In case anyone is confused, I use italics to indicate the current characters inner thoughts :)
"Can I have a big strawberry sugar cone? Triple scoop?!" Honey smiled at Keki, who laughed lightly in response before handing him his order.
"Anything for such an adorable little customer…" She beamed as I rolled my eyes. Even she couldn't resist the host club's charms. "What about your tall friend, does he want something?"
"No thank you." Mori said promptly, yet didn't come across as rude at all. I'd always been secretly envious of his expert ability to know the fine line between not saying enough and saying too much; it was a talent very few could perfect. Keki, of course, swooned at his cool and collected response. You're almost 40 years old, woman. Get ahold of yourself.
"Isn't Shio-chan absolutely adorable? She looks like a doll!" Ami giggled to Tamaki, and I inwardly sighed as I awaited his over the top response to the question.
"Of course she is. A gorgeous, sun kissed forest nymph with eyes like summer leaves. Her beauty is rivalled by few." The blonde leaned towards me, hearts for eyes. I'd probably be a little flattered, but I knew he complimented everyone like this. The one thing I couldn't put my finger on was whether or not he really meant all these grandeur proclamations of beauty, or if he was just flirting to gain something of us. After all, nearly every girl at Ouran Academy was the product of excellent breeding.
It'd been 15 minutes since the club had stumbled into the ice cream parlor and ruined what was supposed to be a relaxing excursion, and I wasn't exactly joyful of their presence. I noticed Ootori-San staring up at me every now and again, like a doctor examining a wounded patient. I shifted in my seat a little bit, trying to maintain composure. I knew it was hard to take me seriously with my ginger curls frizzing around me like a halo, but I still made a last ditch effort to appear professional by gently straightening the bow on my uniform.
"Still striving for absolute perfection, are we?" Ootori commented, the corners of his lips turning into a small smile. "I wouldn't expect any less of the heir to of the Katsuhida Business."
"I have very high standards set for me that I must surpass. You should understand that, Ootori-San." I replied gingerly, each word rolling off of my tongue in expert fashion. I'd had enough experience with conversations like this. Be polite, be persistent, and force a smile… that's what my father would say.
"Then I'm assuming that the current state of your hair must be bothering you quite a bit."
I paused, nearly raising an eyebrow at the ebony haired host. What is he getting at? Is he trying to embarass me, or is he just teasing me. Shaking off my thoughts, I maintained my fake smile. "Why yes, it does."
"What if I proposed a deal?" He leaned forward a bit, resting his shoulders on his knees. The cunning look in his steel eyes made me weary of what he was about to stay. It was as though I could always see the gears turning in the back of his mind; he was consistently processing, storing and gathering information. "I could get you a hair tie, but only under certain circumstances."
Of course he wants something out of it instead of just giving me the hair tie. Why is he even carrying one with him? Sometimes I wish I could break this business facade and just scoff at people. "I'm willing to accept that deal, but it depends on the circumstances."
"You must become a regular at the club, which I believe will work in both of our favors. I'm assuming that your father told you that need to become acquainted with me, since you wouldn't have spoken to me today if he didn't, and this would be the perfect opportunity for you to establish that "friendship". My father would also be delighted if he found out that I was strengthening our company's bond to the Katsuhida heir. What do you say?"
I laughed inwardly. Ootori was right, this was a good plan. Then again, regular visits to the host club would distract me from my studying, which might lessen my chances of becoming top of my class next year. I'm sure he'd thought of this already though- in his eyes, it was both crippling the competition and making a very smart business endeavor. I'd just have to study double time on weekends, which wouldn't be too bad. Ami and Mao might be upset that I'd have less time to hang out with them, but that would easily be counteracted by the act that I would start visiting the host club with them. All sides of the plan worked in my favor. At this point, I didn't even care as much about the hair tie as I did about pleasing my father.
"Consider it a deal." I held out my hand as he pulled a single black elastic from around his wrist and gave it to me.
"My sister advised me to always keep a hair tie on me, warning me that it'd come in handy. I believe she ended up being right." He said cooly while I pulled my curls back into a stiff bun. I knew that it wouldn't be the tidiest, but it was still better than an unruly red mane.
"Women tend to be right about most things." I said dully, coaxing a deep chuckle from him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off. I'd love to stay here another thirty minutes, but I have important work that I have to attend to."
"Have a good evening, Ms. Katsuhida."
Standing up, I straightened out my yellow dress and slipped out of the shop door. Ami and Mao were too distracted to by the other hosts to notice my disappearance, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I took in my quiet surroundings. There weren't many pedestrians around, so I felt as though I could relax for a moment. Until I saw his face… (NOW I'M A BELIEVER. Sorry, had to do it.)
My emerald eyes immediately met his. I felt my heart sink as I took in those familiar chocolate orbs that had once been my greatest source of comfort, but now didn't mean a thing to me. He was lovely, I had to admit, but I wasn't allowed to think that anymore. After all, it was my fault that we were basically strangers at this point.
"Shiori…" He looked down, and I could tell that he was probably feeling just as distraught. Even after all of these years. "It's been a while."
"Two years, give or take." I managed a tight lipped smile, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. I wondered if I broke his heart, and I wondered if he knew how much it hurt after the break up.
His name was Yuki Ken. He was a commoner, and I met him on the playground when I was only four. My mother preferred to take my sister and I to "regular" parks, as she wanted us to have as normal of a childhood as she possibly could. Yuki and I quickly became best friends, and we only grew closer as the years went by. My father knew of my strong relationship to the less affluent boy, but he wasn't significantly bothered by it. This was before my mother's death, and before Mitsuko blew her shots at ever becoming heir. I had less expectations back then, since I was second in line to take over the company.
When I was twelve, Yuki had nervously held my sweaty hand while we were on a walk. Three months later, he kissed me. I remember how awkward it had been, and how he tasted of the cherry slushies Keki would sneak past my parents and give to us kids (we weren't allowed to have too much sugar). It took a year after that for him to say that he was in love with me, and only a month after his proclamation for me to shatter his naive heart. What he never knew was that since that day he grabbed my freckled, delicate hand, I'd been in love with him. Of course, this love has faded over the past two years, but it hadn't gone away. It was as though my feelings were nothing more than a simmering pot of water, but seeing his face caused them to overflow.
I didn't want to cut him off, but it was for the best. After my father told me that I was to be the heir, my reputation became exceedingly important. He didn't want me messing around with a common boy, and I had to follow his orders. I loved Yuki, but I also needed to put my family and my responsibilities first. I had to focus more on my studies, and it must have pained him to know that he could never really be with me. I was aristocracy, after all. Ending what we had was, logically, the best approach.
"You look different. Neater." He smiled, but I knew it was forced. Yuki was the nicest boy I'd ever met, and I knew he was just trying not to make me feel guilty. He'd done the same thing the day I broke up with him. He always smiled, even with the bad hand that life had dealt him. It was admirable.
"I think it suits me more," I replied "it's professional."
"I guess we've both changed." He chuckled, before taking a few steps towards me. My heart skipped a beat, and I tried to remain expressionless as he moved closer. "It was nice seeing you, Katsuhida-San. Take care."
With that, he walked right past me. I fought my urge to watch him walk away, and was startled at his brief goodbye. I don't know what I'd expected. My original plan was to call up my chauffeur and have a limo take me home, but I all of a sudden felt as though I had a lot to process. Straightening my uniform, I began my trek home. It was nice to be alone amongst the trees and winding roads that lead to my estate, but something Yuki said to me still managed to eat at my conscience. He was the last shard of the shattered glass that was my childhood, and speaking to him seemed to temporarily cut through my will to remain collected. Part of me wanted to tell him the truth as to why I dumped him, but I knew it wouldn't benefit either of us. It would only muddy the waters of our past.
Sorry this was bit shorter, but next chapter will definitely contain more fluff haha. I try to prioritize plot over romance.