Jotaro sat on a bench by the sea, holding a newspaper, but his gaze was quietly fixed on the ocean. His white trench coat and large white hat were particularly conspicuous in the twilight.
Just then, a man in a brown-black trench coat and a small, tall black hat walked over. After seeing Jotaro, he turned and sat on the other side of the bench, pulling a credential directly from his pocket.
"Mr. Jotaro, I am from the SPW Foundation."
"This is my credential."
Jotaro glanced back, confirmed it was an SPW Foundation credential, and said nothing, continuing to watch him calmly. The man casually put his credential away and continued speaking calmly.
"Because you mentioned that places with wires, and both telephones and telegrams, are dangerous, I was sent to deliver the message directly to you."
"Mr. Joestar will arrive at Morioh Port in a week. At the same time, we've thought of another method that might not require Mr. Joestar to come in person…"
Although Jotaro's face showed no expression, he was curious. If the problem could be solved without Mr. Joestar having to come, it would indeed be better.
He was old now, his muscles no longer firm, with almost no combat power. He might encounter danger after arriving here, and his relationship with his son was also difficult to manage.
"Oh, what method?"
"We heard you say that Higashikata Josuke's ability can reassemble objects, so we've prepared some high-power generators. You can destroy them first to ensure no enemies are hidden within."
"Then, Mr. Josuke can reassemble them. That way, Mr. Joestar will only need some clues to perform spirit photography and transmit information."
The man in the black hat finished speaking calmly, then seemed to remember something else, saying, "Also, there have been quite a few burglaries in the Town recently, and the crime scenes often have dense wiring…"
Jotaro raised an eyebrow, then looked back at the distant ocean. "This seems… worth a try."
Although the margin of error might be large, he could still get some clues, just as he had used spirit photography to locate Angelo before.
Watching three azure dolphins suddenly leap from who-knows-where in the sea, Jotaro's gaze refocused on the ocean, and he began to ponder slowly… On the other side, Kishibe Rohan had just finished his weekly manuscript. After mailing it, he suddenly had an inexplicable thought, "Why not take a walk in the Town?"
"Before I was four, I lived in this Town. Now, finding the place I used to live can be considered a form of nostalgia. Recalling childhood memories is also part of a mangaka's job."
"It can provide me with some inspiration to create my next manga. Hmm, I've been a bit short on inspiration lately. Perhaps I can use my Heaven's Door…"
Talking to himself, Kishibe Rohan bought a map of Morioh and began exploring the Town.
"After all, it's a memory from when I was three or four, so I don't remember it very clearly. I always feel like something important has been forgotten."
Walking down the street, Kishibe Rohan always felt something was off, especially as he got closer to where his former home was. This sense of unease and doubt deepened.
"Strange, what exactly have I forgotten?!"
This peculiar feeling made him, already lacking inspiration, even more agitated. He became a bit frantic, his expression even somewhat distorted.
As a young and successful mangaka, he had some fame. After casually evading some fans who recognized him, he unknowingly walked to a large map standing on a street.
But just one look at the map stunned him. He looked at the map, then at the road ahead. His brows gradually relaxed, as inspiration had struck.
"Oh, a problematic map and road? This might make good material for me. This strange feeling… isn't an experience you get all the time…"
He immediately pulled out a piece of paper and a brush, and began to draw frantically, wanting to record the road, the map, and his inner feelings, all at once.
A mysterious feeling told him that all of this was very important. "I've really hit the jackpot. I'm so happy. Moving back to Morioh was truly a great decision."
He had a premonition that this quick sketch was just the beginning. What came next might be something wonderful, something that would make his heart race and his inspiration overflow. Perhaps his work, Pink Dark Boy, would even reach new heights!
As a super mangaka with great luck, he deeply trusted his intuition.
It was a peculiar alley, located between two houses, appearing unremarkable.
However, on the map, which was right in front of him, there was no trace of that alley whatsoever. Instead, the houses on either side of the alley were drawn as if they were adjacent.
Yet, all other roads and alleys were precisely depicted, which was truly astonishing.
'Is the road not drawn accurately?'
'No, if it were just a drawing issue, it wouldn't be possible for all other alleys to be drawn. Moreover, the map from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan that I have doesn't show this alley either.'
He ran his hand over the map. It wasn't an outdated old map. Other narrow alleys clearly drawn on it could be seen distinctly after just a couple of steps.
This was absolutely not normal. This could be an interesting small adventure.
As soon as he thought of this, Kishibe Rohan immediately became excited. A person with superpowers adventuring in the Town, in an unknown, erroneous alley—what a fascinating story.
As for whether he would encounter danger? Although there might be others in this Town with abilities similar to his, he was fearless.
His Heaven's Door ability was invincible against humans! If he encountered such an ability-user, even better; he would gain more inspiration then.
Quickly sketching a rough draft, depicting the opening scene of encountering the mysterious alley, Kishibe Rohan immediately took the map in one hand and the draft in the other, walking through the streets towards that alley.
The further he walked, the faster his heart beat. For some reason, an excitement surged within him, and he suddenly stopped when he reached the alley entrance.
'This is so strange, I feel so weird…'
"But I'm even more curious. My favorite thing to do is to refuse someone when they try to stop me!"
Suppressing the strange feeling in his heart, Kishibe Rohan stepped into the alley and looked at the map in his hand again.
It was a very ordinary small alley, with residential houses on both sides, and connecting paths leading to other houses. A mailbox stood silently inside.
But upon seeing these residential houses, Kishibe Rohan's brows furrowed again. "Seriously, this map is going to drive me crazy."
"Mori, Onodera… So many house addresses, and none of them are on this map. This isn't something two or three pictures can solve."
But after walking a bit further, Kishibe Rohan realized something was wrong. "Wait… these all seem to be empty houses?"
Realizing something was amiss, Kishibe Rohan immediately started running forward, one hand tightly gripping his manuscript, ready to show it to anyone and activate his ability at any moment.
But after he turned a corner, "This mailbox… I just passed it…"
Damn it, has someone attacked me?
A special person like the one who used the arrow?
'I clearly turned right, left, right, why…'
Just as he was about to continue running, a clear voice came from behind him.
"Are you lost? I'll show you the way."
Kishibe Rohan immediately turned around and saw a sweet-looking girl standing not far away. 'Damn it, it's an ability-user like me!'
He flung his manuscript, intending to activate his ability, but he froze. Suddenly, a familiar memory surged into his mind, preventing him from activating his ability.
And the girl opposite seemed to suddenly realize something. "Roro?"
"You are…?"
The strings of fate had been plucked, the original future occurred prematurely, and everything had already changed.
Those destined to die died prematurely, and those destined to be exposed would naturally be exposed earlier.
Fate is such a strange thing, isn't it?