Section 81: Showtime
A big screen TV had been set up backstage for the convenience of the contestants. A camera placed at the end of the runway was able to transmit a live image of the contest, so even the cosplayers waiting in line had a good view of the various performances their competition was putting on.
A tight knot had already formed around the screen. After seeing the costumes of their opponents, many people were interested to see how their fellows presented themselves onstage. And yet there were some people who desired nothing of the sort. They purposely avoided looking at the television, afraid that watching the competition in action would only make them more nervous.
Freya was in this latter group. As Thomas and Tyler tried to pull her toward the screen, she tugged just as hard in the opposite direction.
"No… guys…. I really don't want to see…"
"But Freya! They'll be skits and things to watch as well as the costumes! Don't you want to see it with the rest of us?"
"Not particularly."
"But you'll really be missing out on one of the best aspects of the convention!"
"I'm sorry, Tom! But I don't care! Isn't it enough that I'm participating with you guys? Don't make me watch this too!"
"Is it the crowd that makes you nervous?" Tyler asked. He had turned his head to watch the image on the screen. Not only were the runway and main stage clearly visible, but the waving hands and flashing cameras of the crowd could be seen in abundance as well.
Freya glanced at the screen briefly before looking away again with a slight shudder. She nodded mutely.
Tyler redoubled his efforts to drag her toward the TV. "Then that's all the more reason to watch! Just look! Everyone else is nervous when they go out too, but the crowd is really positive! You don't have to be scared of them, Freya! No one's gonna judge you!"
"Well, well… What have we here, Suzuran?"
"It looks like those dreadful boys are harassing another maiden, Benibara."
Thomas winced and turned to face the St. Roberia girls. As expected, they were looking at him with such a high level of disdain that Thomas thought the weight of it would push him right through the floor.
Before he had a chance to think of an appropriate greeting, a loud groan cut through their confrontation.
"Oh no!" Henry moaned, spotting the Zuka Club and immediately heading over, "Not you guys again!"
Bianca, the Benio Amakusa cosplayer, glared at him but decided to ignore the impertinence. She addressed Thomas instead. "Where's Hilary? We thought you had stolen her from us so you could use her in your own group."
"H-Hilary would never do that," Thomas said, searching for his usual confidence.
Henry nodded in stubborn agreement, "Yeah, she said that she couldn't betray you guys by performing with us."
"She betrayed us by abandoning our group at the last minute!" Bianca snarled.
The Chizuru Maihara cosplayer laid a calming hand on her arm and added, "But it doesn't matter. We intend to compete even if it's just the two of us. I'm sure even the pair of us will be an easy match for the likes of you."
Bianca seemed to have regained her composure. Speaking in the deep, melodious voice of her character, she said, "That's right. Consider us your biggest competition. We'll be able to see who the crowd favors more. A bunch of strutting peacocks like yourselves…"
"Or true performers like Benibara and I," the long-haired Suzuran finished.
Henry scoffed, "Our competition? Call yourselves that if you want, but I gotta say this doesn't seem like much of a challenge."
"To be honest I'm just going to focus on not tripping over my own feet," Freya suddenly said, drawing all eyes to her. "I mean, if you guys are trying to pick a fight, can you leave me out of it? I really just don't want to mess up our routine."
Bianca smirked, "Of course, little kitten. You won't have the slightest thing to worry about. Just do your best. When your group fails, it will be because of your prince's poor leadership. Not because of anything you do."
She turned on her heel after this little speech and began to sashay away. Suzuran smiled over her shoulder as she too prepared to make her exit. "Good luck. You'll need it."
Freya watched them go with a quizzical frown. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she said to no one in particular, "But did that girl just call me a kitten?"
Tyler nodded, "Yeah, talk about weird. I always thought you looked like a raccoon."
"Hey! Hey, Tyler! Get over here! Riko's group is on!" Mike started shouting from the group crowded around the TV. Tyler grabbed Freya's hand and had dragged her to the screen before she could think to stop him.
"Look, Freya! Don't they look great?"
Freya reluctantly looked at the huge image and had to admit that they did. Riko, the spitting image of Ciel Phantomhive, was strolling down the runway, her friend Lydia on her arm. Thomas stood behind Freya and watched the same scene with a sense of awe. They looked as if they had stepped right out of the anime.
"They're amazing," he said just as Chris reached the end of the runway. Still managing to look bored under the spotlight and with so many fans cheering, he dropped into a fighting stance and posed for a few pictures. Thomas noted the kitchen knives and forks clutched between his fingers and admired their eye for detail.
"Tom?" Kyle broke through Thomas's concentration, grabbing him by the arm, "Hey, we'll be up soon. We have to get into position."
"Oh… Right!" Thomas spared one last glance for the screen, now showing the Black Butler group as they took a final bow together and exited the stage. He smiled; his old enthusiasm back in place. "Let's show them what we can do!"
Together, Kyle and Thomas gathered their group. In no time at all, they were next up in line, waiting in the wings for a quick comedy skit to clear the stage.
"This is it!" Thomas said to his Host Club, "The moment we've been planning for all these months! Don't worry about a thing; it'll be just like we rehearsed."
"Host Club?" a man wearing a headset and a Kana-Kon staff shirt asked. "You're on."
Thomas nodded at him, "Okay, ready Freya?"
But Freya looked like she was either going to faint or be sick. "W-Wait you guys, I don't know if I can…"
""It's too late to turn back now!"" The twins sang as they each placed their hands on her shoulders. ""You can do it!""
They shoved Freya out toward center stage just as the speakers blasted the opening song of the Ouran anime.
"KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE!"
The crowd roared in approval as fans instantly recognized the Ouran uniform. Freya, alone on stage for the moment, could only stare at the mass of smiling faces in a daze. Luckily, she wasn't alone for long. Thomas was the next to prance on stage, and it was made abundantly clear just how many girls he had managed to charm earlier by the sound of their screaming adoration. Thomas waved to them all regally, then took Freya by the hand, winked at her to bolster her courage, and began to lead her down the long runway.
"SO IS THIS LOVE OR HATE? WE'LL SEE…"
As the song continued, Kyle led the others onto the stage. Bowing politely toward the judges table, he was closely followed by the twins who walked down the runway with their arms linked. Tyler came last, with Michael balanced carefully on his shoulders.
Thomas waited at the end of the runway for the others to join him, striking a few poses for the benefit of his fans. Meanwhile, Freya had broken away from him, just as they'd planned before, and ran back down the narrow path to the main stage, careful so she wouldn't knock the others over along the way.
"MAYBE YOU'RE MY LOVE!"
Freya stopped at center stage with a sigh and turned around just in time to grab onto Michael. Freed from his perch atop Tyler, Michael had played his part well by running into Freya's arms happily, spinning around with her once, and releasing her only to prance a few paces away. The twins then immediately followed, approaching her from either side and taking her each of her hands with perfect synchrony. They too twirled her about in a complicated pirouette before moving into position.
Kyle was prompt with his portion as well. Approaching Freya, he took her hand gallantly and dropped to one knee for the briefest of moments, then he was up again and moving away, making room for Tyler to swoop in and do nothing more than tousle Freya's hair a bit.
Tyler seemed unable to resist himself a bit of improvisation. With the impulsiveness characteristic of his own personality, he suddenly dipped down and kissed Freya lightly on the cheek. The crowd squealed in appreciation, but Freya was worried lest he throw their whole tempo off. Or even worse, her face would be glowing such a brilliant shade of red that she'd be worthy of guiding Santa's sleigh on a foggy night.
She had nothing to worry about, however. Thomas was quick with his pacing as well, and soon he stood before Freya, offering her a warm smile of encouragement and a red rose which surely must have made her own face seem whiter by comparison. She still couldn't figure out how Thomas managed to produce roses like this seemingly out of nowhere, but she accepted it nonetheless and prepared herself for their next move.
The song was reaching its close, and the Host Club used their last few minutes to pander a little more to the crowd and move into their final poses. Thomas was dead center with Freya and Michael flanking his sides. The twins were on either side of them, their postures still a perfect mirror to each other, despite the distance now between them. That left Kyle and Mori to form the ends of their line. Each member of their group looked effortlessly natural in their respective poses, but there was nothing casual about their position. Thomas had painstakingly planned the whole routine to recreate the animation in the opening sequence, and any diehard fan would recognize this final pose easily. They were the Host Club, in all their glory.
The audience applauded and cheered their approval at the end of the song. Some girls were crying out, pledging their unending devotion to their favorite hosts as if they were rock stars instead of cosplayers. The time to bask in their popularity was short, however, as they had to hustle off stage to make room for the next group.
But the adrenaline brought on by their performance would not leave as easily as they had. Back stage, their whole group was elated. Even Freya was laughing and hugging with the rest of them.
"That was amazing!" Thomas shouted, not bothering to be quiet since their cheers wouldn't be heard over the noise of the contest anyway, "We did it! We really did it!"
"Let's see the Zuka Club mock us now!" Henry crowed, pumping his fist into the air.
Keith laughed as he glomped his own brother. "We might actually win this thing!"
Riko ran to join them, flinging herself at Michael and wrapping her arms around him. "You guys were awesome!" she shouted into his ear. Michael just laughed in response, "But not as good as your group."
"Are you kidding? We didn't put on a performance like that! It was so cool, you guys were just like the Host Club!"
Thomas smiled at the two of them, then looked round at the smiling faces of his friends.
"That's because we are," he said. "We are the Host Club!"
