Meeting the Host Club

Chapter 7: A Chain Reaction and New Discoveries

Akira's POV

It was another day of school. It was sunny outside. Everyone in the S.A., except Kei, was here today.

Everyone except Kei got used to Hikari's absence. It's really depressing. Nowadays, I see Kei getting all frustrated because what he did to Hikari's phone so that he can find her isn't working. I think she found out.

Earlier this week, I noticed Megumi's notebook in the subway and found Hikari's current address and school. I didn't know why it was there, but maybe Jun and Megumi know something that I don't.

During lunchtime, I decided to look for Jun and Megumi. I found them just outside the building. Ryuu wasn't with them. I went closer and closer. I brought Megumi's notebook with me. I then noticed she had another notebook with her.

"Megumi," I said. "I have something for you,"

I took out her notebook and showed it to her.

"Thank you," said Jun.

"Not so fast," I said pulling it away from his reach. "I know what you're hiding."

Both Jun and Megumi looked at each other and Jun spoke.

"Akira," he said. "I seriously don't know what you're talking about,"

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Are you hiding anything about Hikari?"

"What do you mean?" Megumi wrote in her notebook.

"I know you know where Hikari is," I said.

"How can you be so sure?" Jun asked. "Do you have any proof?"

"Do I have any proof, you say? I said flipping to that page. "Here's my proof."

Both Jun and Megumi's eyes widened.

"I can explain…" said Jun.

"Why have you been keeping this from me?" I cried. "Don't you realize that I miss her too?"

"Yes, but…" said Jun.

"…We've made a promise," Megumi said timidly.

"Megumi," said Jun realizing Megumi spoke.

"We promised her that she won't be found out by Kei," Megumi continued. "We want her to be happy."

"If too many people know, it may lead to being found out by Kei," explained Jun. "We all know what that can end up like."

"You've got to promise me," said Megumi.

"Do not tell anybody that Rei is really Hikari," Jun continued.

"I promise," I solemnly said until realizing something. "Wait a minute; all I knew is that Hikari lives at this address and that she attends Ouran Academy. I didn't know that Rei Yamaguchi is really Hikari."

"Crap!" said Jun realizing his mistake. "Well, do not tell anybody."

"Okay," I said.

I then heard somebody sneeze from behind that bushes. They might've heard the whole thing.

"Crap!"

Tadashi's POV

During lunch, I was looking for Akira so that she can make more pastries. When I found her, she was confronting Jun and Megumi about Hikari. I decided to hide in the bushes nearby and eavesdrop.

"Don't you realize that I miss her too?" I heard Akira say.

"We made a promise," I heard Megumi say shortly after. "We promised her that she won't be found out by Kei. We want her to be happy."

A little after that, I heard Jun say, "Don't tell anybody that Rei is really Hikari."

After that sentence, I decided not to hear and leave as soon as Akira leaves.

"This doesn't make sense! Rei is actually Hikari?"

Then I felt a bug crawl up my nose, suddenly, I felt the urge to sneeze.

"Crap! I can't sneeze. She'll find me! Resist the urge!"

"Ah… Ah… ACHOO!"

Then I saw everyone turn their heads to the bush I was hiding in.

"I'll go see who it is," I heard Akira say.

She then walked to the bush and saw me.

"Tadashi!" Akira said.

She pulled my tie to pull me up. Then, she grabbed my collar.

"How much of that did you hear!" yelled Akira.

"Everything from, 'Don't you realize I miss her too?' to 'Don't tell anybody Rei is really Hikari."

She then punched my arm hard.

"OUCH!" I said.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry!" I pleaded.

She then pulled my collar even closer to her face.

"Never, ever tell ANYBODY that Rei is Hikari," she threatened. "If you can't do something that simple, you don't want to know what will happen!"

"Okay," I said actually fearing for my life.

She then dropped me to the ground and left. I then stood up and turned around only to see Ryuu staring at me sternly.

"What? Did he hear the whole thing?"

Ryuu's POV

"Jun! Megumi!" I called out looking for them.

Jun and Megumi were acting weird ever since we came back from that trip. I'm beginning to suspect that Hikari has something to do with it.

As I walked further, I found Jun and Megumi, but in front of them was Akira, who appears to be yelling at them.

"Why is she yelling? Have they done something wrong?"

I then hid behind a tree and listened. I then noticed that Tadashi was in a bush nearby.

"Tadashi!" I heard Akira say.

I then immediately hid in a nearby bush far away from the two. I still decided to eavesdrop to see if the conflict has anything to do with Hikari.

After a minute or two, I heard Akira say, "Never, ever tell ANYBODY that Rei is really Hikari!"

"That must be it! At that restaurant Jun and Megumi were talking to Rei! That must be when they found out! It's making sense!"

Then, I saw Tadashi standing up and he was about to walk away. I then ran on the path. He turned around to see me.

His eyes were wide probably because he knows Akira will do something bad to him if someone finds out.

"Ryuu…" he said. "I can explain!"

"Where's Jun and Megumi?" I interrupted.

"Oh…" he said pointing to the building. "They walked this way,"

"Thanks!" I said.

"No problem," he said back.

"By the way," I said stopping beside him.

"I know that Hikari and Rei are the same person," I continued.

His eyes widened knowing that Akira will hurt him for sure.

"Please," he pleaded. "Don't…"

"Don't worry," I said. "I won't tell her."

I then ran to the building.

Megumi's POV

I was sitting in the middle of the classroom. Nobody else was there except for me. It seems that everyone had something to do. Even Jun wasn't there.

When the teacher was explaining the lesson, Ryuu ran into the classroom.

"Megumi!" said Jun. "Let's go!"

He grabbed my hand and my notebook and ran out the classroom.

When we stopped he said, "You know something, don't you."

My eyes widened.

"Does he know about Hikari?"

"What do you mean?" I wrote.

"You know where Hikari is," he said. "Don't you know we're trying to find her too?"

"Yes, I know that, but…" I wrote but I got interrupted.

"Where is she?" he asked. "Kei wants to know. He's really worried."

"You don't understand…"I wrote.

"Why have you been keeping secrets from me?" he said softly. "I've known you since you were little. This isn't like you."

"Please don't tell him!" I wrote.

"Why?" he said. "Why do you want me to not tell Kei?"

"Why is he acting like this?"

"I've made a promise, okay?" I said firmly.

I then ran past him and left.

After school, I left the school as fast as I can, ignoring all the other students of Hakusen staring at me. I ran straight to Haruhi's house where Hikari is staying.

"I have to warn Hikari! They might all tell Kei!"

Hikari's POV

At home, Haruhi and I were trying to make dinner, but the food blew up as usual, so we resorted to getting take-out.

"I'll go get the food," I told Haruhi.

"Be careful," said Haruhi. "Watch out for Kei!

I closed the door and ran down the stairs. I then saw Megumi in front of me. She was panting, probably since she ran here. She was still wearing the school uniform.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well… almost all the S.A. members know about you and Rei being the same person." she wrote as fast as she can.

"I have to go get dinner," I said until hearing what she just said.

"Wait a minute," I said as calmly as possible until I started to get worried. "What?"

"Sorry, I was trying to keep it, but everyone overheard." wrote Megumi.

"Does Takishima know?" I asked with a worried look on my face.

"Luckily, he was absent today," she wrote in her notepad. "The S.A. members who know are Akira, Tadashi, Ryuu, Jun and me."

"At least they are people I can trust," I said in relief.

"That's the problem, Ryuu might tell Kei," Megumi wrote.

"What?" I said in shock. "I have to hide, but I'm supposed to get dinner since I broke the stove."

"I'll go get dinner for you as a way of making up to you." she wrote.

"Thanks," I said about to run up the stairs.

"By the way, was the reason the stove broke was because you were cooking?" Megumi wrote.

"Well, yes," I said running up the stairs.

I opened the door looked at Haruhi.

"You're already done?" Haruhi asked.

"No," I said. "I have to hide for the time being and I ran into Megumi and she offered to get food."

"Okay," said Haruhi.

Ten minutes later, Megumi arrived. She brought some expensive looking sushi. She was panting probably because she ran here and back.

"You didn't have to get something that expensive," I told her.

"It's fine," Megumi wrote. "By the way, I need to tell you something. It's an emergency."

"What is it?" I asked worriedly.

"I saw Ryuu walking to Kei's house. I asked him why and he said that he's on his way to tell him." Megumi wrote hastily.

"What?" I yelled. "It's not like him to do that."

"We have to stop him!" Megumi wrote.

"Maybe I should stop him as Hikari," I suggested.

"Sure," she wrote. "It might stop him if you come as Hikari and not Rei."

I ran into my room and changed and put on my wig. I put on a white shirt with a blue jacket on top as well as dark blue jeans and red running shoes. I got the cell phone Megumi gave me and a pair of sunglasses.

When I came out, I saw Haruhi dressed up as Rei. She wore a black shirt with a dark blue hoodie. She also wore a pair of blue jeans along with black running shoes. She got some gel and made her hair spiky.

"Are you supposed to be Rei?" I asked Haruhi.

"Correct," she said. "Megumi told me that it might get Kei to think that you and Rei are not really the same person."

"Good idea!" I told Megumi.

Megumi stepped outside looking for anyone.

"The coast is clear!" Megumi wrote.

We all ran towards Takishima's house looking for Ryuu at the same time.

After fifteen minutes of walking, we arrived at the street where Takishima lives.

"Is anyone there? I asked Haruhi by cell phone.

"No," said Haruhi.

"I see Ryuu!" Megumi wrote before waving her notebook in the air.

"I see him too!" said Haruhi.

"Where is he?" I asked her.

"He's leaving Takishima's house!" said Haruhi.

I ran as fast as I can towards him.

"I'm almost there."

As soon as I caught up to him, I tapped his shoulders. He turned around with a surprised look on his face.

"Hikari…" he said.

"How could you?" I asked. "Megumi told me everything. You told Takishima, didn't you?"

"What?" asked Ryuu.

"How could you betray me?" I asked. "I thought we were friends."

"It's not like that," said Ryuu.

"So what did happen?" I asked.

"I was going to tell Kei, but I thought you will be upset since Kei was the main reason you left," said Ryuu.

"You didn't tell Takishima?"

"I'm sorry," I said bowing. "Megumi told me you'll tell him."

"Well, I guess it was partly my fault," said Ryuu. "I didn't think she'll be holding a grudge on me."

After that, we walked towards Haruhi and Megumi.

"He didn't tell him," I announced.

"Rei?" asked Ryuu both looking at Haruhi and me. "I thought you were…"

"That's just Haruhi in disguise, just in case you told Takishima." I said.

Ryuu suddenly look like he just remembered something.

"Hikari…" he said.

"What?" I asked confusedly.

"I think Haruhi might need to stay in that disguise," he said.

"How come?" Megumi wrote.

"I did come to Kei's house to tell him, but when I changed my mind, Kei told me he found out since the vacation and has been plotting to take you back!" said Ryuu.

"What? He knows I'm really Rei? This is bad!"