Morioh's streets glowed orange under the evening sun. Ken walked beside Josuke, keeping his expression casual, masking the calculations spinning in his mind.
Trust. The System's words replayed in his head like a mantra:
To copy an ability, the target must trust you completely.
He'd already scanned Crazy Diamond. Now he needed Josuke to lower his guard, not just like him, but trust him with something real. That wouldn't happen overnight.
Ken smirked inwardly. Good thing I'm patient… and a damn good actor.
"Thanks for showing me Crazy Diamond earlier," Ken said, breaking the silence. "That was incredible. Healing, fixing things"
Josuke grinned, running a hand through his pompadour. "Heh, yeah. People think I'm all about fighting, but I'd rather use it to help people, y'know?"
Ken nodded. Perfect. Play to that side of him."Helping people… That's rare these days. Most guys your age just wanna show off."
Josuke laughed. "You're not wrong. So, what about you? You got a Stand?"
Ken hesitated, then lied smoothly. "Not yet. But I want to protect people too. Maybe that's why I came here."
Josuke raised an eyebrow. "Came here? You moved to Morioh for that?"
Ken shrugged, eyes distant. "Let's just say… I wanted a fresh start."And unlimited power, he added silently.
The System chimed in his head:
[Trust Level: 12%]
Ken frowned slightly. So I need to actually earn it. Damn, no shortcut for this one.
"Hey," Josuke said suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You look like you can handle yourself. Wanna help me with something?"
Ken blinked. "Help you with what?"
"There's been weird Stand stuff happening around town. Some guy's been attacking people. Figured I'd check it out. You in?"
Ken's lips curled into a slow smile. An opportunity, Perfect."Yeah," he said softly. "I'm in."
As they walked deeper into Morioh's quiet backstreets, Ken activated his System silently.
[Objective: Increase Trust Level.]
His eyes flickered with determination.If helping Josuke means gaining Crazy Diamond… then I'll be the best damn friend he's ever had. For now.
The night air grew colder as they approached the alley. A shadow moved ahead, a tall figure with something hovering behind him. A Stand user.
Ken clenched his fists. Time to see what happens when I stop spectating… and start playing the game.
End of Chapter 6.