Shadow

"How could you possibly understand? When I want to check what's going to be on an exam, I can't even find someone to ask. I study hard all by myself, then face my results in fear. But you all gather together, compare answers and scores, call each other idiots and encourage each other to escape reality, while leaving me to face it alone!"

When Jilan Jiyu returned from making a round, he saw Grape crying in Kaminari's arms. Ignoring the helpless looks from everyone around him, Grape shouted, "Boo-hoo, I want friends too!"

When he saw Momo Yaoyorozu leaning forward with her guard completely down, apparently feeling a little sorry for him, Minoru Mineta's sobs gradually grew quieter, and his eyes opened halfway.

"Ah, enough already."

Jilan Jiyu, unable to take much more, walked over and covered Grape's eyes. Grape had already begun fake-crying.

"They're all your friends, as long as you don't use the girls' sympathy as an excuse to be a pervert."

Momo Yaoyorozu didn't react much, but Ochaco Uraraka and Mina Ashido caught on at once. They covered their chests and glared at him. Ashido said angrily, "So there's a reason for your bad reputation, Mineta! And Kaminari, you hang around with him. You're a pervert too, aren't you?"

Kaminari hadn't expected to get caught in the crossfire. He had felt sorry for Grape, which was why he had let him cry on his lap. But when he looked down and saw Grape drooling over Yaoyorozu's breasts, he flew into a rage and shoved him off.

"Forget about Grape, but there's nothing between him and me. I'm completely pure!" Kaminari raised both hands in surrender to show his innocence.

Kyoka Jiro, who had been quietly drinking juice nearby, suddenly chimed in, "Grape said this morning that he wanted to lend you a dirty magazine..."

Kaminari's expression changed instantly. We worked so well together on today's exam, but it turns out you were still holding a grudge, you flat-chested girl!

"Did he?" He scratched his head and played dumb. "How come I don't know anything about that?"

Never mind whether the girls around him believed his feeble explanation-even Tenya Iida, who had gone downstairs to fetch another set meal, gave him a strange look. Iida walked up to him with a stern expression, put down his tray, and began lecturing him.

"Kaminari, although I know everyone has these desires, and you're going through puberty, Japan is also particularly advanced in this regard. You can even buy dirty magazines at the convenience store on the corner. But as members of U.A. High School's Hero Course, everything we say and do in the future will become a standard for society. As heroes and role models for others, how can we discuss these things in public..."

Unable to argue back, Kaminari could only give Kyoka Jiro a resentful look. This is all your fault! I won't let you get away with this!

"See you all tomorrow!"

Time passed amid their lively chatter. After leaving the shop, they said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

As usual, Jilan Jiyu returned to his little bedroom, picked up the hand lying on his desk, and placed it over his face.

"No, this hand doesn't satisfy me anymore."

Before long, Jilan Jiyu irritably took the hand off, rose from the tatami, and walked over to sit at his desk and turn on his computer.

He didn't know whether the novelty had worn off or the hand had passed its expiration date, but when Jilan Jiyu smelled it, he grew agitated again. His fingernails instantly grew another two millimeters without his noticing.

Just like Yoshikage Kira's, Jilan Jiyu's fingernails could detect the desire to kill in his heart. Like a sensitive measuring instrument, they quietly monitored his abnormality.

I want a more exquisite hand.

As long as he obtained a hand that satisfied him, the phantom inside Jilan Jiyu would temporarily lie dormant, giving him a brief period of peace. It was like the sage time after masturbation, except Jilan Jiyu's sage time lasted a little longer.

This desire to kill was more like a sexual desire. Although it hadn't reached the point where the ordinary salaryman got a boner just from seeing Mona Lisa's hands, it did affect Jilan Jiyu to some extent, making him pay particular attention to the hands of the women around him...

Of course, Jilan Jiyu wouldn't make a perverted face at girls and ruin his reputation. Besides, if he was only looking at their hands, other people wouldn't think of anything like that, would they? Apart from a certain embodiment of lust named Grape.

He moved the mouse and opened a website: a shop called "Shadow" that sold all kinds of pornography and sex toys.

He had originally intended to buy the kind he usually bought, but this time he saw that the owner had listed a "latest masterpiece," advertised as "absolutely realistic" and "excellent to the touch." He paused for a moment, then opened the page.

"Product introduction:

After many years of exploration, I, the shop owner, met a benefactor. She showed me what true art was, and what a perfect sexual partner was!

This product was made under the guidance of this master. I personally made it and went out to find the materials, pouring my heart and soul into the work. It absolutely will not disappoint our members!

Because making this product requires an enormous amount of effort, we only accept custom orders, an exclusive privilege for our members. Members can specify the toy's appearance and figure, and in just one month, you can have the eternal true love of your life!

What are you waiting for? Our shop guarantees its integrity and reputation, and we'll be sure to give you a huge surprise!"

"..."

Although it looked like an ordinary product description, he didn't know whether it was his imagination, but he could sense the fervor of the person who had written it between the lines...

Jilan Jiyu glanced at the price and instantly lost the desire to buy it. This product cost five times as much as the most expensive toy in the shop.

Although the things Jilan Jiyu usually bought were also considered high-end goods in the shop, and his steady purchases over a long period had earned him membership, a price like this was still unacceptable. After all, in the past there had been an actual object that let him weigh whether to buy it, but this was like a lucky bag with "buy it if you dare" written brazenly across it.

As everyone knew, lucky bags were stuffed with things people thought were completely useless, yet they were marked with a price higher than their actual value, making you think you weren't losing out. You might not even get what you wanted.

But... although Jilan Jiyu warned himself of this, he was still tempted and contacted the owner.

The other party responded quickly. "Ah, Mr. JOJO, long time no see."

Out of a perverse sense of amusement, Jilan Jiyu used the username "JOJO" when browsing H sites. Although nobody knew what the word meant, Jilan Jiyu always felt an inexplicable thrill when someone called him that.

In any case, every generation of the Joestar Family was made up of gentlemen, so there was nothing wrong with using it here. After all, he was a gentleman known as a pervert.

"I've had some things to take care of lately, so I don't have much money on hand," Jilan Jiyu typed back.

"Since it's you, Mr. JOJO, you must be doing something that could change the world!"

The shop owner introduced himself in his personal signature as a retired criminal and a model maker in pursuit of perfection.

Perhaps because Jilan Jiyu deliberately used this ID to make antisocial and anti-hero statements, the owner had the impression that "JOJO" was someone with a strong obsession with life-size human models. So whenever Jilan Jiyu spoke with the owner, he would reply in this somewhat respectful, chuunibyou tone.

"About your new toy... could you tell me about it?"

"Although you're a member, I can only apologize. This toy is a product I'm still planning and haven't finished yet. I was so excited that I posted the news on the homepage, but the details of this model are not being made public. You may choose whether or not to buy it, and our shop will continue to serve you wholeheartedly!"

It was an unexpected answer. Although he apologized, his attitude was surprisingly firm.

"If I choose to buy it, do I need to provide anything, or do you decide everything yourselves?"

"You only need to provide your requirements for the toy's age, appearance, height, and so on. Just wait patiently for about a month, and we can finish making it for you!"

Jilan Jiyu hesitated. He didn't have that much money on hand, but his adoptive parents had left a considerable sum in the bank. Before they died, they had instructed him to use it at a critical time and told him where to find things like the property seal.

If there was no wonder drug that could suppress the emergence of Yoshikage Kira's elements, Jilan Jiyu would very likely become a serial killer hiding in plain sight, until a hero killed him one day... Surely this counted as a critical time?

Having made up his mind, Jilan Jiyu typed, "I'd like to order this one. I only hope it will satisfy me."

"What!? You really want to order it? All of us at Shadow guarantee that you'll find it well worth the price!"

A chill suddenly enveloped him from the inside out, making Jilan Jiyu's hair stand on end. He had a premonition that if he placed the order, he might never be able to turn back...

"On second thought, forget it."

Jilan Jiyu breathed a sigh of relief, as though a weight had been lifted. The sudden chill gradually disappeared after he finished typing those words.

Although the owner of Shadow was somewhat disappointed, he still replied politely.

"You remain one of our most valued customers, and we will serve you wholeheartedly."

When Jilan Jiyu turned off the computer, he realized that he had broken out in a cold sweat at some point. It seemed that everything inside him was rejecting that decision.

Although he had indeed refused, he still felt somewhat down. He didn't know whether it had been the right choice or not...