"Yosh! Yosh! Yosh! Yosh! OKAY!"
Eagerly uttered by Kotaro as he demonstrates basic dance moves to a mirror the size of a room's wall. He's not the only one facing it as there's Sakura following his movements rather obediently, and so far she's doing well, helped that by facing their reflection, they can track their steps better.
Currently, the zombie girls are inside the mansion's shed located outside behind the mansion to prioritize practicing for their performance tomorrow. Though while Sakura is doing that just fine, the same couldn't be said for the other girls.
Directing her eyes while still facing the mirror, Sakura is dismayed to see the girls are not training at all and are doing something else instead. Lily is stretching her cheek while facing the mirror to widen her smile, Saki is dozing off, Junko loiters near the wall with a shy look, the yet-unawakened Tae crawls across the floor with her legs while lying face-up, then she bites Junko's legs, making her panic and plead Tae to stop, Yugiri continues smoking from her kiseru and Ai is sitting opposite of Sakura, doing nothing except watching the redhead rehearse.
Naturally, Sakura is worried that everyone is not practicing because they may not be able to pull off the performance tomorrow at this rate. She wanted to motivate them somehow but right now, she must focus on perfecting the dance steps Kotaro is showing her.
The girls and Kotaro are not the only ones here, as the zombie guys are present too, occupying a vacant wall. Since they have nothing better to do than to loiter around, they decided to watch Sakura practice.
Sitting in the opposite direction of the girls are Bucciarati, Narancia, Johnny and Gyro, watching the red-haired girl rehearse under Kotaro's exuberant guidance. Sitting crossed leg on the floor with one hand under his chin, Narancia grows interested over the zombie girls' occupation and how they can deal with Kotaro's expectations.
"Hey Bucciarati… What do you think idols do? Do they have to sing and dance on beat with the music, right in front of the audience?"
"If that girl is moving her body like she's in a rhythm, it is likely Narancia," he replied, standing between Narancia and Johnny. "And of course, a lot of singing is involved. Though not mutually exclusive, dancing and singing do meld together to create an all-encompassing entertainment.
"So basically, that's what idols do? Singing and dancing?" Johnny said, curious about the occupation due to coming from a time when idols didn't exist yet.
"You heard him Johnny, but I'm willing to bet it's gonna be fun watching them sing and dance." Gyro expressed his interest and curiosity with a nod and grin.
The four go silent for a few seconds before Gyro opens his mouth again as he turns to Johnny, "So, Johnny… Can't believe we're together again, huh? Revived as zombies many years from our time, in a different reality… I'm surprised I am not questioning the concept of a dead person becoming alive so seriously."
"Yeah… This all feels so surreal," replied Johnny truthfully. "As much as I'm miffed about becoming a zombie and having to use a cane thanks to my lame legs, which is not too different from using a wheelchair, just seeing you again is more than enough for me to tolerate it."
"…You must have missed me a lot when I died." Gyro was aware he died before Johnny's eyes when he stated that. He has every reason to believe Johnny is devastated by his death.
"Why shouldn't I be? I saw you die before my eyes and even if ten years have passed, I long for your presence just for once. And if I remember correctly, I kept a steel ball in me as a reminder of our friendship…"
"Oh? And where is the steel ball now?"
"I don't have it in me. Perhaps that crazy man has it. I better remember to ask where he put the steel ball and hope he didn't lose it…"
Hearing distress in his voice, Gyro crouches to his height and pats his shoulder to comfort him, stating, "Cheer up Johnny. I'm sure he must have kept it considering he knows us too well. Besides, I'm here now, and don't go worrying that I'll go away anytime soon. Alright?"
His words managed to lighten him up, even a little, as evident by his smile. "I have no intention of doing that, but thanks."
Listening to their conversation, Bucciarati and Narancia share Johnny's sentiment. Never in their entire (undead?) lives did they have the chance to be together after their untimely deaths. While being zombies means they mustn't meet with Giorno and the others again to keep their identity a secret, at least they take comfort by their presence. Moreso for Bucciarati as he's relieved to see Narancia again after he and his former teammates saw him dead while in Giorno's body. He even felt some weight on his shoulders lifting.
Meanwhile, off by their side, Avdol and Kakyoin are having their own conversation regarding how they died.
"Huh? What do you mean it's impossible for you to be revived?" Kakyoin inquired, surprised Avdol makes that bold statement.
Closing his eyes in thought, Avdol says, "When I was with Polnareff and Iggy, we were navigating DIO's mansion using my Stand's Life Detector and Iggy's sense of smell to detect any enemies we may face. After disposing of a minion who created a maze for us to get lost in, I spotted a writing on a pillar. Alarmed, I turned around and saw a Stand manifesting as a void. The two were unaware of its presence so without hesitation, I pushed them out of the way and after that… nothing."
"…Nothing?"
"Yes. ｢Nothing｣. I believe that must be when I died after that Stand struck me and did… something. I do not know what truly happened, but I fear it's something worse if I died so quickly," he opens his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm himself over remembering his death before continuing, "The fact is… I can't shake the feeling that it's possible I couldn't be resurrected, like my body is ｢gone｣."
"…I see." Kakyoin muttered, now understanding him after learning the circumstances behind his death. Shivers run down his spine as he could only imagine that kind of death he got, but he shakes the thought off so he doesn't get more freaked out. "We may not know the manner of how you died, but thanks to your words, I begin finding it weird you were still revived despite your body probably gone. Kotaro wouldn't have that, unless…"
"…It's the work of the Stand," guessed Avdol, referring to the unknown Stand User who helped Kotaro. "If this user managed to bring us back to the living, I believe its Stand is quite powerful."
"If it is, then I hope the user is not our enemy." Even though Kotaro assured them that the user had helped him, Kakyoin can't help but worry after guessing it's the work of a Stand. If he forgot who the user is and its Stand ability, then there's no doubt something is in the works that Kotaro is unaware of.
"So Kakyoin," he heard his friend say next. "Tell me. How did you die? You were likely fighting against DIO after my and Iggy's death. Did he…?"
"*sighs* Yeah… You're right… He killed me thanks to his Stand."
As Kakyoin told Avdol how he died, Mamezuku idly listened as he leaned against a wall next to them. Unlike the six, not one person is recognized by him and vice versa. As such, he's basically a stranger to them, thereby compelling him to stand away from them and let him be by his lonesome. While he likes being alone, he knows he's going to work with them sooner or later and sees no other way around aside from staying with the other zombies and using his Stand for protection. He also has nowhere to come back to because he's a zombie and in a different world entirely. Even if he suspects Morioh does exist in this world, he is sure it's gonna be different from the Morioh he knows.
With all of that in mind, Mamezuku can't help but feel a little queasy and worried if he's gonna fare well here as a zombie. He analyzed that he will be safe if he's with the others but making friends with anyone here is probably harder for him because of his antisocial nature. But since Joestar-san and Zeppeli-san are from the same reality as I am, I suppose I'll be okay if I stick around them. Hope they don't mind.
Putting his worries aside for now, Mamezuku notices Ai has been staring at Sakura for a while. He only knows so much about idols at surface level, but he can hazard a guess what she's doing to her. Most likely analyzing.
He's not the only one as Sakura noticed her calculating stare the entire time, making her wonder what Ai is thinking. Is she watching her movements and seeing if she has what it takes to be an idol?
Ignoring her for now, Sakura continues following Kotaro's moves while everyone stands idly by as they wait for time to pass.
Kakyoin and Sakura, wearing pajamas, put down two futons on the ground next to a row of futons to be used for sleeping. There are fourteen futons in total and seven of them are placed in two sets in a straight line according to gender.
In the living room counting as their bedroom when it's nighttime, the twelve zombies are off doing their own thing again while the two are busy placing the futons provided by Kotaro, including the night clothes that they're currently wearing (except for Mamezuku, who insists he keep wearing his current outfit though he accepts removing his hat). Amidst the minor chaos, Tae chases Junko, who tries to lose her by circling around Lily and Gyro reading a book about heavy machinery, Narancia attempts to stop Tae out of concern for Junko, Yugiri combs her hair while looking at the mirror, Johnny, who removed his knit cap exposing his shoulder-length hair, waits for her to finish, Bucciarati chatting with Avdol and Mamezuku about how they feel about their new undead life and being bodyguards for the girls, and lastly, Ai sits on a couch while holding a pillow close to her face. When they turn to her, she hugs it tightly, partially hiding her face while averting her eyes.
"…Ai-chan was an idol, wasn't she?" Sakura wondered.
"Yes. She's called the Legendary Heisei Idol by Kotaro so she must be." Kakyoin confirmed. "…You're curious about her, Sakura?"
"I am," nodding, she continues looking at Ai as she says, "I think I might've seen her somewhere before…"
"Really? Hmm, maybe she's in the flash of memory you told me about this morning."
"It could be. I just have to ask her and-"
"Oi."
Turning around when someone speaks to them, the two see Saki, who's the only one not in pajamas, crouched to their level. She ignores Kakyoin as she has her eyes on Sakura. "You're Sakura-chan, right?" She asked bluntly.
"Y-Yes. That's my name." She answered nervously, trying to keep a cool head while looking at the former biker gang leader.
"Where're you from?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking you what middle school you went to!" She leaned closer as she clarified in an angry tone.
"Uh, well… I don't remember anything…" She truthfully replied.
Unsatisfied, she stands up and glares Sakura down with a scowl before saying, "You screw with me and I'll kill you. Got it?"
"I-It's true…! I d-don't remember a-anything from b-before I-I became a z-z-zombie!" She insisted while trembling from fear.
"Then remember it! Make yourself remember!" Saki prodded. As Sakura is getting close to freaking out, Kakyoin stands up and puts his hand on Saki's shoulder as he says, "Nikaido-san, please don't try to make her uncomfortable. If she says she can't remember it, then stop forcing her."
"Hmph!" Pushing his hand off, she exclaims to him, "What about you? Do you remember anything before you became a zombie?"
"For your information, I do," he replied, folding his arms as he stares back. "You want me to tell my life story?"
"Nah. Keep it to yourself. Besides, there's something important here I'm gonna ask you two."
"And what's that?"
Crouching to Sakura to glare at her again, she asks, "Why the hell are you two taking this seriously? Are you two too dense or what, huh!? You want to get POUNDED?!"
"Not exactly," Sakura responded. "It's just… We have a show to do so…"
"And enemy Stands to worry about." Kakyoin added.
"We oughta do a rally."
Sakura and Kakyoin looked surprised at what Saki suggested. As if their imagination is kicking in, Saki is suddenly surrounded by biker girls all wearing a pink biker suit and helmet.
バーン !
"SHAAAA!" She shouted for added effect.
"…You can't do that," Kakyoin pointed out. "You're a zombie, remember? How can you rally when we're not trying to expose ourselves as zombies?"
Glaring at him, Saki sighs as she puts a hand on her forehead, mumbling something about how her Tamagotchi is dead before leaving the two on their own. Relieved she left, Sakura put her face on the pillow and clutched it with her hands. "Haaaaah! That was so scary…"
"She seemed like one unruly girl, that's for sure." Kakyoin sighed, glad that she's not bothering them for now. He turns back to the couch only to notice Ai is gone. "Huh? Hey, Sakura. Ai's not here anymore." He informed her.
"Huh?" Looking up and seeing an empty couch and a pillow, she remembers that she wants to talk to her so she can see if she knows the idol.
After telling Kakyoin about it, he nods understandably and tells her not to take too long. With his blessing, Sakura left the room to search for Ai.
"OWWW! HEY! STOP BITING ME! MY LEG'S NOT FOR CHEWING, SO GET OFF ME! I SAID GET OFF ME!"
Kakyoin turned to see Narancia struggling to get Tae off his leg when she bit him, who growled at him in response. The two are on the verge of quarreling with each other, but Bucciarati and Avdol prevented them from fighting as they help Narancia get the feral zombie off him, As Lily, Yugiri, Saki, Mamezuku and Johnny watch, he noticed Gyro and Junko are not in the room.
"Johnny-san, where's Gyro-san?" He asks the paraplegic, seeing that the Joestar from an alternate world knows him the best.
"He said he wants to check something out. As odd as his request is, he shouldn't be taking too long." Johnny answered.
"What about Junko-san?"
He shrugs his shoulders, stating, "She left to get away from the crazy woman biting that kid's leg. I assume she left right after Gyro and that girl you're together with left."
Thinking it's just a coincidence the three leave the room, Kakyoin turns to the door, wondering if Sakura is going to be fine.
Meanwhile, making her way through the hallway is Ai who, after fetching her day clothes, sneakily makes her way to the genkan with the intent of escaping the mansion. She's unwilling to accept Kotaro's insane plan to turn her and the zombie girls into idols under the belief it's going to fail. Also, Saga is not her birth prefecture; it's Tokyo and she wants to return.
Once she's near the door, Ai didn't hesitate to grab her shoes off the shelf and put them on before moving to open the door. But then, she looked through the window and saw Romero on the steps. "A zombie dog…?" Ai mumbled, surprised to see an undead animal in the doorsteps.
Romero turns to the door and sees Ai peeking through. The dog proceeds to jump to the window to demand her attention…
ワーン ! ワーン ! ワァァンッ !
…but from Ai's view, a monstrous and savage dog has taken his place. Shrieking in fear, she decides against opening this door, so she moves away to go look for another exit, only to bump into someone.
"Ah!"
"Whoa there," blurted out Gyro as he stayed standing compared to Ai almost tumbling backwards. As she caught herself and steady her footing, she looked up to see who she bumped into. "Careful there. You should look at what's before you. Can't have you run into someone else accidentally."
"I, well… I'm sorry." Ai apologized, feeling embarrassed.
"No need to apologize. It's a tiny mistake so I'll let it slide." He replied with a smile.
"Right… Um, if you'll excuse me…"
Moving around Gyro, Ai moves to another part of the mansion in search of the exit. Watching her go, he narrows his eyes as he already guessed what her intention is for tonight.
She's not thinking of leaving the place, is she?
"What kind of place did I wake up to?"
After finding a back entrance, Ai is currently outside the manor, crouching near the bushes and the mansion's gates, wondering to herself those words. Shaking the thought off, she moves to climb up the iron fence when she hears Sakura's voice calling her name.
"Ai-chan? Are you here? Ai-chan?"
Not wanting to be seen, Ai ducks in the bush. Crawling underneath, she turns her head to Sakura's direction, silently hoping she didn't find her hiding in the bush. She turns her head forward to escape the mansion undetected…
…Just as Junko enters the view, red eyes, rotting skin and all.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Their screams continue for four seconds, loud enough for Sakura to hear them. "Ai-chan! Oh, and Junko-chan too. What are you two doing?" She wondered, moving to the bush where she heard them scream.
Seeing they are spotted, Ai and Junko pick themselves up and turn to the fences as they answer Sakura's question simultaneously.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm leaving."
"I'm leaving this place…"
Grabbing the bars, Ai attempts to climb up as she states, "Why should I have to put up with this nonsense?" As she tries to go over the fence, Sakura pulls her back down a little worriedly, saying, "No, no, no. You can't. It's dangerous out there."
"You mean like that video he showed us? There's no way that's gonna happen." Ai claimed.
"Me and Kakyoin got shot for real!" Sakura responded, putting her hands near her neck.
"That Tae girl frightens me," Junko timidly said. "I have no idea what she's thinking. And the way she bites…"
"I-I felt the same way, but it's okay once you get used to it!" As she tries reassuring the scared girl, averting her eyes off Ai, the bandaged girl takes the opportunity of Sakura being distracted to climb back up. Sakura notices her however so she grabs her again. "Ai-chan, wait! Stop!" She pleaded, trying to pull her back down again.
"Let me go!" Ai insisted a little irritatingly, tightening her grip to the bar.
"No!"
The two continued holding on to their contrasting desire until Ai's arms came off with an audible pop. The arms hold on to the bar tightly as she and Sakura falls on the ground, the force of landing causing Ai's eyes to come out her sockets and fly up with an audible pop too. Right in front of Junko.
"WAAAAAAHHHH!"
After the eyes gave poor Junko another fright of her night, they fell to the ground, bouncing and rolling away from her… into someone's feet.
"Hm?"
Looking at the eyes seemingly staring at him, Gyro Zeppeli kneels on the ground to grab them. He then watches the eyes roll around his palm. He appears to be amused, cracking a smile watching the eyes roll around like a ball. Nyo-ho ho ho ho! Wonder if I can use my eye this way? Probably like the time I had the Corpse's eyes when it was on my steel balls!
"Hey! I-I can't see anything! Everything's dark! And my eyes! W-Where are my eyes?!" Ai exclaims in panic, sitting upright and looking around wildly with her empty eye sockets, contributing to make Junko freaking out more.
"Hieeee!"
Quickly walking over, Gyro says, "Oh, right here." Kneeling to her height, he carefully puts the eyes back in her socket which in turn gives her vision back. Blinking repeatedly to adjust her returned vision, Ai recognizes him to be the same man who she bumped into earlier. She next sees him waving his hand close to her face, saying, "Can you see my hand waving in front of you?"
"Y-Yes, I do." Ai confirmed.
"Alright." Turning to her arms still grabbing the iron fence next, Gyro points at them and asks, "Are those arms holding the bars of the fence yours?"
"Yes… Um, can you please put them back, too?" She pleaded as she stood up.
Without saying a word, Gyro grabs Ai's detached arms off the fence and reattaches them back through her long sleeves. After feeling them attaching snugly, he lets go and says, "There you go. Anything else you need me to do?"
"No, that's enough," replied Ai, bowing slightly but not without a sheepish face. "Thank you, Zeppeli-san."
"Don't mention it!" He nodded, cracking a smile. Now that her issue is solved, Gyro looks at her, Sakura and Junko, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he guesses their plans for this night if they are out a little late in the night. "Soooo… what are three zombie girls doing out here this late? You're not planning something behind our backs, are you? Like say… trying to leave the mansion undetected?"
Ai and Junko instinctively avert their gaze, confirming it to Gyro, but Sakura quickly clarifies her intentions to the tall cowboy. "Actually, I'm not planning to leave. Ai-chan and Junko-chan are. I'm only out here to stop them from leaving because I don't want them to end up dead again like the video Kotaro-san showed us."
"Video? You mean… the one about zombies getting mauled in his weird… contraption?" Gyro asked, scratching his chin in confusion.
"Yes, that's the one. Like I said, I'm trying to reason with Ai-chan and Junko-chan because I don't want them getting killed so gruesomely."
"*sighs* Like I told you, it's not gonna happen. I only want to leave the mansion and not partake in this insanity." Ai insisted, moving in to climb up the fences once more.
"I agree. I don't want to be in the same room as Tae-san. She could chase me around again and bite me…" Junko said, following after Ai. They were about to proceed with their plan against Sakura's wishes and protests when Gyro spoke up.
"If you two do get out, what are you gonna do ｢next｣?"
"Eh?"
The three turned to him after noticing the slightly cold tone of his voice. Unlike the jovial or laidback attitude he showed earlier, he became serious this time, frowning as he stared at the two with arms folded.
"If you two did go out, where are you going next?" Gyro continued so he lays out the consequences of their actions they may only realize if they are far enough from the mansion. "Are you going back to your hometown? Perhaps seek help from someone else? Or maybe find a place to live in?"
Unnerved by his words, Ai is about to ask irritatingly what he's on about only to be interrupted. "Even though you want to escape, ｢remember｣ that we're ｢zombies｣. And based on what that man showed us in his… what was the word again?"
"Video." Sakura assisted.
"Yes, video. What Kotaro showed us this morning will more than likely happen to us. We will be pretty much killed again because the public won't accept moving corpses roaming around. If you do end up leaving without considering the consequences, I can tell it's not going to be easy because you two are zombies."
His words seem to be getting to them as Junko stutters to say something. "W-Well…"
"As much as this is a shock for us, let's be glad that the Kotaro guy gave us a place to stay after resurrecting us. As much as his plan sounds crazy even by my standards, I believe he's really serious about giving us a second chance in life. Now I'm not disregarding your intentions because I do understand why you two felt this way… but think of the consequences of your future actions first before you enact it. Last thing you want is regretting it later…" His blunt but well-intentioned words directed at Ai and Junko are effective as they become silent, unable to deny him. It also has an effect on Sakura as well, agreeing with Gyro even if he has to be direct and be a little harsh about it. Since the two reluctant zombies might be reconsidering their stances now, she is hoping the two wouldn't try to set foot outside the mansion after hearing the former executioner out…
"Okay! I have said more than I need to, so I need to get moving." Gyro said suddenly, his stern persona vanishing.
Blinking in confusion, Sakura asks, "Moving? To where?"
"Outside!" He answered. "I'm curious how much the world has changed and what it was like after a century has passed so… I'll go take a walk."
"…H-Huh?"
Recoiling in shock over his reply, the three girls watch Gyro effortlessly climb over the fence on a single jump and land outside. Adjusting his hat after, he turns to the girls and asks, "So you three want to join me? If not, then go back inside and don't bother getting out. I can handle myself."
"G-G-Gyro-san, W-WAIT! Don't go OUT!"
As Sakura attempts to convince Gyro not to leave, Ai and Junko look at each other and Sakura hurriedly climbs over the fence once Gyro starts walking. Then against their better judgment, they followed after them too not because they're planning to escape, but also to see how much has changed while they're sleeping underneath the ground.
They're made unaware of two pairs of eyes watching them from the back door.
To be continued
Onomatopoeia:
ワーン/ワァァンッ (Wan, Waaan) - Japanese word for barking
Night clothes of Kakyoin and his team:
Kakyoin - His striped pajamas he wore at the beginning of Death Thirteen arc.
Avdol - His robe and accessories are removed and trades his shirt and pants for a jellabiya. While his headband are still on his head, his Bantu-knot styled hair are let loose into back-length hair.
Bucciarati - His clothes are unchanged.
Narancia - Green pajamas.
Johnny - Still the same as his day clothes, but he trades his long-sleeved shirt for a sleeveless one and doesn't have the feather. He also wears a beanie instead of his hat.
Gyro - Removes his hat, cape, holster, boots and spurs while changing his purple vest into a green, sleeveless shirt. He still keeps his pants and belt on.
Mamezuku - Like Bucciarati, his clothes are unchanged except for his hat, exposing his flat-top hair and bandaged part of his head.