MHGA Chapter 166 – Handler Miko Yotsuya
"Oh my god!!!"
Joseph practically screamed after hearing what Kairo Retsu had just said.
"Don't believe me? Fine, how about this—"
Kairo Retsu grinned. "Once everyone has some free time in a few days, we'll host a movie night."
"We'll all sit down and enjoy Part 3: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!" Kairo Retsu wore a delighted expression. "The indomitable warrior of the Joestar line's eighth generation! The man with stats worthy of a divine king—Jotaro Kujo! And his team of Stardust Crusaders, who together vanquished the Joestar family's century-old nemesis…"
"Wait!!"
Joseph clutched his face with both hands, gradually contorting into an expression of anguish. "Eighth generation?! And what do you mean by 'century-old nemesis' of the Joestar family?! You called me 'Second JoJo' earlier, right?! How many more problems are waiting for me in the future?!"
Still uncertain about how to defeat Kars, Joseph was starting to spiral.
"Hey now, no need to panic." Kairo Retsu laughed heartily, slapping Joseph on the shoulder. "You're not even in the story after Part 3! The Fourth JoJo is your kid from an affair, the Fifth JoJo is your uncle, and the Sixth JoJo is your grandson's daughter!"
"As for everything after that—well, it has nothing to do with you! That's all New World stuff!"
Without mercy, Kairo Retsu speedran spoilers about Joseph's future.
"?!"
Joseph felt like his whole existence was crumbling.
Affair, uncle, nemesis, new world…
Each word felt like a thunderclap.
And apparently, all those enemies came with weird and powerful supernatural abilities—the same kind of Stands as his own Hermit Purple…
Given what Kairo Retsu had said earlier about Hermit Purple being the "most useless" Stand, Joseph had already deduced that his ability probably wasn't much good in combat…
So now, he was expected to face all those future threats using this thing… and Kairo Retsu even mentioned something about a thing called "fate" in his world…
Joseph could practically feel himself aging.
The weight on his shoulders was growing heavier by the second…
"I'm going to train…" Joseph muttered, his footsteps visibly unsteady.
But just before he could leave, Kairo Retsu firmly placed a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up at the taller Joseph, Kairo Retsu didn't forget: this Joseph standing before him was still just a nineteen-year-old boy.
All those things he'd said were just to give Joseph a rough picture of what lay ahead—and now that he'd said them…
"Everyone at the Gathering Hub is here for you."
Kairo Retsu smiled. "Whatever comes up, we'll face it together! We're hunting partners!"
"Whatever century-old nemesis or apocalyptic disaster it is—we'll tackle it as a team!"
"..."
Joseph looked back at Kairo Retsu and realized—maybe… there wasn't any need to feel so overwhelmed.
"I'm gonna try seeing if I can use Hermit Purple in combat." A confident smile slowly returned to his face. "I just noticed—it can conduct Ripple, and it looks like very few people can even see it…"
"I'll go train in the arena. Spar with Tanjiro!"
Joseph perked up with new motivation.
"Go for it!"
Kairo Retsu happily watched Joseph run off.
"Gotta take care of a hunter's mental well-being too, huh." Kairo Retsu nodded to himself. "Can't leave a party member hanging…"
"Alright! Time to take care of business around the Gathering Hub!" He struck a confident pose, hands on hips. "Let's see who our new member is gonna be!"
————————————————————
After four days of nonstop work, a new row of small houses had sprung up within the Gathering Hub.
These were the new residences prepared for incoming hunters and handlers.
Kairo Retsu had even thoughtfully procured a batch of aromatherapy diffusers from his own world and placed them in each unit, hoping to create an especially comfortable environment for the newcomers.
"Still no sign of the new arrivals?" Kairo Retsu slumped over backward on a wooden chair, draped bonelessly over the backrest, looking bored. "This Guildmaster is so lonely. So very lonely…"
"The arena's not even built yet, Joseph and Tanjiro are training Ripple and Breathing Techniques every day, Kazuma and Naofumi are off adventuring in their own worlds, Laios just became a king and doesn't have time for anything…"
"This Guildmaster is so lonely!!"
He sprawled dramatically across the chair, when several Felynes popped up before him. "Guildmaster, are you okay, nya?! Want us to fetch Granny Felyne, nya?!"
"I'm good, I'm good. So hey, still no sign of the newcomers?" Kairo Retsu scratched his head. "Who's even coming, anyway…"
"Nya! A new handler is supposed to arrive today, nya!" a white Felyne suddenly said. "I heard she's a girl, nya!"
"Hmm?!"
Kairo Retsu shot up from his chair like a spring. "Handler?! First one?! A girl?!"
"Get me my gear! I need to change into my coolest outfit, stat!!"
Kairo Retsu dashed excitedly into his cabin to get dressed.
Meanwhile…
At the entrance to the Gathering Hub, a girl in a Japanese school uniform with flowing black hair stood in stunned silence, gazing in confusion and fear at the gates.
"W-Where… is this?"
Miko Yotsuya was terrified—but her face remained composed, suppressing every ounce of fear inside her.
She had been walking along the road just moments before… when suddenly, the scenery around her changed entirely.
But Miko didn't dare to stop walking.
She was afraid this place was a hallucination conjured up by spirits or something—so she clenched the hem of her uniform with her fingers and walked forward, pretending like nothing had happened, entering the Hub.
Soon after, the Felynes spotted her and erupted in cheerful shouts:
"Nya! It's the handler, nya!"
"Go inform the Guildmaster, nya! The first handler has arrived, nya!"
Miko listened to the Felynes' cute voices around her, but didn't let her guard down even a little.
After entering the Gathering Hub proper, she realized she had no idea where to go next. So she mumbled quietly to herself:
"Ah… My shoes feel a little off…"
While saying that, she squatted down, pretending to adjust her shoes—stalling for time, hoping the "hallucinations" around her would vanish.
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.
But just then, a huge shadow suddenly loomed over her, enveloping her completely.
Miko tried desperately to suppress the urge to cry.
"Hello there——"
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