Chapter 2 ~ The Princess is a Stress
"Oh wow it's a boy." The twins said, noticing our guest.
"Hikaru, Kaoru, Kazuki; I believe this young man is in the same class as you. Isn't he?" Kyoya-senpai asked.
"Yeah, but he's shy. He doesn't act very sociably so we don't know much about him." They talked in sync again.
"I've seen him study more than any person I've ever met." Kazuki added.
Kyoya-senpai looked at the three first years then smiled, fixing his glasses. "Well that wasn't very polite. Welcome to the Ouran Host club, Mr. Honor Student."
"What? You must be Haruhi Fujioka." Tamaki-senpai said quite shockingly as "Haruhi" was desperately trying to get out of the room. He froze though when he heard his name. "You're the exceptional honors student we've heard about."
"How did you know my name?" Haruhi asked.
"Well you're infamous. It's not every day a commoner gains entrance into our academy. You must have an audacious nerve to work hard enough to get your way into this school as an honor student Mr. Fujioka."
By now Haruhi's eyebrow was twitching with frustration and confusion at these stupid rich people. "Well-ah thank you I guess."
"You're welcome." Tamaki-senpai said, putting his arm around the younger student. "You're a hero to other poor people Fujioka. You've shown the world that even a poor person can excel at an elite private academy." Kazuki watched as Haruhi tried to get away from their King, but Tamaki-senpai being Tamaki-senpai, he continued with his speech.
"It must be hard for you to be constantly be looked down upon by others."
"I think you're taking this poor thing too far."
"Spurred, neglected…That does not matter now. LONG LIVE THE POOR!" Tamaki-senpai yelled, still glowing and making Haruhi more uncomfortable.
"We welcome you poor man to our world of beauty!"
"I'm out of here." Haruhi said right before walking towards the door again. Then Honey-senpai grabbed the students arm and pulled him down.
"Hey! Come back here Haru-chan. You must be like a superhero or something. That's so cool!" Haruhi turned to the small boy and said that he was an honors student not a hero before yelling about being called Haru-chan.
"I never would have imagined that a famous scholar would be so openly gay." Tamaki said, more to himself but loud enough so the whole room could hear.
"Openly what?"
"So tell me what kind of guys you're into. Do you like the strong silent type?" Tamaki asked, looking over at Mori-senpai, "The boy-Lolita?" Honey-senpai was still crying from Haruhi's outburst when he heard his character, "How about the mischievous type?" Hikaru and Kaoru swung around to stand back to back, "Or the cool type?" Kyoya-senpai looked over at the student who was now panicking.
"I-It's not like that. I was just looking for a quiet place to study." He said, his voice becoming high and cracky.
"Or maybe…" Tamaki-senpai brushed his hand against Haruhi's cheek and put it under his chin, "you're into a guy like me. What do you say?"
Everything after that was in slow motion; Haruhi stepped back enough to hit the podium where a vase was sitting. The light blue vase fell as the honors student tried to grab it before it would hit the ground. Just as he tried to grab onto it, it hit the ground with a CRASH!
"Aww!" The twins whined, looking over Haruhi's shoulders. Hikaru then spoke up, "We were going to feature that renaissance vase in an upcoming school auction."
"Oh now you've done it commoner! The bidding on that vase was supposed to start at 8 million yen." Kaoru yelled. That made Haruhi pale drastically and then tries to count how many thousands are in a million.
"I'm gonna have to pay you back."
"With what money? You can't even afford a school uniform."
"What do you think we should do, Tamaki?" Kyoya asked, looking over a piece of the now worthless vase. Kazuki sighed and looked over to her King, waiting to hear what they were going to do with this vase breaking commoner.
"There's a famous saying you might have heard Fujioka, 'When in Rome, you should do as the Romans do.' Since you have no money you can pay with your body. That means starting today… you're the Host Club's Dog."
The day went on even with this new change. The hosts hosted their clientele as Haruhi did errands and Kazuki played her violin for the room. It was a pleasant afternoon. When Haruhi got back from the store, he looked over the room and was just or even more confused as to why this club existed.
"Hey, what is this?" Tamaki-senpai asked, holding a container of instant coffee.
"Just what it looks like. It's coffee."
"I've never seen this brand before. Is this the kind that is already ground?"
"What are you mean? It's instant coffee."
The two girls across from Tamaki-senpai tilted their heads in confusion, "It's instant?"
"Whoa, I've heard of this before. It's commoner's coffee. You just add hot water!" More people came by to see the commotion, which included more guests, the other hosts and Kazuki who had stopped playing her violin to see what was going on.
"I didn't know there was such a thing." One customer said.
"So it's true then; poor people don't have enough free time to grind their own coffee beans."
"Commoners are pretty smart." Kyoya-senpai said, looking over Tamaki-senpai's shoulder to see the package.
"100 grams for 300 yen?"
"That's a lot less than what we usually pay." The twins said also in shock of this product.
"Is it any good?" Kazuki asked Haruhi.
"I guess, look I'll go back and get something else. Excuse me for not buying expensive coffee." He grumbled. Just then, Tamaki-senpai decided to make this topic a bigger thing than it actually was.
"No I'll keep it." The group of students gasped, "I going to give it a try." More gasps were made. "I will drink this coffee!" Tamaki raised the commoner's coffee in the air and the group that surrounded him clapped excluding Kyoya, Kazuki and Haruhi. Everyone rushed to the other side of the room so they could taste this newly announced beverage, everyone except Haruhi and Kazuki.
"I'm sorry Haruhi-kun, Tamaki-senpai can be quite over dramatic." Kazuki tried to explain. Haruhi, who looked annoyed as ever, looked at the girl and his large eyes softened.
"It's just something I'm going to have to get used to around here."
"I've been here for a couple weeks and I'm not even used to him yet."
Haruhi watched as Kazuki seemed to get a dazed look in her eye and sort of space out. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask." Kazuki focused back on the glasses wearing honors student. "What do you do exactly for the club?"
"I'm like the musical accompaniment for the guys. I play a couple different instruments so I can usually fit any sort of mood the hosts are trying to pull off. I also help organize and set up events the club hosts, like outside events or parties. I usually stick to the background." Kazuki explained. When she mentioned her instruments, Haruhi saw her eyes brighten a bit and her smile grow on her face. She must really love music. Haruhi thought.
"You sound as if you enjoy yourself." Kazuki widened her eyes and blushed a bit. Then looked back at Haruhi and something just clicked; she figured it out.
Then she closed her eyes and smiled, "I do."
"Haru-hi! Come over here and make some of this commoner's coffee." Tamaki-senpai called from his place on the other side of the room.
"Oh Tamaki, now you're taking the joke too far. Your palette won't be able to stomach that crap. You don't have to drink it just because he bought it." The two first years looked down at the girl still sitting on the couch. Haruhi just saw a red-headed girl, but Kazuki knew her as "Princess" Ayanokouji, Tamaki-senpai's regular guest. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just talking to myself." Ayanokouji-senpai smiled up at the two and then Haruhi left to go make the coffee. But Kazuki stayed and watched the guest as she sipped from her tea cup.
"Ayanokouji-senpai, that was quite rude of you. Tamaki-senpai isn't playing a joke."
"Who of our standards would want that in our systems?" She asked, turning to Kazuki.
"You're talking as if it is some horrible drug. It's just a different make of coffee situated for people who can't afford brands like what we buy."
Ayanokouji-senpai huffed and rolled her eyes, "The commoner should buy his filth and stay there instead of bringing it up here." She turned back to her tea and waved her hand, as if to dismiss a servant. "Now leave me."
Kazuki started to walk to the group squealing about something Tamaki-senpai just did but then stopped and turned back to the guest.
"Just because the hosts call you 'Princess' doesn't give you the right to start acting spoiled like one."
After the "commoner's coffee" stunt, the guests and hosts continued on with their reservations. Kazuki had just taken a break from her violin playing when she noticed Tamaki-senpai talking animatedly about something and Haruhi looked deep in thought while holding Honey-senpai's stuffed bunny Usa-chan.
"What's going on over there?" Kazuki asked the twins as they too noticed the scene.
"The boss is trying to teach our new dog about being a gentlemen or something." Hikaru said, turning to their classmate. Kaoru soon followed with, "Truthfully we think its lost cause."
"Why?"
"Well just look at him." The brothers said together, pointing towards Haruhi.
"I've got it!" Haruhi said, dropping his fist into his hand.
"Oh, did I strike a chord-"
"Obnoxious." Tamaki-senpai gasped and then went to sit in the corner, a depressing mood hovering over him.
"Oh god, not again." Kazuki mumbled, walking to stand next to Haruhi.
"Ah, I'm sorry Tamaki-senpai." Haruhi said. But the effort was still shattered when Hikaru and Kaoru walked over to Haruhi and Kazuki while laughing at their fallen king.
"You're a hero alright." Hikaru said, while he put his hand on top of Haruhi's head and Kaoru doing the same to Kazuki.
"I'm sorry Senpai, but your lesson did strike a small chord with me." The three other first years looked at Haruhi in confusion before turning their attention to Tamaki-senpai who had gotten over his quick depression and faced the underclassmen with a smile.
"Really it did? Let me teach you more, my friend." He held his hand out, and almost if it were magic, small sparkles came from his hand and added a princely essence to his words.
"Well he got over that quick."
"He usually does." Kazuki mumbled to her friend, before sighing and looking back at the king.
"Boss?" Kaoru started but was cut off when Tamaki-senpai asked him to call him King, "You can teach him all the basics of hosting,"
"But he's not going to get very far with the ladies if he doesn't look the part you know? He's not exactly host club material but…Maybe if we took off his glasses it'll help." Hikaru said, walking in front of Haruhi and talking off his glasses. Something made the boy and his brother's eyes widen as they stared at Haruhi's face.
"Hey I need those! I used to have contacts but I lost them on the first day of school." The rest of the host club including Kazuki stared at the boy's face in shock before the twins were pushed a part by Tamaki-senpai. The king snapped his fingers once getting a good look, ready for a plan to commence.
"Hikaru, Kaoru."
"Got it." The twins saluted before each grabbing one of Haruhi's arms and rushing to the changing area.
"Kazuki, join them if they require backup." Tamaki-senpai ordered.
"You got it, boss." She said, giving a lazy two finger salute and walking to the changing area as well. Once she got there, she heard Haruhi yelling at the twins.
"You two have to get out!" The two brothers were pushed out of the stall, each landing on one foot before turning to each other. Two light bulbs went off in their heads.
"Everything okay in here?" Kazuki asked, getting her friend's attention.
"Yeah…" They said together, not really knowing what to say. After a little while, the club's guests had left and the hosts plus Kazuki were waiting outside Haruhi's curtain drawn stall.
"Um, Senpai?" Haruhi's voice asked confusion laced in her words.
"Aren't you done changing yet?" Tamaki-senpai asked back.
The curtain was drawn and a more dapper and neat Haruhi Fujioka was standing there with a new uniform. "You sure it's really okay for me to keep this uniform?"
"Cute! You're as pretty as a girl! Adorable!" Tamaki-senpai cooed. More compliments were given from different hosts.
"Haru-chan, you look so cute!"
"If we had known that's how you'd really look,"
"We would have helped you out sooner."
"Who knows? Maybe he will draw in some customers."
"You know, that's just what I was thinking." Tamaki-senpai said, even though the whole host club knew it was a lie. "Our errand boy is moving up the ranks. Starting today you are an official member of the host club! I will personally train you to be a first rate host. If you can get 100 customers to request your service, we will completely forget about your 8 million yen debt."
"A host?"
