"I'll head out first."
Upon reaching the agency branch base, Rojin said goodbye to the team.
Their next task was to properly store AO-6264 according to protocol.
Even if 6264 was now in Rojin's hands, it was still a dangerous anomaly.
"Oh? Isn't that Rojin?"
A playful voice sounded behind him.
Rojin turned around to see Joseph leaning against the wall, grinning, wearing a modified version of the special squad uniform.
Judging by the uniform alone, Joseph was officially part of the organization now.
The originally loose uniform had been altered to fit snugly, emphasizing his physique.
The broad frame and powerful muscles made an immediate visual impact.
"Long time no see, Joseph."
Chatting casually, Rojin subtly examined him.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
This Joseph didn't quite resemble the impulsive young Joseph from his memory.
Instead, he felt somewhat like the older Joseph—playful yet composed, or composed yet playful.
Something about that was strange.
But Rojin didn't dwell on it.
If Joseph was wearing the institute's uniform, it meant he had signed that contract.
"Speaking of which, your methods really are beyond understanding."
Joseph recalled the contract placed in front of him earlier.
It looked like a completely ordinary document.
Joseph had signed countless contracts like that.
He could have signed this one with his eyes closed.
But the moment he wrote his name, an indescribable sensation wrapped around him.
Like an invisible chain silently coiling around his body, restraining him.
He vaguely heard a voice.
Contract established.
He could feel that if he ever violated any of its terms, something terrifying would happen.
The sensation vanished quickly, leaving no trace.
As if it had all been an illusion.
But Joseph knew it wasn't.
The act of signing had activated the contract.
And it was truly binding him.
"Oh, you mean the Devil Contract?"
After thinking a bit, Rojin recalled the information about that "contract."
It was a special anomaly—or a whole series of anomalies—stored by the institute.
Once signed, it exerted a powerful binding force, far beyond symbolic meaning.
Members like Joseph were required to sign it before joining the organization.
"Hey hey, that sounds really bad."
Holding his jaw, Joseph groaned.
A devil contract? It didn't sound reassuring.
Crap. Did they take my soul already?
No way, no way!
Joseph hadn't even properly enjoyed this world yet!
Goodbye, Caesar. Goodbye, Lisa Lisa.
And my future wife Suzi Q.
"That contract only looks scary. As long as you don't break the terms, nothing will happen."
Seeing Joseph so gloomy, Rojin laughed and explained.
So far, no member who joined the organization had ever been punished by the contract.
it was also possible they had been secretly dealt with.
The Humanity Protection Agency was never a charitable organization.
There was no such thing as mercy toward traitors.
"I see."
Holding his chest, Joseph seemed relieved.
As long as it wasn't the kind of contract from stories, it was fine.
Signing a contract with a devil and having your soul taken…
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Speaking of which, Egypt apparently had a Stand user whose Stand was related to souls?
Even though several days had passed, Joseph still hadn't fully digested the lifetime of memories from old Joseph.
He remembered many things, but not clearly.
"You really are pretty carefree."
Seeing Joseph obviously spacing out, Rojin couldn't help sighing.
One moment depressed, the next moment daydreaming.
This guy really had nerves of steel.
"Haha, what can I do? I already signed it."
Joseph laughed heartily.
After observing and gathering information, he found the research institute was indeed as they claimed.
Protect humanity, whether humans liked it or not.
While such actions might be criticized for violating human rights… who was Joseph?
America's real estate tycoon!
To put it bluntly, he was one of America's capital bigshots.
Talk human rights with him?
"By the way, why is that contract called the Contract of the Devil? Did you guys get it from an actual Devil?"
Joseph suddenly grew curious about that contract.
If this were his original world, he would have assumed it was just another Stand.
But considering this world's nature, he couldn't help wondering about its origins.
"No idea. I never asked."
This question hit Rojin's blind spot.
He honestly didn't know where it came from.
He had assumed it was one of the anomalies recovered during field missions.
"I see."
Scratching his head, Joseph wasn't too disappointed.
Since he had already joined the organization, he figured he would encounter many anomalies like that contract in the future.
"Since you've joined the agency, we're colleagues now."
Thinking of that, Rojin straightened his clothes a little and said:
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Rojin."
"I'm a B-class investigator under the Humanity Protection Agency's Abnormality Research Institute."
Since Joseph wasn't Japanese, Rojin didn't add the usual polite suffix.
"Oh, my name is Joseph Joestar. Just call me JOJO."
"I'm currently an E-class investigator of the institute."
Joseph stood up straight from where he'd been leaning on the wall and introduced himself as well.
When he said "Joestar," Rojin could clearly feel his pride.
Joseph was always proud of the surname he inherited from his grandfather.
"By the way, where's the institute cafeteria? Anything good there?"
The serious atmosphere only lasted a few seconds before Joseph shattered it again.
He was very excited about the food in this world.
"Don't worry, the chefs here are all world-class."
"Oh! Now that's something to look forward to."