Being Watched

My name was Lu Lu. I lived in the Setagaya Villa District, was years old, unmarried, and a first-year student at a Tokyo high school.

I returned home every day before at the latest. I did not smoke, and only drank alcohol in moderation.

I went to bed at night and always made sure to sleep for a full hours.

Before bed, I drank a cup of hot milk and did minutes of stretching. Only after relaxing my body did I go to bed, and that usually let me sleep soundly until dawn.

When I woke up in the morning, I was like a baby, with not the slightest trace of fatigue or stress left behind.

Even the doctor said during my checkups that I was very healthy and could live to be one hundred and one.

"I originally wasn't from this world. Because of a traffic accident ten years ago, I came to this world and became a five-year-old child."

"Maybe I was lucky enough to be found by an elderly couple who ran a supermarket, and I lived with them ever since."

"They passed away peacefully last year."

"They left me a valuable detached house in Setagaya Ward."

At this point, Lu Lu's quiet muttering came to a stop. He smacked his lips, as though considering whether he should say what came next.

"As a transmigrator, I naturally had some benefits. Three days ago, because of a high fever that refused to go away for several days, I accidentally awakened a Stand and became a Stand User."

"My Stand is..."

Before Lu Lu could continue, a burst of noisy commotion interrupted him.

The dark shadow opposite him slowly became restless, as though it no longer had the patience to keep listening.

The pitch-black figure swayed, then suddenly expanded.

A huge tumor kept writhing around inside its body, making the entire thing sway from side to side.

Thick, translucent fluid constantly dripped from its mouth and nose.

"Pssh..."

As it fell to the ground, it made a series of sizzling sounds as the floor corroded, accompanied by a pungent, sour stench.

"Give it... to me..."

The twisted voice sounded like several voices mixed together. In the dim surroundings, it was especially piercing, sending a shiver down the spine of anyone who heard it.

"Give it to me... Hurry, give it to me!"

When the bizarre monster saw that Lu Lu remained completely still, its reaction grew increasingly violent.

It charged straight at Lu Lu. Although the monster was enormous, it was not slow.

It could be said to be much faster than an ordinary person.

Its immense strength and rapid footsteps cracked the concrete beneath its feet.

"Yare yare..."

Faced with this strange creature and its overwhelming momentum, Lu Lu remained exceptionally calm. There was even a faintly contemptuous smile on his face.

"I knew it. Ever since I awakened my Stand, I'd always felt something strange whenever I passed through this area."

His foot shifted slightly, and he took a small step forward. Yet just as the monster reached him, his entire body vanished.

Boom!!!

The monster's immense momentum gave it no time to stop, and it slammed directly into the concrete wall by the roadside.

The hard concrete provided neither resistance nor support at that moment. Like tofu, it was easily smashed to pieces by the monster.

The cloud of dust instantly engulfed the surrounding area.

"Give... give it to me?"

A puzzled voice came from the mouth that was still continuously dribbling yellow fluid.

"Honestly, making such a huge commotion... What if someone saw us?"

A calm voice sounded from behind the monster, continuing what had been left unfinished.

"I originally thought it was some other Stand User or something. I never expected it to be this kind of thing."

"This stench of resentment and curses... A Cursed Spirit...?"

As Lu Lu spoke, his shoulders moved as he took off the schoolbag slung over his back.

His words sounded as though he were talking to himself, yet also as though he were questioning the monster.

But at this Cursed Spirit's current level, it was simply impossible for it to possess enough intelligence to communicate with a human.

"Give... it to me!"

The Cursed Spirit suddenly turned around, its thick arm swinging toward Lu Lu with immense force.

The wind from its fist instantly blew away the surrounding dust, revealing the wreckage scattered across the ground.

This time, Lu Lu did not dodge the powerful punch. Instead, he lightly exhaled.

"SarPiu!"

In an instant, a light-purple phantom, taller and more muscular than Lu Lu, appeared behind him.

By then, the Cursed Spirit's fist had already reached Lu Lu's face.

"Ora!!!"

The phantom behind Lu Lu merely shifted its shoulder, and no one could even see it throw a punch.

Pff...!

There was no violent collision or fierce sound of battle, only the sound of something bursting apart.

The Cursed Spirit's arm, as thick as a utility pole, had been reduced to half its length. Its entire forearm had vanished without a trace.

"Aah!!!"

An even more piercing and bizarre cry came from its mouth, along with a massive spray of corrosive yellow fluid.

Its entire body twisted violently. The huge tumor burrowed straight into its head, still forcing its way upward as though it wanted to break through the body and burst out from within.

But before it could emerge, a tsunami-like barrage of punches crashed toward it.

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora...!"

Every place struck by Star Platinum exploded into fragments in an instant, scattering through the air.

It was as though those were not fists being thrown, but bombs.

The towering Cursed Spirit turned into a pile of tiny fragments and vanished in the blink of an eye.