Crazy Heartbreakers - Chapter 4
"If that refusal's coming from the heart, that's fine... but if you're just trying to hide how you haven't made up your mind, keep your mouth shut, NiNi!"
Descent on (強硬な強襲, Kyōkō na Tsuyo tai, lit. Unyielding Assault) is the fourth chapter of Crazy Heartbreakers, a light novel based on the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series.
Summary
Tohth's Origin
Boingo's Stand Tohth was named during the battle against the Joestar Group by Telence Trent D'Arby, DIO's butler, who had named his own Stand Atum and used Egyptian gods to categorize other Stands in DIO's group. This naming method clashed with Enya the Hag's tradition of using tarot card themes, reflecting the rivalry between the two over their positions as DIO's closest confidant. Boingo recalls Telence asking him about the comic's name, since Telence saw that it was initially called "Boingo's Happy Life" on the cover but later changed to "Oingo Boingo Brothers Adventure". Initially hesitant, Boingo had murmured "Tohth," inspired by the whispers he believed he heard from the book. Telence enthusiastically adopted the name, expanding the Egyptian naming convention to other Stand users in the group.
Sitting in a hotel room, Boingo's comic is no longer in his possession but he still feels a deep connection to it. He reflects on the mysterious nature of Tohth, questioning whether it is truly his Stand or if he was merely entrusted with it. He had the comic for as long as he could remember. His parents took it away and tried selling it once they learned about it, but it would always reappear by his side eventually and result in strange occurrences, such as the buyer disappearing. Boingo believes that even if the comic is lost temporarily, the god Tohth would reclaim it and return it to him. Boingo recalls the comic's last prediction which stated he would "graduate" from being one of DIO's minions. Though DIO is long dead, Boingo wonders if he remains spiritually bound to DIO's influence. This thought terrifies him, and he speculates that Tohth itself might be trying to escape DIO's lingering curse. If true, whoever has the comic now might inherit that dark destiny in Boingo's place. Overwhelmed by fear and doubt, Boingo isolates himself in the hotel room, unable to face the world. He waits for Hol Horse to arrive but grows increasingly anxious, imagining that Hol Horse might already be dead. Paralyzed by his own uncertainty, Boingo feels like the same helpless child he once was, reliant on his brother to pull him out of his fear.
Planning in the Park
Hol Horse and Josuke stand back-to-back in a park, casually conversing while remaining alert for their enemy. Hol Horse asks Josuke why he keeps changing his story about his hairstyle, leading to playful banter about Hol Horse's self-proclaimed role as a "missionary of love" and Josuke mocking his romantic philosophies. Hol Horse outlines what they know about Pet Sounds's Stand: its ability makes people relive past actions triggered by its voice, its range is limited to the voice's reach, it has an apparent inability to reuse the same voice multiple times or it could have brainwashed everyone in the town, and the parrot can play back any voice from its memories. He emphasizes that the bird itself isn't hostile toward them, and its ability must be activated by some sort of trigger. Josuke proposes countermeasures, including yelling or singing to block out the Stand's voice. The two delve into a humorous discussion about their music tastes, with Hol Horse naming Édith Piaf's "Hymne à l'amour" as his favorite song, while Josuke talks about a nameless artist he calls "Mr. Nelson," a reference to the musician Prince during his symbol era. Josuke complains about it being difficult to refer to that artist now, but Hol Horse has no idea what he's talking about, thinking Josuke has an aversion to being easily understood by other people. As their conversation continues, the silhouette of Pet Sounds passes over the park.
The Parrot's Assault
As Ryohei Higashikata passes a confused crowd, he learns of a strange incident involving knife-wielding women attacking a foreigner. However, there is no evidence left of any violence, and everyone appears unharmed, leaving Ryohei perplexed. Meanwhile, Hol Horse and Josuke prepare for the next attack, keeping a sharp lookout for any signs of the enemy. They notice a helicopter's rotor sounds but fail to see the aircraft, realizing it is part of Pet Sounds's Stand ability. Pet Sounds was playing sounds from Egypt, where a helicopter was shooting down freedom fighters. The noise triggers overwhelming fear in Josuke and Hol Horse, simulating the terror of victims being attacked by Vulcan cannons and clouds of mustard gas.
As the sound's influence spreads, a group of panicked kindergarten children and their teachers flood into the park. Suddenly, a crossbow bolt strikes a child's neck, and Josuke rushes to heal him with his Stand. The mysterious enemy fires four bolts at Josuke, injuring his cheek with one. However, Josuke charges toward the enemy despite the danger. Hol Horse, left behind, spots the parrot's bright plumage amidst the foliage. Faced with the threat to himself and the children, he overcomes his fear and fires wildly with his Stand, Emperor, eventually hitting the parrot. As the bird falls into a river, the oppressive helicopter noise stops, and Hol Horse collapses in exhaustion.
The Culprit Revealed
Josuke charges toward the source of the attack, finding an automated aluminum crossbow rigged with a military-grade scope. As Josuke destroys the mechanism with his Stand, the perpetrator escapes into the city, shedding his camouflage clothing and blending into the crowd with normal clothes. Confident in his plan, the man reflects on his twisted motives. The man was bored of life, having a thrill-seeking desire to harm others for personal excitement. His first victims were rats, then doves, then cats, and finally a Dobermann. He eventually got bored of hunting animals as well, and became tempted to hurt children. Viewing himself as "special" and untouchable, he believes his acts of cruelty are his right. As the man walks away, a strange screw inexplicably reattaches itself to the military scope he had used, leading Josuke directly to him. Josuke's Stand immediately unleashes a barrage of punches, leaving the man battered and unconscious. Josuke retrieves the man's wallet and discovers his identity: Koji Kiyohara, a university student. With calm disdain, Josuke reflects on the danger posed by people like Koji, who hide in safety while inflicting harm on others.
Lingering Threat
Hol Horse arrives at the scene to find the chaos subdued and sees Josuke conversing with his grandfather, Ryohei. Koji sits on the curb looking disheveled and defeated. Despite having no visible injuries, his body appears warped in an unnatural way, likely due to Josuke's Stand "fixing" him into a twisted state. Hol Horse, unnerved by the Stand's power, resolves never to provoke Josuke. Ryohei speaks to Josuke warmly, teasing him about his hair despite its significance to Josuke. Hol Horse closes his eyes, not wanting to see Ryohei get punched by Josuke. However, to Hol Horse's surprise, Josuke remains unbothered. Ryohei pulls out bolt fragments from Josuke's hair, quipping that his solid hair is probably what saved his head from getting shot. Hol Horse is baffled about the relationship between the police officer and his delinquent grandson. Meanwhile, Koji is escorted into a police car. As the vehicle drives off, the young officer Kazuki Karaiya speaks to him cryptically, questioning how it felt to lose. Karaiya reveals that he had let Koji go free before so that Koji could be of use to him. As he demands for Koji to tell him accurate information, Koji notices that a part of Karaiya's earlobe is missing, having a V-shaped dent like it was eaten by a bird's beak. Koji feels that he has seen it before, but could not remember, as if his memories have been tampered with. In the back seat, Koji's elbow bumps into a birdcage holding a vibrantly colored parrot, staring at him intently. The parrot plays a voice, and moments later, the car swerves briefly before continuing toward the station.
