A NEET's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Eastern Wind

The Hand

"Oh no! I have to dodge, but I can't move!" Yukari exclaimed as Gold Experience was about to strike her. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do as its fist made contact with her immobile body. Instantly, she felt herself jerked back to her original position just as it struck. The pain was incredibly concentrated. She could sense a sharp sting gradually spreading across her jaw and then to the rest of her face. A needle-like sting pierced through her mouth like a drill, causing a tooth to loosen and fly out. Her vibrant purple dress was stained with drops of blood as she dropped to one knee.

"You... you're far too strong to be just some ordinary girl," Yukari exclaimed, bloodied.

"I'm not a yakuza, if that's what you're implying," Joon replied instantly.

"Then...why? Why did you murder Azuma Kinoshita?"

"I know you're not going to believe me, but... his stupidity victimized him. In other words, he accidentally killed himself. His attack on my Standmaku reflected the damage to him."

"Even so, my orders are clear. My boss wants you dead." Yukari said as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

"That's your plan? You're going to kill me? Well, in that case, I have no reason to spare you either!" Joon exclaimed, manifesting her Standmaku and launching another attack.

"MUDAAAAAAAAA!"

"Do you think I'm going to let you come at me again?" Gold Experience's attack was blocked by a ghostly fist. "We could fight to the death here... but things have changed. I never expected that the one responsible for killing Azuma would be another Standmaku User. I'll have to retreat for now."

"Let me guess, so you can call for thugs to back you up? There's no way you're going to escape!"

"The Hand!" Yukari's standmaku finally manifested in full. She was wearing a pale pink mob cap. It covered half of her face, leaving only an expressionless mouth. It wore a purple, Chinese-looking tabard with padded shoulders. It had red ribbons that were tied around its wrists, along with studded knuckles.

"It finally showed itself!" Joon said.

"As I said, I won't fight you... for now." Punching the train's floor, a bright red ribbon appeared. Using its hands, Yukari's Standmaku tore open the ribbon, seemingly opening a hold in the bottom of the train.

"Damn it... she used her ability to flee! I need to catch up with that bitch!" Swinging around, Joon noticed the shattered window before jumping out without hesitation. The length of the rail that the train was on wasn't that high, but Joon was still able to cushion the fall with the help of her Standmaku. The solid concrete turned to soft grass as its ability took effect. As she stood up, she caught a glimpse of Yukari in the distance. She was running. Finding her in the midday crowd would be almost impossible if she managed to get off the street and into a subway station.

"Stop right there!" Joon yelled at Yukari as she pushed through a small group of students. Suddenly, she was gone. Seemingly vanished as soon as she passed the girls. The group of high school students took off in different directions as Joon watched them go. Standing calmly, she took a deep breath as she opened the palm of her hand. Inside it was a small fly that flew away, circling one of the high school students. She had long, black frazzled hair and large square glasses with thick frames. Dark bags hung under her eyes.

"Darn, this pesky fly won't budge..." She groaned as the fly Joon had released buzzed around her. When her hand finally brushed against it, she was jolted back by the force, causing an unsuspecting Yukari to fly out of her back, seemingly concealed in a gap that had been mysteriously created in her own body.

"What...? What was that?" Yukari crawled on her hands and knees, looking dazed. Blood dripped from her mouth as she looked up, finally seeing Joon standing above her.

"I transformed the tooth that had been knocked out of you into a fly. Naturally, it was desperate to return to its owner." Joon explained. "And when that girl swatted the fly away, the force of the impact was reflected back at you."

"You're determined to stop me aren't you?" Yukari said, breathing hard.

"I wouldn't have thrown myself off a moving train otherwise!" Joon said as she got her standmaku ready once more. "Gold experience!"

"That trick doesn't work twice!" Yukari said as the blow landed on her right shoulder. "I'll show you what The Hand can do!"

"Ugh!" Joon jumped back as Yukari's standmaku landed a series of quick blows on her body. Suddenly dizzy, several ribbons appeared on her body. Her arm came loose, followed by her leg. Another ribbon appeared across her stomach. She struggled to stand upright. Her body parts were hanging limply, supported only by her clothes and the ribbons.

"You must be wondering why your attack didn't have any effect. Heh. You think I was naive enough to give you a free hit?" Yukari said as a ribbon appeared on her forearm. Holding it up in her free hand, she pulled it off effortlessly. "This arm was the arm of the high school girl I was hiding in."

"That's... is that all you've got??" Joon glanced up at Yukari. "This is your best move?"

"No more talk, the time for that is over! I'll finish this here!" Yukari said. She called out her Standmaku once more, its physical form manifesting beside her.

"Gold Experience!" Ripping off her right arm, it separated without any blood. Yukari's ability had created a gap between some pocket dimension and the actual flesh and sinew. With that, Joon hurled the separated arm like a spear toward Yukari, the detached appendage turning into a turtle that soared through the air, striking Yukari's face with incredible force. The feeling she had experienced earlier began again. The slow, rippling pain coursing up her face and rattling her skull. She bit her lip, drawing blood.

"It's just like before! Ghh.... I'm done for!" The effect had suddenly faded instead of the expected aftermath. Walking up to the downed Yukari, Joon inspected the girl's arm that Yukari had dropped.

"You... what was the point of that?" She was still in a state of shock. The sheer intensity of the pain had certainly shaken her. "Are you going to finish me?"

"I noticed a slight hesitation in your demeanor when you removed the girl's arm. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of the marks on it. It's likely that you wondered why a young girl, possibly around 16 or 17, would exhibit signs of drug use," Joon explained, holding up the girl's arm and highlighting the series of red welts on a specific section of her wrist.

"Your hesitation gave me the split second I needed to strike first... but I'm certain you don't require me to tell you that Shanghai Alice is the culprit behind this." Joon locked eyes with Yukari. The woman averted her gaze, unable to meet Joon's gaze. She was fully aware of the truth.

"Even still, I've sworn an oath of allegiance to Shanghai Alice. The drug problem is indeed a serious issue, but my duty is to follow orders. That's all I can say." Yukari said, feeling a tingling sensation in her chest. Ever since Shanghai Alice rose to power and eliminated the rival yakuza syndicates, drug trafficking has been rampant in Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures. While she disapproved of drug trafficking, she knew better than to question the leadership's decisions, especially after witnessing their brutal treatment of traitors.

"I can sense that you're not a bad person... I can feel it. It was Shanghai Alice's drug trade that tragically took my parents' lives and transformed my neighborhood... and now, the entire country! It's a haven for criminals." As Joon spoke, Yukari observed intently.

"I intend to eliminate the head of the family, regardless of their identity, and bring the entire corrupt organization to its knees," Joon declared. "Tokyo will be devoid of yakuza after I'm done."

"Big ambitions... and you believe I'll simply allow you to eliminate the boss?"

"Yes... because you'll be assisting me. Shanghai Alice is a substantial operation... and gaining proximity to the boss... your Kumicho... I intend to become a yakuza myself." Joon said as she helped Yukari to her feet.