—STARRY Performance Hall—
After buying the bass, Diego led a blindfolded Kita Ikuyo slowly down the entrance steps.
"Marin, Dio-san, where exactly are you taking me?"
After buying the bass with Kita Ikuyo, Diego purchased an eyepatch nearby in Shimokitazawa, had Kitagawa Marin help put it on her, and supported her all the way to STARRY.
Nijika and the others had said there was a guitarist who ran away before. It had to be little sun.
The trembling body, the intense mental reaction at the mention of Kessoku Band, the calluses from practicing guitar… none of those could be faked.
And she still claimed to be "just a fan"…
Sniff sniff… sniff sniff…
This scent—it's the smell of lies!
Since it wasn't opening hours yet, there were no customers inside STARRY.
"Yo, Bocchi, I came to check on you guys working. Have you been training like I told you to—"
Just as Diego was about to remove Kita Ikuyo's eyepatch, a voice suddenly reached his ear.
"You scumbag, apologize properly! Say you're sorry! You borrowed money and only paid it back after so long."
?! Ko no Dio had a very bad feeling…
The innately evil little Ryo brat finally couldn't hold back and went after Bocchi after all.
In his line of sight, Ijichi Seika was scolding Yamada Ryo at the bar counter while Yamada Ryo knelt on the floor doing a dogeza in front of Gotoh Hitori, holding money above her head with tears at the corners of her eyes, offering only the tiniest bit of apology:
"Sorry for taking so long to pay it back…"
No good—he couldn't take off the eyepatch. If Kita saw her adored Ryo-senpai like this, the sky would fall.
So Diego decided to cover her ears too.
"Eek—! Why are you covering my ears too…"
"Eh? It's Dio-san. And this is…?" Ijichi Seika was a little surprised to see Diego at this hour. She turned toward the back and called out, "Nijika, Dio-san came looking for you!"
Tap tap tap tap…
A yellow Pringles chip dashed all the way over to Diego. Looking at the blindfolded Kita Ikuyo in astonishment, she thought for a moment, then her mind connected the dots like a laser. She clapped her hands and pointed at Kita Ikuyo:
"Ahhhh~~~~~ The runaway guitarist~~~~!!"
"Pfft, the runaway sun."
"…Um, Dio-san, could you maybe let go of my ears? It's really embarrassing…" Kita Ikuyo felt the situation was extremely bad.
Very good—Ryo the cheapskate and Bocchi were here too. Time to remove the eyepatch.
"Ahem, ta-da!" Diego spread his arms wide, signaling Kitagawa Marin to help take off the eyepatch. "Here's the vocalist-slash-guitarist I found for you. And the girl next to her is Kessoku Band's loyal fan, Kitagawa Marin."
Fan! My fan…
Okaa-san, Otou-san, I have a fan!
(Congratulations~ Congratulations~)
A ghost that looked suspiciously like a guitar suddenly appeared, successfully grossing Diego out.
Gotoh Hitori stared at Kitagawa Marin with sparkling eyes, muttering in an evil-god whisper: "Ehehe… ihihihi… fan… hehehe…"
"Dio-kun, the guitarist from your band didn't look like this when she came to watch the performance last time." Kitagawa Marin felt Gotoh Hitori's gaze and leaned close to Diego's ear to whisper.
"Don't mind her. Bocchi enters this state automatically every once in a while."
"Hey, why is Kita-chan here?" Yamada Ryo covered her mouth with her sleeve and asked somewhat concernedly.
"!! Aaaah… ugh… Ryo-senpai…" The moment Kita Ikuyo saw Ryo, her mental defenses collapsed completely. She dropped into dogeza and begged for forgiveness. "I'll do anything! Please forgive me for my rude behavior that day! Mess me up however you want!"
"Then can you lend me 50 yen for a Crazy Wednesday…"
"Nijika, Ryo… so you two were in this kind of relationship?" Diego's pupils quaked in disbelief. He immediately pulled Kitagawa Marin behind him and kept backing up while shielding her, trying to say "you shall not pass." "Kitagawa, run! This place is full of yurifags! Run!!"
Realizing Diego had clearly misunderstood something, Nijika acted decisively and grabbed his fleeing leg in a hug.
"You can't leave."
"As long as… as long as I can reach that door, as long as I can reach that door." Seeing the exit almost within reach, Diego crawled pathetically across the floor, inching closer to the doorknob one agonizing movement at a time.
Click…
Diego came face-to-face with Pa-san, who had just arrived for work. They stared at each other.
Lately Pa-san had developed a habit of taking a stroll in the park before coming to work for some reason.
Damn it, the place is already full. No escape!
"What kind of weird daytime play are Dio-san and little Nijika up to?"
Oh~ this awkward position…
So jealous of Nijika…
"It's not what you think, Pa-san!" Ijichi Nijika instantly turned into a steamy blushing mess and flailed in panic trying to explain.
"Don't rape me, wryyyyyyy—!!!"
"Stop saying weird things already!"
...
After a round of explanations, Diego returned to the bar counter somewhat skeptically and sat down around the table with everyone.
"Eh~ so Kita-chan actually can't play guitar?! No wonder she was so stubbornly against practicing with us."
"chew chew No wonder she reacted so… chew chew strongly when she heard I was Kessoku Band's manager." Diego was sneakily eating the Oringi snacks from behind the counter.
"Yes…" Kita Ikuyo lowered her head in shame and admitted her mistake.
"You suddenly went radio silent. I was really worried." Yamada Ryo propped her head on her hand and said in her usual scummy tone.
"Senpai…"
"I was wondering if you'd died. I've been burning incense for you every day." Yamada Ryo took out a handkerchief and dabbed at nonexistent tears in the corner of her eye, then pulled a framed black-and-white photo of Kita Ikuyo out from under the table.
"Please don't kill me off so easily…" Kita Ikuyo's emotion vanished.
Eh, do I even need to exist?
Gotoh Hitori felt a wave of loneliness as if the intruder Kita had completely replaced her, yet she could only stand by helplessly like an incompetent husband, unable to voice her grievances.
Clap clap! Diego clapped twice to draw Kessoku Band's attention.
"Back to business. As you can see, little sun can't play guitar, so I'm having Bocchi teach her."
Beside them, Gotoh Hitori—who had been playing 『The Sad Elegy of the Returning Band Vocalist Replacing the Useless Part-Time Lung-Fog Worker』—instantly snapped to attention.
Lord Dio is definitely an angel. I have purpose again.
The chance to redeem my honor has come!!!
Ah… no, no way, I can't do it~~~~. The moment someone stares at me like this I get insanely nervous, but the atmosphere right now makes refusal impossible…
The spineless Bocchi who couldn't stay brave for three seconds immediately started backing out.
"Y-Yes…"
"Great! Kessoku Band is fully revived!"
"Thank you, Gotoh-san, but didn't Dio-san say he was going to teach me?"
"Ahem… I can only mechanically imitate songs. My playing has no personal style. Bocchi is the best teacher—her music is full of emotion! That's what real music is!" (enjoying himself)
In reality he just found it troublesome.
Stare…
"I'm telling the truth. What's with those looks? Look closely at my sincere eyes…"
...
"Disband disband…"
Night had fallen. After a tiring day, the great Dio master rode his beloved horse Silver Bullet slowly down the street.
Having explained the band's next steps and said goodbye to Nijika and the others, the cold wind blew against Diego's face, making him feel refreshed and clear-headed.
Sniff sniff… sniff sniff…
On horseback, Diego pressed down the brim of his hat, slightly turned his head, and quietly glanced backward.
It was the priest from earlier in the day. Still following me. What does this guy want?
(Father Pucci: Want!)
Clop clop clop clop…
Accompanied by the sound of hooves came the faint roars of dinosaurs.
"You're back, Scary Monsters." Diego said softly. "Good work."
Near Diego's ear—in a place ordinary vision couldn't catch—pterosaurs smaller than mosquitoes flew continuously, relaying information to him.
So that's it. Another remnant of the vampire Dio. His closest friend. Seriously, why do they always come looking for trouble with me?
A strange light flickered in Diego's eyes. He immediately urged his beloved horse into a gallop.
The hoofbeats grew louder. The once leisurely strolling Silver Bullet broke into a run, instantly putting distance between them and Enrico Pucci in a single moment.
!
No good—if this continues I'll lose him!
Enrico Pucci hurried after them, trying to match the horse's speed. He ran into an alley and completely lost sight of Diego.
"Hah… sublime… hah… unfortunately, I lost him. Couldn't confirm his identity. Next time… next time I'll do better…"
Exhausted, Enrico Pucci leaned against the wall, panting heavily, and slowly made his way toward the alley exit.
Puff…
His footsteps suddenly stopped. He slumped against the wall and sat down.
"Jotaro Kujo is very suited to the outcome of 『forced peaceful coexistence』." Diego leaped down from the rooftop and stood towering over Father Pucci, speaking slowly. "Even the SPW Foundation fears ko no Dio's combat power to the point they have no choice but to meet my demands… right, Enrico Pucci?"
Diego had dinosaurized himself and his beloved horse, leaped onto the rooftop, and waited there for a long time.
"You won't get a next time. Is my appearance right now also within your plans?"
Rustle…
The wind stirred dry leaves. Diego crushed the fallen dead leaf underfoot, grabbed Enrico Pucci's face, his fingertips turning into dragon claws that pierced the priest's skin as he examined him closely.
"Pucci, you know… I really hate loose ends. Having you follow me like this makes me constantly wonder—when exactly are you going to attack me…"
"Try calling out White Snake. That's your last hope of surviving."
『White Snake』, Enrico Pucci's Stand, could turn Stands and memories into DISCs with a strike and also possessed the ability to dissolve minds and hypnotize.
At this distance, White Snake's speed was completely useless. The moment it appeared, he would be torn apart!
Enrico Pucci met Diego's eyes, stared for a moment, then slowly spoke: "…I never intended to attack you. I like people who can make me grow…"
"You are the king among kings. No matter where you go, I want to follow you. I revere you as I revere God."
King among kings… so I'm a sausage link?!! One better than six?!!
"There is just one thing I absolutely must confirm. If you plan to kill me, please at least tell me the answer to this."
"Could you… please call out your Stand? I want to see it with my own eyes…"
A Stand is the symbol of a person's soul and spirit. No matter how the appearance changes, the soul never lies. If his Stand is The World, then his identity is clear.
Diego stared at Father Pucci for a while, then released him, stepped back a few paces, and The World appeared behind him.
『The World』!!! It really is you!!!
[Do you believe in gravity?]
The former Dio Brando seemed to appear before Pucci once again.
I see. So this is how you overcame sunlight?
I always believed Dio would not be killed by Jotaro Kujo.
This youthful and handsome body is the product of reaching heaven!!!
Damn you, Jotaro Kujo—it must have been you meddling that caused Dio to lose his previous memories.
Father Pucci gradually understood everything. As for how Diego knew his name, he believed it must be because of the bond between them. After all—was there anything Dio couldn't do?
"I will definitely help you. (Referring to restoring memories)" Father Pucci stood up, his eyes filled with determination. He looked back reluctantly again and again. "Wait for me, Dio!"
Diego: ? What the hell?
Father Pucci left. In the end, Diego hadn't acted—because the moment he was dinosaurized, he could no longer defeat Diego.
"What a weird guy… Ah crap! My dinner—Hori's going to be mad. The World! Hurry up and leave—stop time right now!"