Soft & Wet (story arc)
Soft & Wet (ソフト＆ウェット, Sofuto & Wetto) is the first story arc in JoJolion.
It narrates the protagonist and Yasuho's investigation of the former's identity, leading them to Yoshikage Kira's apartment, where they are ambushed by an assailant above them.
Summary
The protagonist reveals that he is knowledgeable, but that he has no memory whatsoever as to his own history.
Yasuho visits the protagonist in a hospital. Set on discovering his identity, they escape, and go to the manufacturer of the protagonist's hat, a shop called "SBR". Seeing them leave from his window, Joshu feels jealous and notices the bite marks on his knees before collapsing from a fever.
The shopkeeper claims that the man bought his hat there three days prior, before revealing a record of the sale to one "Yoshikage Kira", as well as his address. Yasuho believes that "Yoshikage" does not suit the protagonist, and nicknames him Josuke, after her childhood dog.
In Kira's apartment, they find an outfit that seems to fit Josuke well. Then they hear noises from the bathroom. When they investigate the bathroom they find a girl bathing in the tub completely naked. Yasuho assumes the girl to be Kira's girlfriend, but then the girl pleads the two for help, to Josuke and Yasuho's suspicion.
Then Yasuho finds a photo album. In the photos is the girl in sordid states of bondage, having intercourse with what appears to be Josuke. Disgusted and devastated, Yasuho flees the apartment, telling Josuke to leave Morioh and never return.
Josuke demands an explanation from the girl. She states Josuke was a prisoner with her before escaping three days prior, and that she assumed he had returned to help her escape. She mentions that their captor resides on the floor above them, and that he has a limb-controlling power that activates when his victim is directly underneath him. She is already in full control, and relies on Josuke to save them both.
After saving the naked girl from being manipulated into self-harm, Josuke reveals his Stand, Soft & Wet, and is violently forced to overcome the attacks targeting him. The naked hostage makes a deal with the Stand user above them for her own safety and tells the man where Josuke is hiding. Yasuho returns to the apartment after realizing she must have been mistaken about the photos. Josuke soon manages to grab the attacker and interrogates him.
The man identifies himself as Ojiro Sasame, a surfer seeking revenge against Yoshikage Kira, whom Josuke closely resembles (in dress as well as in body). Ojiro explains how Kira constantly asked him a question which eventually made Ojiro insane and led to consuming his own fingers. In revenge, Ojiro rigged all sorts of traps in Kira's room, using the naked girl as bait and the photo album to frame Kira. Yasuho then points out a photo of Kira with the Wall Eyes in the background, where Josuke first appeared.
Traveling to the site of Kira's self-portrait, buried deeper, they discover the body of another man. Narrated after the fact, an autopsy reveals that the body belonged to Yoshikage Kira, who is assumed to have died of cardiac arrest three days prior. The strangest part is that Kira was missing his testicles.
Afterwards, Josuke is adopted by the Higashikata Family, which included Joshu. They all greet him, and give him the name "Josuke".
Meanwhile, the girl from before, who fled during Ojiro's interrogation, is hiding in a trash can, still nude and lost. She laments about going back home, but ends up humiliating herself in front of two boys who bumped into her.
Appearances
Chapters
- 002 (849). Soft & Wet, Part 1
- 003 (850). Soft & Wet, Part 2
- 004 (851). Soft & Wet, Part 3
- 005 (852). Soft & Wet, Part 4
- 006 (853). Soft & Wet, Part 5
Volumes
- 01 (105). Welcome to Morioh
- 02 (106). The Name "Josuke Higashikata"
