Yumiko was a factory accountant.
By the end of the year, even if the boss, sales staff, or purchasing department were busy, they could still put things off a little and deal with them next year. Only accountants couldn't.
Today was December 31. Yumiko finished working overtime and rode her little electric scooter home, pushing through the heavy snow, huffing and puffing the whole way.
But just as she reached her front door, the battery scooter slipped, and she fell hard on her backside.
A beat-up electric scooter going less than 15 kilometers per hour couldn't really cause a serious injury. Her leg was just a bit swollen. She tried a few times, but for the moment, she couldn't stand up.
If this had been when she was younger, Yumiko would've grit her teeth and gotten up.
But she was old now.
"Hah..."
She gently let out a breath, which turned into a cloud of white mist and dispersed, blending into the vast snowfall.
Yumiko lay in the snow. The world was utterly quiet, yet within that silence, she could hear distant firecrackers and the laughter of families in the neighborhood reunited together.
She thought of her husband, who had died from illness years ago.
She thought of her son, who had been missing for nearly five months.
Yumiko's nose stung, and she was about to cry,
Suddenly, a hand reached out to her.
Ryosuke helped his dazed old mother up, lifted her onto his back, and walked home step by step.
His mind was completely blank.
In a daze, Ryosuke carried his mother back to the old apartment building, climbed the stairs all the way up to the fifth floor, took the key from under the doormat, skillfully opened the door, and after many years, stepped into his home once again.
Click!
The light turned on.
Everything inside the house was unchanged, exactly the same as in Ryosuke's memories.
The old sofa, the old TV, the old floor-standing air conditioner…
On the wall were certificates Ryosuke had won in his youth, trophies from various competitions, photos of him from childhood to adulthood, and on top of the TV cabinet, two thick stacks of missing-person notices.
At this moment, even the most slow-witted person would understand what kind of place this was.
The blood-red tide of Wonder of U had sent them to Ryosuke's hometown?
But… why?
What kind of calamity was this supposed to be?
Madara, Josuke, and Hot Pants looked at one another, then turned their gazes to Ryosuke's profile as he gently placed his mother onto the sofa.
Yumiko looked at the strangely dressed people in front of her. In the end, her gaze settled on Ryosuke. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she said, "Young man, you know where my home is, and you even know where I hide my key. You wouldn't happen to be…"
Ryosuke froze in the middle of taking a healing potion out of his pocket.
Everyone else also turned to look at him.
Ryosuke's appearance didn't match the young man in the photos. After nearly five years of slaughter and tempering, his temperament was worlds apart from who he used to be.
But his core had never changed.
Could it be that, because of a mother's love, she recognized that the person in front of her was her own child?
Then they heard Yumiko purse her lips and continue, "…You wouldn't happen to be the thief I've been staking out, would you?"
Ryosuke was speechless.
Seeing that they didn't say anything, Yumiko pointed at the missing-person notices on the TV cabinet. "My son, Ryosuke, has been missing for five months. The little bit of savings and family assets I had have all been used to look for him."
"If you like them, you can take a few of these old appliances with you. Consider it a thank-you for bringing me home."
The Ryosuke who had looked dull and absent-minded the entire way finally showed a faint smile.
With the junk appliances in his home, some of them older than Ryosuke himself, the labor cost of moving them would be higher than what they'd sell for.
"Don't worry, I'm not a thief. I'm…"
With the situation unclear, Ryosuke hesitated for a moment and decided not to reveal his identity right away.
'Isn't that how horror movies go? If you don't say it, everything's fine. Once you do, people end up separated by life and death, and something unexpected happens.'
Calamities were far scarier than ghosts.
Ryosuke planned to observe things for a while first.
"We're backpackers traveling around."
Yumiko let out an "oh" and nodded. "Then where are your backpacks?"
All their supplies were stored in the Ghost Room, so they naturally didn't need to actually carry backpacks. Ryosuke thought for a moment and blurted out two words,
"Shoestring travel."
As for why he knew about the house and the key's location, Ryosuke brushed it off with a few vague sentences.
When Yumiko heard that they were traveling and had nowhere to go on New Year's Eve, she grabbed Ryosuke's hand and said, "If you don't mind, why don't you have dinner here? The house… hasn't been this lively in a long time."
As she spoke, she was about to start cooking for everyone.
"I'll do it."
Ryosuke stood up, went into the kitchen, put on an apron, and said to Hot Pants, "Could you use your ointment… to help treat her leg injury?"
After saying that, Ryosuke walked into the kitchen.
The moment he entered, the smile on his face vanished.
"Did you notice something?" Uchiha Madara walked in and asked.
Being sent here by the blood-red torrent of Wonder of U and immediately encountering Ryosuke's mother, everything about this reeked of something deeply wrong.
If Yumiko suddenly turned into a monster and attacked someone at any moment, Madara wouldn't be surprised.
Ryosuke took out the Saint's Corpse and handed it over, gesturing for Madara to check it himself.
Madara glanced at Ryosuke, took the Saint's Corpse suspiciously, and the moment he touched it, he sensed something was off. His tone rose slightly. "It's dispersing?"
"It's returning," Ryosuke said. "My hometown and the JOJO world… are very different. Even the Saint's Corpse can't let us stay here for long."
"In about two hours, under the world's rejection, the Saint's Corpse will return to the JOJO world."
"We have two choices."
"Let the Saint's Corpse leave, and we stay in this world."
"Or, before it leaves, activate spatial traversal again and continue the journey."
There was no third option. And unlike the JoJo Gospel timeline, there was no way to leave behind an anchor point to return whenever they wanted.
This was an extremely sorrowful decision.
And also the cruelest knife stabbing straight into a person's heart.
This knife was hundreds of times more terrifying than any Stand attack. To put it coldly, it would almost be better if Ryosuke's mother turned into a monster, at least after a bloody battle, they could leave with hatred in their hearts.
But now…
There was no hatred.
No ambush.
Just a warm little home, with his mother sitting on the sofa, chatting about everyday life with Hot Pants.
Ryosuke had a million reasons to keep moving forward, but he also had one reason to stay.
'Mom.'
Once Ryosuke chose to stay, he would completely lose the chance to continue onward.
To people like Dio, Ryosuke would be considered dead.
This was the death curse of Wonder of U.
———
Ryosuke cooked very quickly.
In less than half an hour, the table was filled with a sumptuous spread of dishes.
Everyone had things weighing on their minds, but none of them showed it, all smiling as usual. Josuke even talked about interesting stories from Morioh, making Yumiko laugh heartily.
After laughing, she asked, "Are you traveling while doing cosplay?"
'Cosplay?'
Ryosuke froze for half a second before realizing she meant "cosplay."
"You even know about that?"
"Of course."
Yumiko smiled and said, "This one is Uchiha Madara, this one is Higashikata Josuke. And you two…"
She looked at Hot Pants and Ryosuke.
"I can't recognize you."
Ryosuke couldn't understand.
In his memory, his mother had been an accountant her whole life, with a relatively rigid and conservative personality. In her eyes, anime was just something for kids to kill time with.
But… kids' time was so precious.
Shouldn't it be used for studying, exercising, improving oneself?
To him, that was practically making a joke out of one's life.
Seeing Ryosuke's astonished look, Yumiko put down her chopsticks and smiled as she said, "My husband passed away early, and I raised my child on my own. But just like you saw..."
She pointed at the missing-person notices she had taken out earlier for Hot Pants to see.
"The police said it wasn't a kidnapping. If it wasn't a kidnapping, then it was most likely running away from home."
"So I started reflecting on myself, wondering if I put too much pressure on him from a young age. That's why I wanted to change, to understand what young people like, so that one day, when my son comes back…"
Yumiko revealed a gentle smile.
"He probably won't leave again."
The meal lasted a long time.
Afterward, Ryosuke washed the dishes in the kitchen. When everything was clean and he took off his gloves, he took out the Saint's Corpse.
Thirty minutes left.
"How will you choose?" Hot Pants asked.
Josuke had lost his memories and had only a vague concept of family.
Madara lived in an era of constant war, and after being revived, all his family members were already dead.
Only Hot Pants truly understood Ryosuke's feelings the most. "Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself, Ryosuke. Even if you choose to stay, the rest of us can continue onward, gather the Corpse parts, and find more companions."
"There will always be a way."
Ryosuke listened to her words and didn't say much. He quietly put the bowls and chopsticks away. When he was done, he turned around and said softly, "Let's continue."
The fact that Ryosuke could return home meant that Dio also had a chance to come here.
With his ambition, he would definitely extend his hand into this world.
Ryosuke couldn't allow that to happen. Staying now would be a slow form of suicide. And… companions in both the Naruto world and the JOJO world were waiting for him.
Hot Pants walked over and gave Ryosuke a hug, not a romantic hug, but one of concern and shared sorrow between friends.
"Then you don't plan to reveal your true identity to her?"
"If I say it…"
Thinking of his mother crying, Ryosuke lowered his head. "I won't be able to leave."
In the final thirty minutes, Ryosuke did many things.
First, he used Hamon to cure all of his mother's chronic illnesses. Then he took out over a dozen gold bars and a crate of healing potions from the Ghost Room, hid them in the wardrobe, and left a note explaining how to use them.
After that, Ryosuke "borrowed" his own computer and tried searching for information about JOJO, Dio, and Black Light.
But just as expected.
The results came up, but he couldn't see clearly or hear clearly, everything was hazy and indistinct.
After all, this was Wonder of U's curse. Its purpose was to make Ryosuke suffer, not to benefit him. If he wanted to see things clearly, it was easy, just discard the Saint's Corpse and fully return to the real world.
Ryosuke shut down the computer and walked out of the bedroom he once lived in.
"It's time for us to go."
They said goodbye to Ryosuke's mother, left the old apartment, and stepped through the snow, heading toward the community gate.
The snow was falling heavily. There was no wind, it simply drifted down quietly, landing on Ryosuke's shoulders.
Exceptionally heavy.
Suddenly, Ryosuke felt a gaze from behind. He turned around and saw his mother standing by the window, smiling and waving goodbye to them.
Ryosuke froze for half a second, then waved back.
The Saint's Corpse once again burst forth with light.
It was time to return.
"Goodbye, Mom," Ryosuke said softly.
He took one last look at his mother standing by the window and saw her mouth move. Judging by her lip movements, she was saying, "Goodbye, my son."
Yes. She hadn't recognized him at first because his appearance had changed.
But after spending several hours together, so many habitual expressions, movements, ways of speaking, how could a mother not recognize her own child?
She simply didn't say it out loud.
Because Yumiko knew that if she did, she could make her son stay.
She also knew that because of her excessive expectations, her son had endured a very difficult childhood.
Although she didn't know where Ryosuke and the others were going or what they had to do, she could feel the heavy responsibility weighing on him. She didn't want to make her son stagnate in place because of her again.
Ryosuke stared blankly at the tears sliding down his mother's face.
The next moment, golden light flashed, and they once again set off on their journey.
———
As the golden light faded, Ryosuke and the others arrived in an unfamiliar city.
It was still night. A bright moon hung high in the sky. The ground below was lit with neon lights, bustling with noise and crowds. Travelers and pedestrians came and went endlessly. Uchiha Madara casually snatched a woman's phone, glanced at the time and location.
December 1988.
Cairo, Egypt.
During the previous round of explanations, Ryosuke had already told everyone that different timelines corresponded to different times and places. Based on this information...
"We've arrived in the 'Stardust Crusaders' timeline."
Madara tossed the phone back to the woman.
She caught it, originally planning to curse him out, but when she saw Ryosuke, Madara, and Higashikata Josuke, three tall, handsome men with faces like Pan An and rivaling the Cowherd, her cheeks flushed red, and she left shyly.
Ryosuke looked up at the starry sky and let out a soft sigh.
"Teacher Ryosuke, are you okay?" Josuke asked.
"I'm fine."
Ryosuke shook his head. "Let's just think of it as… going to work in the city."
For children born in small northern county towns, leaving home often seemed like the first task of life. If you could go back once, then naturally, you'd find a way to go back a second time.
Ryosuke smiled at his companions, not wanting them to worry.
He gathered his thoughts and refocused on the mission.
The surrounding streets were familiar, no different from the Cairo where he had fought Dio fiercely during the trial mission.
Just as Ryosuke was observing...
"Gah, gah!"
A shrill bird cry suddenly rang out overhead, and dozens of ice pillars shot toward the four of them.
Pedestrians who saw this screamed and fled.
Ryosuke flicked his finger casually. A wave of Hamon flashed out, shattering all the incoming ice pillars midair, melting and evaporating them before they could even hit the ground.
A black shadow flashed through the air and landed on a streetlamp.
It was a hawk about half a human's height.
Stand User, Falcon Pet Shop.
Stand, Horus, ability, create and control ice.
The abilities of Part Three Stand users were just that straightforward and unremarkable.
The moment Pet Shop appeared, two more lights flashed.
One was a pillar of soaring flames. The other was lightning filling the city.
Muhammad Avdol, Stand, Magician's Red, ability, control flames. Clearly, like Josuke before, he was being controlled by Black Light.
Akira Otoishi, Stand, Red Hot Chili Pepper, ability, absorb and control electricity.
Ice, fire, lightning.
No fancy mechanics, just three pure natural-element-type Stands.
Ryosuke was about to draw the Great Blade of Destruction when a massive war fan blocked his way.
"Take a break, Ryosuke," Uchiha Madara said softly.
The look he gave Ryosuke was filled with admiration and recognition.
Madara was someone who would stop at nothing and give everything for his goals. Before, he more or less thought that Ryosuke had made it this far thanks to talent and luck.
But today, he no longer thought that way.
What Ryosuke had given was far more than what he had gained. Even Uchiha Madara felt that Ryosuke's life had been far too hard.
"I didn't come here for sightseeing."
Holding the fan in one hand, Madara looked at the three enemies ahead.
"Leave the battles in this world to me."
Feeling his concern, Ryosuke nodded slightly.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Hot Pants picked up the Traveler's Ointment and said seriously, "If you get hurt, I'll treat you."
"Treatment? Heh..."
Madara's eyes gradually transformed into the Mangekyo. He took a single step and instantly crossed a hundred meters, charging toward Avdol, the closest one.
Magician's Red's flames erupted instantly, and a cross-shaped fiery cyclone appeared out of thin air.
Madara passed straight through it like a ghost. Not a single flame could touch him.
'Kamui, intangibility!'
He effortlessly arrived in front of Avdol and gently placed his right hand on Avdol's shoulder.
"Go get some sleep."
Avdol screamed as he was dragged into the Kamui space.
On the other side, Falcon Pet Shop demonstrated a beast's keen perception. At the instant Madara absorbed Avdol, it caught Madara's scent, took to the air, and flapped its wings.
Hundreds of razor-sharp ice blades rained down toward Madara's now-solid form like a storm.
Madara glanced at them and formed seals with one hand.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Flames even hotter and fiercer than Magician's Red roared into the sky, incinerating the incoming ice spikes along with Pet Shop itself. When the jutsu ended, Pet Shop, burned to charcoal, fell to the ground, shattering into fine black powder.
In less than three seconds, Avdol was captured, and Pet Shop was dead.
Hot Pants, who had thought ninjas were just the kind that climbed trees, stole things, and threw shuriken, slowly opened her mouth wide and grabbed Ryosuke's arm.
"Wait… you call this a 'ninja'?"
Ryosuke smiled.
This was nothing.
For Uchiha Madara, it didn't even count as a warm-up.
Madara slowly turned his head toward Red Hot Chili Pepper.
"One left."
Red Hot Chili Pepper was frightened by his gaze.
Fortunately, they had prepared in advance. In the city, there were already many backup measures in place. Streams of electricity flickered and flowed in from afar, all converging into Red Hot Chili Pepper's body.
Its form grew larger and larger, becoming blindingly bright. In the blink of an eye, it stood fifty meters tall in the middle of the city, like a god of light descending.
Red Hot Chili Pepper roared at Uchiha Madara, expecting to see fear, but...
"Heh."
Madara chuckled softly, crossing his arms. "Now this is a little interesting."
"Susanoo."
A blue Susanoo formed and rose from the ground. In an instant, it was a hundred meters tall, looking down at Red Hot Chili Pepper, who only reached its waist.