Author's Note: Surprise! An extra chapter in the middle of the week. I'm a bit ahead and thought you all deserved a treat. This is a one-off. Don't expect it again next week. Enjoy! See you Saturday.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

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xXx

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Date Posted: 3/24/2020

Trigger Warnings: Language. Lots of Language.

The Next Phase - Chapter 30: Hell

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Friday, March 18:

Suoh Apartment:

"Welcome!" Tamaki-senpai said, his arms open wide in greetings. "You're the last to arrive."

Not surprised. It took Haruhi-senpai a while to get ready. She doesn't look like she got any sleep.

"This way. I'll show you your rooms."

"Chika, you don't have to carry my bag."

"I don't mind, Haruhi-senpai," I said, following the group upstairs.

"Change into your swimsuits. I thought we could swim until lunch, then talk about the club. The twins and Kasanoda are already in the pool."

.

I pulled out the black one-piece suit I brought and burst into tears.

This should be a bikini. Dad should have repacked my bag. No dresses, no heels, no bikini. Just the stuff I packed last night.

I miss him so much.

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"Haruhi?" I said, tapping on her door. "Are you coming to swim?"

I heard her sniffing and walking to the door. When she opened it, her eyes were red, and her skin was blotchy. It was obvious she'd been crying.

"Mori-senpai?"

"Haruhi? What's wrong?"

"I miss my dad," she sobbed. "It's so stupid. I pulled out that swimsuit and it was the one I packed. He always repacked my bags."

My hand reached out and stroked her hair.

"Oh, Mori-senpai." She stepped into my arms and put hers around my waist. I could feel hot tears on my bare chest. I'm sure she doesn't realize I'm only in my swim trunks.

I'm not good with words. I never have been. I don't know how to comfort her, so I went with my instincts.

"It's OK to be sad. Let it out." I ran my fingers through her hair with one hand. The other rubbed her back, hoping to calm her down. "Ranka-san was your father. Missing him is part of loving him."

Some of the tension in her frame relaxed. Has no one told her it's fine to mourn him? It's only been a little over a month. She's still tender and hurting. Something we tend to forget. She's an orphan lost in a new world. I need to remember that.

We stood there for several minutes, until her crying slowed down, and she looked up at me. "Thank you, Mori-senpai. I needed that."

"Anytime," I said as I wiped her tears with my thumbs.

It's like time stopped. I'm staring into her eyes, and she's staring back. Am I holding my breath? Should I tell her how I feel?

"Takashi! Haru-chan! Are you coming? There's cake!"

Damn.

She stepped back and said, "Guess we should go. I'll change and come right down."

"Should I wait for you?"

"Thanks, but no. I want to wash my face. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Hn."

.

Mori-senpai came down by himself. "Where's Haruhi? Did she get lost?"

"Your apartment isn't that big, Boss." Hikaru splashed at me, getting my hair wet. Crazy twin.

"Yes, but she's used to an apartment with four rooms," I explained, splashing him back and soaking his hair. "She could easily get lost here."

"Tama-chan, she's living in the Morinozuka estate now."

I heard Mori-senpai sigh. "She's changing and will be right down. She's not lost."

Kasanoda walked up to Mori-senpai and I heard him mumble, "Is she alright?"

"She misses Ranka."

He nodded and walked back to his lounge chair. "Kasanoda? Are you going to get in here or not?" Hikaru called.

"In a minute. I have to check my email."

"Is Shinobu emailing you?"

I can't believe it. Kasanoda's blushing. "You're blushing. How cute!"

"Tamaki-senpai." He stood up and glared at me. "Be careful."

"OK," I gulped. Don't tease the yakuza host. Got it.

"Well," Haruhi came in and put her hand on her hip, "Are we swimming or not?"

"Yea! Haru-chan's here!"

"Hell, yeah, we're swimming." And before anyone could do anything, Kaoru scooped Haruhi up in his arms and jumped into the pool.

"You devious Doppelganger! What are you thinking!" I screamed. "How dare you do that to my darling friend!"

Her head broke the surface as she sputtered. "Kaoru! What the hell?"

"The faster you get in, the faster you get used to the temperature."

"Are you nuts? This water's heated."

"Oops," he hung his head for a second, then he looked at her with a smirk, "Got you in the pool, didn't I?"

"Whatever."

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After some races, some volleyball, and some Marco Polo, we showered and met in the kitchen.

"Haruhi, we have a maid and a chef this weekend. You don't have to make lunch," Tamaki-senpai said as Haruhi poked around in the cupboards.

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Yes, I'm sure," he said as he put his arm around her and escorted her to the table. "It's already done. Can't you smell it?"

"Yes. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. You're busy thinking about too many things. You need this vacation as much as the rest of us."

"Thanks."

If I wasn't dating Bu, I'd be jealous of the smile she gave Tamaki-senpai. Yep, just look at Mori-senpai. He's jealous, and Tamaki-senpai's engaged. Almost.

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xXx

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After Lunch, Apartment Lounge:

"Satoshi, do you have an agenda?" Tamaki-senpai asked me.

"Yes. The only thing on it is to talk about Host Club goals for next school year. I thought we could get started this afternoon and then have two other brainstorming sessions in the next two days."

"That's fine. I had a great idea last night! We need a photobooth in the club room. Think about it," he started waving his hands all over, and his voice got louder, "we could have costumes for our princesses to wear that match the hosts! They could have pictures taken with their favorite."

Great. How much work will that be? Organizing the themes, working with the twins for not only the hosts' costumes, but some for the girls and Haruhi's male designees, then getting digital designs done for every event and loading it in the booth. I don't have time for that.

Kasanoda-senpai cleared his throat and got our attention. "I'm leaving the Host Club at the end of this school year."

"What!" Tamaki-senpai screamed. "We're family! You can't."

Probably not the best think to tell him. He leveled serious eyes at Tamaki-senpai and said, "Yes, I can. I'll be learning more about the business from Pops and getting assignments of my own. It's becoming more awkward to be a yakuza heir and a member of this social club."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ritsu. We'll miss you."

He turned and smiled at Haruhi-senpai, "Thanks. I'll miss parts of it too, but it's just not practical anymore."

"Takashi?" Mitsukuni said, looking over at my brother.

"Hn." He took a deep breath and said, "Mitsukuni and I will not be coming on Mondays next year. We'll be in harder classes. Wednesday for cosplay will be our only day."

"But…But…We're family," Tamaki-senpai mumbled. "We need you."

"We can't do two days, Tama-chan. It's too hard with our workload and schedule."

Haruhi spoke up, "Tamaki-senpai, you're going to be a first-year university student. How are you going to come every day?"

He stared at her for a minute, then looked down at his lap and said, "I haven't thought about it. I know I'll be there though!"

"What about planning your wedding?" Hikaru asked. "Dresses, suits, flowers, location, invitations, catering, photography, and all the messing around you'll have to do with the press. I'm sure Renge will want help with that."

Ugh, does planning a wedding really involve all that? Can't you hire someone to do it? I'll just let my fiancée do it. I don't care what it's like.

"Oh."

"Speaking of Renge," Kaoru-senpai said, "won't the girls lose interest now that you're engaged. I mean, Honey-senpai, you, me, and Kasanoda all have significant others. That's almost half. That kills a lot of the allure."

"Do we have any new first-years coming in as new hosts?"

"I didn't think of that," Tamaki-senpai mumbled.

Haruhi took a sip of tea and sighed, "Tamaki-senpai, I don't want to do this, but I need to stop coming on Fridays. There's so much going on with work, school, and other stuff," she glanced at Kaoru-senpai. She's worried about her new image in the public eye. "I'll be a third-year, and the classes will be harder. I'll need more time to study."

"But my darling friend, you can't! We need our host club princess."

I heard her snort. Must not realize some of them call her that.

"I'm just tutoring on Friday's anyway, not hosting. It will be easy for the club to make that change."

By this time, Tamaki-senpai was up and pacing the room, clearly upset. "OK. Let me get this straight. Kasanoda's not going to host at all next year. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai will only be there on Wednesdays. So will Haruhi. Honey-senpai, Kaoru, Kasanoda, and I all are in relationships that could cause problems. I'll be planning a wedding."

He spun to face us all and grabbed his hair, pulling like a crazy person. "Anything else?"

Here goes nothing. "Chika and I will be training harder as the Olympics get closer. I'm not sure I can continue to do all the logistics, and we'll both need days off for training."

"AAAHHHHH!" he screamed. "Is anyone going to host?"

"Actually," Kaoru said, looking at his hands. "As the fashion line gets closer to launch, and I'm doing shows and more media, I'll need days off too."

"And I'm going to continue my internship schedule. I'll only be there Wednesdays and Thursdays like this year."

"NNOOOOO!"

"Senpai," Haruhi-senpai said, walking over to him, "calm down, please. We all are overwhelmed right now. Those announcements were surprising, and we need time to adjust." She put her arm around his waist and continued, "Why don't we stop the meeting and go play a game or something. Let's give all this time to sink in and think about what it means."

He just stood there, not even looking at her.

"Senpai? Can you do that for me?"

That got him. He looked up at her and said, "Yes, for you."

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xXx

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Game Room, Suoh Apartment:

"Shit!"

"Don't you dare!"

"Motherfucker!"

"Ouch. Haruhi, your elbows are so sharp."

"Then get out of my way, Kaoru."

"Darn!"

I suppose as the 'wild one', I should like this game, but it's more fun to lose and watch than to actually compete. Haruhi taught us 'Hell' a while ago, and it's good for venting frustration.

"Mori-senpai! Are you just going to stand there? Play that ace!"

I pulled the ace off my stack and set it down in the middle of the table.

"Finally!" Hikaru said, slamming his two on top of it.

Followed quickly by Kasanoda playing a three, and Haruhi laying across the table to play her four.

"Haruhi! Stop covering all the cards!"

"Shut up, Kaoru. I'm short."

I played a ten on one stack and then an eight on another.

"Fuck!" Kasanoda yelled as Mitsukuni beat him to a stack.

"You'd be faster if you ate some cake!"

I didn't realize so many of us would want to cut down our time at the Host Club. With training, competing, school, and work, I really wanted to stop coming completely, but Mitsukuni talked me into just Wednesdays. At least that won't be the only time I'd be able to see Haruhi now that she lives with us.

"OUT!" Haruhi called, raising her hands and jumping up and down.

"Are you kidding!"

"You always win, Haruhi-senpai!"

"Yeah. I could too if I threw myself all over the table."

"Whatever."

Silence fell as everyone started sorting out 9 decks of cards and counting up their points.

"Thirty-seven."

"Twenty-two."

"Sixteen."

We called out our scores, and Chika, with 37, won the round.

"See. Just because I go out, doesn't mean I win the round."

"You still got 22 points Haru-chan."

"Tamaki-senpai, you didn't tell me your score," Satoshi, our scorekeeper, said.

"…"

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"Five."

"It's OK, Tamaki-senpai. As long as you're having fun."

None of them thought it was a good idea to make fun of my score of eight.

"Alright," Satoshi said, after adding the scores from this round to everyone's total, "Chika's winning followed by Hikaru-senpai, Kasanoda-senpai, Haruhi-senpai, Kaoru-senpai, Mitsukuni, me, Takashi, and Tamaki-senpai."

"I always lose this game."

"You're too polite, Boss. Be more aggressive."

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Easy for that twin to say, 'be more aggressive', he's not watching his family desert him. How can everyone be so calm? My dream of an amazing Host Club is dying in front of me.

"Everyone ready? Tamaki-senpai, you need to set up your cards."

"Alright."

I counted out my stack and nodded.

"GO!"

The club was my dream. My dream of building a family for all of us. It's not a 'normal' family, but it works. Haruhi taught me that we don't need to have traditional titles to be a loving family.

And now, Kasanoda isn't coming at all, and everyone else but me won't be there every day. How am I going to make it there every day with university and planning the wedding of the century?

"OUT!"

"What?"

"I'm out!" Kasanoda yelled.

I looked down and realized I hadn't played a single card.

"Negative thirteen."

"You know, Tamaki-senpai, you can't win if you just stand there."

"Sorry, Haruhi. I'll do better next round."

"You can't do worse, Boss."

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Tamaki-senpai's pissed because I'm leaving the club. Can't help that. As a second-year, and especially as a first-year, Pops could cover my involvement by saying it's because of a girl or some shit. Now with the contract being negotiated, and Bu and I getting engaged, I can't be involved with the club anymore.

As soon as school's over this year, Pops is going to give me my own branch of the business. Do I really want to be up all night running guns and then hosting the next afternoon? Doesn't work for anyone's reputation.

"GO!"

I slammed down two aces within three seconds and flipped through my hand looking for plays.

Being angry may distract him, but not me. I played a three, a six, a two, and a queen one after the other.

"Kasanoda! Shit!"

"Get there faster, Hikaru."

"Look out!"

"Haruhi! Stop throwing yourself across the table."

"No."

I played three cards, then Honey-senpai said, "You could stand on a chair like me, Haru-chan."

"This works for me, Senpai."

"Shit!"

"Well, it doesn't work for us," Kaoru yelled, as Haruhi cut him off again. "Shit!"

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I twisted and put a card down while covering a few stacks. Complain, complain. I taught them this game. They should try playing it with ten drunk drag-queens. Maybe then they'll leave me alone. At least I don't pull their hair.

"OUT!" Kaoru called, holding up his hands.

Nuts, I still have three cards.

As we sorted the decks, I asked, "Tamaki-senpai, where did you have these made?" There was a deck for each of us. Mine had a picture of me wearing my Maid Marion costume from the Robin Hood cosplay on every card. "It makes sorting easier."

"Satoshi had them done for us."

"Yeah, I ran across a place that does it while looking for a new publisher for our photo books. I had ten decks made for each player, including the girls. Now we can have a set everywhere we go."

"Very cool, except for the picture you chose for me," Kaoru said, holding up his card. It was him as a cabin boy from our pirate theme.

"Yeah, and why did you use my chicken picture?"

"It's not a chicken, Chika, it's a rooster. You were a minstrel in Robin Hood."

"It looks like a chicken," he mumbled.

"At least mine's cool," Ritsu said. "I'm the pirate gunner with guns and a knife."

"I'm a vampire."

"I think you look good as Kaname from Vampire Knight, Mori-senpai," I said. It was a fun cosplay.

"Thank you."

"I'm a cook, covered in pink icing."

"And you look delicious, Honey-senpai," Tamaki-senpai said. Not sure about delicious, but he is covered in icing as that pirate cook.

"And your Host King is, of course, Apollo."

I'm sure Satoshi picked that so he wouldn't have to listen to Tamaki-senpai complain.

"And I'm Thing One from Dr. Seuss."

"Why couldn't I have been Thing Two, Satoshi. Then I wouldn't have to be a cabin boy."

"I had to pick different cosplays for the two of you so we could tell the decks apart."

"Why did you pick the Scarecrow, Satoshi? It's not your best look."

"Gee, thanks, Hikaru-senpai. I picked it because I actually enjoyed that one."

"What about the girls?" I asked.

"I used their best pictures from the masquerade ball. I hoped they'd be happy with those."

"I'm sure they will. They all looked gorgeous that night."

.

My Cho-chan was amazing that night, dressed all in fluffy pink with sparkles on her face that matched her stunning smile and twinkling eyes. The best part of that night was the kiss. My Cho-chan kissed me at midnight, and it was the most special thing in the world.

"GO!"

If I wanted to, I could win this game every time. My master martial arts reflexes and lightning fast moves would beat everyone here, but I hold myself back. What fun is there in winning every time?

Besides, it'd be hard to eat cake and win at the same time.

"Fuck!"

"Dammit, Haruhi!"

"You banged into me, Ritsu."

"Oh, no. I missed."

"Are you awake, Tamaki-senpai?"

I grabbed another cupcake and ate the whole thing in one bite, careful not to get icing on the cards.

I love the Host Club. I love entertaining the ladies. But something's missing since Cho-chan stopped coming. I know my classes will be easier next year since I won't have that math and engineering, but I'll be taking an extra one to catch up. One day is all I can do and still study, go to classes, and see Cho-chan.

She's become my most important person.

"Crap."

"Chika watch your language," Satoshi laughed.

I played a jack and a three and flipped through my cards. With half my mind on the game, I'm not bad.

"Shit!"

I'm sorry I haven't been spending much time with Takashi. We used to do everything together, but our classes are different, our study groups are different, our businesses are different, I have a girlfriend, he spends more time with Haru-chan.

I didn't think growing up would be this hard. It's terrible and also exciting.

I grabbed another cupcake and popped it in my mouth. Strawberry.

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I flipped over my last card and yelled, "Out!"

"Hika? Are you serious? You were complaining that whole round."

"That's how I flew under the radar, Kaoru."

Haruhi huffed, "Whatever," and we started sorting the decks.

"I have a wonderful idea!" the boss yelled. Great. Who knows what's coming now?

"We could make decks of cards to sell to the ladies. Once for each cosplay. We always take a group picture for the photo books."

"That is a good idea, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi said. "I wouldn't mind having one from my favorite cosplays."

"Me too, Tama-chan!"

Satoshi sighed and said, "I'll look into it. I'm sure we could have them made to order. That'd save us money."

"Everyone ready? Go!"

"Fuck. Hikaru, I wasn't ready."

"You snooze, you lose, Kasanoda."

"Fucker."

He's so much fun to play with.

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Great. Now I have to design and take orders for decks of cards. How did Ootori do all this and find the time to study and take over all his father's and brothers' businesses?

That's right…he's a machine with no feelings.

Queen…two…eight…nine…four…king…

I'm going to win this round, especially if Mitsukuni keeps eating cupcakes as he plays.

I've only been a host for this school year, so I think that gives me a less sentimental view of the whole thing. If Kasanoda's leaving and not a single one of us is going to be there every day, it's time to close it down.

What other choice is there?

I guess we could go to only one day a week, but there are too many customers to see on just one day.

Wouldn't surprise me if Chika decided to completely quit. It won't be as much fun without him.

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"Out!" I said and held up my hands.

"Chika! You always win."

"You say that to everyone, Tamaki-senpai."

"Yes, but you're winning."

"Yes. I am." I'm quiet and they forget I'm here. It's easy to win that way.

With Tamaki-senpai's over the top theatrics, the twin's idiosyncrasies, Kasanoda-senpai's gruff and threatening attitude, and the Alien's cake everywhere, I didn't think I'd like being around this group of people.

I don't.

At least not all the time. We manage to have fun once in a while. Not last night at the club, but sometimes.

I guess.

I'm having fun now, beating them all.

"Thirty."

"Are you serious? How did you get thirty, Chika?"

"By playing the game, Tamaki-senpai."

"AAAhhhh," he moaned, pulling is hair. "I'll never win."

"Winning doesn't matter in a friendly game, Tamaki-senpai. Being around your friends and enjoying each other is what's important," Haruhi-senpai said. I suppose that's true in a 'friendly' game, but I don't compete that way.

"Are you sure, Haruhi?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Wouldn't you rather this be fun than being angry at everyone because of the way they're playing."

His brain chewed on that for a few minutes while the rest of us shuffled and counted our stacks.

"Yes. My darling friend is right!"

"Good. Now that we've established that," I said, "GO!"

"AAAAHHHHH!"

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I meant what I said. There's no way I can come to club everyday with the clothing line coming out. My to-do list is a mile long, even with my assistant handling a large chunk.

"Fuck!" Kasanoda yelled as he banged into Haruhi.

"Careful, Haru-chan. You'll fall off the table."

I'm going to design some accessories to go with the line. Those that Mao came back with were kinda ugly as well as cheap. I can't do briefcases and purses yet. Not enough time. Next year.

"Shit."

"Darn."

"Boss! Such language!" Hika said. I laughed out loud and missed a play.

"Shit."

"Ha ha, Kaoru. I got there first."

"Stop gloating, Haruhi. You just missed that five you could have played."

"Yup. Beat you, Haruhi," Kasanoda said.

"Crap."

What are we going to do now that there's no one who can host every day?

"OUT!"

"CHIKA!"

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"Final rankings…Chika won, followed by Hikaru-senpai, Haruhi-senpai, Kasanoda-senpai, Mitsukuni, me, Kaoru-senpai, Takashi, and Tamaki-senpai."

"That was fun, but now I'm hungry."

"My glutton," Ritsu said, smiling at Haruhi-senpai.

"Follow me to the dining room. The chef I brought spent time studying in Spain, and he's cooking his specialties tonight."

"Sounds good. I've never had Spanish cuisine."

"Then you'll love this, Haruhi."

.

xXx

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Private Theater, Suoh Apartment:

"Let's watch this."

"I don't wanna. Too scary."

"What about this one?"

"Maybe Haruhi should pick," I said. She didn't want to watch anything with car chases or shooting at our sleepover last weekend. I'm sure that hasn't magically changed.

"I'm not sure there's anything here that interests me, Kaoru."

"Haruhi, we could play GO if you didn't want to watch the movie," Mori-senpai said. That's a good idea. A slower, calmer activity would be good for her.

"No. We're a family. We should all watch a movie together."

"There are nine of us here. It's hard to find one we all want to see."

"What about the new 'Star Wars' movie?"

Yeah, like that doesn't have any shooting in it.

"Sounds good."

"OK."

Haruhi walked over to Mori-senpai and said, "GO sounds fine. I'm not interested in that movie."

"Hn." And he led her out of the room.

.

xXx

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Late Night, Suoh Apartment:

I'm so tired, but my mind just won't shut down. Fortunately, I brought some work with me and didn't tell the guys.

Great. I left my to-do list back at the Morinozuka's. Guess I'll have to recreate it. I should have written it in my notebook anyway and not on a loose piece of paper.

Yet another thing that I could have done better. Is it supposed to be so hard?

I still need to call Mitsuzu and Arai. Those socks are not going to buy themselves. What do I take to Europe next weekend for the kendo and karate world cups? Do I have time to go to the dog groomers with Shinobu before we leave?

I need to check my email. I got several alerts throughout the day but didn't want to read them.

.

Email from Naoto (Dog Breeder):

Haruhi,

What are you doing Tuesday for dinner? I've got two dogs who want to play at a dog park, and I found one with a café. Would you like to help me take them?

Naoto

.

That sounds good. Watching the dogs run around and talking with Naoto-san. I shouldn't be at Petto Chinmi long that afternoon. It's mainly an accounting meeting to go private.

I replied yes and moved to the next one.

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Email from Endo (Personal PR Representative):

Haruhi-sama,

Attached are drafts of several tweets and Instagram posts for your approval. Please let me know ASAP if they are acceptable, and Hitachiin Fashions will post them.

Thank you,

Endo

.

Do I really need to read these? Hitachiin Fashions isn't going to post something horrible, and they've already been approved by Endo-san or she wouldn't have sent them for me to give final approval.

I gave them a quick look. Amazing how they can write several sentences and say nothing.

I sent her back an approval.

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Email from Takata-san (Financial Manager):

Fujioka-sama,

There appears to be a block of about 5% of Petto Chinmi stock out there that I can't track.

Do you know anyone who could have it?

I'll continue to attempt to trace it.

Thank you,

Takata Daizen

.

I'm not sure who could have such a large percentage except for Kasanoda and Chika. I'll think about it before I respond. It's Friday night…or actually early Saturday morning, so he won't read it until Monday anyway.

.

Email from Gorou-senpai (Physics guy):

Fujioka-san,

I hope your physics test went well. I'm sure it did, you were killing that problem set.

I've attached the rewritten short story. If you have time, would you please look it over. I greatly appreciate your help.

Is there a day next week we could meet at the library? We could go over it then.

Thanks again,

Gorou Maki

.

I downloaded his story and brought it up in my word processer. A quick glance showed me it was better written, and I could tell he enjoyed writing it.

I responded that Monday between school and dinner would work.

My personal Morinozuka lawyer (I'll never get used to that), Okamoto Seiji, sent one asking for a meeting regarding Jarou-san's son. I need to find time to meet with him before we leave next weekend. I responded that Wednesday would work if we could meet for lunch at the diner.

The rest were spam or things that could wait.

Nuts. I forgot to fill up my water bottle before I came to bed. I'll just run down to the kitchen.

.

"Mori-senpai?" Haruhi said, opening her door and almost running into me in the hallway, "what are you doing up?"

"Mitsukuni's downstairs eating cake. I'm going to join him."

"You're going to eat cake at 1:35 in the morning?"

I smiled at her incredulous face. "Not for cake. Just to talk."

"Oh."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. Just going to the kitchen for some water."

"I'll walk you."

It wasn't new to me, but Haruhi was shocked to see Mitsukuni surrounded by several huge cakes, all with three or more tiers and covered in frosting.

"Haru-chan! Do you want some cake?"

"No, thank you, Honey-senpai." She walked around the dining table, taking in all the cakes. "Are you going to eat all these?"

"Sure. It's cake night!"

"Please remember to brush your teeth."

"I will. No more cavities for me!" He ate another piece then asked, "Why are you awake?"

"I forgot to fill up my water bottle before I went to bed."

"You're still dressed. Are you just now going to sleep?"

She blushed and looked down at the floor. "I had some work to do," she mumbled. I barely heard her.

"Excuse me? Usa-chan couldn't hear you."

Looking up into his eyes, she repeated, "I had some work to do."

"Haruhi, you are not getting enough sleep," I said.

"I'm fine, Mori-senpai. There's just so much to do…"

I took her water bottle and said, "I'll fill this for you so you can go to bed."

"Thank you. Can you put some ice in it too, please?"

"Hn."

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"Haru-chan, what is all the stuff you have to do?" I asked. It can't be that much. She wasn't this tired before Ranka-chan died, and now she's living with chefs and maids.

"Well, there's work. I'm going to take Petto Chinmi private. Which reminds me, do you own any stock?"

"Nope. I thought about it but knew Kasanoda-chan and Chika-chan had a lot." I ate another piece of cake. Yum, chocolate fudge. "I think going private is a good idea. It's not that big."

"Thanks."

"What else do you have to do?"

"Other things at work, study and do homework, approve press releases, tweets, and Instagram postings, and a bunch of random things. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I just finished responding to all the condolence cards, and still have a few phone calls to make."

"You need to sleep. If you don't take care of yourself, how will you do all those things?"

"You're right, Honey-senpai, but deadlines can't be pushed back."

That was when Takashi came back and handed her the water bottle. "You need to sleep, Haruhi."

"Alright. Alright. I'm going. I'm going."

"Here, Haru-chan. Take Usa-chan. He's great for helping me sleep."

She looked at me funny and said, "Are you sure? He's so special to you."

"You're special to me too, and you need his help more than I do tonight."

Her hands took Usa-chan from me with great care, and I knew I made the right choice. I hope I can sleep tonight without him.

"Thank you, Honey-senpai. Good night."

"Good night, Haru-chan!"

After she left, Takashi looked at me with concern. "I know, but we can't make her sleep."

"Hn."

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xXx

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Saturday, March 19:

Early Morning, Gym, Suoh Apartment:

"Mind if we join you, Mori-senpai?"

"No problem."

Tetsuya and I headed for the treadmills while Mori-senpai was using the weights.

"Thanks. Need to squeeze a workout in sometime this weekend." Weird apartment. Almost a dozen bedrooms, theater, game room, gym with five treadmills and full weights, dining room to hold at least twenty people, study, small and large lounges, and the only one to use it is Tamaki-senpai's dad, and only occasionally. Kinda a waste.

"Hn."

We'd built up quite a sweat when Mori-senpai joined us on the treadmill next to me.

"Any news on who ran Haruhi's car off the road?"

"I've got men out working on it, and we've contacted the other syndicates for help. None of them like the idea of civilians being targeted." I increased the incline and continued, "Some leads haven't panned out, but we're running down every one of them."

"Her security is on alert, but she hasn't mentioned it in a while. I'm not sure if she's forgotten they're still out there or if she's hiding her concern."

"Do you know if Ootori is still collecting bills with codes?"

"I'm sure he is. He'll let us know if he has new information."

"I hate that we have to keep in contact with him."

"Hn."

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xXx

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Dining Room, Suoh Apartment:

"It was a great movie, Mori-senpai. Too bad you missed it."

"He can always watch it later, Hika."

"It was badass. Maybe we should do a marathon of all eleven?"

"Who has time for that?"

"Yeah, you're right."

I watched the twins go back and forth about the Star Wars movie we watched last night. It wasn't bad, but I definitely don't have time to watch eleven in a row. I'm too busy training and working on my stocks. Plus, I'm in charge of Tuesday bring you lunch day. It's not like I only work on that during the lunch hour.

"Chika? You in there?" Satoshi caught my attention.

"What?"

"I asked you to pass the toast."

I handed it to him and continued to study the group. The Alien had a cake night last night. I guess the sugar is what got him up this morning. He's so weird, but I don't hate him anymore. Well, I'm not sure I ever really hated him, but loathed him? Or maybe was disgusted by him? Doesn't matter. We're better now.

Hikaru-senpai had come down in his pajamas, with bed hair and stubble. Will I ever get stubble? I'm only a year younger. Kaoru-senpai at least took a shower first.

Tamaki-senpai, the morning person that he is, is showered, shaved, dressed and ready for anything. And he's…cheerful. Sure, I get up early every day, but I'm not cheerful about it. And I certainly don't rub it in. It's revolting.

Takashi and Kasanoda-senpai are fresh out of the shower. I know they got up earlier than I did and worked out in the gym. I really should have too, but I didn't. I needed my sleep.

"Where's my darling friend Haruhi?"

"Figured she was sleeping in, Boss. She needs it bad, so we should leave her alone."

"I should check on her."

"Tamaki-senpai," I barked, "she needs to sleep. Don't go up there."

He turned and came back to the table. Glad I stopped him. I'm sure she doesn't want to be woken up by a cheerful morning person.

"No need to yell, Chika."

"You've seen how tired she's been lately. She needs to sleep, and you'll just wake her up."

He hung his head and continued to eat breakfast.

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xXx

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Haruhi's Room, Morinozuka Estate:

"Haruhi-chan asked for another bookcase, Aoi," I said as we walked into her room. "Actually, she asked if it was possible for her to have another bookcase if it wasn't too much trouble and if there was room."

"She's very unimposing, Umeko-sama."

"Yes, but she must learn that this is her home too and to ask for anything she needs."

"We both saw her apartment. There is a huge difference between her previous life and now."

"Still…" I walked over to the wall with her other bookcases and decided, "Another will fit here." Pointing to the wall opposite, "Let's get two and put one of them there as well. She can decorate it until she has more books."

"Yes, Umeko-sama." Aoi was taking notes as I wandered around the room. There has to be something else Haruhi-chan needs that she hasn't asked for.

That's when I saw her ToDo list on her desk (From Chapter 27):

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To Do:

Cast off – Monday

Prep for investment meeting – Monday

Meet with Endo-san re tweets - Monday

Get cash for Tuesday

Meet with Endo-san to approve press release for Tuesday

Rehab for arm starts Tuesday

Physics problem set - Tuesday

English book report – Tuesday

Petto Chinmi, meet security – Tuesday

Gorou-san Dinner - Tuesday

Study for Physics Test – Wednesday

History presentation - Wednesday

Fitting with Twins for Dad's dresses – Wednesday

Pack for Host Club trip – Thursday

Talk to Shinobu-san about dog grooming

Finish charity recommendations for Mori-senpai's company

Read Petto Chinmi budget report

Review proposal for adding dog spas to stores

Bookstore – notebooks, pens, highlighters

Review Gorou-senpia's English paper

Ask Umeko-san for another bookcase

Make lunch for Tuesday

Unpack clothes since cast is off

Practice GO

Higher dose of medication?

Kaoru says I need a haircut

Need new socks

Study more – grades slipping

Finish grief cards

Call Arai

Call Mitsuzu

Thank the witness who pulled me from the car

Get more sleep

Be more grateful to the Morinozuka's

Stop being scared all the time

Visit Jarou-san, Mom, and Dad more often

Visit Matsui-san – he's just a short walk away

.

"Oh no," I mumbled, and Aoi came up behind me to read it.

Most were crossed off, at least the ones that had days associated with them. Some of the ones left broke my heart.

'Be more grateful to the Morinozuka's'

'Stop being scared all the time'

"That poor girl," Aoi said quietly as I felt a tear roll down my face. "Socks, highlighters, pens, notebooks, unpack clothes. She doesn't need to be doing any of these."

"She's so independent. Used to doing everything for herself, including what her father needed done. We're lucky she asked about the bookcase rather than just stacking the books in her closet or something."

"She clearly needs help, Umeko-sama. I could do some of these things for her."

Would that be a good idea? Aoi's usually so busy with helping me, and Haruhi-chan would feel like she's imposing and never go along with it. Besides, as Haruhi-chan's business grows and she gets to college, she'll likely need more and more help.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea. She'll think she's taking you away from your job with me and never ask to you do anything, plus, I need you."

"Good point. We could hire someone specifically for her."

"She'd hate that too."

"But we'd be creating a job for someone."

"Even at half time, I doubt Haruhi-chan would have enough to keep someone busy right away. She'd feel guilty about us paying for someone who isn't working."

Aoi snapped her fingers. "I know. The maid that does the young masters' room and this one. She's taking classes at night for administrative work."

"Honami-san?"

"Yes. We could assign her as Haruhi-sama's maid and personal assistant. When she's not fulfilling those responsibilities, she'd fill in as needed around the mansion."

"Perfect. That's perfect. It helps her with real-time experience for her classes and keeps her working all her hours even if Haruhi-chan doesn't need her."

I looked around the spotless bedroom and said, "She does a good job keeping this room clean."

Aoi hesitated before saying, "Haruhi-sama cleans her own room. Honami-san told me that when she comes in the bed is already made, all the clothes are put away, the bathroom is wiped down, and the room's been dusted."

"She's cleaning her own room? With everything else she has to do? Unacceptable."

I thought about using the maid as her assistant again and realized another advantage. "Having Honami-san as her maid and personal assistant will help with that as well. Haruhi-chan will come to realize that by doing the cleaning herself, she's not only doing the maid's job, but is defeating the purpose of a personal assistant."

"And now we have to convince Haruhi-sama to accept the situation. How do we do that without making her feel worse. You saw that item – 'be more grateful'. We're giving her something else to be grateful for."

"That's just it. By accepting Honami-san as her assistant and maid, she's being grateful." I tapped my fingernails on her desk, trying to think of the best way to approach this. "Let's talk to Honami-san first and see if she's willing to take this new role in the household. If she is, we'll bring her with us next weekend and talk to Haruhi-chan about it on the plane."

.

xXx

.

Suoh Apartment:

Breakfast has been over for almost two hours, and Haruhi still isn't awake yet. Tamaki is losing his grip on reality. Too bad Renge isn't here to calm him down.

"We have to wake her up. She could be sick! Oh no!" he screamed and pulled on his hair, "Call an ambulance. We can't let her die!"

"Tama-chan!" Mitsukuni grabbed him and put him in a chair. "Calm down. Takashi will go check on her," he said, looking at me and nodding.

"Hn."

As I left the room, I could hear Mitsukuni arguing with Tamaki but ignored it.

I stared at her door. Do I knock? If she's asleep, I'll wake her up, and she needs her sleep. Do I just peek in? What if she's changing clothes? I can't see that, no matter how much I want to. It's not proper and I shouldn't be thinking of those things. The dreams are bad enough.

But I don't want to wake her up.

I'll open the door a crack and look at the floor. If she's changing, all I'll see are feet. If there's nothing, I'll check the bed and see if she's still asleep.

I silently turned the knob and looked in at the floor. Nothing. The lights were still off, and the curtains closed.

Is she still in bed? A quick look and I saw a lump under the covers and some brown hair sticking out of the top. That answers that.

I quietly closed the door and went downstairs to reassure Tamaki and keep him from doing something stupid.

.

I'm not sure what woke me up, but it's clearly not early morning based on the light coming through the curtains.

I rolled over and squinted at the clock. 10:52.

I snuggled back into the covers and then it hit me. 10:52? I slept all morning! I never sleep this late! Even if I'm up all night.

Did I forget to set my alarm?

I climbed out of bed and grabbed my phone. No, I set it. I actually slept through it. I need a new alarm tone. Maybe I could get Tamaki-senpai to scream and use that.

As I took the fastest shower of my life, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about how I let them all down by sleeping in. I missed breakfast – I didn't cook breakfast! No, wait. There's a chef here this weekend. I didn't eat his breakfast. That's rude when he took the time to make it.

I've lost hours that I could have used to work or study.

.

"I'm sorry, guys. I'm here now."

We all turned to see Haru-chan run into the room. Her hair was dripping, she'd thrown on jeans and a baggy t-shirt, and she was out of breath. We need to keep up her treadmill exercise.

"Haru-chan, good morning."

"Good morning, Honey-senpai. Thank you for Usa-chan," she said, handing him to me. "Apparently he helped me oversleep. I'm so sorry."

"Haruhi," Kao-chan said, "don't apologize. You needed the rest, and we managed to survive without you for a couple hours."

"Yeah, except the Boss wanted to call an ambulance because he thought you were dying."

"I was worried, you evil twin," he called from across the room.

"As you can see, Tamaki-senpai, I'm fine. I just overslept."

"It's OK Haru-chan. Do you want some cake?"

.

xXx

.

Author's Note:

So, some big decisions on the horizon for the Host Club. What will they do?

I thought the game of Hell worked to not only lighten things up but to find out what everyone was thinking. Hope you liked it too.

Haruhi's overextending herself. Like my solution?

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Next Chapter:

The girls come over to get ready for date night – gallery and dinner. And final decisions about the future of the Host Club.

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