When Sairuis and Stelle returned to the tavern, it was already past midnight. Yet the first floor was still bustling with people. Though it was only opening day, the "30% off, buy-one-get-one" promotion on drinks had drawn in plenty of temp workers and drifters.
Despite being the tavern's sole employee, Gornes had no trouble managing things, since the kitchen was run by an automatic synthesizer and the front desk didn't even offer cocktail mixing.
Ste;;e, already dressed in a gray-and-white trench coat before heading out, leaned against the bar counter when she came back, tilting her head as she watched the noisy crowd.
Gornes chuckled from the other side of the counter. "What'll it be, lovely lady?"
Stelle pointed to a bottle of Enmatt beer on the shelf behind him. "That one."
Without even turning around to check, Gornes pulled a glass from under the bar and poured in watermelon juice instead.
"We don't sell alcohol to minors here. Come back in fifteen years." He pushed the glass to her with a finger.
Star sighed in disappointment and took the juice. On the Astral Express, Uncle Yang and Himeko had also forbidden her and March 7th from drinking. Dan Heng could drink a little, but he never really liked it.
She wandered around with her juice until something caught her eye. Excited, she rushed to a table and began telling adventuring tales she'd heard from Boothill and Sampo. The drunkards around her howled and cheered like a troop of curly-haired baboons.
Carrying a bowl of fried rice from the back, Sairuis blinked at the sight. He didn't interfere, just found a seat and started eating. He wasn't worried about Stelle's safety—no ordinary drug would work on her, and even tranquilizer darts for big game would only act like mild sedatives.
His verdict after a sip: Not as good as Himeko's coffee.
[What. Bro survived Himeko's coffe]
The sun rose. Stelle, still brimming with energy after a night of bragging, sat at an empty table. The crowd was long gone—the tavern closed at 2 a.m.
"Hey, Stelle. Want to go out and explore?" Sairuis had appeared behind her without her noticing, patting her shoulder.
Star leapt to her feet, full of fighting spirit. "Perfect! The trash cans of this world have yet to be graced by their king's presence!"
Silence. Five seconds of dead silence.
Then, out of nowhere, heavy background music thundered. Sairuis' style warped—shoulders broadening, features sharpening, strange lines appearing across his face, giving him a more rugged, manga-like presence.
"Oh? The King of Trash Cans? I can't ignore words like that." He lowered his hat brim, tilted his body, and let shadow cloak half his face. "What's this, rebellion?"
Stelle pressed her palms on the table, leaning forward. Her own face hardened into sharp lines, shadows cloaking her amber eyes. Her voice was low, her tone grave: "Do you know something, Sairuis?"
She raised her chin slightly, shadows deepening. "A Pioneer has limits."
She walked past him, gaze turned upward to the ceiling. "And in my brief journey, I've learned one thing."
Reaching for the chandelier as though to grasp its light, she clenched her hand. "The more one clings to lofty moral praise, the easier it is to lose sight of the journey's meaning. Unless they go beyond pioneering."
Saires tilted his head back slightly, one hand on his hat, the other in his pocket. "So what?"
Behind the bar, Gornes snapped his fingers, weaving a mystic illusion across the tavern to add special effects.
Star whipped around, shouting: "I refuse to be just a Stellaron core! Sairuis!"
Throwing out her arms, she cried: "Za Warudo!"
A stooped figure appeared behind her—cane in hand, long beard, frail-looking yet nearly two meters tall. The Prison Watch Kid. No, her Stand: [Prison Clock Kid]!
The illusion shifted gray and white, freezing everything in time. Only Stelle and her Stand remained in color, able to move freely within the stopped world.
Though it looked frail, [Prison Clock Kid] erupted with speed, cane swinging hard for Sairuis' unmoving back.
Clang! The strike was parried.
A golden trash can loomed behind Sairuis, crowned, draped in a blanket, towering two meters tall with arms and legs. From its crown jutted a stubborn golden cowlick. In its hand gleamed the ornate King's Can Sword, effortlessly blocking the blow.
The supreme ruler of the Great Non-Trash Empire! Trash of trash! King of kings! The Great King of Trash Cans!
Crown Stand: [Bucketser King]!
"Too hype! To witness such a clash of titans—I could die happy!"
[Bucketser King] swung his sword. The frozen air shattered like glass. With a crack, [Prison Clock Kid]'s time-stop collapsed. The world regained color.
"What!?" Stelle staggered back, shocked—her Stand's time-stop had been broken! She steadied herself, eyes narrowing.
Sairuis turned at last, disdainful. "Losing your nerve already? This is your so-called conquest? With faith that weak, you dare call yourself Trash Can King?"
Star slammed her palms to the table, but Sairuis suddenly pointed at her. "An opening!"
She reeled back as though struck, collapsing into a chair. [Prison Clock Kid] was flung aside by unseen force. In an instant, [Bucketser King] closed the distance, driving forward with a devastating elbow strike.
Reverse Time Elbow!
"This is my Stand's power: to hunt down any traitor or usurper across time. Sometimes, the elbow exists before the Prison Clock ever moves."
"From the moment you coveted my throne, your end was set." Sairuis leaned back, arms spread, as if embracing the sun. His balance looked unnatural, terrifying.
"You gained scraps of power from [Next-in-Line Bucket] and dared to face me. Courageous, but that's all I'll praise you for."
From the shadows, a silver trash can lunged at Saires' head with a flying kick.
It was [Next-in-Line Bucket], once the Trash Can King's most loyal subordinate, now turned traitor, serving the Trash King—a difference of one word, yet worlds apart.
But mid-air, [Next-in-Line Bucket] was slashed apart into four. The elbow strike had already triggered. [Bucketser King] raised his sword high, ready to finish it.
"Don't underestimate our bond, bastard!"
Golden light engulfed [Bucketser King], shattering crown, blanket, sword—even the cowlick. Stelle now held a golden scale, at its center a muscular man giving a thumbs-up.
Across the vast universe, morality itself had manifested to commend her. The artifact [Approval of High Morality]—a relic that seals Stand abilities, attainable only to the truly virtuous.
[Bucketser King]'s power was sealed. His strike never landed. [Next-in-Line Bucket] reformed, leaping to attack once more.
"Heh. Even without my Stand, my body is—"
Sairuis was hurled into a wall, coughing blood.
[Wait, he got kicked in the hand. Why's he clutching his chest!?]
On the ground, he held his chest anyway, eyes flicking between Stelle and [Next-in-Line Bucket].
[Seriously, wrong spot! Cover your hand, not your chest!]
"Approval of Hight Morality… you were acknowledged by this world. I didn't expect that…"
Stelle strode forward, looking down at him. "Trash Can King—no, Sairuis. You hoard trash cans in your vault, forbidding others from exploring them. But pioneering means walking farther on the roads our predecessors left. You've gone against heaven itself. Defeating you is both my will and the will of the trash people!"
"Farewell, Sairuis. Enjoy your last scenes." [Prison Clock Kid] raised its cane again—but just like before, its attack failed.
Golden light enveloped the Stand, shattering its cane and sealing it.
"What!" Stelle gaped. Sairuis had drawn his own [Approval of High Morality].
"You—how?"
"Why not?" He struggled to his feet. "You call me a hoarder? No. I protect them! I know the truth—you play with trash cans and abandon them. Left alone, they die, one by one. I only want to give them a home. What's wrong with that!?"
Flames of gold engulfed him and [Bucketser King]. Raising [Approval of Noble Morality] high, he roared: "I cannot fall here—for behind me shines ten thousand lights of trash!"
[Bucketser King] broke free of its seal, evolving into [Bucketser King: Beyond Heaven]!
"Come then, you two mongrels. Greed, shame, and folly will only see you die at my hand. Attack together, with all you've got. Don't let me kill you one by one."
[Trash Can King! We love you!]
[Bucketser King: Beyond Heaven] lifted its sword, unleashing a crimson-gold pillar of light skyward.
Council of Buckets, thirteen restraints released!
"This battle, for survival—Bucket Kai, acknowledged."
"This battle, for not preying on the weak—Bucket Deville, acknowledged."
"This battle, for facing many at once—Bucket Lemidi, acknowledged."
"This battle, for not betraying humanity—Bucket Chris, acknowledged."
"This battle, for truth—Bucket Regwin, acknowledged."
"This battle, for peace with elves—Bucket Sloth, acknowledged."
"This battle, for battling evil—Bucket Dread, acknowledged."
"This battle, not for selfish desire—Bucket Lahad, acknowledged."
"This battle, for honor—Bucket S, acknowledged."
"This battle, for valor—Bucket Stan, acknowledged."
"This battle, for never sparing the wicked—Bucket Res, acknowledged."
"This battle, as the Trash Can King wills—Bucket Wen, acknowledged."
"This battle, for saving trash cans—Bucket Ser, acknowledged."
"The breath of gathered buckets, the shining surge of trash! Take this—"
[Contract · Trash Can · Sword of Victory (EX·TRASH CAN·CALIBUR)]!
As the light cannon tore skyward, Stelle muttered, "Forgive me, Sairuis-sama, for not letting you fight to your heart's content."
She tapped her temples twice. "So beautiful. I'll screenshot this as wallpaper."
The beam fell. Everything turned to dust.
In the ruins, atop scorched earth, Sairuis made his vow: "No matter the cost, trash cans will triumph over Pioneers. I will expel every last one. Because beyond the sea lies… Poli Seaweed!"
[So hot-blooded! I'm crying over a story about pre-cooked food. From now on, rotten meat only for college kids.]
"Cough."
With a single cough, all illusions vanished. No Stands, no flames, no traitors, no cannons, no wasteland. Just Stelle and Sairuis staring wide-eyed at each other.
Then both turned to Gornes. He raised his hands. "Out of mana."
After a few seconds of silence under their stares, he added: "Boss, your effects burn through the budget."
(End of Chapter)