Meanwhile, some minutes ago while the zombies' backs were turned…
"COWABUNGAAAA!"
Excitedly hollered out Saki as she threw away the towel draped all over her body before entering the sauna and then jumped into the hot spring, creating a big splash. This happened right in front of Sakura and Junko, both also wearing a towel to cover their naked bodies, who were a little stunned over Saki's stunt. Nevertheless, that didn't diminish their eagerness to try out the hot springs, sneaking out of their assigned rooms to do so. They almost didn't regret sneaking out of the room and taking in the sight of the sauna covered in a cloud of steam filling the place with its lukewarm and comfortable temperature originating from the hot springs.
As parts of the same steam covers her entire body sans her neck and head in place of a discarded towel, Saki ushers the two in, saying, "C'mon you two! Let's get in and out, while we got time!"
Deciding not to make her wait, Sakura and Junko take off their towels and dip their bodies into the hot springs. Almost immediately, they felt a soothing sensation seeping into their bodies, causing them to let out a relaxed sigh. They never thought dipping in a hot spring would feel so relaxing, so much so it makes Sakura almost forget she tried turning down Saki's plan to sneak out and bathe in the hot spring earlier while everyone's asleep.
"Haaaaah… Wow, I feel so alive right now." Sakura said, her eyes closed as she lay her head on a rock comfortably.
"Me too, but for the last time, we're dead." Junko reminded her and Saki, though not without a nervous tone in her voice. Could be the soothing effect of the spring.
Somewhat spurred by Junko's reminder, Sakura straightens her back and checks her left arm, which looks shiny and healthy, like she's not dead. "My skin is already a lot smoother!" She exclaimed, prompting Junko to check her own arm too.
"Told ya!" Saki replied with a confident grin. "Zombies can absorb stuff faster!"
"Yeah! It's great!" Sakura concurred with a hand on her blushing cheeks.
"Totally worth the risk! Your head's all shiny too! Oh? Hmm…" Saki leaned forward and squinted her eyes on Sakura, who's slightly puzzled over what she's staring at her face or head for. Then Saki has an unimpressed expression on her when she reveals, jokingly or not, "Y'know something? It looks like your egghead went rotting."
"…Huh?" Once again, Sakura got miffed over her strange comparison. She didn't get to chastise Saki again though, when Junko suddenly shrieked in fright, drawing their attention to her. "EYAAAAAAH! I-I think something just touched me!" The white-haired zombie quickly gave out this reason to the two.
"Oh hell no!" Saki instantly went to the spot where Junko supposedly felt something touched her. Raising her fist, she exclaims, "Come out and show yourself, jackass! I got some action right HERE!" Her angered face changed to a confused expression after she saw what actually touched Junko: a strip bandage. Picking it up, Saki recognizes how the medicinal strip got here, stating, "Oh yeah, the Saganship Z. Damn these things are absorbent…"
"Haaah. That scared me. I guess you forgot to take it off your back." Sakura said to Junko after sighing, glad she thought of removing the strips off her body first before entering the hot spring. The same may apply to Saki.
At that, Junko became bashful for having forgotten to do a simple act. "Oh my gosh, I must have! I'm sorry…"
With that tiny crisis resolved fast and cleared up, Saki gave another squinted look to the medicinal strip before she said, "Anyway… I think today went ｢pretty well｣, you two."
"Oh definitely! But uh…" Sakura agreed and grinned, but she started feeling skeptical.
"Well, the audience looked like they were having a good time," recalled Junko, closing her eyes. "And at the end of the day, that's what's ｢most important｣. Still though, our performance could use a lot of ｢improvement｣."
Hearing her, Sakura felt her doubt disappearing, agreeing with Junko's advice. "Yeah."
"I say we'll keep doing our best, so next time we can weld with just our singing and dancing."
"Okay!" She readily agreed, taking mental note of Junko's small wisdom and being glad the shy zombie is growing some backbone. Bolstered by their conversation, Saki sneaks up from behind and puts her arms over their respective shoulders rather roughly, surprising them.
"Hah, sweet! It's like Marutchi has become Tamatchi!" Saki described their mutual agreement in Tamagotchi terms. Naturally, the two either didn't understand or perhaps did, but chose not to question the blonde zombie what she meant.
Whether they choose to or not, the chance slipped by like someone slipping on a wet floor when they heard the entrance door to the hot spring slide open. Acting quick on instinct the three go over a row of rocks and hide, straining their ears to hear wet footsteps, and someone submerging their bodies into the warm waters gently. They carefully peek up afterward to see a middle-aged woman, with her hair tied up in a bun, taking a dip in a hot spring with eyes closed. The three recognized who the woman was.
"Look, it's the lady from Hisanaka!" Junko whisper-shouted.
"This is bad! She'll see us!" Sakura whispered back, internally cursing over the bad timing.
"Go underwater!" Saki began advising. "We're ｢zombies｣, so we ｢don't｣ need to breathe!" Despite this assumed fact, Saki sucks in air to her mouth and closes her lips, making her cheeks puffy, before submerging herself completely under the water. Seeing no other option, Junko submerged under the water next, without sucking in the air beforehand. Slightly panicking, Sakura pinches her nose to prepare herself.
"Okay, here it goes!" She announced in a quiet tone before moving in to follow after Saki and Junko.
ポーッ
However, the rock got in the way of her chin or jaw, and before she realized her mistake, it popped out of her neck and bounced onto the opposite side of the rock. And to the waters. "WAAAH!"
パチャァ！
The resulting splash is heard by the Hisanaka lady. "Hm? Hello?" Prompted to check out who made a small splash, she walks toward the source of the splash, until she sees a discarded wet medicinal strip floating on the surface. Wondering what's this doing here, she picks up the strip with the intent of throwing it out later…
…which is the only thing covering the sunken, decaying face of Sakura looking up with a shocked expression.
バーン！
The Hisanaka lady stared at the horrifying detached head of Sakura for a few seconds, before she screamed in fright. "UAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"SaKuRAAAAAAaaaa…!" Saki's angered name calling comes out muffled due to being underwater and the bubbles coming out of her mouth, her and Junko realizing the grave mistake Sakura (unintentionally) did. Little do these two know, it wouldn't be long when they make the same kind of mistake too as they rose up from the shallow depths to show their shriveled or wrinkled bodies right before the terrified lady's eyes.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She screamed for the second time, causing Junko to scream back too, before she scrambled out of the waters, snatched her towel to cover herself, and made a mad dash back to the changing room. With her out of their sights fortunately, Saki and Junko, after calming down, quickly pull Sakura's body and head and themselves out of the spring, grabbing their towels before dashing back to a different changing room.
"C'mon, c'mon! Let's get out of here before that lady comes back, or anyone sees us!" Saki commanded, panicking injected in her voice she doesn't normally show in her demeanor. Junko also shared it, in contrast to her screaming self a few seconds ago.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to remove my head! I didn't-!" Sakura tried explaining, the only zombie who's panicking out of her mind.
"No time for apologies! We must make haste!" Junko told her before she pulled her body by her ankles, dragging it along, while Saki secured her head with her left arm.
Haaargh! Please don't let this get any worse! Please don't let this get any worse! Please don't let this get any WORSE! ! ! Sakura pleaded in her mind, sincerely hoping it would be the case as soon as the three returned back to their rooms.
It did get worse… Sakura whined internally after she, Saki and Junko went sprawling across the floor after Saki inadvertently slipped and crashed into the Hisanaka lady, knocking her out. Though they don't know it, their unintentional scare is the last straw for the poor lady after she had the misfortune of encountering eight other zombies without makeup, whom they inadvertently scared her out of her wits too.
Soon after she went unconscious, their groupmates and bodyguards arrived and saw the sneaky trio looking down at her unconscious, fear-struck form with guilty and sheepish looks from Saki and Junko, and Sakura's headless body lying in a slump against a wall and her own head facing down. They were surprised to see the three out and about instead of resting in their assigned room, while Mamezuku and Ai quickly identified what on earth happened here and who were responsible.
And so, after Junko reattached her head, she, Sakura and Saki got their heads down while kneeling with hands laying atop on their knees, all looking really guilty and ashamed before Ai, Yugiri, Johnny, Gyro, Mamezuku, Narancia, Lily and Tae. The first five zombies are either frowning or disappointed over their actions while the last three are only wondering what the heck they did behind their backs.
"Well…? Care to tell us what you three did?" Ai sternly inquired with arms crossed.
"Uhhh…" Sakura trailed off, slowly glancing at Saki, who's in between her and Junko. "You better ask Saki-chan. She's the one who forced us when I have no intention of leaving."
"Hey, that doesn't mean you ain't responsible!" Saki replied back with an irritated look. Even if she's ticked off, she did have the guts to feel guilty, just not as much similar to Sakura and Junko. "If only your head didn't fall off, we would be okay!"
"I didn't mean to! I panicked and, and-! The rock was in the way, alright?!"
"We're so sorry. We shouldn't have gone to a hot spring like Nikaido-san wanted if we only knew that poor lady would visit it…" Junko started, feeling so much guilt she can't hold it in.
"You sneaked behind our backs to… bathe in a hot spring?" Johnny parroted in disbelief.
"I-I just wanted to try it out! And it's actually really good since we're zombies! And us zombies absorb stuff faster, meaning it's very… effective…" Saki tried reasoning and justifying her decisions for this night, raising her eyes up. But her voice trailed off when she saw their still unimpressed faces emphasized by their narrowed eyes. Guessing she's not coming through them, Saki could only avert her eyes and chuckled sheepishly. "Hahaha… Yeah, yeah, it's all my fault. I admit it. I shouldn't have done it in the first place." She pouted.
Her half-hearted apology appeared to be enough since Ai, Johnny and Mamezuku shook their heads but chose not to pursue it any further or make them feel more guilty. After all, unintentional or not, they did have the hand in scaring the Hisanaka lady until she fell unconscious.
"*sighs* Let's just… pretend this never happened, okay?" Mamezuku suggested. "Right now, we must take the unconscious woman back to her room safely and… Huh?"
Turning around, Mamezuku's aloof face slightly changed into puzzlement when he saw the Hisanaka lady was nowhere to be found. The rest of the group followed and, like him, they became baffled too.
"What? Wasn't that lady supposed to be lying there the whole time? Where did she go?" Yugiri pointed out with one finger.
"Did she wake up and left?" Saki wondered, rising up on her feet along with Sakura and Junko.
"I doubt it. If she did, she would see us," opposed Narancia, scratching his head while blinking twice. "And come to think of it, no sound was made if she possibly left. So how…?" Before they could pursue the matter any further, an accented male voice echoed within the hotel walls.
"Well! Can't believe my luck! My prey are all in one place!"
!?
Becoming alarmed, Mamezuku and Johnny told Franchouchou to huddle up together. The girls did as they instructed, allowing the two, Gyro and Narancia to gather around them and huddle up too, with the express purpose of shielding them and covering any blindspots in the main four directions. Concurrently, they heard dozens of footsteps echoing from each side, accompanied by unearthly groans or moans. This made the four bodyguards get more alerted while the girls, specifically Sakura, Ai, Junko and Lily, become more afraid.
"W-W-Who… Who said that? A-And what are these groans we're hearing?" Lily asked.
"Would you like to know, little squirt?" The "voice" chuckled in mild amusement. "Consider me and my army of zombies as predators who will get our grubby hands on your tender flesh to feast and drink your blood! Or if you want a simpler explanation… We're a group of Stand, and I am its leader… Limp Bizkit!"
BGM: Invisible Corpse (Stone Ocean OST)
ドドドドドドドド
The owner of the voice's, or actually the enemy Stand's explanation, did nothing to ease Franchouchou's worries after learning who they're facing while their four bodyguards gritted their teeth or narrowed their eyes. "Stand… So you're the enemy Stand that's haunting this hotel!" Narancia accused.
"Haunting? Oh, you mean I'm the 'ghost' of Ureshino Hot Spring Hotel those three goons mentioned. Hmph, I would've corrected you but… I'd say you ain't wrong that I'm 'haunting' this hotel."
"Those three goons… you're talking about our groupmates?" Johnny aimed a finger at the enemy's position. At least he thought he was there because he's not showing up for some reason.
"Yup! And in case you're worried for your gullible friends, they're currently stuck a few floors below, occupied with fighting many zombies I spawned out of me to distract and keep them busy. They may not be up to par with my own superior strength and speed, but I figured overwhelming them with numbers should prevent them from chasing after me as I get my hands on those girls. Hehehe."
The terrified looks on Sakura, Ai, Junko and Lily's face never left and have increased after hearing who the enemy Stand wants to target, but Saki, Yugiri and Tae openly glared and remain defiant. This applied to their bodyguards naturally.
"I get it. With those three needing to deal with your own spawns, you thought it would make hunting and killing us easier to do. A cowardly move, but no less an effective one," summed up Mamezuku. At the moment, a cyan aura surrounds him, and probably in response, three more auras appear around Narancia, Johnny and Gyro, colored differently in scarlet, pink and light green. "Too bad it won't go as you hoped because we're here."
"You'll have to go through us if you want them! Though I advise you shouldn't 'cause we'll teach you a lesson you may regret!" Gyro threatened, his hands hovering above his unholstered steel balls.
The response his words got is a chuckle initially, then a laughter increasing in speed and volume, though only briefly. "You got some guts, I'll give you all that. That said though, can you try attacking me and my zombies when we're all invisible? I mean, have you pinpointed exactly my position as of this moment? And no, I ain't talking about our moanings and groanings my underlings naturally make."
The group couldn't answer him. Even if their eyes are trained towards where he could possibly be in, they couldn't see him the whole time. This is a fact that the girls have to hammer in their heads. That resulted in another laughter from Limp Bizkit because they know he's right. "Just as I thought! Y'all didn't know where we standing! Too bad!"
"Oi, no fair! How will they strike you and your so-called zombies when we can't see you!" Saki complained.
"Well allow us then… if only because you agreed to become our long-awaited main course of this night's feast! Onward, my minions! It's time to make a feast out of their flesh and blood!"
A chorus of harrowing groans erupted from each side before rushing footsteps were heard next. The bodyguards prepared themselves to retaliate against Limp Bizkit's incoming zombie horde while keeping the terrified and nervous Franchouchou inside their circle.
"H-Here they come guys!" Lily warned.
"We know! Just stay close!" Narancia replied as he's about to summon his Stand…
ビィィィッ
"STICKY FINGERS!"
…only to stop when Sticky Fingers emerged from a zipper opening on the floor and out came Bucciarati quickly moving to pummel every invisible zombie that got too close from behind.
"ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI!"
"Uaaaaaaaarghhhh!"
A bout of anguished groans are heard by the group after Bucciarati is done fending off the zombies on this side. Then he dashed into the front before he had Sticky Fingers deal the other zombies on this side. "ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI!"
"Ngaaaaaaarghhhh!"
With the zombies perishing by his hands, Bucciarati sighed in relief that he made it in time. "Bene. So my instinct is correct. You did flee after forcing us to get busy killing your spawns so you could hunt them down without opposition. I know you're around here and I didn't land a good strike on you, so come out and make yourself known!" He shouted.
As he expected, Limp Bizkit is heard groaning in anger that his plan failed because of his quick thinking and instinct. He sees no benefit in fleeing when he was already found. "You…! Son of a…! You managed to find me that quick!?"
"The proof is right before you, right?" Bucciarati replied. "Unfortunately, I have to go after you alone while my two groupmates take care of your remaining zombies. Either way however, what matters is that I found you."
"Why you… If only your sharp senses didn't work, I would've sunk my teeth on them!"
Bruno narrowed his eyes. "Not on my watch. As I stand, I won't let you attack the girls."
"Grrrr!"
While Limp Bizkit fumed, Bucciarati looked back to the awestruck audience who witnessed his entrance. The most impressed of the zombies are the girls naturally excluding Tae, which their bodyguards copied in a subdued manner if your name isn't Narancia.
"Bucciarati! We didn't expect you to be here!" Narancia exclaimed.
"I could say the same to you all. Why are you outside?" Bruno directly questioned with the eyes of a demanding parent. Upon hearing his question, Sakura, Junko and Saki look more sheepish or ashamed than before. He caught their reactions, but chose not to pursue it before he next tells them, "Never mind. What's important is the girls being safe. You four, take them back to their rooms!"
"Wait, let us help you! That enemy Stand could-"
"No! The girls need us more than he needs our help, Gyro!" Mamezuku stopped him. "Their safety should be prioritized! He can take care of Limp Bizkit without us!"
"But-" Narancia tried to protest more but he eventually relented after a single glance to the girls' nervous or scared faces. They filed out of here immediately to the direction of their rooms.
"Be careful, Bucciarati-san!" What Sakura said before she finally left. An aghast Limp Bizkit saw them fleeing and refused to let them out of his sight.
"NO! I won't let my prey get away!"
"ARI!"
Sticky Fingers missed its mark when he dodged back. Skidding to a halt, Limp Bizkit clenched their teeth in anger and glared at Bucciarati. "Don't you dare get out of my sight! Let's finish this here and now!" He boasted, sliding his feet to assume a stance together with Sticky Fingers.
Under a different vision, one can see Limp Bizkit's true appearance under the veil of his invisibility, who grits their teeth out of irritation. A man of above-average height and build, he possesses short blonde hair with strands jutting out like small spikes, one set of eyebrows of the same color and of circular shape tapering into short tails, a secondary pair of normal, dark eyebrows above its manic eyes, and pale and gaunt skin. For attire, he wears a violet coat and pants with black paisley patterns, blue turtleneck shirt, and black shoes.
As much as he wanted to lash out against Bucciarati however, he restrained from acting out his feelings and recomposed himself, becoming calmer and adjusting his posture. He could sense his spawned minions flanking him from behind and Bucciarati, again indicated by their unearthly groans. For Zipper Man's part, he remained calm and collected.
Oh, unlike Limp Bizkit's almost normal-looking appearance, the invisible zombies do look as expected of their kind: shambling corpses with wrinkled, decaying and gray skin, gaping mouths, no nose, and soulless eyes. Their clothes look clean and well-maintained though.
"Impressive. Most impressive, Bruno Bucciarati," complimented Limp Bizkit to Bruno's surprise. "I see your instincts as a gangster haven't dulled not one bit after your death."
"You know my whole name? And my profession?" Bucciarati narrowed his eyes.
"Of course. The one who brought me here told me who I might potentially face in my hunt for your own flesh. Oh, you may call me Limp Bizkit. That's the name of my Stand too, by the way."
Bucciarati didn't respond and simply waited for either his next attack or words.
"So, before my minions and I attack you, there's something I wanna ask… You're a gangster, right? A mafia member from Italy, to be precise?"
"Used to be."
"Hah! Call yourself a former member of the mafia as much as you like. It doesn't change the fact that you acquainted yourself with the criminal business. Whatever your reasons may be, there's no denying it."
"…Denying it! What's the point of bringing it up? Are you distracting me by striking a conversation or…?"
"No. Not intending to distract you. More like indulging my curiosity 'cause I'm like you. A gangster member."
That surprised Bucciarati because not once Limp Bizkit showed signs of having known the gangster lifestyle until now. "What?"
"That got your attention, huh? Very good," chuckled Limp Bizkit. "You're wondering why I'm talking to someone like you? A fellow gangster member who… used to be part of the criminal underworld. Well, I only want to know just why are ya risking your life and limb getting involved with the idol business and leading the bodyguard group your manager instructed you to… Seems contradictory to me that you and your own lackeys want to do good in spite of your history as a mafia member."
Bruno narrowed his eyes once more.
"Take it from me, Bruno. I don't care what methods I use that any upstanding person would be disgusted with, or how many lives I must take in order to get what I want. The needs of a criminal organization or a singular member is all that matters in the criminal world. Empathy, camaraderie, loyalty… Tsk! Those are nothing but bullshit in the face of hardened criminals as I. There's no virtue when it comes to committing yourself to this lifestyle. You should've looked after yourself and yourself only, and did the bidding of your employers without question! If I had met you while I was alive, I would've tried to steer you to a real path a mafioso or gangster must pursue! Maybe that will get rid of my disappointment I'm feeling to you due to your sense of empathy and comradeship you feel for your teammates!"
"So! What do you have to say for yourself, Bruno Bucciarati? Has my words got through your head, which will be pointless once one of us feast upon it?!" Limp Bizkit grinned wickedly as his minions chuckled or laughed languidly, apparently relishing that their leader put their opponent in one place. The invisible elite zombie glanced at Bruno, his glare unwavering all this time.
"…I see. Thank you for clarifying to me how I should see you."
"Huh?"
He knows he's surrounded from every angle. He knows they'll react the moment he makes his move. And he knows the apparent irony in his statement when talking to the invisible enemy Stand. Yet his posture is brimming with confidence and resolve, and from this came forth this statement. "When I realized your attempted trickery, I already expected you aren't the noble type who wants to play by the rules. I would've respected you had you displayed even an ounce of it, or if you didn't compare me to a scumbag like you. I almost pity you for what will happen when I have my hands on you eventually. But sadly for you, I had none."
He emphasized that last word with a tone of irreverence and venom, indicating what Bruno truly thought of Limp Bizkit. "And one last thing… Don't you dare lump me in with you. I would never follow the tainted path you stepped on, for I have something you don't clearly have: values for morality criminals don't have the luxury of inhabiting. You hear me?"
The enemy went silent for a while before responding with a growl, frustrated by Bucciarati's response. "…Hmph! Ain't you a bold one? Fine. Embark on your so-called 'path'. I don't care anymore! It's high time for this parlay to end anyway! If we can't have the main course first…"
Still unseen by Bucciarati, Limp Bizkit and every zombie minion charged towards him to finally get their eager hands on his body, flesh and blood. "…Then you'll be our small appetizer beforehand! Hope you're ready to be consumed by those resurrected from the depths of the abyss, BUCIARATIIIIIII!"
Relying on his sense of hearing, Bucciarati emboldened his steely eyes as he shifted his stance, determined to defeat the supposed gangster to pieces and come out of the fight alive.
To be continued
Limp Bizkit
Destructive Power: Null
Speed: B
Range: B
Stamina: A
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: E
Limp Bizkit is unique in that the Stand itself doesn't take on a physical form. Instead, the user can be considered a Stand itself. Its ability involves summoning invisible zombies who can walk on walls and possess enhanced strengths. The user itself is an invisible zombie but stronger and faster compared to them. Because the zombies have cravings for blood and brains, they are aggressive by default, which the user has to reign them in and prevent unneeded chaos stemming from their unrestrained instincts.
Writing the differences between Bucciarati and Sports Max, both of whom used to work in the criminal world, and highlight those differences, is my favorite part of writing this chapter. I knew I have to let Sports Max fight against Buccirati by his lonesome as a form of seeeing whose work philosophy as a member of a mafia or a gang is stronger.
You can already see who's gonna win. It's only a matter of how.