“ is used when people are speaking.
* is used when our protagonist is thinking, however this may also be used for other characters depending on POV.
Authors Notes;-
~ I've re-released the first Chapter and revamped it a fair bit.
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January 17th, 2083. The sun had begun to set as dusk came forth. While the night is full of silence and happy dreams for most, one house within the Horishima prefecture is full of sorrow. Looking closer to the rural run-down house which many would believe to be abandoned, a small child presumably an elementary student was crying in the darkness of her room.
As the story rewinds to some hours before, the day starts with a bright sunny morning like any other. Moving on from the boring parts of waking up, you will find myself heading to school which passed with little to no issues. However, when it came to lunch-time I was once again cornered by the three renowned delinquent trio, demanding that I buy their lunch while they smoke cigarettes.
In such a situation many would probably tell the teacher or fight back. However I have someone I need to care for, someone who I would gladly fall as low as being called a 'coward', 'weakling' or 'pathetic' for and in regards to that I am unwilling to have the slightest chance of being injured.
… “I would be honoured”
… “Hmfp, smart ass..”
As I happily agreed to buy their lunch with a smile, I received a mumble and glare in reply as they handed over some money. Moments later, I head to the cafeteria noticing that once again people strangely seemed to leave a good 2-meter distance between myself and them.
After buying a variety of breads and drinks, I return to the delinquent trio who acted as if I had taken three years time to buy their lunch. Soon after handing over the lunch I had bought for them I headed out to eat my lunch in seclusion.
Hours went and passed before I packed my things and decided to head over to the nearby elementary school to pick-up the post most dear to me, my sister Emily. Although many would say I have a sister-complex, I can assure you that this is not true.
… “Onii-Chan!”
… “Hey Emily, have a good day?”
Emily; my younger sister, nods in reply before grabbing my hand as we head off to a location station. Time passes by on the way to the station thanks to Emily telling her days story, in a fair bit of detail too.
We eventually come to the station, ten minutes ahead of the schedule of the next train so I decide to head to a nearby second-hand book-store to see if they have gotten any good books lately.
… “Ah, Kazuto you're back!”
… “Hello Mr. Mayimura. Have you received anything exciting since the last time I came?”
… “Indeed. We received two exciting books I personally enjoyed, Dawn of the Traveller and Fallen Pirate. I will sell you both for 100Yen, how about it?”
I look into my wallet knowing I had saved a few hundred Yen as I planned to visit the shop soon. Soon after purchasing the two books, I head to the station and board it until our stop which was a rather rural part of the province.
Soon after exiting the electric locomotive which had finally ended at our stop, myself and Emily headed through the roads leading to our castle. After some several minutes of walking we eventually come upon a rather run-down house that many would say was haunted due to the overgrown weeds and lack of care.
… “Tadaima!”
… “Tadaima.. though not like he'd be home..”
Emily shouts 'I'm home' in which I followed, lately it has become a frequently occurring activity when we arrive home. Once inside I tell Emily to go and get changed out of her school wear while I make dinner.
Just as I requested, Emily headed to her room to get changed while I entered the kitchen wondering what I should make. However, when I got into the kitchen I found that almost all the cupboards and fridge was empty, lacking of anything edible.
Silently sighing of what I could make, I barely manage to make some edible food for Emily while having nothing for myself. Soon after finishing cooking I head into the living room to deliver Emily her food before hearing the front door open.
… “Its' him Kazuto.. Will he be drunk again..?”
… “Don't worry.”
I smile towards Emily who gave a warily smile in return. Soon after she begins eating I head to see who entered the front door only to find a man looking like a homeless person as he held a bottle of alchol in his right hand.
… “Father. You can't sleep here.”
… “aah..?”
My father, William Yamada wasn't always as he appears now. Looking back prior to the 'incident'. my father was a caring man who did everything for family regardless of how much he had to work or do. However, a year and half ago my mother was involved in a mugging and murder which my father blames on me due to her heading towards a music competition I was performing within.
… “Father..”
As I mumble towards my father once again hoping to awake him from his drunken sleep, he opens his eyes only to glare at me. Giving a silent sigh knowing he seemed in a bad mood I didn't say anything else while awaiting him to rise to his feet.
… “Make me some food.”
… “I would but there isn't any food left father.”
As I finished my sentence, father grabbed my by the collar of my shirt before pinning me against the nearby wall. Suddenly, his right fist which was holding the almost empty bottle of alcohol comes mashing into the wall next to me, causing a slight cut on my cheek.
… “Don't be sarcastic to me boy. I'm the man of this house, not you.”
While father was shouting towards me, I notice Emily shaking in fear at the sight in which I give a slight glance towards her prompting her to return to her room which she thankfully does. As my father witnessed me glancing to Emily before she left running to her room he seemed to become further furious.
… “You think you're better than me? Get out.. Get out now!”
Father continued to grip the collar of my shirt before stumbling through the hall as he pushes me out of the house. Wondering what I should do since I had been 'kick-out' once again I headed down the road before entering a café.
… “Welcome. How may we help you?”
… “Can I have a coffee?”
… “Certainly. Would you also like a plaster for your cheek?”
I rub my hand across my left cheek displaying some blood from the cut, I nod towards the waitress. After being delivered the coffee and a plaster I open a bag that I had thankfully managed to grab before being kicked-out, the bag contained the two books I earlier bought.
As I peacefully continue reading one of the books, 'Dawn of the Traveller' I notice an old man with an unkempt beard and moustache in the corner of my eye. While the elderly man walked passed he eyed the book I was reading.
… “That's a good story boy, you will enjoy it. Is this seat perhaps free?”
The old man points to the seat opposite me in which I nod before moving my gaze back upon the book. Second and hour begin to pass before I noticed the clock exclaiming I had been here for a little over two hours now.
While looking towards the clock I gaze forward only to notice the elderly man strangely sitting with a coffee before him and a book in his hand, exactly the same as me. The elderly man noticed my gaze in which he appeared to give a smile that couldn't entirely be seen due to his beard.
… “Enjoying the book boy?”
… “Ah, yes. It's certainly entertaining.”
… “That it is. I especially enjoy the part of his time in the wastelands.”
… “Ah, yes. I too enjoyed that part, the fact that he is continuously travelling in search of unexplored places keeps things interesting.”
… “Indeed.”
After a slight discussion the atmosphere strangely feels tense as I wonder who the elderly man was and why he was sitting opposite me, rather why did he do the exact same thing as me.
… “So how did you hurt your cheek?”
… “Oh. A misunderstanding.. yeah a misunderstanding I guess.”
… “I see.”
The elderly man put a bookmark into his book before he closed it and placed in his pocket. Wondering if he was done I kept my gaze upon the old man noticing his eyebrows seemed to be expressing a frown.
… “Well boy, I have to go but I shall see you again soon.”
… “Huh, yeah.. um good-bye.”
The elderly man smiled towards me before leaving the café with an intense aura, I wondered if I had angered him in some way. Once the elderly man left I looked outside and noticed that dusk had began to set in, meaning it was time to sneak back home.. once again.
After some time passed I was eventually in front of my home hoping that my father had drank enough to be in a deep sleep. Silently sighing to myself, I headed inside thankfully nobody was in sight. As I walked up the stairs I heard quiet whimpering to which I recalled that Emily had seen the earlier scene.
Knock Knock..
I knock on Emilys' door as I entered before landing on my backside due to her special-attack of a jumping-embrace. Streams of tears began to fall on my chest as Emily sobbed herself to sleep, I remained in her room till I was sure she was soundly sleeping.
Once knowing Emily was a sleep, I lifted her up and placed her into bed before returning to my own room. Finally entering my own room I opened the door only to see a devastating spectacle before me, my room had been completely trashed.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Knowing what had happened as it had happened many times over the past year, I quietly reorganised my things which had been thrown all over the floor though my clothes were thankfully not ripped like they were in the past.
Eventually I finished organizing my room before falling flat-out on my bed as I dozed off into dream-land. As hours passed and daybreak came forth displaying another nice and sunny day which pleased me very much so as I would be able to take Emily out of this house for the day.
As I rise from my bed, get dressed and washed I hear three murmuring voices downstairs, two of which seem familiar. Wondering what the commotion was I quickly finish refreshing myself before heading downstairs only to witness something surprising.
… “Ah, you're awake boy. Quite the late sleeper aren't you?”
… “Well.. its' Saturday after all.. wait why are you here?”
… “You've spoken with this old man brat?”
Witnessing the familiar face of the elderly man I had saw last night I reply without a thought before my father displays blood-lust on his face. Sighing as I usually do, I wondered if I had fallen into something I'd be best out of so I promptly came up with a reply which was actually the truth.
… “I met him last night when visiting a café, he requested to sit next to me is all.”
Father frowned as I said this while I thought to myself *You kicked me out, did you expect me to wait on the street?*. However, hearing this the elderly man began to laugh as he glanced to his left exposing an elderly woman I hadn't met before.
… “Fine then. However, I want 2 Million.”
… “You bastard.”
… “Dear, just do it.”
I had no clue what was happening while hearing father mention '2 Million', the old man cuss towards him and the elderly woman scorn towards the elderly man. Honestly, the house was rather chaotic in which I once again sighed and headed to the kitchen to make a drink ignoring my surroundings.
… “Dear, look he's just like you ignoring bothersome people”
… “Pahahaha!”
I heard the old woman mumble something to the old man which brought him tears to his eyes as he laughed hysterically for no apparent reason. My father however continued scowling as if he were a dog and someone tried to take the bone from him.
… “Fine then you worthless trash. I will pay the money.”
… “Good I don't want to see him again anyway, or the girl.”
*Him.. Girl.. wait what?* I pondered wondering what was being discussed such as *could father finally be selling us to some slavery market to pay for his gambling debts*. However, after the elderly man and father seemed to come to conclusion the tension dropped dramatically.
… “Boy.”
As I sat upon the small kitchen table I unconsciously raise my gaze hearing the elderly man say 'boy'.However, just as the elderly man was about to speak the elderly woman stepped forth.
… “Child, I have a lot to tell you.”
… “Hm?”
Still wondering what was going on I simply answer while drinking the cheap coffee we had in the kitchen. While giving a slight laugh to herself, the elderly woman sat on the other side of the table gazing towards me.
… “Do you know who we are child?”
… “Sorry, I don't.”
… “We are your deceased mothers' parents, your grandparents.”
At this point I imagine you thought I'd do something which would be seen in a comedy or animation. However, I gulped the liquid in my throat rather than spraying it and looked towards the elderly woman who continued smiling.
… “My grandparents? I haven't heard nor seen you before though.”
… “Well.. its' a long story child. I shall explain why you haven't heard of us.”
The old woman explained that an x-amount of years ago my mother fell in love with father who was some sort of security guard working for the family. Once mother fell in love the love ended up mutual in which the duo eloped and left the family behind leaving to this situation.
… “So, why hadn't you contacted us when mother died over a year ago?”
… “That boy is my fault. My work sometimes involves going abroad in which over the past three years I have been between America and Korea working on something world-changing”
Before the elderly woman had chance to speak, the elderly man spoke with a presumed grin on his face as he pushed his chest out. However, hearing his words the elderly woman glared towards him leading him to partially cower from her which was refreshing to see.
… “Its' true. We were abroad and were never informed of what had happened to our daughter, your mother. However, we got back to Japan a couple of days ago and heard that she had passed through an old acquaintance that unknowingly gave his condolences about our daughter.”
The old woman explained why they hadn't come to the funeral nor bothered us in all these years while showing a slight tear from her eyes. Noticing that the elderly woman was upset the elderly man walked to her and rubbed her shoulder slightly.
… “So what now, what was the previous arguments for?”
… “That child is because we had heard rumours of your living conditions. We requested to that despicable father of yours to give us custody of yourself and your sister. However, he even dared ask money for custody.”
… “Seems a natural thing for him honestly..”
I mumbled under my breath not realising that my father had heard, receiving a murderous glare in reply. Meanwhile the elderly man once again fell into a hysteric laughter at my comment. While we discussed about numerous things, mostly about my mother I heard the toilet upstairs flush meaning Emily was awake.
… “Ah. Sorry, one moment.”
I stopped discussing with my supposed 'grandparents' before rising from my seat to make Emily some breakfast. Once Emily came downstairs she wondered who the two elderly people were but sat at the table nonetheless smiling towards the old woman, receiving a smile in return.
… “Thanks Onii-Chan”
Emily gave her thanks as I placed some toast and orange juice before her. Noticing that the elderly woman and man were staring at me and Emily I felt rather awkward in which I began thinking of ways to ease the atmosphere.
… “Ah, Emily. While I remember, those two are our grandparents. Our mothers parents.”
… “Really!?”
I nodded to Emily to which she gained sparkles in her eyes excited by the fact she had gained further family other than father, someone she heavily despised.
… “So.. What now?”
… “You two are to pack your things and come with us.”
… “We're going with them Onii-Chan?”
… “Anywhere is better than this run-down house. Plus, I'd feel safer if you were away from him..”
I mumbled under my breath once again, though I ensured nobody heard this time.
… “Apparently so.”
Giving a pleasant smile towards Emily she smiled in return before looking towards our grandparents.
… “Grandfather, Grandmother. It is nice to meet you, I am Emily!”
Grandmother smiled towards Emilys' words before heading upstairs with Emily to assist her in packing her items. However, I still stayed downstairs while waiting for the two girls to leave before looking towards father who had a grin on his face.
… “Happy now? At least now you can drink your sorrows away. Since I have never asked for anything, received anything nor expected anything over the past year and a half; I have one request which is that you never bother us again as I don't consider you a father any more.”
With that statement I turned and headed upstairs to gather my things listening to grandfather and father discussing something bellow. Some time passed during which myself and Emily had gathered any belongings we wanted to take while grandfather told fa.. no William that he would transfer the money in an hours time.
Now with everything gathered and everything discussed grandfather headed outside while telling us to follow, in which we did. Once outside I was surprised by what was before me, a limousine with the name 'Takezó' on the side.
… “Wh-What is this..?”
… “Never seen a limousine before? Pahahaha.”
*Thud*
… “Ow!”
Grandmother elbows grandfather in the side before turning to us while he rubs his side in pain.
… “Your grandfather is a rather influential person. What you have known and what you will come to know will change drastically. However as long as you and Emily are happy, we are happy.”
I Nodded towards grandmother before turning around to gaze upon the house which has been my home for as long as I remember. As I close my eyes recalling all the good memories while also the bad memories I give a slight bow to my home before entering the limousine, not looking back once.
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