Chapter 198. Cats, Dogs and Birds
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"Pucci, do you really think watching this is useful?"
Kira stared at the screen in front of him.
Although Pucci had forcibly arranged for him to play the final boss in the new series "Diamond is Unbreakable", Kira had tried to resist.
After all, how could a regular office worker like him possibly portray a final boss convincingly?
And not just any final boss, but one with a perverted hobby of killing people, as described in the "Diamond is Unbreakable" script?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
But who would have thought that when this absurd proposal was presented to Cujoh Jolyne, she approved it without hesitation!?
What?
Are you all insane?
No matter how you look at him, he's just an innocent, ordinary office worker.
How could he have such hobbies?
Yes, before Pucci invited him, Kira had considered opening a nail salon.
But being an office worker suited his worldview much better than being a nail salon owner.
And Pucci didn't mention anything about this office worker having to moonlight as an actor!
Why did Pucci, Jolyne, and the rest of the crew think he could pull off this final boss role?
Did he have some hidden talent he wasn't aware of?
While he was still confused about whether the crew was just messing with him, and with Jolyne not yet betrayed by Pucci and feeling guilty for gathering a bunch of "useless" people for "Diamond is Unbreakable", she figured one more ordinary person like Kira wouldn't make much difference.
So, just as Kira was beginning to wonder if he really had some hidden talent, Pucci gave him his first task as an actor.
— Watch and learn!
It wasn't a big deal, really.
As a rookie actor, it was perfectly normal for him to study other actors for inspiration.
But the problem was with the subject of this study!
The moment Kira put on the full-dive helmet, he realized that the actor he was supposed to learn from was… Iggy!?
Wait, what exactly was he supposed to learn here?
How to act like a dog!?
For the first time, Kira started to doubt his decision to join Pucci and the crew at Green Dolphin Studio as an office worker.
"How is it not useful? Look, Kira, the character you're playing in "Diamond is Unbreakable" is an office worker who wants to live a peaceful life, right?"
"That's true, but…"
Before Kira could finish, Pucci sternly cut him off. "So, as an office worker who longs for a peaceful life, what's wrong with observing how other characters with similar desires portray that feeling?"
"..."
There is something wrong!
Very wrong!
Sure, Pucci's reasoning made sense, but why a dog?
Even though this dog was a result of a new full-dive filming technique using Stand technology, like how some Stands are humanoid and others are not.
Originally, non-humanoid roles were difficult to portray in full-dive filming, but with Stand technology advancements, this challenge was significantly reduced.
That's how Iggy's actor was hired by Pucci and the others—no one was going to use a real dog, after all.
And that's also why veteran industry professional Hideaki Anno quickly signed the contract for the rights to use this new technology with Green Dolphin Studio.
So, there wasn't really a problem with Kira learning from Iggy.
But why a dog?
It's important to emphasize this several times.
Seeing Kira's conflicted expression, Pucci, who had a good guess at what he was thinking, naturally avoided saying that Kira's Stand, [Killer Queen], was cat-like, and cats and dogs are both carnivores.
Instead, Pucci provided a more "logical" reason: "Besides, Kira, don't you think Iggy feels out of place among the "Stardust Crusaders"?"
"Jotaro and Joseph don't need further explanation; they're on this journey because of their connection to Holy and the feud between the Joestar family and DIO."
"Avdol is a good-hearted man. After learning about DIO, he couldn't stand by and let him wreak havoc in his homeland."
"Kakyoin is the same. He feels indebted to Jotaro for saving him when he was still an enemy, even at the risk of Jotaro's life."
"Polnareff is a bit more complex, but after avenging his sister by defeating J. Geil, he continues the journey with Jotaro out of a sense of gratitude, friendship, and a uniquely French mix of romance and pride."
After explaining the motivations of the "Stardust Crusaders", Pucci continued, "So, Kira, you must have noticed the issue by now. All of them have a reason to seek out DIO—except Iggy."
"As Iggy himself said, he was forcibly brought along by Joseph. Even though he fought alongside Jotaro and defeated several Stand users, he did it only to complete the mission."
"Like Hol Horse, who worked for DIO, Iggy wouldn't hesitate to abandon the mission and escape if his life was in danger. He wouldn't risk his life for his favorite coffee-flavored chewing gum."
"..."
No, this might be even more extreme than Pucci described.
Kira silently watched "Stardust Crusaders" playing in full-dive mode.
He noticed in the plot that Pet Shop was actually a Stand user.
Moreover, it just so happened to pass by this mansion.
It was highly likely that this mansion was the one Joseph and the others had been searching for—the "Dio's Mansion."
The first thing Iggy wanted to do was not to fight Pet Shop.
Nor did he want to inform Joseph and the others.
Instead, he first tried to figure out a way to fool Pet Shop, who had spotted him.
After all, he was just an innocent little dog.
It's understandable that he wouldn't know Joseph and the others were searching for this place.
And it's also reasonable that he wouldn't have the intelligence to recognize that this was Dio's Mansion.
Although Kira didn't want to admit it.
Iggy's desire for a peaceful life really resonated with Kira's aesthetic.
So much so that, even though Kira came to protest, he found himself unconsciously getting drawn into the story.
Empathizing (also feeling oppressed by his own superiors), Kira wanted to see what choices Iggy would make.
Until Pucci's words snapped him back to reality.
"So, Kira, don't you think Iggy's mindset is quite similar to Kira Yoshikage in "Diamond Is Unbreakable"? That unique mentality of his?"
Pucci asked Kira, continuing, "That feeling of having supernatural abilities far beyond ordinary people but still just wanting a peaceful life, yet not being able to avoid stepping in when something happens?"
"..."
Kira remained silent.
After all, he couldn't just admit that he had nearly gotten fully immersed in it.
"No matter whether it's humans or animals, they grow stronger because of the desire to protect something. They change themselves for the sake of protecting it! That's what I wanted you to see, Kira!"
"..."
Pucci's words were undeniably passionate.
When paired with the visuals of "Stardust Crusaders", it was enough to make anyone want to shout with excitement!
But...
"Pucci, Kira Yoshikage from "Diamond Is Unbreakable" and the role you want me to play as my true self, they're the final big bad, the villains, you know..."
Kira quipped.
"...Ahem, ahem. Just focus on the spirit, the essence. As long as the idea is somewhat similar, it should be fine."
Pucci replied, struggling to hide his embarrassment.
After all...
…
"Damn it, I can't just stand by and do nothing when a kid who loves dogs is in danger."
In "Stardust Crusaders", Iggy, who had just kicked Pet Shop, spoke helplessly.
After all, it had just managed to distract Pet Shop from itself by pretending to be foolish.
Of course, this was likely because Iggy had no intention of exploring Dio's Mansion. And from the way Iggy had acted, Pet Shop probably thought Iggy didn't have the guts to betray it, which is why Pet Shop had decided to let it go.
This allowed Iggy to continue strolling through the streets of Egypt, just like it had in most of the plot in "Stardust Crusaders", planning to slip through this boss battle as well.
But after Iggy finally managed to secure this outcome, it saw the owner of the two dogs Pet Shop had killed earlier, who was now about to meet the same fate.
When the child, worried about the safety of the dogs, tried to use their small body to crawl under the mansion gate's gap, putting themselves in danger of being attacked by Pet Shop, Iggy couldn't hold back and saved the child.
After all, being one of Joseph's carefully selected companions —
If Iggy were truly an evil dog, Joseph would never have chosen it, nor would he have allowed it to continue living in this world.
Even if Iggy was a Stand user.
For Joseph, a man who once killed four primitive lifeforms from Earth and made one of them a paralyzed specimen, this wouldn't have been impossible.
Similarly, if Iggy was compared to Kira Yoshikage —
Why would Kira Yoshikage stop being an ordinary office worker?
Would it be because a person who loves the Mona Lisa isn't necessarily a bad person?
Or perhaps it would be because he couldn't stand seeing a pair of beautiful hands being mistreated by their original owner, so he killed them and took their hands?
...There's just too much to critique here.
In fact, if we're making comparisons, Pet Shop is the one who should be compared to Kira, since they're both villains.
Yes, after initially resisting the idea, Kira had now fully and willingly begun comparing himself to animals.
Moreover, Pet Shop's relentless, machine-like pursuit and willingness to kill anything it deemed a hindrance just to complete its mission—
This mentality was far more decisive than Iggy's.
Even now, while Iggy still held onto some hopes, Pet Shop had the clarity to realize that if Iggy inflicted enough serious injury, continuing the fight would not be worth it for either of them.
Iggy even promised not to interfere with Joseph's affairs anymore or set foot in the mansion.
But Pet Shop had a much stronger resolve.
It was more like a true villain!
Kira concluded in his mind.
Since Iggy wanted a peaceful life, then when faced with Pet Shop, who disturbed that peace, if the enemy was confirmed, there should be no holding back.
Otherwise, how could one sleep at night knowing an enemy was out there, always thinking about you?
Especially since Pet Shop clearly intended to track Iggy to the end...
As Kira unknowingly began to comprehend this villainous desire for a peaceful life, and realized that, as Pucci had said, Iggy felt out of place among Jotaro and the others, carrying a sense of conflict—
When it seemed like Iggy, facing a Pet Shop bent on killing it, still held onto that naive hope and was about to meet its end—
Iggy's next action gave him a real slap in the face!
"No way! That dog actually…!?"
Kira exclaimed in disbelief.
"Seriously, Kira, your reaction is the surprising one here."
Startled by Kira's sudden outburst, Pucci said, "I'm glad you're so immersed in watching and learning, Kira."
"But since you've gotten this far, why are you surprised by Iggy's actions?"
Indeed, the bird-dog battle unfolding before Kira's eyes was not over.
In fact, since Pucci had decided to bring Kira here and use this method to immerse him in the atmosphere, not as a crew member but as an actor—
How could Pucci release this content one episode per week and let Kira watch slowly?
He had already fast-forwarded to this part.
And naturally, when Pet Shop got serious after being injured—
The scene where Iggy, who had ended the last episode with one of his legs frozen by the ice block created by [Horus], rendering him unable to dodge Pet Shop's attacks, was about to be bombarded to death by Pet Shop soon played out before Kira.
—One leg…
Since one leg was frozen by the ice block, preventing him from dodging, then simply cut off the frozen leg and discard it, and wouldn't he be able to keep dodging the attacks?
A simple choice.
When it comes to a choice between one leg and one's life, people almost always choose the latter.
But the one making this choice—no, the dog making this choice—was Iggy!
The same Iggy who had been so hesitant earlier, was now able to make such a decisive choice?
And at such a life-and-death, time-sensitive moment, no less?
If it were him in that situation—
Could he have made such a choice in such a short time?
Kira couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency, something he didn't even fully understand himself.