What's up, my fellow readers! I would like to apologize to everyone for being dead on Fanfiction. That is mainly because of my lack of motivation and that I have become addicted to Tumblr. If you want to find me its Kaleidoscope13579, but I mainly post Dramatical Murder. I wasn't planning to upload this on Fanfiction, but then I thought why not? This fic hasn't already been posted on my Tumblr. I'm also considering an account on Achieve of Our Own. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!~ (I gotta stop making Ouran AU)
Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me!
-Ouran High School Host Club belongs to by Bisco Hatori
-DRAMAtical Murder belongs to Nitro+Chiral
Chapter 1
"…Oh…" A boy with long blue hair breathed out a heavy sigh as he stared through an open crack of a library door. The library room seemed to be crowded with a lot of other students too chatting away. 'Great, not this place too. This was the 4th library room I checked out already and it's still as loud and packed as the other ones. I won't get any much studying done…not with this environment…' He thought to himself as he dejectedly closed the library door. 'Better find a new place…' With a new motivation, he trailed off into the main hallways.
Platinum Jail Academy is a well-educated private institute for the super rich people of all the districts in all of Midorijima. Supposedly, it's a very hard school to get accepted in if one's a commoner. Standing as the head principal of the school was Professor Toue. The school was very big and grand with a lot of areas where students can hang out of their choice. Mainly, there are five- Flame Willow, Green Playground, Black Valley, Aqua's Forest and Midnight Blue Coast. 'I remember a huge ridiculous panda greeting me on my first day of orientation.' And there was Oval Tower standing as Platinum Jail's symbol, the head office of Prof. Toue and also where they would hold special commemoration events. A very extravagant and magnificent school to attend for such a small-time Old Resident District commoner like Aoba to feel out of place already.
Aoba was slumping through the halls as he looked out towards the wide windows to his side. It was a bright and sunny weather outside, but it didn't help at all to lighten Aoba's mood. 'Oh…Mom and Dad, wherever you guys are doing your whole traveling around the world thing…please hear me out…this whole place gets more and more difficult for me to get use to each passing day. It's already enough to know that I obviously don't fit in well with the rich kids and for the fact I get mistaken as a girl multiply times because of my long hair. *Sigh* I wish I was at home back at the Old Resident Distinct with grandma and Sei. I wonder how he's doing.' Aoba deliberately trailed off in his mind as he wondered by. That's when something in his one-shoulder backpack he was carrying stir inside and popped its head out.
"Aoba." A deep low and electronic voice called out.
"Ren?" Aoba referred to his allmate, a black Pomeranian (or Spitz) dog. "What's the matter?"
"You're thinking too much again. My though circuit is almost short-circuiting." Ren informed.
"Ah…sorry, my bad." He sheepishly replied.
"It is alright. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine just…I wish I could find somewhere quiet to study. Ren, can you direct me to a room with hopefully less people in it maybe?"
"I will do my best."
"Thanks." Aoba felt much more reassured than before. Allmates were usually allowed at school since they can help students with their studies and whatnot. They can be programmed to fit the knowledge about the academy when you first registered at orientation. Without Ren, Aoba would have probably gotten lost a couple times to his classes since the school was just so large.
"Aoba, I'm aware that there is an unoccupied 3rd music room just down the hall." Ren spoke up cutting Aoba's thoughts.
"Seriously? There isn't a band that usually uses it for practice or anything?"
"As far as I am updated, no. This room is the only one that the band club is not using; it has been vacant for a while now."
"Oh, well that's good then. Shall we go check it out together then?" He grinned. Ren nodded with a bark and a wag from his tail. Following up Ren's reply, Aoba pursued down the hall and approached an unfamiliar-looking door. Aoba stood in front of it when he felt that something was off about this door or maybe what could be inside of it.
"Is this the right place?" Aoba said unsurely. He inspected it and noticed that the sign on it said 'Glitter', not Music Room #3. He had an anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach suddenly from just standing outside of the door and he didn't know why.
"According my settings, this should be the place. Are we still going in, Aoba?" Ren asked.
"Uh…I see why not, but…" Aoba's hand move towards the door handle, but he paused before turning it. He couldn't figure why, but he just felt like once he opened the door that something big would happen to him.
And it did. Aoba didn't know that when he opened this door that it would change his life dramatically.
When he slowly open the door that the first thing he saw was a shining white light that made it impossible to see anything beyond the room. His eyes squinted from the harsh brightness of it. Then, a swarm of rose petals blew directly to his face. When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw 6 dark shadows standing in the mist of the whiteness.
It was like they were waiting for him. They even greeted him with warm "Welcome!"
Aoba's eyes went wide open. Whether he knows it or not, whether it was fate or not, his peaceful life was never going back to the way it was.
Aoba stood frozen at the door as he stared at the 6 handsome men who were looking at him strangely. However, he heard about them before; these guys were famous around school. According to Aoba's knowledge of the rumors: the guy sitting on a chair in the center with striking red eyes and dark navy hair in a ponytail was Koujaku- son of Rib company, Beni-Shigure, famous for styling hair for women.
The short, messy blonde with light green eyes and has on so many piercings on his face and ears was Noiz- son of a wealthy German-Japanese family that owns a Rhyme company called Ruff Rabbits.
Then there were the similar-looking blonde guys that looked like twins, one was in glasses and the other one slightly more muscular and taller were Virus and Trip- rumored to be working with the yakuza and a supporting Rib company of Prof. Toue called Morphine.
Another guy with short, scruffy white hair wearing a gas mask was Clear- not much info about him, but it has been rumored that he personally knows Prof. Toue himself.
And the last one behind all of them standing out as the tallest with long and brown dreadlocks fading to auburn and red at the ends of the tips and put in a ponytail with dark blue-green eyes was Mink- son of a Rib company called Scratch (though there were some nasty rumors Aoba chose to ignore.)
"Ah…is it a guy or a girl?" Noiz with bored expression spoke up first.
"W-What…is this? W-Why are…?" Aoba stuttered, trying to form his words but still couldn't recover from his shock.
"Oh, it's a guy. Oi, Virus, Trip, isn't this guy in your class?" He spoke again, gesturing to the similar-looking twins.
"Yes, he is. Trip, isn't this Aoba Seragaki? That commoner who managed to get a scholarship at this academy." Virus exchanged glances with a smirk next to the lookalike boy on his left.
"Yeah, he is. Well, this is a surprise." Trip looked back at Virus with a similar expression. Two light bulbs flickered in their heads.
"Indeed. Usually, Aoba-san isn't very sociable with the people from our class so this is quite surprise to finally meet you like this, Aoba-san."
"Huh? How do you know…my name?" Aoba raised a brow.
"Why, Aoba-san is actually quite famous around the school. You sure are the talk of the school sometimes. Not to mention, you stand out quite well as the only commoner here. Nevertheless, welcome to Platinum Jail Academy." Virus informed with a smile.
"Uh…thanks…" Aoba gritted through his teeth. He didn't need to be told twice that he was the odd ball at school, but the way Virus said it made him feel worse.
"Wait, are you serious? You're that honor student we've heard so much about? Wow, it's great to meet you!" Koujaku stood up from his chair and flashed a grin to Aoba.
"Uh…thanks again…but if you don't mind, I'll be going…" He turned to his heel. But then, a sudden jerk on his arm pulled him away from the door.
"Wow!~ That is so amazing, Aoba-san!~ You're so amazing! Oh, can I call you 'Master?' Nice to meet you! I'm Clear!" Clear happily cheered at Aoba who was looking at him distortedly. 'What's with the mask?' "I think it's so cool how you're so smart to be accepted in this academy, Master!"
Aoba didn't really know how to respond properly to the happy-go-lucky boy with the strongest grip on his arm. "…Uh…wait, 'Master?' Who are you calling Master?!" Aoba raised his voice though he didn't mean for it to sound harsh. He felt guilty afterwards when he saw Clear shrank down and let go of Aoba's arm pitifully. "Um…s-sorry…but I just need to leave…"
"What's the hurry? You came here to be entertained, right? Welcome to the host club, Mr. Honor Student." Koujaku said.
"Host what?" Aoba twisted his head so fast in disbelief. 'A host club? Isn't that a club where you just flirt with girls all day long? Why would a school even allow this kind of club anyways?!'
"Though, I would have never thought that the honor student would be so openly gay, not to mention pretty-looking as well." He flashed a charming smile with a wink. Aoba could tell that this guy was definitely a lady-killer.
"Wait…gay?" He questioned again, making sure he heard that right.
"Anyways, I'm Koujaku. So, what are your preferences? Do you go for the wild type? The shota type? The little devil type? The cool type? Or…" Koujaku suddenly leans into Aoba's face.
"Wa-Wait a minute! It's not what you think-!" Aoba's words were cut off from his throat as he felt Koujaku's hand reached up and smoothly graze his cheek to his chin and lift it up a little so that Aoba was looking directly up at Koujaku.
"Maybe you're into someone like me, ne?" Koujaku whispered in a low and deep tone.
"-!" Aoba had a mixture between embarrassed, shock, and anger written on his face. He felt his ears turned red as he reacted quickly. He shoved Koujaku away from him, but unfortunately made him lose his balance and footing as he stumbled backwards. His back knock against something and his arm grabbed a hold of something flat before he fell. But time seems to move slower as Aoba glanced over and realize he knocked a vase from its podium that he grabbed onto. With quick reflexes, he bent over from the podium and extended his hand to quickly grab the vase's handle. Unfortunately, it slipped from his fingers as he watched the horror of the vase crashing down to the hard tile floor, breaking into a million of shiny pieces. Aoba stood there as he realize what he had just done, fingers twitching in response from the hand that almost caught that vase.
"Aw…we were going to sell that antique Renaissance vase to the school's upcoming auction." Virus said from behind Aoba, but it sounded like he really didn't care about the vase at all.
"Yeah, that vase was probably going to go for…hmm, 8 million yen maybe?" Trip added in a bored tone.
"! 8 MILLION YEN?!" Aoba screamed at the top of his lungs. 'That much?!' He thought as he was breaking out in cold sweat. He was panicking; he didn't know what to do. How was he going to bare the fact that he now owed 8 million yen to a host club? How was he going to break the news to Granny and Sei? "…U-Uh…um…I'll…pay you back…?" He weakly muttered.
"If you don't mind me asking, but how? By the looks of it, it seems that Aoba-san can barely even afford a uniform." Virus quipped. Aoba's body jerked in response as he realized that it was a horrible and embarrassing truth. Instead of a traditional uniform like the host club men were wearing, he couldn't pay for his own so he was forced to go in his regular attire which was a navy long-sleeve shirt with his white and blue puffy Brain Nuts jacket and blue jeans with his pink headphones around his neck.
"Well…that's because…!" Aoba tried to defend himself.
"So…" A dull voice interrupted Aoba as he turned his head to see Noiz picking up a glass piece and examining it with little interest while playing with it and twirling it with his fingers. 'Hey, that's dangerous! He'll get cut and hurt himself!' Aoba thought as he wanted to say that to the strange guy, but his next words shook Aoba with a sense of fear. "What should we do with him?" Noiz nodded off to Koujaku who sat back down at his seat with a heavy sigh.
'Do with me?!' Aoba screamed in his mind. He felt beyond petrified at those words that were going off as a danger alarm in his head to get out of there as quickly as possible. He weakly turned his head back to Koujaku, praying that the man will go easy and have mercy on the poor boy.
"Well, you know what they say." Koujaku sudden change in attitude made Aoba scared. "'When in Rome, do what the Romans do.' Aoba, if you can't pay back the money then you're going to have to work for it. As of this day forward, you are now the host club's dog!" His tone was serious and Aoba's whole body turned white like a ghost from those words.
'Dog? Dog?! DOG!' The words echoed in his head. He felt that he might as well have sprouted a pair of dog ears and a tail.
"Aoba, are you all right?" Ren asked in concern since Aoba was not responding nor was he moving either. Figuratively, Aoba felt like his soul had just left him through his mouth and was now dangling in front of his face. Aoba felt like he could just faint at any moment.
'Baa-chan, Nii-san…help me…I think I'm being held captive by a bunch of guys called a host club…'
The Host Club is now open for business. Each host was surrounded in their own group of girls, doing whatever they do to please the women around them. Aoba had just came back from the store, because they sent him out on an errand as his first task as the 'Errand Dog'. Not too difficult of a job, since Aoba felt used to this because of his regular job back at the Junk shop Heibon going on deliveries.
When he finally came back with a bag full of groceries, he searched around for the man he needed to give these to. Sure enough, he just needed to go to the area with the largest group of girls, squealing and giggling. As much as Aoba didn't want to, he had to go to there. He started to walk towards the group of girls flaunting over Koujaku and him flirting with them back.
"Oh, stop it, silly Koujaku-san!" One girl giggled next to him on his left. "But I love that about you too!" The other girl on his right praised him as well.
Koujaku just laughed in response. Aoba thought disgustingly how much ego can fill this guy's head. 'Honestly, this just makes me sick…' Aoba needed to just resist rolling his eyes as he got closer to Koujaku's fan club.
"Oh, by the way, Koujaku-san…" One woman stood out from the rest as she appeared to be more graceful and sophisticated. Another thing that stood out about her was the spider tattoo on her face. "I recently heard that you adopted a little apprentice."
"Oh, well…I wouldn't say that I have taken him under my wing. Oh! And speak of the devil…" Koujaku finally noticed Aoba walking towards him. "Yo, did you get everything?" Koujaku grinned to Aoba's disgruntled face.
"Yeah, I got everything." He shoved the bag into Koujaku's hands. He was about to walk away finally from this scene until Koujaku stopped him in a surprise and confused voice.
"Hang on, what is this?" Koujaku held a box container of ground coffee.
Aoba's brows furrowed at Koujaku's puzzlement. "Just what it looks like; it's coffee."
"Coffee? I'd never seen this type before. Is it like the one that's already ground?"
"What do you mean? It's instant."
"Instant?" The girls around them repeated the foreign word to them.
"Oh! I see what you mean; it's commoner's coffee! The one where you pour hot water and it's ready." Koujaku exclaimed excitedly. Aoba didn't know how, but he realized that lots of other people were coming over to their group and joining in the conversation.
"Oh, I have heard of this too!" "So, it's true that poor people don't have time to ground their own coffee beans." "How sad!" The girls were side-commenting over the simple brand.
"That is incredible that commoners were able to think of such a handy thing!" Clear fawned over the coffee over Koujaku's shoulder.
"100g for 300 yen? How cheap." Noiz replied unamusingly.
"I'm amaze that commoners were able to come up with this technology." Virus added.
"Yeah, they certainly are interesting people." Trip included.
All this talk about just being a commoner made Aoba feel irritated. It just felt like they were making fun of him.
"Okay! I get it! I'll go back to the store and buy something else for you people!" Aoba yelled. He was about to turned away until Koujaku's hand halted him and everyone else.
"No, wait! I'll give this a try." Koujaku said, super concentrated on the container in his hands. Everyone gasped, especially Aoba, by Koujaku's sudden declaration. Nobody expected the host club prince was willing to try something like this, but the stern determination on his face showed how confident he was.
"Are you serious, Koujaku-san?" "What if something happens if you drink that?" "You don't even know what kind of stuff could be in there!" His fan girls tried to stop him, worried about their favorite host's wellbeing.
'It's just coffee…' Aoba thought how ridiculous the girls were acting.
"It's fine. I'm sure nothing bad will happen, but I appreciate all of you worrying about me. It makes me feel at ease to have you all by my side." His flirtatious smile and cliché lines melted the girls' hearts. They even adored him more with his bravery of drinking something strange and foreign.
That's when Koujaku suggested, "What anyone else like to try with me?" It caught everyone by surprise. All the girls around him looked nervous even though they just praised him a minute ago.
"I'll give it a try, Koujaku-san!" Clear announced with his hand rose up. "How about you, Noiz-san?"
Noiz shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."
"Trip-san? Virus-san? Are you trying too?"
"Why not? It could be fun." Virus smiled amusingly.
"Yeah, I guess." Trip joined too.
"And you, Mink-san? You love coffee, don't you?" Clear called to the largest and sternest host. Mink merely glimpsed down at the boy as he could sense his hopeful, pleading face through the mask and knew he couldn't deny him.
He breathed in a heavy sigh and spoke in his deep, low, baritone tone. "…Fine." Clear brightened up at his response.
"So, then it's decided. Everyone come this way; Aoba, can you prepare the coffee?" Koujaku declared. Aoba's eyebrow twitched at the unbelievable moment that just happened. This host club was just too much for him; he can't keep up. 'What just happen?'
"Aoba, are you all right?" Ren popped up through the opening of Aoba's bag.
"I don't know, Ren." Aoba groaned. All this commotion was about to give Aoba a headache. A slight chuckle threw him out of his thoughts as he looked to see who the source was. It was the same woman with the spider tattoo.
"Oh, Koujaku-san, you're taking the joke too far. No need to drink that lowly commoner coffee, it'll disgust your taste." She said in a low voice. Though, Aoba was close enough to hear her like she meant it for him.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"I'm sorry. I was just talking to myself." She apologized to him in a polite smile. Aoba felt that smile was either forced or fake. He eyed her suspiciously, but heard his name being called again and he decided to not dwell upon it too much.
After a few minutes of demonstrating how to make the coffee, Aoba finally presented the commoner coffee to the bunch of rich people.
"Here." He held out the tray to the timid-looking girls eyeing their cups. None of them were moving an inch and Aoba could tell that this was a waste of time.
"I'm a little scared!" "I don't know about this!" "My father would scold at me if he knew I drank this."
'Well, then don't drink it.' Aoba wished he said this out loud. He was getting tired of hearing them whining all the time; this was one of the reasons why he couldn't stand them.
"Well, if that the case…" Koujaku went up to one girl and pulled her hand close to his lips. "How about you drink it from my mouth?"
"T-Then I drink it, Koujaku-san!" The girl blushed along with the other girls shrieking and sneering with jealousy too. On the second thought, Aoba changed his mind. He was mostly getting tired of this guy's shenanigans; he really couldn't stand him most of all.
Aoba decided to finally walk away from Koujaku and his girls, letting him have his fun. He took a deep sigh of relief as he decided to observe the other hosts and see how they flirt with their guest; Koujaku shouldn't be the only host at work though he is a fan-favorite. In fact, Aoba did remember him mentioning there were different types of host; he was guessing each host was different from one another providing the girls with an option to choose which guy they wanted. He looked around the different areas where each guy was with their group of girls.
Virus and Trip were conversing with a couple of girls around them. Aoba figured they probably were a package deal and do stuff together, which makes it 'double-the-fun' for the girls.
"Wow, you two are so alike. It's so great! It's like you're twins." One girl fawned over
"We are not twins."/"We're not twins." They both said simultaneously. Now there was a shock.
"So, you two are always together?" Another girl asked.
"Yes, you can say that." Virus said with a smile.
"Yeah…By the way, Virus, have you seen my extra uniform shirt?" Trip said.
Virus tirelessly sighed, "Yes, it was my room again."
"Ah, I see…why?"
"I don't know, it was your shirt. And it had a few cake crumbs too, so I took it to the laundry room."
"Oh, thanks." He said nonchalantly.
"Don't mention it. I just didn't want any ants crawling in my room because of it. How did it end up in my room anyways?"
"I don't know…maybe, because of last night?" Trip smirked.
Virus gave him a side glance. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I think you know…" Trip's grin grew.
"Honestly…"
The girls were practically blushing furiously at the implied innuendo. Aoba couldn't find the appeal of this and most importantly, why some girls are attracted with guys being with guys? Wasn't there a word for that…? Aoba turned his gaze away to hopefully find another thing to observe. His eyes landed on another pair of hosts.
Mink and Clear were also sitting together on a sofa surrounded by their guests combined. Clear seemed to be happily chatting with all the girls while Mink would silently sit there and occasionally drink the coffee that Aoba prepared. Aoba felt a little honored that he still accepted it though he just took it without saying anything about it.
"Before coming here, I waited for Mink-san's honor class to finish but I accidentally fell asleep." Clear sheepishly replied while scratching the back of his head. The girls were finding that trait about him to be absolutely adorable; he was too cute to deny.
Mink grunted irritably at Clear being shy, "You didn't need to wait like an idiot. I told you that you should have gone ahead."
"Eh?! But I didn't want to; I wanted to go together with you like you promised!" Clear whined.
"…" Mink heavily sighed again. He glanced down at the childish man and softly patted his head. The girls instantly reacted at the kind gesture that Mink rarely does and were fawning over the adorable affection happening between them.
Aoba couldn't really understand why they hang out with each other. They were so different, but their personalities seemed to balance one another. Clear was cheerful and energetic while Mink was cold and apathetic. Even though they were polar opposites, they do appear to enjoy each other companies.
"Yo." Someone called to him. Aoba turned his head to see it was Noiz who was strolling towards him.
"Hey, you're not entertaining your guests?" Aoba asked.
Noiz shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't feel like it. You like watching us?"
"Not really. I'm just curious how each of you 'host' your guests." Then, something clicked in his mind that he needed to ask. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking, why are you guys so…friendly with each other? Are all of you…?" He cautiously asked.
Noiz didn't seem offended, but instead bluntly explained it. "Don't you see that's how we attract them? Girls love yaoi. It's our gimmick though none of us are really gay for each other." Aoba now saw the point, but it was still kind of weird. "We flirt with them ourselves, but what they really come for is when we flirt with each other. Our popular pairings are Trip and Virus, Clear and Mink, and…" Noiz grunted under his breath. Aoba was interested on why he stopped and the look on Noiz's disgusted expression probe him even more.
"What? What is it?" Aoba insisted.
Noiz clenched his teeth, "Me and the prince."
Aoba's eyes widened like saucers. He had to hold in his chuckle as the look on Noiz was so amusing. 'This kid's kind of cute.'
Noiz threw him a sharp look that Aoba regain his composure and pretended like he didn't do anything. Noiz took the opportunity to eye him up and down, checking him out. Aoba felt really uncomfortable at his intense stare.
"I was wondering…are you really a second-year like Trip and Virus? You're really small and short." His insensitive words stung Aoba's pride. It's true that Aoba may be the shortest guy here in the club; even Noiz and Clear were taller than him. But a vein did pop on Aoba's forehead. 'This brat…!'
Aoba grumbled, "Yes I am. You should more respect to your senpai."
"Senpai? Hmm…" Noiz smirked while leaning more to Aoba who drew back from him warily. "You still look like a first-year, but you're also pretty cute too, Senpai." He rolled the word off his tongue sensationally with mischievous eyes.
"-!" Aoba's cheeks felt hot. This guy had no sense in shame and says whatever he wants without consideration. Aoba was about to tell him off, until a third party came charging in.
"Master-!" Clear ran up and surprise Aoba by engulfing him in a bear hug. With so much force, Clear had them spinning around in their hug which drove Aoba into dizziness.
"Wah! C-Clear, stop!"
Clear manage to stop and smiled brightly to him, while still clinging his arm tightly. "Master, Mink-san let me have some of your coffee and it was really delicious!"
"Uh…you're welcome…" Aoba groaned as he tried to calm his head. 'Wait, how did he drink the coffee through the gas mask? Did I miss the chance to see his face?'
"Oh, does Master like jellyfishes?! I love jellyfish! They're really like water, but just wonderful and interesting living creatures too! "
"Uh…jellyfishes are okay…" He did not know how to respond to the change in topic. 'But, I wouldn't say that I love them.'
"Really? Then, can Master please accept this? I want Master have this!" Clear happily dig through his pockets and held up a little jellyfish key chain with a cute smiling face. Aoba really admired it for it was the charming thing he had ever seen.
"Oh, sure." He held out his palms and Clear dropped it in his hands. It would be rude if he did not accept the thoughtful gift. Aoba stood there, appreciating the souvenir as he lightly smiled. "Thanks. It's really cute."
Clear looked at him for a moment then brightened at his words. A light bulb clicked in his head. Clear went back to his spot on the couch in an even happier mood.
Aoba was left there twirling the shiny little key chain as the light bounced off it. He had forgotten that Noiz was still there as he looked intently at Aoba's new key chain with an uninterested expression.
"You like cute things?" Noiz candidly asked.
"Huh? Well…not particularly, but I'll make an exception." Aoba looked back at his gift with a twinge of warmth. His attention turned back to Clear. "He sure is a weird guy, but he doesn't seem bad. Why does he wear a gas mask?"
"Who knows? But, I have to deal with him in class anyways. By the way, about your debt…" Noiz pulled out a green and black cube with a rabbit face and let it fall to the ground. Aoba never noticed he had a bunch of them wrapped around his waistband and figured they were his Allmates. The rabbit cube opened up a screen and Noiz began typing in rapid speed. "I figure if you owe 8 million yen, then you'll be able to pay back this club…by the time you graduate."
Aoba gasped with his mouth wide open. 'HUH? That long?!' "Ren, is this true?!" He turned to his allmate with a worried expression.
"According to my calculations…" Ren looked back with an uneasy tone. "…Yes. I'm sorry, Aoba." Aoba's heart dropped as he heard those words. He will never able to escape this club. His eyes cast downwards as he was in deep thought of any possible solution to repay his debt faster. He certainly can't work as a…
"Hey now, don't look so gloomy." Koujaku came up all of a sudden and smacked Aoba's back roughly to knock him out of his senses. He glared back at the host prince, because he thought he had gotten away from him. "So, what are we talking about that made Aoba in a sour mood?"
"Nothing of your concern, old man." Noiz sneered away from him.
"Oi, bean sprout, have more respect." Koujaku scowled at him too.
"I'm not a bean sprout." Noiz retorted.
"You sure are acting like one."
"Hey…" Aoba tried to calm down the little argument that was happening between them. He couldn't figure out why these two were ship together and why it's so popular. Maybe it's that love-hate relationship thing that girls find irresistible and attractive between guys.
"Hmph." Noiz began to walk away from them.
"That guy…" Koujaku groaned. "Hey, don't let him get to you, he's just like that."
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing like that."
"Is that so? Ah, did he tell you how long it's gonna take you to pay back that 8 million yen?" Koujaku hit the point right on.
"Oh…yeah…" Aoba grimaced. His gaze wondered off as he was trying to come up any solutions to pay back the host club sooner. He could work more hours at the Junk Shop Heibon or maybe get another job, but then he would be overworking himself and cutting into his studies. He could pawn some of his stuff, but loan sharks are dangerous.
"Yeah, you better work if you want to pay us back." Koujaku noticed Aoba wasn't listening to him. Aoba was too entranced in his mind and was looking stressed too. Koujaku could sense that Aoba was too serious and over-thinking for his own good and could loosen up once in a while.
Since Aoba was far too distracted, he thought he could tease him a bit. Koujaku lean in close to Aoba's ear and blew into it as a joke, but it only made Aoba swiftly reacted to it as he jumped back away from him.
Aoba scowled at him with a blush across his cheeks. "! Don't do that!"
"You need to lighten up. You're too rigid. You'll never be able to impress women like that."
"Well, have you ever thought that maybe I don't want to impress them?" Aoba said cynically.
"Why not? Women are the treasures of the world. They're soft and tender and will gently embrace a man. That's why cherishing women is a man's duty. Am I right?" He grinned in satisfaction.
"Does it always have to be about girls?" Koujaku was surprise at Aoba's remark. "It doesn't matter, right? Man or woman, it's what's on the inside that counts. I don't think you should play around so much; do you even know how many girls are crying in the shadows? Some of them can get overly jealous and possessive, you know? I just don't understand why even create a host club."
"Oi, what are you saying? It's shameful for a man to refuse a woman when she offers herself to him." Koujaku continues, completely missing the point of what Aoba was trying to say. "Women are pretty and cute. So I want to be gentle to everyone. Like I said, they are treasures that need to be…"
Aoba drifted off from what Koujaku was explaining and started to wonder about the guy instead. 'What is with him? Did he not get what I just said? This guy…Isn't it said that people like him are a certain kind of character? Hmm…'
As he was pondering, it made it look like he was listening to Koujaku's useless words and was actually considering it which made Koujaku wander off even further with his speech. The other host club members wandered by to see the interesting conversation between their host prince and errand boy.
'…An old fart? ...A womanizer? …Idiot? Maybe…' Aoba was too distracted to notice his surroundings again. He didn't even caught on what Koujaku was about to say or do next.
"Aoba, maybe you should consider learning some tricks to know how to pick up women. For example…" Koujaku came up closely to him again. Aoba realized his senses when all of sudden he felt someone grabbed his hand.
"O-Oi, what are you-?!" He tried to protested, but Koujaku silenced him with a deep gaze into his eyes.
"You should gently grab them by the hand and…" With that, Koujaku place a soft kiss on the back of Aoba's hand, causing Aoba's face in a deeper shade of red. "Something like that. Hey, are you okay? Your face is really red." Koujaku was about to lean in more, but Aoba retracted from him and roughly took his hand back as well.
"Y-Y-You…Hippo!" He yelled out before he grasped his mistake. It echoed across the room and Aoba stood still as strange looks were thrown at him.
"Hippo?!" Koujaku bizarrely stared at Aoba. Aoba never felt more embarrassed in his life. Not only did he accidentally messed up and said hippo (kaba) instead idiot (baka), but he yell it out so loud in front of everyone. He could just wish to crawl in a hole and hide there forever.
"My, my…" Virus came up and appeared on Aoba's right shoulder. "You certainly are very entertaining, Aoba-san. Hippo. How cute was that?"
"That's a new word we should all call the prince, ne?" Trip also appeared on Aoba's left side. Aoba didn't listen as he was washed over with a tremendous amount of guilt and embarrassment in the pit of his stomach.
"A-Ah…sorry. I didn't mean to blurt that out loud…" He weakly apologized.
"You don't need to apologize, Aoba-san. You are very intriguing and especially good-looking too; you could clear your debt much faster if you were a host." Virus said as if he had been listening to their conversation earlier.
"Yeah, I bet he would look cuter in a uniform. Right?" Trip added while scanning his eyes up and down on Aoba.
"Yes, indeed." Virus did the same thing with a finger to his lip like he was admiring something. Aoba felt really uncomfortable with their stares and he backed away from them.
Clear jumped in as well. "I want to see Master entertaining some guests too! I bet he's cooler and popular with the ladies!"
"Hey…wait a minute…I really don't want to-"He raised his hands up in defense.
"I wanna see that too." Noiz strode back along with Mink following behind. His expression was hard to read because Aoba couldn't tell if he was also curious in seeing him as a host too, but he did saw a glint of interest in his eyes. Now everyone was together as the host men gather around Koujaku and continue to gaze at Aoba, imagining him in their uniform. Their vision of Aoba had him in a luminous aura with gleaming and shimmering eyes, rosy cheeks, pink plump lips parted, and angelic voice calling out.
But in reality, Aoba confusingly stared back at the awestruck host members in a dumbfounded look. "What are you all staring at?"
In an instant, Koujaku snapped his fingers. "So now it's decided!"
"Huh?!"
"Virus, Trip, take Aoba down to the changing rooms!"
"Yes sir."
"Roger."
"W-Wait-!" Aoba didn't have time to react. Virus and Trip gripped both his arms and dragged him straight out of the club room. Meanwhile, Koujaku was still commanding orders to the others.
"Noiz, order a uniform according to Aoba's size!" Noiz flipped open his screen and began typing.
"Mink, could you go down the office and get it?" Mink strode out of the room.
"What can I do, Koujaku-san?" Clear enthusiastically participated.
"Clear, you and I need to occupy the rest of the guests while everyone else is busy."
"Okay! But, why?" Clear still did not understand the current predicament of what's going on.
"Because we need to distract them. Today, we'll be introducing a new host to them." Koujaku grinned.
"Hey, what was that for?!" Aoba yelled after he was flung into a changing room with curtains serve as walls for privacy. He saw that there was a tall mirror, a stool, and a roll-away bed conveniently placed in the room.
"Just sit tight and wait patiently, Aoba-san. We'll see you later."
"Bye-Bye."
Trip and Virus waved him off as they close the curtains. On the other side, he can hear them whispering to each other.
"I can't wait to see his performance."
"Yeah, I wonder how he'll do."
'Performance?' Aoba wondered what they were talking about. He honestly didn't know why he was dragged here in the first place. 'Did I miss something? Why am I here anyways?'Aoba sighed and inspected the small room and noticed the stool to set his bag down he's been carrying all day.
Ren popped his head out. "Aoba?"
"Hey, Ren."
"Are you all right? You look tired."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need a breather though." Aoba said as he stretched his arms.
"Today has been a long day for you. It's best to rest; a lot of changes happened so quickly for you."
"Yeah and I'm afraid it's not the end yet." Aoba ruffled his bangs. Just when he plopped down on the bed, the curtains withdrew back which made him jump up at his feet again. He was surprise to see who it was again.
"Noiz?"
"Yo."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to get your measurements."
"My what?"
"Hold still."
Aoba unintentionally complied and froze still, because he was so confused on what Noiz was going to do. Noiz opened his screen again and let it scan and evaluate Aoba's body. He saw the flash of numbers go by, telling his shape and sizes, causing him to feel really self-conscious.
As the screen disappeared, Noiz turned his heel about to leave. "Well, bye then."
"P!"
"Huh…?"Aoba cast his eyes downward to see a line of red dripping on Noiz's finger. He immediately panicked when he realized that Noiz was bleeding. "H-Hey, your finger's bleeding, you know?!"
Noiz stopped and looked back at Aoba peculiarly before he took a glance at his own hand. "Oh…" He said unresponsively.
It wasn't just a little cut. Aoba saw as Noiz raised his hand that he's got multiple slices on his palm and fingers too which made Aoba even more frantic.
"Oh my god! We've got to get you to the nurse!" Aoba attempted to grab Noiz's other hand and dragged him out of the changing room, but Noiz slapped him away before he could touch him.
"Don't touch me; I'm fine." He said sternly.
"Like hell you are!" Aoba argued back. "Listen; let's just get you to the nurse's, so she can treat your wounds-"
"I said I'm fine; I don't need to go."
"Wha-Stop being a cocky kid and let's go! If we don't treat this soon, it'll get worse and become infected!" Aoba was becoming furious at Noiz's refusal to go see the nurse. 'It looks even more painful just to look at it…Why didn't he notice it before? It must hurt, right? Is he just enduring it out of pride? If that's the case, then this guy's acting like a total brat.'
"I don't care. It'll heal just fine if I leave it alone. So, don't think about it."
"!" Aoba had enough of Noiz's arrogance. He had half of mind to literally smack some sense into Noiz's head. Aoba felt like giving up; Noiz wasn't going to move an inch to the nurse's office, but he still had to do something. Then, an idea sprang into his head as he remembered something he had in his bag. He quickly rushed to his bag and rummaged through his belongings and found just what he was looking for. It was a roll of bandages, some tissues, and sterilization sheets. He'll have to thank Sei for being such an overprotective yet caring and thoughtful older brother.
He turned to face Noiz seriously. "Sit down." He ordered him to take a seat on the bed. Noiz glared at him, but he made no objections and did what he was told. Aoba felt accomplish that Noiz actually listened to him, but he had other important matters to attend. He sat down right next to Noiz and began treating his wounds.
He couldn't help but grimaced at the bloody mess. He wiped the blood that hadn't dried yet with a tissue and then gently cleanse the wound with a sterilization sheet. He was wondering if this was hurting Noiz, but when he glanced up, Noiz just had on a pouting annoyed face like a grumpy child. 'I don't understand how this guy can look so calm while enduring this kind of pain. Speaking of which…'
"How did you not notice this before? What were you doing anyways? Playing with knives?" Aoba threw a snarky remark.
"No, I was cleaning up the mess you've made earlier. You know the broken pieces of that Renaissance vase." Noiz's reply sent Aoba an enormous amount of guilt. He still felt bad about that vase and everything, but now he felt even worse to know that it was his clumsy mistake that caused Noiz's injury.
"Oh, sorry…" His voice muttered softly. Then a thought occurred to him. "Wait, were you cleaning the pieces without wearing gloves?"
"Yeah. Why? Should I have been wearing them?"
"Ugh, you stupid brat." Aoba grumbled. He expected this coming from him. Letting it go this time, Aoba finally wrapped around the bandages onto Noiz's hand and felt relieved that they were able to avoid a situation where Noiz's injury went untreated. "There we go. Don't scare me like that again. Even if it was my fault for the breaking that vase, you should be more careful too. Picking up sharp glass pieces without gloves is dangerous." Aoba lectured him like a parent does with a child. Noiz wasn't even listening; he kept staring back at his bandaged hand and Aoba with disapproving eyes.
"What?" Aoba asked.
"I don't get you." Noiz's sentence caught Aoba off-guard.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"This." He raised his bandaged hand. "Was this supposed to mean something?"
"…I don't understand."
"What do you want from me? Are you looking for some sort of repayment? A merit?"
Aoba blinked twice. "…Merit…?"
"Ah, there it is." Noiz mockingly confirmed. "So, what? Do you want money from me? Information? Or maybe you were hoping that this would cut off some of your debt? Is that what you want?"
Aoba's brows furrowed as he was really starting to become irritated at Noiz's inconsiderateness. "Hey! If you're saying that I had ulterior motives for what I did, then you're wrong! I was doing this out of consideration; you can want to help people out of worry, you know."
"Then, there's nothing to gain from it. What's the point on helping out others if you don't get any personal benefits in return?" Noiz heavily sighed. "I don't understand at all."
"You're a strange kid." Aoba didn't know whether to feel bad for Noiz or just annoyed with him. 'Seriously, what is wrong with him? Is this what all the rich kids are like?'
Just then, their conversation was interrupted as the curtains were being pulled again by another person. It was Clear holding a paper bag in his hands.
"Oh, Noiz-san, you're here too! What a surprise!" He happily said to the both of them.
"Clear, what are you doing here?" Aoba asked.
"I came to give you this, Master! I hope you like it!" Clear came up and shove the bag at Aoba. At this point, Aoba was secretly hoping that Clear did not give him anymore jellyfish items; the keychain was enough.
"Uh…thanks…?" Aoba peaked into the contents of the bag. It was clothes neatly folded with clear packaging inside. It gave off the aroma of something new, fresh, and expensive.
As a cue to leave, both Clear and Noiz began to walk out of the changing room. But not before Noiz looked at him for moment very hesitantly as Clear went ahead.
Aoba glanced up to see Noiz staring at him intensely. "What is it this time?"
"Have we met before?"
Aoba was surprised at the question. "Before? I don't think so."
Noiz narrowed his eyes, before coming close to Aoba and stared hard into his eyes. "I feel like we have." Aoba froze at the moment, not knowing what to do. "Have you ever played Rhyme before?"
"Rhyme? No, I don't."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Hmph…I don't believe it." Noiz sneered. "I think you have."
"You can believe what you want. Even if I did do Rhyme before, I don't remember a thing." Aoba retorted back. The truth is that Aoba couldn't recall much of what he did back in his early teens. All he knew was that he was troublesome kid who did stupid stuff that caused trouble for Sei and his granny.
"Is that so?" Noiz leaned into him again and whispered something under his breath. "Sly Blue?"
"Hm?" Before he had time to react, Noiz came forward and close the distance between them. Aoba felt something soft pecked his lips and he was stunned for a moment. Noiz had just kissed him.
Aoba instantly jerked away as he was covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "-! Y-Y-You…!"
"Consider that a payback for this." He raised his bandaged hand again. With the last word, Noiz exited the changing room leaving behind a flustered Aoba.
"T-That guy!" Aoba growled furiously as his cheeks were heating up.
"Aoba, your temperature has increased and your heart rate is speeding rapidly. Are you okay?" Ren, who was still in the room, reported out loud.
"Gah-don't mention something like that!"
Even outside of changing room, Noiz could still heard Aoba yelling at his Allmate. He lightly touched his lips, but then noticed more about the hand Aoba treated. He wasn't really bothered by the kiss like Aoba was, but for some reason he was feeling an indifferent reaction towards his injured hand. Maybe it wasn't the hand itself, but more about the fact that he let someone else touched him and took care of him too. Aoba was certainly different and strange than any other person that he met. As he pondered more about this, a light bulb flashed in his head.
"Geez, are you done changing yet?" Koujaku impatiently asked. All the host club members were gathered outside of Aoba's changing room, waiting to see how he looks.
"Ugh, just wait another moment! I just need to fix…this…damn…tie!" Aoba muttered the last part. He would have been humiliated if the other guys knew Aoba didn't know how to tie his own tie. Though, in his defense, Aoba never needed to dress fancy before except for special occasions and Sei would always help him with this kind of stuff.
"Aoba, the knot is supposed to go through the loop and then pull in tight." Ren instructed.
"Uh…yeah, okay. Through the loop…pull in tight. There!" Aoba grinned at his accomplishment. He stared at his handy work at the mirror and faced Ren for a second opinion. The knot was a bit sloppy, but other than that, it came out alright for a first try. "How does it look?"
"I can't give a valid opinion, but I believe it looks fine."
"Thanks, Ren." Aoba picked him up and nuzzled his forehead against his Allmate's small furry one. He gently let Ren down onto the ground before looking at his reflection again. 'Honestly…how did this happen?' He wondered.
"Okay, I'm done. I'm coming out! But…" Aoba hesitated for a moment before withdrawing the curtains to fully reveal himself to the host club. He looked dashingly in his new uniform that they gave to him instead of his wardrobe: a dark navy jacket, a white dress shirt, black trousers, and a light blue tie with his pink headphones. His looked like the others except they have different color ties and have their family company symbol-art sewn on the pocket of their blazers. For the first time, it made him feel like a student at the school except that the material felt very soft and classy that it made him feel equally left out as a commoner. He really didn't have an opinion on his appearance, since he never really knew what looks good on him. Aoba was hoping that he didn't look too weird. "…Is it really alright for me to wear this?" He blushed slightly.
"Of course, it is! We got custom-made for you." Koujaku grinned.
"Eh?! You mean it's mine? I get to keep this?" Aoba questioned frenetically. He never expected to actually have his own uniform since the prices were too expensive online. Koujaku chuckled at Aoba's silly reaction and nodded proudly.
"Wow!~ Master looks so handsome!" Clear praised.
"I must agree. Aoba-san, you look very good in that uniform." Virus also complimented.
"Better than what we thought." Trip added.
"How are the sizes?" Noiz asked.
"Perfect."
"That's good."
'Oh, I see. That's what he meant by measurements.' Aoba glanced towards Mink for his response, only to receive a mere "Doesn't matter." It wasn't like Aoba was expecting much from him anyways, but maybe more of an 'okay' would've suffice.
"Why are you guys giving my own uniform anyways? Don't I still need to pay back my debt?"
"Yes, but now there has been a slight change in plans." Aoba raised a brow in confusion at Koujaku. "You will now be an official host club member instead of an errand dog. Your goal now is that if you can get 100 customers to request your services, we'll completely erase your debt. That way you can repay your debt faster like you wanted, right?"
"Host?!" Aoba shouted in disbelief. He definitely made up his mind clear that him being an actual host was impossible. That that solution was a terrible idea from the start since Aoba does not know a single clue about being a proper host. "No-no-no-no-no! I can't be a host; I'm not good with girls!" He tried to make up an excuse. He'd rather go back as an errand dog instead.
"No worries. I will teach you how to please women. Just follow my steps and maybe one day, you'll become a better host than me. Though, I doubt it." Koujaku added jokingly.
'Yeah, like I wanna to take advice becoming a lady killer like you…' Aoba had the urged to say that out loud, but decided against it. More importantly, he was playing out his odds about going along with the whole 'hosting' plan. The bad side to this was that he'll have to flirt with girls all day (most likely fail at it), but if it's just a friendly talk and conversation, then that what's he could do. It will repay his debt much quicker too and it shouldn't interfere with his studies too much either; if they don't have days where they have to host then he could this clubroom to study (it's a pretty nice room to study without the noise and a few people in the room). And besides, the host club men aren't too bad as Aoba thought of at first. Some of them are just a little bit weird to deal with but he can certainly tolerate them for the time being. He'll just have to go through with it and keep up, so he can resume back to his regular life.
He looked back at them seriously and spoke in a very confident voice. "Alright, I'll do it!" They all grinned in response.
On second thought, this was a terrible idea after all. Aoba didn't know what to do. He didn't even know how to start. He was sweating nervously as he was seated at a table surrounded by 3 girls. He did his best to smile strenuously at them to seem friendly. He didn't think it was working, but the girls were nice enough to go along with it.
"So, Aoba-kun, do you have a job?"
"Uh…yeah, I work at Junk Shop Heibon. We sell small expandable supplies to specialized metal parts at a bargain price."
"Aoba-kun, do you have any hobbies like do you do Rhyme or Rib?"
"Huh? Oh, no. I'm not interested in that kind of stuff."
"Oh, Aoba-kun, your hair is so pretty and long. It's just like a girl's! May I touch it?" One of the girl's hands extended out to him.
On an impulse he flinched away suddenly, startling her as she timidly retracted her hand. "I-I rather you not, please." Aoba didn't want to go into details about his strange abnormal hair. It was an unusual trait he was born with and yet another reason why he felt different from everyone else.
'What am I even doing anyways? This whole thing is ridiculous from the start…' He dejectedly thought.
"Um…Aoba-kun, do you live with anybody at home?"
"I live with my grandma and twin brother."
"Oh, I didn't know you had a twin brother. Does he go to school here too?"
"Oh no, Sei's homeschooled actually. You see, he sort of had a weak heart condition when he was young so he'd mostly stayed at home. We check back at the hospital every month to see how he's doing. It seems like he's doing a lot better now; his condition gradually fating away."
"Oh my, that must be terrible to go through. Is it just you three alone? Where are your parents?"
"My parents mostly travel around the world. They're like free spirits who can't be tied down to just one place. But, it's alright with just me, Sei and granny. We're like one big happy family of three and oh-including Ren too."
"I see. So, what are they like?"
"What are they like? Hmm…well, if you first meet Sei, he's kind of shy at first. But, he'll soon get comfortable around you. He's a very caring older brother, kind, and soft-spoken too. We really get along well. As for my grandma…well, she's a very strong woman for her age. She's sometimes aggressive, loud, and hot-tempered. Though when she usually yells at me, it means our relationship good, not bad. Her shouting makes me feel better to know that she's fine and if she doesn't one day, then I would feel really lonely." 'This is an embarrassing thing to say…'
"Wow, Aoba-kun. You sure like talking about them. You must really love your brother and grandma." One girl pointed out.
"…Is that so." He sheepishly grinned. The girls giggled at his boyish personality, but overall it was very nice conversation they were all having. Aoba found that he actually enjoying himself; he could really see himself having a pleasant time making small talk with his guests and repaying his debt in no time. As long as nothing goes wrong, everything should be fine. At least that's what he had thought.
Suddenly, a sharp pain runs through Aoba's skull. Red veins appeared before his vision and a throbbing in the back of his head wouldn't stop. He didn't want to create a scene, not in front of these girls and everyone else in the room. He covered his head down and tried to compose his mind as much as he can. He forgot that he left his pills in his bag back at the changing rooms. The pain never stopped and it was never this bad before. It was like something in his mind wanted to burst, wanted to release something. He couldn't hold out much longer and soon he blacked out, but he was still conscious somehow.
"Aoba-kun? Are you alright?" A chuckled responded.
Aoba lifted his head to the girls again; his whole appearance changed in a way. He stared at them with fierce yet alluring eyes and his voice carried out as smooth and suave. "I'm fine."
The girls were astonished at Aoba, but most likely at his voice. It was like he was putting them in a trance when he talks.
"What's wrong, ladies? Are all of you are surprise?" He said amusingly.
One girl tried to answer. "A-Ah! It's nothing it's just that…Aoba-kun…you're acting different than before…and your voice too…"
"That's because I haven't done my hosting yet. And now that I'm finally out…" He gently caressed a stand of hair of the girl on his right. "Young missus, your hair smells like the tides of a shining sea." She blushed immediately. He switched to the girl on his left and took a hold of her hand tenderly while lifting her chin to meet his eyes. "And you, my dear, have the most beautiful eyes I can get lost into like the scenery of twilight." Her eyes twinkled as she held her breath. Letting of her hand, Aoba directly face to the last girl who was seated in front of him. He placed his chin against the back of his hands and leaned on his elbows while titling his head. "And, your smile shines brighter than any sunset out in a horizon." She felt her heart skipped a beat.
All three girls instantly fell in love with this new Aoba. Meanwhile, he sat there smirking to himself of how easily foolish they fall for such cliché compliments. These girls were so typical and so is everyone else in the room. No matter who they are, they're all weak creatures…easy to destroy. Wait, no that's not what he meant.
Aoba shook his head and blinked several times. Everything was just a hazy blur to him in the past couple of minutes. He just mentally blacked out, but it felt like he was conscious somehow like someone was moving his mouth and actions for him. 'What just happen?' All he could remember was that he was having a nice conversation with the girls in front of them, but now something was off about them. They all looked at him with blushes and hearts in their eyes. They were certainly different than when he last saw them.
"Are you girls okay?" He cocked a brow.
"We're fine, Aoba-kun!" "Yeah, we are!" "Um…do you mind if we request to see you again tomorrow?"
" Huh?" Aoba didn't know how to respond. "Uh…yeah. Sure, that will help me out a lot. Thanks." He grinned. 'I don't know what happen, but whatever.'
In Koujaku's area, some of the host club members watched back at a distance to see how Aoba handled his first guests. They were all so surprise that he manage to swoon the girls around him, but they couldn't see specifically how he'd done it. Nevertheless, they were all impressed especially Koujaku who was stunned.
"It seems that Aoba-san has a natural gift inside." Virus grinned.
"It's almost like he has done this before." Trip shot a knowing look at Virus. Virus nodded, almost like they were having their own conversation with their minds.
"Looks like he didn't need any advice from the prince himself, heh." Noiz retorted.
Koujaku wasn't listening as his mind was too focused on Aoba and his skills. In fact, he felt mix emotions about the situation he had witnessed: impressed at the rookie and irritation that he is doing a lot well that he expected him to be. He didn't notice someone was calling him until that someone was tugging on his sleeve.
"Koujaku-san! Koujaku-san!" The spider-tattoo woman whined.
"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was just distracted that's all." He gave a smile as an apology.
"Hmm…you seem awfully concern about your little former-errand boy. He is now a host? Does that make him your protégé?" Her tone sounded amused, but yet aggravated too.
"You could say so. I mean I have now taken him under my wing, so, of course, I have to monitor him. I shall introduce you to him too. Aoba!" He called out to him and beckoning a finger for him to come over. Aoba had to excuse himself to see what Koujaku needed this time.
He made his way over to Koujaku's area surrounded by girls. "What is it?"
"I want you to meet a very special customer of mine." He gestured to the girl on his left. She sipped her tea and revealed her face to Aoba with a gentle (and fake) smile.
"Nice to meet you, Aoba-kun." Her words hold a somewhat icy tone that Aoba heard clearly.
'It's that girl from before. Well, in this case just smile and go along with it.' "Hi, nice to meet you too." He forced his most sincere smile too while tilting his head.
However, Koujaku was taken back. He was stun from that smile, even though he didn't know that it wasn't real, it was a cute gesture. His mind temporary forgot where he was and who he was suppose to be for a second and acted purely on his instincts. "You…"
Aoba blinked twice before he had a chance to react. Koujaku suddenly came forward, pulled Aoba in a headlock, and started to ruffle Aoba's head playfully. Unfortunately, he was touching his overly sensitive hair too roughly and it hurt him so much.
"Since when did you get so cheeky?!" Koujaku teased. He felt relax like his normal self and wanted to mess around with Aoba again. Koujaku's hand sweep through Aoba's silky locks and he was admiring how soft it felt, not knowing how much he was actually hurting him. "You should have told me you were natural at this!" He gave Aoba another tousling through the hair.
"S-Stop it! That's hurts, you hippo!" Aoba cried out. It was like reliving that time when he was bullied as a kid for having long hair.
"There you again. What's with you calling me a hippo?!" Koujaku was having fun and laughing genuinely. Some of girls were admiring how this was the first time they have ever seen Koujaku seemed so carefree and enjoying himself in the host club. It was probably natural for them to think boys act this way around other boys for fun. However, the spider girl found this unnatural about Koujaku and he was acting different that wasn't good for him. He shouldn't be so close to that commoner, he'll ruin him.
Aoba was desperate for help from this roughhousing. Koujaku's grip on him was too strong for him to pull out. "Quit it!" He kept yelling, but to no availed. His eyes darted anywhere for anybody to help. Virus and Trip: no, they would just watch in amusement. Noiz: he's too busy with whatever he's typing. Clear: he'll probably want to join in. Mink…would he help? Probably not, but he had no other choice.
"Mink! Help me!" Aoba shouted across the room. At first, Mink tried to ignore the two idiots messing around until their volume was getting way too annoying for him to stand. Mink frown at both of them before he got up and march over to them. Then, he grabbed Aoba by his sides and pulled him out of Koujaku's hold with too much forced that he actually lifted Aoba up a couple of feet off the floor.
"WAH!" Aoba felt himself being hoisted like he was floating but feeling a rough clutch under his armpits. He realized that Mink had saved him and now is carrying him like he was as light as a feather. "M-Mink…" He stared face-to-face with him in an awkward position.
Mink had no words to say. He just noticed two things about Aoba that was peculiar. One was his voice, because his vocal cords did not sound normal and his scent was familiar, because it was just like his too. A light bulb sparked in his head. Meanwhile up closely, Aoba noticed the same things about Mink too like his eyes cold eyes sending shivers down his spine and the way he smelled like cinnamon.
Koujaku cleared his throat at their intense stare down. "Oi…Mink, what are you doing? Put him down."
Mink glanced back at Koujaku then Aoba before letting him go. He released his grip and Aoba dropped to the floor, but thankfully landed on his feet. He stumbled trying to regain his balance back.
"Next time, don't be so loud, idiots." With that snide remark, he shoved his hands in his pockets and strode away. Aoba felt highly offended by the insult, though Koujaku was used to his behavior.
"Don't mind him either. He's always like that to everybody."
'Then, how is he a host?!' Aoba thought grimly.
Noticing the look, Koujaku reached out to him. "Hey, are you okay?"
On a reflex, Aoba slapped his hand away from him, thinking he was going to touch his hair again. "D-Don't touch…"
Every girl around gasped as Koujaku retreated back, bewildered from his actions. "…Is something wrong with your hair?"
'Oh no…' He did it on an impulse and now he felt bad for slapping his hand away. "S-Sorry…I just…don't like it when people touch my hair."
"Why?"
"I just don't."
As they were conversing, off to the side, there was one girl that was glaring at Aoba feeling enraged at what he had just done.
"Where could it be?" Aoba asked himself as he was roaming aimlessly through the hallways in search of his bag. He could have sworn that he left it in the changing room, but however it was not there. He needed it soon, because he wanted to take his mediation for his raging headache that acted up earlier. With no clue, he left during club activities and hasn't come back in a while. 'Maybe I need to retrace my steps…' He thought as he stopped in the middle of hallways and scratched his head.
Ren also was traveling beside Aoba, trying to help find his bag too. When Aoba stopped to recollect his thoughts, Ren spotted something particularly unusual out of the window. He came up to Aoba while pawing his leg, trying to get his attention.
"Aoba, you may want to see this." A hint of hesitation hid in his tone.
"Hmm? What is it, Ren?"
"Look out the window." Aoba glimpsed at the window before widening his eyes. He looked closely out of it to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him.
"Aw man, you've got to be kidding me!" Aoba groaned as he saw that he finally found his bag in the pond outside in the school's garden. All of his contents were spilled out and floating among the waters; his books, papers, supplies, lunchbox that Sei made, and also the clothes he wore earlier today.
He ran as fast as he can with Ren following behind him. He passed through the endless hallways until he spotted a shadow waiting at the end. He was going to ignore whoever it was and pass by them until he saw who exactly it was.
"Oh my…" The petite voice made Aoba stopped running. "If it isn't the commoner boy." Aoba glanced back at the spider-tattoo woman. "It must be nice having Koujaku-san clean you up to made you look like a descent gentleman, but, nonetheless you'll always be a poor dirty commoner. I hope you know that by now." She finished as she walked away with her back turned from him and disappeared into the shadows. Aoba narrowed his eyes before continuing his journey.
"No doubt I bet she was the one who did this, right Ren?" Aoba complained as he was digging through the waters. The school's garden pond was shallow enough, so that Aoba could just roll up his pants to his knees and dive right in.
"Her behavior is rather suspicious. But it is too early to assume that she was the one who did this without any proof." Ren informed, patiently sitting on the ledge of the pond.
"Hmph, can't imagine anyone else would this too." Aoba sassed back with annoyance in his tone.
"I wish I could help you search for your items as well, Aoba, but…"
"No, no, Ren, it's fine. I wouldn't want to risk getting you wet and short-circuiting." He beamed on how lovable Ren was trying to apologize. His doggy ears drooping a little with his expression looking remorseful was cute. "Now, last thing I need to find are my pills…" He was lucky his pills were stored in an air-sealed tight container.
After frequently searching for a small container in a huge pond, Aoba heard footsteps approaching his way.
"Hey, Aoba." Aoba didn't need to look to know who the owner of the voice was. 'Not him again.' "You've got some nerve to skip out of your club duties." 'I don't want to hear this from him right now.'
"Yeah, whatever." Aoba ignored him and continue savaging. Koujaku glanced down beside his feet to see Ren right next to Aoba's stuff, which were soaking wet.
"Why is all your stuff wet? Is that why you're playing in the pond?"
"Listen, I don't time to deal with this right now."
"What else are you searching for?"
"The medicine for my headaches. I get really bad migraines sometimes and right now I just really need them…I'm gonna pass out if I don't find them soon…" Aoba muttered the last part more to himself. The next thing Aoba heard was the sounds of water splashing and he turned his head to see Koujaku bent over and diving in the pond to help him too. He never expected the host prince would do something like this; it was too bizarre, which Aoba slightly baffled and panicking. "O-Oi! You don't have to help; you'll get yourself wet!"
"Calm down, a little water never hurt anybody. I'm fine...Besides, I want to help you." His kind tone and sincere words took Aoba's breath for a second. He was gazing at the man, recognizing him for a moment, until Koujaku made a successful noise and lifted himself. "Is this what you're looking for?" He gave a wink and Aoba was taken back even more. Koujaku noticed Aoba has been staring at him for a long time when he came up to him. "What, what's the matter? Admiring my manliness?" He decided to throw in a joke.
Finally awakening from his trance and realizing what Koujaku said, he angrily snatched the medication from Koujaku's fingers. "Shut up, you hippo." Aoba criticized his joke.
By now, Koujaku gotten use to the weird name Aoba kept calling him. Although he was chuckling, there was still one thing that peeved him, actually two. "How did your bag ended up in the pond?"
"Huh? I don't know." Aoba scratched his head. "It just sort of happened."
"Hmm…?" Koujaku was left wondering until he skimmed back at Aoba, still scratching his head. He had a thought and carefully stretched out his hand to Aoba's hair. Aoba, seeing his upcoming hand towards him, jerked away again so suddenly upon realizing what he was planning.
"Why are you so sensitive about your hair?"
"Uh…" Aoba couldn't come up with an answer. He had barely dodged the question the first time he asked. "I don't really like to talk about it." He cast his eyes downwards.
"Well, you can tell me. I promise not to laugh." His eyes told Aoba how serious he was. There was a twinge of doubt in his mind, but after what Koujaku done for him a minute ago, how can he say no, even with that expression he was showing?
"Well…you see, my hair's not normal like everyone else's. Ever since I was born, there's been a sense of feeling in my hair…"
"Feeling?"
"Yeah like…I can feel sensations through my hair. So, whenever people touch it, it really hurts. When I was a kid, I got teased a lot for having long hair and looking like a girl too. They bullied me and pulled on my hair as a joke…it was hell." He softly and sadly explained. Koujaku was suddenly washed over with guilt for his actions earlier to Aoba; if only he knew back there.
"I'm sorry…" He averted his eyes sideways.
"No, it's okay! I'm fine now. Why are you so interest with my hair anyways?"
"Well, can you blame me for the line of work I'm in?" He grinned. "I'm going to take over the hairstyling business some day and out of the hairs that I've seen upon many women …" Koujaku couldn't resist gently touching the tips of Aoba's hair, making him flinched. "Yours is the most beautiful one out of them all."
Aoba deeply blushed against his words. No one has ever said that to him before other than Sei. It was weird coming from another man; it also made him feel a bit happy too. "…Thanks…"
Looking outside from a window stood an angry figure shaking a fist against her side. She was absolutely disgusted by this scene.
"Oh my, that must have been terrible. All your stuff being thrown into a mucky little pond, how dreadful…" The spider-tattoo woman said while sipping her cup of tea. In a weird set of circumstances, Aoba strangely found himself sitting across the table with the woman as it appeared that when he came back that she had requested for him. 'But why? I thought she didn't like me.' Aoba was finding her behavior really suspicious and he needed to be careful.
She set her teacup down and looked at him coldly in the eyes. "And what's worse was that you made Koujaku-san go swimming in that grimy pond with you too. How rude…To make a real gentleman like him help out a filthy commoner like you is uncalled for." Aoba's eyes widened. "Know your place, commoner. No matter what, you'll never be considered a real student here in Platinum Jail Academy. Go back to the Old Resident Distinct you call home. Don't even think that Koujaku-san has any special feelings for you…you're both men anyways, so it's never going to happen and it's disgusting-"
"So, in other words, don't tell me…you've been jealous of me."
The woman was shock to hear those, but she laughed and denied it, feigning ignorance. "My, my, what are you talking about?"
Aoba knew she tried to play innocence, but someone needed to tell her. But apparently it wasn't enough and he needed to make his point clear with her.
Just then a sharp pain runs through his head, his headaches were back again, but this time the pain was worse than before. He gradually clutched his head to steady the pain and hunched over the table. The woman looked at him with concern and asked if he was alright, but her voice was nothing more than a far echo that couldn't reach Aoba's ears. The pain was too much to bear and it grew worse as it throbs in his brain.
"Aoba, are you alright? Aoba!" Ren was jumping against Aoba's leg, trying to make sure he was okay.
"Ren…" He weakly called out.
"Aoba, your headaches are back. I will go get your medication."
"Hurry…" Aoba didn't know how long he could last.
"Roger." At the sound of his command, Ren's tapping footsteps speed in a hurry to retrieve his pills back at the changing room where Aoba left his soaked bag. But it was already too late. As soon as Ren left, Aoba snapped.
"Hey, are you okay?" The woman still at the table asked. She was only responded by a dark chuckle. When Aoba raised his head, his whole appearance changed like he was a completely different person. His hair was a lighter shade of blue, his eyes were fiercer and its color glow brighter and his mouth twisted into an evil grin. She was so shock and somewhat scared of this different Aoba.
His voice was low and deep as he spoke, "Don't play dumb. We both know that all this bullshit you keep sprouting is just another way to say you're jealous of me for hogging your precious 'Koujaku-san.' Well, you know what, you can just suck it. I don't give a crap about you or your prince or anybody in this place. You think you can break me? Destroy me? I like to see you try."
The woman was appalled at the sudden change in Aoba, but more offended at his words. She had never been more insulted in all of her life by some commoner. She gritted her teeth as Aoba stared back at her with a taunting smirk as if he was saying 'Come on; hit me with your best shot.' And she took the challenge.
The real Aoba didn't know what happen, but everything just flew in a flash. All he remember was that he was just talking to the girl, but then a sound of table being flipped over, tableware and dishes crashing, a scream wailing, and him being pulled down by some force regain his conscious. He blinked twice as he realizes his current situation; Aoba was on his hands and knees on top of the spider-tattoo woman and she gawked at him horrified. 'What…just happen?'
"Kyah! Someone help me! This monster attacked me! Someone, help!" She shrieked. "Get him off me! Anyone-!"
SPLASH
Water drenched on Aoba and the girl. His hair was now damp and wet, his new uniform was soaking, and water driblets trickle down his face as he looked above to see Virus and Trip holding 2 empty jugs over them with water dripping along the edges. He was taken by surprise, but not as much as the girl.
"W-What…Why did you do that?!" She screamingly demanded. Koujaku slowly approached the two and assisted the girl off the ground. She gave him teary and pleading eyes as she clung onto him for comfort. "Koujaku-san, that commoner tried to assault me and-"
"Save it. You do not need to make any more excuses. The members and I already know that…you were the one who threw Aoba's bag in the pond." He declared, astonishing both Aoba and the girl but for different reasons.
"What?! What are you talking about? I never did-"
"We got proof." Noiz interrupted as he held up one of his rabbit cube that opened up a screen. "I hid an usagimodoki in Aoba's bag back at the changing rooms…" which made Aoba scorned at Noiz, "Good thing it was able to snap a picture when the bag opened and being tossed out. Look familiar?" He turned the screen over so that everyone saw a person with purple hair wearing a girl's uniform was dumping the contents of Aoba's bag. This particular girl had a spider tattoo on her face.
Everyone frowned disapprovingly at the guilty expression plastered on her face. She pleaded at Koujaku with her eyes, hoping he had the heart to forgive her. His expression was not moved nor did it softened.
"I'm sorry, missus. But I cannot tolerate bullying upon our host members. I would kindly ask you to apologize to Aoba for the trouble you have caused him or to leave this club if you are not fit to be a proper lady." His words meant to be genuine, but she took great offense to it. She glared at Aoba who stared back at her with a dumbfounded expression. In her mind, she was offended; someone of her stature should not bow down to the knees of a poor person.
She spoke in a vicious tone while glaring at both Aoba and Koujaku. "You want me to apologize to that idiot?! Never! I would rather die than to apologize to some lowlife commoner." She threw a rude remark before storming out of the club room. Koujaku watched with disappointed eyes as she walked away disgracefully. Aoba misread it and felt extremely guilty that because of him, Koujaku lost one of his most precious customers.
"H-Hey…" Koujaku glanced down at Aoba curiously. Aoba's eyes were glued to the floor with a disconsolate face. "You should go after her. I mean I guess it was my fault because you've been spending so much time with me. And I-"
"Nah, don't worry about it. It's okay, I'm not upset." Aoba jolted his head upwards in surprise.
"You're not?"
"No, besides it wasn't your fault. If anything, it was my fault like you said about my fangirls getting overly jealous and out of control. I should have listened, but unfortunately you had to be dragged into this, so I'm sorry about that." Aoba felt a little overwhelm at Koujaku's honesty and sincerity. "But, however…" Aoba's face dropped at his sudden demeanor. "I suppose a punishment should be given since you made me lose an important valuable customer, not to mention all the fine china you also broke again…" A pause was given before Koujaku dramatically pointed a finger at him. "Your quota has been moved up to 1000!"
"HUH!?" Aoba's expression warped into anger and confusion. 'What the-1000?! I'm never going to return to my normal life!'
"Though…" Koujaku offered a hand to Aoba and he took it, lifting him up off the floor. "With your skills, I doubt you need luck, you natural rookie." He gave a charming wink that flustered Aoba a little bit. 'Wait…what did he just call me?' He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. 'Well, whatever.'
"Aoba-san." Virus called behind him and handed him a towel and another bag. "Here, something to dry yourself off and to change into. Sorry, it's the only spare uniform we have."
"Oh, thanks." Aoba gratefully accepted it without looking inside. "And…thank you everyone for everything. I'm sorry for always causing trouble."
"Don't worry about it, now go!"
"Take care, Master!"
"We'll see you soon, Aoba-san."
"Bye-Bye."
"Whatever."
"Just go."
Aoba waved goodbye and made his way over towards the exit. At that moment, Ren came back meeting Aoba at the doorway.
"Aoba, I have your medicine." He held his head up with the container in his mouth.
"Oh, thanks Ren." Aoba picked up Ren and he plopped the pills into Aoba's hand. With the big fuss that happened with the spider-tattoo girl, Aoba momentarily forgot about his headache that subdued.
"Aoba, did something happen? You're dripping wet. What did I miss while I was absent?" Ren curiously asked.
"Oh…it's nothing. I'll tell you about it back at the changing room."
"Understood." Aoba smiled and patted Ren's head.
"Man…everything got soaked." Aoba slipped out his drenched and clingy shirt and wrung it out. He stood there with his bare torso in front of the mirror while his jacket and tie were disregarded on the bed next to Ren.
"It can't be helped. I'm sure Virus and Trip had to do what was necessary to calm the situation you were in." Ren reassured.
"Yeah, you're right." Aoba gave his shirt one last tug and whipped it out before tossing it on the bed. He stared at his new uniform that he just got before heaving a sigh. He ruffled his slightly damp hair as he thought, 'Jeez…I just got this and now it's ruin…can't wear my other clothes too, since they're still wet as well. At least they gave me a spare…' As Aoba grabbed the bag Virus gave him and was about to look inside, a throbbing pain pounded Aoba in the back of his mind. The remains of his migraine continue to suffer his head as he clutched his head. 'Damn it…the medicine still hasn't kicked in…' He knew there was only one solution left.
He gently laid his body down on the bed while cuddling against Ren's fluffy, furry body. He brought his headphones to his ears and selected his favorite music from his coil and closed his eyes. The music flow through his mind as he began to relax and let it surged through his body. It was such a tiring day for Aoba and he nowfelt a moment of peace between the world of music and him. It was thankfully getting rid of his headache too, but he was lost from his surroundings.
As he lay there, almost on the verge of sleeping, he didn't hear the curtains being pulled back.
"Aoba, I brought more towels for you-" Koujaku stopped midsentence. He was stunned from the moment he looked at Aoba. The position Aoba was in on the bed: the way his body curve, wrapping an arm around his petite waist, his slender legs sliding against one another, giving more definition on his hips (and ass), and the pale, broad, and smooth chest occasionally breathing in and out. But most of all, his face was mixture of cute, sexy, and serenity with his long eyelashes flaring out on his closed eyes, thin lips letting out erotic sounds, and that blush colored over his cheeks was enough for him.
Koujaku couldn't describe the feelings that were overwhelming him. His eyes were mesmerizing every little details of the sight before like taking a picture in his mind. His chest was constricting to breathe and his heart beating rapidly that it felt like bursting out. Heat rose to his cheeks and ears as he then felt something was going to pool out of his nose if he did not look away soon. He needed to leave or else he would die from embarrassment. One thing was sure enough, a light bulb flared up in his head.
He quickly covered his nose and storm out of the changing room. He dropped the towels he left for Aoba and yanked the curtains so violently that the sound shook Aoba up.
"! Huh…a noise?" He inspected the room to see no one was there. He rubbed his eyes and was about to fall back down before Ren was pawing against his face.
"Aoba, it is better not to sleep right now. You'll catch a cold if you don't wear something."
"Oh, that's right. Thanks, Ren." Aoba got off the bed, feeling refreshed, and went over to the bag Virus gave him earlier. As he looked inside, his eyes went wide as saucers and took a huge step back. He rubbed his eyes again, making sure they were awake and not playing a trick on him. He went back over and took a small peek then immediately shut the bag. He had been repeating that process several times, just to make sure it wasn't real.
He took another glance before giving up. His hands reached out and gripped the clothing before taking it out of the bag and examining it. He shook his head while his mind was screaming inside. 'You have got to be…'
"…fucking kidding me right now!" Aoba yelled through the curtains that were blocking him and the host club members outside.
"Are you almost done yet?" Noiz impatiently inquired.
"…No!"
"Liar."
"Look, I am not coming outside dress like this!" 'This is so embarrassing!'
"Come on, Aoba, we want to see you." Trip pressured.
"You can't stay in there forever." Virus added.
"Please come out, Master!" Clear pleaded.
"No!"
"If you're not coming out, we can come right in." Noiz warned.
"N-No, don't!" Aoba rushed to grip the opening gap that the curtains could separate. He didn't want to come out, but if they come in, he would just die from embarrassment either way. He just couldn't believe he was wearing this.
"Now, now, Aoba-san, we are sorry but I did say that it was the only spare uniform we have. Besides, your other clothes you wore today are still drying before you can wear them. You only have to wear that for the meantime." Virus informed though Aoba could just imagine the smile on his face.
"Please come out, Aoba." Koujaku said lastly. From the tone he was using, Aoba couldn't hide anymore. They were going to see him like this either way, so what other choice did he had? Aoba took a deep breath before swallowing his pride and pull back the curtains.
Everyone was shock at Aoba's appearance in more ways than one. Aoba was fitted in a girl's uniform: a short-sleeved blouse attached with a sailor-style navy blue collar shirt with a light-blue ribbon, a short pleated plaid skirt showing off his long slim legs. Aoba was blushing furiously as he did his best trying to cover his exposed legs by pulling on the skirt. He might as well wear his hair in pigtails braids with hair clips and little bows attached too. He grimaced as he worked up the nerve to finally look them in the eye to see their individual reactions.
"Aoba…" Ren called out in surprise, but Aoba refused to look at him. He was too embarrassed to even face his Allmate the entire time changing into this thing.
"Wow!~ Master looks so cute!" Clear happily clapped his hands together.
"Indeed. Aoba-san looks great in both uniforms we gave you." Virus was smiling wide with his arms behind him.
"He looks great in both, but I think we all prefer him in this one instead." Trip grinned.
"How are the sizes?" Noiz was hiding a smirk.
He growled through the teeth. "…They fit too perfectly. Whose idea was it to make me wear this?!" No one noticed the three blonde culprits in the back, giving each a knowing look and not saying anything.
"Hmph." Aoba shifted his eyes at whoever made the sound. It was Mink and he was smirking too. That made Aoba feel even more humiliated to know that even the most stoic host of the club was amused at his look.
His eyes then fall onto Koujaku, who hasn't said a word to him since he came out. He realized that something was off about him. Koujaku wasn't even looking at him; his whole face was turned away and his hand was covering his mouth.
"Koujaku?" Aoba lightly reached out and touched the hem of his sleeve. Koujaku jumped and flew back away from him. But, Aoba saw clearly of the blood running from Koujaku's nose and some smeared on his hand and his cheeks was painted pink. "Koujaku…you're having a nosebleed?"
"Shit…" Koujaku tried to wipe off the blood, but the mess was already seen. He was becoming flustered and annoyed at the same time. This was the first time Aoba has ever seen the famous host club prince break out of his cool and suave demeanor and turned into someone like this.
"Wow, the prince is having a nosebleed because he saw Aoba in a skirt." Trip chuckled.
"What a pervert." Noiz taunted.
Koujaku violently turned and snapped at him. "Shut up!"
"Well, this is a rare sight. Koujaku-san is acting totally different than when he's with girls. This time he's being really embarrass and horribly fluster. Could this be the beginning signs of a love development?" Virus stated while adjusting his glasses.
"Why you…I said shut up!"
"I don't get it. Koujaku, are you alright? Do you need a tissue?" Clear asked worryingly.
"I'm fine, Clear…Mink, don't laugh at me too!" Aoba saw Mink was covering his mouth, but he still heard a sound of a deep chuckle. While everyone seemed to be making fun of Koujaku instead, he felt a little bad for the baffling dork in front of him.
"Uh…hey, Koujaku."
"What is it?" He weakly groaned, but still refused to look Aoba in the eye.
"Thank you for personally saving me back there and helping me getting my stuff out the pond."
"Don't mention it."
"No, really thanks. You're like my hero." He gratefully flashed his earnest smile at him. Koujaku was taken back at the smile like he did before, but this time was real. His cheeks were now stained red like the uncontrollable blood that kept running down his nose. He covered his nose and mouth again while everyone continued laughing at him, including Aoba this time.
Overall, Aoba couldn't say that this was the most unusual day he had ever experience, but nonetheless there will more to come now in the nearby future with this weird group of handsome men. And who can say that maybe one of them will turn out to be the one for Aoba?
Aoba's last thought was 'You know, this host club can certainly be a little 'dramatical' sometimes, but they're good friends and I can see myself getting by as a host with them. But, on the other hand, I'm still gonna murder them for making me wear a dress.'
Thank you so much for reading this. I deeply appreciate it if you like it. I'm sorry for horrible cliché ending and all my grammar errors and just my writing in general. Is this going to be a series? I don't know. Will there be more? Yes, hopefully in the future when I'm not lazy or busy. The light bulbs could represent when they become interest in Aoba. I realize I forgot to add Tori and Beni, so next time! Thank to sakura-tsubaki and how-come-i-dont-have-a fandom for encouraging me to write and helping it out. (Those are their Tumblr names.) Keep a lookout for my fanart for this fic, once I learn to master my drawing skills on a tablet. Bye-Bye!~
