❝BICKERING THE DAY AWAY AS WE—❞
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"ECHOES, ACT2!" Koichi shouted, with the bomb Stand treading toward him with every passing second. Smoke emanated out of the broken window of Centipede Shoes—the sick, putrid odor consuming his senses. Koichi remained on the ground, waiting for anything to help him. However, his face went pallid at the palpable silence that surrounded the air. To call him stressed was an understatement; when Josuke gets here, oh boy, he's going to get a bucket load of information.
"What's wrong, Echoes ACT2?! ACT2!" Koichi stared in horror at the empty shoe store. "Where are you, ACT2?! Why won't you come?!"
And there laid Echoes ACT2—or, rather, an empty shell of what it was. Its body resembled the old skin of a snake—going through metamorphosis like a butterfly.
"ACT2 died in the explosion! It's split in two!" He cried and clenched his fists, "N—No, wait... If the explosion killed it, I'd be dead too, because I'm the user. But what could it be? It almost resembles an— an exoskeleton of an animal..."
Koichi took a moment to think, letting out a gasp at his sudden realization. "Now I remember! It looked like this before, too. A—And then!"
From the floating debris, a humanoid figure that took the appearance of a robot emerged behind the bomb. It had metallic striped eyes, just like before, along with protrusions that mimicked human muscles. Several of them formed a crest at the top of its head, and on the sides were two X-shaped holes. Wrapped around its waist was a cloth that resembled shorts, with the number three printed on the front. The tail it had was now vestigial, with a single long spike protruding from its behind instead.
"C—Could it be..."
BOOOOM!
"—Echoes, ACT3!" The humanoid Stand floated in the air in front of Koichi. "Um, is that who you are, sir?"
"Please give me orders." The Stand's voice was polite and had a mechanical undertone to it.
Koichi inched away from the opposing Stand, looking at Echoes with a feeling of pride in his chest. "D—Does this mean I've grown?! You're the best, ACT3!"
"Please give me orders." The Stand reiterated to its user.
"Er, I don't know what your powers are, so... For n—now..." Koichi looked at the other two and pointed at the incoming bomb, "Please protect us, ACT3! Um, protect us, please. You can do that, right?"
"—Understood." With outstanding speed, Echoes ACT3 flashed before Koichi's eyes. The sheer air pressure it created knocked him backward on his side.
"Th—This Stand has incredible speed! It's much faster than ACT1 and ACT2!" The teenager then swerved to look at [Name], who remained silent throughout this whole ordeal. "H—Hey, [Name], are you awake?"
She let out a cough, signaling to him that she was currently conscious.
On the other hand, striking a pose—Echoes ACT3 adopted a fighting stance with its hands joined together—an aura forming around the Stand. "Special move: Echoes 3, Freeze!"
With that, the Stand landed a barrage of blows to the bomb.
—Only for Echoes ACT3 to be knocked back.
...No way.
Was the Stand too weak to beat the bomb? Both Stand users winced in pain at the thought. She wanted to use her Stand, but with a lack of energy and fighting spirit?
Yeah, that might as well be a death wish for her. With every breath she took, she could feel her wounds stinging, burning at her skin. Why wasn't this fight over yet?! Everything lately has been just so aggravating and frustrating, yet—
—she was afraid of the murderer still, wasn't she?
"It's too strong. I can't."
"You can't?!"
"This enemy has extremely vigorous power." Echoes ACT3 turned to Koichi with an indiscernible expression. "S—H—I—T. I pushed, but I lost."
"You pushed, and you lost? You can't be serious!" Koichi pointed frantically at the incoming bomb, "I'm telling you to protect us!"
"I have finished protecting us, just like you ordered."
Look over here.
Koichi hurried over to grab Jotaro and help [Name] out, gritting his teeth in agitation. "You finished?! In what way?! You're completely useless! We haven't grown at all!"
Suddenly, the bomb sunk into the smooth pavement below and made a crater in the ground.
"...Eh?"
Look over—
But, before the bomb could continue to repeat that phrase, it sunk lower into the ground.
"Wh—What? It's sunken into the pavement and having a hard time moving... ACT3! What did you do? This power... why is it moving slower? Did it stop moving completely?"
It held up three fingers, "3 Freeze! I've rhymed three and free. There's nothing to explain about it."
With cracks along its surface, the bomb shot out blood. But, any damage inflicted on the Stand user affects the Stand and vise versa, right? What happened to the Stand user behind the automatic bomb? Did he suffer an injury? Actually—she hoped he did. The murderer deserved it.
"That means the bomb's Stand user has been damaged, too, right?"
Echoes looked back at Koichi. "Please don't go too far away from me. My range is five meters. We have matured. In exchange for power, we reduced our range. If you move more than five meters from me, the weight on that thing will disappear. It'll stop struggling, regain its vigor, and rush towards us like a dog. On the other hand, the closer you get to it, the heavier I can make it. What would you like to do?"
Koichi gulped nervously. If he moved back, then the bomb could attack them all again. If he moved forward, it might explode because of the heat. "N—No... this distance is plenty. I hope Josuke gets here soon."
Wait.
The Stand user is going to be suspicious because of the bomb's weight. He may be heading their way.
"K—Koichi, we need to—"
—However, her words were in vain as a lethargic blond man gripped the signpost next to him for support. Sweat trickled down the side of his head as he panted haphazardly.
The revelation struck her like an oncoming train, directing a glare at the tall man. With residual strength, she protectively stood in front of Jotaro. Kitsune leaped out of her arms arduously, letting out a low growl at the sight of the murderer. As the man neared Koichi, the teenager took notice of the man's injured hand. Rivulets of blood dripped on the concrete below, staining the surface of the ground. The older male looked at the dilapidated building next to them.
"A gym will be opening near Budogaoka High School soon." He began, "I was considering getting a membership. I have to gain more stamina. But, I wonder if I'll be lifting the same dumbells with men who've been doing inappropriate things after not bathing for a week. Even worse, getting in the same pool as them."
Koichi braced himself for any attacks from the man. "H—H..."
"It took me three minutes to get here. I felt my lack of stamina the most when I tried to cross the crosswalk. By the way," he straightened his posture, scoffing at Koichi, "who's going to show up here? You called someone for help, didn't you? Josuke Higashikata and Okuyasu Nijimura live the closest. I don't know when you called them, but I probably have a minute or two to go?"
His ocean eyes gleamed with dark, malicious intent as he glared at Koichi's shorter stature.
"You're their friend, aren't you?"
"H—He's..."
"Yukako Yamagishi and the woman who runs Salon Cinderella are also what you call Stand users, aren't they? And those two behind you, they're Stand users too. I left my jacket with the button you found. Though," the man pointed at Koichi with his other hand, "I'll go get it later after you're finished."
"H—He's... right in front of me!" Koichi stared at him in disbelief and anger, "This man... The one who killed all those people over all those years—Reimi and Shigechi—let him have it, ACT3!"
As Echoes ACT3 attempted to land punches on the murderer, the man summoned his Stand to defend himself.
"—Killer Queen."
With ease, the muscular humanoid Stand with cat-like features blocked all of Koichi's attacks. After successfully deflecting all moves made by Echoes, it smacked the Stand in the face, knocking both Echoes and Koichi back. From the punch, Koichi coughed up a severe amount of blood.
"Gh! Why does he have two Stands?! I thought a Stand user could only have one Stand!"
"Sheer Heart Attack is a tracer bomb launched from Killer Queen's left hand. That is why the damage is only in my left hand."
"Warning, Master Koichi. You have just left a range of five meters. The bomb's weight will disappear." Just as it notified Koichi of the unfortunate circumstance, Sheer Heart Attack leaped out of its crater. The man pleasantly hummed at the fortunate event.
"S—H—I—T. I'll have to attack it with 3 Freeze again."
"I see..." He slowly hummed, "Range, eh?"
"Who would you like me to hit? The actual murderer, or that shitty bomb Stand?" The Stand clapped its hands together. "3 Freeze cannot make two things heavy at once."
Even if he made the user heavier, the bomb Stand would still be on autopilot and attack him. In the end, it wouldn't stop until it exploded. Even if he made the bomb heavier, the user would still come after him.
"Which will it be? Please hurry and give me orders. Which one are you going to attack?"
Koichi gritted his teeth, hoping he wouldn't regret his decision. He can't let this elusive murderer get away again.
"—Stop the murderer!"
"—3 Freeze!"
The man crashed to the ground along with Killer Queen, with thick slabs of detritus accumulating next to his head. However, the persistent nature of the bomb continued to charge toward Koichi. Once it was close enough, it lunged at the teen's face.
Look over here!
"—Kitsune!" With all their strength, [Name]'s Kitsune sprinted toward the bomb. Then, they fired a fireball in the opposite direction of the bomb. The bomb changed its trajectory to chase the flame, detecting the new temperature. With a parched throat, [Name] collapsed on her knees, coughing up more blood. The fox spirit raced back to their user, nudging her arm with a soft whimper. God, why did no one tell her that having a Stand would bring her so much trouble? She feels like she's burning from the inside, magma bubbling under her skin.
"—To think that Sheer Heart Attack, which I thought had no weaknesses, would be completely useless." He narrowed his eyes. "Too bad."
"You have nowhere to go!" Koichi shouted with determination as he took a step forward.
The blond man smirked despite being immobile. "The same applies to you."
"H—Huh?!"
Click.
A blast rocked the scenery around them, her ears bursting at the eruption's crackle. It was so loud, the noise ringing in her ears. The pain she felt was unbearable. Detonation came like the opening act to an orchestra's symphony—impetuous rumbling permeating every bit of the air as the sudden debris shot toward them. It was so hard to just breathe with all this smoke around her. The uncomfortable feeling continued to crawl up her throat, choking her.
Where was she right now?
There was a sticky, sanguine fluid coating her skin. Did the explosion send her flying to the barren and destroyed shop?
Haha, no wonder why she's up against a wall right now...
"D—D..." she rasped out, her throat screaming for water. "...Discussion end, No.7."
Blood trailed down her chin as the wind in her lungs knocked out of her body.
On the other hand, the murderer winced at the explosion. It seemed that this wasn't his most calculated decision, made in a rush and out of panic. Not only was Koichi out of range, but it also eliminated the possibility of [Name] attacking him as well. She already seemed like she pushed her limits—and this would be the final straw. It was over for them, wasn't it? All three of them would die here, not a single trace of their existence left behind.
"Killer Queen may charge any object—inanimate or not—as a bomb simply by touching it." With a bit of struggle, he stood up and crushed debris below him. "I was lucky when you stepped on the debris on accident. Killer Queen already touched the rubble."
The light pink Stand slammed Koichi on the ground, and he crouched down to make eye contact with the teenager. "I paid expenses at the cafe, and then I ended up in a scuffle with some hooligans. I've gotten tricked, cheated, and deceived. I've never felt so cornered before. If I didn't instinctively activate Killer Queen's bomb transmutation ability, I would've felt a sense of defeat." Horrifyingly enough, the man let out a low chuckle.
"Goodness. I must show you two some respect. You're impressive; such nuisances." Killer Queen crushed Echoes ACT3 beneath its sole. "By the way, do you have any pocket tissues? A handkerchief would work too."
His eyes examined the trembling figure of Koichi. "Hm? I've shown you some respect. The least you can do is talk to me."
"I don't... have any."
"Then, here. Use mine." A plain handkerchief laid on the ground. As Koichi turned his head down to stare at it, the man threw an uppercut at the teen's chin. In horror and pain, Koichi used his hand to cover his bloody nose.
The world felt nebulous around her, all the noises muffled.
"A lot of blood is coming from your nose, right? Use the handkerchief to wipe it off. I'm about to beat you to death. Plus, I have a little under a minute before your friends get here." Despite being covered in blood, he stared at his wristwatch. "Otherwise, I just won't be satisfied after having to face such humiliation in public."
The man stomped on Koichi's hand, causing him to scream. However, before any more yells could leave Koichi's mouth, he shoved his shoe in the boy's mouth to silence the teen. "Now, now, stop screaming in such a weird way. I endured the same pain you feel now as I was heading here. I didn't let out a single yell, now did I? You're a boy, aren't you?"
Kicking Koichi's head back, the man grabbed a fistful of the boy's hair. "You should take after me."
After that, he slammed his head into his growing puddle of blood.
"And you," he turned to look at the frail figure of [Name]. She was all high and mighty before, and now she's on the verge of unconsciousness, unable to breathe.
"I'll beat you to death as well." He threatened before turning back to Koichi's limp figure. The man picked up his handkerchief with nonchalance. "See? You need some tissues, now, don't you? I'll wipe it for you. They say your brain slows down with a stuffy nose. But you know, I was on the ground a little while ago, too, just like you. It was a smart move for you to come after me while she took care of Sheer Heart Attack."
Then, Killer Queen retracted the secondary bomb, which already exploded from the previous flame. "Too bad your efforts were in vain, leading to even more destruction. I'll blow you three away with Killer Queen in under a minute. Until then, you'll need to be like me and endure the pain." Repeatedly, Kira slammed Koichi's head into the ground. The boy remained unresponsive through it all.
"You need to be like me!"
"Y—Your name... is Yoshikage Kira..." Koichi rasped out as he tried to regain his ground. "Yoshikage Kira is your real name..."
Why was it so difficult to keep her eyes open for this? She can't fall asleep or die now. [Name] needs to expose his identity to the world. She needs to see him in jail. There's still so much she hasn't done yet, but her eyes are fluttering shut.
—She still needs to get her walkie-talkie from Hayato, right?
She needed to stay awake to inform the incoming Josuke and Okuyasu. [Name] still needs to get home to see her parents, briefly telling them about her day when they ask. She will not allow Kira any satisfaction, and she will not—
Then, her eyes closed, and her body went limp.
Frustrated, Kira shoved Koichi to the side. His eyes widened at his discovery. Sprawled underneath the teen was his driver's license—which stated his name, birth date, and address. "My driver's license! When did you take it out of my wallet? You little brat!"
Koichi glared at Kira with blood dripping down his face and out of his nose. "You said you paid some expenses at the cafe earlier, right? That's when I had an idea."
"So what? What do you gain from knowing my name? You're about to be erased."
"Yeah, you're about to kill me. But even I was able to figure out your name." The boy gave the killer a strained smirk. "You're not that big a deal. You might get away for now, but how do you feel? A little brat like me managed to find out what your name is. Not only that, a grade-schooler knows your identity too. I'll repeat it. A little brat and grade-schooler found you out!"
Koichi pointed at Kira and yelled.
"—You're a complete idiot! I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the next world!"
"You bastard!" Kira swore as Killer Queen punched Koichi back. Blood flew out of Koichi's mouth as his back slammed against the wall, just like [Name]'s did. His eyes fluttered shut. "What an infuriating little brat. I still have under a minute before Josuke and Okuyasu show up. And I was trying to beat the crap out of him to calm myself down. Either way," he shot a look at the three unconscious figures, "they're all immobile. If I'm lucky, they're dead."
His light-colored eyes trailed down to Koichi's foot and frowned. "He's got his socks inside out. Doesn't that bug him?" The man gritted his teeth as his perfectionist nature kicked in. An uncontrollable and unwanted thought lingered in his mind as he continued to stare at the sock.
It distressed him.
"Ugh, it sure bugs me!"
Taking the sock off Koichi, he pulled it inside-out and then tucked it back on his foot with disdain. "Wear them properly... And now, I can finally relax. I can blow you to kingdom come! Killer Queen! The tip of this finger can turn anything into a bomb. I guess, in your case, I'll make your student badge a bomb."
Slowly, Killer Queen lowered its fingertip to Koichi's student badge.
"The first bomb—!"
"—Koichi, you were winning against that man psychologically. As for [Name], if you didn't take some of the damage, Koichi would be dead." Kira's eyes widened as Killer Queen instinctively blocked a punch from Star Platinum.
"—What?!"
Jotaro stood intimidatingly in front of Kira. Blood from his severe wounds dripped down into a puddle beneath his shoes. Recovering from his shock, Kira took a step back. "Well, this is a surprise. I never thought you'd be able to stand with those wounds. However, you would have been much better if you stayed down. I can almost see the view behind you through your injuries." The blond man stared at his wristwatch.
"That's a nice watch." Jotaro pointed at Kira, "But I'll break it so you can never see the time on it again." His piercing green irises glared at the murderer.
"BY THAT, I MEAN I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE."
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in which the killer actually arrives. (not clickbait) (gone wrong)