This girl might be Morioh's only hope.
Reimi Sugimoto had spent these long years watching souls torn apart by that killer... and she was terribly afraid the girl in front of her would become the next victim. Because while most of his prey were young women like herself, every so often there was a man — older, younger — whose only crime, most likely, was getting close enough to the truth about him to need silencing.
"Listen — I lied, Reimi."
Inori understood her worry, but this was something she couldn't stay out of.
"I'm not actually a detective."
"Just a passerby who happened to overhear your story. But I'll help you investigate this case. You don't have to worry."
Bad enough she wasn't a detective — even claiming to be one would at least have implied some sort of investigative experience. Hearing this, Reimi's heart sank further.
"Hey, are you serious? This has nothing to do with you!"
Hearing Inori volunteer for this, Rohan couldn't help cutting in.
"Not everyone wants to look the other way."
Inori met his eyes, dead serious.
"You and I are both Stand users. After hearing a story like this — could you actually sleep at night?"
One look at Reimi and her dog in their wretched state, then one thought of Yoshikage Kira still living his quiet, comfortable life beyond the reach of the law — combined with the fact that these two had stayed in this place for over fifteen years out of sheer determination to give the town some peace — no one could stay unmoved.
"Some things in this world just have to be done by someone. Why not us?"
Inori sounded entirely confident. She knew everything there was to know about that killer, and on her side she had several powerful allies.
Most importantly, Inori had every faith in her own strength. If she wanted to, she thought, she could find Yoshikage Kira tonight and send him to this very alley for his trip to hell.
"...Do whatever you want."
Rohan's expression was grave. He stared at Inori for a long moment, then pinched the back of his neck irritably. "More importantly, Reimi — can you tell us how to get out of here?"
"Turn left at the mailbox and you'll be able to leave. But remember — whatever you do, don't look back."
Nobody could explain how a sleepy little town like Morioh had ended up gathering so many phenomena that defied common sense. Stand users of every variety. A serial killer with a fetish for women's hands. Of the only six Stand Arrows left in the world, Morioh held a full third... and now, the ghost of a girl who'd died fifteen years ago.
The alley they were standing in was a kind of supernatural place too — a boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead — and at this moment that boundary had blurred because of Reimi's lingering will. Besides the gentle girl and her beloved dog, there was something else here too, something dark and difficult to name.
If anyone turned around while walking the straight path to the alley's exit, their soul would be dragged into the depths of death by countless wraiths.
Neither Rohan nor Inori was a child. Knowing the stakes, they didn't so much as flinch no matter how the voices behind them tried to lure them — they simply walked out of the alley with Reimi.
It was already noon. The streets had filled with people since they'd entered.
When Inori looked back, the extra alley was gone. The pharmacy and the convenience store had fitted back together as if the two of them had just spent half an hour standing in front of an ordinary old wall, staring at nothing.
Rohan watched, and though it was certainly something he would have wanted to sketch as reference material, after what Inori had just told him he no longer had the heart for it.
"Miss — I want you to understand. I didn't tell you all this so you'd avenge me... If one day I see your soul and Little Lulu's shattered here too, I — I'd really be heartbroken."
"Just tell my story to some capable police officer. That's all! Don't dig any deeper into him, please!"
Reimi stood in the street, her words tumbling out in urgent bursts.
"Reimi, that man isn't someone the law can punish."
Inori blinked, voice cool.
"He has an ability that can perfectly erase the evidence of his crimes... He's a Stand user, the same as Rohan-sensei and me."
"Huh?" Reimi looked blank, brows pulling together. "What are you two suddenly talking about?"
"Reimi Sugimoto, sixteen years old. Measurements 82/57/84. A mole on her left nipple. First period at age eleven. The first time she was kissed, the boy used his tongue—"
Inori suddenly launched into the rapid-fire recitation of all the private information Rohan had just pulled out of Reimi's pages. Even as a ghost, Reimi flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Wahhh — stop saying that! Stop, stop!"
She rushed to clap her hands over Inori's mouth.
Honestly. Such a beautiful girl and she could say words like that without batting an eye?
"Miss — how — how do you know all this?"
"Rohan-sensei told me, of course."
Inori shot a sly glance at the man behind her.
Rohan's face was twisted like he'd licked the slime off a spider. He bit down on a snarl, strode forward, and grabbed Inori by the arm, voice low.
"What are you doing? Why did you tell her that?"
"Little Lulu?"
Reimi was staggered. Her gaze on Rohan now carried an edge of shock.
For one brief moment, she wondered if she'd saved the wrong person... wait, surely not? Back then this boy had only been four years old. Had he — had he really been like this since he was that small...
"It's not what you think! Th-this is the ability of my Stand, Heaven's Door. When you first appeared, I read your memories and that's how I figured out you were a ghost."
Cold sweat beaded on Rohan's forehead as he stumbled through the explanation.
"...What exactly is a Stand?"
"It's a kind of special ability. Inori and I both have one. Only other Stand users can see them." Rohan finished and shot Inori a glare. "Hurry up and help me explain..."
"Is that so? I don't really know much about that sort of thing." Inori made a show of whistling and looking off to the side.
"I'm begging you..."
"There. He admits it."
Getting Rohan to humble himself enough to beg her — that gave Inori a heady sense of accomplishment.
"Yes. That killer is a Stand user. That's how he's stayed beyond the law all these years, Reimi."
She straightened, looking the ghost girl in the eye.
"So that's what it was..." Reimi nodded as though something had clicked into place. Then she asked another question. "But if that's the case, why didn't he use his Stand to erase the evidence back then?"
"Only one explanation. Fifteen years ago he wasn't a Stand user yet. Stand awakening depends on aptitude — some are born with one already manifested, others don't develop one until late in life."
With that, Inori reached into her pocket and pulled out a clear glass marble.
"Take this, Reimi."
"What is it?"
Reimi accepted the marble curiously. The next instant, a silvery-white radiance flooded her ghostly body, and a strange jade-green wooden puppet appeared before her — Soft & Wet.
"How about it? Can you see him? The one standing behind me."
"Uh..."
—W-what an ugly face! No — two faces!
She couldn't say that, that would be unspeakably rude. Reimi clapped her hands over her mouth in shock, swallowing the comment... So this was what a Stand was? The tall red one behind Inori wasn't exactly handsome either, but standing next to its beautiful user it had a goofy charm... interesting, actually.