Multiple heels clicked against the marble, pristine floor as the students flowed out of class at Ouran Academy, an enormous crowd of yellow dresses walking intently up the staircase toward Music Room 3.
The Ouran Host Club was situated there amidst a flurry of beauty and wealth. Six handsome, incredibly charming young men could be found there weaving their way to almost every female students hearts, and even the teachers themselves were often mystified by the group.
As the high school girls flowed through the doors of the music room, red rose petals fluttered around them all, fragments of the flower resting at their feet, guests drooling over six figures feet away: the legendary Host Club, a club in a category of their own. Gathering the other four members, six of the most attractive, respected, and wealthy male students in the institution created a place where every girl may feel like a princess.
Such is the infamous Host Club, club extraordinaire. This is the very club Chiyo Naotosuta found herself surrounded by.
"Welcome!"
I stepped into the room as they welcomed us with bright smiles – the mass of sighs and giggles heard from the girls was undeniably loud. I tried my hardest not to furrow my brows at having to hear it all, remembering why I was here in the first place: to visit Mitsukuni. We were all led to our respective couches and I welcomed the sight of pastries upon pastries nearly toppling over on the display Morinozuka and his cousin had beside them. I smiled as I sat next to eager girls who couldn't stop giggling thinking about how I hadn't come around in a while. Seeing Mitsukuni was a nice blast from the past – I should have come around sooner this year. He's a good acquaintance I made last year by chance, so I never saw any harm in stopping by every once in a while and see how he was doing. Mindless chatter soothed the soul and his sweet disposition was the kind of pickup I needed at the moment.
I giggled along with the others, posturing, posing, pretending to be ladylike just as well as them to play along with the farce I chose to be coming to this school year after year. The worst part was that the uniforms got worse. Despite the minor irritation building up at the back of my mind, I would be in a better mood tomorrow. For now, menial conversation would do. I glanced up at the enthusiastic blond and the stoic giant and smiled softly behind my teacup listening to his latest story of how he woke up his brother late at night with this midnight "snacks".
Mostly everyone had cleared out of school for the day, except for a few stragglers, me being one of them. My dad was late today, something that I'm used to happening; he was a busybody and liked it. As much as I understood his reasoning it was still irksome to be waiting alone out front.
"Maybe I should convince him to let me get my own car," I muttered to myself. "But then I'd have to figure out where to park it." I sighed and leaned even more heavily against the clean stone behind me checking my watch. The minutes kept ticking by and by now a fair bit of annoyance was valid because it was past five and he was still nowhere to be found – I had to start getting dinner ready soon or it would be takeout tonight. I pulled out my phone to dial his number when his name popped up on the screen.
"Dad? Where are you? It's been an hour since the club closed," I asked, annoyance audible in my voice.
"I know, sweetheart, work just has me here late again. Do you think you could walk home today? Please? I'll make it up to you later, I promise," he pleaded. "We can even go ahead and just order out tonight, I don't want to stress you out more tonight; I know you're anxious about tomorrow."
Called it.
I huffed out and leaned against the wall of the school, shifting the hold on my cell to rub my arms, hoping for a little more comfort. "Honestly, what could have you there working so late that you can't come by for a minute or two? It's already past five, Dad. I know that you like staying extra hours because Mom isn't at home, but that doesn't mean you can just go around stranding me. C'mon, take a break today." My voice dropped to a barely heard whisper near the end of my sentence, grip loosening. "I miss company. It's lonely being the only person in the house somedays."
"Chi, I -"
"I'll see you later at home. Bye." With that, the conversation ended and my head met the hard surface behind me. "This is just great." I looked up at the gray sky, the whole scenery drab and lifeless. "Well, we won't get there sighing, now will we?" Deciding on yakitori for tonight in case Dad wanted a drink, I pushed off the gates, but I didn't get three feet from the entrance before I heard a childish voice.
"Are you okay?"
Looking over my shoulder, I found the blond child staring at me from on top of the shoulders of a tall, raven-haired teen. Now, I wasn't clueless, I knew who they were: the famous cousins of the Host Club, Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai. Confusion was clear on my face as I stuttered out the upperclassman's name. "Haninozuka-senpai? I, uh, yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Doing a one-eighty, I faced the two older students, the smaller having jumped off his ride.
"Is your chauffeur still not here?" he wondered.
Okay, He doesn't know me beyond the few encounters we've had over the past year and he's worried? He really is a sweetheart. He's staring up at me with these huge light brown eyes and his eyebrows are furrowing and this just really, really... strange. It's uncanny.
"Um, my dad was supposed to pick me up, he's just held up at work. I was going to walk home since it's not that far. You guys should be heading home, too. It's getting late," I tentatively smiled at the pair and waved as I headed off down the sidewalk.
"Wait, I can take you home!" The blond had offered from his spot, making me once again turn around, confused on whether I was going crazy or if he already was.
I did the only thing I could at the moment: stare. He was offering me a ride home. I laughed. Through short bursts of laughter, I nodded. Yeah, he's definitely the crazy one. "You only really know my name from the Host Club visits, and you don't really know me beyond those encounters. But," I paused and just stared for a moment at the seemingly unbelievable pair, "thank you, I really appreciate it!" My nose scrunched up with my smile and my mood lifted slightly from their generosity. The car – limousine rolled around only a few minutes later and we climbed in, me directing the driver while simultaneously profusely thanking Morinozuka and Haninozuka. Maybe I'll order dessert too.
Sitting down in the same spot as yesterday, I greeted the two upperclassmen along with the other guests.
"So, ladies, how are you guys?" The squealing then began and the former ate his strawberry cake without a care in the world, bunny at one side, cousin on the other.
Being the only sensible one in the bunch, I answered, the thing normal people do because apparently these people never learned that. "I'm sure we're all good, Haninozuka-senpai. And how are you and Morinozuka-senpai?"
The blond senior caught the tone in my voice and gave his own light chuckle and gave his own response. We conversed about the classes we all had for the day and how third-years wanted to enjoy their time this semester before they dropped all activities; the younger students all whinged at the thought of losing Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai's company after school. This was how most visits to the room would go for the rest of the year, except today was going to be a little different for me.
I glanced down at my watch and, noticing the time, shot up, muttering a short expletive under my breath. "Excuse me, I have to leave early today. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a nice day," I rushed out, snatching up my bag at my feet, tripping slightly and waving a hand behind me. I proceeded to speed walk through the maze of this school, racing to the front gate. Why run? Why expend great levels of energy to end up sweaty and disgusting?
Simple.
My friend was starting tomorrow at Ouran, so I promised to give her a hand. She was allowed to come in a day late, a way to reassure us that she had all the materials she needed as well as to avoid the utter mayhem that was the first day of school at the academy. In my opinion, it would be more of a case of total mental preparation. Ouran Academy isn't filled with the brightest of students. And that was pretty much a guarantee that the 'commoner-honor- student' jokes would be used. They're such a joy, aren't they?
Second thing, don't think I ran all the way there; I ran for probably a minute till I just gave up completely – better said my calves gave up completely. There was no way I was doing that the entire time. She could wait a little bit longer, my lungs needed a rest.
The road lined with the apartment complex and the opposite side filled with small houses became closer by the second.
Yes, small houses. I go to Ouran and live in a small house. When my parents moved to the neighborhood before I was born they hadn't yet made it big in their jobs, and they didn't feel the need to waste time moving when Mom started going away on trips for longer periods of time. Dad's working late all the time now too, so it's mostly me. Mom stops by occasionally and always brings the prettiest decorations for the house. Working with sustainable development she was gone often, immersed in solving the world's issues through new roads, accommodations, sometimes new houses she helped build herself. She preferred the hands-on experience despite being in charge of her own company. She had deputies to handle to face-to-face conversations and she dealt with the realities. Living here was just the best choice for us, the neighbors are great company, especially – all the little old ladies come by to check in on me if they don't see my dad's car out front. Speaking of neighbors, the friend I mentioned is one of them.
I ditched my bag in my house, throwing it on a chair, a desk, something wooden, and ran back out across the street to her apartment, a hard move in the monstrous dress that was the girls' uniform. A flight of stairs later and a few knocks later, Haruhi Fujioka opened the door.
"Hey, Chiyo," she smiled at me, having to tilt her head up just a little, a few barrettes holding her bangs back. "I'm making dinner now, so we can talk about Ouran while I cook." She opened the door wider for me to enter. She went back over to the kitchen, leaving me to take off my shoes and follow her lead. Haruhi making dinner is really just her cooking while I bother her with questions about the dish and other nonsense. It's not that I come mooch off her every day; I make my own meals most of the time, but they're nothing compared to her food, so I gladly come and harass her for food and company.
"Sooooo," I started as a I picked one of the carrots she was slicing up to help around a little, "any last minute questions? Uniform? Policies? I won't be able to help you as much during school since you'll be in 1-A and I'm in 2-B. Ask away now, Haru, before it's too late." Said girl paused her prepping to give me a blank stare. It's her nicer way of saying she's fine.
Without batting an eye she said, "Chiyo, I've been okay with all the rules for a while now. I don't even know why they gave me an extra day to get ready." At that, I laughed. Oh, how little she really knew about Ouran.
"Trust me, you'll need it. The place is full of crazy children."
"I'm sure I won't."
Haruhi finished up her cooking and started playing with her short, messy hair, fixing the clips and generally fiddling with it. The neighborhood kids had stuck their gum in it and she had to chop it off. Her dad and I were oblivious to that, though, coming home to a great surprise at the end of the day.
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us when you went for the scholarship," I voiced. Hoping she wouldn't notice my hand, I slipped it onto the cutting board and snatched up another one the carrot slices. "You always were stubbornly independent." Right after I spoke a loud bang echoed in the tiny apartment.
"I'm home! Where's my lovely daughter! Haruhiiiiii!" The voice suddenly called out from the doorway, and we both knew who it was instantly.
"Hey, Ranka!"
"Hey, Dad."
The brunet strolled in, his hair a little frizzed and the mascara slightly smudged, but all in all, he was Ranka. And Ranka meant the following.
"Oh, my Haruhi! And my little Chichan is here, too. Are you staying for dinner? You are? You are! I'll just set the table for three and we can have a good dinner!"
Conversations like this one were the norm with Ranka, and that's why I love him. He's just so bubbly and comforting. It's a nice change from stuffy and annoying.
"Dinner's ready, Chi. Could you help me with the pot?"
I looked over at Haruhi struggling to lift the pot filled with what I hoped was her stew - trust me when I say it's glorious - and I hopped off the counter I had decided could be sat on, and grabbed one of the handles myself.
The night ended with a family dinner consisting of Ranka, Haruhi, and I. Dad wasn't going to be home till midnight apparently and I was just going to leave him some leftovers Ranka forced into my hands for dinner. He'd come home late, and the most I could make this late in the night was probably toaster waffles. Besides, I need sleep if I was going to prepare for Haruhi's first day of school.
Slipping on my shoes, I looked up at the forgotten of Ouran Academy and asked her one last time. "Are you positive that you're all set?"
Letting out a sigh, the teenage Fujioka assured me. With that in mind, I took my leave, giving a casual wave to the family of two and calling out a 'good night' to them.
Tomorrow's finally the big day.