When Kira Yoshikage woke up, the morning light filtering through the curtains had just fallen on the velvet box on his nightstand. It was six-thirty, precisely on time.
His first action upon sitting up was to touch his new girlfriend in the velvet box. She was neatly wrapped in gauze, and the soft sensation on his fingertips eased his tense nerves by half, yet he still worried that yesterday's explosion had been a bit too big.
It had diminished his appetite considerably. Breakfast was hot milk with toasted bread, and although it tasted quite good, he simply couldn't eat it.
The milk was heated to 60℃ in the pot; he had confirmed it with a thermometer—the perfect temperature.
The toast was lightly browned at the edges, cut into four equal pieces, and arranged on a white porcelain plate. Only a thin layer of jam was spread, not exceeding any corner of the toast, yet it was full of flavor.
But as he ate, Kira Yoshikage felt as if he were chewing on a wax block and drinking a cup of paint, utterly devoid of appetite.
"Morning news time. First, an urgent bulletin from Morioh. We regret to inform you that a major, heinous incident occurred in our beautiful and peaceful town last night.
Around 7 PM last night, multiple unexplained explosions occurred in the western commercial district, resulting in 12 fatalities and 23 injuries. The fire was not fully extinguished until 4 AM this morning.
The prefectural police headquarters has established a special investigation team, and the SPW Foundation has also dispatched personnel to assist. Initial findings rule out the possibility of an ordinary gas explosion and do not exclude deliberate human attack…"
The news suddenly blaring from the radio on the dining table made Kira's hand, holding the toast, pause. A hint of confusion even flickered in his eyes.
He looked up at the radio, its silver casing reflecting the morning light. The figure "12 fatalities" made him raise an eyebrow. What a joke!
What 12 people? From what he saw, those burned and blown up were far more than 12. These 12 people probably weren't even a fraction of the total. According to Kira Yoshihiro's rough estimate yesterday, at least a hundred people in Morioh had been killed by him yesterday.
This didn't even include those who died in the massive fire.
This was absolutely a super major incident, yet the number of casualties was forcibly reduced to 12. They really dared to say that.
"It seems I'm still too unfamiliar with these things. I underestimated the Japanese government. But that's good; this way, the repercussions will be smaller, and I'll be safer."
What reassured Kira Yoshikage even more was that the news only mentioned "unexplained explosions" and "deliberate attacks," without any mention of "trace-free annihilation" or "random human explosions." It seemed Jotaro had temporarily suppressed Stand-related clues, preventing ordinary people from knowing the truth.
They probably wanted everything about Stands to remain forever in the Stand User world, letting ordinary people simply view this as a terrorist attack.
At this, his appetite returned. The milk in his mouth became sweet and fresh, and the toast soft and delicious. As he ate, his appetite grew, and he even fried two more eggs to eat with the toast.
As he continued eating toast and had consumed two-thirds of his milk, the news on the radio switched topics:
"Next up is local cultural information. Unlike the previous news, this is thoroughly good news, which may help everyone alleviate their depressed mood.
The renowned manga artist Kishibe Rohan will be holding a 'Town Oddities Story Collection' at his residence in Green Hill 4-chome at 10 AM today. It is reported that Mr. Rohan's collection is to gather material for his new manga, 'Manga Detective.' Residents who have recently encountered 'unexplained strange occurrences' are welcome to attend and share…"
"It is reported that Mr. Rohan intends to portray the protagonist of this manga as a successful manga artist like himself, creating a story with a manga artist becoming a detective, investigating a serial killer who has been hidden in the town for 15 years and has murdered 48 beautiful girls, as the main storyline.
Mr. Rohan claims that if anyone can provide suitable material for this story, he will offer a large reward, up to 10 million yen…"
"Oh?" Kira put down his milk cup, his fingertip tracing the rim.
Kishibe Rohan, that name was like a thorn, constantly stuck in his heart.
He had long known Rohan's Stand ability, the almost invincible Heaven's Door.
It could turn people into "books," read memories, and alter behavior, making it more feared than Jotaro's Star Platinum. That's why he hadn't made a move earlier, even knowing that the ability hadn't fully matured and required manga manuscripts to activate.
But now, Rohan was actively holding a "collection event," explicitly stating it was for manga material, which presented him with an excellent opportunity, revealing the address he had been searching for.
"Aren't Koichi and the others investigating the explosion?"
Kira picked up a napkin, carefully wiping his mouth, leaving no trace of jam. "What if they think Rohan's 'collection event' is gathering clues about the explosion, or even… connected to the culprit?"
He thought of Koichi's Echoes Act 2, Josuke's Crazy Diamond, and Okuyasu's The Hand. Three half-grown kids, hot-blooded and impulsive, yet possessing formidable power. As soon as they caught a whiff of "clues,"
They would undoubtedly confront Rohan recklessly. And Rohan's arrogant nature, ingrained to the bone, would never tolerate anyone questioning his manga, let alone invading his home to cause trouble.
"What a golden opportunity, but Rohan, you're a bit too perceptive… Sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing."
From the broadcast, it seemed this manga artist wanted to lure him over. He had probably already discovered him, the serial killer, and wanted to eliminate him. However, the other party probably didn't know he was a Stand User.
Since that was the case, he would have to strike first. He could divert the trouble to the protagonist group.
When the two sides clashed, Jotaro's attention would inevitably shift from "checking explosion surveillance" to "mediating conflicts," allowing him to catch his breath and continue his "peaceful office worker life."
And he would look for an opportunity to kill both sides directly.
As for his own safety? Kira sneered, clenching his left hand. He wouldn't go to Rohan's house. As long as he didn't expose himself to danger, he would naturally be safe.
Heaven's Door's ability was too bizarre. Even with Killer Queen strengthened now, there was no need to take risks. The original plan was still too dangerous.
It was better to watch the tigers fight from the mountain.
"Dad, time to get to work."
Kira took out his phone and dialed Kira Yoshihiro's number. The rustling of birds' wings came through the receiver, and Kira Yoshihiro's voice still carried the grogginess of just waking up. "Yoshikage? So early… Was there no problem with last night's incident?"
"The number of casualties mentioned in the news has been suppressed. The government has some capability in this regard, so rest assured."
Kira's voice was as steady as if he were saying "the weather is nice today." "Kishibe Rohan is holding a story collection event at his house at ten o'clock. It's already on the radio, and I assume there's promotion in the newspapers too. You, attached to a bird, go find Koichi and the others by the lake now.
Don't show yourself. Just find an opportunity for Koichi to see the relevant news. He's a manga fan and will definitely be interested. Don't make it too obvious; he'll go on his own. At this point, they will naturally suspect the explosion later."
"Have them go find Rohan?" Kira Yoshihiro's voice instantly cleared. "But is Rohan also a Stand User? What if Koichi and the others get hurt? Wouldn't Jotaro become even more vigilant?"
"What I want is for them to be vigilant about Rohan, not about me. Besides, Kishibe Rohan has probably already noticed me, Dad. If you find today's newspaper, you should understand."
Kira walked to the window, pulling back the curtain slightly, and looked at the street in the morning light. Several office workers hurried by, looking no different from how he usually appeared. "Jotaro is currently monitoring surveillance, investigating my explosion from yesterday. Koichi and the others causing trouble at Rohan's house will perfectly distract him. If one side can be defeated, that would be even better.
Remember, leave no traces. Transmit the message and leave immediately. Don't approach Rohan's house. If he's making such a big show, his Stand ability is definitely not simple."
After hanging up, Kira placed the dishes in the sink and washed them spotlessly clean, even wiping away the milk stains on the cup with a sponge.
He glanced at his watch. Seven-twenty. Time to go to work.
As he picked up his briefcase, he specifically checked the inner pocket: wallet, keys, neatly arranged, with nothing extra.
As for his girlfriend, after being properly embalmed, she was placed in the deepest, most concealed spot.
When he left, he locked the door and then bent down to look at the floor tiles by the entrance. No footprints, no dust; he would never leave footprints like before.
When he started the car, he didn't take the commercial street but instead took a small road with only two surveillance cameras.
He even deliberately slowed down. He wanted Jotaro's people, when checking the surveillance, to only see a person "enjoying life, an ordinary office worker," providing cover for his driving around.
Light music was still playing on the radio. Kira's fingertips tapped a rhythmic beat on the steering wheel, identical to his breathing frequency.
He wanted to laugh just thinking about Koichi and the others possibly rushing into Rohan's house, and Jotaro possibly frowning as he mediated the conflict.
Meanwhile, by the lake, Josuke and Okuyasu had just met up. Both carried their breakfasts, eating and keeping watch, carefully checking for any suspicious vehicles passing by.
Of course, their main role was to act as bodyguards; others would naturally handle the vehicle observation. Their real job was to intercept vehicles if they found any issues.
On the other side, Koichi was at home, eating breakfast. Using the excuse of no school today, he was happily having breakfast with his mother, enjoying the rare leisure time of a holiday.
And for some reason, his mother had even turned on the radio today, playing the latest news. Eating and listening to the radio felt exceptionally relaxed.
However, after hearing the news on the radio, his expression kept changing, and he secretly cursed the brutality of the newly appeared Stand User. He didn't even need to think to know that this explosion was definitely caused by that Stand User.
After all, the timing was too coincidental. Just now, hearing the second piece of news, when he heard that the famous manga artist Kishibe Rohan was also in this town, he couldn't help but show a hint of admiration in his eyes.
Especially after hearing the address and that the artist was collecting stories, Koichi Hirose became even more excited, pondering his next move.
History had once again returned to its proper course.
At this moment, Kira Yoshikage was driving towards Kameyu Department Store. The morning light streamed through the car window onto his face, making him appear as calm as an ordinary person who had never caused any bloodshed.
As if everything had nothing to do with him.