Josuke Higashikata, a first-year student at Joestar High School in Morioh, wakes up one morning to a bizarre and terrifying discovery. His pants are way too loose. Looking in the mirror, he finds a stunningly beautiful girl staring back, a girl with a familiar face and a very unfamiliar body.
Panicking, he rushes out to find his home in utter chaos. His nephew Jotaro is now a hulking, muscular man. His mother has transformed into a stooped old guy. It seems a mysterious curse has swept through
A Bizarre Gender-Bender Rhapsody - The Mansion That Eats Memories! The Jail House Lock Trap and Vanishing Bonds
A room in the Duwang Grand Hotel. Morning light slants through a gap in the curtains.
...I've pinpointed the source.
That's Joutarou's voice. But her tone is feminine, a jarring contrast to her appearance.
Her massive 190-centimeter frame is sunk into the sofa, one finger pointing at the laptop screen. A wild face with stubble. Close-cropped black hair. Sharp aquamarine eyes.
On the screen, a map of Duwang Town is displayed.
Analysis data from the Speedwagon Foundation. The curse's signal is being broadcast from deep within the Kawajiri Hills.
Jousuke peered at the map.
An abandoned villa...? There was a building out there?
Jousuke's voice is high and clear. Glossy black hair that reaches her back sways gently. Large blue eyes. Long eyelashes. By all appearances, a lovely young girl, but her manner of speaking is still completely male.
Kouichi is taking notes beside her.
It looks like it's been there for over thirty years. An old magnate built it, but nobody lives there now—
Oh my, an investigation in some ruins? What a perfect location.
Rohan cut in.
Emerald-green hair that reaches her waist. Two hair clips rising from the crown like antennae—fountain pens are stabbed through them. Her narrow golden eyes narrowed like a cat eyeing its prey.
Sketchbook in one hand, Rohan nestles right up against Jousuke's side.
Jousuke—anywhere I go with you becomes the perfect place for material.
I said get away! Why do you keep clinging to me?!
Jousuke tried to push Rohan's shoulder away. But Rohan just smiled cheerfully.
At that moment—
The floor shook with heavy thuds.
Kouichi-kun! Preparations are perfect! We can leave anytime!
It's Yukako. In the form of a brawny giant, carrying Kouichi sideways in her arms.
P-please put me down...! I can walk on my own...!
Kouichi's face is deathly pale. His arms and legs flail, but Yukako's arms don't budge an inch.
Yukako shook her head with a serious expression.
No. The abandoned villa is dangerous. I will protect Kouichi-kun. I absolutely won't let go.
Jousuke-kun, help me...!
Jousuke clutched her head.
...Whatever. Let's just get going.
Jousuke stood up.
Her black skirt fluttered lightly. Something Joutarou had forced her into yesterday. She'd thought it was better than jeans, but a skirt is still a skirt.
Rohan held out a basket.
I made a boxed lunch for you, Jousuke.
A bad feeling crept over Jousuke.
...Wh-what's inside?
Rohan happily opened the lid of the basket. Inside—
Cookies shaped like Jousuke's face were packed tightly together. And every single one was a smiling face.
A chill ran down Jousuke's spine.
What the hell did you make?! That's creepy!!
Creepy, you say...? I baked them with love, though...
Rohan cast her eyes down sadly. But the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
She's completely enjoying this.
Kouichi muttered under his breath.
...This team really is messed up...
Joutarou stood up.
When that 190-centimeter frame rises, the room feels cramped.
Is everyone ready? Together, I'm sure we can defeat the enemy.
Jousuke fired off a retort in her head.
(No, this lineup is our biggest weakness...)
But she didn't say it.
Jousuke clenched her fist.
(But—I've got no choice but to do this.)
Let's go. Everyone, follow me.
All five of them left the hotel.
Thursday morning in Duwang Town. The sky was a cloudless blue.
The road to the Kawajiri Hills continues as an unpaved gravel path.
Thickets of trees spread out on both sides. Orchards of pears and grapes are mixed in, sunlight filtering through the leaves to paint fine patterns on the ground.
Birdsong echoes around them.
Walking at the front, Jousuke wiped away sweat.
Ahh... it's far. Walking in a skirt is such a damn pain.
Every time the hem tangles around her legs, it irritates her.
Shall we hold hands as we walk? So you don't trip.
Rohan drew up beside her and extended a hand.
I don't need that! Who do you think I am?!
A lovely maiden. At least, for now.
Jousuke ignored her and quickened her pace.
From behind, Yukako follows with heavy thuds, still carrying Kouichi.
Look, Kouichi-kun! That bird is so beautiful! Our future will take flight just like that!
Don't talk about the future... I'm still only fifteen...
Joutarou called out from the rear.
Everyone, we're almost there. Be careful.
Ahead, a rooftop came into view.
An old Western-style mansion stood there.
Overgrown weeds. A broken fence. Ivy crawls up the walls, and the window glass is shattered.
An abandoned villa said to be over thirty years old—no, it's a ruin now.
The air is cold, with a chill.
Jousuke stood before the mansion.
So this is the source of the curse...
Her heart pounds heavily.
(It's fine. I'm the leader. I have to protect everyone.)
Jousuke turned around and looked over the four of them.
Listen up. Don't get separated, no matter what. Follow me!
Jousuke kicked the front door down.
A loud BANG!! echoed.
The door burst open, and musty air flowed out from inside.
Jousuke stepped over the threshold.
At that moment—
The shadow painted on the floor writhed.
Wh—
The shadow coiled around Jousuke's ankle. Cold. Like a chain of ice.
A voice resounded through the mansion.
A muffled voice, coming through a speaker.
Welcome, foolish Stand users.
A voice that was hard to tell if it belonged to a man or a woman.
A most fitting gift for you—"Jail House Lock." With this, you can no longer remember more than three things.
Jousuke looked around, searching for the source of the voice.
What are you talking about?! Come out!
But there was no reply.
Then—
Jousuke looked at the person standing next to her.
Brown hair. A small frame. Looking up at Jousuke with tearful eyes.
But—
In Jousuke's head, that face blurred.
(...Who is this?)
...Who are you?
At those words, the color drained from Kouichi's face.
Huh... Jousuke-kun?! It's me! Kouichi! Your best friend!
Jousuke tilted her head.
(Kouichi...? I feel like I've heard that name, but...)
The next moment—Jousuke had forgotten even that name.
...Someone, help...
Jousuke murmured in a weak voice. A feminine, helpless voice.
Jousuke herself was surprised by the words that came out of her mouth.
(Why am I using a voice like—)
Tears welled up in Kouichi's eyes.
Jousuke-kun! Get a hold of yourself! Don't forget about me!
Kouichi tried to grab Jousuke's shoulder—at that moment.
Gogogogogo...
The walls of the mansion suddenly began to move.
The hallway walls opened to the left and right, dividing the five of them.
Uwaaah!
Kouichi's body, along with Yukako, was sucked into a hole that opened in the floor.
Kouichi-kun!!
Still embracing Kouichi, Yukako fell into the depths of the dark hole.
Wh-what is—
The walls around Joutarou close in.
Images were projected onto the wall surfaces.
They were—memories of the past.
Kakyoin's figure. Iggy's figure.
Joutarou's face stiffened.
...Kakyoin... Iggy... why...
The walls sealed Joutarou inside the room.
On all four walls of the room, images of her past comrades continued to play.
Stop it... please stop...
Joutarou put a hand against the wall and hung her head.
That massive 190-centimeter frame trembles slightly.
She was in a state of complete mental collapse.
Even if she tried to bring out Star Platinum, the chaos in her mind prevented her from controlling it.
...I... couldn't protect everyone...
Joutarou crumbled to the ground.
Rohan was the only one who was different.
...Mere illusions won't shake my reality.
Before Rohan's eyes, an illusion of Jousuke appeared.
The illusory Jousuke smiles.
Rohan... I love you.
Seeing that—Rohan let out a small laugh.
Hmph. As if Jousuke would ever say something like that.
Rohan opened her sketchbook.
What I want is the real thing.
The illusion drawn on the wall shattered with a sharp crack.
Rohan's will of obsessive love had broken through the Stand ability's illusion.
Rohan ran down the hallway, searching for Jousuke.
Jousuke was sitting alone in a dim corridor.
...Where... am I...?
She can't remember anything anymore.
Not the reason she came here, not the faces of her comrades, not their names—nothing at all.
Only, she clutched a single photograph in her hand.
It was a photo of Jousuke with a pompadour.
Jousuke stared intently at the photograph.
(This photo... I feel like it's important...)
But she couldn't understand—who the person in the photo was.
Rohan found Jousuke like that.
Jousuke...
Rohan ran up and grasped Jousuke's hand.
Jousuke looked up.
Those blue eyes were hollow.
...Who... are you?
A sharp pain shot through Rohan's chest.
But—Rohan put on a smile.
I'm Rohan. The woman who loves you.
Jousuke tilted her head.
...Loves...? Me...? Why...?
Jousuke's voice is weak and trembling.
Rohan turned Jousuke's face into a book.
Heaven's Door.
Jousuke's face transforms into a bundle of pages.
Rohan ran her pen across them.
Your name is Higashikata Jousuke. A first-year at Jouster High School. Your Stand is Crazy Diamond—
Words are written onto the pages.
But—the next moment, the ink vanished.
Wh—
Rohan wrote again.
Desperately.
You are Jousuke! The person I loved! I won't let you forget!
The ink disappears again.
The effect of Jail House Lock inhibits the retention of memories themselves.
No matter what she writes, it vanishes within seconds.
Why... does it disappear... Jousuke...
Tears spilled from Rohan's eyes.
Jousuke tilted her head and gazed at Rohan.
...You're crying...? Why...?
Jousuke reached out and touched Rohan's cheek.
But—the gesture was one of concern for a stranger she was meeting for the first time.
With an expression of despair unlike any before, Rohan clung to Jousuke.
Jousuke... please... don't forget me... I want to be the one closest to you...
Jousuke smiled, troubled.
Sorry... I don't really get it, but... thank you for caring about me so much...
Jousuke stared at the photograph in her hand.
Hey... who is this, I wonder. I feel like—they were really important... but I don't know.
A single tear fell from Jousuke's eye.
Help me... I don't even know who I am anymore...
Clutching the photo to her chest, Jousuke crouched down.
From the mansion's speakers, a mocking voice resounded.
You who have lost your memories—can you still speak of love or friendship?
The voice continues, sounding amused.
The next preparations are already complete. I'll control your best friend and make them destroy you—I'll show you the greatest show.
Jousuke couldn't understand—the meaning of those words.
She can't retain the meaning.
She was just—scared.
...Someone...
Jousuke murmured in a trembling voice.
The deepest part of the mansion.
Still embracing Kouichi, Yukako was trapped in a dim room.
Kouichi-kun, it's okay. I will definitely protect you—
But a strange change was occurring in Yukako's body.
A shadow—crawled up from Yukako's feet and began to encroach upon her body.
Y-Yukako-san... your legs... the shadow...!
Yukako hadn't noticed.
Protecting Kouichi-kun. That is the proof of my love.
Yukako's voice gradually becomes mechanical.
Kouichi trembled with fear.
(Jousuke-kun... help...!)
But that voice was blocked by the mansion's walls and reached no one.
Joutarou was crouched in the corner of the room.
Kakyoin... Iggy... Avdol... everyone...
The images of her past comrades projected on the walls gouge at Joutarou's heart.
Her mind shattered, she cannot control Star Platinum.
The heart of a maiden was far too fragile.
Embracing Jousuke, Rohan burned with hatred for the enemy.
...I will never forgive you. For degrading my Jousuke this far—I'll make you regret it.
But—for now, there is nothing she can do.
Clutching the photo to her chest, Jousuke simply collapsed in tears.
Her comrades were scattered, her memories stolen.
The investigation team was completely cut off.
Inside the abandoned villa in the Kawajir
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