2-3 Prophecy and Prediction

Table of Contents 　Preface & Notes　Previous Chapter (2-2 Vatican of the Japanese House)

《Hey, Boingo! I'm so happy to see you again!》

Below the text written in the manga panel was the familiar illustration of Boingo holding his manga book.

《Thanks to you having the courage to throw it away, we've taken another step closer to a glorious future! Looking forward to working with you again!!》

Boingo was crouching under the table in his hotel room. In his hands was Thoth, his own manga book that Ryoko Kujo had returned to him. Boingo stared intently at his Stand, which had returned to him after several hours.

Thoth had prophesied that if Ryoko Kujo obtained the parrot and its Stand, she would obtain the past. By doing so, she would be able to know the "truth" about her cousin, Noriaki Kakyoin—or so it said. The parrot ate Ryoko's hair, and it seems she was able to obtain the past. It seems she then let go of Thoth, which represents the future. Hol Horse is going to take a hard hit, which is both pitiful and something to look forward to.

It seems that everything from Thoth moving from Boingo's hands to Ryoko Kujo's hands, and then returning to Boingo's hands, went exactly according to the prophecy. Though he had no idea why.

Thoth is a Stand that predicts the future in the form of a manga, and its predictions are 100% accurate.

Originally, a Stand is an embodiment of the user's spirit. It represents the user's spirit—that is, their heart. On the other hand, Thoth did not necessarily predict the future that Boingo hoped for. However, basically, it usually predicted futures involving Boingo and his brother Oingo, futures to avoid danger, or futures where helping others would benefit Boingo and his brother. That is why both his brother and Boingo think it is Boingo's Stand.

It had been extremely rare in the past for Thoth to make predictions that had almost nothing to do with its user, Boingo, like it did this time. Although this was the first time the manga book had passed into the hands of other people like this, 14 years ago, it had made a prophecy for the witch, Enya.

《Enya, go to Italy and buy the bow and arrow from Naso! If you shoot someone with the bow and arrow, a new Stand user will be born. But be careful, because they usually die!》

The witch went to Italy as prophesied and bought five bows and arrows. Many of the test subjects died. But Kenny G and Vanilla Ice survived and became Stand users.

Soon after, Thoth made another prophecy for the witch.

《Enya, go to England and welcome DIO! If you shoot him with the bow and arrow, you can obtain the world. But be careful, because if you expose him to the sun, he will disappear!》

Boingo taught her that DIO means God in Italian. Then, the witch went to England and brought back God. A sinister yet beautiful god of evil. And the bow and arrow manifested "The World" in God.

The god of evil placed many Stand users under his control and tried to literally rule the world. Will the world become DIO's just like this? Will God obtain the world? Can a prophecy that changes the world like this really appear from his own Stand?

Boingo thought.

However, the "Star" of Joestar that appeared 10 years ago erased "The World," and God.

At that time, Oingo challenged Jotaro and his group just as the prophecy foretold, and he lost just as the prophecy foretold.

If Boingo's Stand ability were a prophecy for Boingo, I would think it strange that it would make prophecies so unrelated to him, or prophecies where he loses.
That is why Boingo thought that perhaps Khnum was not actually his own ability.
Could the prophecy of Khnum be something else—a divine 'prediction' that determines human fate—appearing in the form of Boingo's Stand?
That is what I have come to think.

I finished eating the room service I had ordered, silently and alone.
There was no sign of Hol Horse returning.

However, when I think of Khnum as a divine 'prediction,' there are also strange things about it.

Except for the incidents 14 years ago, 10 years ago, and this time with the parrot, Khnum's prophecies have always been limited to prophecies close to Boingo.
Isn't it unnatural for a divine 'prediction' that could change the world to usually only depict the small future of a single person like that?

And for the three months before the parrot prophecy this time, Khnum's prophecy had not appeared at all.

I had an idea why.
It was from the time my brother Oingo told me he wanted to marry Midler.
Boingo ran away from home and went to Mariah and Kenny G, asking them not to let his brother in even if he came.
The two were dumbfounded, but they didn't kick him out.

They didn't let my brother in when he came later, and turned him away.

Since then, Boingo's comic book had stopped making prophecies.
Boingo's mental state is clearly affecting Khnum's prophecies.
It is natural if the Stand is based on the user's mental state and Khnum is Boingo's Stand ability.
If it were something manifesting a divine 'prediction,' there wouldn't be such a slump.
Then, is it really my own Stand after all? ...I don't know.

I sighed, closed the comic book, and stared at the cover.
'OINGO BOINGO BROTHERS ADVENTURE'
is the title.
Below that, illustrations of Boingo and his brother Oingo are drawn.

I flipped through the comic book from the cover.
This book, which appeared when Boingo was born, showed comics appearing on the pages one after another, and the pages would turn themselves. Even though pages appeared, it didn't get thicker, and the printing was only halfway through, with the rest being blank.
When a natural-born Stand user is a child, their Stand is small or weak. This is because a Stand reflects the user's mental strength. It is said that Boingo's comic book was just colored in when he was born.
As Boingo grew, the number of colors increased, it began to form a shape, and then simple, graffiti-like pictures began to appear.

The first picture that took a proper shape was a scene of his mother leaving their home at the time, carrying her luggage.
I showed it to my mother.

──I've had enough! I shouldn't have given birth to someone like you!

That's what my mother said as she left.
It is the only memory of my mother that Boingo remembers.

After that, my brother, who had returned from school, comforted Boingo and told him not to hate their mother.
──Mom was at her limit.
──She was sold to a man 30 years older than her and forced to give birth to many children.
──Everyone except for me and you died.
──Both you and I have strange powers, and she blamed that on us too.
──He wouldn't work, he would just drink and hit us... Mom was crying.
──Mom will be happier without someone like that. She must be happy by now. ──We will be too. Soon I'll be as big as him. Then we won't lose anymore. Let's live happily just the two of us.

The next picture that appeared in the book was a picture of their father, who had turned purple in his bed.
Their father, who was a drunkard, vomited blood and died.
Oingo was 14 years old, and Boingo was 4 years old.

The prophecy told them to sell the house, leave the country, and meet a witch.
When Oingo and Boingo sold the house and left the country, they met the white-haired witch, Enya the Hag.

They met Enya the Hag and learned about Stands.
Khnum made a prophecy about the bow and arrow and a divine 'prediction'.

Under Enya the Hag, they used their Stands to work and earn money.
The reason the two children could live, and the reason Boingo, who often ran a fever due to the change in water, could see a doctor, was thanks to Khnum's prophecy.
No, it was thanks to my brother who looked after me without sleeping, along with Khnum.

──It's okay, Boingo. You'll definitely get better.
──We brothers are invincible.
──We can do it. We'll live together forever.

Even though that's what we said.
That we would both be happy, that we would use our Stands for that purpose, that's what we thought.

──Hey, we're grown men now.
──Isn't it about time we lived separately?
──I've found my own happiness, Boingo, you should find yours too.
──Hey, Boingo? Bo, Boingo!
──Wait for me, my brother!!

He sighed as he remembered.

Boingo had used his power of prophecy for the sake of his brother's happiness, and he had intended to keep doing so.
Even though they had intended to be happy together.
Can one really be happy alone?
He thought that the lack of prophecies for the past three months was due to such anxieties and doubts affecting the prophecies of Tohth.

If so,
If so, could it be both?

Boingo suddenly had an idea.

Could it be that the prophecies of Tohth consist of two types: prophecies about Boingo's own surroundings, and divine revelations that change the world?
Prophecies and "predictions."

Boingo crawled slowly out from under the desk, poured hot water from a pot, and made some tea.
Japanese tea was bitter to Boingo, but going outside to buy something else was a high hurdle for him.

Boingo also went to the "mansion" in the summer due to a prophecy.
Thirteen years ago, DIO's minions who had flesh buds implanted in them became unable to die. The boy in the school uniform who claimed to be his son came all the way from Japan to the "mansion" with a bow and arrow.
The boy only spoke Japanese, and since no other Stand user in Egypt could speak Japanese, I acted as an interpreter and taught him how to use the bow and arrow.

When I asked Mariah if we shouldn't tell the SPW Foundation about that boy, she retorted, why should we?
──Isn't it pitiful, Mansaku? Not being able to die.
──Let him die.
──If the number of Stand users increases, isn't that fine?
Perhaps that was not a prophecy, but a prediction.

If a god-like entity is making "predictions" to change the world through Tohth,
that prediction appears to be trying to scatter bows and arrows, increase the number of Stand users, and bring chaos to the world.

Then, how does the prediction for Noriaki Kakyoin's cousin, Ryoko Kakyoin, fit into this?
The fact that she picked up Tohth, received a prediction, and obtained a parrot.
Is the fact that Noriaki Kakyoin's ghost appeared a little while ago also within the scope of the "prediction"?

Noriaki Kakyoin.
He traveled with the Joestar group 10 years ago,
──and was the man who fought DIO and lost his life.

Information about the Japanese high school student named Noriaki Kakyoin came from the bereaved family of a Japanese person who died immediately after being given an arrow.
Based on that information, Mansaku was manipulated into coming to Egypt on a family trip.
The corpse controlled by Oingo and Enya the Hag separated young Ryoko from her family, and Kenny G used illusions to trap her.
And then DIO...

Even though Jotaro had the flesh bud removed from Noriaki Kakyoin, he did not return to his family.
He joined the Joestar group and came to DIO's place again.
And then, DIO again...

Noriaki Kakyoin, whom I saw for the first time in 10 years, looked younger than in Boingo's memory.
That is natural, as Boingo had surpassed his age.
How was he able to fight?
Even now, just remembering confronting that evil god makes Boingo terrified.

Boingo also saw his end 10 years ago.
A beautiful emerald jewel danced in the Cairo sky.
That final strike revealed the secret of DIO's Stand and led Jotaro to victory.

The "Hierophant" guided the "Star" and destroyed the "World."

Then, who will the resurrected "Hierophant" save and guide now?

Thoth usually made prophecies that would benefit Boingo and his friends if they did something helpful for others.
Because of that, Boingo thought that if he used these prophecies to help people, he could make them happy, receive their gratitude, and find happiness himself.
There was a time when he thought that.

But the prophecy regarding the bow and arrow—no, the "prediction"—was very cruel.
Many people died, Stand users were born, and they died.
And even now, many people are likely dying, and Stand users with powerful abilities are being born.

Is Thoth—is God—
trying to destroy the world?

He reached the end of the printed pages of the manga book he had been flipping through.
Everything beyond this point was blank.

Just as he thought that, print began to emerge,
and a new prophecy appeared.

What should I do?
What are you telling me to do?
I can't do anything. Nothing at all.

Boingo held his head in his hands.
Then, there was a rustling sound. It came from his pocket, where a piece of paper was tucked away.
When he took it out, it was a map of this town, Morioh.

It was what Ryohei had given him when he left the police box.
A phone number was written on the map.

──If you're ever in trouble, give this number a call.

Other than his brother, this was the first time.
The first time someone had faced the shy Boingo, who couldn't talk to others, and listened to him seriously.

──It's worth a shot. Why don't we try doing what we can? We'll help you too.

Boingo crawled slowly out from under the desk and picked up the receiver of the hotel room phone.

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Table of Contents Preface & Notes Previous Story (2-2 The Vatican of the Japanese House)