Bocchi, Where Did Your Shadow Go? / Hitori Gotoh's Shadow Stand

"So, Hinakage-kun, since you can see so many things, do you know what trigger I need to awaken my Stand's abilities?"

She's starting to suspect that Miyauchi Hiyage might have awakened some kind of Stand ability, otherwise how could he know so much about the power of Stands?

Don't believe what Miyauchi Hiyage says about how it's difficult for someone who has just achieved transcendence to awaken their Stand naturally again.

But since Miyauchi Hiyage has already said that, it means that the other party must have tried many methods to awaken a Stand in the past few days, and may even have obtained a Stand through some means. It's just that the method is more complicated, so Miyauchi Hiyage didn't say it directly.

Seeing Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly shift the topic to herself, Miyauchi Hiyage smiled.

It's not surprising that Shinomiya Kaguya has such a quick reaction time.

"You're right, I do know," Miyauchi Hiyage nodded first, but then shook his head.

"However, that would come at a great cost, and there is a high chance that it would lead to your death. Even my Destiny Power cannot see how likely it is that you will survive if you use that method, so I would not recommend that you use that method."

But these words only piqued Shinomiya Kaguya's curiosity. "So, Hinakage-kun, you've already gained the ability to use a Stand?"

She pressed on with some concern, only to see Miyauchi Hiyage shrug and then spread his hands in reply, "I can only say that there isn't one yet."

Then, Miyauchi Hiyage directly stretched out his hand, gesturing for Shinomiya Kaguya to look into his palm.

At first glance, Shinomiya Kaguya Miyauchi Hiyage, and she didn't even realize what was happening at first.

It wasn't until Miyauchi Hiyage pointed to the center of his palm with his other finger that Shinomiya Kaguya stared wide-eyed and leaned closer, only then did she realize that Miyauchi Hiyage was holding an object in his hand that looked like an ordinary grain of sand, seemingly no different from ordinary sand.

"This is...?"

Shinomiya Kaguya was somewhat puzzled.

"This is the source of the Stand's power."

Miyauchi Hiyage's words immediately caused Shinomiya Kaguya to gasp in surprise. If Miyauchi Hiyage hadn't reacted quickly, the meteorite fragment would probably have been blown away by his movements.

Shinomiya Kaguya stood up, and her gaze toward Miyauchi Hiyage became one of shock.

Although the You Know Who had previously mentioned the origin of the Stand in his diary.

However, those meteorite fragments are buried deep underground and are difficult to detect, and we don't know in what form they appeared.

So even though the girls in Shinomiya Kaguya's heart had some thoughts about these meteorites, they never thought about finding them.

Who knew that Miyauchi Hiyage, who seemed to have done nothing these past few days, would find such a crucial thing?

"This is not the real thing. It's a fake that I created using Projection Technique. The real one is still buried under the coastline of Morioh."

Miyauchi Hiyage continued to explain, "I discovered their existence the night before last when I was adjusting the Ley Line in Morioh with Gojo-sensei. Yesterday, I tried to investigate them. I originally wanted to take them directly, but my Destiny Power kept reminding me not to touch them carelessly, otherwise it might lead to some bad things."

"So, I used Projection Technique, which consumed a small portion of my Mana, to finally complete the projection of it," Miyauchi Hiyage said, pointing to the grain of sand in his hand.

Of course, because of the Jewel Sword, Miyauchi Hiyage no longer cared about the issue of Mana, but it was a completely different story in Shinomiya Kaguya's ears.

She knew exactly what kind of power Miyauchi Hiyage possessed; he could "copy" all the materials for the entire Jujutsu High in just one afternoon.

Even the heart of that cursed demigod could be projected relatively easily.

The fact that such a small, seemingly insignificant thing could consume so much of Miyauchi Hiyage's power shows just how mysterious this thing is.

"So... it can also awaken a Stand?" Shinomiya Kaguya asked, feigning ignorance, looking at Miyauchi Hiyage, wanting a definite answer.

Miyauchi Hiyage nodded. "You may not be able to see or feel it, but this thing has always been emitting some special power fluctuations, and it is precisely the stimulation of these power fluctuations that gives humans a chance to awaken the power of a Stand."

"This thing only intensifies its external stimulation at certain specific times. So normally, it only creates a few new Stand User at a few specific times throughout the year. For example, the earthquake caused by the abnormal Ley Line the night before last stimulated its power, which is why I was able to discover its existence."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Aside from waiting for a specific time, the best way to maximize the effect of this stimulation is to directly expose your flesh and blood to it."

Chapter 356: Bocchi, Where Did Your Shadow Go?

Shinomiya Kaguya looked at the seemingly insignificant grain of sand in the hand of the Miyauchi Hiyage.

Before its existence was known, it was indeed quite inconspicuous.

But after learning about the power contained within this grain of sand, her thoughts subtly shifted when she looked at Miyauchi Hiyage's hand.

For a fleeting moment, she really wanted to take it from Miyauchi Hiyage and see if it would awaken her Stand on her.

It wasn't until Miyauchi Hiyage, that she realized her earlier thoughts seemed a little off.

"It seems you've sensed it. This thing may not seem particularly remarkable at first glance, but once its existence is noticed, it might release some special power to attract the attention of others. I even suspect that it may have 'self-awareness' in certain situations and choose people who are capable of awakening a Stand."

The entire JOJO manga revolves around the concept of "destiny." In Part 5, Bucciarati had already foreseen his impending death, and in Part 6, Father Pucci's awakening of the Made in Heaven was filled with traces of destiny.

However, although the power of fate is strong, even the protagonist cannot defy his own destiny. But the spirit of JOJO is that everyone, with their own awareness, forges a path forward in the dark wilderness.

In short, as the most important setting in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3, the origins of these Stands that can awaken people are naturally also entangled with the power of fate.

Although the arrowheads don't possess any special powers like those in the original work, this thing is certainly not simple.

When the Miyauchi Hiyage, even Shiina Mashiro was momentarily attracted to it.

However, according to the research of Miyauchi Hiyage and Tohru, it was discovered that if this thing could not directly induce the Stand power of others, then it could only be done in the way in the original JOJO, that is, by piercing the human body with an arrow, to directly apply the power of the meteorite to the human body.

This method can indeed directly unlock the potential of the human body, but compared to naturally awakening a substitute, it puts far greater strain on a person's physique and willpower.

Indeed, using this method, even if only one out of dozens of ordinary people can obtain a substitute, the probability of awakening a supernatural being is already quite high.

However, the downside is that if those who do this cannot obtain a substitute, they will all die from the meteorite's overly direct force.

Without extraordinary treatment methods, using this method carries a death rate of over 90%.

However, unlike the sand in Miyauchi Hiyage's hands, those arrows made by others later had their own uses. The arrows that ended up in Keicho Nijimura and the Passione had no additional abilities; they simply activated Stands.

The arrow that fell into Yoshihiro Kira's hand had a certain ability to choose its own target. It deliberately pierced Kira Yoshikage's hand just before Kira Yoshikage mental breakdown, allowing Killer Queen to evolve into its third bomb.

Then there's the most powerful insect arrow of all.

Not only does it have the ability to choose for itself, but it can also further evolve its Stand into the powerful Requiem form.

The blank silver chariot, after having Requiem added, gained the power to manipulate other people's substitutes and replace souls.

Gold Experience Requiem can nullify all attacks and even death, rendering all Stand abilities ineffective against him. It also prevents him from ever reaching reality, forcing him to endlessly experience a cycle of death, rebirth, and further death within the cracks of the world.

Even from certain scenes in the sixth movie, it seems that the Stands awakened by Father Pucci, the final boss of the sixth movie, and his brother—"Whitesnake," which can freely extract other people's Stands and memories, and "Weather Report," which can manipulate the weather over a wide area and even turn people into snails—were both activated by an arrow with a beetle relief carved on it. However, it is not certain whether this arrow was actually an insect arrow.

I just don't know how those special bows and arrows were made.

Miyauchi Hiyage believed that the materials used for those bows and arrows were the same meteorite, but perhaps some special ritual was added during the manufacturing process, which is why they had different effects.

Now, although Miyauchi Hiyage is fully capable of creating a bow and arrow that can activate a Stand according to her own wishes, she has not yet taken action because she cannot confirm the survival rate of the bow and arrow.

Miyauchi Hiyage clenched his fist and continued speaking to Shinomiya Kaguya, "If you successfully awaken your Stand, there will be no problem. But if you fail, you'll probably have to pay with a Senzu Bean. Moreover, I don't know if this kind of virus-like infection will have any effect on your body. So, before I figure out its properties further, it's best not to take the risk. At most, you can have close contact with it for a while and see if you can awaken your Stand naturally."

Shinomiya Kaguya naturally understood the meaning of the Miyauchi Hiyage.

Using this kind of sand directly to awaken a Stand has a low success rate, and failure to awaken it results in death.

"So, even you aren't confident?"

Miyauchi Hiyage shook his head. "No, that's not it. The activation of a Stand still depends on physical and mental strength. For you guys right now, there might still be a relatively high risk, because your physical and mental strength are either not up to standard yet, or they are not balanced like yours right now."

"But given my current physical and mental condition, the probability of awakening my Stand should be very high, and even if I fail, my body will most likely be able to withstand the pressure."

"I just don't know what kind of Stand I'll awaken because of this, so I haven't made a decision yet."

He looked at Shinomiya Kaguya: "After all, I already have great power. Even without awakening a Stand, there is still a lot of room for improvement. If the Stand's ability is just average, that's fine. But if I awaken a Stand with negative effects, it will be a burden for me."

Shinomiya Kaguya almost rolled her Byakugan at Miyauchi Hiyage when she heard this.

There are still great risks in her wanting to awaken her Stand, and she might not even be able to use the Senzu Bean. By the time she got to Miyauchi Hiyage, he was already starting to worry about whether the awakened Stand would meet his expectations. If it didn't, he would rather not have it at all.

But on second thought, it's not surprising that Miyauchi Hiyage, who can even project items that awaken Stands, would have such considerations, given his strength exceeding Special Grade.

So Shinomiya Kaguya changed her tone and looked at Miyauchi Hiyage with innocent eyes, asking Miyauchi Hiyage if she could have close contact with this grain of sand for one night to see if she could awaken her Stand in this way.

"Let's talk about it in a few days, otherwise I'm really worried that you might accidentally swallow it. Besides, didn't I just say that the awakening of a Stand also requires a trigger for you? You only awakened your telekinesis a short time ago. Stand abilities are a manifestation of personal will. With your impatient will, who knows what kind of Stand you'll awaken in the end."

"Anyway, you should calm down first. I will definitely remind you when you have the ability to awaken your Stand."

Upon receiving this answer, Shinomiya Kaguya felt somewhat helpless, but she was indeed aware of the principle that too much of a good thing can be bad.

Anyway, Miyauchi Hiyage is already able to mass-produce these Stand grits, so once they return to Tokyo, they will definitely have many more opportunities to awaken their Stands.

But Shinomiya Kaguya was still somewhat concerned. "Then tell me, which of us has awakened a Stand under the stimulation of this thing?"

After more than two months of getting along, the girls in the group are now quite harmonious and open about information; basically, no one deliberately hides any secrets.

However, none of the girls in the group have mentioned any changes in their bodies yet, but Miyauchi Hiyage is so certain that someone has already awakened. If Shinomiya Kaguya doesn't figure it out, she probably won't be able to sleep well tonight.

Seeing Shinomiya Kaguya Miyauchi Hiyage put away the sand and then held up a finger. "I'll give you a simple hint. There's a guy who awakened his Stand during the earthquake the night before last. His Stand has even started running around outside wearing his Stand. It's just that he hasn't noticed the changes in his body yet."

"In a way, this could be considered a power overload, but the Stand didn't do anything particularly outrageous, so I didn't bother with it anymore."

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes widened slightly.

Are people's stand-ins already starting to bypass their original bodies and run around aimlessly outside?

She wanted to get more information from Miyauchi Hiyage, but Miyauchi Hiyage stopped there and just smiled and told Shinomiya Kaguya to investigate on her own.

Seeing that she really couldn't get any more information from Miyauchi Hiyage, Shinomiya Kaguya said goodbye and hurriedly left Miyauchi Hiyage's room. At the same time, she sent the information she had just obtained from Miyauchi Hiyage's room, omitting Miyauchi Hiyage's Projection Technique, to the girls in the group.

Umaru: "What? Some of us have already awakened our Stands, and we haven't even realized it yet!?"

"Who is it? Who is so lucky!"

Just as Miyauchi Hiyage said, the person who awakened the Stand was completely unaware that they had awakened the Stand. Even though almost all the girls in the group came out to respond, they didn't realize who had awakened the Stand.

"Or is it that the person who awakened the Stand isn't one of our group members?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked uncertainly in the group chat.

For example, Eriri Spencer Sawamura and Kato Megumi are two other Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend on her side, Gotou Hitori even brought her own band over, and they've been practicing in the hotel's soundproof room for the past few days.

"Anyway, why don't we gather together first and check each other's bodies to see if there are any changes? With Miko's sharp eyes, maybe he can see something?"

At Shinomiya Kaguya's suggestion, the girls in the group arrived at the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel in less than ten minutes.

This is naturally the room where Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai live.

However, this hotel is the best hotel in Morioh. Although the other rooms are not as big as the presidential suite, which can accommodate more than ten girls, the style of decoration is relatively consistent and not too bad.

Shinomiya Kaguya glanced at Yotsuya Miko standing to the side.

However, after carefully examining these girls, Yotsuya Miko did not find anything strange about them.

"So, you haven't felt any problems with your bodies these past few days? That's a physical Stand, after all. The other party's actions will inevitably have some impact on your bodies, right?" Umaru first looked at her body, which was completely unchanged from usual. Moreover, according to Miyauchi Hiyage's explanation, she belonged to the type who had just awakened other powers and found it difficult to naturally awaken a part of her Stand in a short period of time.

However, the girls did not experience any physical changes.

"According to Himakage-kun, the more refined one's skills are, the easier it is to awaken a Stand ability. I think this should be considered a reminder from Himakage-kun."

Shinomiya Kaguya explained, and then asked everyone to think about their own strengths.

After asking around, they still couldn't find any problems.

"Could it really be that the awakening has taken place in someone else's body?" Shinomiya Kaguya pondered uncertainly.

However, awakening in other people is not a problem.

It should be said that her attitude towards the girls in the group is quite different from her attitude towards other people.

The girls in the group can be seen as her partners, but she doesn't need to restrain herself from using certain tactics with other girls.

Of course, considering that those girls are also the main characters in their respective works, and that most of them have connections with the girls in the group, she tries her best not to use those methods.

"I'll trouble you to check on Eriri Spencer Sawamura Utaha. And you and your band, keep an eye on things too..." Bocchi-chan Shinomiya Kaguya said, looking at Kasumigaoka Utaha and Gotou Hitori.

Her gaze lingered on the group of people.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that something was off.

Her gaze swept over the girls again.

Although he had become quite familiar with the people in the group, Gotou Hitori was still somewhat uncomfortable being stared at with such sharp eyes.

"I'll ask them. Oh, is there anything else?" Gotou Hitori asked Shinomiya Kaguya somewhat timidly.

It was only when Shinomiya Kaguya's gaze fell on Shinomiya Kaguya Gotou Hitori again that she suddenly realized where the awkwardness lay.

She pointed directly to Gotou Hitori's feet, her voice slightly shrill. "Bocchi, where did your shadow go?"

Chapter 357: Gotou Hitori's Shadow Stand

If Shinomiya Kaguya hadn't been observing the girls in the room so carefully, she might not have noticed the shadows—something that's always there but usually goes unnoticed.

But when you actually realize this, the absence of a shadow seems particularly jarring.

As all the girls' eyes fell on Gotou Hitori's feet, the socially awkward girl immediately started trembling. Not to mention, when she looked down and realized that she actually had no shadow, she almost fainted on the spot.

"Huh—what, what's going on here!?"

To prove this point, several girls even took out their phones and turned on the lights to shine on Gotou Hitori, but no matter how they tried, they couldn't make Gotou Hitori's shadow appear on the ground.