Foenix

The white two-story building directly behind the port was the only hospital in town.

After being informed by Giorno, Jolyne stepped inside, using his arm as support. The waiting area, surrounded by old wooden walls, came into view. There were rows of wooden benches of simple design, with three people sitting sparsely. Behind them, the reception desk could be seen.

A female nurse at the counter appeared to be busily working. Jolyne weakly but undetteredly stepped forward. She stood in front of the counter, leaning on Giorno's body for support as she moved.

"Excuse me," Jolyne said.

"Yes?"

The nurse looked up from her papers. She raised an eyebrow, a dubious expression on her face.

"You're a first-time visitor, aren't you? If this is your first visit, please make an appointment..."

The nurse's expression changed the moment her gaze drifted to the side. Her eyes, framed by long lashes, widened. They darted before she turned her gaze downward.

Jolyne understood that the nurse was upset seeing Giorno so close to her.

However, knowing that he was feared because he was an official, she did not find it strange.

"How may I help you today?"

As the nurse directed her words at her with a quiver in her voice, Jolyne put her right hand on the counter and leaned her upper body against it.

"Um, I heard that someone who was in a maritime accident was taken to this hospital. That man is my dad... So, where is he? Can I see him? Is he okay?"

The nurse let out a breath and looked sideways at Jolyne, then turned to the files on her desk. 

Her eyes fell from Jolyne to the document's text.

"This is the man who was transported to the hospital this morning. After administering emergency treatment, we brought him to a private room on the first floor. He regained consciousness a short while ago, so if you're a family member, you may visit him."

"So he's all right?"

"We would not have taken him to a private room if he was dead. You're mistaking our hospital for a morgue, aren't you?"

Jolyne could tell from the dismissive manner and expression on the nurse's face that she was mocking her. Even though she worked at a hospital, which healed people, she was still someone from this town. She could sense the woman's hostility toward herself.

Jolyne opened her mouth to retort but then quickly closed it. Exhaling to calm herself down, she reminded herself that the important thing now was to make sure her father was safe.

The pause allowed Giorno, who was standing next to her, to say a few words to the nurse.

"So, which way is the hospital room?"

At the cold face and voice of the man before her, the nurse recollected herself.

"The room is straight down the hallway on the right from the reception desk. There is a number one on the door, so it should be easy to find."

"I see. Jolyne, let's go."

He pushed Jolyne's back and guided her. Not resisting his force, she headed down the aisle, glancing at the nervous-looking nurse.

Jolyne moved alongside Giorno down the dimly lit hallway, illuminated only by the light of a small lamp. Feeling his hand on her shoulder and the warmth of his embrace, she put her arm around Giorno's waist for emotional support and let out a relieved breath.

After a short walk, they arrived at a white door with a plaque in the center that read "1". It was a sliding wooden door, but it felt strangely heavy.

Jolyne was almost crushed by the feeling of fear for her father. He seemed to be conscious, but she heard he was badly injured. Even before seeing him, she felt pained and hesitated.

"Jolyne, shall I open it?"

Giorno called out to her as she stood still, unable to put her hand on the door handle.

He didn't seem annoyed that they weren't moving forward, and his voice was as gentle as ever.

She was hesitant, but his voice pushed her to make up her mind.

"It's okay, I'll open it. I have to see my dad."

Pulling a determined expression, she put her hand on the door handle and slid it to the side.

The hospital room opened into view. White walls and floor. The windows overlooking the town were also draped with white curtains. A large bed was placed against the wall of the room, surrounded by clean white. On the bed, which was large enough for even a tall person to straighten their body, was her father, Jotaro.

"Dad!"

As if she had been shoved by Giorno, Jolyne rushed to the side of the bed. The face she made was contorted, her brow furrowed, and she looked as if she were about to cry.

Her beloved father's condition appeared severe. His head was covered with gauze and bandages. His face was also covered with medical tape to stop the bleeding next to his eyes and on his cheeks. Several layers of bandages wrapped around his throat. There were also bandages peeking out from under his white patient gown, but the worst were his hands and feet.

All four limbs were wrapped down to the base in casts. He was unable to move at all, but it was plainly obvious that he had such bad fractures.

Seeing her father's body, Jolyne clamped her mouth shut in distress. She looked into his face, her heart clenching with grief.

There was a steady look in his eyes. The intense gaze he directed toward Jolyne showed that he was clearly conscious.

"Dad..."

Feeling emotional, she tried to stroke his face, but her hand stopped. She couldn't touch his scarred face thoughtlessly. Reason kicked in, and she lowered her hand to the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You're hurt very badly."

He didn't answer. He only opened his chapped lips slightly and blinked slowly.

She tilted her head when he didn't speak.

"Dad?"

She called out to him, but he just blinked again.

Sensing that something was wrong, Jolyne scrutinized her father.

"Maybe he can't talk?"

Giorno walked over and stood by her side. Instantly, her father's eyes darted. She could tell he was upset by the sight of him.

This was Giorno and Jotaro's first time meeting. Remembering this and being mindful of her father's condition, she decided to keep the relationship quiet.

"Look, I explained it to you before, didn't I?" she said. "Giorno is a friend I made in town. He brought me here to the hospital to see you."

As she explained, Jotaro's gaze intensified. His glare was directed at Giorno. She sensed hostility in it.

Jolyne felt that he was acting hostile toward any man who approached her again. She tried to continue her words so as not to make him think he was her lover.

"You're this man's daughter, aren't you?"

Drawn by the words, she turned to see a middle-aged nurse enter through the door that had been left ajar. The good-looking nurse, with skin that did not show a single blemish even with light makeup, gazed at her with a neutral face, without raising her thin, well-groomed eyebrows.

From the way she showed no emotion, Jolyne sensed that she was a professional engaged in her duties, so she left the bed to face her.

"Yes, ma'am," Jolyne replied.

"Your father's doctor is unavailable, so I will explain your father's symptoms to you. This way..."

The nurse indicated the entrance with her hand pointing toward the ajar door. Jolyne, in being urged to leave, understood that it was so her father could not hear her.

Nodding with a sincere face, she followed the nurse out of the hospital room.

She left Jotaro and Giorno alone. She felt a little worried, but apparently, her father was unable to speak now. She decided to trust that Giorno wouldn't say anything bad either.

The nurse turned as she came to the side of the reception desk. Her expression remained the same, but she leaned in and began to whisper.

"Your father's symptoms, as you can see, are serious. He was lying on his back on the reef when we found him. He'd been in the seawater for a long time, and he also showed signs of weakness, with bruises all over his body. As you can see, the worst injuries were to his limbs. All four limbs have suffered complex fractures. His throat also seems to have been caught on something sharp, and there's damage to his vocal cords. Fortunately, his condition became stable after regaining consciousness, but he will not be able to stand up for several months. We cannot promise that his voice will return either."

At the very matter-of-fact tone she used, Jolyne stood there in a daze.

The image she had of her robust and dependable father crumbled in her mind. She was about to lose it, along with her vision, which was going pitch black, but she stopped in the nick of time.

Inhaling slowly, she blinked repeatedly to raise her eyes, which were about to droop, and looked back at the nurse.

"That doesn't mean he'll never be able to stand up again," Jolyne said, "and it doesn't mean he’ll lose his voice forever. If he focuses on his treatment, will my father be able to go back to the way he used to be?"

She did not lose hope. Her father had come back alive. If she supported him, he would recover someday.

A certain determination began to grow in Jolyne.

---

As soon as he woke up, Jotaro understood that he was being treated in a hospital.

From his understanding, he knew he was conscious, and from the intense pain coursing through his body, he also knew he was seriously injured. He endured the pain desperately, almost losing consciousness from it. The pain gradually subsided after he was given painkillers.

However, he was disappointed to find that he could not move his limbs at all, nor could he even groan.

There were vampires lurking in this town. Besides the vampire he defeated in the cruiser, there must be another who turned humans into vampires and made them attack him.

The vampire who attacked him in the cruiser was undoubtedly an executive of the fishermen's union. Having met him face to face many times, Jotaro was sure of it.

The executive was not the originator. There was no way that a vampire, which was unable to even appear where the sun's rays could reach him, could have had a conversation in the sun the day before. He had been turned into a vampire at some point, probably the night before he entered the cruiser's warehouse.

To become a vampire, you needed an ancient relic called a stone mask. Or have another vampire turn you into one.

The stone masks his grandfather had told him about were impossible, Jotaro concluded as he gazed at the ceiling of the hospital room. The man, who had been human until the day before, would not have had enough time to realize the nature of the stone mask and use it on himself.

So could it have been a transformation caused by another vampire? He didn't want to think about it, for he had defeated a man who had done such a thing in the past with his own hands. Some ancient vampires had come to the same thought. He didn't want to think about those either.

He had heard that there was someone in town who had been called a vampire in the past, but he had also heard that that man was long dead. He had looked through his records, his death record, and the grave in which he was buried. It was inconceivable that a man who had none of the characteristics of the vampires he knew could still be alive and reigning as a vampire.

However, the town had revived the man's then practice of choosing brides as a festival. Under the disturbing name of "the Vampire's bride," brides were chosen from among the town's young girls, and the chosen girls would go to the mansion where the man who was called a vampire lived.

It made him think about things he didn't even want to think about. About a vampire who kept killing women as food. That vampire had fed on the women in order to fully possess the body that he attained from Jotaro's ancestor.

He eventually traced his thoughts to the family's nemesis.

'He's in this town...'

He came to that conclusion just as his beloved daughter opened the door to his hospital room.

And when he saw the face of the man standing by his daughter's side, he became convinced.

The man resembled DIO, his nemesis. The sharpness of his eyes and his physique was different, but there was nothing but likeness in his face. The fact that he was safe from the sun's rays indicated that he was not a vampire.

However, Jotaro felt that he should be hostile because of the man's proximity to Jolyne and the cold look he was directing at him.

This man was definitely an enemy, a blood relative of DIO.

Jotaro continued to glare at him as they were left alone in the hospital room. If his limbs could move, he would have jumped out of bed right then and slammed his Star Platinum fist into him.

If only he could move. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

'What kind of relationship does this guy have with Jolyne?'

She said they were friends, but he didn't trust those words. He could sense that she had something to hide.

'It can't be.'

When the most dreaded relationship came to mind, the man named Giorno looked straight up into Jotaro's face. His eyes, like the clear, beautiful ocean, were very close and personal.

"You didn't die... Should I call it bad luck?"

Eyes that stared without blinking. A voice with no visible emotion that tightened his heart.

'It was him.'

He understood that this was undoubtedly, positively the person who had incited the vampire. He was quite convinced by the murderous words.

Giorno was the one who sent the vampire and...

'DIO!'

He shouted in his mind the name of his sworn enemy who must be behind it.

It didn't matter why he was alive. If he was alive, then he must be defeated. It was their family's fate. An incompatible existence. If DIO was not defeated, the world would eventually be ruled by him.

He trembled as he tried to move his immobile body. The bed creaked and vibrated, almost screaming.

He was aware of his own grim face and clenched teeth.

However, Giorno, facing him, just stared at him coolly. Without saying anything, he turned his fiendish-looking face away.

Glancing at Jotaro one more time, he turned on his heel and headed for the open doorway.

'Wait!'

He had never been so vexed about not being able to speak.

His expression was contorted by the frustration of not being able to convey his thoughts.

"You're delirious."

Snorting, Giorno leaned forward to put his hand on the frame of the doorway. He turned his head from side to side, looking for something, which appeared to be a nurse. He grabbed the shoulder of a male nurse who was about to walk by, stopping him.

"The patient is acting up, keep him quiet."

"Yes."

The nurse obeyed his order without any hesitation. Jotaro realized something.

This town was under the control of Giorno and DIO.

'Oh... Jolyne...'

Thinking of his beloved daughter, he inwardly called her name.

As if to counteract his thoughts, the needle of the syringe glowed dully as it approached.

---

After talking with the nurse, Jolyne proceeded down the aisle to return to Jotaro's hospital room.

However, she stopped when she saw Giorno heading toward her. Catching sight of her, he approached her at a quick pace.

Face to face. Giorno's brow furrowed in concern as he grabbed Jolyne's wrist with light force.

"Your father looked distressed, so I called the nurse. Apparently, he became delirious from the pain of his injuries, so I was asked to leave the room. They said he can't have any more visits today."

"Oh..."

She had seen her father for only a few minutes.

Disappointed, she broke down at the thought of him suffering from his injuries. She wanted to be there for him. However, following the instructions of the medical professionals would be best.

"There's no choice," she muttered to herself. "He needs to rest if he's going to heal quickly."

Giorno pulled along her hand that was in his grasp. He led her toward the reception area of the hospital.

"Let's go home for the day," he said.

"Okay... I have to call my mom."

Jolyne let these words slip out while being led by the hand down the aisle.

At that, a step ahead of her, he looked back. Her expression tightened at his serious face.

"You'd better not call your mom."

"Why?"

Her eyebrows drew together in bewilderment. A dubious look crossed her face, but Giorno's face remained the same.

"Even though it's not life-threatening, he's still in a critical condition. That means he's in an unstable state. Let's hold off on contacting her until we can say he's completely stable."

"He's hurt so bad that he can't even get up. I'd better call her."

"You'll worry your mom needlessly. She's at home, isn't she? That's far from this town. If she found out that her husband has been so badly injured that he can't move in a strange place so far away, she might panic... Is she a tough person?"

She shook her head. Her mother was a firm but timid person with emotional ups and downs.

"Then I'll reiterate that I think you shouldn't do it. Your mom might collapse from shock."

She could easily imagine her mother breaking down in tears on the spot when she learned of her father's injuries.

Better not to contact her. Giorno's clear, low-pitched voice convinced Jolyne to think so.

"I don't want my mom to collapse too. In that case, I won't call her for now. But I can't leave my dad like this either. I'll pack my bags for the hospital stay in the meantime."

"Yes, it will be a long hospital stay, so a big load. I'll help you with it."

With a gentle smile, he moved his hand from Jolyne's wrist to caress her skin. After moving to her arm and then her right shoulder, he turned to her left shoulder and pulled her body closer.

She looked up at him as he held her close. Up close, Giorno's face made her feel a sense of dependability. She trusted that she could rely on him.

"Yes, please."

Jolyne's reassuringly calm voice was accompanied by a woman's screeching voice.

"Why!"

The voice echoed through the reception area they had arrived at, coming from a hallway on the other side of the floor. Jolyne turned quizzically, seeing a woman clinging to a man in a white coat. There were three people around him reaching for the woman.

Those people were clearly trying to prevent the woman from harassing the doctor. The noise and tension of the situation captured Jolyne's attention.

"My daughter was chosen to be a bride! It's not right that she's dead! That girl was beautiful. She was a perfect child, well-educated and well-mannered. And yet, to die... I can't believe she was killed!"

'Huh?'

The woman's words shocked Jolyne as she screamed.

If what she said was true, the girl who was chosen to be a bride four days ago was dead. One of the six people Jolyne had seen at the festival were dead. The bright red hair that the woman shook out made it obvious that it was Ginger who died. But Jolyne did not understand why the word "kill" was used.

Jolyne unconsciously tried to turn her foot. Her movement was stopped by Giorno, who hugged her shoulders. Looking up at his face, she saw his emotionless blue eyes fixed on the half-crazed woman.

"The body of the girl who was recently chosen as a bride was found earlier this morning. I've only heard about it second hand, so I don't have concrete information, but it looks like she died from a fall off a cliff. She probably stumbled off the cliff on her way to the mansion. The autopsy is being performed here at the hospital, so I'm guessing that this place is packed with bereaved family members who can't accept her death."

He spoke in a matter-of-fact way.

The coldness of his manner showed familiarity. The death of a bride was a frequent occurrence, so it made sense that he would be accustomed to it.

However, the word "kill" still stuck with her.

"Did she really fall to her death?" she asked.

"Yes, that's right," Giorno said. "I received a call from a colleague who works for the town office. The town hall is in charge of the festival. They manage it from start to finish, so any deaths are reported."

"That woman is speaking as if someone killed her daughter."

The woman's voice echoed as she crouched down while grabbing the doctor. At the sound of the sorrowful voice repeating, "Give her back", Jolyne's heart also tightened. It felt abnormal. It made her think that something bizarre was happening.

"That woman is so distraught over her daughter's death, she can't think straight. Her daughter must have been that important to her. She died because she participated in the festival. Maybe what the woman wanted to say is that the festival killed her. There are families like that every once in a while. They come to the town hall office, but we didn't force them to do anything. The girls participated on their own and died because they were unlucky. There's nothing we could do about it."

She understood that the woman was unable to speak or act properly out of grief, but she thought Giorno was cold to a fault. His words were devoid of compassion.

She raised her eyebrows at his lack of emotion. His blue-eyed gaze turned to her face.

"You may feel that I am cold, but there isn't anything that I can do. No one can change the course of what has already been decided."

"I don't really blame you."

The jarring feeling brought from the word "kill" was already gone from Jolyne's mind. Feeling Giorno's coldness, she remembered that he had always been like that.

He was cold to the townspeople. If he had any other feelings, he only showed anger. Being feared because of his position was what distanced Giorno from the people. That would surely never change.

Unable to help it, she put her head on his shoulder to feel the warmth that only she knew.

"There's no point in looking at them any longer. Let's go home."

Words of gentle urging were dropped from overhead.

Jolyne's cheek rubbed against him as she nodded. She was disturbed by the sight of the dead bride's bereaved family, but she had no reason to refuse. Allowing Giorno to take charge of her, she left the hospital.

They headed to the house she was renting. She would be returning home for the first time in three days to prepare for her father's hospitalization, accompanied by Giorno, who offered to help her.

When she unlocked the front door and opened it, a small speck of dust danced in the light coming through the window.

Jolyne stepped in, thinking of cleaning up before beginning the preparations. Giorno followed shortly after, closing the door behind him.

"Do you mind if I stay over for tonight?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Surprised by the sudden request, she turned back to Giorno.

He was right behind her. Touching her cheek, which stiffened in surprise, he caressed it gently with his thumb in a loving manner.

"You may not have noticed, but you're looking quite pale. You must be in shock over your dad's serious injury."

"Yeah, maybe," she replied. "I've never seen my dad hurt that badly before, and... I'm sure he's in pain, not only physically, but also emotionally. He's a very responsible guy, so I'm sure he's anxious about the future."

Giorno put his other hand around Jolyne's waist, pulling her in close. She rested her forehead against his shoulder and buried her face in his chest. Trying to thoroughly feel his warmth, she brought her hands to his back and held him close.

"You really love your dad," he said.

"He was the coolest, most dependable, most caring man I know... My dad was always there to protect me."

The tightness of Giorno's hands on her hips grew. Feeling suffocated, Jolyne raised her head from his chest and let out a sigh, then looked at his face as he hugged her close.

Clear blue eyes stared at her. They were as beautiful as ever.

"Then I think it would worry him to see you with that complexion," he said. "I can't leave you alone in such a vulnerable state. I'll stay over tonight. When you're better, we'll go see your dad together."

"But what about the preparations?"

"We can do them tomorrow. Your dad was supposed to have received medicine for his delirium... Painkillers to ease the pain. I'm sure he's sleeping soundly by now."

Giorno disentangled their torsos and began to walk, pushing Jolyne's waist along. She followed beside him, their bodies touching each other, and came to the bedroom, where he stepped forward.

Without hesitation, Giorno opened the door, sat Jolyne on the bed, and pushed her shoulders to encourage her to sleep. She lay her hand on his and resisted a little but, in the end, put her left shoulder on the bed.

Her position was adjusted so that she was on her back, and once her shoes were removed and her feet were placed on the bed, Giorno joined her on the bed.

He put his arms around her to embrace her body and hold her close. Wrapped in his warmth, Jolyne felt safe.

She let out a small breath. Then, taking in a lungful of air, she pulled her ear close to hear Giorno's heartbeat.

"You need to rest too," he said. "The fatigue of your mind is apparent in your body. Get some rest, and when you wake up, eat something delicious."

"Good food... Will Giorno make it for me?"

The reassurance and comforting warmth made her eyelids heavy. She began to feel drowsy and slowly closed her eyelids.

"Yeah, I'll make it. Anything for you..."

Jolyne's consciousness slowly slipped away, feeling at peace as she listened to the soothing voice.

---

It was around two o'clock in the morning. Jotaro woke up in the darkness, where even the insects were asleep.

He had been forcefully put to sleep by a nurse who had given him a powerful sedative. He wanted to click his tongue at the memory but was frustrated when he couldn't even do that.

'Giorno'.

Blinking repeatedly to sharpen his blurry vision, he inwardly called out the name with resentment.

That man was an enemy, a blood relative of DIO who had approached his precious Jolyne.

Anger welled up in him. His face tightened, and he glared at the ceiling with such deep intensity that he could physically feel his own expression. If his body could move, he would have had Jolyne back right then.

His gaze grew fiercer at the thought. However, the ceiling he was seeing was erased by the sudden appearance of red.

The red reflected in Jotaro's emerald green eyes. A blood red. His eyelids narrowed until he appeared to be peering through crescent moons.

A man with red eyes was laughing as he looked into his face. With that, Jotaro also knew who he was.

'DIO!'

A nemesis that was supposed to have been defeated. The man who had somehow survived was resting his elbows on the headboard of his bed. His muscular body was as robust as ever, clad in black clothes and a cloak.

He remembered the past.

'That body should have been pulverized.'

As Jotaro looked on, the man's golden hair swayed in the moonlight streaming in through the window. DIO, disengaging a little, unceremoniously sat down next to Jotaro's head.

"You seem surprised that I'm still alive. You have a wonderful expression."

The tone of his voice was joyful, heightening Jotaro's anger. Unfortunately, his immobile limbs couldn't attack, and his throat, which was incapable of producing a furious roar, could only quiver. The fact that he, the main entity, was seriously wounded meant that he couldn't even use his Star Platinum.

He felt angry at himself for being unable to do anything.

"It doesn't matter why I am alive. Isn't that right... Hmmm? I don't hear a response. What happened to that cocky attitude of yours? Did you lose your voice in surprise… Or is it that you can't speak?"

DIO had to have known everything already.

Of course, it was Giorno, who seemed to be a blood relative of his, who had instigated the vampire against Jotaro, and it was this man who created that vampire. So, how could he not know?

When Jotaro realized he was being teased, he simply glared. That earned him a snicker.

"It's not very interesting that you can't even be distraught when I see you again."

DIO's face lifted, and his golden bangs flowed to the side. The beautiful vampire again reminded him of Giorno.

"You beat me in that battle, but I survived. A vampire may lose his body, but as long as he has his head, he can do anything. Your blow could not destroy my head, which is why I am in this town. Once again, we meet face to face."

Jotaro breathed roughly from anger, repeating the process.

"It was against my principles that I drifted to this remote town, but it was the perfect place to treat my wounds. I decided to feed on the townsfolk as a remedy. Having found a comfortable place to live, I slowly healed myself when they came to me and begged for forgiveness. They begged me not to kill them. They pleaded for their lives so pitifully that I decided to be merciful and spare them."

His mouth turned up at the corners into a smile. Jotaro couldn't stand the urge to punch him in the face.

"Now I just live in this comfortable town. As the owner, I abide by the rules and regulations here. A gracious... lord, as per the old language. It's no exaggeration to say that I rule this town."

Holding up his right index finger, he pointed at Jotaro.

"You, on the other hand, are just a stranger. An outsider who suddenly appeared in this town. From my point of view as a lord, you are a vermin who disturbs the peace of the town and must be dealt with properly."

A thick, disheveled finger pressed against his bandaged neck. The gradual but penetrating force caused Jotaro to raise his eyebrows in pain.

"However, if I dispose of you, your daughter will find out about everything."

DIO's mouth spoke of Jolyne. Jotaro had thought that DIO might be aware of her, but he wished that he wasn't.

He did not want DIO, who preyed on women as they were and in a sexual sense, to know about Jolyne. Imagining his hands on his daughter, Jotaro was unable to maintain his composure out of horror and rage.

However, that fury was replaced by surprise, as the next words were cold water.

"My son is besotted with your daughter. If I kill you, your daughter will know everything. I can't have that. My son will scold me for sure. He's too serious for nothing, not allowing me to fool around."

Jotaro was shocked when he heard the words "besotted with your daughter," although he could tell that the son DIO mentioned was referring to Giorno.

DIO was not using Jolyne to harm him. On the contrary, he was afraid that by harming Jotaro, he would be exposed. He was very conscious of her.

Jotaro had thought Jolyne was on the verge of a serious relationship with Giorno, but maybe she already was in deep.

He felt nauseous. He bit his lower lip with a grim look on his face, realizing that the situation was even worse than he had thought.

DIO's voice escaped with an amused smile on his face.

"You regret it, don't you, Jotaro? You can't move your limbs, you can't speak, you're helpless and can't do anything. You're a pathetic man who brings tears to my eyes."

The face looking up at Jotaro continued to have an expression that belied his words.

"Your daughter is a beautiful girl, though she looks like you Joestars. Giorno... If my son didn't like her, your daughter would have been the bride of this month. She is superior as a meal and as a woman. Had my son not taken an interest, I would have devoured her long ago."

Words that made him want to cover his ears. Words that only had the malice to gouge out his heart. Yet Jotaro could only counter with his gaze.

"Nice look. Rest assured, I won't tell you to change your attitude. Your behavior will not determine your fate. As I've said before, I must avoid your daughter finding out... You know how much I love my son, don't you?"

Jotaro let out a shallow breath.

At the dismayed action, DIO snorted.

"It is your daughter who will decide your fate. Pray that she doesn't offend Giorno. He's a clever guy. Depending on what your daughter says or does, he should be able to deal with you appropriately... Hahaha."

Unable to suppress his ridicule, DIO finally began to laugh. Jotaro closed his eyes as he heard the sound of the laughter echoing in the room.

'Jolyne...'

All he could think about was his beloved daughter.

He had no desire for himself to be saved. All he wanted was for her to be spared.

He hoped she would notice that something was wrong and flee the town, even if it meant abandoning him. He pleaded and begged for her to escape from Giorno, DIO's son.

Despite the fact that she was his daughter, Giorno was so obsessed with Jolyne that he forced DIO to take her into consideration. He had gained her trust from such close proximity that their bodies were practically attached to one another now. He must be "embracing" her to keep her from escaping his clutches.

In the hospital room, a vampire laughed. Under such hopeless circumstances, Jotaro thought only of Jolyne.