You were walking beside Koichi away from the school. Josuke stayed behind to help Okuyasu with something, leaving you and Koichi to walk together. The air was silent as you walked down the street of shops. You didn't want Koichi to say anything, and you didn't want to say anything either. For you, both understood that in the town of Morioh, there was a killer with a stand roaming around, and the public didn't know about it. The public was in danger, but they wouldn't see the threat because the threat had a stand. You looked around at the many people you passed until you spotted a familiar figure in white clothing ahead of you.
" Hi, Jotaro. " You said, raising your hand to wave at him.
" May I ask if there are any developments? Anything regarding the murderer's button?" Koichi asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
" Not yet. Hopefully, that changes soon. " Jotaro said, walking away from you.
" Yeah. . . it would be a great help. "
Koichi started to follow Jotaro, and you tagged along to help. The silence seemed to follow you as no one talked and kept walking. You looked up at Jotaro, only to see his face look solemn.
" So, are you heading anywhere in particular?" Koichi asked.
" No, just walking. "
' This is awkward. '
Like, Koichi, you tried thinking of something to talk about to fill the silence, but your mind came blank. Koichi, however, had an idea. You noticed Jotaro stop, and you stopped beside him to look at the store, but Koichi kept walking.
" Your coat is so cool."
You turned to look at Koichi, who was standing a couple of feet from you. You waved him over, and he walked to where you stood with Jotaro.
" Looks like we found a shoe store. "
" Yeah, and the sign says that they provide suit altercations. You think the murdreer brings his suit here? " You asked Jotaro.
" It's likely. Let's go in, and see if they recognize the button. "
You nodded and followed Jotaro inside with Koichi behind you. You greeted the store owner, and he smiled back at you. Jotaro took a small plastic bag out of his pocket that contained the button. He handed it to the owner, and you took the initiative and asked,
" Have you ever worked with these buttons before? Or have you seen other places that work with those buttons? " You asked.
" Let me grab some tea. "
The owner walked into the back of his store, only to walk back and bring a green mug with him. He took a seat at one of the tables near shelves of boxes. He held the plastic bag up and gazed at the button. Eventually, he set the button down on the table, and Koichi took the button and put it in his coat.
" Would any of you like animal crackers? "
Koichi denied the food, but you took three and started munching on them as he explained.
" Back to the point, not only have I seen this button but I just finished some alterations on the jacket that it belonged to. A customer dropped by yesterday and asked me to replace the missing button with the same kind you brought in. It's right over there. "
The older man pointed towards a purple suit jacket hanging from one of the shelves. After taking a closer look, you recognized the buttons on the jacket.
" Good grief. We found it. " Jotaro said.
" Found what exactly? "
" It's nothing, but could you tell us what the scustomer looked like? Do you customer's name? " Koichi asked, with a bit of anxiety behind his tone.
" Are you serious? Of course, I do. What kind of businessman would I be if I didn't? All of my customers names are filed away in the ole' noddin' right here. "
" Then could you tell us the name of the jacket owner? " You said, finishing your last animal cracker.
" Sure, I keep the names on the order tags."
The older man stood up and walked towards the suit jacket, he reached inside the jacket pocket to pull on the tag, and Shining Knight appeared beside you.
" Y/n? Why is Shining Knight here? "
" Just as a precaution. "
' This almost seems too easy, but also coincidental that we found this place. We're so close now, and I don't want to take the chance of something standing in our way. '
Shining Knight went towards the owner and stood beside him, not that the owner could see your stand. Shining Knight's shield was strapped to his arm and ready to defend if something did occur. The owner turned the tag around, and you stand got a clear sighting of the name, allowing you to know the murderer's name.
" How do I read this? I remember it's. . ."
' I know it. '
You bumped Jotaro's elbow, and he looked down at you.
" I can see the name. "
Jotaro nodded, and you turned back towards the store owner. Shining Knight raised its shield quickly as something was thrown towards the owner. When Shining Knight trusted his shield forward, the object flew off the shield and hit the wall and then the floor. The object was small, and it resembled a small tank. There was a skull on the front with a knife on its forehead. The color of the shield was blue, and there was a yellow center on the top of the dome. The small tank hit the wall and landed on its wheels to the floor. It knocked some of the shelving of the cabinets, and the owner was starting to freak out a little.
" Look over here. "
" It spoke! "
" Look over here. '
" Y/n, Koichi, keep your guard up. Don't get any closer to it. "
" Hey. Didn't you hear me? I said look over here. "
Everyone, even the older man, turned towards the small device, and it jumped towards the owner. Shining Knight raised its shield again, but the device maneuvered around the shield.
" No you don't! "
Shining Knight quickly twisted around and placed his shield in front of the owner, making the device hit your shield once again, and your stand trusted it off once more.
" Look! The killer is here! "
You looked at Koichi and then where he was pointing to see he was telling the truth. The killer was behind the door, leading into the back of the shop. You could only see his hand gripping the fabric of his purple coat on the hanger.
" Good grief. I never expected him to come and actually take the suit. "
Jotaro started to walk forward, and you walked towards the shop owner.
" Excuse me, sir. But we need you to leave. We can't explain why, but you need to trust us. "
The older man looked into your eyes for a few moments before nodding his head and running out of the shop. You looked back to Jotaro, who was moving closer to the door, but the small tank came to stand in front of Jotaro. Noises started to come from the stand like it was moving something inside itself. It sounded like metal scraping against metal.
" This power. . ."
The sound of scraping metal stopped, and instead, ticking started.
'Ticking? It's a bomb! '
Shining Knight stood in front of you, Jotaro, and Koichi, with his shield sitting in front of you, placed on the floor. The bomb exploded, and you grabbed Jotaro's collar to get him fully behind the shield. The building shook, but nothing broke. When everything settled, Shining Knight moved his shield, and your group looked towards where the explosion was. Their small tank wasn't there, but instead, there were strips of smoke and sparks of fire leaving the spot.
" It's a bomb! It's a bomb stand! It all makes sense now; this is how he got Shigechi. Oh, God, that's why we couldn't find his body anywhere." Koichi yelled.
The smoke cleared, and there was nothing in the spot. You stood up to your full height with Jotaro and Koichi. Your eyes went towards where the purple coat once hung, but it was no longer there.
" He's--He's getting away! "
" Calm down, Koichi. Let him go. " Jotaro said, staring at the door.
" What do you mean let him go? You can't be serious. If we go after him now, we might actually have a shot at catching the bastard who murdered Reimi and Shigechi. "
" We need to observe the situation before making our move. Be patient, Koichi. "
" Do you even hear yourself? "
" Koichi, listen to Jotaro. Plus, if we lose him, then that's fine. There's always a backup. " You said, looking at Koichi.
" Backup? What do you mean backup? "
" Shining Knight wasn't only there to protect the store owner in case, a situation were to occur, but to also get a look at the name. My eyes are the same as my stand, so what he sees I can as well, within range. I can't see as far as Star Platinum can, but it was far enough where I could read the tag, while SHining KNight saved the owners life. I know his name, Koichi. "
" And the bomb stand is still around. " Jotaro added.
" It's still here!? "
You looked around, but you couldn't see the stand. It was so small that it could be anywhere.
" Let's slowly make our way out of the door. " You said, walking towards the door.
" You read my mind. " Jotaro replied, following after you.
" Wait, you two! How do you know the stand is still here? " Koichi asked.
" He's not the type of killer to bomb and run after offing that shop owner. Just think about it, if he was his killing spree would have ended a long time ago. He doesn't like to leave behind evidence. Which means he intends to take us out too. " Jotaro explained.
" I understand that, but don't you think you're being a tiny bit too cautious? "
" Can you ever be too cautious when it comes to a stand? " You asked.
Your question stumped Koichi, and he didn't ask or say anything more. YOu continued walking towards the door but stopped when Koichi finally spoke.
" Well, if you ask me, that stand is long gone. It would be stupid to stick around here any longer. "
You looked back towards Koichi to see what he was doing but stopped your sentence when the stand jumped out of a shoe and onto Koichi's head.
" Look over here "
" You were right! It was here all along! It'll expload if I keep touching it! "
The bomb stand was already starting to draw blood from Koichi's head with its wheels, and the blood dripped from his head to the floor.
" Star Platinum! "
Star Platinum formed in front of Jotaro and raised his fist, knocking the bomb stand off Koichi. But no matter how many times Star Platinum hit the bomb stand, it wouldn't even be dent. The stand finally clicked, signaling that it was ready to explode. Shining Knight had his shield ready, and you pulled Koichi behind you, but Jotaro had other plans.
" Star Platinum. The World. "
Time for you and Koichi froze, but when it started again, you couldn't see where the bomb stand was. Instead, there was a hole in the floor.
" You must have stopped time and finished it off. " Koichi said.
" You can stop time!? "
" Didn't you know that? " Jotaro asked, turning to look at you.
" No! "
" Good grief. "
Before the light banter could continue, the bomb stand jumped out of the hole in the floor and onto the shelving.
" Not even Star Platinum could destroy it! It's invisible! " Koichi yelled.
The stand jumped towards your group, and Star Platinum continued to defend you. He knocked the stand into another wall, making a hole in the structure. The stand jumped out of the hole, once more, and onto the ceiling, not looking damaged at all.
" It's still charging towards us in full force. "
" I can see that! Get back! "
" You've been hitting it so hard that you hand's started to bleed! "
You looked towards Jotaro's hand and saw that it was true. His hand was dripping with blood, and his knuckles were red. The bomb stand jumped towards Jotaro, but Star Platinum grabbed it this time. He started to try tearing it apart instead of punching it.
" Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."
You heard the click of the bomb, and Shining Knight grabbed the stand, throwing it towards the windows, outside. The bomb exploded outside, breaking the entire glass window leading into the shop. You covered your eyes as Shining Knight had covered Koichi. Once all of the debris and smoke had thinned out, you walked beside Jotaro to look outside. The bomb was on its back, lying on the street. But it soon flipped over and landed on its wheels.
" Look over here. "
" Good freaking grief. This is the first time I've encountered a stand who could receive such a beating. I'm slowly losing confidence in myself because of it. " Jotaro said.
" What now, Jotaro? It would explode sooner or later if this goes on. " Koichi yelled.
" You're still too close for comfort. I'm gonna need to destroy this alarm clock from hell. "
" You have to listen to me. A stand that's controlled from a far distance won't have that much power. However, based on its force of attack and explosive impact, it would only have that much power if the user was nearby. He must be around 15--No, within ten meters from here. "
" So? "
" What do you mean, 'So'? He might be just ten meters away. My Echoes' effective range is meters. I can find that bastard! "
" Koichi, I've told you already don't chase after him. Just think about how to use Echoes to protect yourself, same to you Y/n. Nothing else matters now. "
" Why?"
" The guy is no longer nearby. Based on my vast experience with different types of stands, this is a stand that's controlled from a far distance. "
" Look over here. "
" If it's controlled from somewhere nearby, then its moves are far too simple. "
The bomb stand climbed its way onto the ledge where the glass window once was. It looked towards Jotaro and then Koichi, debating who to go after. You stood between the two with Shining Knight in front of you, ready to defend Jotaro or Koichi. YOu heard Koichi hyperventilating, but you kept your eyes on the stand.
" Look over here. "
" What it's aiming at me!? "
" I've figured it out. The stand goes after objects with high temperatures. So, it is able to retain such powers even if it's controlled from afar. "
The stand jumped towards Koichi, and you yelled towards him,
" Koichi! Use Echoes to protect yourself! "
" I can't! I sent Echoes to find the killer! He's fifty meters away! I'm sorry for not listening! "
" Good freaking grief kid. Star Platinum. Once more The World! "
Before time froze, Shining Knight stood before Koichi to protect him from any harm. Time froze, and during that time, Jotaro created a fire. After time had started moving, the fire was big and hot. Shining Knight stayed in front of Koichi, and you would let your stand remain with him until his Echoes came back. The stand jumped towards the fire, and Jotaro attracted to the heat.
" I was right. Since it's drawn to the highest temperature I can detect it's making a beeline for me. However, if a high body temperature is enough to make it explode, then fire should be more than enough. "
" But wait, a minute--"
' Shining Knight is with Koichi, there's no one to protect Jotaro, from the explosion.'
You looked down at the bomb stand and realized that you could get to Jotaro faster than the bomb would before exploding.
' If high body temperature is what matters, then I'll explode with the bomb if I push Jotaro out of the way. I might end up like Shigechi, but. . .'
You watched the bomb stand get closer and closer to Jotaro, and you made your decision.
' Let's hope he give me a small lecture if I survive. '
You ran towards Jotaro and the bomb, hoping that you would get there on time.
" Hey, what are you doing kid!? " Jotaro yelled towards you.
You ran past the bomb, hearing the sound of a ticking timer. You knew that you would get there in time and at least get Jotaro far enough, where he wouldn't be hurt so badly. When you got to the fire, so did the bomb. You kicked Jotaro out of the way and summoned Shining Knight to protect Jotaro.
" Y/n! "
"Y/n! No! "
You heard the bomb stand click, and the explosion came right after. Your body didn't register the pain until after you hit the wall. Your back ached from hitting the wall so hard, and it felt like your skin was burning. Your vision was blurry, and when you looked down, you saw holes in your body, where blood was spilling out. You raised your head a little and saw that Jotaro was unharmed due to your stand protecting him with his silver shield. And Koichi only had blood dripping from the side of his head from earlier.
' Good. They're safe at least. '
You felt your eyes get heavy, and you couldn't resist closing them and getting pulled into unconsciousness.