Chapter 4:

It had been a little over two weeks since Sayuri had told her mother about the Host Club, and she still continued attending along with Umiko. She soon got to know the regular antics of the members and that there were occasionally times when they would come late, close late, or not be open at all due to some 'club emergency' or another out of curiosity, Sayuri took Kyoya's advice and sampled each club member's presence.

Tamaki was a bit much for her, though she could not deny he was charming. The twins were not to her taste at all and could barely believe the pranks they played on their so called friends. The raven haired girl didn't buy their 'brotherly love' act for a minute…or at least not more than five. Haruhi Fujioka was the most relaxed and made for good easy conversations and just generally hanging around, though she didn't quite see what other girls did in his 'boy-next-door' personality. After a while she found herself stuck on Kyoya even though he rarely officially sat down and took customers. He mostly was at the front of the room, taking in the ladies and offering them Host Club wares such as posters, calendars and the like. But when things were slow, they often talked business. She admitted to him that she often admired the Ootori conglomerate as a business as it wasn't very narrow minded, even though it had its main branch of hospitals and medical products. He gave her a few ideas to expand Nitta Corp away from the tea business, yet in a way that wouldn't totally be disregarding family tradition. She made a scribble in her notebook to bring this up to her mother some time.

And yet finally she remembered to visit the two University student members who were only there half the time. Hunny-senpai more than Mori-senpai though, as he was studying a lot more harder things than Hunny was, so the little blonde told her while stuffing his face with sugar doused pastry. Sayuri found the company of the oldest club member to be…not quite to her taste, though what cakes he allowed h is patrons to sample were absolutely delicious.

Morinozuka-senpai was a rare sighting in music room 3 and therefore always swamped with patrons. And even while Sayuri could clearly see that all the poor man wanted was some relaxing time with his friends, he never turned away a single girl until club time was over. She wanted to ask him why, but could never get him alone. For some reason this annoyed her to no end and glared at his customers, leaving them thinking that she was jealous. She asked Kyoya-senpai why he got so many patrons and he replied, "Well as the strong silent type, girls that are equally shy and quiet only feel comfortable around him rather than the rest of the host members."

"Well that doesn't mean he isn't entitled to have a day off…" She worried, glancing at said tall male.

Tilting his head in thought and vague amusement, the Ootori made another note on his clipboard before continuing his business.

The next day, Kyoya announced to arriving girls that Mori-senpai would not be able to take any customers that day, without really saying why. Said Mori was a little confused once he arrived, but did not question it, simply using the free time to visit the other host's tables. He never noticed the happy smile of a curly raven haired girl next to Kyoya.

Sayuri also was the brief patron of Kasanoda and while she was still rather wary of his company, she couldn't help but feel pity for the poor boy. He didn't ask to look so scary she was sure. So she rallied together with Umiko and Tamaki to give him tips on his hair and tried to get him to wear some makeup to soften his features, but he protested vehemently. So they mainly worked on his manners, behavior and posture, which was difficult enough. While there wasn't a huge improvement, they did notice that he was getting more customers and the first years weren't as afraid of him as before. Surprisingly, Haruhi didn't really agree with their 'improvements', saying that a guy should just be himself and apologize for it. After that, Kasanoda refused their other attempts, much to Umiko's annoyance, though she didn't stop trying to pester him for a moment.

The Nitta heir found that there were certain rules to the Host Club, even if they weren't spoken, though Umiko did help fill her in a little. The boys were supposed to treat each girl fairly and equally as the rest of them. No girl got special treatment over another. As well as rules for the girls themselves, no hogging and they had to respect that the boys were to be shared. Sayuri herself found it odd, as the Club was there as 'princes' to entertain and please their 'princesses'…yet they couldn't ever have a real relationship. The idea simply boggled her mind, though Kyoya assured her that it was all harmless and in good fun and profit. So she accepted that the club members and patrons were all happy with the arrangement and there was no reason to change it.

But Sayuri didn't let the Host Club take up all of her after school time. As she had told her mother, she had entered the Archery club, not about to give up her favorite and only hobby.

"Really, archery? I never pegged you for an out-doorsy kinda girl." Umiko stated thoughtfully as they walked down the stairs.

"I've always been interested in it, since I was a girl. Soon as I was old enough, mother let me train and I even made several region competitions in middle school. I talked with the Club President here and she accepted me. This will be my first time though..." She fretted, biting her lip again in nervousness.

Her blonde friend held up a hand and said, "Say no more Sayuri, I'm here to support you. I'll be your own personal cheerleader! Gooo Nitta! Hahaha."

"Gah, no you have to keep quiet! Archers need quiet to concentrate and-"

"Oh chill girl, I was just teasing, I'll be a good little fan and sit in a corner. But if you need to escape just give me a sign and I'll get you out no problem."

"I hope it won't come to that…" Sayuri sweat dropped.