Hanako's days always started early. At five thirty in the morning, her alarm went off, and she groaned as she reached for the clock. She slowly rolled out of the warm silk sheets adorning her bed and trudged towards her private bathroom. By six, she was dressed in her usual black and white ensemble and heading towards Kyoya's room. The Ootori mansion was one of the most massive, residential structures in Japan, and Hanako had been living as a guest there for the past couple of years. She recalled how uncomfortable it had been when she first moved into the guest wing of the house. The space made her feel alone, and the silence unsettled her. Even now, after all these years, she still preferred the long nights of work that usually resulted in her falling sleep on the couch in Kyoya's room.
As she approached the bedroom, she found one of her employees standing outside the door. "Tachibana-san," she spoke out.
The man stood straighter at the sound of her voice and bowed to her in greeting, "Good morning, Negida-san." Tachibana had been working for the Ootori family since before Hanako had been taken on as the head of security, and he had always admired her father, who had occupied the position before her. That admiration, the man found, easily extended to his former superior's daughter. She worked hard to live up to her father's legacy and earned the respect of the men under her employment.
"Is he up yet?" she asked him. They both knew how nasty Kyoya's mood was in the morning, and they also knew that there wouldn't be any repercussions if he were to sleep through his first few classes. However, the last time that had happened, Kyoya lectured them about responsibility and how it was theirs to ensure that he maintained a perfect record.
"No, miss," Tachibana sighed. "I tried, but he's not feeling cooperative this morning."
Hanako sighed and waved the brown haired man away, "I'll take care of it. Please prepare my bag and Kyoya-sama's, and make sure that breakfast is ready in the car. Thank you." Hanako knocked on the heavy door before entering. Kyoya's room was simply decorated with modern furnishings and automatic blinds that covered the glass wall. It was sleek, elegant and didn't indicate an ounce of sentimentality. In a way, the room was very Kyoya. Hanako approached the king sized bed and cleared her throat, "Kyoya-sama, it's time to wake up."
The lump under the blankets didn't respond, and the slow rise and fall of the sheets suggested that he was still sound asleep. Hanako sighed and knelt by the edge of the bed, "How late were you up working this time? Honestly, you don't get enough rest. Kyoya-sama, we have to go to school." This time, at least, she was rewarded by a shift under the blankets as he turned over to face her. His dark hair fell asymmetrically into his face, and he didn't even open his eyes. A frown contorted his resting features, giving her the indication that Tachibana's efforts hadn't gone unnoticed.
"I'll throw cold water on you again," she threatened. Slowly, his gray eyes opened, focusing on her with surprising acuity for someone who not only hated the morning, but had also been sleeping deeply.
"You wouldn't dare," he said darkly, a deep rumble to his voice from sleep.
"Try me," she retorted, staring him down until he sat up in bed, his expensive pajamas shifted slightly off center around his shoulders. Hanako rose to her feet, "Breakfast will be in the car." The raven haired girl took her leave of the room and Kyoya slowly got himself out of bed.
"Impossible woman," he muttered to the empty room before heading to his private bath.
It always took Kyoya at least an hour to wake up fully, but by seven he was the picture of perfection. There was something to be said about being a son of the Ootori family. All three of the brothers were perfectionists, and none of them ever had a hair out of place. Kyoya, of course, was no exception. Hanako followed him to the car, opening and closing the door before the car pulled out of the long drive way. Breakfast was ready on a tray, and the bags were already on the opposite seats in the limousine. They rode to school in silence this morning, and when they arrived at school, the driver got out and opened the door for them. Kyoya and Hanako walked up the marble staircase and entered the school promptly at seven thirty with plenty of time to settle in for the day.
"Hanako, please make sure that Haruhi doesn't try to skip out on club activities today," Kyoya advised her inside the palatial building.
"Yes, sir," she replied. He waved his farewell to her and entered the class 2-A homeroom, leaving her in the hallway alone. It had been like this since their first year of high school. Despite being the same age and living under the same roof, Hanako and Kyoya were not in the same class and hadn't been since middle school. The girl made her way to the class 2-B homeroom across the floor, passing a sea of periwinkle and pale yellow. Every so often, she caught sight of a darkly dressed man or woman lurking in the hallway with black sunglasses, not unlike the pair she kept in the inner pocket of her jacket.
There was a joke among security forces. Ouran Academy has two faces: the one dressed in blue and yellow and the one dressed in black and white. Hanako was familiar with most of the faces that she caught in the shadows, and they acknowledged her with brief nods or quick salutes. The Negida name had once been one known and feared throughout the world, a highly selective private security organization that only formed contracts with the most respected families and companies in the world. Now, all that was left were the one hundred men under Hanako's command and at the employ of the Ootori Group. Hanako herself was, perhaps, the youngest bodyguard at Ouran Academy and the only one actually enrolled as a student. Her predicament had been the cause of much strife during her first year. For all of its splendor, Ouran was still a high school, and at high school, there were bullies. Hanako had been the butt of many jokes about sliding down the social pyramid, and she had endured a fair number of rumors due to her position as an employee of Kyoya Ootori. It was a known fact that Ouran Academy was not as squeaky clean as everyone wanted to believe, and nobody knew that better than the people sworn to protect the bored and wealthy.
The school day droned on, and her classes passed in an uninteresting blur. When the lunch bell rang, Hanako set out to find Haruhi, knowing that Kyoya would be safe in the company of the other hosts and under the careful watch of the other shadows. The dining hall was truly a large and magnificent hall with long tables and ornate chairs. Hanako scanned the crowd of students and realized that the new host wasn't there. The body guard searched the bathrooms and unoccupied classrooms until she found the honor student. Haruhi had attracted quite a few admirers with her new appearance, but none of the upperclass girls were brave enough to approach the honor student outside of the club. Hanako passed quite a few girls in the library as she strode towards Haruhi's solitary table.
"You're a very hard person to find," Hanako remarked. "Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all, please, sit." Haruhi motioned to the empty chair across from her. "You don't usually eat in the library, do you, Hanako-senpai?"
"I tend to eat my lunch with the other security members in the kitchen."
"You mean there are other security guards around here?"
"Of course. You didn't think that these families just send their children here unprotected, did you? Ouran Academy is one of the most secure locations in the world. Although," Hanako said thoughtfully, taking in Haruhi's lunch box and the absence of other company, "we can't really do anything to stop conflicts among students."
"I guess that's true. I haven't really seen any security people around here."
"Students have complained about security personnel as an eyesore, so they tend to go unseen."
"But not you?" Haruhi raised a questioning brow. Hanako wore the same black jacket and slacks as she did the other day, and her hair was still pulled into a sleek pony tail. It was kind of weird, in Haruhi's opinion, for a security guard to stand out so much.
"I'm a unique case," Hanako said with a secretive smile.
"You mentioned that you were looking for me, senpai. Did you need anything?"
Hanako's smile widened in a deceptively innocent grin, "Kyoya-sama would like to remind you that your Host Club duties begin today promptly at three fifteen."
Haruhi visibly deflated and dropped her forehead to the polished oak table with a groan, "You don't have to babysit me, senpai. I'll be there."
Hanako smiled a little bit at her distress, "Kyoya-sama always follows up on his investments. See you later, Fujioka-san." Hanako rose out of her chair with a grace that all of the girls at Ouran except Haruhi seemed to share, but even the way that Hanako moved was slightly different. It was always as if Hanako was tense, like her body was constantly anticipating something. Haruhi watched Hanako stride out of the library with her back pin straight and her long dark hair swinging behind her, thinking that her senpai might be more of the odd one out than even herself.
Finally, the clock tower sounded its musical chimes and the bell sang through the halls of Ouran Academy. Hanako rose from her desk with the other students and wordlessly made her way towards the music room for club activities. She effortlessly wove through the the pairs and trios and larger groups of students making their goodbyes for the day and planning the rest of their evenings. There had been a time when Hanako would make the same superficial plans with casual friends, but in the face of new responsibilities and obstacles, those pleasantries had fallen away.
It seemed as if most of the students had gone by the time Hanako passed the first years' wing. A breeze gently lifted the long strands of hair thrown over her shoulder, and she saw the doors open to one of the great balconies overlooking the courtyard. When she heard a splash from the fountain below, she stopped in her tracks to eye the lone figure garbed in daffodil yellow.
Hanako approached slowly, recognizing the scene that had played out before her, "I take it that wasn't yours, was it?"
Ayanokoji turned to face her, resting one hand on the stone railing of the balcony, "Oh, Negida, funny running into you here." Her voice betrayed no guilt, nor did her posture reveal any discomfort at the presence of a witness.
"The Host Club has a zero tolerance policy for behavior like this."
A musical laugh, light and empty sounded from the princess as she narrowed her eyes at the girl before her. She knew everything about the security girl, heard the rumors, watched from her place at Tamaki's side as the little shadow fulfilled every demand. "Are you going to tell them? Who do you think they're going to believe? You or me?"
Ayanokoji left the railing and joined Hanako in the empty corridor, her disgust at the girl in front of her plainly written on her beautiful face. Hanako took in the spiteful glare without responding. The words of countless whispers and unspoken jeers written on silent faces echoed in the back of her mind, but, honestly, she couldn't be bothered. There were more pressing matters at hand.
Hanako sighed and tucked her hands into her pockets, slowly taking the steps away from her newfound enemy, "You grossly underestimate them, then."
There's a back door to Music Room 3 that nobody beyond the club's board members and the staff knows of or uses. Unlike the ornate doors leading to the hall, this plain little door sits between two closets in a tiny, underused hallway and leads into the kitchen. It is this door that Hanko slips through every day to meet the Host Club. This time, she found the daily delivery of sweets half way unboxed and plated.
"You're late," Kyoya chastised from his position at the counter, Hanako's pink apron protecting his clothes and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows. It would have been funny if not for the annoyed grimace on his face.
"Apologies, sir," she placed her bag on one of the hooks on the wall and retrieved a second apron before washing her hands and joining him. They worked together, cutting and plating slices of cake until they had caught up to Hanako's usual check point for the time. "Kyoya-sama, I'd like to voice a concern," she said as he removed the apron and rolled down his sleeves.
"Hmm?" he prompted, putting his jacket back on.
"Based on her recent maliciousness, I don't think it's wise to allow Ayanokoji-hime to participate in club activities anymore."
Hanako and Kyoya paused in their respective actions. He processed the words his assistant had just spoken, and the immediate concerns ran through his head. The repercussions of ostracizing such a lauded member of their society for a seemingly baseless claim was risky. "Princess Ayanokoji is a major benefactor of ours. If you're saying she's been inappropriate, we should at the very least give her the courtesy of a warning."
Hanako recognized the warning in his eyes and voice, and she knew that his concerns were valid. Eyes were always trained on the elite, and at this school, where connections and names and wealth mattered more than ethics and motivations, any scandal could hurt not just an organization, but every individual in that organization. Hanako nodded and returned to her task.
Haruhi was at the disadvantage. She didn't have the name or the money to make her worth listening to at this school, and with that knowledge, the knife in Hanako's hand shook with the disgust at the system they've built around themselves. It was an unfair disadvantage that Ayanokoji was exploiting against both Haruhi and Hanako and would continue to exploit as long as she was allowed to. Hanako disposed of the pastry boxes angrily and each saucer rattled slightly as she set them down on the gilded trolleys.
"Hanako," Kyoya's voice broke through her furious thoughts, "I'll look into it." She scrutinized him, wondering if he meant it, and satisfied with the sincerity in his expression, she felt the anger melt away and nodded to him before taking her place by the doors.
Club activities began as they usually did, promptly at a quarter past three, the doors opened and a shower of rose petals fell from the canopy above. The hosts gallantly welcomed their adoring guests, and Hanako took the walk-in requests as the hosts guided their scheduled clients to their respective sections. Hanako mirrored the hosts' hospitality as she scrawled the names of guests into unfilled time slots and offered them tea and cake as they waited, and minutes ticked by without a falter in the routine.
"Hey, Hanako," Tamaki called, approaching the foyer that acted as a waiting room and violet eyes scanning the room, "Where's Haruhi? Kyoya said you reminded him about coming in today."
The courteous smile that had been on her face slipped away, and Tamaki's brow furrowed in response. "Probably in the first year wing," her response came with a forced lightness that confused the club president.
"Alright, then. Tell my guests I apologize but I won't be taking any walk-in requests right now," he instructed. Without explaining, he strode out of the club room, and Hanako made a note on her clipboard.
"Is everything alright, Negida-san?" one of the second year girls asked after witnessing a very confused Tamaki running towards the first year wing of the immense building.
"Yes, of course. It seems our new host is running a bit late, and Tamaki-sama's gone off to help him. I'm afraid he won't be taking any walk-in requests," Hanako assured her.
"What a shame," a disappointed voice sounded. "It's not very fair to Tamaki that he has to go find Haruhi." A murmur of agreement sounded from the other girls.
"Ayanokoji-hime," Hanako greeted, "you're not scheduled with Tamaki-sama today. Would you like to see one of our other hosts?" She hoped that Ayanokoji was satisfied with tormenting Haruhi outside of the club room. The last thing she wanted was for the club to have any disruptions from whatever drama was being stirred up in Ayanokoji's mind.
"I think I'd like an audience with Haruhi today, if he's available."
"His first appointment has been rescheduled for today," Hanako stated. "He's available for the rest of the afternoon."
She flashed a victorious smile at Hanako, "Perfect. Thank you, Negida." Hanako finalized the reservation on her clipboard and took down the rest of the guests requests. Once she had finished at the front, she began her rounds. More cake at Honey's table, a new pot of tea for the twins, and trading notes with Kyoya. Every so often, Hanako would look back at Ayanokoji at the waiting area. The girl had an allure about her that made her popular with the other girls at school. A testament to her upbringing, perhaps. Hanako knew, from the rapid and hushed whispers and satisfaction apparent in her posture, that Ayanokoji was playing all of her cards against Haruhi.
"Hana-chan?" Honey's concerned voice caused Hanako to pull her gaze back to the task she had lost track of. She smiled at Honey and wiped the icing off of his face with the damp cloth in her hand.
"Sorry, I'm just a little bit distracted," she apologized with a smile.
Honey brightened immediately in response to her effort and grasped her hand tightly in both of his, "Ah! You should sit with us, Hana-chan! Rest for a minute, right, Takashi?" He turned his expectant eyes to his cousin. The taller boy was watching her, too, with an unreadable, flat expression.
"I'm okay, Honey-sama," she assured him, removing his hands from hers. Her eyes flickered back to the doors. Tamaki and Haruhi had returned with their sleeves and pant legs rolled up and a light puddle forming at their feet. "Looks like I have more work to do. Maybe later," she ruffled the golden locks on his head before catching up to the pair of dripping hosts.
"She always does that," Honey pouted, dropping unceremoniously onto the cushions and glancing up at Takashi thoughtfully.
Haruhi slipped her shoes back on while Hanako threw the soiled towels into a hamper. Hanako noticed that she seemed particularly dejected and lingered with the new host for a moment.
"Are you okay?"
Haruhi blinked and looked up at the older girl with surprise, "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just a bag."
"I'm not asking about your bag," Hanako countered sternly. Her caramel eyes seemed to shine like amber as they narrowed on Haruhi, "I'm asking about you."
Haruhi averted her eyes under the intensity of Hanako's gaze. The assistant seemed so angry on her behalf, and she wasn't sure what to do with that. She sighed and leaned back in the chair, gazing at the ceiling, "I'm alright, really. I guess I'm just surprised. I didn't think there were bullies at a place like this, but I'm okay."
Hanako offered her hand to Haruhi, who took it and allowed the taller girl to help her up. Haruhi, from what Hanako could tell, was resilient in a way that few of the other students at Ouran were or ever needed to be. "Good, because your first appointment today is with Ayanokoji-hime," Hanako informed her.
"What?" Haruhi exclaimed in shock.
Hanako towered over Haruhi with her hands on her hips and eyes focused on her with such unfaltering attention that Haruhi almost felt like she should run. "Ayanokoji-hime is the type of girl who's used to getting everything that she wants, and she has an image to maintain, so she'll never let anyone know what she's doing to you."
"So… you know about all that," Haruhi inferred, thinking back to her bag in the fountain.
"You'd be surprised by what I know," Hanako offered a quick smile. "If it helps, I'll keep a close eye on her."
"Don't worry about me, senpai. I'm not scared of her, and there really isn't anything she can do to me, so it's okay," Haruhi said with a shrug. "I guess I better get out there and get this over with." The younger girl picked up a teapot and walked out to the floor. Undeterred by Haruhi's flippancy, Hanako followed. She watched Haruhi pull out the chair for Ayanokoji and pour the tea. The ever present guardian shadow made her rounds but kept her eyes on Haruhi's little table. She never ventured far from Haruhi, unwilling to really leave her new friend alone with the unwanted guest.
"You're hovering," Kyoya's voice sounded in her ear. Hanako didn't startle, but he knew she was surprised when she shifted away from him. He followed the line of her sight and watched the interactions between Haruhi and Ayanokoji.
"You know what I think of her."
"And you know we can't do anything without proof. Right now, it's your word against hers."
Hanako felt the resentment clawing up her throat, the feelings of inadequacy bubbling just below the surface. She knew that if anything were to go up to the school board, her word would be nothing compared to Ayanokoji's testament. She didn't have the background to have any footing on that platform, but she thought, at least, the hosts would listen to her and take her on her word.
Hanako opened her mouth to say something, anything that would voice her feelings about what he had just said. Then, she saw a movement from Ayanokoji. It was small, just the lifting of her head from her bridged hands, but Hanako had already taken half a step towards the table when she felt a firm, restraining hand on her elbow. Angry at the intervention, she turned back to find the light glinting from Kyoya's glasses and a stony expression on his face.
The porcelain shattered and the silver spoons clanged on the tiled floor. Barely a moment later, the table sounded with a heavy, dull thud and a scream sounded in Music Room 3, "No, Haruhi! Leave me alone! Somebody help!" Hanako pulled forward, growing more furious as she saw Ayanokoji sprawled on the floor with Haruhi's slight frame above her, but Kyoya's grip tightened, keeping her in place unrelentingly. "He just attacked me! Someone do something! Teach this commoner a lesson!"
As soon as her last words were out, the twins had overturned two pitchers of water onto the two on the floor. Hanako felt Kyoya's hand slacken around her elbow, but she didn't move. The commotion had already reached its peak, and Hikaru and Kaoru had acted to neutralize it. Tamaki helped Ayanokoji to her feet, and she implored him with large eyes, "Do something, Tamaki! Haruhi just assaulted me!"
The blond cupped her face, "I'm disappointed in you. You threw his bag into the pond, didn't you?"
"You don't know that. Do you have any proof that I did?" Her voice shook with desperation.
"You know, you're a beautiful girl. But you aren't classy enough to be our guest, dear. If there's one thing I know, Haruhi is not that kind of a man," Tamaki spoke clearly in defense of the honor student who was still on the floor among shattered china and soaked with water.
"But why, Tamaki?" Ayanokoji cried, large tears forming in her eyes. She scanned the room for any allies, anyone who would speak against the Host Club's king on her behalf. The other patrons only watched, astounded, at the humiliation Ayanokoji was bringing upon herself. "Is it because of her?" she demanded, a hateful hardness coming into her voice as she pointed at Hanako, "What did she say to you? Tamaki, you mustn't believe any of it! She's a liar, a no good liar. You can't believe anything someone like her says to you! She's nothing. She's a gold digger from a miserable, second-rate family! What else do you expect from someone like her?"
"That's enough," Tamaki stated firmly. His voice was quiet compared to the level hers had risen to but it carried an authority that silenced the entire room. The sneer that the princess had ended her tirade with quickly fell as she took in the looks on the hosts' faces.
If they had been annoyed before, they had lost all patience with her, now. Hikaru had marched forward furiously, and it was only Kaoru's hand on his shoulder that prevented him from acting out entirely. "I'd watch what I say about Hanako, if I were you," Kaoru said in a low tone.
"Don't say bad things about Hana-chan," Honey said seriously with an anger that none of the guests had ever seen on his cute, round face before.
"She," Ayanokoji started, flustered with the turn of events, "she..."
"Miss Ayanokoji," Kyoya cut in smoothly, "you've caused quite the stir here, today, and slandering our club members doesn't bode well for you. I don't think you've anything left to say. Please, leave."
"Tamaki?" Hanako watched the disbelief twist Ayanokoji's face as she turned back to Tamaki in search of any comfort, and when she found none, she raced for the door, wailing, "You idiots!" With one of the parties involved gone, the tension in the room dissipated, and Tamaki turned his attention to Haruhi.
Meanwhile, Kyoya gave his to Hanako, who hadn't moved since Ayanokoji's rant debasing her. She had been so ready to escort Ayanokoji out the moment that the girl had sat down at Haruhi's table, and she had been prepared to defend herself against the slander. What Hanako had not been prepared for was the way that the host club had taken the situation into their own hands. She had not anticipated Kyoya holding her back or the hosts berating Ayanokoji for accusing her of lying.
"That was unnecessary," she said to him disapprovingly. It was not his responsibility as her employer to come to her defense like that. It could reflect poorly, and worse, it could fan the rumors that fed into Ayanokoji's disdain of her.
"It was more for Miss Ayanokoji's benefit than yours. Hanako, you have a spare Ouran uniform here, correct?"
"Yes, sir," she answered, "the one I had the first week last year."
"I think Haruhi could use a change of clothes. Would you please fetch it?"
"Yes, sir," Hanako retreated to the changing room and found the spare in a garment bag in one of the closets. She had definitely grown out of it, but it would probably fit Haruhi, albeit loosely. She folded the uniform and packed it into a bag for convenience before returning to the others and handing it off to Kyoya
"This is the only spare uniform we have," he presented the bag to Haruhi. "Sorry but it's better than a wet one, right?"
"Thanks a lot, guys," Haruhi accepted gratefully. "I'm going to go change." Hanako smiled at her in passing as the younger girl headed for the changing rooms.
Kyoya and the other hosts went back to their scheduled afternoons, and Hanako started on cleaning up the mess that had been made. First, she went back to the kitchen for the broom and dustpan, and when she returned, she saw Takashi kneeling over the mess, carefully picking up any silverware that could be salvaged from the shattered pieces.
He looked up at her, and their eyes met briefly. She thought, for a moment that she should say something, but just as soon as the thought crossed her mind, he had already looked away. So, she settled on silence. Neither of them spoke as Hanako swept the floor and Takashi righted the fallen furniture. She threw away the broken pieces, and he got the mop out of a closet. On his way out, he handed her the clipboard that she had placed on the counter earlier. She knew that he was offering to finish cleaning the mess while she logged the damages to the inventory, and she pulled a pen out of her jacket pocket to do so.
"Thanks," Hanako said softly before he left the kitchen, glancing up to see if he had heard her, but his back was already to her and he had gone back onto the main floor.
She accounted for the vase, teapot, saucers, and teacups that had been broken when the table fell over and decided to ask Kyoya for permission to charge Ayanokoji's account for the damages later. The door to the kitchen swung open, and the twins stuck their heads in.
"Hey," Hikaru called.
"Boss wants us all in the changing room," Kaoru finished.
Hanako rose from her seat and tucked her clipboard under her arm, "What's going on, now?"
"So, you're a girl?" Tamaki asked dumbly once all of the host club had congregated in the changing room area.
"Biologically speaking, yeah," Haruhi responded from the other side of the curtain before drawing it open and revealing herself wearing the yellow dress Hanako had been given for her first year of high school. Tamaki staggered backwards, alternating between a dumbfounded gape and grinding his teeth. "Listen senpai, I don't really care whether you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion, it's more important for a person to be recognized for who they are rather than for what sex they are."
"Well, isn't this an interesting development?" Kyoya voiced from the archway to the rest of the floor.
"You already knew she was a girl when this all started," Hanako pointed out dully.
"Oh, yeah!" the twins chorused over her quiet remark.
"You know, I have to say, senpai, I thought you were pretty cool earlier," Haruhi declared. Hanako snickered quietly into her clipboard as Tamaki blushed a deep red.
"Now, I could be wrong, but I think we may be witnessing the beginnings of love here," Kyoya quipped beside her.
"Being a host and getting fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad," Haruhi said thoughtfully. I wonder how I can pull it off?" While she thought on it, the club members inched closer to Tamaki, curious as to what she would decide. "I've got it! I'll just call everyone dude and bro now!" Her declaration was followed by sweet giggles, and Hanako joined in laughing at the joke.
"Alright, I think we've all had enough excitement for one day," Kyoya remarked as the girls' laughter died down. "Let's get everything sorted so we can go home for the night." The hosts returned to the floor, doing what they felt was adequate assistance for Hanako and Haruhi. Except, Tamaki had taken on a strange pallor to his complexion. "Come on, Tamaki, how about you sit down?" the spectacled young man led his friend by the hand back to the floor to sit down on one of the loveseats.
Hanako started up her usual closing duties, and Haruhi observed her as they worked on inventory and clean up. All of the things Ayanokoji had said about Hanako were cruel and personal, and Haruhi couldn't imagine that Hanako would have ever said or done anything to deserve all of those things being said about her so openly. From the look on Hanako's face, she had heard all of those things before. Haruhi knew better than to put any stock into anything Ayanokoji had said, but she wondered what Hanako's side of the story was.
Then, there were the hosts and the way they banded around her so protectively. Haruhi had been surprised when they came to her defense, but she had been more surprised, maybe even impressed, by how strongly they reacted when Hanako became a target. The black haired girl had been so concerned about Haruhi after the incident with her school bag, and now, she was wondering just how intimately Hanako knew the situation.
"Hey," Haruhi's focus was broken by Hanako's call, "thanks for all your hard work. I'm sorry it's been such a hectic day. It's not always going to be like this."
"Oh, it wasn't all bad, senpai, I meant what I said earlier. I don't think it's going to be that bad here," Haruhi assured her.
"I'm glad." Hanako took in the softness to Haruhi's expression and made a final note on her clipboard. "You know, I like having another girl on this side of things."
"Hanako," Kyoya appeared at the doorway, indicating that it was time for them to go.
"See you tomorrow, Haruhi," Hanako bid goodbye to the other girl as she plucked her dark sunglasses out of her jacket pocket and handed off her clipboard to Kyoya. Despite the surprises that had come up in the past couple of days, everything had still gone by with a fair amount of ease. All things considered, Hanako supposed that it wasn't that bad of a day. It was just a little bit of change that had come to the host club, but, over all, her routine remained intact. Satisfied with how the day had concluded, she held the door open for Kyoya and followed him into the limousine.
"What a day," he groaned. He leaned back into the seat and stretched his leg up onto the opposite side of the car. "I think I'll take that massage tonight."
"Yes, sir. I'll let Tachibana know," Hanako stated, already typing the message into her phone. She glanced at her employer. His dark hair still hadn't moved out of place during the day, but he appeared more tired this evening than usual. His eyes were closed, and he rested his face in the palm of his hand. He was the one who had done all of the damage control following Ayanokoji's antics, and Hanako expected that he'd be trying to redeem any credit that the club had lost during the day over the next few days.
"Kyoya-sama," she said softly, sure that he hadn't fallen asleep. She had known Kyoya for most of her life. He was able to fool most people with his flippancy and good manners, but she knew better. "Thank you for standing up for me."
Slowly, he opened his eyes and snuck a look at her. They ended up catching each others' gazes and shared a brief moment when neither of them had put up the barriers of classism and responsibility between them.
"You're welcome, Hanako."
With a content smile, she rested back into the cushioned seat of the car. Just another day with the Ouran High School Host Club.