"Graaaaaghhhh!"
As per Limp Bizkit's command, every invisible zombie leaped towards Bucciarati with accompanying gaping mouths and creepy groans. In spite of knowing he's surrounded, he remains calm and can only respond with a determined glare directed at every one of them.
"Have at them, Sticky Fingers!" He shouted.
The close-ranged Stand gets to work, attacking every zombie that gets close. Its fists strike hard and true as Sticky Fingers landed hooks, jabs, crosses, uppercut, and backhands to their faces as fast as it can, the speed and power imbued in it creating mini shockwaves. It's also not afraid to kick thrice when dealing with zombies flanking its user's side and it might not be able to turn around in time. Other than this minor setback, Sticky Fingers proved to be Bucciarati's pride and joy when it comes to Stand fights after it successfully fended off the zombies.
"Agh! This is going nowhere! My minions! Stop going after him one at a time and pile on top of him!" Limp Bizkit exclaimed irritatingly.
"Uaaaaargh!" Exclaiming their affirmative groans, the zombies did as their leader told and quickly piled upon Bucciarati before he could react. For a second, the mass of invisible zombies seem successful in forcing him to the ground and making him lay there unmoving… only to stand up back with a defiant shout, followed by a sound of rapid punching striking the hapless undead as Sticky Fingers swiftly surrounded its master with speeds comparable to its punch, covering him from every conceivable angle
"ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI! ARIIIIIII!"
Hitting the last zombie to its jaw and sending it flying away, most of the injured zombies let out a pained cry before they all become dust. With that confirmation he's safe for now, Bucciarati pants to catch his breath from almost overexerting Sticky Fingers. He's not yet exhausted though, so he composed his stance, ready for another round.
"…Persistent, aren't we?" Limp Bizkit sneered, clearly irritated. "You're really quick on your feet and kept your wits on you the whole time. Looks like sending many undead as I can to overwhelm you might not be working as I thought. Guess I need to think of another approach."
"It's a bad idea to say out loud your thoughts, you know?" Bucciarati advised. "You wouldn't want me to learn what you will do next, right?"
That earned Limp Bizkit a chuckle. A mocking chuckle. "Oh I know. Actually, I'm feeling a little generous. You want to kill me, right? Well, why don't you have a first shot at caving my face in? Consider it your reward for wiping out my minions quickly while sustaining no injuries."
Bucciarati blinked at his supposed generosity, then furrowed his brows because he knew better than to accept it. "…Surely you're not serious? For all I know, you have an ulterior motive that you'll exploit if I seize that chance."
"Would you like to know? 'Cause right now…" Fast footsteps are heard next, indicating Limp Bizkit is running. "…I'll make sure you'll accept it! I'm charging towards you with my hands up and my mouth wide open as I speak, Bucciarati! Hope you're prepared!"
Caught nearly by surprise, Bucciarati sends Sticky Fingers forward, its fists raised backwards and ready to be thrown. "Fine! Don't say I warned you!"
"ARI!" Sticky Fingers cried, throwing a punch forward after Bucciarati deduced Limp Bizkit's current spot…
ブォォォン
…but the fist didn't stop. Not because it resisted for some reason, but because it hit nothing but the air.
"What?" Bruno breathed out in puzzlement, having felt his Stand not hitting his target. What's more, the footsteps ceased, indicating Limp Bizkit had stopped. "Why haven't I felt Limp Bizkit getting punched? He must have stopped when he got near, and he should've been in the front for Sticky Fingers to hit him, so why?"
"What's the matter? Did you miss me by a longshot…?" As if in response, Limp Bizkit suddenly spoke in a mocking tone. "I saw your Stand making a punch, but oops! It didn't hit me!"
"You…! Where are you?!" Bruno growled.
"Oh, right next to your Stand," he answered. "In fact, my hands are up in the air, waiting for my head to be punched off my neck."
"ARI!"
Sticky Fingers threw a sideward punch with its left fist immediately after. To Bruno's surprise again, he didn't hit his mark. "Again, I missed?"
"Come on, now. You can do better than that. Don't tell me your sense of direction is not working in your favor?"
"No! I know exactly where you are as long as I listen to your movements, no matter how subtle!" Bucciarati growled, throwing a back kick behind him, where he heard Limp Bizkit babbled. His confusion tripled when even that didn't work. "What on earth…? How am I missing my attacks?"
"That's a nice question. Unfortunately though, I won't answer it, 'cause it's time I end this charade. Your chance of a free strike has ended, Bucciarati! Prepare yourself 'cause I'll be the one to tear you apart at last!"
"Nngh! Keep attacking Sticky Fingers! Don't let him win!"
"ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI!"
BGM: Incursione - Golden Wind OST
Despite his persistence and determination to eliminate the enemy, Bucciarati could not land even just one attack on Limp Bizkit no matter how fast Sticky Fingers attack. He can pinpoint where Limp Bizkit is in a second, but to his frustration, every single punch or kick could never connect with the enemy. The most he's doing is flailing his limbs around like a puppeteer poorly controlling puppets. In fact, he himself felt like that troubled puppeteer.
Just how!? How is he evading me!? There must be a trick! A trick that lets him avoid damage. What could it be?" He thought between mid-strikes and evasions. Maybe… Maybe his undead body is helping him, but how? …Undead, body? Now that I think about it, I became a vulnerable human when Limp Bizkit ambushed me. If I hadn't turned human, I could've taken advantage of my undead body and… Wait, ah! Could it be! Limp Bizkit is able to dodge my attacks because of-!
Combining all this, Bucciarati began feeling sluggish and disoriented. At this rate, he's gonna slip up, and unfortunately, his aggravation continues to grow the more his attacks, at this point becoming more like wild swings, keep on missing. This is going exactly as Limp Bizkit wanted, he just has to wait for the opportune moment…
"There!"
A big gash appeared on Bucciarati's left arm, who felt Limp Bizkit's sharp claws striking him. "AAAAAARGHHHHH!" He screamed, covering his wound immediately. He couldn't have a moment of respite however, as that moment where he lowered his guard is enough for Limp Bizkit to begin slashing his claws into him without mercy. Bucciarati realized what he'd done and commanded Sticky Fingers to defend him, but it's too late.
"Wrong move Bucciarati! This is on you for slipping up! USHAAAAAAAA!"
"NGAAAAAARGHHH!"
Many seconds of unrelenting and visceral assault done by Limp Bizkit sent Bucciarati kneeling on the floor gasping for breath as pain coursed through his body. His body sustained many gash marks, spewing out blood that stained his white business suit-like outfit. The rest puddled under his knees, albeit to a lesser amount. M-Merda! I messed up! I let Limp Bizkit get a drop on me! He cursed internally, his right hand clutching his shoulder wound this time. The stinging pain almost made his trembling left hand lose its hold.
"Kyahahahaha! I finally got you!" Bucciarati grinded his teeth in anger when Limp Bizkit triumphantly taunted him. He could imagine his sneering grin directed at him while he looked down with mocking eyes. "It took me a while, but seeing you knock down a peg is worth it! Hahahaha!"
Riled up by his domineering tone, Bucciarati raised his face up to shoot Limp Bizkit a menacing glare. He didn't say anything other than a pained grunt, probably refusing to open his mouth, but if looks could kill, then his glare would prove that phrase true.
"Still remaining defiant, huh? You know what… I'm getting sick of it. Time for you to become our appetizers before our main feast!" Limp Bizkit growled. A shuffling of feet is heard, indicating he's preparing to land a finishing blow. "DIEEEEEEEE!" Limp Bizkit swung its left claw forward to Bucciarati's head, intending to kill him for good by attacking his brain.
BGM: Incursione - Golden Wind OST (Start from 1:23 mark)
This time though, he's the one whose attack didn't connect, because Bucciarati split his head in half by installing a zipper from the top and opening it. Thanks to this unique method, Limp Bizkit's attack missed and simply passed through his splitted head. His worried face turned stern, in addition.
"Huh?! The hell!?" Limp Bizkit spluttered out, having not expected that. Unfortunately for him, his shock and hesitation gave Bucciarati a short window of time to land a counterattack via Sticky Fingers punching his torso, or at least where he thought. Well, it shouldn't matter since he definitely felt the punch connect, so he finally got a drop on the enemy.
"ARIIIIII!"
"OUGH!"
Mustering up force and power in its fist, Sticky Fingers send Limp Bizkit flying, a single open zipper on his torso. Seizing this moment and in spite of the astounding pain, Bucciarati charged forward to let Sticky Fingers continue within the enemy's range and allowed it to pummel him with impunity as payback. "ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI!"
"AAAAARGHHH!"
Riddled with gaping zippers spewing out blood and its unseen face contorted in agony, Limp Bizkit screamed as he was flung backwards again, until he suddenly stopped when white tendrils pop out from the walls, floor and ceiling and swiftly captured his invisible body. This, in addition to his accumulated wounds, contribute to more pain in his person.
"Nnnghk! Wh-What… What is THIS?!" Limp Bizkit grunted, disbelief visible in his face, though of course not visible to Bucciarati. Speaking of him, he recognizes those tendrils.
"Hierophant Green…!" He realized.
"Apologies Bucciarati-san! For keeping you waiting!"
Sure enough, he heard Kakyoin's voice, which is followed by running footsteps coming from behind. Raising a hand to the wall, he rises up on his feet again and turns around to see Cherry Boy and Fire Lord stopping once they arrive. Similar to his wounded state, Kakyoin and Avdol possessed injuries possibly sustained from their disposing of stray invisible undead, with the former bearing scratch marks on his limbs and bleeding from his neck after a zombie nearly tore a vein with its bare hands, while the latter is clutching his right arm that may have got bitten. That said, they're less severe, which Bucciarati took relief of.
"You two… You're alright. Good to see you're fine." Bruno expressed with a sigh, not forgetting to close the zipper and restore his head.
Kakyoin and Avdol are shocked seeing his injuries. "Oh no! Bucciarati! What did the ensnared enemy do to you!?" Avdol asked in concern.
"Urgh, a whole lot after I foolishly let my guard down. But don't worry, I'll endure it as long as I continue standing on my feet," reassured Bruno, releasing a hand off the wall before striding forward somewhat uneasily. "What's important is I returned the favor to Limp Bizkit for all the dodging he made. Quite a crafty maneuver he did, I should add."
Still displaying concern for his leader, Kakyoin looked on questioningly. "Limp Bizkit? And favor?"
"Both his name and the name of his Stand. Probably that's how he wants to be called," he added. "And if you're wondering how he managed to catch me off-guard, it's because I grew irritated that Sticky Fingers couldn't land a single hit because he evaded them all. It wasn't until later that I realized that thanks to his undead physiology, he might have 「detached」 his head, arms, and legs to prevent himself from getting hit. Coupled with his astounding speed and my complacency, these injuries are the end result."
"Detaching his head… Ah! I get it!" Avdol caught on quickly, and so too did Kakyoin. "The zombies he spawned two floors below might not be capable of removing body parts, but their speed almost overwhelmed us, not helped by their sheer numbers."
"Good thing Hierophant Green lessened the workload we were doing through its uncoiled strings," sighed Kakyoin. "Guess you made the right call adding me Bucciarati-san, since we finally caught the user." He then glared directly at the ensnared Limp Bizkit struggling within the tightened strings while mumbling groans of protest. The number of strings seem to be more than the required number needed to properly bind the enemy but no one's complaining.
"Grrrr! Damn you! If only you two didn't regroup with him in time…!" Limp Bizkit growled out, wanting nothing more than to tear Kakyoin from limb to limb for daring to interfere.
Paying him no heed, Bucciarati, Kakyoin and Avdol come near him, ready to finish this fight. "So, who will be the one to kill him?" Avdol questioned.
"I will. Step back you two, and keep an eye for anything odd as I give him a finishing blow." Bucciarati insisted, not letting up his furrowed eyes at the captured supposed gangster. Standing two meters within the enemy, he called out Sticky Fingers again and had it rear back its fist to target his head, intending to kill him in the quickest way possible. For this to work out, the user's head is left exposed, probably a foresight on Kakyoin's part. "Now then, time to end this…" The former capo muttered.
His words got a rise out of Limp Bizkit, in the form of panic because he's gonna die without getting what he wants as a flesh-eating undead: fresh meat. No. NO! It can't end like this! Restrained and helpless! I'm not gonna have my life be taken by a wannabe gangster who is a disgrace to the criminal underworld for being a noble kind of man! Rrrrgh! If only the one who brought me back to life a couple of months ago and put me here didn't forbid me from freely eating any humans on sight except the targets, my strength would've been up to snuff!
Aaaaargh… This hunger… This thirst… Ngrrrrgh! I can't contain it anymore. I must… have my fill. I must have… brains… Ouuuuurgh…! I must…! I WILL!
Not wanting to die until he quenches his months-long hunger and thirst for human flesh, Limp Bizkit continued wrestling within the strings' hold, slowly but surely increasing in strength, speed, and intensity as his resolve to get what he wants pushes him to disobey the restrictions the perpetrator imposed against his will. Three seconds later, just as right Sticky Fingers is going for the kill…
"GWAAAAAARRRGGHHHH!"
Limp Bizkit let out a horrifying scream as he managed to rip off the tendrils through pure undead strength. This unexpected act shocked Bucciarati, Avdol and Kakyoin, who grunted and backed away from the pain caused by Hierophant Green's strings being torn apart. "Urgh!"
"What in the…!" Bruno sputtered out.
Immediately after getting freed, Limp Bizkit dashed away, his rapid, booming footsteps and gaping zipper wounds on his person still marking his presence. "AH! Limp Bizkit! He's getting away!"
"What? Crap, quick! We must chase after him! Hierophant-"
"Hold it!" Bucciarati raised his left arm to block Kakyoin. "You two already did enough! Please, let me be the one to end this as I said!"
"But, Bucciarati-!"
"Don't worry," he insisted before Avdol could protest. "I already know how to deal with that fleeing codardo…"
Making haste away from them, Limp Bizkit shares a laugh at their expense. "Hahahahaha! Those ropes ain't strong enough to rein me in after all! Now then, it's 'bout time I get to do what I've been wanting to do ever since I got here! No one, not even the boss man, can tell me what they want to do! I grew tired of it anyway, so screw the rules! Time to catch one hapless human and have my way with them!" He declared like an escaped prisoner so happy to escape or to be freed. "Those three won't stop me now that I made it this far! If you three are hearing me from this distance, this is goodbye for now! I'll be back, stronger and better than before! The depths of the abyss shall return to drag you pathetic zombies back to your graves! GYAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA-"
He's so focused on shouting his purported freedom and taunting the three that he doesn't notice something flying towards him, until it's too late when he turns back.
ボゴォォ
"EURGH!?"
Stopping dead in his tracks, Limp Bizkit yowled confusingly and agonizingly when Sticky Fingers' fist landed squarely on his face. The odd part is the Stand itself isn't nearby in order to properly punch him. That's because Sticky Fingers and its user hadn't moved from one spot, regardless if the enemy reached ample distance, and instead of giving chase, Sticky Fingers launched its forearm like a rocket by applying its ability around its forearm. It then instantly opened, directing the fist towards his face when he tried to get away. This happened before Kakyoin and Avdol's astounded eyes.
"Fleeing right in front of our faces the second time? Hmph, looks like I'm right viewing you as an irksome being who took up unnecessary space," confidently stated Bucciarati. "I can tell you've lived life as a vile individual. Don't change on my account."
BGM: nella cerniera (Golden Wind: Overture; last section)
ビィィィーッ
Quickly pulling the user back, Sticky Fingers waited until the invisible enemy Stand entered within a range of two meters. The next and final action for this fight is carried out by a man who's glad to have quit his life as a mafioso and exchanged that for a bodyguard job.
"ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI! ARIIIIIIII!"
バカァァァ
Sticky Fingers landed one last punch against Limp Bizkit's head, cutting the defeated enemy apart into pieces with its ability. It can't be seen due to his invisibility, but his face has a look of utter shock over Bucciarati's trick
"…Arrivederci."
Limp Bizkit didn't scream nor howled as he turned into dust, never to be reborn. Bruno looked on, his steely gaze never leaving him.
BGM Ends
"Incredible… I didn't think you could apply a zipper to your arm and launch it away," he heard Kakyoin say. "I guess that's to compensate for your short range? What a genius move."
Bucciarati glanced back at him and Avdol with a grin. "Correct. As I told you earlier, Sticky Fingers helped me a lot of times thanks to the nifty applications of my ability. I assume you are satisfied?"
"That we are." Avdol agreed. "So with the enemy defeated, I believe what happened to Black Sabbath may happen next. Which is… the three of us becoming zombies again."
"Ah, yes. The 「strange phenomenon」 we talked about days ago…" Bucciarati understood.
"If we are turning into zombies again though, what will happen to our wounds? Would that affect our undead bodies if we don't do something about them?" Avdol brings up this caveat. "It's not gonna be pretty if we turn back to our zombie selves while we have these wounds on."
"Hmm…" Before they come up with an answer, a cracking sound is heard. Bucciarati looks around and sees where the sound is coming from, believing it is nearby due to how loud it is. "What was that sound?" He inquired, wondering if the fight wasn't over yet or if he was too wary this late at night.
"Hey, our skin…! It's cracking!" Kakyoin exclaimed.
"What?"
Turning to him, Bucciarati sees that their skins are cracking steadily. The jagged lines crawling on their skin, the sight of which looks like veins running on his skin, adds to his shock due to it looking uncomfortable and the cracking sound can be heard coming from them.
"Huh? Is this…?"
"Guess this might be it. The same phenomenon that happened to Sakura, Ai, Junko and Gyro after Black Sabbath was defeated has started. Please don't worry, we're just about to turn back to normal."
"Ah, I see." Bucciarati expressed relief, glad his assumption that another fight may happen is wrong.
After a few more seconds, their skin shattered like glass, revealing their zombie forms. While they still have makeup on (albeit their faces or hands slightly smeared presumably from the fight), they can feel their heartbeat and breath no longer and, surprisingly, their wounds or injuries are gone, completely healed without any signs it's been there.
Now, this would call for sighs of relief because this means they have won and are able to live for another day but the sight of their injuries being healed without any complications on their bodies raises questions. "Hey, our wounds… They disappeared too?" Kakyoin pointed out.
The three process this oddity, staying silent for a couple of seconds in puzzlement and doubt. Then Avdol speaks up to address this. "We can see that. On the bright side, that shouldn't prove to be a problem for us because we wouldn't be compromised."
"That may be so, but…" Bucciarati admitted and glanced sideways. "The hallway was drenched by the blood of Limp Bizkit's zombies a few minutes ago. It'll be a nightmare to wipe them all off and prevent someone from thinking this is a crime scene, and yet everything went back to normal, like us."
"…Could this be the secondary property of the unexplained anomaly?" Avdol speculated, rubbing his chin.
"Well it's possible. A convenient way to cover up our actions. Too convenient," remarked Kakyoin unsurely. "It's like the strange anomaly is actually helping us, at the same time trying to hinder us."
"Hmm, a peculiar and puzzling fact, to be sure," agreed Bucciarati. "Oh, by the way, there's one concern I must bring up: Limp Bizkit somehow knew my previous profession, up to how I usually work and my attitude towards it."
Avdol and Kakyoin have his full undivided attention upon hearing it. "What? What made you so concerned?" Kakyoin inquired.
"Call it a hunch again, but something about what he said didn't sit right with me… How could he know that aspect of mine if he hadn't met me before? Unless…" Bucciarati slowly raised his head as a realization dawned on him. "…The 「true perpetrator」 told him."
"The 「perpetratror」… knew your previous occupation?" Avdol parroted. "Wait, going by that logic, is it possible… they knew 「us」, too?"
"You mean, like… they're aware Johnny-san, Gyro-san, and Mamezuku-san came from another reality? And the girls being zombies and what they're known for when they were alive?" Kakyoin added, a dreadful feeling springing forth in him.
"That feels like a stretch, but we shouldn't overrule the theory," replied Bucciarati. "If there's one thing we should be sure of however… the 「perpetrator」 might have been monitoring us or learned our histories before this entire mess happened. Either way you see it, they could be one step ahead of us."
The three never said anything again after to process what they've learned in the aftermath of their fight with Limp Bizkit. They looked at each other with varying wary looks, all thinking the same concern in their heads.
"Shouldn't be surprised this won't be easy as I hoped. We're in for a long haul…" Kakyoin sighed. Though undeniably concerned and confused over what's really happening, they take some solace that the enemy Stand lurking in this hotel is disposed of, thereby completing the objective given to them by Kotaro. The mystery regarding the identity of the strange phenomenon that turns them into mortal humans and back after winning is unknown for now, but he and his allies got to live for another day after narrowly being made into food by invisible zombies.
"In any case, our business here is done. Let's go back to our groupmates so we can recuperate, and learn what Sakura, Saki, and Junko did behind their backs." Bucciarati told them. He started walking in the direction of their assigned rooms, not noticing Kakyoin and Avdol looking puzzled regarding what he said.
"Huh? What those girls…?" Avdol started.
"…did behind their backs?" Kakyoin finished.
"Before I engaged Limp Bizkit and his crones, I noticed our groupmates and the girls were outside," the leader revealed, also sharing their confusion. "They were told not to go out until we returned but for some reason, they disobeyed." He added in a disappointed tone.
"Maybe they have a good reason they left their rooms." Kakyoin proposed.
"Don't count on it. The three girls I mentioned might have made a foolish act that we're gonna find out when we return, so come on. Let's move."
Unbeknownst to the puzzled zombie trio, they didn't notice at all a single witness watching them leave the scene, who arrived shortly after the defeated enemy tried to escape from Bucciarati's wrath. Out of the realm of logic, this witness is in the form of a silhouette, so her entire body is pale blue and transparent, like she's a ghost. An actual ghost.
"What remarkable strength, those three have…" The ghostly woman whispered, her voice filtered slightly. "Good thing I carried the poor, unconscious woman safely to her room. The battle could have put her in danger."
Shortly after, the three made it back to their rooms. From there, after telling their groupmates what happened during the fight, they asked what trouble Sakura, Saki, and Junko did that necessitated them to leave their rooms.
"Weeeeeell… It's because they wanted to take a dip in the hot spring, only to end up scaring that poor lady so badly she went catatonic." That's Narancia's response.
"They did what?" Kakyoin inquired incredulously.
"What actually happened is… When the girls are asleep and the four of us are keeping to ourselves in our room, Sakura, Saki and Junko decide to sneak out and take a bath in a hot spring after thinking no one is out this late at night. However, they didn't expect the lady to join in, prompting them to hide. But they got spotted anyway and the lady screamed loud enough we heard it. We went out to investigate the scream but we ended up scaring the heck out of her in a continuous motion. So much so she eventually went herself unconscious as a last straw, all thanks to those three girls giving her one last spook."
After he's done explaining, the three process his words with hanging mouths, appearing like they have witnessed something so out of this world they go speechless for a minute or so. On the sidelines, Johnny and Mamezuku did a facepalm the whole time while Gyro just shrugged.
"Ai and Yugiri did scold them, Saki especially, for their actions. Just in case you might want to know." Gyro added.
"A-And before you ask, no! I-I didn't mean to scare the poor lady! That includes all of us! A-And-!"
"Narancia, that's enough." Bucciarati told him, feeling a headache coming as he facepalmed. "You're not at fault here so don't try to blame yourself. The ones who started your mess are those three…"
"And the lady. What became of her?" Avdol asked, hoping the worst outcome didn't happen.
"Uhhh, weeee… carried her to safety! Yeah, that's what we did! We can't just… leave her catatonic self alone in the hallway, right guys?" Narancia lied to make up for their bafflement over her apparent disappearance.
"That's… what we did next." Johnny supported his fibbing to spare Bucciarati from more incoming headaches.
"Yeah! And afterwards, they agree to just forget this ever happened. Hope that pharmaceutical lady gets a good night's sleep and forgets what she saw, hahahaha…"
Feeling tired suddenly, which can be attributed from almost getting eaten by invisible zombies and learning what Sakura, Saki and Junko did, Kakyoin has only this to say.
"Tatsumi-san is not gonna like it when he hears it the next morning…"
The next morning came, and right now, Kotaro is outside the hotel after he finished checking in. Feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world after soaking himself in a spring and sauna last night, he bows before the CEO with a big, grateful smile and an arm below his torso. "Thank you so much for this opportunity. And, if you decide it's a good idea, I look forward to hearing from you about the partnership." He expressed his gratitude, his mind already picturing the hopeful opportunity that may arise. He frowned when he got no response. Looking down, he sees the Hisanaka lady sitting on the ground with her knees closed, looking positively traumatized marked by her body shaking like a fragile leaf and hugging her knees close.
"Hm?" He stared in confusion, wondering what had gotten into her.
"Oh, sorry about that…" Someone started speaking to him. He straightens his back as the man, likely a hotel staff, explains, "She seems to have had quite a scare last night. The shock made her forget everything that happened yesterday."
Quite a scare? What did she-
It didn't take him long before he guessed the reason as to why she's beyond frightened. Though boiling with anger inside, he masks it with a strained smile. "…What?"
Back home, Sakura reads the news about the incident last night in a magazine. The incident that she, Saki and Junko caused. Naturally, she couldn't be any more unhappy and guilty for it.
"Sakura… If only you, Saki and Junko heeded our warning…" Kakyoin sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. He is sitting next to her, reading the article with her and displeased.
"I-It's Saki who came up with it!" She defended, turning a pleading look to his unamused eyes. "I-I only relented when Junko heard her and wanted to go to the spring as well!"
"That doesn't change the fact you sneaked behind our backs. Sorry Sakura but it's your fault, as well as Junko's and Saki's." He insisted.
If Sakura isn't feeling more guilty, then she would when Kotaro stood before her with folded arms. Even with his shaded eyes, his frowning face displayed irritation and anger, no doubt pissed at her actions last night.
"Next time, I'm shaving your heads." He warned before leaving her and Kakyoin, who didn't interfere this time because she needed a scolding.
"That's when we went into the hot springs! They wrote an article about us, huh?" Lily stated, looking dismayed after seeing the article.
"Who the hell published that!? Let's find them and lean on them, hard!" Saki demanded, itching to set the journalists straight.
"Don't make rash decisions Saki! Don't go looking for more trouble that may hinder us!" Avdol stopped her.
"What Avdol said! Don't tell me you already forgot what happened last night, especially when it's you who made the briiiight idea to go take a dip in the hot springs, only to almost get caught!" Narancia reminded her.
"I have no idea that CEO is plannin' to do that! All I want is a short dip in the springs!" Saki quickly defended.
"Even if you didn't see that coming, you shouldn't have done that!"
"Do I look like I can see the future? How about I set you straight instead?"
"Oh yeah? Make me!"
パン
パン
"That's enough, you two! Don't make a scene!"
As Yugiri stops the argument and the impending fight between Saki and Narancia from starting by slapping them, Sakura lets out a sigh out of shame. "…I'm sorry guys. Next time, I'll be more careful." She apologized to everyone for her accountability of the incident.
"Come, now. We all used a foot bath together. I've never shared that kind of bath with a group before. It was a good bit of fun." Yugiri assured her, going back to her seat after slapping some sense into Saki and Narancia, and telling them not to argue again or else she'll slap them again.
"Mamezuku didn't join however." Johnny reminded.
"Yeah! And I think the better we get along, the better our performances will be!" Number Six concurred, happy to have made such good friends after death. Their words seem to cheer Sakura up, remembering the fun they had together as a group.
"And it's not like we have to worry about getting tired." To prove her point, Yugiri and Lily show the medicinal strips on their shoulder and arm respectively. Everyone reveals the strips on them as well, having got enough Saganship Z for them to use even if the sponsorship failed.
"Sis is right! We'll make up for this next time." Saki assuaged her. "We'll just have to bust our asses and earn us a budget! Right girls?"
"YEAH! Sakura, Yugiri and Lily shouted.
"You know, a money's just a means to the end, right?" Ai commented dryly.
"There's no denying that, but it's all we must need in order for Kotaro's goal of saving Saga comes true. We're gonna need lots of it." Bucciarati replied, smiling at seeing two groups talking like they became or are close friends. "I know from experience how important money is when I was in Passione, as long as you use it for good."
"Are you accumulating good will from netizens back then, Bucciarati?" Kakyoin asked.
"That's for pragmatic reasons, really." He stated.
"But with the way you're acting, I can see you're really a noble person deep down, Bucciarati. Not even being a criminal could dampen your sense of morality." Avdol observed.
"Noble, huh…" Repeating the word, Bucciarati remembered what Limp Bizkit accused him of. That he's nothing more but a ruthless gangster. Well, he won't deny he's not above killing his enemies and might act ruthless in the pursuit of his goal, but he refused to be defined by the worst qualities of the gangster lifestyle because he knows who he is deep inside: a good man burdened by circumstances out of his control. He may have killed too many enemies in cold blood but it's strictly professional in the line of work concerning the mafia. If anything, becoming a bodyguard might be a chance for him and Narancia to leave the life of crime behind, or at least the mafia lifestyle.
A second chance has bestowed upon him and he already has one goal in mind as he takes the reins of being Rianima's leader: protect Franchouchou and look after them as he did to the community he was assigned to protect back in Italy. No matter what will happen afterward, whether the upcoming trials won't be easy, he shall never back down, as a good leader would.
"Say, Bucciarati, how did the fight against the enemy went?"
Bruno snaps out of his thoughts when Narancia asks him about the enemy Stand they defeated last night. "We heard who he is, what Stand he has and other things. Feels like we need more details soooo… Will you tell us how it all went down?"
"Invisible zombies, huh? Quite ironic you three fought against them if you didn't turn human." Sakura pointed out.
"I already pointed that out." Kakyoin shrugged.
"Speaking of the enemy, can you explain to us your Stand too, Bucciarati-han?" Yugiri guessed.
As everyone is eager to know what went down during their fight and what Sticky Fingers is, Tae is playing with the strip by stretching with her hands. After stretching it many times, she gets slapped back when she lengthened it so much it snaps back to her. Everyone saw it done to her and let out wholehearted laughs.
On the roof of the mansion, Romero howls in the sky despite it being day as the everyday lives of Saga's populace continue as normal.
To be continued
Onomatopoeia:
ブォォォン (Boooooun) - An attack hitting the air, or the sound of a missed attack.
バカァァァ (Bakaaaa) - Sticky Fingers snapping the zipper-ridden opponent to pieces. Could also be its finishing blow.
There you have it! This concludes the three-part battle against Limp Bizkit! What do you guys think? Are you impressed with its expanded form and how I depicted it than its original and cramped incarnation?
The next two chapters will conclude the story's first act, and fortunately for our zombies, no more Stand shenanigans this time around so they get to earn some downtime away from the usual fights. That said, Kotaro won't let them rest anytime soon because they still need to secure funds after their partnership with Hisanaka imploded so he's already working towards that goal.