JOJO: Bizarre Adventure

My name is Chino Kuzneev Sokolov, you can call me Chino.

Of course, you can call me by my full name if you don't mind, although I don't think it's necessary.

After all, it's pointless to remember the full name of someone who is about to die and deserves to die.

As for why I say this, you should make the same judgment after reading my story.

The story begins a year earlier, on New Year's Day, 1999...

creak-

The rusty door spoke of its age with this sound, but in the end, it was only swept away to a farther place by the howling north wind.

After the man in the security guard uniform pushed open the gate, a thin-faced young man left the welfare home's courtyard.

Judging from the way he was tightly hugging his upper body, he was not feeling well.

It was the dead of winter, the scenery was desolate and bleak, the earth was barren, and the dirt road was covered with snow. One could easily get stuck if you weren't careful, making yourself even more miserable.

With the little money he had, Kino found a hotel to settle down.

He then went to the largest tavern in town.

He certainly didn't come here to drink; you know, it's extremely difficult for a child who grew up in an orphanage to develop an alcohol addiction.

He came to see the person he could never forget, the owner of this tavern, Igor Sergeyich.

He was a middle-aged man who was a bit overweight, kind-hearted, and had short stubble on his chin.

But he was not long for this world.

After leaving the tavern, Kino walked towards the inn.

The story begins ten years ago, when Kino wasn't an orphan yet; he still had a father.

Although life wasn't great, I could still feel the warmth of family.

He didn't think anything of it; he just lived like most people.

Later, when he was eight years old, a car accident took his father's life.

There weren't many people with cars back then, and the person driving was Igor, the tavern owner.

However, he did not go to jail; he only provided a modest amount of compensation.

So now, Kino seeks revenge for his dead father and for the ten years he spent in the orphanage.

Therefore, Igor's days are numbered.

More than half a year later, Kino worked to earn money while keeping track of Igor's whereabouts.

He rarely interacted with other people, except for the old homeless man on the street near his rented apartment.

Out of pity, he would always give him some spare change or leftover food.

Kino didn't know the old man's name, but he knew the general situation about him.

He originally had parents, a wife, and children.

Later, somehow, this unfortunate fellow was left all alone.

Kino was empathetic to him, which is why he became friends with him.

Everything proceeded smoothly as Kino prepared his revenge plan.

Calling it a "revenge plan" is not accurate. In fact, an orphan who has just come of age doesn't have many good ideas.

In this country where guns are not prohibited, I'll get a gun, find an opportunity to stand in front of that fat, filthy rich tycoon, and then shoot him.

That was his arrangement.

until that day.

It was a day in late autumn to early winter, around September. Kino went out as usual, greeted the nameless homeless man, and headed towards the shop where he worked.

His rented house was very close to the pub, and his home, pub, and workplace were all in a straight line.

This arrangement was made to facilitate observation of the tavern and Igor's situation.

Kino munched on his dry bread while keeping his eyes fixed on the direction of the tavern.

This bread is a Russian specialty, characterized by two things: its low price and the fact that its taste matches its price.

He took each bite with great effort, even to the point of squinting his eyes.

Here are three things to remember:

First, walk attentively and don't look around; second, don't eat while walking; third, don't think about other things while walking.

Otherwise, we might end up like Kino, slipping on something we don't even know we stepped on.

Even worse, we might end up like him, hitting our heads on a rock and suffering a head injury.

When Kino woke up again, he was already in the hospital.

By asking the nurse next to him, Kino learned that he had been unconscious for three days. During this time, a kind person had brought him to this hospital and paid his medical expenses.

That person could be considered his savior.

The nurse informed the doctor that Kino had woken up, and coincidentally, the person who saved his life was also at the hospital.

When that face, mixed in with the doctors and nurses, appeared before him, his mind went completely blank.

He had wanted to remember that face, but now he didn't need to.

Igor Sergeić, the owner of the Blue Snake Tavern, is both his father's killer and his savior.

It turned out that he had fainted in front of the tavern that day, and was found by this kind-hearted owner who took him to the hospital.

Later, Igor learned that he was an orphan with no relatives, so he voluntarily paid for his medical expenses.

Now, I don't need to say anything; you can all imagine how intense Kino's inner turmoil must have been.

But Igor was unaware that he had also invited Kino to work at his tavern.

Whether it was out of revenge for his father's murderer or to repay his savior, he had no reason to refuse.

After being discharged from the hospital, he joined Igor's Blue Snake Tavern.

He kept thinking about whether or not he should seek revenge.

Everything is about first come, first served; though the debt of saving one's life is still owed, the hatred of killing one's father must also be avenged.

As for this life-saving grace, I'll repay it in the next life!

Every weekend, Igor would settle accounts after the tavern closed.

He was the only one left in the tavern at that time, which was the best time to make his move.

It was a winter weekend, and Kino left the tavern as usual, neither the first nor the last.

He probably thought that this would make it less likely to arouse suspicion.

When it was almost time, he changed his clothes and went back, trying to avoid being seen by pedestrians along the way.

In those days, there were no surveillance cameras on the streets of small towns. Kino walked into the back door of the tavern with the silenced pistol and was not caught on camera along the way.

This was obviously the result of him staking out the location beforehand.

When he pushed open the office door with his gun, he was met with Igor's stiff expression.

"Years ago, you ran over and killed my father with your car, but you escaped legal punishment. Today is the day you receive the punishment you deserve."

Perhaps startled, Igor was struck in the torso without uttering a single word.

In his nervousness, Chino hastily finished speaking and then fired several shots. Unless Asclepius arrived, the injuries would surely kill him.

Kino took a side path and left the tavern, returning to his rented room.

“Huff...huff...it’s alright, it’s what you should do, Chino Kuzneev Sokolov, don’t forget the middle part of your name.”

Kino comforted his racing heart.

"Hahaha! Really, kid? You really think so?!"

A sharp, piercing female voice pierced Kino's ears, startling him and causing him to look around.

"Who! Come out!"

"I'm right behind you."

Kino turned his head and saw the most bizarre sight he had ever seen since he was born.

A woman with an exaggerated face, bleeding from all seven orifices, and wearing a red dress—oh no, she should be called a female monster—was facing him.

He was so frightened he almost fainted, but he managed to hold on.

Do you really think that way?

"What do you mean!"

"Hehehehe! It's nothing, there's plenty of time, we'll both find out in time."

After that, Kino was harassed by the female ghost, so he locked himself in his house and isolated himself from the world.

three days later.

Exhausted, Kino walked out of the rented house and bumped into her neighbor who was returning from grocery shopping.

"I haven't seen you these past few days. Do you know that the wealthy gentleman, Igor, was murdered and the tavern was burned down?"

"What?! Who did this?!"

Kino was genuinely surprised, surprised that such a thing had happened.

Igor was killed by himself, but how did the tavern get burned down?

"It's that old beggar, the one you always talk to. He's been taken away by the police."

"what!"

Kino was struck dumb. He couldn't accept the outcome. He had killed his savior and now he had burdened the already pitiful old man with the crime of murder.

The female ghost reappeared, but the neighbors couldn't see her.

"Hahaha, my child, look what you've done!"

Chino Kuzneyev Sokolov walked dejectedly to the rented room, not knowing what to do next, and he didn't even have the courage to turn himself in.

Suicide is out of the question; this monster won't let him have his way.