Chapter 10: IX.

. . .

Akane was the last one to jump off of the boat as I stood there with Goryo on the dock. We all stood there for a moment to make sure Captain Ousuke was all set.

“Diana?” I let my voice flow. She glanced at me. “Do you have the book that I bought?”

She nodded as she moved her backpack, as if she was going to show me the book was in there. But I put my hand up as if telling her to stop.

Akane was dusting off her skirt with her hands as she smiled at me, which told me that we could start heading to my house.

I’m surprised my mother and Hisa weren’t waiting for us out here, but yet again, it usually was decently cold over here because of the water, I can’t blame them for not wanting to come over here.

It was silent for a moment before we began walking the path that led to my house. The breeze hit all of us as we walked across the path. It was a cobblestone path mixed with some wood staircases. It was surrounded by trees that blew with the wind beautifully and bushes with flowers.

Even though there weren’t many flowers around the path, there was a beautiful garden near my home, filled with lilacs and roses. The path around here however, was filled with thorns, though they flowed better than what most would call chaotic.

“...I was thinking we could read the book all afternoon…” I suggested it to Diana and she chuckled.

“That’s what I was going to do!” Diana shouted, not very loudly, but she certainly wasn’t quiet about it. I knew she definitely was excited about this book.

She was very invested in the mythology around here and knew this book would feature a lot of stories and maybe answer questions she has about things she doesn’t have the answer to.

Or maybe it will make zero sense at all and she’s going to be disappointed, because that’s always a possibility.

“Do any of you want to read the book?” I spoke loudly to ensure everyone heard me.

“What book?” Akane was the first to ask. That’s right, I don’t think anyone actually knows about the book.

“I’ll talk about it inside,” my voice let out as I turned back to face forward, knowing that we were almost there. Almost at my house, the house that was… more like a mansion.

Should I call it the Okamura mansion? Or maybe the Aoki mansion. After all, Hisa is the one that actually owns this island, not my mother.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

And he didn’t take her surname, nor did she take his. It’s just like my dad, Haruki. He didn’t take the Okamura surname, and my mother didn’t take the Aoki surname either.

I’m surprised I have my mother’s last name. My dad seemed like the type to want his children to take his last name… …or maybe that was the original plan?

After all, my dad was a bit more dominant. He was a little pushy, but I guess he wasn’t that pushy. I mean, he did want Akane and I to be like him, so there is that, but he also treated us both like we were boys when I was the only one.

I’ve always been a boy, even if I was born a girl. I’ve never once been a girl to anyone except for a few of my doctors, and those were the doctors that had to see down there anyway, so there wasn’t any way to hide it.

“...why is my last name Okamura…?” I spoke out loud as Diana looked at me.

“Huh?” She inquired as I shook my head, telling her with just motions that what I was talking about wasn’t important in any way, though, to Akane and I at least, it was.

When we reached the top of the taller staircase, we reached the rose garden, where the mansion was located.

“Woah.” Hibiki’s face went starstruck. “That’s a massive house, it’s so big…”

Goryo, who probably hadn’t put two and two together yet, was standing still from shock. He definitely wasn’t used to this type of land, but I’m not sure why he just realized this now instead of when we went to the boat, or even the fact that we were on the Hojimi coast.

Though, to be fair, he probably doesn’t know much about that, if at all, considering he’s extremely poor. Which raises the question of how he even lives in Jimi, after all, this place isn’t very poor people friendly (to be fair it isn’t very friendly either but I digress).

Hojimi High is a public school so maybe he doesn’t live in Jimi to begin with. But Shibuya was expensive too, which is the whole point of him moving away after his father passed and his mother couldn’t find work anywhere around there that would give her enough money to support herself and two children.

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” I chuckled as I noticed Hibiki was still staring and Goryo wasn’t moving an inch. He probably wasn’t even blinking or breathing either.

“It’s really pretty, King,” Akira gently spoke as she walked over to the flowers, taking in their scent.

The roses usually smelt very nice, and very gentle too. I had a tendency to come out here and read, if I wasn’t occupied by school work or had Diana over.

“I know. It’s my mother’s garden, it’s one of her biggest prized possessions,” I spoke to Akira as she came back to the group.

By now, Hibiki and Goryo snapped out of their dazes and moved closer to Diana and I.

“Do you guys want to go inside?” I asked as they nodded. Hibiki had pulled out his phone to take a picture, possibly letting everyone know that this place was where the party was going to be hosted.

Where I would have to take care of… a lot of people.

Where I would possibly become extremely popular, and maybe, just maybe, actually have a good reputation.