Hi hi~
New chapter! We're finally going to be covering the Ball, episode 2 in the anime. I really wanted to give Gumi more screen time before she disappeared forever… I'll try to work her in more, though, I love Gumi!
The winner for Tohru is… Nigaito! He and Gumi will be love interests in this chapter!
I still need to use these characters: Lui Hibiki, Lola, Big Al, Miriam, Sonika, Sweet Ann, VY1 Mizki, Mew, Luna, CUL, Bruno, Clara, Yukari, IA… anyone I'm missing? No? Anyway, if you can think of any characters (FROM THE MANGA, PLEASE.) that have not been covered yet, please help me assign roles!
PM me, and we can work this out together! Ahahahahahahahaha!
Luka POV
After surviving the Teto episode, she had finally gone back to France once realizing that Kiyoteru was the heartless tax-collecting schemer from Hell.
And now it's Friday. Except, since Vocaloid High was a private institute, I now go to school on Saturdays as well.
Not that I mind, though. I want to be a lawyer, and I'm going to have to go through bigger challenges than an extra say of school a week.
I sighed and walked into Music Room 3 for the first club session of the day.
"Luka!" Gakupo yelled as he ran to glomp me. "How is my precious daughter today?"
"Just fine, thanks," I said flatly as I sidestepped his embrace.
He promptly went to sulk in his emo corner.
"So, Luka," Rin grabbed my shoulder.
"You excited for the Ball tonight?" Len asked, jogging his eyebrows.
I sweatdropped noticeably out of nervousness and didn't notice the door open again behind me.
"Th-The Ball? I-I don't really have to go to that, do I? I-I'm only doing this to pay off my debt, do I have to attend all the events—"
"But Lulu-chan, we ordered for there to be ootoro there just for you," Piko pleaded, using his shota-ness to his advantage.
"Th-That's very thoughtful, Piko-senpai, but… but, but I don't know how to dance!" I exclaimed, happy at my excuse. "I don't know the male (or female) part for any ballroom dances."
"Luki, we need you to attend the dance to help promote the Host Club. Many of our customers wouldn't show up if they knew you weren't coming. Besides, it's you that owes us," Kiyoteru said with a glint in his eye.
Gakupo twitched silently from his corner of dejection and shot up instantly, a passionate look on his face.
"A quick recovery this time!" Rin and Len chorused.
"It's been decided! Luka, you have to attend the Ball as part of your Host Club duties! We will see to it that you will be taught how to dance by tonight…"
"Perhaps I may be of assistance, then?" a soft voice said from behind us.
I turned around and my eyes widened. "Gumi-san!" I cried, walking over to her while smiling. "I'm surprised to see you here so early in the period…"
"Well, yes, but I couldn't help, Luki-kun, overhearing your conversation just now."
"Eh?" I questioned.
"If you're in need of a dance teacher, I can provide lessons," she clarified, a satisfied smile on her face. "I'll be at the ball myself, after all."
"Th-That won't be necessary, Nakajima-hime," Gakupo stuttered frantically, waving his arms. "Luka… I mean Luki is going to be taught how to dance by me—"
"You sure that's a good idea?" Len and Rin asked rhetorically.
"You're way too tall to play the female role," Len said.
"Gumi-chan has the experience, talent, and she's volunteered," Rin added.
"We certainly would be able to avoid spending money on professional lessons…" Kiyoteru commented, scribbling on his folder.
"B-But…" Gakupo stammered again.
"Then it's decided!" Gumi exclaimed excitedly. "I'll be here at lunch to start teaching! Looking forward to spending more time with you, Luki-kun~"
"Uh, yeah…" I said with my best forced smile.
(Which was pretty darn good, mind you.)
"Well, see you then!" Gumi dismissed me with a wave, and walked out the door coolly, her green hair and glasses-headband shining from the sun in the windows.
Awkward silence.
"I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" Gakupo burst. "NOT ONLY IS MY LITTLE LUKA GOING TO BE DANCING WITH ANOTHER GIRL, THE OTHER GIRL IS NAKAJIMA! THAT I CANNOT ACCEPT!"
"Oh yeah, she was your customer before, wasn't she Gakupo-senpai?" I said thoughtlessly.
Apparently that struck a nerve because it put Gakupo back in the emo corner.
"I don't see what's such a big deal about it," I said, "I mean, you're still supposedly the most popular host, right, Senpai?"
"Supposedly!" Gakupo yelled in shock.
"Yes, but Nakajima-san has had the illness for a while now," Kiyoteru commented, typing on his laptop now.
"Illness?" I asked.
"The 'Host-Hopping Disease'," Rin and Len clarified.
"See, most girls will pick one host and stick with them," Len said.
"And a miniscule percentage switch to a new favorite once or twice, like how Miku-chan switched from us to you," Rin added.
"But Nakajima-chan tends to change her 'favorite' about every month or so," Len finished.
"Except," Rin interrupted, "her time with Tono was extremely short-lived."
"She only designated him for a week," Len agreed.
"Is there anything wrong with that? It's her choice, after all," I asked skeptically.
"It's hurt Gakupo-senpai's pride tremendously," the two chorused.
Aishitatte i ja nai ka Shibari daremo furenai yo Koremo unmei ja nai ka Kieru kieru toaru aise
"That's good, Luki-kun… one, two, three, two, two three… Don't get ahead of the count now," Gumi said kindly, guiding me through the dance steps.
"Ah, sorry," I apologized awkwardly.
"It's fine, you're doing remarkable for your first time ballroom dancing," Gumi smiled.
In my confusion, I tripped over my own two feet and ended up directly on top of Gumi.
In, what I didn't know back then, was a very suggestive position to be in.
"Ah, I'm sorry Gumi-san!" I cried, moving to get off of her.
Gumi giggled, pulling my head closer, "It's fine."
"That's indecent! Look at what the Host Hopper is doing to my Luki!" Gakupo burst from the background. Rin and Len tried to restrain him, but he was determined.
"Why don't you two take a break now?" Kiyoteru suggested.
I stood up and offered a hand up to Gumi. "I think that sounds nice."
Gumi nodded.
"Would you care for some tea, Gumi-san?" I asked kindly.
"Ah, yes… Oh, Kiyoteru-san," Gumi said.
"Hm?"
"The Host Club bought new teacups, didn't they? These are Ginori."
"You have the eyes of an expert," Kiyoteru complimented. "Our club is putting in effort to upgrade our tea set collection this year."
"I see," Gumi said quietly, smiling. "It's a very beautiful shade of green. I like it."
I saw Gakupo's eyes widen from the emo corner as he stared at Gumi.
"You like tableware then, Gumi-chan?" I asked, hoping to start conversation.
"N-N-Not especially, no!" Gumi stuttered, giggling awkwardly afterwards.
So she does like them, then. But why would she hide it?
The door opened behind us. "Hello?" a quiet voice said, "I've brought the teacups you ordered…"
"Nigaito," Kiyoteru greeted, "The sets you've brought us have been very popular. Thank you."
"Oh, it's fine," Nigaito replied.
"Are you related to Kaito-senpai somehow?" I asked.
Kaito nodded.
"Eh, h-how could you tell?" Nigaito asked nervously.
"You're wearing the scarf," I pointed.
"Kaito-senpai has a whole bunch of siblings and extended family members," Rin sighed.
"They're all over the place, but they all wear the scarf, so it's easy to tell them apart," Len added. "Nigaito's a cousin."
"They look like they could be twins," I said.
A forced laugh was heard from the table as Gumi tried calling attention to herself. "Oh, Luki-kun, I can see why you would think that. After all, Nigaito-san doesn't look like he's the heir to a first-class company," she said with a slight sneer in her voice.
"Uh…" I said awkwardly, now suddenly aware of the tension in the room.
"Nigaito's immediate family mainly deals with the import and export of tableware from Shion Corp., and right now, their share of the market is number one in the country," Kiyoteru explained. "So, I asked him to bring us some whenever a shipment came in."
"Wow," I said, impressed. I glanced at Gumi and Nigaito and noticed how horribly they hid the way they looked at each other. Was gonna have to ask about that later…
"But you have a very good eye," Kiyoteru turned the conversation to Nigaito, "As I stated before, the girls really love what you pick."
I tapped Nigaito on the shoulder to get his attention away from Gumi. He blushed a bit and fiddled with his scarf. "I-It's nothing, really."
Rin and Len butted in the conversation. "We hear you're studying abroad in England next month!" they said loudly.
I raised an eyebrow. What was their problem now?
"Yes," Nigaito answered quietly. "Well, I'll be off then…"
I watched him leave with a puzzled look on my face. I'm way too dense for my own good.
I took the box of cups from Kiyoteru and turned to my table. I put it down and sat with Gumi. "Are you close to that person just now?" I asked innocently.
Gumi panicked, spitting out her tea and almost jumping out of her chair. "N-N-No, we're not close at all! What would make you think that, Luki-kun?" she giggled again. She was a horrible liar. "I'll excuse myself for today. Take care!"
I tried to figure her out as I watched her scuttle out the door. She was like an open book, yet so hard to figure out.
"Lulu-chan~" Piko glomped me, resulting in a potential heart attack from yours truly. "Did you know? Nigaito-kun is Megu-chan's fiancée!"
"Fiancée?" I echoed.
"Kiyoteru," Gakupo asked, "How long have you known?"
Kiyoteru looked over his shoulder. "What, about the fiancée business? Well, of course I do extensive research on all of our customers." He pulled out his black folder and flipped through it. "Those two are childhood friends, and the engagement was decided upon by their parents. This information does not pose any use to me, so I ignored it."
"You…" Gakupo started.
"Nigaito Shion," Kiyoteru recited. "Grades are impressive, family prestige is mediocre, looks are average, and no positive aspect has been shown to stand out clearly. But if you had to pick a bad aspect…"
"He doesn't leave a strong impression," Len volunteered.
"He's weak," Rin added.
"In other words, he's boring. End of report," Kiyoteru finished, and closed the folder promptly.
Man, they're harsh on guys…
"But Nigaito-kun's a nice person, right?" Piko asked from Kaito's shoulders.
"Yeah," Kaito agreed flatly.
"Well then…" Gakupo said, walking forward. "Let's write out a plan."
"For what?" we all asked skeptically.
Gakupo's hair dispersed bishounen sparkles. "Our Host Club exists to bring happiness to females!"
So, what does that mean, then?
Nigaito reminds me an awful lot of Fluttershy… then again, so does Gumi in Playing Cupids…
"Thank you all for gathering here tonight," Gakupo announced seductively. "Welcome to the Vocaloid High School Host Club Ball."
With a clap of the hands, the chandeliers above lit up the room, and the ooh's and aah's could be heard all around. The orchestra (ikr) started playing and the Host Club bowed in unison. The girls giggled excitedly and applauded.
"We wish you to enjoy this dance with all of our Host Club members," Kiyoteru said with a smile. "Also, to the best dancer tonight, to the awarded 'Queen' title, goes a kiss…on the cheek from the Prince, Gakupo-san."
Gakupo sent out a wink that put the fangirls in a frenzy.
I died inside. Bite my ass, fan girls. I can't believe they were so giddy about something like this! What's wrong with these damn rich people!
"Luka, you don't look to enthusiastic," Len and Rin observed.
"Gee, how could you tell."
Throughout the early part of the evening, I was pretty bored. All I did was try the food (unfortunately, no ootoro) and watch the other hosts dance. And chit-chat with a few girls. But most of them didn't have the courage to come up and ask me for a dance, and I sure as heck felt uncomfortable doing it myself, I mean, I don't want to be here!
I was leaning against a pillar (freaking PILLAR!) and I saw Gumi walk up and hold out her hand. "My I have your first dance of the evening, Luki-kun?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes, of course!" I replied, leading her out to the floor.
"Hey, Megu-chan's come out!" I heard Piko whisper.
"Then we'll put our plan into action," Kiyoteru replied.
Before I knew it, the powerful force that was Kaito-senpai had picked me up and run me to the dressing room at lightning speed.
Poor Gumi was probably sitting back there wondering if she should call 911 for kidnapping.
"Here she comes," Rin and Len sang as I was carried in.
"You didn't have to be that forceful—"
"Who cares, just change into this," Len threw a package into my hands. I opened my mouth to protest, but Piko pushed me into the curtain with a giggle before I could say anything.
I sighed and unwrapped the package.
"Listen, Luka," Kiyoteru ordered from the other side, "You have approximately twenty minutes until the climax of the party. Nigaito should be waiting in the classroom. We need to make sure you keep him there."
I stepped out of the dressing room just for Piko to push me into a makeup chair. "Make sure you get his real feelings out, okay?"
"We're still iffy about it since this is Tono's strategy plan," Len and Rin explained hastily while putting on makeup.
"Hey, how can you all stay back here for so long!" Gakupo burst in. "Who'll take care of our guests!"
I stood up from the chair and turned around. Gakupo stopped dead in his tracks and stared. I gave him a nervous smile, unsure of what to do when someone was staring at you.
The dress I wore was black, with a white sash around the middle and a bow on one sleeve. I had black heels and a headband with butterflies placed on one side. I wore a long pink wig, so I looked like my middle school self.
"Lulu-chan, you look so cute!" Piko squealed.
"What do you think, Tono?" Rin and Len nudged Gakupo, who was still gaping.
I toddled forward on the heels. "My face feels heavy with all this makeup. I can't walk in these shoes," I complained as I tripped over myself.
"Go give it your best shot and don't screw up!" the Twins chorused.
I mentally stuck my tongue out at them.
This chapter is dedicated to ~checks name~ Creek-Hitatchiin for telling me to get my ass off of Youtube (which is actually where my ass was at that moment. Look up the song AHS Crazy Rolling Dance. It's epic, because it has Kiyoteru, Yuki, Miki, and Iroha all in one epic song.)
I hesitantly opened the door to the classroom. I closed it behind me and saw Nigaito already standing there. "You're the one who wrote this letter? You're a lot different than I imagined."
"Letter?" I repeated. He offered the slip of paper to me and I read.
To be read in an annoying-fan-girl-weeaboo-moe voice
"Love love! Ever since I first saw you, my heart has been going super doki-doki love love! Tee hee! As if there were cyclones and never changing typhoons, the winds of love call to my heart! I want to meet up with you in a forbidden place, noda~ Noda noda noda!"
I gripped the letter in anger. Who the HELL wrote this crap!
(Collaborative efforts of Kiyoteru, Rin and Len)
"Um, have I seen you before?" Nigatio asked.
"Uh, no!" I yelled. "This is my first time talking to you! Ahaha, ahehe, eh…"
"I'm sorry."
"Eh?"
"Even though you gave me this letter, I won't be able to accept your feelings," he explained. "There's…already someone who I love, even if she doesn't love me back.
"I think a brighter, more confident person would suit her better. So I'm going to change; become a better man. It's why I'm going to England to study abroad for a year…"
I noticed his earnestness, and I knew that he was trying his best, but I needed to be blunt with him.
"That's selfish."
"Eh?"
"Asking her to understand why you're going without even telling her is totally unreasonable. You don't even need to go away in the first place. If you have such strong feelings for her, why find a reason to delay it? From the moment you want to change, you've changed already."
Nigaito gaped at me with a puzzled look on his face. Then he smiled, and was about to say something…
When Gumi walked in.
And Gakupo was standing there with a stupid grin on his face in the background.
Oh snap.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry," Gumi stuttered nervously, fiddling with her goggles, "I seem to have interrupted something."
"Wait, Gumi—"
"I'll just leave you two alone then…" Gumi ran out in tears.
"Gumi!" Nigaito pushed me out of the way and ran after her.
I walked out of the room and stood next to Gakupo. "Oy," I said, "Aren't you just making things worse for them?"
"And are you that dense?" he responded. "He ran after her."
My eyes widened as I realized what he meant. I smiled. They would make up now, I guess. "Our Host Club exists to bring girls happiness, right?" I joked.
"Yes, but we don't want to miss the main event. We should get back to the others."
"Kay then."
After changing back into Luki, I stood near the balcony ready to open the doors when Kiyoteru and Gakupo thought the time was right to torture the lucky couple. I glanced out the window. They didn't look so good.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, the final dance will be led by this beautiful couple under the cherry blossom trees!" Gakupo announced.
Rin and Len turned on the spotlights and grabbed a couple of bananas.
I could see how nervous the two were. Nigaito offered a dance. Gumi hesitantly took it.
And then they were off.
When the song ended, everyone clapped (duh). "I-I like you," I heard Nigaito say. "I always have. Will you let me propose to you again?"
Gumi smiled brightly an hugged him. "Yes! I love you too, Nigaito!"
"Let us bless this clumsy couple!" Gakupo declared.
Rin and Len each grabbed a microphone with one hand.
"Tonight's Dance Queen is…"
"…Megumi Nakajima!"
"And furthermore, the kiss from the King…"
"…Has been switched to none other than Luki Megurine!"
"WHAT?" Gakupo yelled.
"Because a twist ending is always best!" they teased.
"I AM NOT LETTING MY DAUGHTER KISS THE HOST HOPPER!"
"It's only on the cheek, right? It's fine with me," I heard Nigaito say to Gumi. She nodded and walked up to meet me.
"This is going too far!" I protested.
"I'll cut a third of your debt," Kiyoteru persuaded.
"Oh well, it's just the cheek," I mumbled.
I walked down the stairs to where Gumi was, cupping her cheek for the kiss.
"Ne, do you think this might be Lulu-chan's first kiss?" Piko asked excitedly.
"WHAT?" Gakupo yelled.
"HOLD UP ON THAT KISS!" he interjected dramatically as he leaped down the staircase…
…And tripped on a banana peel.
Which in turn, led to me kissing Gumi on the lips.
Not the cheek.
Oopsy-doops.
Gumi gave a nervous look at Nigaito, who just smiled back at her comfortingly. The fan girls had mixed reviews of squealing and crying. Gakupo cried. Rin and Len high-fived.
So even though my first kiss was given up through a weird series of events, the night went relatively well.
I'm so sorry that took so long! I'm also sorry for the rushed quality! I am SO glad I'm done with this chapter! UTAU Academy is next BOOYAH!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to put Christmas lights on the construction vehicles outside of my house. (Screw you, PG&E! 2 months of your crap on MY street? Aw, hell naw!)
QoTC: Any suggestions for Vocaloids to play certain characters? See the list above.