Fuuki silently slipped out of the Haneoka back door, walking unhurriedly along the tree-lined street.
His steps were unhurried, as if he had just left not a dangerous supernatural conflict, but an inconsequential tea party.
Fuuki did not immediately head to his next destination; having experienced 'death from overwork,' he had to set aside some time to decompress and review the current situation.
"I really didn't expect to run into a Stand User just by investigating a member of a future band."
A cold, slick voice, with an inhuman texture, abruptly rang out in his mind.
Fuuki's expression remained unchanged, his deep black eyes still calmly watching the flowing light and shadows on the sidewalk ahead.
"Your sister really knows how to pick them," the voice continued to echo in his consciousness, with a hint of playful admiration.
"Who's next? That little penguin who loves picking up stones, or the young lady living alone with a single parent?"
Fuuki's pace remained steady.
"There won't be another Stand User between them, will there, or… both of them are?" The voice raised slightly, seemingly quite excited by its own conjecture.
"You're getting a bit annoying, White Snake."
Fuuki responded calmly in his consciousness, with a hint of imperceptible weariness.
He genuinely didn't think of himself as a talkative person, but this entity dwelling deep in his thoughts, possessing an independent consciousness, always chattered incessantly in his leisure time, constantly reminding him of the complexity and… to some extent, the fragmentation of his own mental composition.
Could this noisy entity truly be a part of his 'essence'?
This realization itself was sometimes more unsettling than an enemy's attack.
"Annoying?!"
Within the consciousness space, the illusory form of White Snake, composed of mental energy, seemed to fluctuate violently, conveying clear shock and grievance.
"You actually find me annoying?! Enrico, Enrico, I never thought you'd be like this…"
Fuuki remained silent; such a mental dispute was meaningless.
He frowned slightly, not because of White Snake's protest, but because he realized he might truly have been "inconsiderate."
It was indeed a waste to leave such a highly intelligent and active "tool" idle, allowing it to chatter incessantly in his mind.
Instead of passively enduring its noise, it would be better to actively assign it tasks, letting its excess energy be channeled, and at the same time serving his plan.
"No…" Fuuki corrected himself in his consciousness, his tone even carrying a hint of apology.
"It was inconsiderate of me. I should assign you some tasks to maximize your intelligence and… curiosity."
As he spoke, Fuuki calmly pulled a discreetly styled smartphone from his inner pocket—his dedicated device for receiving informant intelligence.
The screen lit up, and the bluish light illuminated his flawless profile. After quickly swiping to unlock the screen, he held the phone steadily in front of his chest.
"I'm temporarily giving you the vision of my left eye. I hope to receive your detailed analysis report on the information of those two girls, as well as a plan for approaching them based on their respective personality traits, before 2 PM."
"??? "
White Snake's consciousness fluctuations transmitted a series of confused question marks, clearly indicating deep bewilderment at this sudden "work assignment."
"What's wrong? Aren't you very interested in them? Just now you were enthusiastically speculating whether they possessed Stands. Now, this glorious mission of deeply understanding and analyzing them has been handed to you."
"I'm sure with your abilities, you can deliver a perfect answer sheet that is logically rigorous, deeply insightful, and highly actionable, right?"
A brief silence fell within the consciousness space… White Snake finally got to enjoy "working from home" in a sense, and Fuuki, as he wished, obtained a moment of precious "peace."
His right eye gazed at the bustling intersection in the distance, while his thoughts delved into a deep review of the Haneoka incident from that morning.
Shiina Taki.
The image of this girl clearly appeared in his mind: long black hair, stubborn eyes, the tiny tear mole at the corner of her left eye, and that will which, under the dual pressure of immense fear and physical pain, still struggled to protect others and fight back.
His first impression of her was "unyielding."
It was a stubbornness almost bordering on obsession, a tenacity that burned like life itself. And beneath this stubborn exterior, Fuuki clearly perceived something deeper—insecurity.
It was a profound insecurity stemming from long-term life in the shadow of the dazzling symbol that was "Shiina Maki." Her withdrawal from the brass band club, her choice of drums, and her almost masochistic independent handling of everything she faced, were essentially attempts to prove the unique value of her existence, to try and break free from that ubiquitous "sister" label.
She yearned for recognition but refused dependence, shouldering all burdens herself, building a defensive wall with her scorching "independence."
"A lone person…" Fuuki murmured silently, his right eye's gaze deep.
That kind of pressure, originating from the depths of her heart, from the constant questioning of the value of her 'self's' existence, was enough to crush those with weak wills.
But Shiina Taki was not crushed. She struggled and moved forward under the heavy pressure, even if her posture was disheveled, even if she was covered in scars. This will showed Fuuki immense potential.
"If she can not be defeated under this heavy pressure, but instead transform it into a whetstone for her will…"
"Then, her spirit, which has always been suppressed by insecurity, may usher in a transformation and sublimation."
"At that time, the 'Gravity' generated from the depths of her heart will become incredibly powerful."
Fuuki needed this 'Gravity,' and he also needed a trustworthy and reliable "assistant." Shiina Taki became one of the best candidates at the moment.
So Fuuki made a decision that seemed casual but was actually well-thought-out.
He followed DIO's old ways, giving her a small "meteorite fragment" closely related to Stand power.
The source of this fragment was the very fragment that had merged with his own spirit. The decision to divide and give it was partly due to Fuuki's "optimism" about Shiina Taki's potential, believing she was worth the investment; but on the other hand, it was also out of helplessness.
Based on Wakaba Mutsumi's description of her own situation, and information read from Maehara Naoto's 'memory disc,' Fuuki confirmed a key piece of information: the "meteorite fragment" hidden in the mental dark side, while capable of being actively extracted by the host and given to others, could not be forcibly taken by outsiders.
Furthermore, once the main body completely died and the spirit dissipated, the fragment within it would also vanish, unable to be recovered.
The unique nature of White Snake's ability allowed Fuuki to clearly see traces of the "meteorite fragment" in both Takagi Naoko's and Maehara Naoto's 'memory discs.' However, no matter how Fuuki tried, using White Snake's power to analyze and extract, he could not separate this "fragment" individually from the disc.
It seemed to be integrated with the "memory" and "personality" itself carried by the disc, and forced separation would only lead to irreversible loss.
Currently, every 'disc' containing a "meteorite fragment" was extremely precious, and Fuuki could not risk damaging the disc and losing the fragment by conducting reckless experiments.
He needed more samples, more in-depth research, and… intelligence from other Stand Users who might possess more secrets of the "fragments"… As White Snake indeed submitted a "paper" in his mind, Fuuki's review was successfully completed.
He raised his hand to hail a passing empty taxi, preparing to head to his next destination.
Tokyo Medical University Hospital.
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