Chapter Text
The plane jolted slightly as it began its descent. Josie gripped the armrest beside her, and with every tremor her heartbeat quickened. Safe to say, she was a nervous flyer, and considering where she was headed, nervous was an understatement.
Josie was a tall fifteen-year-old from Italy who had recently been sent to Morioh to live with what remained of her family — her aunt and cousin — after the abrupt death of her mother only a few weeks earlier.
The memory was still painfully fresh.
Three weeks ago, Josie had been walking home from school. Or, more accurately, from the library she spent most of her time in. She hadn’t truly lived at home in almost a year. Instead, she drifted between shelters, alleyways, and anywhere else she could sleep safely. Still, every so often she visited her mother for peace of mind.
She didn’t trust her mother to take care of herself.
It was difficult, though, because every visit ended the same way: her mother seeming perfectly fine and begging Josie to come back home. More than once, Josie had nearly given in.
But she never could.
That day, she had unlocked the apartment door while carrying a bag of groceries to split between them.
The moment the door opened, a foul smell hit her.
At first she assumed rotten meat had been left out or maybe a pipe had burst somewhere nearby.
Dropping the shopping bags near the entrance, Josie pinched her nose and searched the kitchen while calling out for her mother.
No response.
Panic began to claw its way into her chest.
Her breathing quickened as she rushed through the apartment, opening doors frantically.
“Mamma?!”
Still nothing.
Finally, she reached the bathroom.
Locked.
She rattled the handle violently and slammed her fists against the old wooden door.
“MAMMA! ARE YOU IN THERE?! ANSWER ME! OPEN THE DOOR!”
With one final shove, the weak lock broke.
The door swung open.
Her mother sat collapsed in the corner of the bathroom, curled in on herself as though trying to hide. Her eyes had rolled back, foam clung to her mouth, and her skin had turned an awful pale blue.
“No… no… Mamma…”
Her voice cracked into desperation as she stumbled forward, dropping to her knees beside her.
She shook her mother desperately, trying to wake her.
Nothing happened.
Tears streamed down Josie’s face as she pulled her mother into her lap, clinging to her and trying hopelessly to find warmth still left in her body.
Eventually, the noise drew the attention of a neighbour. Seeing the apartment door wide open, he stepped inside to investigate and found them together on the bathroom floor.
He called the police.
Later, they determined her mother had died weeks earlier from an overdose.
Weeks.
Josie had repeated the same thought over and over while sitting across from a CPS representative afterward:
If I had visited earlier, she would still be alive.
Josie had complicated feelings about CPS.
When she was younger and begged adults to help her, nobody listened. They told her she was exaggerating. That she shouldn’t accuse the woman raising her of such horrible things.
But now?
Now she felt too numb to even be angry anymore.
She barely paid attention during the meeting afterward. Words drifted in and out of focus.
“Japan…”
“Last living relative…”
“Plane leaves soon…”
And somehow, that was how she ended up standing inside Morioh Airport waiting to meet an aunt she had never even heard of.
The representative had handed her a photograph to help identify her.
Tomoko looked somewhat similar to Mamma — the same blue-black hair and similar face shape — but unlike her mother, Tomoko’s smile looked warm and genuine.
Josie scanned the airport around her. It wasn’t particularly busy. Mostly businessmen returning from trips and families dragging suitcases behind exhausted children.
“Hi there, are you Josie?”
The sudden voice behind her made Josie jump.
Turning around, she found a woman with a blue-black bob haircut held back by a yellow headband. She wore a bright orange blouse and white trousers.
It was Tomoko.
At least, it had to be.
“Um… yes. Are you Mrs. Higashikata?”
“Oh goodness, did I scare you?” Tomoko laughed softly. “Yes, I am, but you can just call me Tomoko.”
She held out her hand.
Josie hesitated briefly before shaking it.
For just a second, concern flashed across Tomoko’s face as her eyes landed on the large scar stretching across Josie’s hand.
Heat rushed to Josie’s face immediately.
Please don’t ask.
But Tomoko said nothing.
Instead, she gently took Josie’s hand and started walking with her.
“Come on, sweetie. Let’s get you home. You can meet Josuke too — he’s my son, and he’s around your age.”
The sudden hand-holding caught Josie off guard.
Still, she didn’t pull away.
It felt… comforting.
Josie awkwardly adjusted the strap of her backpack — the only thing she had brought with her from Italy.
“Is this all your luggage?” Tomoko asked gently. “Well, if you need anything, we can always go shopping later.”
Eventually, they arrived at the Higashikata Residence.
Tomoko unlocked the front door while speaking absentmindedly.
“Hm, I’ll need to get you a key made too.”
Josie nodded quietly before stepping inside.
The warmth of the house stunned her.
It felt lived in.
Comfortable.
Clean and carefully decorated in a way that made the entire place feel safe.
From somewhere deeper inside the house came the sound of someone loudly yelling at a video game.
“JOSUKE! GET OVER HERE AND MEET YOUR COUSIN!”
Tomoko shouted toward the living room while heading into the kitchen.
A teenage boy around sixteen walked into the hallway moments later. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore a heavily decorated school uniform beneath a massive pompadour hairstyle.
Josuke Higashikata yawned before spotting her.
“Oh! Nice to meet you. I’m Josuke. You’re Josie, right?”
Josie nodded nervously.
“Well, um… I was playing games in the living room.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You can join if you want. It’s multiplayer.”
At that, Josie visibly brightened.
She had always loved arcade games, mostly because one of the workers at a local arcade used to secretly give her spare tokens.
And she liked to think she was pretty good at them.
The two walked into the living room. A TV sat on a low table surrounded by game consoles and stacks of games.
“You can sit there,” Josuke said, pointing toward a floor cushion while digging around behind the sofa for another one. “And you can pick the game.”
Josie scanned the stack before pulling out one titled Road Beat-Up.
It looked fun.
A ridiculous two-player fighting game filled with over-the-top characters.
Josuke returned carrying a yellow cushion and dropped it beside her.
“Oh, nice choice. I’m pretty good at that one, though, so I’ll go easy on you.”
“Sure you will,” Josie muttered quietly.
Josuke blinked before laughing.
The game booted up, and they selected their fighters. Josuke picked an enormous wrestler-looking character while Josie chose a nurse-themed fighter with absurdly fast attacks.
At first, Josuke completely destroyed her.
Then she adapted.
Very quickly.
Soon the living room was filled with shouting, laughter, and accusations of button mashing.
Tomoko listened from the kitchen with relief.
They were getting along far better than she’d hoped.
Still, her thoughts kept drifting back toward the scars she’d seen on Josie’s hand and thigh.
What had happened to that poor girl?
A knock came at the door later that evening.
When Tomoko opened it, Jotaro stood outside holding a large briefcase.
“Jotaro? I thought you were heading home.”
“I was,” he replied. “But something came up that we need to discuss.”
“Well, come in. Tea or coffee?”
“Coffee would be appreciated.”
The two sat together at the kitchen table while Tomoko prepared drinks.
Once seated, Jotaro opened the briefcase.
“Have you heard from your sister recently?”
Tomoko immediately tensed.
“No… We lost contact years ago. Honestly, I didn’t even know you knew I had a sister.”
“It’s my job to know things about this family.” Jotaro adjusted his hat slightly. “And now your extended family matters too.”
Tomoko’s stomach sank.
“But I have some bad news.”
Silence filled the kitchen.
“I’m not sure how else to say this,” Jotaro continued quietly, “but your sister was found dead in Italy a few weeks ago.”
Tomoko nearly dropped her mug.
“What…? Are you certain?”
“Yes. She was still going by Hōki-suru Higashikata.” He paused. “And there’s more.”
Tomoko’s voice cracked.
“There’s more?”
“She had a daughter.”
Tomoko froze.
“A daughter…?”
“Yes. Her name is Josie. And based on what we found… your sister wasn’t exactly a good parent.”
Tomoko stared blankly at the table.
“Her father couldn’t be located,” Jotaro continued. “Which makes you her closest living relative.”
The words barely registered.
Hōki was dead.
Gone.
Buried somewhere far away.
“Tomoko?”
“Huh?” She quickly wiped her eyes. “Sorry… what did you say?”
“You would become her legal guardian.”
“What?!”
“You can refuse,” Jotaro clarified. “If you do, she’ll enter foster care—”
“I’ll take her in.”
Jotaro paused.
“You don’t want time to think about it?”
“No.” Tomoko shook her head firmly. “I’ve always wanted Josuke to have a sibling. And I’m not abandoning my family.”
For the first time that evening, Jotaro looked slightly relieved.
“Well then. Here’s the paperwork.”
The rest of the day blurred into discussions, signatures, and arrangements until Josuke eventually came home from school.
“Hey Mom, I’m back!”
Josuke entered the kitchen and blinked at the sight of Jotaro sitting there.
“Oh, hey Mr. Jotaro. What are you doing here?”
“Family business,” Tomoko answered quickly. “I’ll explain later.”
Josuke eyed them suspiciously but shrugged.
“Well, I’m hanging out with Okuyasu today, so I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Alright. Stay safe.”
A few hours later, Josuke returned to an unusually quiet house.
“Mom? I’m back!”
No answer.
Instead, he found a note beside his dinner.
*I’ve gone to bed early. Dinner’s on the table. Don’t stay up too late.*
That alone felt wrong.
Tomoko never went to bed this early.
After eating, Josuke quietly headed upstairs to check on her.
Then he heard it.
Crying.
His heart dropped.
Josuke had only heard his mother cry a handful of times before — mostly on his birthday or after Grandpa died.
Slowly, he cracked the door open.
Tomoko sat curled beneath the blankets clutching a broken picture frame.
She looked up when she noticed him.
“Come here, baby.”
Josuke carefully climbed onto the bed beside her, and she wrapped him tightly in a hug.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“Mom… what’s wrong?”
Tomoko picked up the picture frame with trembling hands.
“Jotaro brought some bad news today.” She swallowed hard. “Your Aunt Hōki-suru died a few weeks ago.”
Her composure shattered completely after saying it aloud.
Josuke immediately hugged her tighter.
After a moment, Tomoko showed him the photo inside the frame.
A younger version of herself sat in a field of flowers beside an older girl with striking features and sharp eyes.
“She was really pretty,” Josuke admitted quietly. “Just like you and Grandma.”
Tomoko smiled sadly.
“She was. Everyone envied her beauty. She even became a model after moving to Italy.”
“What happened?”
Tomoko looked down at the photo.
“My sister… wasn’t always a good person. But after our mother died, we became close again.” Her voice softened. “Then she moved away and slowly drifted back into old habits until eventually… we stopped talking.”
Josuke immediately understood what she was blaming herself for.
“Mom,” he said gently, “it’s not your fault.”
Tomoko looked at him silently before suddenly noticing the clock.
“Josuke! It’s half past ten! When did you get home ?”
“…Would you believe me if I said eight?”
She gave him the most unimpressed look imaginable.
“Just this once,” she sighed. “But go to bed. I’ll explain the rest tomorrow.”
He kissed her cheek before leaving.
“Night, Mom.”
“Night, Jojo.”
The next day passed in a haze for Tomoko.
She cleaned, cooked, folded laundry, and tried desperately not to dwell on thoughts of her sister.
Eventually, while making beds upstairs, she realised something important.
She needed to prepare the spare room.
~~~
The following afternoon, Josuke returned home from school.
“Hey Mom! I’m back!”
“I’m upstairs sorting the guest room!” Tomoko called back. “And remember, we still need to talk!”
“…That sounds ominous.”
Josuke quickly made himself ramen before Tomoko finally sat him down.
“So…” she began carefully, “your aunt had a daughter.”
Josuke blinked.
“I have a cousin?”
Tomoko nodded nervously.
“And she’s coming to live with us.”
For a second there was silence.
Then Josuke lit up.
“WAIT, REALLY?! That’s awesome!”
Tomoko visibly relaxed.
“You’re okay with it?”
“Yeah! It’s basically like getting a sibling!”
Tomoko laughed softly for the first time in days.
“Well, she arrives next week. Unfortunately, you’ll be at school when I pick her up.”
“What?! That’s unfair!”
“Nice try. You are not skipping school.”
Josuke groaned dramatically.
~~~
Back in the present, Tomoko finished setting the dinner table while her thoughts drifted once more toward the strange scars on Josie’s hand.
Something about them deeply unsettled her.
She made a mental note to ask about them later.