn't," she said as「All Star」was able to rip its fist from tis arm. "Some weak Stands just outright can't separate at all. And my strings gives me about 20 feet of attack range as well… My Stand allows me to attack up-close and personal and from a close, but comfortable distance!" Honoka gritted her teeth as she and her Stand jumped back. "I only lost against Yoshikawa because I misunderstood his ability, and Wakaki because of that weapon she had… I suppose that's another weakness. Things like his「Blue Slide Park」and Wakaki's 'Red Arrow' that affects Stands of course will affect me too… but when I know all the cards, I'm always on top!"
Honoka didn't say anything, having her Stand vibrate its fist at maximum capacity, before landing a punch. As expected, Eli blocked, but the fist didn't stick, instead almost sliding off Eli's arm. "Aha! I had a feeling!"
"Impressive," Eli complimented. "By 'vibrating' like that, your Stand's punches shake off and don't stick… Your Stand has more tricks than I thought."
"I learned how to make people queasy and sick the other day by accident," Honoka said. "This may sound really silly but… I thought it'd be a fun idea to give myself a massage with my Stand," Honoka admitted. "With its fists vibrating, but I accidentally had it vibrate myself instead. And the power of the vibrations that move on its surface… I'm still learning more and more about「All Star!」And I'm sure I haven't even learned all of my Stand's powers! I'm gonna keep experimenting with the power of 'inducing vibrations' to see just what else I'm capable of!"
"Good for you," Eli said, a string from her right index finger slashing at Honoka's Stand, who caught it. "But it doesn't matter what you do, or how hard you try… because it'll never catch up to my level! The power to transform me into justice itself to seize the future… That is the power of my Stand, 「Dancing on the Ceiling!」" She yelled, rushing forward.
"Things like that don't matter… because I don't really want to fight you! And although I'm sure we'll fight again one day, I'm sure of it… after that, we'll be friends!" She yelled, 「All Star's」right fist vibrating as it collided with Eli's. "And that's THAT!"
Eli jumped back several yards, glaring. An awkward silence filled the air, before she sighed. "Very well," she said, as her Stand dematerialized. "You win for now, Kousaka Honoka," she declared, her opponents silence. "For the time being, I'll end this fight. But I still won't stop my own endeavors… nor will I stop opposing you all as Stand users!" She said, before turning around. She reached for her bag, taking out her phone. "I'll be waiting for a taxi… you should all leave as well."
Akeno was about to shout something, but Miano stopped her. The president walked away without saying goodbyes or any other acknowledgment, but before lone Hanayo, Rin, and Aya approached; the later carrying Maki, bridal style. "I-Is she OK!?" Honoka asked, looking at her. "M-Maki!"
"The 'Pink and Black Stand' returned," Aya said. "It… pierced her with its arrow," she said, earning gasps from those around. Eli stopped walking for a moment to listen on, but soon left. "I tried to stop it, but it overwhelmed me… My Stand really isn't meant for fighting, that was just a fortunate blow I had on Wakaki. We should take her to a hospital. I think… it pierced her through her brain. We can say she hit her head against the corner in my Salon," Aya said, the other girls nodding.
"I guess… that's it for this place…" Rin said, looking around Yoshida Stadium. "This is all so crazy. I still don't know why she wanted us to come here… isn't there other places under construction in this city?" She didn't notice Aya looking down at her shoes, and clutching Maki harder.
"We still don't know who Wakaki is working for, either," Hanayo said. "Just that its not Yanigihori-san… We have more questions now than when this all started!"
"For now… let's just all rest when we can," Akeno said. "You guys go to the hospital, Miano and I will go back to our headquarters and give updates to the boss… and then let's just all go to sleep." It earned nods from the other girls, who began to make way for Aya's car. First they'd go to Cinderella Beauty Salon, and then they'd call an ambulance from there.
But Aya looked at a door as they walked out, and the symbol on it. The crest of the Yoshida Conglomerate, and the Yoshida clan who ruled it, one of the most recognizable symbols in Japan: an ouroboros, a separate forever devouring its own tail. Inside the ouroboros was the kanji "力," power, and what appeared to be six arrows piercing the serpent. As she laid Maki down in her car she took out her phone, sending out a quick text.
I'll be late to the meeting.
Even though she knew what to expect, it made her chest tighten in anxiety.
You're thankful something else has come up; regarding you as well. We'll meet in seven days. Same time.
But for the children, she put on a brave face.
The next few days moved both quickly and slowly for the girls of μ's, as Maki and Kotori recovered.
Their finals were in five days, but due to their hospitalizations, Maki's and Kotori's were initially postponed by a week. However, Kotori declined the extension. Against all odds she recovered abnormally quickly, after only one night in the hospital, much to the shock of her doctors. And the questioning by the police had little effect either.
"Witnesses claim you fell out of the sky," a policeman had asked. Kotori hated lying, but she knew she could not divulge the secrets of her Stand, even with her mother in the same room.
"I have zero reconciliation," Kotori said. "I just remember I hit my head, and then I woke up in the hospital," she repeated variations of it nearly two dozen times, before policemen finally gave up: technically speaking there was no crime to investigate, despite the odd occurance.
"Kotori…" Mrs. Minami said with a sigh, hand on her daughter's head. "I can't believe it. They said… they thought you had a fracture on your skull. How an you heal from that overnight?"
"Maybe I just got a guardian angel looking over me," Kotori said with a smile, laughing a bit. "I wanna think that…"
Mrs. Minami gave a tired sigh before kissing her daughter's forehead. "We can still delay your exam by about a week. Take a few days at home to rest, you know?" But Kotori shook her head.
"I want to take the exams with the rest of my friends. Besides, doesn't it make problems if someone were to cheat by telling me? I should take it with everyone else!"
"Considering I'm the principal I'd go with a separate example… but OK my love, if that's what you want," she said, as she and Kotori made their way to the car, ready to go home. "Kotori…"
"… Yes, Mama?"
"You did tell the police the truth, right? You don't remember this accident?"
There was a pause. "Of course, mama. Do you believe me?" Kotori lied.
"Of course, I do," Mrs. Minami lied back.
Rin sighed laying on her bed with a sigh, reviewing her books. The exams being in a few days felt so surreal. She had just been in such a major battle, and now it was back to studying. Why couldn't this whole weird adventure have happened in the summer instead? But she sighed, making sure to read on her English, even after summoning「Cat Scratch Fever」besides her. "Ya know… we're probably gonna have more hard adventures, nya, but I'm pretty happy!" She said, rubbing the robot cat behind its ears. And to top it off, she wasn't allergic to her Stand like other cats!
"I don't think I've ever felt this confident or happy," she admitted. "Not about myself, anyways! I'm so happy I met all these people and that I have you now too… so we gotta keep fighting, don't we?" Her Stand purred, as Rin gave it a kiss.
"Alongside Kayochin and everyone else… we're gonna save the school, I just know it!"
Umi sighed as she stood up in bed at four in the morning. How was she supposed to sleep after all that? Did Honoka and Hanayo have this problem? After the fights of yesterday, sleep felt like a fantasy to her now. There were fights to be had now, and now she had to participate in them. She and Rin would have to train their pain tolerance so they could properly fight alongside their friends as well. And what then? What would happen when this fight with the Arrow Hunters was over? Would they be able to finally live in peace… or would more fights follow?
She sighed, looking at her hand as she summoned the flower, but did not pull it out. It felt as naturally and easy to do as blinking now. But, her Stand was not complete, she knew. And if her Stand was not complete, she couldn't fight on the same level as others. She was a liability, and that was the last thing she refused to be.
She walked out to her window, opening it to let the night air in. "Honoka…" She said to herself, looking up at the moon above. "I don't… want to disappoint you or anyone else…"
"Master, you are perfect as you are, I am sure."
A wind that blew was especially refreshing.
The one thing that was concerning to the group, however, was that Maki was unconscious for a full day before waking up. Everyone else who had been pierced by the arrow had simply been unconscious for some moments at most, but this was unusual. Perhaps it was the result of「Hawkwind's」powers, but even after Kotori had gone home Maki was unconscious. Her father and mother had visited, her father seemingly upset she was not taken to the family hospital, but otherwise respectful.
But that was not what the hospital was concerned with. Dr. Nishikino was a highly respected feature in Tokyo's medical community and they had anticipated his arrival, but that was expected. It was Maki's third arrival of guests, after her friends and family that had truly surprised the staff.
"W-what's that woman doing here!?" One nurse whispered to another. "I-I get Dr. Nishikino, but that woman, seriously!?"
"I-I heard she knew Dr. Nishikino… maybe that's why?" Another nurse asked, as the nurses discussed the matter on their break. "But so close she'd visit a child that isn't her own when they're hospitalized?"
"I'm confused, what's going on?" A third, younger nurse asked. As they said that the woman in question had finished talking to another doctor, making her way to Maki's room. She had been there for nearly an hour, and an off-duty nurse had spread the news quickly.
"Room 402, 402, 402… ah! There you are~" The mysterious woman said, making her way to her room. At 5'7 she was a tall woman, her blond hair tied into a curly ponytail, her curly blond hair making its way to her (well endowed) chest, dressed in white woman's business suit, her tie bearing the insignia of the Yoshida clan as she smiled with her red-painted lips, making her way inside and towards the unconscious girl.
"That's not just any woman! She's the director of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare!" The first nurse informed the youngest. "The wife of the Yoshida Conglomerate CEO, Yoshida Chichibu!"
"W… why is a woman like that in our hospital!?" The young nurse asked.
"Idiot, can't you tell that's what we're trying to figure out!?" The second nurse scolded. "And more than that… can you believe she's 62!? She doesn't look a day over 45!"
Chichibu smiled as she closed the curtains behind her, making her way to the unconscious Maki. "So you're Nishikino's daughter, are you~?" Chichibu asked with a smile, setting a briefcase down. "I'm Chichibu. Nice to meet you," she said to the unconscious girl, undoing several locks on her briefcase. "Your father and I go way back… did he ever mention me?" She asked, laughing. "Goodness, I'm so sorry, I'm really just talking to myself right now!" The politician said, putting on a pair of latex gloves she kept in the suitcase. "Truth be told, I've wanted to do this for a while… you know, not many other people in this country could do this so brazenly, right?"
There was a syringe in her briefcase, which she then filled with a liquid of some kind. "Won't kill you right away… but in a day you won't be with us anymore. Tragic, isn't it? Kids like you dying so young?" She asked with a laugh, covering her mouth, taking an alcohol wipe to sterilize a vein. "Anyways, lets get this…!?" As she moved to make the injection though, something grabbed her, even pushing her back. "W-what the fuck!?" She asked out loud, before covering her mouth. She hoped no nurse or doctor would come by after the outburst- this one death she could cover up easily with her own Stand and connections, but multiple people would be a problem…
She saw a red arm seemingly extending from the unconscious girl, protecting her in her sleep. "A… A Stand…?" Chichibu asked out loud, thinking it over, before grinning.
No.
This was better. She remembered; she was one of those 'School Idols' like her daughter Hibiki.
This was much better than a simple assassination. So much better, as far as Chichibu was concerned.
"Well, you go sleep for now, I guess," she said, grinning as she loomed over her. Even now, all she could see was that bastard and that bitch in the girl's face, and for a brief moment she thought of the Nishikinos, grinning. "You would've been better off with dying in your sleep, all peacefully…" She whispered.
"It won't be for a while I think, but I'm going to make your life a living hell later. Count on it."
She walked away.
"This is falling apart. Akeno and Miano not wanting to fight means we're pretty much done…"
In the floors above Yanigihori's Booze and Food, three girls met up in Yanigihori's room. The third years; Yanigihori, Emi, and their trusted confident. "The offensive failed, Jori-chan," Emi said. "They got way too many Stand users. Forcing them into our ranks probably won't work anymore… unless we actually take out Honoka and Eli," she explained. "From the sound of it, she's willing to talk to us…"
"But not to ally, to discuss peace," Yanigihori said, pouring herself sake into a small glass, downing it. "Its not the same."
"I still think we can win," the third third year said, pouring herself some sake as well. "They're going to come for us soon… If they come straight for us, we can fight them on our own turf. That counts for something."
"We're all so violent!" Emi said with a laugh, instead taking a sip from an orange juice box. "Ah, but that's the only way we've ever known how to do things, huh? We've never been the kind to politely ask… right?"
"We don't make friends. We make allies, faithful companions… or we crush them. I made the call to crush μ's. It doesn't matter if we had talked… we never would have seen eye-to-eye," Yanigihori said, but there was a twinge of regret in her voice she usually did not have. "For now, though, we have one last assault we can carry out. Takamaki…"
The girl adjusted her glasses. She was a tall girl, muscular much like her boss as well. Her hair was long and straight with a single white dyed streak to identify her, the bangs cut clean over her head.
"I'm stronger than the rest… I think as long as I get the attack in… I should have at least a 78.45% chance of victory," Takamaki reassured. "For each additional combatant though, I think those odds will decrease by at least 12.35% I feel confident, though," she said, reaching into a backpack and taking out a single matryoshka doll, nodding. "When have I ever let you down? I think the mistake was sending these rookies out first. It should've been me from the beginning."
"Even so, hold off, don't attack right away," Yanigihori said, standing up as Takamaki narrowed her eyes.
"Boss…?"
"I will make contact with Kousaka Honoka first," she said, much to Emi's and Takamaki's surprise. "I will then tell you to attack or not."
"… Well, I'm feeling like a third wheel now," Emi said, standing up. A small aura of power surged around her as something materialized in her hand. A knife that would be recognized in a few years as a 'zombie knife,' a knife with a massive length of two feet, a thick blade as well that was curved at the end and serrated near the bottom. The handle was wrapped in a green cloth, and green hearts were painted on the blade. "This attack doesn't involve me… oi, I'm getting antsy too, just sitting around like this… so remember; I want some action too soon, alright?"
"Noted, Suzuki."
"Jees… its just Hiijiri-chan here with us, Jori! You can at least lighten up around me!" That just earned her two glares, as she sighed. "Man, I can't ever win…" she said, before 'cutting' the air in front of her, hitting nothing. But a white glow, a white 'cut' remained in the air, one that she widened with her own hands and climbed inside… and then vanished.
"Yanigihori-sama… what good can come from this? Meeting with our enemies?" Takamaki asked, curious.
"I don't know," Yanigihori said, looking out a window. "But for some weird reason, something about that girl really makes me want to try…"
"Elichi, you really should take up their offer to become allies."
"Why aren't you taking my side on this, Nozomi!?"
It was unusually tense in Nozomi's apartment, empty as always, with the exception of the two third years inside. "Because this is irrational… now, the only enemies left are the core three of the Arrow Hunters. The strongest! You might have beaten them before, but like you, they've all likely gotten much stronger… And you know I'll stand besides you. Nine of us versus three of them… Even if they were strangers, it'd make sense!"
"I will grasp the future with my own two hands," Eli said. "They're all amateurs… Not just as Stand users, but as dancers as well!" She slipped out, glaring at Nozomi at noticing her smirk. "S-Stop looking at me like that!"
"You're more childish than you think, Elichi," Nozomi teased, before sighing. "But… at this point, you need to understand. You're not acting on logic anymore. A temporary alliance doesn't even need to be permanent. Now, you're acting purely on your own selfish emotions," Nozomi scolded, now glaring. "We need them, no matter how much you deny it."
"I don't need anybody," Eli spat, glaring over at Nozomi who remained quiet.
"Not even me, Elichi?"
Eli was quiet, but Nozomi smiled. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ask a question I know the answer to… of course you need me, and you need them," she said, laying out her cards on the table, moving them without touching them. "I read it in the cards… you will embrace your humanity once more, Eli, I'm sure of it."
Eli got her bags and left, not even bothering to say goodbye to her only friend. "Because, they'll help save you, because I can't do it alone," Nozomi said herself, looking at her phone. On her phone she readied an email, sending it out to a Ms. Sonoda Umi.
And Eli stormed off, left to stew in her own thoughts. I don't need them I don't need them I don't need them! A bunch of amateurs in Stands and dancing! They make me ashamed to have been a dancer! All these Idols, even A-RISE! Compared to my opponents, they were nothing! She bitterly thought, stopping to punch a wall, ignoring the looks around her as she walked on. And these people eating up this bullshit on a silver plate, these Idols. What a joke! What an absolute joke!
She paused as she passed by a convenience store, now open for business once more, remembering what had occurred in it four months ago.
After she had been pierced.
She had barely been a Stand user for two weeks, just like Nozomi, who had been pierced with her.
She didn't give much thought to her powers. She wasn't concerned with a violent lifestyle, after all. At most, she could make strings come out of her fingers to reach for things for away. Her 'reality' was in front of her- she would go to a good college, get her degree, work the 9 to 5 in a respectable job… 'reality' was dull, but it was worth following, unlike 'fantasy.'
What had drawn Eli to the convenience store when she had heard a crash, and a scream? She knew she should have just run away and call the police… but something was calling in her. To fight.
She ran inside, seeing a girl slightly younger than her with a helpless clerk. His legs were broken and he was sobbing, but what drew her attention was the golden figure standing in front of the other girl.
"Hey… didn't you hear me?" The girl asked with a grin. "I told you. I was told today, not only do customers 'get everything for free,' but also 'they get all the money in the cash register.' Did I stutter? Or are you calling my friends liars?"
"M-My legs… oh God, my legs! P-please! Take whatever you want! Please please please, just don't hurt me more, please!"
"Oh…? I'm sorry, I haven't cleaned out my ears lately. I guess you're not complying…"
"L-leave him alone!"
Eli didn't know what possessed her to shout, but she did, her Stand forming on her body, invisible to the scared man but making the girl grin.
"Oh my… another Stand user?" The girl asked, dropping the other man. "What's the chances of me bumping into one like this? What's the name of yours? Mine's「Thunder Road!」"
"J… Just leave him alone! I'm… I'm really tough like this!" Eli said, watching the man attempt to crawl away.
"Oh… you wanna protect this guy? You sure you don't wanna rob the store with me?" The girl asked. "Seriously, I'll share… I don't even need any money, I'm rich. I'm just kinda bored and killing time."
"Y-you'll do something like this for fun!?"
"Why not… you got a Stand, too! It grants you incredible power, think of everything you can do! Things you can do that none of these worthless pissants come! Come on, let's be buddies instead, alright?"
But Eli began to charge, and the other girl sighed. "Oh man, what a waste…"
Eli was so strong she sure she could win, but a few minutes later, she found herself beaten and gasping for air on the ground. "J… just let that man go…"
"Oh, even like that, you want to protect him?" The girl asked, smiling as she walked over to the man, who screamed as he tried crawling with his broken legs.
"Save me! Please! Anybody, oh God, save me! PLEASE, SOMEBODY SAVE ME!"
"St… stop!" Eli tried to summon her Stand again, but couldn't. "Just… don't!"
But all she could do was watch in horror as her opponent's Stand stomped on the man's neck, with enough force to decapitate it. "I'm gonna do us a favor and go destroy all the cameras and records now… You should just go now, alright?" She asked. "I'm sure we'll meet again though… remember the name Wakaki, don't sweat it out!"
Eli began to realize something. These Stands were true power, and so was the arrow that had granted it to her, Nozomi, and she could only assume Wakaki.
That power couldn't belong in the hands of those who would give someone as wicked as this girl a Stand.
The 'reality' in front of her shifted into something else.
And with it, the 'destiny' she was determined to seize.
But as the days went on, things once again returned to a parody of normalcy. And with it, so came the exams, as well.
"How'd it go?"
Not even ten feet into the Idol Study room, and Honoka was immediately attacked by Umi! And sure enough, all eyes were on her as well! "You should have received all your results by now…" Everyone except Maki, who was staying at home for a few dates and had accepted the extension on her exams was present.
"Oh… yeah…" Honoka said, gulping.
"I'm safe, nya!" Rin said with a laugh. "I got afraid I wouldn't be able to focus in-class with all this Stand stuff, but I did even better than I thought!"
"You didn't screw us over, did you!?" Nico demanded, hands on the table, 「Circus」behind her.
"If you messed this up, I'll spin you into next week!"「Circus」threatened.
"I didn't… I didn't do as well as I'd hoped… but look, everyone!" Honoka's grin returned as she held up her exam: a 53% "It may not be a great grade, but I'm still good!" And with that the grins formed all around the classroom, followed by a cheer as Honoka practically jumped out of the room. "No more hard studying! We had to study our butts off and almost died, but we passed our exam! Now lets go practice!"
"L-Love Live…. We really have a chance at participating in Love Live!" It was so surreal to Hanayo she didn't know exactly how to react.
"We only have permission to apply, we still need to rank into the top 20 to compete," Umi said with a smile. "But if nothing else… the most major hurdle is out of the way, I think," she said, thinking about the email that was sent to her. Why did Tojo-senpai send that to me, anyways?
Honoka jumped in the hallways, humming to herself as she made her way to the office of Kotori's mother to share the good news, knocking loudly… and surprised at the lack of response. "Hmmm?" She got a little naughty, opening the door slightly without permission.
"You can't do this! Explain this to me!" All the girls could hear Eli's yelling, and couldn't help but peer inside.
"I'm sorry, but its already been decided," Mrs. Minami said, her expression calm as she looked at the distraught third year. "Starting next year, it is safe to assume Otonokizaka High School will no longer be accepting students, and will be closed."
Honoka gasped. What!?
But as the girls converged outside the Director's office, Aya Tsuji waited outside a man's office. She knew she had no choice but to come to this meeting. Strictly speaking, Cinderella Beauty Salon was no longer her privately owned business. It was owned by these people, and she was obligated to answer their summons.
It didn't make her feel any more at ease when a woman opened the door for her. "The executive director will speak with you now."
Aya remained calmed and collected as she headed inside, not even taking a seat as she approached her desk. "My apologies for not being able to make it last week. Something came up… as I'm sure you're aware of."
"Considering the circumstances, I wouldn't be so rude if I was you. This is a severe incident… thankfully though, that's not what I wanted to meet with you about."
Aya's balls flattened into fists. But she still kept a defiant edge around her. "What do you want, Kira… sama?"
Only then did Yoshikage Kira look up from his laptop, looking away from the School Idol Festival website to look at Aya, before turning his laptop to face Aya; surprising her to see it was pulled up to one group's profile.
"You're going to tell me everything you know about the School Idols representing Otonokizaka High School. The Idol Study Club, μ's," he said, not showing a reaction to her shocked reaction. Of all the things to be called in for!
"And yes, Tsuji, especially their Stands. You're going to tell me everything you know about them."
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 17: To Omine (Part 1)
Stand profile: Eli Ayase
Stand name: Dancing on the Ceiling
Namesake: Lionel Richie song of the same name
Type: Wearable Stand
Stand cry: "Khoroshooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" as shouted by Eli.
Appearance/Personality: Dancing on the Ceiling materializes as a cyan outfit that materializes over Eli once summoned. This armor appears with yellow streaks on it, notable on its fingers that are completely yellow. While this body completely covers Eli from the mouth down, she can choose if it will cover her entire head: if so, a motorcycle-like helmet will materialize.
Dancing on the Ceiling has no will of its own, or personality.
Abilities:
• Stickiness and strings: Dancing on the Ceiling's powers manifests itself in two ways: by creating wire-like strings under her fingernails (that are allowed to manifest under hole in the fingers of the costume to be released), as well as the power to induce "stickiness" in that the Stand and its strings touches, as well as the armor.
• Stickiness: The armor itself, from the outside, is incredibly sticky. This allows Eli to easily scale buildings and climb walls, able to walk on them with next to no issue using only her feet: although using her fingers will also help with balance. This also makes the Stand, and by extension Eli, rather difficult to attack as well. Often, punches and kicks from Stands will result in the Stand becoming stuck to Eli: making it very hard to pull away to be able to attack again, while Eli keeps the opponent in her attacking range. However, this falls short against ranged attacks, and sufficiently powerful Stands can rip their body away from the armor: although Stand rushes are still incredibly difficult to perform as a result. Eli can choose what sticks to her and what does not: while by default everything sticks to Eli's armor, she can choose for the adhesive covering Dancing on the Ceiling to not affect somebody or something at all.
• Strings: On the offensive front, under each of her ten fingers, there exists a small hole from which (at a maximum) ten-foot-long strings that are completely prehensile and controlled by Eli's command. These can be used like whips: despite their small size they appear to be razor sharp and can easily slash through stones with clean cut. It also appears that Eli can control their sharpness, as she has been seen using it to pick up things and living creatures without harm. These are not actually implanted into objects, and rather sticks to them, as if they were being held down by tape. Clever Stand users noticing these can use this to their advantage to simply tear them down.
As Eli is extremely secretive about her Stand, nobody, not even her must trusted friend Nozomi appears to be aware of the full extent of what Eli is capable of with her Strings.
Stats:
• Destructive Power: A
• Speed: A
• Range: E
• Precision: B
• Durability: C
• Development Potential: D
Stand profile: Honoka Kousaka (Updated)
Stand name: All Star
Namesakes: Smash Mouth song of the same name (primary musical inspiration), The Star tarot, the video games JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle and Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS
Type: Close-range Stand
Stand cry: "Faitofaitofaitofaitofaito… faito dayo!"
Appearance/Personality: All Star appears as a orange, feminine humanoid figure, standing at approximately 5'7. Upon most joints of its body are black five-pointed Stars. There are stars located on the Stand's stomach, back, shoulder blades, kneecaps, back of each hand, palms, top of each foot, and on the bottom of each foot. Likewise, instead of normal eyes, there are just large pupils in the form of stars. The Stand does not appear to wear clothing, although it has Barbie-like anatomy. It has orange hair similar to that of its user, without a ribbon.
All Star has no sense of personality or sentient will, only expressing itself when shouting its Stand cry.
Abilities:
• Vibration: All Star's ultimate, defining ability is the power to induce vibration. By filling molecules and atoms with Stand energy -or itself-, All Star causes that which it touches (All Star must be touching it). While the full scope of this ability has yet to be discovered by its user, it has already been shown to demonstrate power offensive and defensive ability, vibrating itself with such intensity to the point another Stand could not grab it, as well as vibrating its arm to the point that simply keeping its hand pressed on another object is the equivalent of assaulting its target with a jackhammer. However, the Stand does not appear to be able to be able to use this power when attacking, and must wait until the end of a kick or punch to use its power.
Furthermore, All Star can induce vibrations in what it touches, by vibrating the atoms in a certain way. While the full scope of this power is so far unknown, Honoka can cause an object to go flying, or shake atoms with such intensity the object disintegrates.
• Sickness induction: By shaking an enemy by vibrating their body, Honoka can induce a state of sickness in her enemies. Akin to being a roller coaster, by shaking her enemies a state that isn't as destructive as causing them to disintegrate, Honoka can temporarily disorient her enemy to hopefully catch them off-guard for a few moments. Futhermore, this ability can be used on enemy Stands as well, ideally by holding onto them: but this leaves All Star wide open for a counter attack.
• Traveling vibration: The vibrations that All Star travels can travel on surfaces. By pressing her hand on the floor, All Star can cause the vibration to travel across that floor to reach a greater distance. While it can't then travel onto a living organism, this means that All Star can essentially destroy walls, ceilings, and floors from a distance as long as its hand is pressed against the ground.
Stats:
• Destructive Power: A
• Speed: A
• Range: D
• Precision: B
• Durability: B
• Development Potential: A
I'm on a roll~! This isn't as long as many other chapters... I had an idea of the topic of this, the 'aftermath' of the battle with Wakaki being split into two chapters; Elichika and Red Sunset, but I decided to simply combine them into one. This was always planned to be one of the shorter chapters, meant to show everyone's reactions to the end of such an extreme battle.
But, here we are! The time has come to soon approach the endgame of this conflict: with no more lackeys or lesser-ranking members to send after them, the three founders of the Arrow Hunters, Yanigihori and her old allies are ready to start taking the field! Are you excited? I hope you are!
May every road take us to a memory of Great Days!