Chapter Text
You sighed as you turned into the same street you had walked a thousand times on your way to school. You were so bored of it by now. You couldn't imagine spending an other summer rotting at home or walking the same streets you have always walked. No! You needed to spend the summer somewhere else and get a job!
Thankfully your uncle, Rohan, lived a few towns away alone in a big house and was willing to have you stay with him until the end of the summer. So with the help of your supportive parents, you arranged to stay with him, in a charming town named Morioh, for a few months.
After a whole year of walking the same roads and staring at the same wall while trying to study, the idea of spending the whole summer somewhere new, filled you with satisfaction and a sense of adventure.
Summer finally started, and you soon moved into your favorite uncle’s big house. You had always admired his passion for writing, and couldn’t be happier to know he was doing so well, working his dream job. The memory of him, showing you the manga he was working on, was still clear in your mind even after all these years.
You were around 9 and you kept nagging him to leave his desk and play with you. Little you couldn’t understand how anyone could choose sitting by a desk all day, over going outside to play. Little did you know, Rohan was thinking the same exact thing.
He wanted to sit in the gentle sunlight by the creek, watching you collect pretty rocks from the bottom. However a serious deadline was approaching and he needed to concentrate so he just sat you down and gave you the new issue of his manga.
It would be an understatement to say; you were mesmerised. Of course you had no idea what the story was about, as you had never read the previous chapters but something about the unique artstyle, and the lively characters completely captivated you. Rohan knew his editor would be furious to know somebody had read the chapters before they were officially published but something about your expression when he handed you the continuation of the story each week made him unable to stop.
And as you grew older, and started to understand more about his job, you tried to help him as much as you could. Obviously you couldn't improve his wonderful storytelling but you zealously reported school gossip, hang-outs or anything that could have helped him find new inspiration. You especially loved designing his new characters or making fanarts of the existing ones.
But spending time with your beloved uncle wasn’t the only thing you were looking forward to this summer. A new, but promising restaurant opened in town, called Tonio's, where you luckyly got employed to wait tables.
Although, you, understandably, were incredibly nervous during your first few days in the restaurant, this soon changed and you started truly enjoying yourself in this position.
Tonio was caring, the customers were polite and patient, and you excelled at charming them. Many of the regulars later admitted to visiting the restaurant more often when you worked as your cheerfulness and kindness made them feel more welcome.
You didn’t need to worry about your new boss either. He let you try some of his dishes (you swore the slight pain in your left knee disappeared after eating it.), he even showed you some nice spice combinations and as time passed, he grew so fond of you, he even offered to teach you some of his special recipes. So he was the dream boss, no doubt but… there was something weird about him. Something you couldn't quite put your finger on.
Not long after you started, two guys, your age, walked into the restaurant. At first you got slightly worried when seeing them, due to their looks. They were dressed like delinquents and the more they ate, the more suspicious and nervous they looked.
You decided it would be wisest to tell your boss. The chef went out to talk to them, while you stayed in the kitchen, trying not to make it super obvious that you were eavesdropping. You missed most of their conversation but you heard them talking about something standing(?).
The boys looked visibly relieved after the discussion and turned out to be surprisingly friendly. They kept cracking jokes and you stayed to talk with them a bit, since it was a slow day anyways.You found out, they were students of the local high school and were just curious about the new restaurant.
"No I'm serious, the stone, that looks so strange, was a guy once!"
"Are you high? That's impossible!" you laughed, but Okuyasu kept trying to convince you.
Tonio allowed you to stay with them, until they finished their meal. You laughed so much, your cheeks started hurting. The two lively boys told you hilarious, borderline-unbeliable stories of their adventures.(They of course made sure not to reveal too much information about stands, as you weren't a user yourself).
That night, you arrived home with rosy cheeks, and cheerfully told Rohan about the fun guys you met. But for some reason, or an other, you didn't mention their names and he didn't ask.
"I'm so happy you already made some friends!" he smiled "Just let me know if you go hang out with them ok?"
Your eyes widened, and the smile disappeared from your lips.
"Oh fu-... Rohan, I forgot to ask them for their contacts!" you facepalmed.
It'll be fine, you thought. You'll probably meet them again, and if you don't, it wasn't meant to be. You did feel a little sad though, at the thought of not seeing them again. But there was something strange about them as well. What could have been that mysterious conversation about? What stands? You started to suspect this town wasn’t just some peaceful, almost-boring place…
As for the guys, you didn't need to worry about not seeing them again, because in just a week they already visited you. Kinda.
You were in the bathroom after washing your hair when you heard a loud crash from the front door.
"ROHAN! There's a new stand user, we need your help!!!" a boy yelled.
That word again! “Stand user”? So “stand” isn’t a verb, but a noun? You quickly got dressed and walked out, a towel under your wet hair. Your uncle was facing away from you, talking to someone in the door.
"Rohan? What happened? Is everything alright?"
"It's okay, just some idiot yelling, go back inside!" as he turned back to face you, you saw a pair of familiar faces in the doorway. You couldn't help the grin forming on your face.
"Josuke? Okuyasu? What are you guys doing here?"
"Yo! I could ask you the same thing. Why are you showering at this dude's house?"
"I told you guys I was staying with my uncle, didn't I?"
Rohan looked like he had seen a ghost. He looked at you, then the boys, then back at you again.
"Wait a minute! Are these the guys you told me about? No way! You can't hang out with these losers! I forbid it!"
You almost laughed at him, but he was dead serious. He refused to believe, that out of all the teens in this town, you befriended the two most annoying ones. At least if it was Koichi! But no it had to be these two!
"Go back to your room. We will talk about this tonight. And you two, let's take this outside."
As they left, you ran to the window. Rohan had his back towards the house so he didn't notice you, however Josuke did. You two started gesturing to each other, you trying to figure out what you had done to upset your uncle, him explaining how much Rohan hated him. Speak (gesture?) of the devil, he looked back and pointed to your room with such a strict expression, you had to oblige.