The Newspaper Club minus Gin, plus the story's official couple, meaningfully scowled at the author for his utterly rude bait-and-switch in the last post, before taking a moment to get back into character.
"Like I was saying," Mizore began, "we've got some more lighthearted questions from the readers about Snow Women and other subjects, and the first one is --"
____________
Meanwhile, at Youkai Academy...
Ms. Nekonome stepped into the office of the most powerful individual in the school, timidly hiding behind a sheaf of envelopes. "Um, sir?"
Seated behind a desk was the Headmaster, his headdress slung across the back of his chair. A small pair of horns jutted out proudly from his forehead, just below where his hairline would've been if he still had any. When he spoke, his voice was deep like the void of space and heavy like a granite wall. "Yes, Ms. Nekonome?"
Her feline tail anxiously waving from one side to the other, Nekonome slowly progressed further into the room. "We've got some questions from the audience, and a few of them are for you..."
The dim candlelight from his desk gave his dark skin a peculiar, unearthly sheen. "Ah, so it's that time of year again. How delightful that I may finally participate."
A moment later, he opened his eyes, illuminating the space in front of him with a brilliant silver light. "But before that... you seem to have a question of your own, Ms. Nekonome."
Squeaking in alarm at having found out, the literature teacher squirmed for a moment before asking, "Well, it's just that... even though Headmaster Mikogami vouched for your credentials as his replacement before he went on sabbatical, none of us
actually know what your name is. Can I ask what it is?"
"
Yes," he replied in thickly accented English.
Ms. Nekonome paused for a moment, expecting him to clarify, before wondering if he had taken the question completely literally. Then, a second later, she began to wonder if he was playing mind games. "...are you going to tell me?"
"
Yess," he again answered in the same accent. Rising from his seat, his administrative robe slowly began to unravel from around him, revealing a monstrously well-muscled body!
"YYESS, YYYEESSS, IESU!"
Ms. Nekonome was awestruck by the view... for about four seconds until she remembered her dignity, and abruptly stopped drooling to make herself scarce, leaving only the reader mail.
Q: To the Youkai Academy Principal: How many graduates become, if not outstanding pillars of society, then at least well-adjusted individuals? Average per-year.
"With the information I have access to," he began, "I am confident that I can offer a percentage rate of 96% for graduating students
who survived going on to be productive citizens in the human world. Though some may look at the many violent incidents that have occurred over the last year and boggle at such a high rate, I would point out that such events are caused by a minority of the student population, who merely stand out as a result of making a name for themselves.
"After all," he continued with a grin, "humans would balk at the idea of, say, Jim Jones or Ted Bundy being used as benchmarks for 'normal'; in much the same way, psychotic predators like Hitomi Ishigami and Tamao Ichinose should be looked on as aberrations. True monsters among monsters, if you will."
Q: Nurari: what's your opinion on the Joestars and the Foundation?
At that time, the Bus Driver stepped into view, mysteriously appearing from behind a curtain. Taking a long drag from his cigar, his response was otherwise quick in coming. "The existence of a human faction in play that's interested -- or at least unopposed -- to peace between humans and monsters is a good thing. In a lot of ways, you could say that the current form of the Speedwagon Foundation is not unlike a human counterpart to Youkai Academy."
Leaning against the wall and crossing one leg over the other, he nodded to himself. "It's certainly a lot more
convenient to have an arm reaching across from the other side, instead of having to do everything ourselves. Especially when
those organizations are starting to gather their power...."
Q: Actually, some more questions: pillarman principal and Nurari. How do you get along?
Iesu and Nurari turned to face each other for a moment, making eye contact.
"He's a fatalistic asshole and a showoff," Nurari growled.
"Of the millions of the shady sons of bitches on Earth who aren't evil," Iesu replied, "he is the shadiest." Flexing his muscles in a way that would've utterly delighted Ms. Nekonome were she still present, he
grinned. "He's number one."
Nurari frowned and deliberately flicked some ashes in the Pillarman's direction. "You're making a reference to something that doesn't exist," he accused.
"Not yet," the Headmaster admitted, "but it will. It shouldn't take twenty years before you get it."
Q: Principal: what do you think of those asshole council people who're gonna be assholes?
Iesu considered that for a moment, until the silver glow from his eyes became even brighter.
A moment later, he grinned, showing teeth so immaculately white and perfect as to be unnerving. Pointedly, he did not answer.
<---- TO BE CONTI - *CLONGGG*
_______________
Meanwhile, at EVA01 Studios....
Jotaro dragged the author's limp, insensate body away from his workstation, even as Tsukune took hold of a badly-dented washtub and removed it from the scene of the crime.
"Like we were going to fall for the same trick twice!" cheered a grinning Kurumu.
"I really don't like that we had to resort to violence," Moka said sadly, "but I think most of us are in agreement that letting him turn that into a running gag would have been even more regrettable."
"Definitely," said Mizore as she made an author popsicle and set him up in a corner of the room. With the wisdom of countless generations of wives, passed down to her through oral tradition, she nodded. "And now that he's out of the way, we can
actually get something done."
Mindful of how this and the prior episode began, however, the cast decided to just pick questions at random. Mizore opened the first, and an eyebrow went up.
"Oh, this one's for my mother-in-law."
Jotaro shot her a glance. "Hm?"
"
Eventual future mother-in-law," the suspiciously said the Snow Woman as if her slip-up had been accidental.
________
Q: Holly Joestar: what are your thoughts on becoming a grandmother in the future?
At the Kujo house, a blue-eyed blonde of a housewife was seated comfortably on a loveseat with dull red cushions.
....it was a two-person piece of furniture, yet Holly was the only person to use it.
Sadao....
"Well," Holly began, "honestly? I'm a little concerned about how eager Mizore is to have children of her own. Even if her family has a tradition of marrying young, planning for parenthood in your first year of high school isn't
normal, right? I mean, Sadao and I waited to have Jotaro until after his career took off and our living situation became stable, but.... Jotaro's still a student himself, never mind having a source of income to care for a wife and child!"
Leaning back in her seat, Holly morosely put a hand to her cheek. "Although as a mother, I guess in a lot of ways I'm just not ready to let go of my son yet, and it's a little frightening to know that it might happen so much sooner than later."
Q: So you're worried about them, then?
For several seconds, Holly Kujo didn't answer, until eventually she let out a sigh and slumped over. "It's only natural for a parent to worry about their child, but when I see the way that Jotaro and Mizore look at each other..."
Turning over to lay down on her back, legs dangling over the side of the furniture and making herself look like a bored teenager, Holly closed her eyes. "They'll make it work. I'm sure of it."
Did she even realize that she was smiling?
________________
Politely ignoring the way Mizore was victory-dancing over Holly's implied approval, Moka took a look at the next few questions. "Hey senpai, looks like there are a few questions about your Stand."
"My Stand, huh?"
"Yeah," Kurumu said with a nod as she read over Moka's shoulder. Although because of the height difference, she had to stand on the assault weapon of a washtub to do it. "People are asking if it can channel Ripple energy, or if it can do stuff like extend a single finger several meters to attack someone at longer range."
"Already tried," Jotaro replied with a shrug. "Can't do either of those. There's nothing physical to channel Hamon with, and with the way my powers have developed at Youkai Academy, it seems too [stable] to have any kind of self-extending power."
Q: Jotaro, how much do you know about your great-great Grandfather, and have you ever heard of the Sunlight Yellow Overdrive?
"I know vaguely that his name was Jonathan," he replied while reaching for a cigarette, "and that he was the first Joestar to use Hamon. That's about it."
"Oh hey," Yukari said as she reclaimed her seat. "It looks like we've got some for Gin again."
As if summoned by the very utterance of his name, that very sleazeball werewolf journalist stepped through the door.
However, as soon as he noticed Jotaro Kujo's presence, the room's atmosphere became incredibly tense! Would the two nemeses come to blows on this celebratory day?!
"So what do my fans want to know?"
Evidently not.
Q: To Jun Jin Gin-san: What do you think about people with naturally wavy/curly hair, or about black trenchcoats and fedoras?
Gin stared down at the envelope for several seconds. "If they're smokin' hot girls, then great! If not," he said while tossing it over his shoulder into the wastebasket, "then don't waste my time with them."
Q: Gin: Your Stand lacks finesse. Is this something you could overcome or is the only option either lunar eclipses or poorly aimed doomlasers from the sky?
"There's theoretically a sliding scale of effects I could do with it," he explained. "Buuuut given the scope of how many people on the planet it can effect -- and some uncomfortable questions that people could end up asking -- I'm better off not experimenting with it too much."
Q: Gin: we usually see you when you're interacting with the main cast, but what's a normal day like for you? When you're not peeping on girls, that is?
"Ah, finally!"
Crossing his arms and closing his eyes, Gin's smirk was of such utter smugness that people in a different
building could sense it. "The life of a newspaper editor is fraught with peril," he proudly proclaimed. "On a typical day, in-between fighting off my legions of astonishingly
sexy adoring fangirls --"
"I'd call bullshit," Yukari chirped in, "but he actually does have, like...
two. People are
weird."
After a moment's pause to make sure the Witchling was
done, Gin rolled right on as if he hadn't been interrupted. "--and scour our fair school's seedy underbelly to root out the lies and evil plotted by monsterkind, to drag them kicking and screaming into the light of justice."
"Right, so on the subject of exposing evil to the student body," Kurumu asked while nonchalantly inspecting her nails, "when do we get to publish a story about your habitual sexual harassment?"
"Aaaaaaaand that's all the time I have to answer questions," Gin said completely and utterly without shame or remorse. "Now it's time I get back to my responsibilities as a journalist and start
furnishing answers, to the questions people REALLY care about!"
Sliding into an utterly fabulous pose, he slowly and dramatically rose one hand into the air! "Behold the ultimate, totally non-canon power of my Stand, made possible through advanced light fragmentation!
[BAD MONTAGE RISING]!"
_______________
Q: So wait, Nagasumi is also in school? How did that happened?
"It was Sun's idea," Nagasumi explained. "Once she finally figured out about her father's constant attempts to assassinate me through his organization."
"I had ta find some way to protect my husband and spare my family from further dishonor," Sun continued, "and runnin' off with Nagasumi to a boarding school in a pocket dimension did the trick!"
"Things were still pretty rough for a while," the black-haired boy admitted, "especially when Maki the Conch managed to catch up with us anyway. Luckily for me, that blonde guy from the Student Protection Committee saved my hide! ...although now I have to hide from him too, since he'll take me out next if he ever finds out I'm a human..."
For all that Sun was disappointed in her father's attempts to kill Nagasumi, she'd still thought of Maki as a friend. Between the manner of her death, and the reality that her friend had constantly tried to kill her husband, Sun's feelings on the topic were....
complicated.
________________
Q: Is Haji is still there? Will he get a girlfriend?
"Yes," a gi-wearing Tengu replied, "I'm still here in charge of the Karate Club. As to your second question..."
His cheeks turned red like an innocent, blushing maiden.... but his utterly perverted grin presented a completely different picture. After a moment he caught himself, and promptly straightened himself up, coughing into his fist in a futile attempt at regaining his dignity. "....probably not for a while yet," he admitted, "since there aren't a lot of girls in Youkai Academy that are all that compatible with me..."
_______________
Q: Kuyo of the Student Protection Committee, you were responsible for the first and to date only [Bad End] in this quest.
"That's right," mused an intrigued Student Protection Committee chairman, "I
am the only one to have successfully killed Jotaro Kujo in this universe so far."
Closing his eyes to better savor the fond memory, he said with a smile, "Rest assured, I have every intention of doing so
again before the Quest is over."
Q: In response to this, the questers made sure to discover a way to use Hamon to counter your powers so it would not happen again. What is your take on these events?
Kuyo chuckled in sinister amusement. "Hamon itself is not so difficult to counter. There are more ways than one to interrupt an individual's breathing -- and I have convenient access to
several."
Q: Such as?
Kuyo raised an eyebrow. "Did you really think I'd be so foolish as to tip my hand in such a way? Don't mistake me for some fool of a Stand user that would explain his own powers to someone he plans on killing!"
Q: Current Kuyou vs Joseph Joestar, who would win?
Kuyo sneered at the question. "I would, obviously."
At about the same time, halfway around the world, Joseph
laughed in his New York penthouse. "Maybe in your dreams, brat."
______________
In a mysterious void between the physical and spiritual....
Q: To Akasha: Why didn't you tell Joseph? You know what I'm talking about.
She was beautiful beyond compare, and with charisma to match. Her expression, however, turned reproachful when she heard the question posed to her. "He did have a right to know. But even with that in mind... had I come forward with the truth, how many people could have been hurt by it? How would it have affected the Joestars? I know Gyokuro would have taken it badly, but what about her children? And what kind of childhood would Moka have had under those circumstances? Would
anyone have been better off knowing at the time?"
_______________
Q: Youkai Academy Art Teacher Hitomi Ishigami, Swim Club Captain Tamao Ichinose, Wrestling Club Captain Chopper Rikiishi, what have you been up to since Jotaro Kujo [RETIRED] you?
In the Youkai Academy infirmary, Tamao Ichinose and Chopper Rikiishi were plotting their revenge together, in that special way that only young men and women with common grudges can do.
"One of his friends is a vampire," Tamao noted. "Hold her hostage with a squirt gun and that'll keep any of his friends from interfering."
"Right," Chopper agreed. "From there, I can tear Kujo a new asshole in the ring, man to man and prove that his beating me last time was just a
fluke."
Tamao rolled her eyes at her infirmary wing-mate's bluster and bravado. "We've been over this a
dozen times, he'll just humiliate you with Hamon again!"
Indignant, Chopper slammed his fist against his bed... before cringing at the agony that consequently shot up and down his arm. "And I keep telling you, all I have to do is fight him in a tear gas chamber and he's toast!"
"His whole gimmick is
breathing control! You think he can't hold his breath?!"
"He can't outlast me if I have a gas mask and he doesn't!"
Tamao, who was recovering more quickly than her companion and had already regained almost all of her former beauty, delicately raised a hand and massaged her still-healing face. "...and where are you going to find a mask that fits your monster form?"
Chopper shut up for a moment, seeming to seriously ponder the question, until... "I know! I'll blackmail his own Mechanics Club into making me one!"
Tamao very gingerly reached for her glass of water, before throwing it at Chopper hard enough that it shattered into countless pieces. He didn't really notice.
"Ugh... CAN I GET SOME WATER, PLEASE?!"
The nurse came back in, eyeing the hardly-innocent former Swim Captain with suspicion. "I just brought you some a while ago."
"I'm a mermaid," said Tamao with all-but-literal crocodile tears. "You should know we need extra hydration."
Gesturing to Chopper with her eyes, Tamao brightly continued, "He tried to be a dear and hand it to me, but he really is too clumsy for his own good."
Catching on to the sexy sadist's scheme, Chopper played up his grimace. "It's the third-degree burns on my arm," he most definitely 'explained' and not 'whined'. "They distract me a little, but a tough guy like me gets by."
The nurse grumbled, but got a new glass and filled it with water for Tamao, before wordlessly tossing Chopper a handful of painkillers.
If I weren't a nurse, I'd pray for you to overdose, you thieving bastard.
As she slammed the door shut and left, Chopper popped the pills he'd just been given and swallowed them dry, before gazing in tearful admiration at the teal-haired mermaid in the bed next to him. "You're so
sexy when you make people do what you want," he admitted.
Tamao smirked, unabashedly drinking in the sight of Chopper's well-muscled and bandaged-up body. "I know," she replied. "You and me, Chopper? We'll go places, as long as you leave the
thinking to me."
Chopper was about to argue, until Tamao shut him up by popping a button on her hospital blouse. "Deal?"
The troll grinned. "Sure thing, babe."
_____________________
Back at EVA01 Studios
The sudden montage over, everyone looked around to see that Gin had of course
run the fuck away left to resume his journalistic duties.
"Well," Moka spoke up after an awkward silence, "guess we might as well finish the rest of these questions..."
Q: And just to all of Jotaro and his friends (the people who would be in the Newspaper Club plus Ruby): Who's your favorite video game character?
"Oh hey!"
Smiling, Tsukune looked around at his peers. "Finally, it looks like we're getting some nice, mundane, fun questions for once!"
Seeing the expressions on his friends in the Newspaper Club, however, his cheer dimmed. "...I'm the only one here who even
plays video games, aren't I?"
"Good grief..."
All but staggering under the weight of the gigantic hand patting his shoulder, Tsukune turned back to see Jotaro Kujo, as stoic as ever. "You can start off, and I'll finish it."
"Oh, well, my favorite game character is, ah..."
Keenly aware of Moka's presence in the room, Tsukune couldn't bring himself to utter the name 'Simon Belmont'. "I guess Lloyd, from that new
MOTHER game that just came out a few months ago. Even though he doesn't have psychic powers like the other player characters, he still does what he can to stand by his friends, and that really speaks to me."
Jotaro nodded, as if he expected such a response. "Samus," he replied. "From
Metroid."
Tsukune's eyes widened, though he smiled a little as he glanced between Jotaro and Mizore. "The cool, quiet type, huh? I can see that."
Expecting the conversation to end there, Tsukune reached into the office minifridge and sipped from a can of soda...
"Yeah," Jotaro replied, "he's utterly fearless -- a real role model, the kind of man I can respect."
....and in his shock, Tsukune wound up spraying his drink all over the place, barely having the presence of mind not to soak Moka's shirt with it. After much concern from the girls and assuring them that he was fine, Tsukune managed to find his composure again. "You, uh, only start playing it recently?"
"Yeah," Jotaro said with a nod, "I found a used copy at a garage sale during summer break, thought I'd give it a try."
Tsukune took a moment to wipe some remaining foam from around his mouth with the edge of his sleeve. "Tell me if you ever get around to finishing it," he said mysteriously. "I want to know what you think of the ending..."
Jotaro's left eyebrow quirked up a millimeter, but he didn't say anything.
Q: Can any of you (besides Moka) play instruments?
After a quick glance around the room, Yukari answered for the group. "No, but since Moka can play enough instruments for everyone else
anyway......"
"Yukari," Moka said with a groan, "you say that like I can play a dozen different and unrelated instruments."
Mizore blinked. "How many
can you play?"
"I've known how to play the piano and violin since I was younger," Moka mused as she sat on a table, "and in fine arts class I recently learned how to play the recorder."
Q: What are your favorite weapons? If you were forced to use any weapons (because you don't actually like any of them) what would you pick?
"Knives," Mizore said without hesitation. Seeing a series of concerned glances from Moka and Kurumu, she hastily explained, "...I already have practice making them out of ice. Anyone else have one?"
"I'm a pacifist," Moka said as if she thought that was a satisfactory answer. "I don't like weapons."
And the other Moka is deadlier than anything short of a missile strike anyway, Jotaro quietly mused.
Q: Tsukune, now that you know of all these monsters and super powers exist, which one would you think would suit you the most? Vampiric powers like Inner Moka? A Stand or Hamon/Ripple that Jotaro uses?
"If I could have any kind of superhuman power," Tsukune wondered aloud. "You know, it's really kind of funny," he muttered with a chuckle, "I've been so busy trying to stay alive in this crazy school and deal with being the weak link, I've never really had time to think about stuff like that. Let's see...."
After several seconds of thought, he nodded. "I think a lot of conflict between humans and monsters would be stopped if people could actually pay attention to the things that make us similar, like our feelings, instead of focusing on things that make us different. So if I were going to have some kind of power, I guess I'd like it to be some kind of Stand that can make people understand each other?"
Kurumu nodded, completely understanding what her Man of Destiny was talking about. "Yeah, Trans-Am Burst would be a Stand effect."
"Trans-
what?"
"Nevermind."
Q: Do monsters have to deal with things like radiation fundamentally altering their biology?
Yukari volunteered herself for that one. "It depends on the species," she explained, "as some varieties of monsters are inherently tougher or more resilient than others. Some monsters are hyper-sensitive to changes to their environment, including radiation, and then there are other kinds of monsters that thrive on it."
Q: Do we know how yukionna celebrate christmas?
If they do at all...
All eyes turned to Mizore, who shrugged. "My parents basically treat it as a second Valentine's Day."
Her gaze slid over to Jotaro, where it lingered for a few seconds. "What about you?"
Matching his girlfriend's shrug with one of his own, Jotaro sighed, exhaling a small cloud of smoke in the process. "We put up decorations and do present exchanges, but that's pretty much it."
Q: Mizore, what's your favorite part, aside from being with Jotaro, about the club you're both in?
Mizore really stopped to consider that one. "I guess.... it's kind of interesting to have a front row seat to what you'd normally call a 'guy club', since I'm the only girl in it. So that kind of helps to give me a different kind of perspective. ....knowing how to hotwire a car is also useful."
Q: Mizore, how big a wedding would you like?
Blinking at the forwardness of the final question, Mizore blushed until her cheeks were nearly as pink as Moka's hair. After a split-second's contemplation,
she opened her mouth.....
<--- TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT YEAR