Chapter 4: The Best Combination of Pure Yang Body + Ripple Breathing
The diary's files were concise, almost clinical. One entry described a boy in simple terms: six years old, first-grader at Teitan Elementary, parents' information unavailable, currently living with detective Kogoro Mouri. By contrast, Mouri's own file stretched on: from his school days, graduation from the police academy, marriage to the sharp and elegant lawyer Eri Kisaki, the birth of their daughter Ran, the separation, his resignation from the police force, and his reinvention as a private detective. For years he was dismissed as a third-rate sleuth—until recently, when he suddenly rose to fame as "Sleeping Kogoro," solving case after case.
Kaguya Shinomiya read between the lines. The truth was obvious: the child called Edogawa Conan was guiding Mouri from the shadows, solving crimes with intellect far beyond his apparent age. But the revelation was coupled with a chilling warning. APTX4869—the drug that had reduced him to a child—had a mortality rate of ninety-nine percent. Behind it lurked a criminal organization audacious enough to attack Tokyo Tower with helicopters and weapons, almost killing the Suzuki Group's second daughter. This was not a force she could touch.
Her eyes lingered on the mention of the Pandora Gem, rumored to grant immortality, before she forced herself to look away. These were secrets far beyond her current reach.
She finished reading, her thoughts heavy. Hoshino Ai's children being reincarnators was shocking, yes, but next to the horrors of APTX4869, the Pandora Gem, and other veiled mysteries of the world, it seemed small. Stranger still was the diary's offhand remark about "Kaguya-sama's plot collapsing" in later stages. The words bit at her heart. It had to be her story.
All her life she had prepared to be a tool of her family, but her heart still craved freedom. Now the diary offered three paths. She could seek out the diary's owner, the so-called Mysterious Person, and try to learn her fate. She could accept the path laid before her by her family and live as expected. Or she could chase the world's hidden secrets and seize the power to change her destiny. She traced the diary's pages with her fingertips. Perhaps, once she accumulated enough Reading Points, the diary itself would allow her to change the future.
While Kaguya wrestled with choices, Renji Miyauchi received his newest reward.
[You have drawn: Ripple Breathing (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)]
A surge of knowledge rushed into his mind. His lungs, chest, and blood vessels seemed to respond instinctively, shifting into a rhythm he had never practiced yet somehow knew. Life energy stirred, flowing like sunlight through his veins. Ripple Breathing, a technique born of ancient humanity, turned the body into a conduit of solar power.
Renji's Pure Yang Body resonated perfectly with it. The moment he breathed in rhythm, his skin glowed faintly gold, energy spilling outward uncontrollably. Alone in his room, he quickly steadied himself—thankful no one saw him shimmering like a lantern.
"This is insane. I didn't expect the Pure Yang Body to boost Ripple Breathing this much…" he muttered, recalling Kars from JoJo, who melted flesh with a single strike. By comparison, his first attempt made him little more than a walking light bulb. Still, he sensed deeper potential. Techniques like Crimson Ripple Overdrive, Green Ripple Overdrive, Hermit Ripple Rhythm, and Yellow Ripple Overdrive whispered in his memory, waiting to be tested.
More importantly, Ripple Breathing didn't overheat his body—it soothed it. For the first time since awakening the Pure Yang Body, he felt balance. Ripple didn't suppress his Yang Qi—it guided and dispersed it. This meant that, with practice, he could prevent his energy from spiraling out of control.
The only problem was visibility. Ripple glowed. To wield it without drawing attention, he would need to hide its light or practice only in secret.
The next morning, Renji hiked to the unused back mountain behind the Miyauchi home, where a dozen crooked fruit trees from a childhood planting still struggled to grow. Perfect for experiments. He pressed his palm to a plum tree and exhaled in rhythm. In moments, buds burst into bloom, weeks ahead of schedule. Vitality surged through the branches. It worked.
He moved from tree to tree, adjusting the output. Too much energy bled into the soil. Just enough created blossoms and restored vigor. Pollination, however, remained a natural process Ripple couldn't replace.
Satisfied, he tested combat techniques. Crimson Overdrive ignited twigs like kindling. Green Overdrive let him skim across water. Hermit Rhythm carried force beyond the surface, crushing stones from meters away. Yellow Overdrive shattered boulders like tofu. Each success made his grin widen.
For the first time, Renji felt he possessed a real means of self-defense in this chaotic, patchwork world. Ripple Breathing could tame his Pure Yang Body and grant him power with endless applications—healing, vitality, even longevity.
And he already knew what to write in tomorrow's diary: instructions. Just enough to tempt the heroines who held diaries of their own. He didn't know if they could succeed without guidance, but who could resist the promise of youth, health, and strength?
The plum blossoms swayed in the morning breeze, a secret sign of what had changed. Renji Miyauchi exhaled slowly, his breath golden and warm. The best combination—Pure Yang Body and Ripple Breathing—was his to master.