Chapter Text
It was a regular day to say the least on Whale Island، it was named like this by the locals, because the island shape from afar looked like a resting whale that had drifted onto land, and so it was named after that likeness. It was a beautiful island with only a small population, most of whom lived along the coast, numbering no more than a hundred people, It's an island located on the far east, quite small and isolated from the outside world, with the only connection being the fishermen’s boats that land from time to time—making the island a stopping point for ships before heading to sea once again.
That means it’s especially crowded in the early morning and late evening.
“Gon, can you take this box to my shop?”
“Yes, I’m on it!”
A voice rang through the fishing square, louder than usual, echoing through the busy street filled with adults quickening their steps to finish their work and return home a little earlier than usual.
That voice stood out as an oddity to any newcomers, except for the island’s residents.
“Ah, thank you, Gon! With this, I’ll be able to finish early today. Come to my shop later and I’ll give you some cake as a thank-you for your hard work.”
A chubby and friendly woman smiled and praised the boy in front of her, thanking him for his help. The boy gladly accepted her offer, shouting loudly, “Thank you, Mina-san!” before running off to help someone else in the square.
That figure and voice belonged to one person everyone on the island knew well—for he was one of the only two children on the entire island.
“Noko is a lovely child too. These two make things a little livelier here. Should I pack some cake for her as well?” the women sigh softly at the thought of giving the two children some treat after finishing her work
“Would you pack for me too then?” her thoughts were suddenly interpreted by A bald man in his forties emerged with a big box of freshly caught fish, pointing his finger in a silly manner and a wide flashy smile
“Oh, Ben?! Now what are you doing here? You should be working rather than wasting time on cakes!” the woman, Mina, rested her hand on her hips while eying the man in front of her with a raised eyebrow making Ben shudder a bit
“How scary...I just came here, though…”
“What did you say?!”
“Nothing, nothing—absolutely nothing! I gotta go now!” Ben who sensed mina anger couldn't afford getting scolded by her right in the morning, so he tried to get away holding the heavy box of fish sluggishly
“WAIT!”
Before he could run away however, the woman with the flowery apron and friendly smile—Mina—caught the small yet firmly built Ben easily, making him gulp in surprise.
“Mina?! I didn’t do anything wrong! I won’t waste time ever again, I promise, okay?!" Ben was begging for he's life quite eagerly, almost in a theatrical manner, but mina put a hand over he's mouth to shut him up and asked him to stay calm
“Idiot, I’m not talking about that… Have you heard?! There are some rumors going around recently. I wanted to ask you about their credibility.”
Mina lowered her voice so no one could hear her except the man she was holding. Upon hearing the question, Ben fixed his clothes, and a more serious expression appeared on his face.
“Yes, I heard. There’s a new investment on the island, right?”
but as if forgetting Mina words the man talked in a high pitched voice again making Mina eyebrow knit together and she hold the man again from the back
“SHHH! Your voice! …But yes, that’s the matter. I heard my husband talking about it. It’s not known who he is, but I heard he’s from Batakoya.”
“THAT FAR AWAY?!”
“SHHHHHH! What’s wrong with you and your screaming?! The whole island will hear you like this. No one knows about that and it’s not confirmed yet, so be quiet!”
“Who is this new investor, Mina-san, Ben-san?”
“Gon?!”
And as fate has it, someone indeed heard their chat, the two turned around to find a young boy tilting his head to the side while carrying three boxes filled to the brim with fresh fish. The boy stayed silent, waiting patiently for their answer, which only made the two more nervous.
“Oh, Gon, it’s really hard to believe that you’re thirteen sometimes… I’m always impressed by your strength.” while Ben was indeed trying to cover up for them now, he couldn't help but agree with he's statement, even an old bigger man like Ben is barely able to hold one box and yet the boy can easily handle three or four boxes like he's carrying a fold of clothes, it will always be an entertaining sight no matter how many times he sees it
“Tha—that’s right, yes…”
Mina gulped slightly at the boy’s sudden appearance. She hadn’t even sensed him behind them at all. She wondered if hunters were all this capable, or if Gon in particular was just that sharp. Regardless of her doubts, Mina mustered the best smile she could offer and looked at the boy.
“Gon is really strong and helpful around the market, especially on busy days like these, right? I really can’t think of what I’d do without his help.”
The boy looked at them with a confused expression. He definitely sensed they were hiding something, and he was questioning their silence. But it didn’t take long for him to respond.
“I was helping Zarza and the others carry this load of fish when I heard Mr. Ben screaming, so I came to check if everything was okay and heard you talking about this new investor.”
The man and woman started sweating nervously, knowing it was useless to hide anything from Gon—he would figure it out eventually. So his follow-up question wasn’t surprising.
“So… is it true?”
“Yes.”
With a defeated sigh Mina was the first to answer, ignoring Ben’s protesting look. It was no use to hide it, especially since it wasn’t some big mystery no one should discover. It’s just that things weren’t confirmed yet, and she wanted to keep it to herself until they were sure. But besides that, there was nothing odd about the situation.
“Yes, that’s right, Gon. I heard from my husband as well. Apparently, someone is trying to buy the island and expand it a bit—to make it a better shore for ships that come and go through this place. Since this is a small stop for small ships, no one cared about things like this before, but…”
“Yeah, apparently they want to attract more inhabitants to the island too. I heard they’ll build a school somewhere close to here."
Nonchalantly, Ben announced that a school might be built—and maybe even a small medical institution bigger than the one they had—unaware that the doom bells were already ringing in Gon’s head.
“BUILDING A SCHOOL?!!”
“Chhh, Gon, calm down, chhh!”
Gon’s scream attracted the attention of several people in the square, and one after another they started to gather around, checking if everything was okay. But Gon was more concerned about the topic at hand, and without paying attention to the growing crowd, he continued to ask for clarification.
“Would that really happen? Mina-san, are you sure this new investor will build a school here? Why? If they want to improve the island because it’s an important location for fishing ships and sailors, then why build a school here?!”
“Ah, Mina and Ben, what’s going on here?”
“Yeah, we heard Gon’s voice and thought something happened… What’s this school Gon keeps talking about?!”
“Mina-san, please answer me! Is that true?!”
With the constant questions raining down on her, Mina regretted talking with Ben in the first place. The tiring day was only getting more tiring, and she was growing impatient, so she took a deep breath preparing for what She has to say now
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
With one scream from Mina, all the buzzing sounds went silent, Surprised by her shouting, no one said anything after that. All eyes focused on her waiting for what she has to say, seeing this Mina coughed a bit to test her voice before speaking to the gathered crowd
“I was saying there’s news of new investors who might make some improvements on the island, including building a school and some other facilities to bring tourists and increase the number of inhabitants.”
“What? Really? I never heard of that…”
“I think I heard a man saying something similar yesterday too.”
“I see, I heard such rumors but never believed them… But Mina-san’s husband would know better, so it might really be possible?”
The quite crowed get more loud after hearing this with the whispers getting louder and louder, and like before they get out of control and the anxiety of the people was obvious
“Everyone, please calm down.”
Mina’s voice rang loud and clear, capturing everyone’s attention again, but unlike her serious look at the beginning, mina looked at them with a big warm smile and a tender tone to her voice as if she was soothing a child
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to confuse anyone. Please remember this is not confirmed yet—it’s just a possibility. However, if it happens, I personally won’t mind at all.”
She took a deep breath and looked around her—as if taking in the island and its surroundings—before looking back at the gathering crowd
“I think it will be wonderful. Hmm, I’m sure of it.”
With a confident look, Mina nodded in satisfaction, When she thought about the possibilities this investment could bring to their island, it was truly something to look forward to, The townspeople seemed to share a similar sentiment, even though some of them still wore doubtful expressions or simply stayed silent since as Mina said nothing was "confirmed" yet..
“Now everyone, let’s go back to work! We’re already late, and we’ve wasted a lot of time with this chit-chat. Come on, go along!”
Clapping her hands together everyone indeed went back to their work, realizing how much time they had wasted, It was a mild confusion caused by a small rumor that no one knew the exact source of, so everyone returned to their tasks—weighted by questions and concerns they didn’t have time to voice
“I know it will be great in so many ways, but…”
With a small mutter that no one heard except himself, Gon took the remaining boxes in his hands and decided to finish his work for the day, He would go back home to tell Mito about everything that had happened, and he’d need to apologize to Mina later since he wouldn’t be able to stop by her shop for tea and cake.
“Eh? But isn’t that a great thing?”
“Mito-san?!”
At home, Gon was telling his aunt about his day. When he finally reached the part about the new investment in the island—specifically the matter of building the school—Mito shrugged, saying it sounded like a good and beneficial thing.
“I don’t understand your complaints. If this really happens, it means you and Noko won’t be the only children on this island. You’ll meet new people and get a proper education like all normal children your age."
“But Mito…”
“No buts. Besides…”
Mito sat down with Gon at the table after preparing a cup of tea for both of them, which he accepted with a grateful, “Thank you.” She smiled warmly.
“I’d love to see you having fun with children your age. It’s an image I’ve always wanted to see. You’re finally here with me, growing up healthy—and complaining about studying won’t get you anywhere. Plus, school isn’t just about studying, I’m sure.”
Gon still didn’t look convinced, but he listened quietly, taking a sip of her tea and thinking for a moment, Mito added gently :
“I know it must have been hard. You’re your father’s son, I know that… But until you find something you want to do, what do you think about living like a normal person for a while?”
It was Mito’s sincere wish and maybe only wish as well, She was happy and content seeing her Gon grow up by her side, the fear she’d felt when he left was still fresh in her mind—the fear of never seeing him again. That fear was a regular occurrence in her thoughts, whether because Gon might get too attached to the world outside and stop visiting entirely, or because something horrible might happen to him, preventing him from coming back, He was still a child, regardless of his resilience and his resemblance to his father.
When it came to Ging however, she had never truly feared his death, her hatred for him stemmed from his abandonment—his choice to never visit, even after ten years, during which the whole family either died or disappeared. It was a wound she could never forget , But she had never thought Ging would die outside,The thought never crossed her mind.
With Gon, however, the matter was different, In him, she could still see Ging. The more he grew, the more he resembled that man in appearance. Yet at the same time, he also looked… different.
In the past, she used to feel anxious about it—those small moments that reminded her Gon truly was Ging’s son, Without realizing it, she had hurt Gon once by lying and hiding the truth, afraid he would end up like his father, But what Mito missed back then was something unforgivable—something that still made her feel ashamed, even now. That guilt lingered like a shadow.
“Gon.”
"Hm?”
"You are indeed your father’s son, but… you’re also you.”
“Eh?!”
“Ahaha, you don’t get it?!”
Gon who was taken and confused by he's aunt words nodded arguing her to explain, and with a smile Mito continued.
“I used to fear the day you’d leave. The more you grew up, the more you resembled your father—it was almost uncanny sometimes. And it’s natural, after all—you’re his child.”
“Mito-san…”
“However, now I understand. Gon, you’re indeed your father’s son, but you’re also your own person. There are things about you that resemble him, but other parts of you are absolutely foreign to that good-for-nothing father."
“Mito-san?”
Mito watched as Gon’s sympathetic expression turned into confusion over her passionate words, which only seemed to grow more enthusiastic.
“So, what’s so bad about trying new things?! You can go to school, and if you don’t like it, you can go back to being homeschooled. If you find something you like in the meantime, you can tell me about it. And if you need more time, this is your home—you can stay as long as you want.”
Gon, who had been staring at Mito with wide eyes, began to feel relieved by her words and understands a bit what she's trying to say, It was no joke how good she was at calming him down—or confronting what truly bothered him by seeing right through him so easily, It reminded him that he wasn’t the only one who could read Mito, when it comes down to it she can do that too
“So, Gon—have fun. Be comfortable, be happy, and whatever happens, let it happen. This time, do things at your own pace.”
Because in reality, it wasn’t just the school that worried Gon, He didn’t want to go there, not only because of the extra studying—it was something else
Gon was worried about staying on the island longer than he had planned.
There was no goal waiting for him outside. No one is waiting on the other side to fetch him up, No one who needed him anymore.
And yet, despite that, this urgent feeling of needing to hurry never left him—this strange voice in his chest telling him to do something, even when there was nothing to do.
It was unbearably loud sometimes—an odd, persistent feeling Gon didn’t know how to describe or understand, So it was never easy to figure out. That’s why…
“Thank you, Mito-san.”
It was truly how he felt at that moment,The words he wanted to hear, the encouragement he needed—everything came from her, it didn't resolve everything and the doubt still lingered, but despite that he decided to voice that one feeling of gratefulness he felt
Mito looked at him thoughtfully before giving him a warm smile.
"You’re welcome.”
It was a warm evening filled with promises and gentleness