Diamonds Burn Gold

Chapter 15: Red Hot Chili Pepper, Part 1

It was night in Morioh as many of the residents winded down getting ready for the end of the day. Except at the Higashikata's, where Tomoko angrily orders Josuke to stop playing video games, repeatedly kicking him to disturb him.

"For the love of-. Josuke! Are you still playing that game? If you don't it off right this second, I'm gonna scream." She said.

"Five more minutes! Please, just five more minutes, come on mom, just this once!" Josuke pleaded with her while his full attention was on the video game in front of him. "I can't stop now! I'm about to get to the best part! Quitting guarantees I'll live the pathetic life of a scrub who doesn't follow through on his promises! They'll haunt me till the day I die!"

"Have it your way. The longer you play your little game, the harder these kicks are gonna get!" Tomoko tells him as she began kicking at his back with a bit more force.

"Do you want your son to live with a long life full of regrets cause I don't!" Josuke shouted, still keeping his focus on the game.

"How long do you think you can hold out?!" Tomoko asked as she delivered a few more kicks that broke Josuke's winning streak and caused him to lose horribly. Once he saw the game over, his shoulders drooped and looked like a man that suffered a great defeat. "It's over. Shit." He said.

"Put it away and start your homework. Oh, and would it kill you to take off your uniform? It is night time after all." Tomoko says as she leaves the room. A disappointed Josuke turns off the television and lets out a sigh. Geez, might as well go to his room now and get started. Josuke was about to get up and head upstairs when the T.V. suddenly turns on back on, showing some kind of soap opera.

"Sorry, I can't see you anymore." The actress told her lover. The man was shocked by her words and pulled her closer to him. "But why Sachiko? Have the flames our love burned out?" He asked her.

Josuke was left confused as he thought he had turned it off. He grabbed the remote and tried to turn it off but it didn't seem to be working. "Ah, come on. Shut off will ya?" Josuke said, somewhat annoyed. He hated this show. Before he can go up to it and pull the plug or something, the male lead began to speak again, but not with his normal voice.

"It would seem Jotaro Kujo has refused to leave town!" The voice said. Josuke almost flinched as the voice was easily familiar to him. "And after I went out of my way to give him an explicit warning." Josuke's eyes widen as in the background of the T.V. couple a familiar yellow-static Stand appeared on screen with its back facing him.

"There has to be a reason, right? Josuke Higashikata?" Once it turned around to show its face, Josuke immediately recognised it. "I know you!" He shouted as Chili Pepper flew out from the T.V. and morphs itself in front of the Pompadour-haired teen to confront him.

"What are you doing here?" Josuke demanded of him.

"You're not the brightest bulb, are you? Clearly, it escaped your notice that I've been popping in and out of here for a while now." Chili Pepper told him.

"What?!" Josuke shouted. This asshole's been keeping tabs on him the entire time?! How has he never noticed before? Chili Pepper laughed at him as it crossed its arms and legs while looking at him with a smug look on his face. "One of my other hotspots is the house belonging to Okuyasu, the brother of that fool I knocked off! I know all about Saya Yukimori and her Stand, Blazing Gold. I must say, I was taken aback when I learned about her alter ego was the Silver-eye Wolf. I'm also well aware of that schoolgirl, Yukako Yamagishi and Koichi Hirose's Reverb. And I know Toshikazu Hazamada and Tamami Kobayashi are in the hospital." It told him.

"Something about this isn't making sense. From everything I've seen, you're a conniving, birdbrained coward. What reason could you possibly have for turning up at my house ready to take me on fair and square?" Josuke questions him. "Surely your not moronic enough to believe that anything you could do would actually be enough to mess me up."