"Okuyasu, let's go to the Morioh Grand Hotel restaurant for lunch today."
"Of course, the Morioh Grand Hotel restaurant is the best hotel in Morioh. Their beef tongue is absolutely superb. It's the hotel where Mr. Kujo Jotaro is staying. I've been wanting to try their beef tongue for a long time… As for this afternoon, how about we buy some lottery tickets? I feel lucky recently, maybe we'll win!"
Time quietly slipped past noon. Higashikata Josuke and Nijimura Okuyasu had been staking out all morning. It was almost time for their shift to end, and they were engrossed in discussing where to go and what to eat for lunch.
The two goofballs squatted by the lake, giggling foolishly, anticipating their free afternoon.
Since today was considered work, Mr. Jotaro had provided them with ample funds, and all their daily expenses, like meals, would be reimbursed.
They had no intention of letting this rare opportunity slip by. As for continuing the stakeout seriously?
Word had already come from Mr. Jotaro that the target probably wouldn't show up. The target was now continuing to commit crimes and create other incidents in the Town. But since they had already taken the day off, it wouldn't be right not to do some work.
After all, they were already here… Meanwhile, inside the Morioh Grand Hotel, Kujo Jotaro put down his binoculars, his brow slightly furrowed.
What happened last night was too significant; it certainly alarmed him, but it didn't interfere with his judgment. He believed that everything that had occurred indicated the opponent was about to resort to desperate measures, which confirmed his investigative direction was correct.
However, the opponent possessed some unknown means to monitor them, so they would need to be more careful in the coming days.
Currently, the lake area surveillance and investigation were progressing slowly, yielding nothing. That feeling of prey vanishing into a fog made him feel troubled for the first time in a long while.
But now, Joseph Joestar was about to arrive. After he landed tomorrow at noon, he could directly perform psychography, and then the problem would naturally be solved.
"Mr. Jotaro," an SPW Foundation staff member walked over quickly, holding a phone, looking a bit nervous, "we just received a report.
The team responsible for outer perimeter surveillance said they noticed from a high vantage point that Mr. Koichi Hirose entered Kishibe Rohan's residence in the Green Hill district around ten o'clock this morning, but… he has not been seen leaving since, and his behavior during that time was very… strange."
Jotaro suddenly turned his head, his gaze beneath the white brim of his hat sharp as an eagle's. "How long has it been?"
"It's already been over two and a half hours, and…" The staff member paused, his voice even lower, "We suspect Mr. Koichi went there because of an advertisement the opponent placed in newspapers and on the radio.
We suspect this is a trap. At the same time, we checked the surveillance at intersections near Green Hill and found that the flow of people heading to Kishibe Rohan's house after ten o'clock also seemed… unusually abnormal."
The staff member handed Jotaro a newspaper. Looking at the advertisement, Jotaro frowned. The gimmick was somewhat interesting; he could investigate the data points of "48 people" and "15 years."
"Abnormal?"
But Jotaro also instantly realized the problem. An abnormal incident suddenly appearing at this critical juncture was very likely the work of a Stand User.
"Yes, most of the people who went in had normal expressions, but those who came out… almost every one of them wore a very… satisfied, even excited smile, and they all held varying amounts of cash in their hands.
This was completely different from their state before entering. Moreover, according to observation, the crowd that had originally gathered outside Kishibe Rohan's house has dispersed, but there still seems to be activity inside the residence."
Jotaro's intuition told him this was absolutely not normal.
Koichi was not a greedy person, and staying for a long time at a strange manga artist's house didn't fit his character. No, he might indeed like manga, which wasn't too strange, but the timing was wrong now.
Koichi was still a relatively punctual child. By this time, he should have come out to find him no matter what, coupled with the abnormality of the crowd.
"Yare yare daze… This is really annoying."
He pressed down on his hat brim and immediately made a decision, "Contact Higashikata Josuke and Nijimura Okuyasu. Tell them to meet immediately at Green Hill 4-chome. Cancel their free afternoon.
Inform Mr. Joestar that psychography might need to be done earlier. The target is tentatively Koichi Hirose. A little less precision is fine; it doesn't need to be precise to the face, just a general idea will do."
"Yes, Mr. Jotaro!"
On the other side, Higashikata Josuke and Nijimura Okuyasu had just planned their afternoon itinerary when an SPW Foundation staff member informed them that their plans had changed.
Upon receiving Jotaro's notification, both immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
Although they still longed for the beef tongue set meal, it was clear that their friend's situation was more important.
"That Koichi guy… nothing bad happened to him, did it?" Okuyasu scratched his steak-shaped hair, his usual silliness gone, replaced by worry and seriousness.
"Less talk, Okuyasu! Let's get over there quickly! We can talk about eating later!"
Josuke's face darkened, his iconic steak-shaped hair seeming to stand even more upright. A premonition of ill omen surged within him, and he immediately hailed a taxi.
He was trembling all over. He would never let go of anyone who harmed his friends!
…Green Hill, Kishibe Rohan's residence.
At this moment, the residence resembled a hypnotized nest. Hazamada Toshiwazu and Koichi Hirose, wearing incredibly "sincere" and "enthusiastic" smiles, stood at the door, waving goodbye to the last few satisfied visitors who were leaving with their prize money.
And the visitors, too, wore equally "sincere" and "enthusiastic" smiles. Their faces, like copy-pasted images, carried a peculiar joy.
However, everyone's actions were normal, maintaining their everyday habits, appearing only to have somewhat strange emotions.
"Thank you very much for coming! Please come again next time to share interesting stories!"
Koichi's voice sounded sunny and cheerful, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of stiffness and bewilderment.
Hazamada Toshiwazu, meanwhile, mechanically counted the remaining banknotes, his face plastered with a fawning smile, and shouted into the house, "Rohan-sensei! Today's haul is so rich! We've sent off three more!"
Inside, Kishibe Rohan sat amidst a pile of manuscripts, his face showing an almost manic satisfaction.
Scattered at his feet were many torn-off "pages" filled with writing, all "material" obtained from these dozens of "human books."
Heaven's Door's power allowed him to easily control Koichi and Hazamada, making them perfect tools for screening visitors, acquiring stories, and distributing prize money.
And after acquiring their stories, these visitors were, without exception, deeply analyzed by him.
The rich, unpresentable stories were also perfectly absorbed by him.
He was like a sponge dropped into an ocean of information, more satisfied than ever before.
"Hmph hmph, so efficient. As expected of someone who has dealt with criminal cases, the efficiency is indeed extraordinary. Koichi, you take 500,000 in prize money.
As for Hazamada, your efficiency is too poor, and you startled several guests. For the news you brought me, I'll give you 50,000."
"Yes, thank you, Rohan-sensei!" * 2
Listening to their grateful shouts, he smiled triumphantly, his pen tip moving rapidly across the drawing board, transforming the fragmented inspiration he had just received into rough storyboards.
However, he didn't notice, or rather, he ignored, the bird that had lingered too long on a distant utility pole.
Through the photograph, Kira Yoshihiro took in the "harmonious" scene at the door and Kishibe Rohan's state inside the house.
"Yoshikage, Koichi and Hazamada are indeed controlled, helping Rohan receive visitors. The visitors all seem to have received money and left happily.
Rohan has been drawing inside. Jotaro and the others… don't seem to have arrived yet. Currently, it just feels like those visitors are a bit strange; their smiles are somewhat indescribable."
"Soon."
Kira Yoshikage's voice came from the other end of the phone, terrifyingly calm, "Father, prepare the 'gift.' Once they fall into chaos, find an opportunity to send in 'that surprise.'
If it's impossible, then Father, come back quickly. The success of this operation is good news, but failure is also fine. Koichi has been targeted; they absolutely cannot let this matter rest."
"Understood."
Kira Yoshihiro controlled the bird, silently landing it in a hidden corner.
In the photo, he held a large cloth bag and an arrow.
Meanwhile, Jotaro had already received a message from Joseph. This time, he didn't use a Polaroid but a television.
Only one sentence was transmitted: "Be careful, stones, cracking, all over the sky, everywhere, flames, and, explosions, white, hair, photos, riding, pigeons."
This statement successfully silenced Jotaro. Looking at the message, his eyes revealed confusion, and he muttered to himself, "How do these words form a sentence? Has his senile dementia worsened?"