Chapter 1: Just The Beginning
Chapter Text
The sun was shining like there was no tomorrow, the birds chirped with glee as they flew past the school grounds, and the clouds swam peacefully in the sky.
Moreso, vibrant pink petals fall from the sky and down to the pavement ground, setting the mood just right when figures of all kinds of backgrounds flood the school grounds of a certain prestigious high school with students that seem to have too much time on their hands…
Rowdy school boys run across the hallway and push past other students, gaining the attention of a 2nd year brown-haired student who immediately steered clear of the way before groaning and calling them out for their unbecoming behavior, “Watch where you’re going..!”
He is only given a few half-assed apologies by the two when he simply sighs in defeat and focuses on walking to his destination, aka the teachers room. Much to his dismay, all he had to do was just to submit a video that he was specifically asked to make for the promotional video of the school.
He slumps his shoulders, another long sigh escaping his lips when he holds the iPad that has the very video he made for the school, catered to other rich people, which he so unfortunately has to get acquainted with if he wanted to get by in life. Quite the tragedy for a man like him, really.
The man immediately enters the faculty as if he was any other business man, only dealing with what was just work to a rich, important person like himself.
He stops just in front of his homeroom teacher’s table, a small smile on his face when he hands over the device to his teacher, “I’ve finally finished the video that the chairman has asked of me. I appreciate you for entrusting the job to me.”
“Of course, I’m sure you’ve done a great job as always.” The teacher says, taking the device into his hands as he looks at the video that was currently playing, the visual components he had used bringing out the best of every clip that was given to him and exactly showcasing the school’s prestigious image.
No doubt was it the work of a rising star, a teenage prodigy in his respective industry, respected by all audiences. After all, he had the mind and the hands of an artist, much influenced by the background of his family. The student asks, “How do you like it, Teacher?”
“Okazaki Kairi, you’ve outdone yourself once again. Ouran has high hopes for students like you.” Standing up from the chair, the teacher makes their way out the faculty, the device resting carefully in their arms as they give Kairi a small smile, “You’re dismissed. Thank you.”
A hum escapes the said student’s lips, waving his hands as he goes out of the room soon after.
Walking, he finds himself lost in thought, looking down on the floor and feeling a bit uneasy when there’s something he must have forgotten to do.. or to say..
“Say? Huh, that reminds me, I wonder where Haruhi went..”
Kairi’s head perks up from his thoughts as he panics for a second, his hands tugging at his hair and almost knocking off his thin rimmed glasses from his face. But then he calms himself down, clearing his throat as he finds himself doing a monologue to himself in the middle of an empty hall.
“I shouldn’t be so protective of her.. I’m sure she’s fine and out of trouble. She’s already in highschool after all.”
Hm.. Yeah. Seems reasonable enough! Well, all he could hope was that she was out of trouble’s way and studying peacefully in one of the libraries or any place she saw fit.
“Yeah.. I’m sure she’ll be fine. I’ll just meet up with her after she’s done. What could possibly go wrong?”
…
“From this day on, you will be the club’s new host!” An obnoxiously loud blond proclaims as he points towards Haruhi, who seemed to be in quite the cinch after having broken an 8 million yen silver vase that was inconveniently placed in the middle of the music room that was supposedly unused.
What the hell did she just get into? A sigh escapes her lips when she has no choice but to comply with their silly request of dressing up as a man to pay up her debt. She whispers, feeling defeated as the group of six men look at her with expecting eyes, “..Sorry Kairi, guess I have no choice but to go along with their shenanigans.”
…
By the time the clock struck 5, Kairi could not help the yawn he had been holding back since a while ago, his hand letting go of the pen as he finally finished his homework. It had almost been 2 good hours since Haruhi had gone off by herself to study, and he couldn't help but to worry just what was happening to her.
After all, he was supposed to stick by her side! Well, just for the first week of school that is, but that didn’t mean he could slack off on the third to the last day of his shift.
Just as he packed all his stuff into his bag, he could see the view of a newly changed Haruhi in the distance running towards. Kairi’s eyes widened at the sudden change of outfit. Just who in the world had given her those clothes? And to add, it was the men’s uniform. He raises an eyebrow when she stops in her tracks, quite baffled, “Haruhi? Where'd you go? And where did your other outfit go?”
“Well, you see..” She starts off, thinking about whether she was going to lie to him or tell the truth. She knew that she wouldn’t hear the end of it if her good friend found out that she was roped into a shady club formed by rich people that called themselves ’hosts’. Before she could say anything else, she could feel her friend’s hands rest on her shoulder, an alarmed expression on his face.
“You didn’t enter that unused music room, did you? The one full of obnoxious men that call themselves hosts? The one I keep telling you to stay away from?”
Ah. Now Haruhi remembered! That very room was the one she was asked to keep away from, no matter how desperate she was to study, because it contained nothing but trouble. Though she forgot about it and entered anyway.
Well, it seemed like she has no other choice but to lie then.
She musters up a fake chuckle as she pries Kairi’s hands away from her shoulder, ”Don’t worry Kairi. The school was just kind enough to give me a spare uniform to use and a classmate offered me some contact lenses. Nothing to worry about.”
Kairi didn’t know whether to believe that or not, because why the hell would the school not know that Haruhi was a girl when they had her official records? And let’s be real, the girl had no friends in her class.
But to spare her the trouble, he just lets it be and calms himself down, slinging his bag onto his shoulder as he begins walking, Haruhi following along behind him.
“Well whatever you do, just don’t get acquainted with those hosts, they’re nothing but jokes.” Kairi says with a bit of resignation, finally letting the whole ordeal go when she’s just trying to live her own highschool life.
His skepticism towards the club has Haruhi curious about it and she can’t help but to ask him, catching up to his pace and walking beside him as they take the road home, “Can I ask why you think that? Two of my classmates are part of it and they don’t seem that bad.”
Hearing this makes Kairi stop in his tracks, his hand gripping tightly at his sling bag. There’s an awkward pause between them before Kairi speaks, turning to face Haruhi with a serious look in his face. He says, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, “Because I find it absolutely ridiculous that they have to conform to a specific role just to make a girl happy.”
He continues to speak, finding the topic to be a serious one, “Think about it. All they have to do is be nice and these girls just fall for it every time. Not only that, but they’re being charged just to be treated right! I could do that for free, the club is not that special.”
He huffs, crossing his arms as he finally finishes speaking. He had his firm beliefs about the club and he would not dare to get acquainted with them, not even when two of those members were his classmates.
Haruhi simply looks at Kairi, a small fond smile on her face as she finds it truly like him to be this humble and reasonable, unlike the other rich kids. She was glad that he was that kind of person to treat everyone the same.
“I see... You know, it’s good to know that there are still people like you who are genuinely just kind without expecting anything in return.”
Expecting a response in turn, she unfortunately doesn’t, but she seems to take notice of the look on her friend’s face when she calls out to him, “Kairi? Is there something wrong?”
And just like that, he’s snapped out of his thoughts, his head perking up to look at Haruhi when he continues to walk, “Oh, and there’s one more reason…”
He scratches his neck just slightly when he reveals an important piece of information to Haruhi, “Tamaki Suoh asked me to be a part of that club 2 years ago and things didn’t go well.”
...
“Excuse me what?”
Chapter 2: Rumor
Chapter Text
The next day of school had rolled in and there were more whispers around Kairi more so than usual. Did the video he made for the school get leaked? Or did his older sister’s next film get announced already? He was never really one to ask since some people would just tell him straight up and he’d be like “Oh yeah, my sister is in that show. I’ll tell her you said good luck.”
Except, he supposed that wasn’t the case when no one was approaching him for that very reason. With a shrug, he decided to ignore the whispers and went to his next class, which so happened to be art.
Unfortunately for him, he was the teacher’s favorite, and he would be the one to answer all the questions while the others would just slack off and talk about rich things with their friends.. Curses for having a Viennese mom born into a family line full of great artists.
“Great job Okazaki, I’ll be sure to give you a letter of recommendation. Keep up the good work.” Kairi’s teacher tells him as he moves towards him, making sure the other students don’t hear when they are completely immersed in their respective conversations.
“..Thank you, I guess.” Is all he would respond with when the teacher makes his way out the art room to do something important.
It wasn't long after that they would finally move onto actually painting on the canvas, the instructions already being sent to their butlers and maids when all the other kids were clearly uninterested and just made their way out the room. Damn these rich kids who have way too much time on their hands.
Well, it wasn’t so bad if it meant being alone. The only downside now is that Kairi was left with the two people he didn’t want to interact with, aka the Host Club’s “princely” president and his calculating vice president who he could not read at all.
Groaning, he would move his canvas near the window, covering his figure with the size of it as he focuses on painting. He whispers something to himself, hoping not to catch the attention of the two hosts..
From the other side of the ridiculously large art room, Tamaki could’ve sworn he heard something, looking over to his dear friend with a raised brow and an alarmed look, “Kyoya, did you.. hear something?”
With all the scenarios in his head, he couldn’t help but panic, flailing his hands around in the air before putting them atop Kyoya’s shoulders, his face darkening as he considered the possibilities of something haunting him. Just as the megane was about to say something, Tamaki cuts him off, “What if there’s a ghost in our midst!? Kyoya you don’t think it’s mad at me, don’t you?”
Adjusting his glasses closer to the bridge of his nose, Kyoya would look at the ‘ghost’, an unamused look on his face as he responded to his club president’s worries, “Well, if you’re talking about Okazaki then I suppose yes. You two seem to have a complicated relationship, don’t you?”
Tamaki dramatically steps away from Kyoya, a hand on his chest and one atop his forehead as roses magically flow past his figure, “How dare you speak of our tragic relationship that way! You know Kairi would never abandon me without a reason!”
The megane can only bother to watch his friend’s desperation, sighing just a bit as he takes a look back at the aforementioned, his grey eyes watching as the light shines down on the busy man. If he could convince Kairi somehow.. he would be able to increase the revenue of the club. With that, he would look back at Tamaki and say, “Sure, since you said so yourself.”
And so, as quickly as the noise arises, it dies down. It isn’t long when Kyoya exits the room, leaving only Tamaki and Kairi by themselves. The silence is loud, and the blond man doesn’t dare bother his.. ex-friend despite having this chance to, simply standing still in his spot as he watches him paint from the reflection of the window.
He can’t help but to muster a small smile when he sees him hard at work.. in this institute where the rich have way too much time on their hands doing rich people stuff, Kairi chooses to be the opposite and live life like a normal person. Tamaki sighs, just looking at him as he crosses his arms together, the smile on his face turning bittersweet
“Oh Kairi… I wish you’d just let me know what’s bothering you..”
…
And just like that, the bell rings, signaling for everyone to make their way to the cafeteria. Kairi doesn’t bother to mind it though, just focusing on finishing his artwork when he slips on his headphones to block away all the noise, playing whatever was on his iPod.
He lets his hand freely move around the canvas, making sure to pick the right tone of colors that he needed and blending it all in to create the perfect output.
Those who watch from outside the field can only begin to admire his works from afar, finding him to be the epitome of an artistic prodigy.
After all, he was born into a family full of artists of all backgrounds. A pity, for someone like him who just wants to be normal..
“I’m sorry to bother you Okazaki, but we couldn’t help but to be curious about something..” A girl calls out to him, tapping his shoulder to catch his attention.
Immediately, he stops the music blasting from his headphones and removes it altogether, his attention now focused on the two girls as he asks them, “Hm? What is it? Is there something wrong?”
He notices the way the two girls in front of him blush, paying no mind to it when they seem to be having a bit of a problem, not knowing who should speak to him. Then after a while, the other girl speaks, a nervous smile on her face when she finally says something, “You see, we saw you and Haruhi walking home together after class a few days ago and we just had to ask you..”
“Okazaki, are you gay!? You two seem to be close, so you guys must be dating!”
A wave of silence hits the art room from whatever just transpired..
Kairi looks at the two girls with a blank face, blinking twice as he gives himself the time to process what the hell he just heard out of their mouths. Him? Dating Haruhi? Hell no. He was just a good friend of hers and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Snapping himself out of his trance, he clears his throat, shaking his head in disagreement as he addresses the real elephant in the room, “Well, no. I’m.. not openly gay, nor am I dating Haruhi for that matter. But enough about that. How do you guys even know Haruhi? She doesn’t even talk to anyone.”
The two girls look at each other, seemingly taken aback by his answer. They look back at him and answer his question with gushing faces, “Haruhi’s part of the host club, didn’t you know? He was a new addition to the group a few days ago! He’s a hot shot with the ladies.”
..Well, what a way to find out that his good friend was actually lying about not being closely acquainted with the host club. More than that, she had been working with their silly club for the past few days and he hadn’t even known? It hit him only now that this was the reason why Haruhi had been leaving school so late every day, and he was practically blind to the fact that this was because of that stupid club.
With a smile, Kairi thanks the girls for the newfound information and bids them farewell, an irk mark finding its way to his head as he can’t help but to be annoyed at the fact that Haruhi lied to him in the first place. Surely she would have a valid reason for being with them disguised as a guy, right?
…
Throughout the rest of the day, Kairi had finally found out and came to terms with the fact that the whispers about him were actually about him and Haruhi walking home together. He sighs at the absurdity of it all. Like damn, can’t two two guys just walk home without their sexual attraction being assumed by a bunch of strangers?
Because of the whole ordeal, he now finds himself doing the impossible, his expression slightly defeated as he sees the infamous 3rd music room’s door right in front of his eyes.
He panics for just a slight moment when he realizes how silly this is, his clammy hand just hovering over the golden handle. His heartbeat is jumping out of his chest at this point when he tries to reason with himself.
“Okay Kairi, don't chicken out now. All you have to do is talk to Haruhi about whatever the hell is happening and clear things up so everyone doesn’t think you’re dating your–”
And just as he was about to open the door himself, a strange force on the other side does it for him and he loses his footing, catching himself off guard. Just as he was about to save himself the embarrassment, a familiar face unfortunately comes to his rescue.
At that very moment, all the air gets knocked out of his lungs and his eyes go wide with surprise, his hand resting on the man’s arm..
Well, that would have happened if Haruhi hadn’t saved him from his misery and stopped him by the shoulders.
As Kairi realizes the situation he's in, he immediately pushes himself away from Haruhi and clears his throat, closing the door as he speaks, “For your information, no. I am still not joining your club, and second of all, I’m gonna need an explanation for your lie, Haruhi.”
All hosts within the vicinity turn to look at Haruhi, then back to Kairi with confused expressions, “Haruhi? Lying?”
Kairi now felt a bit uncomfortable since he was around the very people he chose to ignore, but he decided he wasn’t going to beat around the bush and ask her what was happening.
Haruhi was now in a tight spot, a bit mortified that her friend found out about the whole shtick she was in, but since the club was going to open up soon, she figured she’d just say it now than leave Kairi hanging until the very end of her shift.
She sighs, slumping her shoulders as she finally explains her situation..
By the end of all that explanation, Kairi could only stay silent. After all, Haruhi having broken an 8 million vase was a pretty big deal to the host club and he understood that to pay it off, she would have to become a host. Yet.. He couldn’t bring himself to watch her spend the rest of her highschool life indebted to this very club.
“Haruhi.. I could’ve just paid it off you know? I know you’re a bit of a hard headed girl but I’m always here to help.”
“I know that, but I can’t always have you helping me out. This time, I want to do things myself without having to rely on you, not on your money either.” Haruhi responds, trying to reason with her friend. She knew he meant well, but she had to take accountability for her accident.
These words take Kairi aback, leaving him speechless as his eyes unconsciously wander to the man in the middle, and they make eye contact for a short second, but he immediately looks away and towards Haruhi again. He crosses his arms as he gives in to her.
He sighs, “Fine, Haruhi. I’ll let you take part in the club, but you still have to let me walk you home or your dad will kill me.”
“That’s a deal then.”
All's well ends well, at least for Haruhi. But just as Kairi was going to say something else, Kyoya did instead, writing down something on his clipboard before showing it to him, “By the way, I should let you know our handbook explicitly states that our hosts should not be seen walking home with non-members.”
“Yeah! It’s a grave offense to our customers!” Twin one says, raising his finger up to prove a point like he was some nerd or something.
“After all, our customers might get the wrong idea.” Twin two says as he raises his finger as well, copying the way his brother looks. If anything, Kairi might think this was the more lukewarm one between the two.
Kairi completely ignores them and turns to Kyoya, “So? It's not gonna be the end of the world if the girls see me with Haruhi. We’re just friends.”
Tamaki could be seen whispering something into Kyoya’s ear, The other members trying to listen in to what he was saying.
The megane hums in response, adjusting his glasses again when he looks at Kairi with that same annoying expression he dons on his face, “He says it will be. And so, we would formally like you to make a public statement to the girls later on to clear up the misunderstanding or we will use any kind of means to force you to join the club.”
“Excuse me?” Kairi deadpans, looking at Haruhi before exploring his options and thinking thoroughly about it. He stays quiet for a short moment before responding, “Well, I mean if it makes you get off my trail, sure.”
He didn’t know if it was just him imagining things, but he could see Tamaki visibly taken aback and silently sulking. A thing that has naturally come to grow with him through the years he’s known him, it seems. Well whatever the case, he simply huffs, not caring at all for whatever his two classmates seemed to be plotting.
…
Kairi stays away from all the attention as the doors open to the public (aka the girls), simply doing his homework beside Kyoya‘s table. He raises an eyebrow, completely surprised at just how many girls actually swarm their way through the hallways just to see these men.
It was silly, the host club was just a leisure activity made by rich men with too much time on their hands, for rich women who also had too much time on their hands. Who in their right mind would pay a bunch of cash just to be treated right? It was completely ridiculous, all of it.
Kyoya, who happened to be typing away at his computer without a care in the world, could already feel his hatred for the club and he didn’t even have to look up to see it.
“I’d advise you to stop aggressively writing on your homework, you’re going to mark the table and the price for that was quite expensive.”
Kairi snaps out of his trance when he gets called out for his behavior, a faint red hue on his face when he can't help but to get embarrassed. He whispers, putting down his pen and looking at Kyoya just by his peripheral vision, “..You know, I still don’t understand why you , of all people, would go along with Tamaki’s shenanigans.”
There’s a strange silence between them when Kairi awaits for a response, his hands grabbing at his own pants when they become clammy once more.
Kyoya looks his way to Kairi, his expression unchanging when he stops typing, “Is that so? That’s quite odd, because I don’t understand why you would decline Tamaki’s offer. You two were like two peas in a pod back in middle school.”
Kairi abruptly stands up from his chair, his hands slamming on the table he was using as his green eyes fall to Kyoya’s grey ones. He opened his mouth to say something, but the voice of Tamaki resonates in the music room, “Excuse me ladies! Thank you for being here today. As you all know, there has been a rumor of one of my dearest hosts and his friend.. going out. We’d like to clear things up, so we invited Okazaki Kairi to explain the situation.”
Kairi’s eyes reluctantly look away from Kyoya after what he had just said to him, but he wouldn’t waste another second to go to wherever Tamaki was. He tries his hardest not to look at the man beside him when he breathes, wearing a small smile as he greets the girls, “Good afternoon, everyone. I understand the stress that some of you have been having regarding me and Haruhi’s relationship. But I am glad to have this opportunity to clear things up and announce that we are just good friends and nothing more.”
Kairi looks over to Haruhi, pausing for a moment, as if he was trying to ask for her confirmation to just tell everyone what was happening between them. He makes short eye contact with Tamaki beside him, but he continues to speak, “Additionally, Haruhi and I just walk home together because our neighborhoods are more or less just beside each other’s, if that's what you guys wanted to know..”
Kairi ends that as that and goes on to thanking everyone once more for their understanding, the girls clapping for him and some of them even formally apologizing to him for the misunderstanding. He brushes it off, telling them it’s okay and going back to his spot, sighing and going back to his homework.
“Well, that was certainly a lackluster apology wasn’t it? Though, I won’t complain since the customers seem to be taking the new information well.” Kairi doesn’t bother responding to or looking at Kyoya when he is clearly focused on finishing his homework, his hand working fast to complete the answer.
And yet again, the silence is back.
While there seemed to be a few of Kyoya’s customers who were interested in Kairi, the aforementioned could care less at all. He wasn’t here to tend to rich women’s problems.. just simply finishing his homework and waiting for Haruhi’s shift to end once and for all.
However, once Kyoya’s ears picked up on some of the other conversations of the hosts, he could not help but to look at Kairi, stopping his work completely as he crossed one leg over the other.
Yet.. Just how would he be able to convince him?
He racks his brain for answers to his long-lived question, completely ignoring Honey who seemed to be asking him for a wider range of sweets, and even Tamaki who was currently being ridiculed by the twins.
What was the best course of action to take for a guy like Okazaki? Threats? Maybe blackmail? ..Or would it actually be degrading?
Kyoya could hear the voice of Haruhi in the background calling out to Kairi, and it just so happens that he responds..
Suddenly, a lightbulb in his brain turns on and he can’t help but to smile to himself before going back to work. He guesses that maybe for once in his life, the power of friendship could actually work in his favor.
Chapter 3: The Power of Friendship
Chapter Text
Kairi stood up by the time it was the host club’s dismissal time, his sling bag over his shoulder as he walked towards Haruhi. However, just as he was about to tell her that they should be going home, there was a small tug from the back of his blazer.
He wasn’t that bad of a guy so he decided to entertain the person behind him, who just so happened to be Honey. Well, Kairi has eaten together with him a few times before with Mori.. So he guesses he could tolerate their presence.
“Anything the matter, Honey-Senpai?”
“I was just wondering if you wanted to join me for cake, Ri-chan! I noticed you were too busy finishing your homework so you must have not had any snacks..” He says, looking up at Kairi with pleading eyes while holding his dear Usa-Chan close to him, like he was practically begging the man to stay in the room a bit longer.
“It’s not good to stress by yourself.” Mori briefly speaks in turn, standing beside Honey as he keeps his hands to his sides.
Kairi was just about to say something, finding it a bit sceptical that they decided to overstay his welcome, but Haruhi butts into the conversation, “Besides, I think I’m getting hungry myself.. It gets a bit tiring talking to the customers.”
Kairi’s right eye twitches when he looks over to the other four who seem to be watching from the far distance, his grip on his sling bag almost concerning before he finally speaks, just focusing on the fact that he gets to spend time with the people he tolerates the best in the club, “..Well, if you say so.”
And so, Kairi finds himself sandwiched in between Mori and Honey, and Haruhi who sat in front of them, currently eating a sandwich as she looked at the others with some concern, “Does anyone know why they’re watching us? I’m a bit creeped out, honestly.”
Kairi took a bite off the purple macaron in his hand, the sweetness of it not too overpowering or underwhelming. He couldn’t even bring himself to enjoy the sweets if he was being watched by shady people.
“Well, I don’t know! However, I do know that this strawberry cake is absolutely delicious!” Honey exclaims, taking a large portion of cake into his mouth and practically inhaling it into his system. Mori would simply hum in response, his arms crossed as he does not partake in the snacks himself.
Kairi finished the macaron in his hand, the sweet treat melting in his mouth before he’s had enough with the others hiding. He sighs and calls out, “If there’s anything you want to say, say it now.”
There’s a bunch of inaudible whispers amongst the four people hiding in the corner, save for Kyoya who was simply writing on his clipboard whilst accompanying the three idiots who were on their mission to make sure Kairi didn’t leave.
“Well you see..” Twin one– well.. the one Kairi assumed was Kaoru, says, suddenly appearing beside Haruhi with his arms crossed
“We would..!” Hikaru continues for Kaoru, also appearing on the other side of Haruhi as she wonders just how the hell they teleported from the corner.
“But the only one who can say it is the boss!” The both of them say in unison, and Kairi found the whole thing absolutely stupid. He turns his head to look at Kyoya and Tamaki, an irk mark appearing on his head when he hears such a remark. He huffs, “Well, I don’t want to hear it.”
“I’ll speak for him.” Kyoya says, walking towards the rest of the group and Tamaki following shortly after with a bit of desperation in his eyes. He couldn’t even speak nor look at Kairi, doing so would only provoke the man, and that would upset him. So, to make up for it, he decided to let Kyoya do all the talking.
Kairi stays silent, simply glaring at Kyoya. He says. holding the clipboard close to his figure “You see. We have a proposition for you, if you’re willing to accept.”
Ah. So not exactly something stupid after all. Kairi doesn’t speak when he lets the man speak a bit more, the sound of Honey just eating his strawberry cake making him a bit restless.
“We’re willing to cut Haruhi’s debt by a half only if you agree to help us out as a host.”
Haruhi becomes alarmed by this when she looks at Kyoya, a perplexed look on her face when she tries to argue, “Kyoya-Senpai, I told you, I can do it myself. Kairi you don’t have to–”
“..But it would greatly help you lessen the things you need to worry about. If I can’t pay off your debt, let me at least lessen the load.” Kairi responds, taking a whole macaron into his mouth as he seems to be deep in thought. It was a bad habit of his, but he grew up with it. As they say, old habits die hard.
There’s a bit of hesitation on Haruhi’s part. She didn’t want Kairi to do something she knew he would regret in the future because of personal reasons, but then she looks to see Tamaki’s silent desperate eyes, then back to Kairi's determined ones. If it meant getting these two friends back together, then maybe she should just give in. She says, “Fine. But if you end up regretting this, it’s not my fault Kairi.”
“No worries, I know what I’m getting into, Haruhi.” He says, giving the girl a small smile.
And just as things were about to settle, a sudden force clings onto Kairi and he lets out a small yelp, just softly bumping into Mori. Honey exclaims once more, “Yay! That means you’ll finally be a part of the club, right, Ri-chan?”
“Yeah.. I guess so.”
…
“Okazaki! We heard you’re a part of the club now?” A few girls call out to Kairi, blushes adorning their cheeks as they fawn over the fact that their crush is now finally a part of the famed Host Club.
Aimlessly drawing whatever was on his mind onto his notebook, he would stop the moment he was called out, his eye visibly twitching at the fact he was a part of the very thing he dreaded.
Even though he had accepted the agreement to cut off Haruhi’s debt by a half with full determination and willingness, looking back at it now, he slightly regretted it. But what has been done is done and there is no going back.
And so, with slight hesitation, he looks at the girls and nods his head, keeping his cool when he responds, putting down his pencil and tilting his head just a bit over to the side to really exude that host vibe, “Yes, that’s right. Though it was all sudden, I look forward to serving you ladies.”
He was trying his hardest to hold himself back from reacting violently to what he had just done, and since it meant avoiding a lengthy discussion with Kyoya, he’d do well to do so, only letting a simple chuckle when he sees the girls reacting just as he thought they would.
What a bunch of easy-minded people.. He thinks to himself as he puts his headphones on and goes back to doodling down on his notebook, the next teacher coming into the classroom for the last subject of the day..
Surprisingly, no one bothers to approach him after class, even after he peacefully dozes off into the distance, the music continuing to blast into his ears and the dew of the sun shining down on him, like he was some kind of romance protagonist.
Those who come across him can only help but to stare at him with a hint of a blush on their cheeks, finding him completely unreal and out of reach. They hold each other back from crowding the boy, as if it was illegal to stand near him within a 1m radius.
Though, Kairi’s little nap would soon be disturbed when an unknown force takes his headphone off his head, immediately stirring him awake as he scrambles to stand up from his seat, the onlookers watching as he grabs the person's hand and suddenly.. traps him against the table behind them.
Kairi didn’t have time to process what he had just done when he looks at the man with a bit of a panicked expression, a bit embarrassed as well as his hand slightly slips away from the arm he was pinning down.
From the near distance, he could hear the girls gushing about how hot he was for doing that and how cute the expression on his face is. He can’t help but groan slightly, just letting go of the man’s hand and deciding to snatch away his headphones. Yet, just as he was about to…
“Not so fast! You can’t just pin me down onto the table like this and act like it’s normal.” And suddenly, a hand is on Kairi’s shoulder, the man’s grip firm as he seemed to have no intention of moving away.
“It's not my fault this happened. You practically snatched my headphones away from me so of course I’d act right away without thinking.” Kairi explains, the incessant whispering of girls outside the classroom becoming louder.
“And besides, would you let go already and give me my headphones back? You would be better off performing those weird stunts you do with your brother.”
A huff escapes the twin’s mouth, raising an eyebrow at the comment when he finally gives in and releases Kairi, giving him back his headphones when he scratches the back of his head. He says, “Man, you sure can be rude even with that face of yours.. No wonder the Boss becomes so quiet when you’re around.”
Kairi doesn’t bother to say anything against that when he simply lets him go for now, putting his headphones around his neck and fixing his stuff.
“Why’re you even here anyway? Did you decide to ditch your twin in hopes of independence from the facade you two put on or what?” He asks the twin, wearing his sling bag and crossing his arms as he looks over to him.
The twin grimaces slightly at the questions, feeling a bit awkward right now when he tries his best to stay nonchalant. He scoffs, trying to look all high and mighty, ”I absolutely did not abandon Kaoru. He just.. went ahead, that’s all! Besides, I was just trying to make sure you didn’t bail on the club and ran away.”
“Hmm.. Yeah, sure you did.” Kairi responds sarcastically to the twin he now knew was Hikaru, a bit of a snarky smirk on his face. “Even though I regret it, I have no plans of backing out. After all, it cut Haruhi’s debt in half. I even made a promise to Haruhi last night when we were walking home. So I’m not going away anytime soon.. Unfortunately.”
Before Hikaru could even ask him anything, Kairi already started walking away and out the classroom, where he’d greet all the girls and encourage them to visit the club later. He wasn’t really happy to do it, but he supposes if he was going to do something, he should do it well.
Hikaru followed briefly, scrambling around to fix the two tables and himself before running over to Kairi, trailing behind him as the group of girls finally dispersed after they decided to let them have their alone time.
The walk between them was silent and long, with Kairi just walking, and Hikaru desperately trying to strike up a conversation that was worth talking about with his senior.. Usually, he’d be the annoying brat he is and would be talking non stop, but right now, he seemed to be the opposite.
It was a bit of a shock, even for himself. But, maybe.. This was exactly just the kind of wake up call that he needed.
“Hikaru! Don't just stand there. We’re gonna be late for opening hours if you stare off into the distance.” And just like that, he was snapped out of his trance. He didn’t even know he stopped walking in the first place.
With a chuckle, he catches up to Kairi, his hand gripping at the sling of his bag when he jumps towards him and wraps his free arm around his senior’s shoulder.
“Don’t need to remind me. Anyway, how about you tell me more about yourself? It would be good to start our friendship with a couple of easy questions. What do you say?”
“Hard pass.”
“Geez, you’re so rude! You can’t even bother to spend one single glance at me!”
…
And maybe, this was the perfect way to start off a new friendship.