The first chapter of the story's second act. Please enjoy!

"Damn it, this is getting really annoying..."

Inubashiri whined in displeasure, looking at the website displayed on his laptop. Stretching his arms, the assistant spares a look on the homepage of Franchouchou, which the sentence below the title reads, "You are our 666th visitor." A number like that may instill fear in a superstitious person but he chalks it up as nothing. Aside from that, the only page displayed is the update about the winner of Gatalympics Mud Tarzan event appearing in the new Drive-in Tori commercial, who the assistant knew as Zombie #0.

Ever since Arata Okoba took notice of Franchouchou, he has a feeling that one of them, a white-haired girl only known as Zombie #4, bears striking similarities to an idol from the 80s who died named Junko Konno. Even before thay, Okoba suspected Number Zero first when she showed up in the commercial. With his eyes set on the local idol group, Okoba and Inubashiri got to work researching info about them for a week only they come up with nothing. A stroke of luck may have appeared in the form of their official website, which looks too bright and outdated but they hoped that the site could have info of the girls.

"…I can't believe none of them are on social media," Of course, as his complaint can tell you, Inubashiri hasn't dug up any scant info of the girls at all except for their idol activities displayed on the homepage. "There's nothing here except their idol activities." He lamented.

"I kind of like it," Okoba walked up to him holding a cup of coffee, looking level-headed glancing Franchouchou's website. "Feels like they are not letting their times dictate their style." He opined.

"Come on, Okoba-san. You're the one who wanted to look into them." He said to the reporter taking a sip. "It's been a week and we haven't been able to dig up anything! That goes double for their strange bodyguards too. Damn it…" Looking back at the homepage, Inubashiri wonders who the girls and their bodyguards could be. He hopes that it's not gonna be long before they find out even the tiniest bit of info about any of them, as even he is getting a little interested in these mystery girls and boys.

Speaking of the girls, they are busy rehearsing their newest dance number for a new song in the mansion's shed. With one hand raised above their heads and their feet tapping in rhythm of the music, the girls follow Ai and Junko's lead while facing the mirror for better tracking of their movements. Interestingly, the lead voices of the song are the two idols. Being that they are leading the group for an upcoming performance in the future, it's imperative the two must perform well and lead the others for maximum adequacy.

"Stop!"

The girls stopped dancing when Ai shouted, prompting Saki to turn off the boombox player as Ai, with hands on her knees, tells the girls about their moves and the tempo of the song. "We're still going a little too slow at this part."

"I'm sorry…" Junko apologized because she's having difficulty matching the tempo for a while.

"It's okay. I'll just have to match up with you." Ai reassured her but Junko doesn't seem satisfied since Kotaro told the girls that the two will be the lead vocalist, pressuring her to do her bedt. "I feel bad considering I'm supposed to be one of the lead vocalist…"

"Well, the tempo's faster than usual," Ai didn't deny the problem as she takes a sip from the water bottle. "We'll just have to work on making sure we're perfect for the most crucial parts. I'm going to review the overall flow of the performance, so the rest of you should take a break and watch me if you want."

The girls heeded her advice, so they stand aside and let Ai practice her dance moves alone as the song goes back to the beginning. Sitting on a wall, they watch the Heisei Idol go through the choreography of the practice, keeping their eyes peeled on any subtle change of dance steps in her head, hands, and limbs.

As everyone continues paying attention, Sakura, who hadn't averted her sight away unblinkingly, suddenly has another flash of memory occuring in her head. Similar to the first memory, she's standing among the audience, cheering for a smiling idol singing up on the stage shined by colorful lights.

The idol in question is Ai Mizuno, wearing a different idol outfit and pretty much alive.

Ah… It happened again…

The memory quickly disappears, leaving Sakura to ponder on what that memory could mean. It is becoming clear she must have known Ai even before they both died and become zombies. Digging deeper, she may have recognized her outfit to be the same as the ones in her first memory she got after finding out she has amnesia. Now, the question lies on how much she knows about Ai Mizuno before either of them died and what she can make out of that second memory.

But if there's one thing she can glean from both flashes of memory, they might occur when she's performing or watching someone perform. It's only just a theory, but if another memory appeared in her head for the third time, Sakura may have found the pattern she needed to retrieve the rest of her memories.

For now, Sakura sets her personal issue asidd for now as she and the girls continue to watch Ai Mizuno rehearse by herself.

"ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI ARI! ARRIVEDERCI!"

"EMERALD SPLASH!"

Sticky Finger's rapid punches and Hierophant Green's hard emeralds bring a swift end to the colony type Stand made up of small, bee-like imps with red eyes and pointy stingers protruding from where the mouth should be.

Kakyoin and Bucciarati watch the remaining Stands break into pieces before disappearing to the wind while maintaining a flamboyant pose that has formed when they manage to find an opening in the enemy. Two seconds later, Kakyoin starts wobbling on his feet before, with a noticeable blush and unconcentrated eyes, falls on the ground. "Ughhhhh… Damn it…" He let out a groan after catching himself mid-fall, preventing him from kissing the dirt. "My head is… killing me… Can't believe I'm *hic*…still standing while… d-drunk *hic*" He tried rising up, getting in a kneeling position while rubbing his head after a headache pounded on his skull.

"You're gonna be fine, Kakyoin. We just… need to… wait until we… go back to normal…" Bucciarati, with one eye closed, puts his right arm around his shoulder and stands up to assist him. "Hopefully, our injuries and drunkenness… disappear too."

"Here's hoping…" Hiccuping again, Kakyoin tried maintaining his posture and mind straight despite the amount of alcohol circulating in his body. This is the first time he has gotten drunk and it's all because the enemy Stand covertly injected alcohol into their veins, making them inebriated.

Under Kotaro's orders, Rianima move out in the city to look for an enemy Stand called Harvest that he said operates as a colony type Stand filled with tiny, six-legged creatures divided into six groups, each consisting at least 36 of these little critters. The producer believes that Harvest is the culprit behind people's belongings and possessions going missing, stolen by the tens or hundreds of these little creatures and hauling them off somewhere else. What's curious about them is that the Stand never went as far as claiming it as their possession; rather, it wanted to only annoy Saga's populace by their rampant theft. If that is its purpose, then it is doing an effective job due to them being invisible to non-users and their small size allowing them to travel to even the tiniest holes.

After learning what they'll be dealing with, the zombie Stand Users in hit the town using Kotaro's van to search for the annoying critters, which they managed to found after minutes of searching the streets and alleyways. Surprisingly, when they encountered one colony in an obscured corner of a street block, it didn't take long before they called the other groups and formed one, single group of 216 Harvests...

…Or wait. Are there even more Harvests than before?

Either way, eliminating them takes priority next. Kakyoin, Avdol, Bucciarati and Gyro lay waste to the little Stands attempting to latch on their bodies and attacking them. With Sticky Fingers and Magician's Red making sure that they didn't stay long on their bodies, the number starts dwindling down until there are few Harvests left to dispose.

However, the seven underestimated the colony's intelligence because Narancia, Johnny and Mamezuku suddenly got drunk, leaving them unable to attack. They tried to resist it but the amount of alcohol on their body proved too much and before they knew it, they went fast asleep.

Realizing three Harvests had sneakily gone under their clothes and injected them with alcohol, the four quickly found five of them each on their legs. They kill them but by then, they are injected with alcohol and start getting drunk, causing them to wobble and lose focus. In Avdol's and Gyro's case, the fortune teller doesn't bring out Magician's Red because it is radiating too much heat and fire than it needs, probably a side effect of being drunk while the latter is unable to throw his steel balls and concentrate on the Golden Rectangle. That leaves Kakyoin and Bucciarati to tackle the remaining Harvests, ending up on the roof of a building. While their drunken states and a few attacking Harvests try to impede their chase against the retreating Stands, they end up cornering them through Hierophant Green's sending out tentacles along the ground and latching on their tiny legs before the chase begins, stopping them from running further.

It's only a matter of eliminating them all while resisting the alcoholic effect circulating in their veins by that point.

As the two continue enduring the intoxication, a cracking sound is heard coming from the two. Kakyoin and Bucciarati's relief in hearing something like a glass or ice cracking, a statement they thought they would never say, is doubled when their skin shatters, turning them back to their zombie forms.

Well since they're disguised, it isn't noticeable but the two are aware of them not breathing and their heart not beating, signs that they are very much not alive.

With the effects gone, Kakyoin gets off Bucciarati and stretches his arms up with a relieved smile. "Phew! Thank goodness it's over. I don't think I can take myself being tipsy anymore."

"Be careful Kakyoin. There's a chance you will suffer a hangover as a result of drinking alcohol." Bucciarati warned him, his mind returning to its normal state as he turns to Kakyoin with a concerned look.

"Oh yeah. Hangover. I forgot the after-effects of being drunk…" He rubs his head when he hears that. "Still, we only take a little bit of alcohol so I think we might not suffer a bit of hangover.

"I suppose you're right. As for the others though…" The gangster turns his head to where he thought the others were below them.

"We should go back and check up on them. Hopefully they are not feeling too tipsy anymore especially with Narancia, Johnny and Mamezuku-san taking a lot of alcohol in their bodies." Kakyoin told him, worried about his friends.

"I highly doubt that."

Using their Stands, Bucciarati jumps off the roof and uses a zipper on a wall to slow down his descent to the ground after making sure no one is around below, satisfied with a job well done. Bringing out Hierophant Green, Kakyoin was about to drop off the roof with a single tendril wrapped around his waist when he noticed something in his visiom's peripheral. "Hm?"

Glancing at it, Kakyoin recognizes it's an animal perched on the roof's edges. Specifically, a great horned owl with dark brown, black and white feathers and yellow eyes. Said owl seems to ignore him in favor of looking around with its rotatable head, stopping once when it sees something that interests the owl.

"Oh? Well this is a surprise," Kakyoin muttered amusedly before approaching the owl. Its acute hearing picks up his footsteps and is now looking at him. Deciding to humor the owl for a bit, Kakyoin crouches down near the owl's height and moves his hand near its (her?) face. The owl proceeds to preen his hand after seeing him non-hostile and the man chuckled from the owl's action. "What's an owl doing here in an urban city? Looking for food? A forest is where you should be hunting for food, little one. Not here."

"Hoohoohoohooooo… Hooooo… Hoohoo…" The owl hooted, its yellow eyes accentuated by her angular tufts staring at his lavender eyes.

"You responded. Are you listening to me?" Kakyoin lets out another chuckle.

"Hoohoohooooo… Hoooooo… Hoohoooooo." The owl hooted again.

"Ha ha ha ha. Well it's nice to see you reciprocate my gesture, but now I must go. My friends are waiting for me. Goodbye." Rising up, Kakyoin bids the owl farewell before moving to the edge of the roof and jumps off, assisted by Hierophant Green.

The great horned owl looks at where Kakyoin jumped off. "Hoohoohoohoohoohoohoooo… Hoohookookooka… Ka…kyoin… Kakyoin… Kakyoin…!" It surprisingly voiced out his last name in a high-pitched, female tone, even though the owl never learned his name.

The strange owl looked around for a moment before she flies away.

Above the roof of the mansion, Romero is seen sitting on the roof, the full moon in clear sight. Seemingly responding to the moon, the zombie dog, like all the wolves in fiction, lets out a juvenile howl. "AWOOOOOOO!"

Meanwhile, in the mansion's only bathroom, Kotaro Tatsumi is taking a bath, holding a shower head on his head to brush his hair in preparation of applying shampoo. The sight of a muscle-toned man washing himself is normal. What's not normal, however, is that he is wearing his sunglasses whilst taking a bath. Beyond that, the fact that Kotaro chooses to put his glasses on when its night brings question to his willingness to keep wearing it all the time.

"Aaahhh~" Kotaro lets out, swinging his head backwards to let his hair sway along breathtakingly.

The man in shades pumps some shampoo into his open hand, only to find it empty. He tries the second one but it's empty too. "Ooooooiiiiiiiii... I'm all out of shampoo. I need a refiiiiilll." He proclaimed, raising his voice up so the zombie boys and girls could hear his plea.

Little does he know, the thirteen zombies were in his office using his computer. They are seizing the chance that he is taking a bath to surf the Internet and look for anything that can help them. Ai is sitting on the chair surfing the web while the zombies stood behind or around the computer looking at the monitor.

As Ai searches the net for idol groups of past and present, Yugiri is curious of the device resembling somewhat to Kotaro's handheld laptop. Johnny and Gyro are also curious like her, their red eyes scanning the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and motherboard case wondering what to make of the device that, in their view, looks futuristic and advanced.

"What is this box?" Yugiri asked the important question for these century-old zombies.

"It's called a computer. We're gonna look it up to see what idols are kinda big right now." Being on her side as always, Lily happily answered her.

"Huh. Never thought I would be around to see this thing exist." Johnny commented.

"Hmm, with you saying that this is a computer," Gyro has his hand on his chin, adopting a thinking expression, as he asks a curious question to Lily. "Does the other thing Kotaro has similar to this machine?"

"Other thing?" Saki repeated.

"Y'know, the one that looks like a… mini… computer?" He described with his hands making a shape of a rectangle.

"Oh, it's a laptop," Lily understood what object he is describing and explains it to him. "It is like what you said, a minicomputer with the same functions as a normal computer that you can take with you everywhere."

"Interesting… The future really doesn't fail to surprise us." Gyro smiled. Seeing he's being impressed by new things not from his time, he believes he's not gonna tire of learning new discoveries and oddities of the future.

"Indeed. They really come up with wildest things." Yugiri taps the monitor with her kiseru. Even though it's a light tap, the monitor bends in an angle, prompting Ai to straighten it and chastise the courtesan. "Hey, be careful!"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry." She apologized to her.

"I hope Kotaro-san doesn't catch us." Sakura expressed her worry over being caught using his computer and getting scolded, or yelled. They need a break from his usual tirade of shouting and jeering.

"Do not worry. We should have at least twenty minutes to spare." Ai assured her.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"This is the third time I used a computer, after all."

"Huh?" She let out in surprise. Ai has used Kotaro's computer for a while without him or anyone knowing?

"Actually, this is the sixth time anyone other than Tatsumo used the computer," Bucciarati reveals. "I happen to use it once when he's not in this room and search the net about my former organization's status together with Narancia. Also, Mamezuku has his turn after we're done, searching for a town called Morioh. I'm guessing he wants to know how different this world's Morioh is to the Morioh he knows."

"What he said. Learned enough to distinguish the similarities and differences between the Morioh I grew up in and this reality's Morioh." Mamezuku nodded.

"Former organization? Y'mean Passione, right? The Italian mafia you two used to work in?" Saki asked the two, curious of their former workplace since she used to be second-in-command of the biker gang.

"Yeah," Narancia confirmed with a nod. "From what articles and info Bucciarati can find due to Passione wanting to stay secret, the organization pretty much has its influence in the entire Italy thanks to Giorno's outstanding leadership, especially when he banned the distribution of drugs. I still can't wrap my head that some unknown boy two years younger than me who Bucciarati showed immediate trust became the leader after usurping the previous boss."

"Two years younger? Narancia, what age were ya in before you bit the dust?" She questioned him, with everyone including Ai waiting to hear his answer.

"I'm 17."

"17? That's my age too!" Kakyoin exclaimed.

"I think I'm 17 too!" Sakura added.

"Really? I didn't know you two and I are in the same age!" Narancia expressed his surprise with a grin.

"Hold on, if Giorno is two years younger than you Nara, that makes him, what? 15-years-old?" Saki does a simple math calculation and says his age out loud. This causes a wave of awe and surprise sweeping over everyone when they realize that Giorno became Passione's leader at just 15 years of age. "Holy crap… He began leadin' a large mafia organization at only 15!?"

"That's… That's unbelievable!" Sakura said.

"This Giorno boy must have an impressive set of talents and skills if he can lead Passione up to this day." Yugiri guessed, keeping her head cool while being surprised as well.

"From what I have seen from him, Giorno definitely has the qualities of a leader," Bucciarati affirmed her statement with a proud smile. "Whatever he is doing now in his 17 years of leading Passione, I only pray for the reformed mafia's continued prosperity."

"Just so you know, Passione started as a criminal organization," reminded Ai as she types something. "They're not morally spotless and have likely engaged in illegal acts. I believe Bucciarati-san and Narancia-kun have likely done something objectionable in the eyes of an innocent. That goes for Saki too."

"Eh, whatever you say." Saki shrugged, taking her blunt words in stride.

"Pfffft. You heard what Ai said to us, Bucciarati?" Narancia snorted, unmoved by her statement.

"I do. Curiously, you seem okay to have someone from a mafia protect you and the girls. Especially one whom you trust so firmly," Bucciarati is amused by her critique, taking it in a stride like Saki. "I'm hoping you're not afraid a hardened gangster like me stands guard by your side."

"I'm only stating the fact, Bucciarati-san." She replied with a chuckle.

"Sure you are."

"Hey, hey! Do we have our very own homepage?" Lily changed the subject back and asked Ai on how they are faring in popularity.

"We do, and I am never looking at it again."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because it's so lame that you will die. Even if we're zombies already."

"…Is it so bad?" Avdol wondered.

"Think of the T-shirts we were forced to wear in the Gatalympics and apply the hideous design to Kotaro's attempt at a webpage. That's how lame it is."

Everyone cringed when they remembered the shirt's tacky design made by Kotaro and having to wear it during Gatalympics. If what she said is true, then they are grateful from being spared looking at the homepage, which Ai may have already seen based on her disgust.

"…I shouldn't ask about it." Avdol thought out loud with a displeased look.

Meanwhile, Tae, who is on the same floor as the bathroom keeping Kotaro occupied as per Ai and Mamezuku's request, showed the bathing producer a clothing detergent to use upon hearing his plea of getting him a new shampoo. Obviously, it is not what Shades had in mind.

"Anyway," continued Ai. "After looking around a bit, I'm surprised by how different things are from when I was alive." The monitor shows many articles about idol groups disbanding for various reasons like a disagreement between members, a group splitting or giving their fans one final show attracting 100,000 attendees. "There are a bunch of groups who are really popular, and when it seemed like they would last, all of them have broken up."

"Idols as a concept go through their booms and busts, after all." Junko stated that fact, knowing from experience when she was alive.

"Wait… Does that mean that right now…"

"Even if that's the case," Ai stops Sakura from saying something concerning regarding their fluctuating popularity. "We still have to try our best. Right?" She glanced at her with a smile.

"Y-You're right…" She agreed after her little reassurance and smile are directed at her to quell her worry.

"I guess we can check out idol events in Saga." Ai said before typing in the keywords, and in an instant, the search page changed related to the searched keywords.

"This is so convenient," uttered Junko, impressed by the many articles displayed in a span of a sexond. "There are so many searches!"

"I never would have imagined technology would progress to the point where it is inseparable from the everyday lives of many. Back then, the Internet was not so advanced as it is currently, so I am impressed of how the Internet become quite useful for us." Kakyoin opined, smiling at the number of articles scrolled down by Ai.

"Even if I like to live simply as a fortune teller, I cannot deny the benefits the Internet has for everyone years after my untimely death." Avdol is the last of the trio hailing from the 80s to agree and be fascinated by the Internet.

"Let's start by looking into anything that seems interesting." As Ai said this, one article piqued Saki's interest, prompting her to eagerly ask, "Whoa! Is that ｢Saga Rock｣!? Sounds cool!"

"Do you like rock music, Saki-chan?" Sakura asked her friend, seeing how a boisterous and tough girl like Saki would be so into the genre of rock.

"Yeah! Everyone knows how Mentai Rock is a big deal in Kyushu!"

"What is that?"

"Really? You wish to die?"

"Can you stop saying that? You're way too aggressive…" Sakura exasperatedly said after hearing her say that for an umpteenth time. If she was not joking, she would be wary of her for months.

"Well, at least I can see why Saki is big on rock music." Kakyoin shakes his head as the memory of Franchouchou's heart-pounding metal performance replays in his head. Especially the part about Saki letting out a roar through a megaphone. Even though she's not awakened yet, that interest has spilled in her mindless state back then.

"If you want to know Sakura, the Saga Rock Festival is the largest outdoor rock event in Kyushu." Ai explained the event exclusive to the prefecture.

"Seriously!? We gotta get in on that!" Saki suggested enthusiastically.

"Well, there's no problem with getting onto a bigger stage but…" Clicking the festival's homepage, Ai shows a picture of audiences cheering for the band performing on the stage and another one showing the entire venue, which is quite big as befitting for a festival.

"Wow! It must be amazing to be on stage with that many people in the audience!" Narancia exclaimed, picturing himself, Mista and Fugo doing the "dance" in front of the audience.

"Even for a jockey who is used to be ogled by anyone for my equestrian skills, do you think you can handle that many people watching you seven?" Johnny questioned.

"I'm totally used to it thanks to press presentations!" Lily told him from experience.

"Let's do a good job! I bet if we practice a lot, we'll all make it up there some day!" Sakura encouraged.

"It's ｢not｣ that easy."

Junko's assertion halts Sakura's eagerness, prompting her and everyone to turn at her, surprised she spouted that out of the blue. The white-haured zombie continues what she is saying. "Performing a concert at a venue of this size requires a comparable amount of work."

"Oh. Y-Yeah…" The redhead nodded, seeing she got ahead thinking they can perform in a venue like Saga Rock.

"It's better to take on a diligent step at a time instead of fixating on big dreams." She offered this bit of wisdom, coming from experience.

"S-Sorry…" She apologized after hearing her.

"I get what you mean, but our time frame is much ｢shorter｣ than what others had," Ai provided a counterpoint to her remark. "The major thing ti do is to find a way to get your name out there. I mean, the group I used to be in was performing in front of audiences in the ｢tens of thousands｣ a year after our debut."

"Only a year?!" Junko is surprised to hear her having to achieve popularity just a year after she debuted. "And you were able to impress an audience that big?"

Seeing Junko might be hanging on to her now-outdated way of being an idol, Ai tells her own bit wisdom based on the current view of idols and her experience. "If you're trying to be perfect from the get-go, you won't be able to manage anything. If anything, a lot of fans like seeing groups improve over time and contribute to that growth."

Reeling in surprise over how much has changed from then and now, Junko tries to say something, but Ai has something more to say, cutting her off. "Of course, that doesn't mean we don't try our hardest every time." At this moment, Ai was browsing the popular artist section, containing the names of various idol groups such as Melancholy X, Sorry Girls, and… Iron Frill.

Eh? Did I… read that right?

The former leader certainly didn't expect to see the name of her former group come up, especially focuses on the enclosed words next to it that reads "Special Appearance".

"Oh! That's… That's the group you were in, right Ai-chan?" Sakura asked her.

"Where? Where?"

"This one! 「Iron Frill」!" She pointed it out to Lily and the others. "They're going to be at Saga Rock!"

"*whistles* Your old crew is so badass!" Saki praised her. Everyone is either interested or happy to see Ai's previous group slated to be present in the festival, unaware of Ai's internal turmoil over seeing the group still existing after ten years. Whatever emotions are going on in her head, it is clear she is perturbed.

Hm? Ai? The only one who noticed her going quietly is Bucciarati, having seen her expression. He got worried, wondering why she went quiet all of a sudden.

Kotaro looks at the soy sauce bottle brought over by Tae. The zombie is peeking from outside the bathroom together with Romero as she assumes the soy sauce is what he needs to wash his hair.

…Looks like I'll be staying here longer than usual if this keeps up. Kotaro sighed, sending Tae and Romero off to find an extra shampoo. Hopefully, he won't take too long in the bath so he can get enough beauty sleep in time.

To be continued

Stand Analysis:

Harvest

Destructive Power: E
Speed: B
Range: A
Durability: A
Precision: D
Developmental Potential: C

A Colony Stand made up of bee-like creatures about 216 or more, what these units lack in strength and precision makes up for the strength in numbers as they have the capacity of overwhelming someone if hundreds of these little Stands grouped together and take on one opponent. Their small size allows them to sneak under people's clothes or belongings without any of them ever noticing and their sharp stingers can potentially be used for injecting any liquid like alcohol or attack their eyes or even a carotid artery. With all of these in hand, Harvest could potentially be a dangerous enemy if they weren't all simple-minded and focused on stealing any object they have their tiny hands on.