Honoka's Bizarre Adventure: μ's Is Unbreakable
Chapter 22: Yanigihori's Last Stand -Tenacity- (Part 3)
Previously on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Tojo Nozomi here to report~ Things are looking more and more glum for the Arrow Hunters… severely outnumbered and besieged on all sides, after a tenacious battle Shizuki Emi had fallen; and Nico and Maki seem to be gaining an upper hand against the enemies! It would appear fate has favored the girls of μ's… but, Yanigihori herself has finally revealed herself… Can Yanigihori-san's presence alone really be enough to overcome the odds for her allies?
Yanigihori knew that her ambitions were burning up before her eyes.
In the 'battle of ideology' between the Arrow Hunters and μ's, μ's was coming out on top. Once, Yanigihori scarcely would have believed it… how? How could a group of School Idols who had never fought a fight a single day of their lives possibly defeat her and her allies? With the exception of Kobayashi (and perhaps Wakaki, her past still shrouded in mystery) her entire group had consisted of delinquents who were well used to fighting. It seemed inconceivable…
But after speaking with the Honoka girl one-on-one, she began to understand. Stands were a kind of fighting spirit, after all… and despite coming from humble middle-class origins, without having experienced extreme hardships in her life, against all odds Kousaka Honoka held what Yanigihori could only call a 'burning will' that burned bright than any other she had met, with the exception of herself.
Kousaka Honoka, if Stands did not exist and I had met you or listened to your music, what would have happened?
But such thoughts were what-ifs and maybes; Yanigihori had no desires to dwell on such things when there was a war to be run.
Despite it all, Yanighori was happy that her Arrow Hunters had encountered such powerful enemies. She relished and lived for the fight, for feeling her fists collide into another's face and to feel the same. But she was so strong, it had been years since another could satisfy her in a battle…
"Y-Yanigihori-sama! We have a problem!" A voice erupted from her own walkie talkie. She opened her eyes, having been lying on the roof of the complex to stare into the clouds with binoculars.
"What is it, Kobayashi?"
"Suzuki and Takamaki aren't doing well!" Kobayashi's panicked voice erupted. "E-e-even with support from「Worker Bees」the girls from μ's are winning! W-well, against Suzuki anyways!"
"What about Takamaki…?"
"She's still fighting and I'm still trying to give support! She's fighting the third year Yazawa Nico and first year Nishikino Maki! Second year Nikaido Fumiko was part of the battle but she's out of commission for now!"
"And how is it looking…?"
"N-not good! We need you here! W-w-we can't win without you here!" Yanigihori stood up at the panic in her voice, with a sigh as she looked down.
"It's a shame none of you are outside. It's a really lovely day, you know?"
"Y-Yanigihori?"
"In the event we fail, my promise still stands to you all. Your dream is an insectarium the likes of which is grander the world has ever seen? I will become your servant to make your dreams a reality. For the time being, try your best to continue giving support… as I said before, I am still proud of you."
"Thank you… I, er… Ah!?"
"Kobayashi…?"
"Suzuki-san!? Oh no… T-Takamaki! Takamaki, can you hear me!? We got trouble on Suzuki's end… e-eh!? W-wait, hold on! What the fuck are you doing here!? H-hey! Stay away—"
She listened on, eventually hearing Miano and Akeno's declaration of betrayal. "Ah… I came out here to watch for the new arrivals, didn't I? Sorry, Kobayashi… I'll make it up to you as your servant."
Well, there's no need for it to come to that just yet. Takamaki, wait for me. I'm on my way.
Meanwhile, Maki and Nico were still locked in battle against a physically vastly superior enemy.
"「Fur Elise!」Ride of the Valkyries, piano version!" Maki commanded her Stand, who promptly slammed her hand into the ground, playing her music and beginning the illusion of her choice.
"Damn you, Nishikino…" Takamaki growled, as her vision was consumed by dozens of Makis and Nicos glaring up at her, making it hard to tell which one was the real deal.
"That's no fair- you got like, one of the best Stands! I'm a third year! I deserve something that cool! I wanna make magic illusions!" Nico complained, losing focus on the more pressing matter for a moment.
"I can hear everything you say, dammit!"
"Glass Marble Storm!"
The bickering was quickly ended as both Stands quickly defended their uses, forming crossguards with their arms to absorb the barrage. 「Fur Elise」of course took it without a complaint, but「Circus」was a different story. "You owe me for this, do you hear me!? You're fortunate that I,「Circus,」am such a generous and amazing Stand that I'll shield your body like this!"
"Oh please! You're just saying that 'cuz if I die, so do you, I bet!" Nico retorted.
"Will you two please shut up and focus on the situation in front of us!?" Maki snapped, both her senior and her Stand falling quiet. "We need to get her down from there! While she's 'above us…' from that angle all of her attacks are way too hard to dodge! Not to mention she hits like a truck!"
"She's injured from your fight with her… if we can just come up with a 'clever strategy' we can win!" Nico replied. "Enough time has passed for Center of the Ring to recharge! But it works against you too… It makes it hard to coordinate! Both of our powers are great when we fight alone…"
"… But Takamaki's Stand in sheer overwhelming strength! Our Stands aren't like this, or Honoka's! They're not meant to just overwhelm with strength… we need to be 'crafty with our Stands' in order to win!" Maki declared. "Nico-senpai… You have to be the one to decide the attack. Center of the Ring is critical to this, right? And I'll be disabled during it too…"
"… I think I have an idea…" Nico replied. "But it's something I haven't tested yet… I think it should work, but I'm not completely sure! 「Circus,」remember that hypothetical we were talking about? With your power to attract and repel on larger targets?"
"Eh!? You really want to try that!? Listen, I'm just saying, as your Stand, I think it's a crappy idea!"
"Yeah well, I don't have any other suggestions! Do you!?" Nico demanded, and her Stand fell silent. "Maki… Listen to me. I need you to take back that old illusion! I need you to do something… make it pitch black for us! For all of us! When I tell you too, create an illusion that'll completely blind Takamaki!"
"Huh!? That's going to affect you too, you know! Do you have earplugs or something!?"
"No… Listen, I have an idea, a gambit! If it works, 'we will probably win!' And if it doesn't… 'we will probably lose!' But like… do you have any ideas yourself!?" Nico asked.
"No, just… listen, like, scale of 1-10. What do you think the odds of this working is!?"
"Maybe… a two or a three? Maybe a four if I'm really lucky," she said, giving a stupid grin. "But hey! That's better than I thought my chances of passing that exam was, and we still made it!" Maki made a mental note to talk to her about that later.
"When I withdraw the illusion, she'll see as clear as day… give me the signal, alright!?"
"Alright! This is it… let's do this!"
"Glass Arrow Barrage!" Takamaki yelled, sending out her attack once more.
"We won't fall… we're Idols, after all! How can we lose when we still have audiences to entertain!?" Nico yelled, heading out. "「Circus!」We're putting the plan in action!"
"You couldn't wait until she was done attacking!?" 「Circus」demanded, nonetheless appearing in front of her and using her prehensile whip to try to block as much of the attack as possible, wincing as some of the glass still cut her; as did Nico.
"I-Idiot!" Maki yelled, heading out as well, her Stand trying to guard from the attack, but Maki still felt pain reflected on her.
"I've had ENOUGH of you goddamn School Idols!"
"And we've had enough of you goddamn Arrow Hunters, but we're still dealing with it!" Nico yelled. "If you didn't want to deal with us, you should've stayed out of our way, or not fight the most stubborn girls who ever lived! Idols never give up, no matter what happens!" As she advanced closer Takamaki's attack ended, needing a moment to get ready to attack once more, and Nico saw her chance. "「Circus!」"
"On it!" 「Circus」yelled, picking her up.
"What the fuck…?" Takamaki asked, holding her throbbing head. It's fine… as long as I stay up here with the high ground, I'll win! No matter what—"
"Alright, Maki! Now's the time! Listen to me… When I call off my special attack, disable the song!" Maki's eyes widened as she nodded, having an idea of what might happen, before having her Stand begin its next illusion.
"Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor, 「Fur Elise!」" Maki yelled, the old illusion disappearing as「Fur Elise」punched the ground, a new melody playing; one completely blinding the other Stand users. Nico-senpai… you know what you're doing, right!?
"Heh… so that's your plan? Well, it won't work! Even if I can't see you, 「Castle of Glass'」attacks are more than capable of hitting around an environment! I can—"
"Center of the Ring!"
Before she could attack, Nico unleashed her most powerful attack, and for a few seconds Takamaki felt compelled to look to the side, despite being blinded by darkness. "What—"
"Repel!"
Takamaki had no way off knowing how Nico planned to attack. Indeed, the group had very little intel on「Circus」other than it was the oddest among all the Stands of μ's it was the most unusual Stand, capable of operating independently from its user. To Takamaki it seemed useless; a Stand was a reflection of oneself, what did it say if one's own Stand did not heed her own orders? She had to admit the power of the prehensile whip was interesting, but thought little else of it.
Or rather she did not until she felt something slam into her: the tiny third year flew through the air as she was propelled by her own Stand's power. And with herself drawn to a target she could not see so was「Castle of Glass,」her Stand's automated defense was unable to protect her. "What the fuck!?" She screamed, trying to shove her off, but still unable to concentrate.
"That's five seconds!"
"MAKI!"
Maki disabled her Stand, seeing Nico now on the same level, the same floor as Takamaki! The still stunned girl could do little to react as「Circus」appeared once more, punch her hard across the face… as Maki then pushed her off the railing, following after her.
Her plan actually worked! Maki thought in amazement… before realizing they were falling.
"「Circus!」"
"「Castle of Glass!」"
The two Stands followed their users: 「Castle of Glass」was naturally drawn and pulled with its user, unable to maintain a distance away from its user, while「Circus」chosed to materialize, catching the two third years as they would have hit the ground.
And, of course, making sure to immediately punch Takamaki before she used the power to Repel to send her flying into a wall, an already hard-hitting impact made unbearable from all of Takamaki's recent injuries.
"N… no way…"
"Nico, I think that worked!"
"Goooooooooooooo Yazawa-senpai!" Fumiko cheered, limping back into the battlefield. "Did you really beat her!?"
"I think so… I mean, she'd be stupid to keep trying to fight," Maki said, twirling a finger in her red hair. Once again, had such a physically overwhelming enemy fallen before µ's craftiness?
"Ugh… G-goddammit… s-something's broken…" Takamaki groaned, forcing herself up. "Definitely a broken rib at least…"
"… Nico…" Maki looked around. The Stand that was「Worker Bees」were still present, but were no longer actively trying to antagonize the girl. "I think… did something happen to the girl that controls them?"
"Suzuki-san!? Oh no… T-Takamaki! Takamaki, can you hear me!? We got trouble on Suzuki's end and… e-eh!? What the fuck are you doing here!? H-hey! Stay away—" they could hear blasting from her walkie-talkie. The Otonokizaka students stayed quiet a bit longer, hearing Akeno and Miano's declaration to fight alongside µ's.
"Traitors…" Takamaki groaned. "Everyone… is a traitor or useless…"
"It is natural; you are useless people, afterwords."
The Otonokizaka students looked behind and saw their student council president approach them. "A-Ayase-senpai!" Fumiko replied, eyes widening as she stepped backwards.
"It's over, Takamaki. Yanigihori is going to fall. You've all lost," Eli declared, arms crossed. "Thank you all for pacifying her. I'm sorry for the delay."
"It took long enough!" Nico snapped. "Do you know how much more annoying this has been with three less fighters than we thought!?"
"I can imagine," if nothing else, Eli certainly did not seem to care. Nico balled a fist, but Maki put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. This isn't worth it, the message conveyed, and Nico grit her teeth as she could not help but agree.
"She's still… unharmed, and at her strongest… Yanigihori-sama will never fall, never," Takamaki declared. "Unbreakable… invincible…"
"… You're really that devoted to her?" Fumiko asked, frowning. "I want… I wish I could understand you…" She admitted. "I really wanted to be friends; you know. I really did."
"…" Takamaki looked to the ground at her side, embarrassed, or perhaps ashamed. "I can't… let her down…" She forced herself up, her Stand facing them once more.
"Y-you're kidding! You can't still be able to fight!" Nico exclaimed, the girls taking fighting stances once more: and「Dancing on the Ceiling」materialized around Eli's body. "Glass… Arrow…!"
But she could only send a few strands of broken glass at her enemies, all easily deflected by Eli's strings, who then rushed over to give one last punch to the injured girl's head.
Yanigihori… please, forgive me… your dream, our dream, its…
And she slumped forward, unconscious, her Stand once again reverting to a mere matryoshka doll, signifying the end of her threat; at least temporarily.
"So… what now?" Nico asked. "We should meet up with everyone else, right?"
Eli nodded. "Yeah. If we can all fight her at once, we can definitely beat Yanigihori," Eli said, taking the unconscious girls' hands into her own.
"What are you doing?" Maki asked.
"I was hoping to keep this to myself a bit longer, but consider it a way of making sure that she behaves," Eli said, touching one of Takamaki's palms with her right index finger, one of her razor wires forming, before connecting it to her other hand. "My Stand is 'sticky…' In addition to using them like how you've seen, I can stick them to things like trap wire," she explained, connecting it to the other palm. And then, they were seemingly pulled together, Takamaki's hands fusing at the palms with no kind of stich mark or anything; as if they had always been together.
"Whoah!" Fumiko exclaimed. "That's… kinda gross, but also kinda cool!"
"It will disappear if I go a certain distance from her or vice versa, or if I call it off," Eli said. "And now I'm down to nine strings instead of ten… I think that will be enough, and if not, I can recall it," she explained. "For now, we should meet up with all the others and bring her with us—"
But Eli was cut off by something destroying a portion of the ceiling, a familiar figure dropping down.
"But what if I don't want you to leave? Maybe I want you to stay here, for a bit…" With the exception of Eli, the other students' eyes widened in horror.
"Yanigihori!" Fumiko yelled, 「Single Ladies」immediately coming to her side. "She came right towards us!?"
"T-this is bad!" Maki yelled, jumping backwords, 「Circus」summoning itself and readying its whip as Nico tried to put on a brave face.
"I suppose that makes it easier…" was Eli's reaction, nonetheless taking a step backwards. "Yanigihori Jori…"
"… My dreams and ambitions have been laid before me, but they're moving so far away, I can't catch up to them anymore…" Yanigihori mused, facing down her fellow Otonokizaka students. "In such a short time span, it's like every dream I had has crumbled away… but I don't feel sad, for some reason… is it because I finally have such worthy opponents at long last?"
"We're not your damn therapists! How would we know something like that!?" Nico yelled. "We want Koizumi back! You're the ones that started this fight with us then kidnapped our friend, you don't get to whine about things not going your way!"
And she chuckled. "Yes, that's quite true," she acknowledged. "Don't misunderstand this as me whining or something like that… it's just something I can't help but think about, you know? Sorry to think out loud like that, though…" Yanigihori said, before grinning. "I still don't want you to leave just yet, though… Come-on. Let's have a little fun, alright?" Yanigihori asked, her Stand aura materializing behind her.
"I-Its… that thing looks tough!" Maki exclaimed, seeing that thing that looked like a sukeban Stand materializing behind her, waving her flag.
"It is a reflection of myself, so it should be," Yanigihori said. "My ambition is to 'create a new Japan' with 'the power of the Arrow…' even with my dream slipping away, I will never despair or cower!" She said, taking a step forward. "Even if its hopeless, I will advance! We, the new generation, don't need 'today' when we live in the sins of yesterday… So, I'll cast off my crutch that kills the pain and face the future head-on, so the world can see my「Red Flag」waving, knowing nothing will never be the same!"
Eli was the first to attack, sprinting forward at full speed. This isn't how this was supposed to go… but we have a numerical advantage right now! She thought to herself. If I go all-out, maybe I can knock her out quickly! She leapt into the air, extending her wires towards her in an attempt to grab her; only for「Red Flag」to block with its flagpole, her wires wrapping around the Stand's weapon. From the air she tried to pull「Red Flag」away from its user, but much to her shock she failed to make the Stand move an inch; rather, Yanigihori used her Stand to use its flagpole to pull her towards her, having no choice but to disengage her strings. Its stronger than before!
"You're not the only one that's improved, Ayase," Yanigihori said with a chuckle, her Stand waving its flagpole.
Its larger than most Stands! Maki observed; its physical mass and muscles were particularly impressive, and it stood taller than even the massive Yanigihori already did. Dammit, dammit! Not knowing what else to do she slammed her Stand's fist into the ground, creating a new illusion; recreating the strategy from before several illusory fires broke out from under Yanigihori's location… who did not react. "I-Is it not working!?"
"… It feels like real fires, burning, and its so hot…" Yanigihori observed, looking down and feeling the imaginary heat practically scorching her face. "But it's just an illusion… just my nervous system playing tricks with my head! I can see how others would be turned away…"
But all Yanighori did was jump back a bit. "If its just illusions, all I need to do is fight through the pain. Even if it feels like I'm being burned to cinders, as long as I'm not, why would I panic or despair?
Maki gulped. Her Stand was unsuited for direct combat, of course; but even the might Takamaki had now fallen twice before「Fur Elise」in combination with the might of other Stands around her… but she shook her head; she had three other Stand users with her! She'd give all her support! In this case… it's best if the three of us are support for Ayase! Maki thought. 「Circus」could maybe do a little direct fighting, but she felt that was definitely the best course.
"「Circus…」what do you think we should do?" Nico asked her Stand, not letting her guard down…
"Obviously the best idea is to run off… but we'd never hear the end of it! The super wimpy Idol and her super wimpy Stand will become a laughing stock… We can't let that happen!" 「Circus」yelled out. "Nico! Give me the knives!"
"Roger that!" Nico said, reaching into her backpack and handing over some of the throwing knives to her Stand.
"Ready, aim…!" 「Circus」said quietly, before heaving three throwing knives Repel, flying towards Yanigihori, still focused on Eli. While one missed, two more found themselves lodged into Yanigihori's arm, much to Nico's and「Circus'」satisfaction.
Alright! I was the first one to get a hit on Yanigiohiri, awesome! I bet that injury will slow her down a bit! Nico said with a grin. Come on Ayase, go get her while she's focused on the pain!
Eli hated to admit that was actually a good hit, but it was. She sprinted towards her, hoping that actual real pain and injuries would be enough to dissuade her enough to get in a good blow. And sure enough, Yanigihori clutched at her arm, watching blood trickle down her uniform, and Eli saw her chance.
"… Psyche."
Once she got close enough and was attempting to punch her, 「Red Flag」caught Eli's punch, much to the girls' horror. Even with「Dancing on the Ceiling」not sticky she could not get free once her punch was caught by Yanigihori, and she screamed as she felt「Red Flag」slam down on her arm with its other elbow, still holding its flagpole.
"AYASE!" Fumiko wished she could run but could not fight through pain like the girls of µ's had learned to do, but she nonetheless wished to help. "「SINGLE LADIES!」" She yelled, her small Stand Colony heading outwards Yanigihori.
"Oh, the ones that increase and decrease weight?" Yanigihori asked, allowing the small Stand to grab her shoulders. Rather than attempt to swat them away she reached for the two throwing knives embedded in her and tossed them to the ground without a flinch; even licking a little blood off her fingers. "So, this is the 'weight decreasing power,'" Yanigihori observed as she was lifted off the ground. "And now… are you going to try to increase my weight so as to make the impact worse, will you not?"
"Ugh…!" Fighting Takamaki was scary to Fumiko; both times had left her terrified. But this was something else… was she scared by the delinquent boss? Absolutely. But there was something else; she was unsettling. Her entire demeanor in battle was different than the hot-blooded Takamaki Hiijiri, this felt cold and calculated. Like every move was meticulously planned… There wasn't any anger in it, only calculations! Sure enough Fumiko attempted to increase her body's weight so as to make the impact worse, but「Red Flag」easily caught her, even if the catch was rough.
"It's a good trick against people with Stands like Takamaki's, her Stand lacks arms, and landing on glass wouldn't be fun… that hurt a bit, but no pain no gain," Yanigihori said. "It is a very useful Stand though, one that will probably find you more use away from the battlefield… Then again, Nishikino's Stand over there you could say the same for, but it was essential in prevailing over Takamaki," she said, bringing a hand to her chin. "I don't want to insult you or anything… I was incorrect. Any Stand can be useful on and away from the battlefield, if anything yours has a decent amount of versatility… If I was weaker, even if caught, that impact could have hurt me. Thank you for demonstrating it to me, Nikaido-san. I appreciate it," she said.
What's wrong with her!? Fuhai thought. Who gets like this while fighting!?
"Yazawa Nico…「Circus」is an odd Stand but as long as you two can agree to a Stand, your potential is also high… that 'Center of the Ring' and the power to attract and repel is something that can catch even veterans, like I assume Takamaki was, off-guard."
"D-Don't kiss up to us to try to get out of this! 「Circus!」" Nico yelled, and「Circus」now pulled he knives back to itself, ready to attack once more.
"It's just interesting to me… the different ways people can fight using Stands, the way Stands can be used… isn't it all fascinating stuff? You can be honest… we're all warriors now! There's no need to hide feelings from one-another when we're like this! Our fists and Stands speak louder than words and never lie; so why should we lie using our words!? Come on, come on! I want to see your 'fighting spirit' speak to me! I want to know who all of you really are!"
「Circus」sent the throwing knives flying once more, but even at their maximum velocity they were deflected by「Red Flag,」using its flagpole to deflect them. Oh, come on! Why does it have to be fast too!?
"But I suppose it's only fair… I fight seriously too," she said, walking towards the direction of the other three. Eli sprinted back to their side, wishing to support them.
"Ayase! Do you have a plan of some kind!?" Maki asked. "How do we take her down!?"
"Attack from all angles!" Eli instructed. "Divide her attention so at least one of us can get hits in!"
"Man, this is really not our style… but I guess we gotta do this, 「Circus!」"
"You better not call me useless again! Even the enemy acknowledged I'm pretty cool!"
"Duly noted!"
The Otonokizaka students rushed in, trying to surround the slowly-advancing delinquent boss. Maki's plan was the moment a barrage was done to create a small blinding illusion, so the rest could at least head back a bit… but for now, she figures, all she could do was do what the girls of µ's had become fairly accustomed to doing: punching.
And so, to that end Maki and Niko approached from her sides, and Eli had run around to get behind her. And yet, despite knowing what they were doing, Yanigihori made no attempt to actually break up their formation. "So that's your tactic… I was hoping for a bit more, Ayase…"
What happened next horrified the girls. Not a single blow connected: 「Red Flag」caught「Fur Elise's」fist, and using its flagpole blocked punches from Eli and「Circus.」"N… No way…!" Nico said with a gasp.
"Hmm… I dunno. Your fighting spirits aren't really speaking to me… is something holding you back, or is this all you got? I was expecting more from the girls who defeated my underlings, you know!"
Eli's left hand created five razor wires, hoping to immobilize her, but「Red Flag」with a swipe of its flagpole to her side sent her flying back a few feet. Maki attempted to get back but「Red Flag」grabbed「Fur Elise's」wrist, grasping it hard enough to cause great pain to Maki, before grabbing the Stand by the head and slamming it to the ground, Maki screaming as she felt the same pain.
"Maki!" Nico yelled. "「Circus」readied its whip, trying to wrap itself around Yanigihori's legs to trip her; but「Red Flag」proceeded to kick the other Stand in the chest, sending it back a few feet, and Nico became very happy in that moment damage done to「Circus」did not reflect back on her.
"Ayase… You got sloppy. Why? I know you're tougher than that… Or did I just become that strong since last time?" She asked. "No... something else is wrong… its like you got softer, or something…"
I don't get it! I've gotten stronger too, and I'm taking calculated risks… Why can't I hold my own against her this time!? Eli thought. She thought back to Honoka, and grit her teeth. Why did she feel like Kousaka would be… better in this situation than she was? She was the veteran! But…
Its like I can't even touch her!
"… I think I'm starting to figure it out. Ayase… yeah, you got soft on me."
"W-what!? I'll show you soft!" Eli yelled, readying another attack with wires, this time wanting to aim for her legs and her torso; to no avail. "Goddamn you, Yanigihori!"
"Before, you would have tried to face me head-on, face-to-face, fist-to-fist… Have you become so dependent on these silly weapons your Stand produces you've lost the courage to try to fight me directly?" Yanigihori asked. "I'd never allow myself to be caught off-guard and defeated by tricks! All of your Stands are impressive in your own ways… but this isn't the fight I wanted. Not with Stands like the rest of you… not to be offensive, it's just not what I wanted," Yanigihori declared. "Come closer to me! I can't get excited about a fight like this, and honestly? I'm starting to get pissed!"
Eli knew the power of her punches were stronger than most of the abilities with her wires if she wasn't looking to sever limbs; but it also required putting herself closer to direct harm! A battle should be calculated… Wakaki had been the most dangerous enemy she and µ's had faced by a huge margin, and they never would have won if they had just rushed in. Was she trying to get under her skin or something!?
It was Maki who got back up, sprinting forward and having「Fur Elise」wrap its arms around Yanigihori's body in an attempt to immobilize her, and with a scream punched her in the face. "Like that! See! That's what I like!"
Yanigihori could not break out of a Stand's grasp directly, but「Fur Elise」did struggle to keep her contained. Even Nico joined in, punching the other side of Yanigihori's head directly, weak as the blow might have been, she tried.
"Don't underestimate Idols!" Nico yelled.
"Indeed! If I hadn't done that early on, I could've probably squashed Kousaka and the rest of you easily! But now I've learned…" Yanigihori declared. "But I'm not the kind of girl that likes to dwell on mistakes like that!"
She was laughing now.
"Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon!"
「Red Flag」came to its master's defense, easily prying「Fur Elise」off her. Rather than attack with her Stand though it was herself that grabbed the first and third year by the collars… before smashing their heads together.
"YAZAWA! NIKAIDO!" Fumiko screamed in horror, sending over her Stand to grab them and bring them with her.
"Hmm…「Circus」disappeared after she passed out… So, while it can summon itself at will, it can't when its master is knocked out…?"
"H-hey! Are you two OK!? Hey!" Fumiko was in a panic as she inspected them, taking a sigh of relief that they were just unconscious and still breathing.
"What a shame… I kind of hoped they would've lasted a bit longer, but they have some real guts, charging me like that, I gotta admit," Yanigihori said, causing Fumiko to look over, eyes widening in surprise at her expression.
Yanigihori was blushing. She looked in the second year's direction with flushed cheeks, biting on the bottom of her thumb and what Fumiko could swear was a grin, excited about the progression fight, now. "Hey… Nikaido, right? Ayase is being boring so… do you think you can try fighting me head on with your Stand, or even with just your fists? I'll even let you get in a few hits for free, you know…"
She's a complete freak! And… and there's no way I can do anything to fight her! Fumiko thought as her「Single Ladies」picked up Maki and Nico from the shoulders, as she tried to carry them away from the battle. "S-stay away from me! I mean it!" Fumiko yelled, trying to put on a brave face.
"Come on… All you have to do is—"
"Stay away from them, you bitch!"
Eli's patience had reached its limit as she rushed forward. Yanigihori frowned, once again expecting a new trick with her wires… and was surprised to see Eli close the distance as quickly as she could. "Oh!?"
「Red Flag」swiped its flagpole in an attempt to hit Eli's head, but rather than use her wires to try to grab it or immobilize her, she ducked under the attacked and delivered a powerful punch towards the enemy Stand's stomach, enough to make Yanigihori's eyes widen.
"KHOROSHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
There were no tricks or anything like that. Rather than thinking cleverly, Eli unleashed a torrent of blows to her enemy's stomach. The impact and folly were so severe that Yanigihori and「Red Flag」could not do much, the pain and recoils enough to completely immobilize them, a final punch to her head sending her recoiling. 「Red Flag」immediately responded with several attacks with its flagpole and a kick; while she dodged the main assault Eli winced in pain as a powerful leg slammed into her side, but fought through the pain as she then used her wires to grab that leg, before punching her foe's head once more.
In returning to the roots of fighting, Eli appeared to be gaining an upper hand. 「Red Flag's」physical strength was overwhelming, but in this kind of close range, a fight was forced to be fair. Indeed, despite it all, 「Red Flag's」speed did not seem very impressive; its reaction-time very much so, but Eli realized in this moment she was clearly much faster.
"G-good! Like that! Likethatlikethatlikethatlikethat!" Yanigihori let out between laughs, ignoring the physical pain -or perhaps relishing in it- as she was forced into a situation where she was essentially pinned by her. With a tackle she sent herself and Stand to the ground, screaming as she attempted lunch towards Yanigihori; but「Red Flag」grabbed an ankle and threw her. Landing on her feet Eli resumed her assault and ran towards the enemy Stand once again. This time however, 「Red Flag」put its flagpole in its mouth, freeing up the usage of both hands. Eli punched with both fists and「Red Flag」responded in kind, Yanigihori realized the mistake she made when「Dancing on the Ceiling's」sticky fists were now stuck to「Red Flag's,」 Eli even lifting herself up to make a kick with both legs into「Red Flag's」chest before separating them, making sure she would get some blows in before「Red Flag」could use its might to physically rip itself free. "That's what I love… isn't this a lot more exciting and effective than trying to be some cowardly bitch attack from far away!?"
"Not particularly, but I guess it's making do," Eli said. And the two rushed forward once more. It was at last Yanigihori was on the defensive, her sweeps with the flagpole aiming more for Eli's legs in an attempt to trip her.
"The thrill of the battle! Exhilaration! That sensation you can only get when you're punched, and punch back in return! Yes! No matter what happens to my dreams… you and Kousaka, we faced each other like this! Isn't that amazing!? Isn't your blood pumping, Ayase!? Can't you feel it!? Deep down, you're enjoying this and you know it!" Yanigihori exclaimed, her wide smile returning. "I can't remember… I can't remember the last time I was this happy! Now do you understand!? This is—"
"Hoshizora, nya!"
Both were interrupted at the sound of a new arrival. And from the corner of her eye, Yanigihori's eyes widened as she noticed something barreling towards her at top speed. "「Red Flag!」" The boss of the Arrow Hunters' Stand could barely react in time as the tiny Stand leapt and nearly scratched her face, 「Cat Scratch Fever's」claws only inches from her face before「Red Flag」sent it flying off.
"R-Rin!" Fumiko said with a smile, relieved as she saw the first year rushing inside.
"First you people make me wait outside when my best friend is kidnapped, then you told me to wait longer just in case of that Wakaki girl showed up!? Sorry, but I'm tired of waiting, and I'm glad I made that choice now!" Rin exclaimed; her eyes narrowed. "I thought you were going straight to save Kayochin… But you wanted to go to the main event without Honoka-senpai and the others!?" Rin scolded… eyes widening at the unconscious figures. "M-Maki! Nico!"
"It's OK, they're just unconscious!" Fumiko said, brining them over to Rin's side, wincing.
"A-and you!?"
"I hit my knee really hard, it really hurts when I try running or moving on it… I-I'm sorry, I'm not used to fighting through pain like you girls…"
"Don't worry, I'm just happy you're helping!" Rin said with a smile, before glaring at Yanigihori. "Because of you… all of this is because of you!"
"I mean, most of it. Wakaki was, you need to admit, out of my control… Akeno and Miano, too, acted outside of my orders, and now they've allied to you," She said with a chuckle, earning a glare from Rin. Despite it all, she was cautious. That cat Stand… is the one that infects you with a disease that makes you weaker very quickly… it probably lacks little physical power, but that speed!
"You should have stayed and kept watch! If that Wakaki shows up, we're screwed!" Eli scolded, but Rin only stuck out her tongue at the older girl.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in staying behind anymore! Especially now that she's appeared!" Rin yelled; fists balled. "Let her rip, 「Cat Scratch Fever!」"
Her Stand meowed as it began sprinting once more, running in a zig-zag before leaping once more, Yanigihori once again barely deflecting the Stand back. Eli, not caring much for fairness tried tripping her afar with the wires, but was once again deflected by the metal flagpole, who then immediately had to focus on「Cat Scratch Fever.」"Jeez… you know, just saying, it's a lot more rewarding when you fight fairly; I mean, I have been… at least during this fight."
"Yeah, I stopped caring when my best friend got kidnapped!" Rin declared. "If we can take you down now, I'm taking it!" Rin said, and even Yanigihori couldn't help but admit she did have a pretty good point. Wait for it… wait for it…
Yanigihori grinned, 「Red Flag」once again holding its flagpole in its teeth as it grabbed the smaller Stand by its wrists, squeezing it before sending it flying towards Rin, who attempted to catch her Stand and was sent towards the ground. "… That's right… Kousaka is the one I wanted to fight the most. If I get all tired with you people, I won't have the strength to fight with her…"
She looked over her shoulder, eyes narrowing at Eli. "I'm honestly having an amazing time right now, but honestly? I should wrap this up. I want to conserve more of my strength for her. So… let's bring this to a close for now, alright? Maybe we can fight more later…"
"I'm bringing you down now!" Eli said, rushing forward. Alright… I think if I can get another rush in there, and a few blows to the head I can end this!
She attempted to repeat her old strategy once again, trying to rapidly close the distance as Rin recovered, wanting to once again try to get Yanigihori right where she wanted. But much to her absolute horror she instead grabbed her by the shoulder. What scared Eli was not that, but what was happening to「Red Flag.」The massive Stand's mass was… changing. The aura around Yanigihori and her Stand intensified, as her Stand seemed to change shape. Its large mass shrunk down a bit, and even the left arm grabbing Eli seemed to grow smaller: and all of it went towards its right fist. Eli attempted to get free but the grip was still strong, and the massive fist collided with her Stand-enhanced body right to her head: a move she was sure would actually kill her if it was not for her Stand's energy coursing through her body, knocking over the first year who had just gotten back up, and then through a wall. It did, however, knock her out.
Alright, knocking me down like that twice should be illegal! Rin thought, shaking and rubbing her head. "W-what just happened!?"
"Y-Yanigihori… j-just sent Ayase-senpai through a wall!" Fumiko informed her.
"ELICHI!"
"So, you beat Suzuki too? Congrats… I guess it's really just me now."
Yanigihori grinned at the new arrivals, especially upon noticing Kousaka Honoka, the one she had wished to fight above all else, not even catching herself when her cheeks and ears once again flushed red and the sensual tone in her voice. Some nonsense was said; Yanigihori quickly grew bored by the conversation, but was nonetheless pleased to hear that Kousaka Honoka very much did intend to fight her.
All she had to do was play with Tojo Nozomi a bit.
Yes.
Her Stand's form changed once more, and she grinned at her fellow third year.
At last, everything was coming together!
Tojo Nozomi did not enjoy growing up with her parents, and she did not have a pleasant family life.
Both important businesspeople, from a young age Nozomi was used to moving from location-to-location for schooling. Constantly changing schools meant no opportunities to make true lasting friendships or bonds.
Nozomi was an incredibly lonely child, with only books for company.
There was but one small reprise often in her life; when she would see her grandfather, whom she loving called grandpapa. Sometimes when visiting Tokyo, she would be left in his care at times, and on very lucky occasions for several weeks when her parents were on business where they could not bring Nozomi.
To Nozomi he was everything her parents were not, especially her father -at times it was hard to believe that he was her father's father- in almost every regard. He was kind, jovial, and being around him made her feel like she was genuinely loved. Deep down, she wished she could just live with him forever, and pretend her parents had died.
She knew her father disliked his father; they had fallen on hard times when they were younger, and grandpapa Tojo was just an old magician without any formal education without many ways to bring his family out of debt, and she understood that her father had to work hard to climb out of poverty. But he had tired his best! And Nozomi hated her father wouldn't even try to love her beloved grandfather, dismissing him as some 'stupid old magician,' when he thought Nozomi could not hear.
But she loved the magic tricks! He didn't even have a TV, just a radio; and when she wasn't reading, she could spend hours watching him perform, it's all she wanted!
Especially when he made cards float without touching them! Her father was adamant it was just some illusion, but her grandpapa Tojo smiled at her, and told her a secret.
"There's a legend, you see… sometimes, those of our bloodline can awaken a 'power' within them… often in times of great distress, a kind of 'manifestation of the spirit.'"
"Like a ghost?"
"No, something more than that… In truth, I hope you never awaken this power, just as I'm happy my son never did. If you do, it likely means that it activated in a time of great danger…"
"I don't care! If it means being like you, I want it, grandpapa!"
He chuckled, patting her head. "Just remember… with a 'great power' will come a 'great duty.' You can abuse such wonderous power… or you can live helping others and being the best person that you can be. Out of everything I have ever taught you, remember that, Nozomi… There are 'good people,' 'bad people,' and 'people who are in-between.' I hope… that you are always a 'good person,' my little Nozomi…"
When her grandfather died from natural causes, it was devastating to Nozomi; she didn't stop crying for a week straight. Upon learning they would not attend his funeral, her sorrow turned into fury.
"I don't even like him, and he's my father. We're not going."
Nozomi at only nine years of age began to despise her parents.
During a fateful stay in Egypt, something happened.
Of all the places she had lived in, Egypt was by far Nozomi's least-favorite. Not only was the heat unbearable, she barely understood the language; she had only been given a crash-course on Arabic and she was teased in school for barely being able to understand the materials.
In secret she attempted her grandfather's old magic tricks.
One day, she had not eaten or drank much, and it was a brutally hot summer day. "Please work… please work…" She whispered to herself as she walked home one day, sniffling as she looked at the stack of playing cards. Why could she not do her grandfather's magic? What was she lacking?
The heat was unbearable, and as she crossed a street she collapsed as she walked across, looking up and hearing a speeding car slamming its horn and breaks, and then a horrible, deafening crash. That is when she saw it… the playing cards in her hand had formed a kind of wall to protect her! She passed out, and awoke in the hospital… She found she could not levitate other things, but the moment she had 'playing cards' of some kind, she could manipulate them freely.
A new path had opened before her.
"I want your money."
A man narrowed his eyes, barely standing upright as he was confronted by a little girl in a hijab glaring up at him in the alleyway. Technically alcohol was illegal, but he never found it particularly hard to get a hold of the open secret. "Fuck off, I got no fucking change," he said, struggling to stay upright.
"Liar. I saw your wallet. Give me your wallet."
"I said, screw off!"
"Oh well. I warned you, OK?"
Nozomi's glare was replaced with a smile as the cards levitated in front of her. The man tilted his head before it slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him; he couldn't even cry out in pain. "I gave you a chance, OK? Don't say I didn't do that, mister."
He tried to crawl away, only for more cards to knock him down with supernatural force. A few cards actually nearly adhered itself to his mouth to muffle him, and he could only watch in horror as two stacks of cards positioned itself by his arm, before slamming into his left arm with more than enough force to shatter the bones in it. And then his right arm, and both his legs, leaving the now passed-out man helpless on the ground with four broken limbs…
"Thanks for the money, mister!" Nozomi said, smiling as she inspected his wallet; enough for a roof over her head for nearly two days! Of course, she commanded her grandfather's magic now, did she not? Why would she return home? After stealing all of her parent's physical money, Tojo Nozomi ran away from 'home,' making a new life on the streets.
Intoxicated by her own power and new found freedom, the shy and gentle Nozomi became a wild and violent child after running away at only ten years of age. What could have only have been described as a miserable fate awaiting a child runaway was prevented by the power of her magic, which made her more than strong enough to overpower those around her; even grown men seeking retaliation found themselves with many broken bones.
For roughly twenty months, almost two years, Nozomi lived like this.
Even adults aware of her rightfully feared her, with many warning their children to stay way from that 'devil Asian girl,' a title that Nozomi wore with pride. Eventually through force of might and coercion Nozomi took over an abandoned mansion, the local authorities too afraid at this point to challenge her, as ridiculous as it may have sounded.
It was the realization of Nozomi's dream; a magical world without adults! Here children could do whatever they want, whenever they wanted! Eat whatever they wanted, break whatever they want, hurt whatever they wanted even! Even drugs became amassed in the mansion; Nozomi did not care about the children even younger than her ODing, just having the corpses sent elsewhere. Why should she? This was a place where children could do whatever they wanted; if it killed them, that's just how it went! Yes!
At last, Nozomi felt like she had built a place for herself in the world! At last, she had a place of belonging! This was her Kingdom and she was the Queen absolute! Even when a bounty had been placed on her head, those fortunate enough to survive never returned to challenge her again!
Until that man had appeared.
"This is a wonderland where adults are not welcome! Leave!" The small, tanned child glared daggers at this intruder. Any adult that entered this place at the absolute best usually had all their limbs broken; but Nozomi had been having a very fun day until now, and thus was willing to give one chance at mercy.
"Goodness… you've certainly created quite the mess here, haven't you?" The man said, smiling and unafraid as he approached.
"I built this place myself! It's a magic place without rules other than to obey the queen! And only children are allowed in… haven't you heard anything about me!? I'll… I'll kill you!" Nozomi yelled, bolting upright from her "throne" (an expensive deckchair) fast enough that it knocked over, her magical aura manifesting around her as she readied the power in her cards.
"Hmm… no rules other than to obey you? You sound like quite the tyrant… I think you're in need of some discipline, young lady," the man said, and something Nozomi did not expect happened. A kind of aura manifested around him, just like her! Could… could he use magic like her and her grandfather!?
"So… you can use magic too?"
"I won't pretend that's not one of the best ways to describe it…" And something materialized by him! A kind of ghost or something, with the body of a man and head of a bird, surrounded by flames! "Young girl… I will not be silent or complacent as you terrorize this city and keep these children from their parents. I want to give you 'one last chance' to turn things around for yourself… You are clearly a misguided and troubled youth; I do not wish to harm you!"
"Well that's too bad, 'cuz I wanna harm you!" Nozomi yelled, sprinting forward and attacking with her cards. It was the first time anyone had ever fought back… and in truth? He was good, really good. But so was she! Often her cards were blocked by his ghost, but she was able to withstand the head of the fire with her cards protecting her! Her magic would come out on top, she was sure of it! She had even gotten some good blows in, and hurting this ghost seemed to hurt him! Nozomi was gleeful as he winced in pain as a strong blow to his ghost's stomach was enough to stun him, forming two card pistons by his head and having them slam at full force, fully intending on exploding his head all over the floor, and was frustrated when he used his ghost to block it; but was clearly in great pain after they had slammed into the ghost's arms.
"Hey, mister. What's it like? Knowing you're gonna die?" The young Nozomi asked, smiling. "It's your own fault for challenging a better magician!"
"Heh… well, I did underestimate you, I suppose… but that ends now!" He said, Nozomi's eyes widening as she felt a searing hot rope bind her feet together.
"W-what is this shit!?"
"Cross Fire Hurricane Special!"
The last thing she saw were flames creeping over her as she passed out from the pain, awakening later in an unknown location. "… F… fuck…"
"Don't cuss like that."
The man who had defeated her was rubbing an ointment on her arm and applying fresh bandages. "Before you ask, a lady nurse friend of mine from the nearby hospital applied the bandages on your torso. She'll come by later to re-apply it again, actually."
"… How long have I been out…?"
"About a day, give or take. Even on fire like that I had to further restrain you and knock you out… And rest assured, none of it is permanent burns," he said.
"The mansion…?"
"Burned to the ground, sorry."
"So, I've lost my place in the world…"
"Now now now, don't speak like that… You're alive. As long as you live, there is always a place for you in the world, somewhere," the man who defeated her told her, smiling. "Can you tell me your name, miss? I've heard you were from Asia, but I can't say I know anything."
"… Nozomi. I'm from Japan."
"Ah, lovely country! It's been far too long since I've visited… family name?"
"I ran away. I gave that up."
"That's a shame," he said, finishing the bandages he was applying. "Muhammad Avdol. Everyone calls me Avdol, though," Avdol explained. "There we go!"
"Why… are you being nice to me?"
"You're a child. Like I said… you're clearly very troubled. I'd be a poor adult to just toss you aside or throw you to the police… that's why I didn't take you straight to the hospital once I saw your burns weren't life-threatening."
"Also, you started the fire," Nozomi said, putting a little grin on despite it all.
Avdol chuckled. "Also, I started the fire."
"With your magician magic…"
"It's funny you call it that. You see, I call it「Magician's Red.」But I think you are mistaken… granted, you -could- view it as a kind of magic… but this power is known among us as a Stand, a kind of physical manifestation of your soul."
"A Stand…"
"Because it stands next to you, you know? You can call it whatever you want really… but there are others like us throughout the world: Stand users. I could tell the moment I saw that aura around you that you were using a Stand. I had already expected as much, hearing about a little girl that could force grown mercenary men into submission."
"So… I'm a 'Stand user?'"
"That is correct…"
"… What do I do with it?" Nozomi asked. "What do I do with this power? Is there some kind of mission, or something?"
"No… it's up to you, whether or not you use it for good or for evil," Avdol explained. "You are free to use your power however you wish… the same way I am. You were using it for evil and were hurting others, and I wanted to use mine for good and stop you."
"Good people… bad people… and people in-between…"
At some point, Nozomi had discarded the memories of love and affection from her grandfather, in pursuit of her newfound 'freedom' and power. Her kind and gentle grandfather's ultimate wish for her, to be someone that was good…
… What had she done?
"… Grandpapa, I'm sorry…"
For about three months Nozomi stayed with Avdol as she focused on her healing. During this time, she had learned he was a fortune teller, and had also had his Stand since he was a young child, and had even traveled the world. She became interested in the cards called the 'tarot,' which made up a huge part of his fortune telling. And so, she learned from him, referring to him as her master as he instructed her both in the art of fortune telling and in mastering her Stand.
Eventually the days came that Nozomi completely healed, and a path was laid before her.
"I don't mind if you stayed with me. I know as an adult I should encourage you to return home to your parents safely, but I grew up without parents under an old man's tutelage, and you didn't seem to come from very loving or kind parents. Of course, I believe you should return home, and at least attempt to live a normal life… But if you wish to live with me, you're like a daughter to me. I would be happy to take you in. Perhaps I'm not being a good adult by letting you make such a choice… but you've already seen and experienced more than most children. So… seize and choose your fate, Nozomi."
Nozomi was very quiet as she looked into the Cairo night sky, at the glistening nights and the stars above. "… I don't to return home, but I must."
"Why is that?"
"I have not been the person my grandpapa wanted me to be… when I obtained the power he did, I was selfish and hurt a lot of innocent people… but I feel like he always would have believed in me. I want… I want to go back my family. I want to go back to my home. I want… I know he'd be proud of me if I was with you, but I feel a calling in my heart… it is over there in my homeland where I belong."
Avdol smiled. "Would you like me to read your fortune one last time, for the road?"
She smiled back; her eyes wet. "No… I want to figure it out for myself. If you read my fortune now with the tarot… I'll spend the rest of my life obsessing to be what your final prediction was, master."
"Then you've learned everything I could have taught you. You are ready."
She nodded. "… Will I ever see you again, master?"
"Stranger things have happened; it is quite possible our fates will be entwined once again… But I doubt we will ever meet again. Still though… It was fun, these last three months, was it not?" Avdol asked, his own eyes watery and teary.
"Yeah," Nozomi said, still smiling even as tears began to fall, and as Avdol dabbed his own away they faced the night sky again, smiling as the tears ran down Nozomi's cheek. "It was fun."
And now Tojo Nozomi, roughly four years later, faced down her new and terrifying enemy that she knew she could not possibly defeat. Master, Elichi, Honoka, grandpa… I dedicate this battle to all of you!
"You've always been interesting, Tojo… I can never read you like I can read others," Yanigihori said. "Why do you fight? When did the arrow choose you? All these things are like a mystery…"
"I fight… in the memory of a beloved grandfather, a beloved master, my best friend, and the girls of µ's," Nozomi explained.
"So, you do not fight for yourself, then…"
"I did, once, a very long time ago… in fact, Yanigihori-chan, I think there was once a day where if you had found me in my youth, I absolutely would have become a follower of yours like Takamaki and Suzuki, and become one of your Arrow Hunters…"
"Oh?"
"I was so angry and hated everything… it was only with my physical might I thought I had a place in the world… but now I've found my place, fighting for the sake of those I care about!"
"Well then, Tojo! We couldn't be any more different! It's a shame, I would've loved to have known the old you!" Takamaki replied, her Stand approaching.
"I don't… I'm glad I never met you as the 'me' that existed back then! The 'me' that exists now… is the 'me' I'm proud to be!" Nozomi yelled, 「Ace of Spades」taking a defensive stance. Why did her Stand change shape like that!? These six arms, compared to before… She thought to herself, her cards blocking four punches and a swipe from the flag. I know her Stand was really strong and used the flag to fight mostly; but that in turn meant its hands were used up… what's going on now? Why does it have more arms!? Nozomi thought to herself, jumping back and staying on the defense. If there were any good aspects to her Stand, it was how easy it was for her to block multiple blows.
"A lot more impressive than it used to be, no?" Yanigihori asked, grinning. "Although… It doesn't seem to be very good like this," she observed. "Even with these extra arms, its not punching as hard as I was hoping it would… six is too much, then, just like I thought…"
"I should have assumed; just having a flagpole and extreme physical strength was a bit too little for a Stand to wield, especially for someone like you. This Stand of yours, 「Red Flag,」is this its true power… growing more limbs, to attack more?"
"You're getting close, but its not quite that easy," she explained. "At the time I encountered Ayase I did not yet truly understand my Stand's true form and power… but now that I do, I can wield its power freely!" Yanigihori explained, grinning as one of the extra pair of arms retreated back into its body, the Stand's muscles and bulks increasing in turn. "Yeah… four arms are more than enough; two to wave my war banner, and two for pummeling anything I so desire…"
"… So that's what it is. The 'power of your Stand…' is to 'shapeshift,' correct?" Nozomi asked, piecing it together.
"Something like that, yeah," Yanigihori said, advancing. "A malleable soul, capable of adapting to the situation and changing is form as needed to meet the situation… that is the power of my Stand! A reflection of myself! No matter what obstacle appears before me, no matter what I must do in order to succeed, I will adapt and change to meet my goals! Even if it feels like all my dreams are burning up in front of me, I'll try to change to a new shape! That is the power of「Red Flag!」This is my own power!"
Nozomi grit her teeth; a flurry of punches erupted from「Red Flag's」free arms in a Stand rush. Nozomi was shocked by how much speed the Stand was able to retrain in this form, barely blocking with her cards; eyes widening in horror and barely blocked an overhead swipe from the flag. This Stand-!
"「Red Flag – Assault Mode!」"
Nozomi attempted to continue blocking the Stand's furious assault, but even with「Ace of Spades」defending her she was being pushed back. She commanded a few cards to attempt to sneak attack the opposing Stand's side, but「Red Flag」blocked the blow without much effort with its arm. This is bad… its just completely stronger than me! Nozomi thought. If I can get some hits on Yanigihori, maybe I can do some damage… but she won't give me the chance! Maybe…
She attempted it, trying to have her cards approach Yanigihori by the side. "It is a troublesome Stand you have… If you wanted to, you could strike from a dozen locations at once, couldn't you?" Yanigihori asked, recalling her Stand to defend her as she noticed the strike coming. "It's much stronger than it looks on-paper. The fact it can move a distance away doesn't help either. Again; I wish I had gotten to meet this old you!" Yanigihori yelled, blocking more assaults. Nozomi increased her pressure, eventually having ten stacks of cards attempting to pummel into her, and it was enough to force her back. Nozomi had a new plan; if she could just pin her down, then she could apply the pressure until the rest arrived!
It may not be the most courageous plan, but its my best bet! Nozomi reasoned. When Honoka and Elichi return, we should be able to deal with her for real! She thought. Maybe this would work better than she thought!
But it didn't take long for Nozomi's dreams to be dashed.
Yanigihori's Stand with a swipe of this flagpole first forced the cards being controlled away from her, before sprinting forward. "S-shit-!" She tried to regain control of her cards as quickly as possible, but didn't take into consideration just how fast Yanigihori was. Of her 108 cards most had been diverted to try to pin her down in what she now saw was a foolish move, the cards not moving back quickly enough to properly defend her. With only a few cards she was barely able to block「Red Flag's」terrifying overhead swipe and traumatic damage to her brain. With the few cards remaining she attempted to block the two punches, but could only slow the punches down, the wind knocked out of her as they collided into her stomach and sent her flying.
"F… fuck…" Nozomi said between her gritted teeth, her cards finally all returning to her, gasping for breath. Before she had time to react, she felt something grab her by her hair; it was not「Red Flag」but rather Yanighori herself, who slammed her face into her knee and kicked her before she could fully react.
"Hey… when everything's over… can you tell me about the old you? Even if you're not her anymore, I'm really interested now," Yanigihori said.
"I-I'll have to decline!" Nozomi spurted out, holding her bleeding nose as she commanded most of her cards to form a shield in front of her. She wanted to attack while hiding behind her shield of cards, but Yanigihori was still pushing her back slightly even when at maximum defense as she defended herself from the flag and punches.
"Oh, that's a shame… oh well," Yanigihori actually sounded sad as she said that, but a smirk still formed on her face right afterword's. "Well. If nothing else this has all been a fun warm-up, you know? That being said… the difference in offensive power between you and me is just far too high," she observed. Nozomi readied all her cards together to try to block whatever came next; but with one devastatingly powerful attack with all her strength put into it, 「Red Flag」broke through「Ace of Spades,」a blow from the flagpole going straight to her head. "They have that girl that heals… You're gonna need that all fixed up, I think."
"U-ugh…" Nozomi tried to stand up, but was far too dizy to do so. When she looked up at Yanigihori she saw multiple of her, the words Yanigihori said to her also didn't sound real. The blow was traumatic and likely would have led to permanent injuries, if not for the power to heal and the fact her cards had at least to some extent slowed the velocity of the blow. Nozomi knew this was not a fight she could possibly win, but even so, she did not expect Yanigihori to have grown so terrifyingly strong so quickly; far quicker than she had evolved in years of having her Stand, and likely the most out of all around her.
"Hmm… maybe I didn't think that through… After all, you have no allies to take you to her, do you not?" She asked herself. "I guess it can't be helped, I'll take you to her. Can you at least stand? Wrap an arm around my shoulder, Tojo," she instructed, leaning down.
"… Lose… y-you'll… still lose…" Nozomi said, glaring. "Elichi… Honoka…"
"Oh? I already beat Ayase… well, I think she'll probably come back soon," Yanigihori mused. "After she wakes up from her little nap, along with that third and first year… but you're still counting on Honoka to win, hmm? I'm curious, what do you see on her? She's interesting to me too, you know…"
"Determination… to save those around them," Nozomi said. "Elichi and Honoka… will save the school, I know it…"
"Eh? Did I hit you even harder than I think? I think there's more important things to focus on than that dump of a school, Tojo…"
"Save Otonoki… and everyone around them…" Nozomi said. "Never… they won't rest no matter what… the people and places around them…" And despite it all, Nozomi was grinning at them, as Yanigihori frowned. "Its different… than what you want. All of you… They don't care about themselves or their own glory… no glory, no recognition, no personal selfishness… They'll protect and save everyone, that's who they are! It's not like you!"
"Don't you dare pretend to know what I'm like, and what I'm fighting for, Tojo!" Yanigihori yelled, her amusement and curiosity giving way to anger. In her anger she moved forward to attack, but something called out to her.
"I thought you had a lot of honor… don't let me down now!"
Nozomi and Yanigihori turned towards the entrance, an angry Honoka glaring at Yanigihori, with Rin by her side. "Hehehe… welcome back, Kousaka!"
"H-Honoka-san… Hoshizora-chan…"
"W-whoah! Tojo-senpai!" Rin's eyes widened as she ran up to her, helping her up. "Damn… you were right, Honoka! H-hey, are you OK!?"
"I… hit my head hard. I need Minami-san to please take a look at me…" Nozomi said, being helped to her feet by Rin.
"Another tag-team was what you had in mind, Kousaka? You know, I'm starting to get disappointed…"
"Nah… Rin was my backup, in case anyone else tried teaming up on me!" Honoka explained. "… Twenty minutes."
"Hmm…?"
Honoka held up two fingers with one hand, and made a "zero" by holding her index finger and thumb with another. "We got twenty minutes… all to ourselves, before the others come!"
"W-what are you thinking!?" Nozomi asked. "D-don't be stupid! I-if that's the case, I can… Ugh…" but she could barely stand in her current state.
"Tojo-senpai, I'm sorry, but we need to get you to Kotori right away!" Rin said. "I… I didn't get it at first, but… Honoka-san really has her mind set on this… we couldn't dissuade her, none of us."
"… Shapeshifting…" Nozomi said, Honoka and Rin turning to her. "Her Stand,「Red Flag,」can change its shape to match the situation… it didn't have the extra pair of arms before, but grew them to maximize its offensive capabilities…"
"Aww, you're spoiling the fun," Yanigihori teased, sticking her tongue out. "Still though… I am happy. You really want to face me honorably, Kousaka Honoka?"
"Well… I mean, if Eli wakes up, you know she's gonna rush here and its two-on-one at that point. Can't really control that," Honoka said, and Yanigihori nodded. "I do… want to fight you, on my own, though…"
"Why!?" Nozomi yelled. "Let… let your friends help you!" Had she been completely wrong about Kousaka Honoka!?
"They are! I couldn't… I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for everyone! Not because we're Idols, but because they're my friends! No matter how scary being a Stand user is, I know I'll make it through as long as I have my friends by my side!" Honoka said. "But…"
And she grinned. "What can I say? I thought the idea would be cool! … Well, no, its more than that! More like…" She scratched the back of her head. In almost an entire second, the cool-streak Honoka had built completely collapsed, but she still grinned. "… I want to see how far I've come myself, on my own, if just for a bit… and you feel the same, right, Yanigihori?"
"Indeed… with you and Ayase. Ayase didn't take this seriously enough until it was too late, overlying on strength in numbers and cunning tricks… you aren't the same."
"In twenty minutes, everyone available will come… and honor-be-damned, it'll be all of us against you," Honoka said, glaring now.
"Kousaka… are you sure?" Nozomi asked, blinking. This kind of foolish pride was not something she understood, but…
Despite it all, she could not see Honoka as The Fool she had drawn when reading her fortune… Even though she thought what Honoka wished to do was horrifically stupid as far as she was concerned… part of her deep down, as a Stand user, saw why.
For a split second, or perhaps due to her injury, part of her wished she could fight against Yanigihori one-on-one again, despite the fact she'd be thrashed once more. People like you two… the effect you have on the rest of us… Nozomi thought, before finally giving a small, defeated smile. You're stupid, both of you…
"… Just don't fall before then, Honoka," Nozomi said, as Rin helped her limp off. "… I'll see you again in twenty minutes."
And Honoka just smiled and nodded.
"Give her hell, nya!"
"Will do, Rin!" And with that she even gave a salute, as the two headed off to the computer room.
"You've done well, surrounding yourself with good allies," Yanigihori said. "A shame I failed to do the same…"
"Hey, I wouldn't say that! Suzuki and Takamaki are like, totally loyal to you!" Honoka tried to encourage despite it all. "It's not about the number of friends, but the quality of them! And honestly… maybe if you had chosen to make new friends for good and healthy reasons instead of fighting and conquest, you might have had more loyal friends, Yanigihori…"
"… Maybe, yeah," Yanigihori admitted. "… Hey, Kousaka… I have a weird question for you."
"Yeah?"
"If I had… taken an interest in singing and dancing like all of you, and we hadn't begun fighting…" She paused for a second, seemingly embarrassed.
"Come on, go ahead and ask! It's alright, really!"
"… Would you… have accepted me into µ's?"
"Of course!" Honoka said. "… Maybe despite everything… you are an Otonokizaka student, so if you really want…"
"No… that path isn't for me. I just… Wanted to know," Yanigihori said, 「Red Flag」by her side. "… Despite everything, I'm glad you were my enemy, Kousaka."
"I'm… its weird but I feel the same way. You and your Arrow Hunters made me have to grow up in a way I didn't expect… all of us in µ's did, even if they don't feel the same way I do," Honoka said, 「All Star」next to her. "… Yanigihori…"
"There's no need for words, when might will do," Yanigihori said, giving a small smile. "Let's let our fight do the talking, and exchange our emotions that way."
"Yeah…" Honoka, said, taking out her phone, and grinning for a moment.
"Something up?"
"My single just uploaded! Wanted to make sure that still happened… we set it to make sure it released while we were doing this, just in case we were too tired when we got back home!"
"A single…?"
"Mhm! Just… I'm usually no good at lyrics, but I really wanted to write all my emotions I've felt since obtaining my Stand into a new song… the rest liked it, so they let me sing it!" Honoka said. "I'm really happy… there's something poetic about it releasing right now!"
Yanigihori continued to grin. "Heh… I can't complain," she said, cracking her knuckles. And with that, both parties walked, beginning to advance. "You ready for this, Kousaka!?"
"More than you can imagine, Yanigihori!" Honoka said, returning the gesture.
Once within melee range, both Stands let out a single punch, their fists colliding with one-another. And as they did, Honoka's own words raced through her head.
The light I once wanted to see, the light that dwells within my chest,
I realize that now is that time!
While feeling a burning awakening,
Light is pouring down, the light that dwells within everyone,
Why don't we believe in our smiles and advance?
Honoka had absolutely no intention of losing.
Next time on Honoka's Bizarre Adventure!
Chapter 23: Yanighori's Last Stand -Red Flag- (Part 4)
Phew! Now that was a doozy! Hey everyone, I hope you've been safe throughout the pandemics!
Had my ups and downs... I'll admit. If there was one thing I was hoping it was that with free time I'd be writing as quickly as I used to, back in late 2018 for this fic. But depression and ADHD is a bitch and a half without a routine schedule; getting into multiple TTRPGs helped, but it also cut into my writing time... I think a lot of us writers have felt this, this weird coronavirus writing burnout.
But! The muse has been coming back to me!
I hope this chapter was worth the wait! And I'm sorry for those of you disappointed that Honoka and Yanigihori's fight didn't start in-proper yet, but it's finally time for this conflict that's been so heavily delayed to begin to see its resolution! So to those of you reading, stay tuned for more, because I'm going to try to get another chapter out soon! Stay safe, everyone! And may every road bring you to a memory of Great Days!