A clear gulp sounded as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Cold sweat streamed down his temples. Kira Yoshikage's hands trembled, and he couldn't help but start biting his nails—
"I've been found out…"
He sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, resting his elbows on the table in front of him, propping up his face, and continuously biting the nail of his right thumb.
His whole body was trembling, and his nails began to grow at a visible speed.
"Yoshikage…" On the table nearby was a slightly yellowed old photograph. In the photo was an anxious-looking old man. He softly murmured his son's name; he knew his son, Kira Yoshikage, was enduring immense pain at that moment.
As a father who valued his son's life and had an abnormal affection for him, he could feel the same pain from his son, Kira Yoshikage.
Kira Yoshikage took a deep breath, raised his head, drenched in sweat, his teeth chattering uncontrollably—
I've been found out.
The dim room had no open windows, nor was the courtyard door open. The lights were also faint. Kira Yoshikage was accustomed to this life; he hated change, even this very light—
"Click."
The incandescent bulb burned out its last flicker of life, turning into a wisp of smoke, completely enveloping the old house, built since the samurai era, in darkness.
That man called himself Ghiaccio. For some reason, he saw me once and immediately noticed the severed female arm on me.
Fear enveloped Kira Yoshikage, not because he was afraid of death, but because he was afraid his peaceful life would be completely shattered—
Countless changes and unknowns would follow.
He wasn't afraid of death, but this wasn't the peace he liked.
Kira Yoshikage was an extreme obsessive-compulsive, to an unimaginable degree. He hoped every single day would be as quiet as the day before. He didn't crave to Stand out; he only wanted a peaceful life.
Except for his love of killing.
Kira Yoshikage took a deep breath—
The man who discovered he was a murderer was named Ghiaccio, an Italian. When Kira Yoshikage saw him, he understood; he had also killed people, but it was clear that guy was a gangster, not to mention one of the culprits behind the recent news reports of the Italian people living in misery.
Why did they come to Morioh? Why did the government let them in?! Why did they have to break the tranquility of this town, Morioh?!
But none of these things concern me. The only thing I need to do is maintain my peaceful life.
He probably won't call the police, but—
No one knows if he truly won't, and this matter hangs like a knife over Kira Yoshikage's neck, threatening to fall at any moment. This kind of anxiety and unease is something I, Kira Yoshikage, absolutely will not allow.
I want to live a peaceful and tranquil life.
"To achieve that, I must kill him." As if a good idea had struck him, Kira Yoshikage sat up slightly, looking at his fingernails, which were growing long enough to curl, and let out a small sigh of relief.
"I'll kill him with my Killer Queen. I'll do it tonight, otherwise I won't be able to sleep." Kira Yoshikage muttered to himself, then stood up and walked to the mirror in his wardrobe, putting on a skull tie. Killer Queen appeared behind him, emitting a faint pink glow—
He looked at himself in the mirror, his expression dark, then glanced at the watch he had worn for years without changing. "I'll leave now; it won't delay my stretching exercises."
I, Kira Yoshikage, have always believed this: I am quite fortunate. With keen attention and bold action, you have successfully navigated these thirty-three years.
You can live a happy life. This is what Kira Yoshikage had told himself since he was a child.
"Yoshikage!" Someone called from behind him. Kira Yoshikage turned around and saw the familiar old man trapped in the photograph.
"Yoshikage!" The old man hidden in the photograph quickly flew over. "Don't act yet, Yoshikage!"
"Shut up!"
"Those guys are Stand Users!" Kira Yoshihiro shouted loudly. "Today I followed them to Zenjoji North Alley; they are all Stand Users."
"Stand Users?" Kira Yoshikage looked up at the old man in the photograph.
He was very familiar with that old man, but he was now merely a wisp of a soul, hidden in the photograph—
"Those Italians are looking for the Arrow."
"The Arrow?"
"When you passed the corner on your way home today, that Ghiaccio spotted you again. I then followed them in their car and heard them say they were here for the Arrow."
At this point, Kira Yoshikage's father, Kira Yoshihiro, took an Arrow out of a drawer—
"This belongs to our family?!" Kira Yoshikage looked at the sudden Arrow in surprise.
"Twenty years ago, I bought this Arrow from an old woman while traveling in Egypt."
Kira Yoshikage didn't know this Arrow was in the house. His Stand came from the Arrow in the hands of the Hirose brothers—
"This Arrow can create Stand Users; they are here for this Arrow."
Kira Yoshikage frowned. "What's the use of telling me this now! As long as that Ghiaccio is alive in this world, I cannot have a happy life!"
"Not to mention this troublesome Arrow is now in our hands; they'll come knocking sooner or later! Why do you always do such unlucky things? My happiness is all ruined by you!"
Kira Yoshihiro looked at Kira Yoshikage's distressed expression—My poor child. Although he now knew of the Arrow's existence, he still didn't know how to use it.
A rustling sound came from his fingertips. Kira Yoshikage painfully looked at his fingertips; his nails were growing rapidly.
"Let me go gather more information for you, my child!" Kira Yoshihiro shouted loudly. "At least let us know what abilities he has!"
Kira Yoshihiro held the Arrow, its golden arrowhead gleaming with dazzling light. Using it could create more Stand Users; that was the ambition of those Italians.
"But going to trouble them now definitely won't work. It's too dangerous. They all possess the same abilities as you, and there are four of them besides."
Hearing this, Kira Yoshikage calmed down a little—
He sat back in his original spot, falling into a state of immense dread. This dread wasn't fear of death, but rather that this peaceful life was incredibly precious to Kira Yoshikage.
"I'll go help you scout for information. You can't just charge forward knowing nothing, can you?" Kira Yoshihiro flew in front of Kira Yoshikage, saying with tears in his eyes.