Omake 49: Giorno’s Childhood (1)

Giorno Joestar was a boy with dreams and morals.

That’s what the young boy said as he calmly sat in the chair right in front of his father. Arms crossing close to his chest, a huff leaving his lips and an annoyed look plastered on his face as he refused to concede at the paternal request. No, Giorno Joestar was no snitch.

“Giorno… I just want to know where you hid the cookies. Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be.”

It was a brilliant plan. Georgie had told him that auntie was preparing cookies and the boys had plotted the theft of the sweet food to satisfy their unquestionable hunger for that delicious rarity. With how tough work was for the blonde, it was just right for the two to be quite obsessed with such delicacy. It was a priority for them to get the goods secured for them alone to enjoy.

They just didn’t expect to be caught by their grandfather. It was a most tense standoff, one that ended just barely through the bribery of the old man. The elder took just two of the cookies off the stash in exchange for his silence. They should have inquired how lengthy that silence was going to be as their parents were soon hunting them down. Their chase lasted a glorious three minutes since it started. And the end result was that he could hear the clear noise of his auntie spanking Jojo in the other room. Those were some loud spanking noises at that.

Giorno? He was with his father, but his mother was around, waiting for him to either ‘crack’ under the pressure or be subjected to the ‘bad police officer’ role. Tragically enough, the boy was just too stubborn to protect the safety of their cookies and Dio Joestar could tell this much. Diplomacy, as appetizing it sounded, wasn’t worth the shame and the humiliation of betraying one’s trust.

The boy huffed again, his pout growing more evident. “But dad! This is a matter of ideals! I can’t just tell you where they are. I promised Georgie!”

His father sighed sadly, shaking his head before offering his son a simple look that promised many things… but limited to just a reminder.

“I hope you understand that behind that door there is your mother. And she has the paddle ready to act regardless of your ‘ideals’ or not in this case, young man.”

“I’m ready to face the consequences and… I thought you would have spared me.”

A power move. Giorno had heard of those about his father. He would use his words to convince others, cleverly using either himself or others as examples to set up a… precedent? Yes, that’s the right word. Which was a situation from the past which can be used to set up a proper judgment if said situation occurs once again. In this case, Giorno wanted to use ideals as an option, his loyalty as Georgie’s friend to show himself in a good light.

“Why so?”

“Because you told me to always be loyal to my friends to the very end. So, I did that. Are you saying that you lied and this is wrong?”

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Dio blinked a few times and then… hummed thoughtfully.

“Hmm, that logic is indeed sound. I suppose that everyone should strive for that.”

“...Am I free to go?”

He blinked, a bizarre smile appearing on his face. “Free? Why would you be free?”

...Something doesn’t feel right.

“W-Well, you said that what I said was right.”

“Yes,” Dio agreed and Giorno pressed.

“So, punishing me for doing something right is not fair.”

“That makes sense… If you exclude the fact of your actions, I mean the one conducted by both you and your cousin did end up causing grievances to those I consider friends too, my boy,” The older blond shot back, leaving Giorno frowning. “What? Your auntie made that batch of cookies for everyone, which means you and little Jojo would have gotten your share anyway. You decided, quite maliciously so, to steal the cookies for yourself. That’s a naughty thing, one you were complicit about with your cousin. There is a difference between being just a friend and being a partner in crime, boy.”

“...And?”

Dio didn’t answer, merely stood up and walked up to the door, looking ready to open it. Giorno tensed up and almost jumped off the chair.

“W-Wait, Papa! I don’t- I didn’t mean to-”

“Didn’t you tell me you were ready to face the consequences? That you were standing by your ideals?” His father stopped him with those remarks. “Despite what you think, boy, ideals are to be seen as hills to fight and die on. If you want to have a real ideal, find one that you can stick to and actually put your most into it so it can flourish. And right now, I think your naughtiness needs to be addressed.”

The door opened, the dam broke as Giorno’s mother entered the room with a sickly sweet smile, a motherly glint in her eyes and a paddle that just looked as rigid and sturdy as last time it had struck his butt. A shudder came from his body and Giorno felt tears swelling as he knew he had no way out from that punishment. A defeat that was actually two in one.

“Mama! No!”

“My, oh my, Giorno! You should have listened to your papa!”

That was the day where Giorno learned that ‘ideals’ can’t buy him a way out of all situations.