[2] Car accident, Then awakening a Stand

Chapter 2: Car accident, Then awakening a Stand

On the way to school, Shunsuke and Hanabi walked side by side. Although neither of them had any romantic intentions, outsiders found them to be an unexpectedly perfect match.

In comparison to the seemingly ethereal Hanabi, Shunsuke's looks didn't fall short at all.

As they walked, Hanabi occasionally brought up various topics about girls, and Shunsuke responded in a casual manner.

He wasn't particularly interested in this behavior of being treated as a male best friend, but given that she was Mrs. Yasuraoka's daughter, he felt the need to indulge her.

"Ah, Sable!"

Suddenly, Shunsuke heard a cry and saw a dachshund on a leash dash out into the street.

In that instant, memories of the dog and its owner flooded back to him. Looking at the familiar yet strange girl in the distance, he felt his mind sharpen, his thoughts accelerating to an alarming speed.

Glancing at the approaching car that was showing signs of braking but still advancing steadily, Shunsuke calculated the distance and the collision time between the car and the dog before he could even think to himself, "Isn't this supposed to be second grade? Why is that dog out again?"

If it were the usual Shunsuke, he probably wouldn't care to intervene, but the sudden wave of nostalgia that hit him—almost like seeing an old friend after many years—compelled him to take action.

This wasn't random recklessness; Shunsuke had already calculated that he could reach the dog first and ensure its safety. Without hesitation, he dashed into the street...

But dammit, why wasn't the car slamming on the brakes?

Watching the car slow down but not matching his expectations as it careened closer, Shunsuke turned pale, cursing internally.

His mind, already racing at full speed, was bombarded with vivid, flash-like snippets of thought.

It felt as if he had broken through some unseen barrier, and in a burst of instinct, Shunsuke shouted,

"ZA WARUDO!"

"TOKI WO TOMARE!"

Suddenly, a sound like the ticking of clocks echoed, and centered around Shunsuke, a bizarre blue aura rapidly expanded outward at a speed impossible to perceive with the naked eye.

For some unknown reason, Shunsuke felt an inexplicable understanding that the entire world had come to a standstill.

However, in this frozen world, one thing aside from Shunsuke was still functioning normally.

[Detecting Stand Awakening; the Stand User System for the Daily World has been activated.]

[Current awakened Stand: The World]

[Destructive Power: A

Speed: A

Precision: B

Growth Potential: B

Durability: A

Range: C]

[This system contains all Stands from the JOJO universe, and the host can use points to redeem them.]

"How do I earn points, and how many do I need?"

[Successfully courting well-known female characters will earn corresponding points; replacing the male lead of relevant anime will also earn corresponding points.]

[Rewards vary based on character popularity, in-series status, difficulty of courtship, and charm.]

[Current host points: 800 points]

"800? Where did I get so many points?" Shunsuke blinked in surprise.

[The formula for point accumulation is a commercial secret of this system and cannot be disclosed.]

Shunsuke was left speechless by the system. He opened the Stand redemption interface to see what his accumulated points over the years could actually buy.

The first thing to catch his eye was the already illuminated image of The World. Unfortunately, since he had already awakened it, the system did not display the required points for redemption.

The second Stand available was a purple, flamboyant Star Platinum, priced at only 100 points. However, before Shunsuke could feel excited, he saw a large notice at the end:

"In light of already possessing a similar type of Stand, it is offered at a 'broken price!'"

Shunsuke quickly scanned the list of other Stands and their prices, noticing they were arranged from lowest to highest. Even the most trivial Stand (The Hanged Man: Not Me!) required 100 points.

As higher-priced options... Time was of the essence, so Shunsuke didn't examine them closely.

He simply followed the virtual line connecting to The World and glanced backward, seeing "The World · Over Heaven: 10,000 points."

Hmm, it seemed there was no need to examine this further.

Shunsuke closed the interface, realizing that it took him over ten years to accumulate 800 points, while he would need 10,000 points.

He seriously doubted whether he could grind enough points from characters randomly appearing in this world—he was convinced the system was messing with him.

"A second has passed."

After all, he had awakened "The World," so it was entirely natural for Shunsuke to start throwing out nonsensical phrases.

As the cosmic will explained the time-stopping effect, "time" had indeed just moved forward by one second, and Shunsuke had a feeling he could only stop time for two seconds right now.

Not daring to hesitate any longer, he quickly bolted away while cradling the dog.

"Two seconds have passed."

Time resumed its normal flow.

In the car, the driver naturally noticed the dog that had suddenly dashed into the street. Normally, she would have slammed on the brakes, but...

Glancing at her passenger in the back seat, she gently pressed the brake instead.

A dog's life was minor; the elegance of her young mistress was paramount. If she slammed on the brakes suddenly, her mistress might be thrown off balance—this was her first day driving her to school, after all!

Wait, why did a person just suddenly dash out? What the hell... huh? The person made it across unharmed?

The driver performed a classic change of expression.

"Kaguya-sama, should we stop to handle this?"

In the back seat, a blonde maid—Hayasaka Ai—addressed her mistress, Shinomiya Kaguya.

"No need. He ran out himself; it has nothing to do with us. Today is the opening ceremony of Shuchin Academy, and we can't waste time on this," Kaguya replied coldly, exuding an aura that signaled not to be approached.

"And besides, he hasn't..."

But as she looked into the rearview mirror at the man who suddenly collapsed, Kaguya frowned.

"It's likely a fainting spell from shock," Hayasaka concluded with her trained maid's perspective.

"... Pull over. If we leave him like this and someone takes the opportunity to spread rumors and tarnish the Shinomiya family's reputation, it would be a problem. As the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, I won't allow that to happen," Kaguya murmured, her voice audible to everyone in the car.

"Understood, Kaguya-sama. You really are always so thoughtful."

On, Hayasaka lowered her head and spoke in a respectful tone, but inwardly, she rolled her eyes.

With her level of familiarity with Kaguya, she knew full well the true thoughts behind her words.

"Ai, handle this matter carefully. Don't leave any evidence for others to exploit. Once we get to school, there's no need to rush to report to me; we mustn't show any signs that we know each other."

—Mhm, yes, that means we shouldn't hurry to get to school. We need to take care of him properly, and only after confirming that everything is fine can we leave, right?

Hayasaka mentally translated Kaguya's words and felt it was quite a hassle, but on the surface, she responded promptly before quickly getting out of the car to handle the situation.

"People who sacrifice themselves for others really are..." Turning to look at the collapsed Shunsuke, Kaguya made a face of disgust. "I really hate that the most."

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