A Rider Doesn't Need a Youth Romantic Comedy [12]

On the hospital bed, Joseph struggled to sit up.

Before the doctor could say anything, he laid back down again.

Forget it, it doesn’t matter anyway.

The old man's face now wore a smile he hadn't shown for many years.

It made him seem less like an old man nearing ninety and more like an energetic young fellow.

But this was just an illusion.

Joseph knew clearly in his heart: he really was old now.

Never mind fighting; he barely even had the strength left for his mischievous antics.

“It's been a long time... Hamon!”

Taking a deep breath, Joseph’s gaze sharpened.

Faint golden sparks flickered briefly between his brows.

Have I gotten so weak already?

Feeling that barely noticeable Hamon, Joseph felt a little helpless.

This was definitely a historic low point.

He even felt that the Hamon he could currently muster wasn't even on par with his five-year-old self.

Back then, he'd already been using Hamon to boost himself so he could secretly peek at the lady next door.

Tsk, now that I think about it, my tastes really were awful back then.

“Joseph-san! What are you doing?!”

Standing beside the bed, the doctor panicked.
Though he himself was just an ordinary man, as one of Joseph’s most trusted confidants, he still knew something about Hamon and Stands.

He was very clear that forcibly extracting Hamon in Joseph’s current physical state was nothing short of suicide.

Yes—extracting.

Joseph’s body had aged drastically. After all these years of disuse, there wasn’t a trace of Hamon left in him.

If Joseph had occasionally practiced his Hamon, even just maintaining the bare minimum of Hamon breathing, he wouldn't have fallen to this point.

But Joseph had no regrets.

What could be more romantic than aging together with the person you love?

Joseph cracked a smile, suddenly feeling his head clearer than it had been in years.

Compared to the muddle-headed old man from before, now he was truly someone who bore the Joestar name!

Drops of Hamon began forcibly extracting themselves from Joseph’s body, and golden radiance quickly enveloped him.

It could only be said that Joseph truly was a natural-born Hamon user.

Despite years of neglect, he swiftly regained the familiar sensation of his youth.

If it came purely to mastery of breathing techniques, even now he wasn’t inferior to his younger self.

Under Hamon’s nourishment, Joseph’s features gradually became younger.

Yet, the doctor standing aside wasn’t happy at all.

The machines monitoring Joseph’s vital signs sounded relentless alarms.

Those shrill alerts were a brutal reality check:

Joseph was burning through what little remained of his life.

Biting his lips tightly, the doctor struggled to suppress his tears.

Having accompanied Joseph for so many years, their relationship had long gone beyond mere employment.

Countless people had tried to bribe him to poison Joseph, but he’d rejected them without hesitation.

He would never hurt the man he respected most.

“Don't feel sad.”

Joseph turned his head slightly to reassure the doctor:

“I, Joseph Joestar, am a descendant of the Joestar family, after all.”

“What good would it be to die pitifully lying in bed?”

“To blaze brightly in my final moments—that's the best possible ending for me!”

Looking back on Joseph's life, it truly was a hero’s epic.

In his youth, he fought the Pillar Men from thousands of years ago, bearing the hopes of his companions to defeat foes considered unbeatable.

Decades later, he resolutely set off for Egypt to protect his daughter.

Together with his comrades, he defeated the vampire who’d tormented the Joestar bloodline for centuries.

Such a brilliant life should never end with him quietly wasting away in bed.

Now, Joseph himself would write the final chapter of his legend!

“Joseph-san...”

Standing at the bedside, the doctor roughly wiped his eyes.

He would witness this moment properly.

After all, when a hero fell, how could there be no witnesses?

Dararararararara!

The alarm clock at Joseph’s bedside suddenly began spinning madly, emitting a harsh, buzzing noise.

Outside the window, the streets descended into chaos.

Countless people ran about wildly, unable to comprehend what was happening to the world.

Panic spread among the crowds.

But all of this had nothing to do with the two in this room.

“Oooooooooh!”

Joseph let out a deep growl as purple vines silently entwined around his hand.

“I'm counting on you, [Hermit Purple]!”

“Answer my wish!”

Lifting his right hand high, Joseph's eyes glittered sharply.

At this moment, he was like a lion roaring upon the savanna.

Nobody could associate him anymore with the frail old man who’d lain weakly in bed.

As if truly hearing Joseph’s words, [Hermit Purple] wriggled restlessly, as though stimulated by something.

The purple vines twisted uneasily, as if searching for something.

Seconds later, one vine suddenly pointed in a certain direction.

Immediately, the other vines followed, thrusting forward.

As the doctor watched with widened eyes, the tips of [Hermit Purple] sank into empty space.

“It’s begun.”

Joseph, who at some point had sat up again, cracked a wide grin, eyes locked fiercely on the air ahead.

He knew clearly—he was almost there.

From his arguments with Caesar onward, countless memories flowed vividly into his mind.

Countless battles, unforgettable comrades…

Joseph’s eyes slowly reddened.

How could I ever forget these things!

“Go now! Carry my hope!”

At this moment, the brilliant light of Joseph’s Hamon illuminated the entire room.

The doctor by his bedside finally lost control, tears streaming down his face.

“Joseph-san...”

When the dazzling light faded, Joseph lay quietly on his bed, a serene smile resting on his lips.

It looked as though he’d simply fallen asleep for a moment.

As if calling out softly would make him sit up again, scratching his head and grumbling in that unique tone of his.

But the doctor knew that Joseph would never wake up again.

“No doubt about it—you ended as a hero.”

Covering his face, the doctor used every ounce of his strength to utter these words.

He didn’t know what Joseph had tried to accomplish, nor did he know if he’d succeeded.

But he chose to believe Joseph had left this world without regrets after fulfilling his final wish.

...

February 26, 1939.

Joseph sat cross-legged on the ground, irritatedly glaring at a building not far away.

That bastard Caesar actually ran straight inside!

“Dammit.”

Scratching his head in annoyance, Joseph’s face still bore faint streaks of blood from his earlier fight with Caesar.

“Wait, what the hell is this thing?!”

Just as he was about to chase after Caesar, a purple vine suddenly appeared from thin air, coiling around Joseph’s wrist.

Before Joseph could react, a surge of Hamon flooded into his body through the purple vine.

Alongside it came the memories of the elderly Joseph.

“AAAAHHHHH!!”

Overwhelmed by the influx of memories, Joseph let out a painful scream.

---

T/N: WOAH actually i dont know anything about jojo... i never found interest in watching it...

This is a fan translation of 骑士不需要青春恋爱物语 by 青琮 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!