"Welcome, princesses. We've been expecting you." The doors opened and seven young men stood together, bowing slightly toward the awaiting horde of overexcited young women. The overexcited group of young women which I stood in. I wasn't yet sure how I felt about that. The rest of the girls stampeded into the not-quite-music room and I trailed along behind them, a peculiar burble of excited anticipation and nervous tension messing with my stomach. This wasn't the first time I had attended the Host Club's after school activities, but it was the first time I had attended them without on my own. It had always been Minako dragging me along to these tea parties. However, Minako had graduated the month before so I was on my own today.
While the other girls peeled off towards their various dates, I paused to look around, glad to be back. The idea of a high school host club was crazy, half of the members were some level of crazy and most of the clientele was well past crazy, but I had always found the club soothing. Maybe that meant I was crazy too.
"Princess Shinobu," a cultured tone caught my attention and I turned toward the person who had called my name. "It's been a while since we saw you here. We are happy to have you back."
"Thank you, Kyouya," I smiled at the approaching bespectacled host. "But you know I'm no princess," I reminded him with only a hint of real censure. While every other girl and every host here was class A of their respective grade levels, I was firmly Class 2-B; the lot of the perspective poor. When Minako had first dragged me with her, insisting that I just had to meet the wonderful Host Club, I had felt completely out of place. Minako had been a third year while I had been a first year. That combined with the fact that I was the only class B student there made me feel more like a lady-in-waiting than a princess. After noting the discomfort I felt with the term in passing to Tamaki Suoh, the Host Club's president, the entire club had taken to calling me Lady Shinobu instead. They had never treated me differently, but I felt more comfortable and stopped protesting whenever Minako brought me along.
"Of course, my lady, forgive my thoughtlessness. Though you cannot blame me for my forgetfulness when your beauty is so radiant." Yes, I knew that everything the hosts said was an act, but I couldn't help the blush that rose in my cheeks.
"Thank you, Kyouya."
"I believe you are with Mori-senpai today, my lady. Would you like me to escort you?" He held out a hand in offering and a smile curved his lips.
"That's okay," a deep voice rumbled behind me. "I'm here." I turned yet again to see the oldest host and his slightly younger cousin surrounded by several other girls.
"C'mon, Lady Shinobu!" Honey-senpai bounced while three of his dates fawned over him with adoring eyes. Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai were polar opposites—compliments in every way. Mori-senpai was tall, dark and silent. Honey-senpai was small, bright and talkative. They were the same age and were both third years, but Honey-senpai looked and acted like a kindergartener more often than not. Mori-senpai constantly ran after his cousin, caring for and cleaning up after the smaller boy. He rarely spoke, but Honey-senpai carried on enough for the both of them with his charming babble. The little boy took hold of my hand and dragged me with him, the two of us leading the others to Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai's usual table.
Honey-senpai entertained all of us with his cheerful prattle and the other girls cooed over him, occasionally asking silly questions. Mori-senpai and I quietly sipped our tea, watching the others for several minutes before either of us spoke.
"You haven't been here for a while," he said.
Honey-senpai turned from his conversation and voiced his cousin's unasked question. "Where have you been Lady Shinobu?"
"I've been around," I said vaguely. There was no reason to point out my lack of expendable funds.
"Is it because Princess Minako graduated last term?" he pressed.
"Partly, yes."
"What brought you back?" Mori-senpai asked.
"Minako again," I explained. "She said I had to come for my birthday." My best friend was sometimes silly and frivolous, but she was always generous and gave excellent presents, like this afternoon for instance.
"It's your birthday?" Honey-senpai practically yelled, calling the attention of several others our way and I blushed again. I only nodded, but he jumped up. "This calls for more cake!" he announced and rand off to get the apparently necessary treat. I wasn't going to object, of course; the Host Club supplied the best cakes and sweets.
"Happy Birthday," Mori-senpai said in his low voice. Throughout the afternoon, several people stopped by our table to wish me a happy birthday, including each of the hosts in turn. Tamaki rushed over to wish me love, beauty and happiness with his usual flowery words. Kyouya wished me good fortune. The Hitachiin twins wished me an interesting year with a terrifying double waggle of eyebrows. The new host, Haruhi Fujioka, wished me a good year. Honey-senpai wished me a sweet year as he presented me with a slice of lime cake. "I put extra whip cream on it just for you, Lady Shinobu," he told me with a wide smile.
"Thank you, Honey-senpai," I told him, wondering how he knew I loved the extra sugar. I sat with Mori-senpai for the rest of the afternoon, occasionally making conversation while we watched Honey-senpai entertain their guests. Most of the girls cycled in and out of the room or through the hosts, but I was content to stay where I was. I enjoyed watching everyone enjoy themselves. I noticed Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin teasing Haruhi Fujioka and the smaller boy laughing at their antics. The three of them looked uncommonly comfortable with one another in that moment, as if they all belonged together. Obviously, the twins always looked like a pair, a matched set, but I had never before seen them extend the same sort of belonging to anyone else. I wished I had my camera with me to capture the moment, but I had left it at home. My teachers had begun to get upset with me when I started taking pictures midway through their lectures, even when my camera was only directed out the window.
I stayed where I was until the hosts announced closing time and began ushering us out. "Wait, Lady Shinobu!" Honey-senpai called as I was saying my goodbyes to Mori-senpai. He handed me his beloved pink Usa-chan and ran off, returning only a moment later with another slice of cake, chocolate this time. "Here, you should take this with you since it's your birthday!"
"Thank you, Honey-senpai," I smiled at the small boy as I traded him his bunny for the cake. "But what about the plate?" I had already taken the offering from him, but the plate was fine china, too expensive for the club to just give away.
"You are welcome to take it with you, Lady Shinobu," Kyouya said and I jumped. He was standing at my elbow, but I hadn't heard his approach. "As long as you return it soon, I don't see it as a problem." I knew an advertising tactic when I heard one. Kyouya wasn't just reminding me that I had to return the plate, he was encouraging my return as well which would mean more revenue for the Host Club. I repressed a smirk, twisting it into a smile instead.
"Of course, Kyouya," I said before adjusting my bag on my shoulder and waving to the other hosts on my way out the door.
My phone started ringing the second I stepped into the hall and I smiled, already knowing who it was before I dug it out of my bag. "Hello, Minako," I answered.
"So, how was it?" she asked not bothering to begin with a 'hello'. I laughed at her enthusiasm. "How was the Host Club, Shinobu?"
"It was wonderful, as always," I told her. "Honey-senpai even sent me home with extra cake." I smiled at the slice still balanced on my left hand. "It was the best birthday present ever," I assured her and I heard her tinkling laugh echo across the line.
"Of course it was." She adopted a pompous tone like her tutors had had when we were younger and she was still in school. She switched back to her usual voice. "I'm glad you liked it. How was Mori? I figured I should ease you back into the Host Club. You haven't been to see them since the last time I took you, have you. It's been at least three months, right?" She didn't wait for me to answer before she continued on. "You really should go more. Remember when we used to go every two weeks?"
"Yes, Mina, and then you got engaged," I reminded her.
"Yes," she sighed happily. Her marriage may have been arranged by their parents, but somehow, they had fallen in love.
It was all very inspiring.
"Are you coming over tonight?" she asked, once again alert.
"Not tonight. Hibiki is coming home for dinner so I have to make sure everything is ready before he gets here."
"Hibiki's back?" she asked.
"Well, not yet, but he will be."
"How's he doing at school? Does he like it? Is he a doctor yet?"
"Not for several more years, idiot," I laughed at her. "But he likes it, I think. I'll give you the full report tonight." Minako had had a huge crush on my brother since we were little kids. I don't think that little crush ever went away and she still checked up on him every now and again.
"Perfect! Will you be able to come over tomorrow? I need help!"
"What's the issue now?" Minako was planning a completely western wedding, unsurprising considering that her father was British. He had a big family so she had been to dozens of her cousins' weddings and now she wanted her own.
"The color. I had no idea that there was such a huge difference between lavender and lilac." If I was an artist, Minako was a writer. She had always been able to spin the most boring of events into the most epic of tales—in fact I owed last year's passing history grade to hours of listening to her retell the stories of all the people I had previously thought old and boring. Now, I listened to her go over the latest stress of planning a wedding. "She says that lilac and lavender are two completely different statements and I need your help!" she concluded and several minutes.
"I'll come over tomorrow then," I promised. "Can it wait until then?"
"You're a lifesaver, Shinobu!" she exulted. "The best, the smartest, most trustworthy friend ever!"
"Of course, I am," I grinned. "I'm home now though, so I need to be going."
"Alright, say hi to Hibiki for me. And happy birthday!" I hung up as I walked up the front path to my home. We had lived there for as long as I could remember and I loved my home. When Minako had first seen it though, back when we were little kids, she had pitied me. Minako's father was the CEO of a software company and had more wealth than anyone would know what to do with. Their house was large and luxurious and Minako had never known differently. My home wasn't small or shabby by regular standards, but to the aristocracy, I'm sure it looked like a hovel. I didn't care though. It was home and that was the important part.
As my fingers touched the doorknob, it was yanked out of my grasp. "Little sister!"
"Hibiki?" I was engulfed in a bear hug before I could draw the breath to say another word. His grip was tight and he seemed to forget that the cycle of inhaling and exhaling was necessary for survival because he didn't loosen his grip as he spun me around. Finally, I was set back on my feet, dizzy, and quickly stumbled into the wall.
"Shinobu, are you okay?"
"Hibiki, you're early."
"Do you want me to leave?" he teased. He dropped his shoulders and hunched his back, already walking down the front steps and towards the street. "I guess I'll just go then. Bye."
"Get back here!" I shouted at him, catching the grin he tried to hide. "I only meant that I haven't had time to get everything ready yet."
"I've seen to it, dear." I turned to see Hitomi Yukimura, our housekeeper, standing in the doorway and watching us with an affectionate look in her eye. She had been our housekeeper since I was in elementary school. Hitomi was practically family.
"Thank you, Hitomi," I said, "but you've stayed late again. You didn't have to do that." She waved away my words like it was nothing.
"It was no trouble, dear. Besides, I got to have a nice long talk with Hibiki and it's been so long." Hibiki was currently attending university to become a doctor, like our father. My dad worked for Minako's family, the Oshiro's, as their private doctor and had since I was four. My mother was a nurse at a local hospital. With Hibiki going into the medical field as well, many people expected me to follow the rest of them in two years when I graduated. Personally, I wasn't sure yet. However, Hibiki was enjoying his training and for now, that was good enough. Hitomi went home and I let Hibiki regale me with tales of his classes, experiments and wacky lab partner for hours until our parents arrived home for dinner. I was spoiled with all the attention from my family and I didn't mind one bit. It had been months since we had been all together at one time and I had missed it.
It wasn't until late that night when I was preparing for bed and I saw the slice of cake I had left on my night stand that I remembered the Host Club at all.