AN: a shorter chapter this time. Which means the next chapter will be longer. :

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

Music Room One is a little like the class 3F. The people there are unaware of her presence until she pulls out her case, and settles stonily into a chair. A girl with long black hair (in a ponytail) walks towards her and introduces herself as 'Ryo'. Something about that name doesn't sit right with Su Tong, and she can't tell if it's because 'Ryo' looks Chinese, or if there's just something wrong about that name.

"I'm Su Tong, and I'm hoping you'll accept auditions."

"Pleasure."

Ryo's smile is almost terrifying due to its symmetrical shape and cool politeness. She waits for Su Tong to pull out her instrument, and gestures towards it. Su Tong picks up her erhu, and does the only thing expected of her now.

She plays.

It's definitely not her best, and there's a lot to be improved on. She swears she could have avoided hitting those three wrong notes, and knows that Ryo has picked that out too. She finishes, and settles on waiting patiently. Ryo pushes her glasses up, and examines Su Tong with the likeness of a vulture. And then-

"'Su Tong', was it? I'm sorry but I don't think we have any more vacancies," another girl pipes up.

This one has black eyes and blonde hair, and makes Ryo roll her eyes.

"Takeko-san," Ryo says slowly, managing her words (or her temper?) carefully, "I'm pretty sure that's not up to you to decide."

"I'm the student conductor-"

"And I'm the President of the club."

Takeko simply smirks, and shrugs. "I'm sure that sensei will agree with me when I say that we don't need any more of your kind in our Orchestra."

Ryo flinches, and straightens herself. Looking Takeko straight in the eye, she says, "Thank you for your valuable input, Takeko-san."

And then, to Su Tong, "Thank you for your time."

Su Tong smiles, and then- after a moment's hesitation bows. "Pleasure."

Packing up her erhu, she leaves Music Room One, cheerfully ignoring Takeko's taunting stare and Ryo's amused look.

Closing the door behind her, Su Tong sighs and fiddles with the strap of her erhu case. It's strange, she figures, for there to still be racism and tangible consequences due to that bout of prejudice. Still, it's only a club- nothing too serious. But that sudden clash just then confirmed her thoughts- Ryo wasn't Japanese. Shrugging, she starts to walk out of school.

Just when she's about to pass by Music Room Three, the door swings open and out runs a girl, blushing heavily. Swiftly avoiding the frenzied girl, Su Tong stares into the open room, and sees that it is anything but a music room. There are birds. And trees. And there are boys dressed in typical tropical wear.

Su Tong tilts her head in curiosity when she sees the same boy from the fountain. He's dressed much more decently, still in his uniform unlike the others. Music Room Three… The musical brothel from before?

"Momo-hime, please- oh! And who may this princess be?" A blonde guy with too little clothes stops in his tracks and offers her a rose. "Would you be so kind as to allow me the chance to warm your precious heart in this cold, chilling April?"

But the boy (from the fountain) has already seen her. Su Tong panics, dodges the shady blonde's attempts at pulling her into the room, and walks away, hastily plastering on her usual look of nonchalance. She wonders if he's recognised her- or if he's even noticed her in the first place. It's a little strange, she realizes, that the fountain boy reminds her so much of someone else…

Falling into her usual daze, she exits the school.

"Who was that, Tama-chan?" Hani asks, bouncing up and down.

Mori pulls him away from the wilting host, muttering about infectious mushrooms and other poisonous fungus. Tamaki is still muttering about how she was too cold towards him, and that it was his entire fault for being too stunning that he shocked her then.

"Yeah, who is that, I wonder," Hikaru says, slinging an arm around Haruhi's shoulders.

"To have been able to reject milord so smoothly," Kaoru finishes, sliding an arm around Haruhi's waist.

Tamaki chooses this moment to spring up from his corner and berate the twins for being too physically close to his darling daughter.

"Hm, she does look familiar…" Haruhi says, placing her fist in her palm. "Ah! That's it. Shyuu Ton."

"'Shyuu Ton?'" the hosts chorus uncertainly.

"I think," Kyouya says thoughtfully from behind his black book, "you meant to say 'Su Tong'. Third year, class F, recently migrated to Japan from China. Her father is a university professor, and moonlights as a bartender. Her looks are average, grades are average, and her only strong pursuit is ignoring everything around her. In other words, boring."

"That's… harsh," Haruhi mutters.

Tamaki, on the other hand, reacts unexpectedly, "Far away from home, without a single friend… This fair maiden is trapped within herself, and it is up to us, the Host Club, to save her from a lifetime of misery and loneliness-"

"Count us out," the twins say immediately, pulling Haruhi away.

"But-but-but! The Host Club exists to please every lady, regardless of their characters! We have to-"

"I'll be leaving now, Tamaki."

"But Mommy! You can't! As King, I command all of you to stay!"

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