Monday rolled around quicker than anyone thought possible. A wholesome breakfast was eaten in silence and an expensive leather school bag was packed and slung onto Merry's back, joining the hard-case already there. Ran pursed her lips at the stickered, ratty case that didn't match the expensive Ouran attire but she said nothing. The one time she tried to part Young Miss of the thing, Merry had remained silent and taken the verbal lashing diligently. The handler thought she'd won until Mr Watanabe himself had contacted her and in no uncertain terms stated that if Merry was parted with the case then her contract was null and void, sending her reputation down the drain.
The drive to Ouran was quiet, the driver occasionally glancing in his rear view mirror to look at his young, silent passenger.
Merry stared out of the window, watching as the scenery skimmed by in a blur. The incident in the hallway outside of the music rooms wouldn't leave her mind. She didn't feel guilty per se, because they were the ones who thought they could manhandle her and take her things, but she could have been nicer. She hadn't placed the name 'Ootori' until she'd settled down enough to remember Ran's lessons on the Ouran student 'hierarchy.'
She hadn't even started school and she had probably already made some notable enemies.
The car slowed to a stop and the driver unbuckled. "We've arrived at the school, Miss Merry. Eight o-clock sharp!"
Merry looked at the middle aged man with a small smile. "Thank you." She went to slide out of the car, waving him off when he made to hop out and open her door. She paused to glance at the driver. "Your name is Daisuke, yes?"
He looked a little shocked. "I-it is, Ma'am."
"Thank you Daisuke-san. And if you ever are late-," at this he gulped a little, "- I promise not to tell Ran if you won't."
He chuckled uneasily, looking unsure. "I'll be sure to arrive on time regardless, Miss Merry."
She smiled. "I'll see you this afternoon, Daisuke-san." She slid out of the car and shut the door, adjusting her bags and staring up at the school.
It was teeming with students now, all looking fresh and holier-than-thou. She could practically smell the money and ego in the air.
People stopped to stare at her as she made her way past, head high and unwilling to be swayed by the eyes on her. The whispers started.
"- a new student? So late in the year…"
"Look at her skin! It's so dark! Do you think she's a foreigner?"
"- yelled at the Host Club on Friday afternoon!"
A round of horrified gasps. "No!"
"Yes! She even ignored Honey-sempai! How could she? He's adorable!"
"- calling her Ice Queen already, despite this being her first day. She looks like she'd freeze you with just a glance, too."
Merry resisted the urge to glare at the girls twittering with that last statement just to test their theory but she continued on towards the school. And what was a Host Club? It sounded… scandalous. Word got around quickly, but Ice Queen? Really?
Well, who was she to bother proving them wrong?
Ran had been organised before Merry even set foot in to see the Dean the Friday before, her class schedule and text books already sorted and provided for her. She'd memorised the school layout over the weekend, making a mental note to avoid the entire building that housed Music Room 3.
Her first subject was Math.
She knew it was going to be a horrible first day for that reason alone.
She waited patiently outside the door, staring at nothing until the teacher was ready to announce her.
A minute passed and the door opened, revealing the teacher who beckoned her in with a bored look. He looked like he was ready for a long overdue vacation.
Merry shoved her shoulders back and walked inside with an air of dignity, her eyes scanning the class quickly. Her mood soured when she recognised two of the boys from Friday afternoon.
Mommy and Daddy.
"Please introduce yourself," the teacher yawned, taking a sip of strong smelling coffee. "Then take the spare seat along the aisle."
Merry bowed as was custom, frowning down at her polished shoes. The only available seat was beside Mommy and behind Daddy.
"My name is Merry Watanabe. Please take care of me."
"Take your seat, Miss Watanabe."
She wound her way through, placing the hard-case gently on the ground next to her seat. She ignored the blatant stares of wonder and intrigue flitting between her and her bag.
If anyone touched her things, she wouldn't hesitate to react accordingly.
Math wasn't her best subject, but she passed the subject easily enough. She wouldn't be in class A, otherwise. Her scores on the admittance and placement tests had been borderline passable for the Honour Roll. She couldn't let herself slip up, despite the school year being almost over.
Ran wouldn't let her.
The bell tolled, signalling the end of class. She packed up her things carefully, making sure no one bumped into her precious case. A shadow settled over her desk.
She glanced up at Daddy – Tamaki – who was smiling brightly down at her, though there was hesitation in his eyes. "Hello, Merry-chan! Do you remember me? I'm-"
"I know who you are," she cut in, snapping her book bag shut with a little extra force. She stood and raised a brow at the blonde. "Was there something you needed?" Please say no.
He brightened, either unaware or ignoring her frosty front. "To apologise for such a horrible first impression on Friday afternoon, I'd like to invite you to tea with the Host Club this afternoon! We gather after school every day in-"
"No, thank you." She ducked past him, snatching up her case and shouldering her bags. She noticed not many students carried their bags with them, just a laptop or the notebook and textbook they needed for whatever class they had on. There was merit in that, but Merry didn't trust her personal effects around others easily.
Undeterred, the blonde bounced along beside her and out into the hall, shooting her a charming grin. "At least think about it, dear Princess! I would traverse the countryside just to see you smile."
A few girls leaning in to listen to their conversation swooned.
Merry frowned. This boy was dense and pretty. Not a good combination. "You're annoying."
The swooning girls immediately glowered at her.
Tamaki's smile wavered before he chuckled softly, but it wasn't a happy sound. "Does this mean you don't accept our apology?"
Merry stopped, Tamaki screeching to a halt so he didn't run into her. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Why do you say 'our apology' when I only see you here? Do you speak for the others also?" She couldn't help but wonder if that made Tamaki gullible or the others incompetent.
"Well, if you come to the Club this afternoon, I'm sure the others will apologise too. We are sorry, Merry-chan."
Merry looked away. His eyes were full of raw honesty and hope. He truly wanted to apologise. Besides, hadn't Ran said it would please her father if she had acquaintances?
After a long while she sighed, resigning herself. "Fine," she bit out. "But only for an hour. At most."
Tamaki's mood did a quick one-eighty as he cheered in the middle of the hallway. "Yay! Daddy's so happy! I'll see you in Music Room 3 after school, Merry-chan!"
With that he sped off to his next class.
She stared after him until a delicate, haughty sniff reached her ears. The swooning girls were still present, peeking at her from the corner of their eyes as if she were completely oblivious.
She icily narrowed her eyes at them, making a few of them visibly pale and shudder.
Feeling marginally better, Merry navigated her way towards Advanced Literature.
Lunch was overwhelming.
The refectory was filled with chatter and bodies, each trying to make their way towards the front of the lunch line without resorting to 'lower' methods of pushing in like foot-stomping and elbows-to-guts.
The weapons of choice were sharp tongues and sharper wit.
Merry wanted no part of it.
Her request for the staff to pack up her lunch in a bento was greeted with some odd stares but once she held that wrapped package in her hands she slipped out of the room and meandered through the hallways.
Lunch would go for an hour and a half. Long enough to find a quiet spot to eat.
The brief conversation with Tamaki entered her mind. She wondered what had made her agree to show her face at the Host Club in the first place. It couldn't have been pity. The moment he asked her if she was denying an apology was the moment she began to question whether her first assessment of the group had been wrong.
But then she deferred to her 'wait and see' method of reasoning.
And where was Mommy during the whole conversation?
Wherever Daddy was, Mommy wasn't far behind. Mommy gave off the vibe reminiscent of espionage and deceit. Just because she couldn't see Mommy, didn't mean he wasn't there. And that made her uneasy.
Despite her 'wait and see' protocol for the rest of the Club, she was sure she would stick to her decision of avoiding the bespectacled Mother if she could.
She turned left into an empty yet bright hall, frowning when she didn't recognise anything. She had been too lost in thought to mentally map her footsteps.
A door halfway down the hall caught her eye and she wandered over, testing the handle. It was unlocked.
She swung it open to reveal a rather large janitors room, cleaning equipment lined neatly against the far wall and kitchenette adjacent. In the centre and staring at her with wide eyes and pocky sticks drooping from open jaws were three men in janitor uniforms. Poker chips and playing cards were strewn across the top of a makeshift poker table made from slightly moth bitten green felt spread over a cheap counter.
The prizes in the centre seemed to be various brands of international candy and spare change.
Silence descended.
It was an awkward yet somewhat fortuitous turn of events.
It was broken when Merry shut the door and came further inside. The janitors seemed to hold their breath. She dug into her bag and drew out a full bag of the American jelly beans she was mildly obsessed with. She tossed them in the middle, thankful she'd smuggled in two bags today without Ran noticing.
"Is this enough to buy in?"
The janitors blinked before the eldest one began to laugh heartily, slapping his knee. It broke whatever spell had settled over the room and they shuffled around to make room. Her case was set by her feet with the same care and tenderness she gave it every other time it left her person.
"Yer a funny lass!" the man crowed, his silver goatee wiggling as he chuckled. "What's yer name?"
She smiled. "I'm Merry."
He scratched his chin. "Funny name," he mused out loud. The youngest janitor looked ready to faint at the man's blatant disregard of social etiquette. "Ya new here, lass?"
"Yes. Today's my first day."
"Late 'un, huh?" He thumped his chest. "I'm Isamu. This is Katashi-," he pointed to a sandy blonde man with thick eyebrows and a thin face, "-but we call him Kat. And the youngster-," he gestured to a dark haired man with bottle-glasses and a nervous, twitchy grin, "-is Yori."
Merry's grin broadened. "Nice to meet you all. Texas Hold-em?"
Isamu smiled. "Is there anything else?"
"I'll chip in next round once I've finished my lunch if that's okay with you?" Merry said, unwrapping her bento and snapping apart her chopsticks.
"O'course lass. Y'know," Isamu started casually, raising his bet. Yori folded with a sigh. "Not many young'ns travel to these neck o' the woods. Why ain't ya out makin' friends?"
Merry shrugged carelessly, tucking into her lunch. She swallowed some fluffy fried rice. "I need information. Who better to talk to than the people who know the school the best?"
The janitors all raised their brows in surprise. "Information?" Isamu clarified. "What kinda information ya lookin' for, lass?"
Merry smiled and twirled her chopsticks artfully. "Nothing that will get you into trouble, I assure you." Yori opened his mouth hesitantly. "Nothing illegal either." He snapped his jaw shut.
Isamu scratched his chin again, absentmindedly pushing another stack of chips into the centre of the pile. Kat matched him. "Hmm… If it's within our means, I don't see why no'. But…"
"You're wondering what's in it for you?" Merry asked casually, inspecting a sliver of sashimi before putting it back and going for the pickled plum instead. "Is this called extortion?"
"No need t'go that far, lass," Isamu chuckled sheepishly.
"I won't go that far, no," Merry smiled. "We can mutually benefit each other. I'll provide you with an array of specialised international candy and keep your no-doubt illegal gambling on school grounds a secret in exchange for your help."
"Well, when you put it that way…" Isamu grumbled. He flipped his cards over the same time as Kat. The silent man won. "Damnit! Again?!"
Kat smirked as he snatched the Belgian Chocolate first from the pile.
"So, will you help me out?" Merry pressed, pushing her empty bento aside.
The janitors glanced between each other, having a silent conversation she wasn't privy to.
Finally, Isamu cleared his throat. "We'll help ya, Lass."
"Wonderful!" Merry smiled, clapping her hands under her chin. "First off, I'm going to need a master key for the school."
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