There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.

Thomas Aquinas

"These flowers are beautiful Kyoya-san." I complimented as I stood under one of the cherry blossom trees. "I've always seen pictures of flower viewing such as these, it's one of the things I was most excited for about moving to Japan."

Not like there were that many things I was excited about.

"I'm glad you're enjoying them SkyLynn-san. However, the flowers don't hold a candle to your own beauty." Kyoya replied with a charming smile. Due to the amount of time I spent with the Hosts, I was beginning to grow accustomed to the flirting. Compared to when I first arrived, I was able to roll with it without getting flustered.

"You're too kind Kyoya-san." Though it didn't turn me into a blushing mess, it did stroke my ego.

"I can't take it anymore! It's too fantastic!" One of the girls from the twins' table shouted.

"You have to watch, or it will go to waste. This is a rare scene!" Her friend urged. I could see the appeal for all the members of the club, except the twins. They were attractive, that was without a doubt, but the whole 'forbidden love' act was too strange for me. Maybe it was a culture thing, but I tended to stay away from them during club hours.

"You are absolutely right kyaku-sama." Kyoya interjected, walking towards the table. "As with these cherry blossoms, beauty is fleeting. There isn't another day when you will see them like this again. And so, I created this book, containing photo collections that capture the beauty of the passing days."

Kyoya pulled out a stack of magazines and my jaw dropped. What the fuck?

"Incidentally, I've prepared similar books for everyone else. In the event that you were to purchase them all together, there is a special set price."

What a businessman.

"I'll buy them!"

"All of them!"

Shaking my head, I made my way over to Mitskuni, Takashi, and Haruhi. They all looked adorable in their traditional clothing.

"Hey SkyLynn-san." Haruhi greeted as I knelt next to her.

"Hello Haruhi-kun." Within the club walls, Kyoya requested Haruhi and I try to keep our relationship more formal. It was bad for business if girls thought we had something going one because of how friendly we were. It wasn't a big deal, so we agreed.

I turned my attention to Mitskuni, whom was furiously mixing something in a small bowl. I'd read about it when studying Japanese culture, but I couldn't quite remember. Maybe matcha? From the looks on everyone's faces, I could tell the blonde was overdoing it though.

"Mitskuni," Takashi finally said. "You've lost too much."

The boy's face immediately fell when he looked inside the dish and saw only a few drops of green liquid. Uh-oh.

"Hunny-kun, I'll take it! It looks so delicious!" The brunette said hurriedly, grabbing the dish. I believe her name was Aimi.

"Yes, that's exactly the amount I wanted to have!" The darker haired girl, Hiroko added. The two of them were extremely nice, and since they visit with Mitskuni and Takashi so often, we had talked on a few occasions. They were second years as well, and we shared a class together. "You're amazing Hunny-kun! How ever did you know?"

"Really?" Mitskuni asked excitedly, perking up right away.

Haruhi sighed and I couldn't help but laugh. "You certainly look dashing in that yukata."

"It's more comfortable than I thought it would be." She admitted.

"Ah, thank you Takashi-senpai." I smiled as he offered us some of the traditional Japanese cuisine.

"Shouldn't you be on your way to practice SkyLynn-san?" Haruhi asked and I almost dropped the piece of food in my hand. I frantically pulled out my phone and my heart dropped when I saw the time.

"Oh god, Hayami is going to murder me." I groaned, scrambling to my feet. "I'll see you guys later!"

While 'murder' wasn't exactly the right work, the force at which Hayami spiked the balls at me during practice made her thoughts about my tardiness very clear.

"See you all tomorrow, on time I hope!" The cheerful blonde's words sent chills up my spine as I slung my bag over my shoulder. I didn't like that side of Hayami.

"Are you okay SkyLynn-san? Hayami really made sure to punish you for being late." Reiko said, walking up to stand in front of me. My wrists definitely hurt and would probably be sore for a couple days, but I wasn't a wimp.

"Eh, I'll be fine. Nothing I can't handle." I laughed a bit awkwardly. Reiko and I hadn't really talked much since our date, it almost seemed like she had been avoiding me.

"So..." She started but trailed off without saying anything else. Her arms were crossed, and she was refusing to look at me.

I sighed before clasping my hands together nervously. "Look, Reiko-san, it's okay."

"Huh?"

"I get it if you don't want to go on any more dates. I mean, I had a lot of fun and I thought you did too, but we can just stay frie-"

"What? No!" Said girl interrupted quickly. "God, no, oh man. That's not- I'm so bad at this. I...had a lot of fun Saturday."

My head shot up and my eyes widened. What? "But you've been ignoring me."

"I know, it wasn't on purpose, I'm just embarrassed. I don't have much experience here and I really like you and didn't want to mess things up." She said quickly, putting her face in her hands. I paused for a moment before giggling.

"Oh my god, I thought you had a terrible time. Whew, I'm so relived." I sighed, putting my hand over my heart. "Reiko-san, I had a lot of fun on our date, and I'd really like to do it again some time."

I diverted my eyes, a blush on my cheeks.

"Yes!" Reiko shouted immediately. "I mean, um, yes, I'd really like that as well."

"Great!" I smiled before checking the time. "I have to go, talk to you later?"

"Definitely."

"Sky-chan, you haven't stopped blushing since you got back from practice." Mitskuni commented innocently as we sat in the limo. I immediately buried my face in my hands. Had I really?

"Ah, don't tease me Mitskuni-senpai."

"Do you have a cruuuuuuuuuush?" He responded, dragging out the last word way too long. I missed the way he slyly glanced at his cousin.

"I think so." I admitted, face still buried in my hands. The only one who knew about my date, other than my friends back home, was Haruhi. It never came up with any of my host friends and I didn't think the information was pertinent enough to share. It was only one date.

"Who is it? Who is it?" Mitskuni pried, bouncing up and down excitedly. Honestly, I was a little scared. I didn't hide the fact that I was pansexual, but I also didn't broadcast it to the world, I didn't feel the need too. Most of the time I didn't care about revealing that part of myself, the world was on an uphill climb when it came to LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance, none of my friends turned me away when I came out and for the most part my family was extremely supportive.

It was the culture change that scared me. I really liked Mitskuni, Takashi, and all of the hosts, they were some of my only friends in Japan and I didn't want to lose them. However, if they wouldn't accept me for who I was, I guess they wouldn't be the right friends for me.

"Her name's Reiko Sanda, she's a third year like y'all. We play volleyball together and we went on a date Saturday." It all came out in a rush and I grasped my hands together in front of me as the limo was silent. My heart felt like it was racing a mile a minute.

"Oh." Mitskuni said simply and paused for a moment before continuing. "Rei-chan is in our history class, isn't she Takashi?"

"Yeah."

"She's suuuuuper nice and smart too." Mitskuni prattled on nonchalantly. "Not as cute as you Sky-chan, but still cute. Maybe you can bring her to the host club one day and we can all eat cake!"

"Maybe one day Mitskuni-senpai, not anytime soon though." I replied with a smile. My gaze strayed to Takashi and when our eyes met he quickly looked away.

"I didn't know you like girls, Sky-chan."

"Well, I don't just like girls, I like anyone. I'm not going to let gender or sex get in the way of finding the love of my life." I admitted

Mitskuni continued to chatter on per usual, only stopping when waiting for answers to his questions. When we finally made it back to Arashi's, Takashi was quick to exit the limo, so he could help me out, just like every other day. It had become routine after the first day, no matter how much I protested, he refused to back down, so I dropped it.

His larger hand grasped mine, keeping me steady as I stepped out of the limo. When I got my footing, he released my hand only to replace it on my shoulder.

"I hope she makes you happy." He said simply, a sincere smile on his face. I blinked owlishly at him for a second before blushing.

"Thank you Takashi-senpai." He nodded once before getting back in the limo, and they were gone.

"Physical exams?" I repeated dumbly and Haruhi nodded in response.

"Yeah, it's bound to be an ordeal. I personally don't care about people finding out that I'm a girl, but the fastest way I can pay off my debt is by being a host." She admitted with a sigh as we sat side by side, bentos in our laps. "Aaaand they may have bribed me with fancy tuna."

She said the last part so low I could barely hear it, but I managed to pick up the words and snorted.

"My prediction," I started, putting my hand on my chin in contemplation. "is that Tamaki-san is going to come up with some ridiculous plan that wouldn't work in a million years and everyone's going to go along with it because it's Tamaki-san. However, Kyoya-san is already going to have it all figured out and his plan will actually work."

Haruhi stared at me for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. A few girls around us stopped to admire the sight.

"Wow, I've never heard Haruhi-kun laugh before."

"I wish I could make Haruhi-kun laugh like that."

"Quick, take a video!"

"You've only been around them a few weeks, but it seems you have their personalities figured out SkyLynn, that was honestly spot on." She finally said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. I didn't fail to notice the glares I was getting from a few of the girls milling around.

It was something I had noticed the last few days. My classmates were finally picking up on how much time I spent with the Host Club, with Haruhi in particular. They noticed the way Haruhi and I spent lunch together every day, the way I left school with Mitskuni and Takashi, the way I chatted easily with Kyoya and Tamaki before class, and the way the twins didn't think twice before throwing their arms around my shoulders.

I hadn't been approached about it yet, but if I knew anything about high school girls, it was only a matter of time.

"It's kinda weird that y'all have physical exam like this." I said in-between bites of curry.

"Didn't you have them in America?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"Nope, I vaguely remember one in middle school maybe? But nothing in high school, unless you were playing sports or something."

"It seems our countries are more different than I thought."

"You can say that again."

"Sky! Over here!" A cheerful voice exclaimed the moment I stepped into the large hall where the physical examinations would be taking place. I scanned the room and my eyes landed on Emiko, jumping up and down and frantically waving at me.

"Hey Emiko, hey Yoshino." I greeted with a smile as I walked up to my teammates. "This setup is so professional, I don't think I'll ever get used to the lengths that higher-class people will go too."

Emiko laughed. "You have a point."

"Most of us have our own private doctors at home anyway. Though this is a school, it's also a business, the grandeur boosts the mood of the students during this formality." Yoshino informed seriously before blushing and retreating back to her shell. I loved it when Yoshino spoke up, though the instances were far and few between. Yoshino was smart, and more cunning than she looked.

"That makes sense." I nodded, looking around the hall and having to do a double take when I saw a familiar pair donned in a white lab coat and wearing round glasses.

I knew Tamaki's plan was going to be ridiculous, but dressing up Mitskuni and Takashi like doctors? Even I couldn't have predicted that one.

Takashi turned his head and his eyes met mine. With a smile on my face, I gave him a 'thumbs up' and he nodded once in acknowledgement.

"So, how was your date with Reiko?" Emiko asked slyly, wagging her eyebrows suggestively. A blush lit up my face and I fought the urge to bury my face in my hands.

"It was really good." I admitted, and she squealed loudly.

"You two are such a cute couple." She gushed.

"We're not even a couple Emiko." I protested but was drowned out by the group of girls clustered around the Hitachiin twins who were currently shirtless.

"C'mon guys, we're missing the show!" Emiko said excitedly, grabbing us both by our wrists and dragging us to the center of it. They were putting on their typical twin act, so I let my attention wander. I almost missed Mitskuni and Takashi grabbing Haruhi and throwing her into one of the curtained rooms. Something interesting was bound to happen.

"Fujioka-sama, it's time to measure your chest." One of the nurses said and the group of girls clustered around the outside of the curtain. "Once you have gotten yourself ready, please step this way."

"Next up is Haruhi-kun!"

"I've never seen him before." The girls chatted excitedly.

"Fujioka-sama, are you ready yet?"

The anticipation was heavy as everyone waited for Haruhi to pull back the curtain. I found myself leaning forward with everyone, though for a different reason. I couldn't wait to see whatever stunt Tamaki was going to pull.

"Yes." The curtain was dramatically pulled to the side. "I am Fujioka Haruhi."

I immediately doubled over with laughter. It was Tamaki; wearing a brown wig. The girls clustered around were confused and easily saw through the poor attempt at a disguise. I continued dying of laughter as Tamaki ripped the wig off in embarrassment.

"You guys! You guys said there was no way they'd see through it!" He shouted, grabbing one of the twins by the neck.

"Just a little payback for calling us the homosexual supporting cast!" He defended, tears of laughter still in his eyes.

"Chiasson-sama, we're ready for you." A friendly nurse interrupted.

"Oh, okay, see you guys later." I said, following the pink-clad woman into one of the small rooms.

"Bye Sky! See you later!"

"Goodbye SkyLynn."

"What?" I asked in disbelief, sprawled out on my bed and Haruhi sprawled out beside me.

"Yep, Tamaki-senpai kicked him like he was a soccer ball." Haruhi repeated and I laughed.

"So, the man was just looking for his daughter?"

"Mhm."

"Instead of sneaking into a room, he should have just been forthright with his problem from the start. I swear, people don't have any common sense." I sighed.

"And your prediction was completely right, Kyoya-senpai had a reasonable plan the whole time. All the doctor's and staff are employed by his family's hospital." My friend said and I grinned.

"I can't say I'm surprised. At least that's all over and your secret is kept safe for another day."

"Do I really look that much like a boy? It's not like I'm actively trying to appear masculine, aside from the uniform that is." She asked and I sat up, peering at her face.

"I mean, I think it's more the fact that you're not actively trying to look like a girl. You just look really androgynous, throw you in a girl's uniform and it's obvious you're a girl. And don't get offended, but you're pretty flat-chested, and your voice is deep for a girl." I pointed out and she nodded. "Either way, you're cute."

"Ah, you're cuter though, I'm just average." Haruhi said offhandedly and I scoffed.

"Haruhi, are you that oblivious to how many girls are in love with you at school?" And boys, but I kept that one to myself.

"I wouldn't say in love-"

"In love." I said firmly. "I'm actually surprised you haven't been confessed to yet. You just missed Valentine's Day, so maybe next year?"

"You're exaggerating." Haruhi scoffed and I rolled my eyes.

"We'll see about that."

"So, do you know when your first volleyball game is?" She asked, skillfully changing the subject.

"Our actual games aren't scheduled yet, we have a skirmish coming up in a few weeks against another skill. Something to just warm us up, is what Hayami said."

"Are you nervous?"

"Absolutely terrified." I laughed. "They've all been playing together for years, they all went to the same middle school and suddenly I'm thrown into the mix. We practice really well together but a game if entirely different. It's Hayami and Reiko's last year and they really want to make it to nationals, I just don't want to let them down."

"I'm sure you'll be great Sky, and I'll be there to cheer you on if the Host Club doesn't have anything going on." She reassured, and I smiled.

"You really are a great friend Haruhi."

A/N: This chapter is very long overdue, I've had a lot going on in my personal life and with school so sorry for the wait. Hope y'all enjoy!