I should have realized that trouble was coming when I was able to spend an entire Saturday without any interruptions from the host club. With my free hours I was able to devote some significant time to reviewing the performance of my investments so far and to research some speculative financial ventures I was considering. With numbers and risk ratios crowding my mind, my sleep that night was restless.
So was Tamaki's, apparently. My cell rang just as the staff was clearing away my breakfast dishes. "Hey, Kyoya, there's something I need to talk to you about."
Leaving my sister at the table, I strolled toward the bay window overlooking our feng shui landscaped back yard. "What is it?"
"It's Haruhi. I had this terrible dream last night and I can't stop thinking about it. I have to know! Does she live in repressive poverty? I mean, sure, we all know that she doesn't have the kind of wealth we do…"
Oh boy, he doesn't even hear himself, does he?
"…but maybe her life is truly desperate."
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. "I doubt that's the case, after all…"
"What if she's starving?! What if she lives in squalor and is going to get sick and die!"
I could see there would be no reasoning with him. "I suppose we could check it out, if it would put your mind at ease."
"Check it out?" A reflective tone entered his voice. "Do you think we should spy on her? Or we could pay someone to…"
"I think it would be simplest just to drop by unannounced. The worst she can do is throw us out."
"She just might," Tamaki mused.
"I'll think on it. In the mean time, you can arrange things with your driver." I gave him the address (naturally, I had obtained it through… channels… long ago) and as an afterthought suggested, "Perhaps you should have your driver pick me up as well. We don't want to be too conspicuous."
He agreed.
So, I would finally see Haruhi in her native environment. Although I suspected Tamaki's concerns were groundless, I did wonder just how poor her family was. With her father's dubious line of work and no other family to contribute to their income, things might be very plain indeed. She had lacked the funds to purchase even a school uniform.
Perhaps this visit would be good for me. My preoccupation with Haruhi was stronger than ever. And it may have been my imagination –or my increased awareness of her – but ever since our encounter at the beach villa in Okinawa it seemed Haruhi had also been watching me. True, in most instances her visage appeared merely puzzled, but curiosity is the predecessor to fascination. I had enough confidence in my ability to strategize to believe I could sway her, but I held back, unsure whether my fascination with her was worth the trouble our connection would bring.
But part of me loved the challenge. Given enough time, and given the absence of overzealous rivals… Hmmm.
I placed a couple more calls then went to brush my teeth. Tamaki should be arriving any minute.
As I stared at my reflection in the gold filigreed mirror, I saw an Ootori. Raised to be refined, to be proud, to achieve, and to excel. And social position was more than where you stood; it was affected by who stood beside you. I was sent to Ouran Academy not only for its excellent education, but primarily because of its clientele. My association with the host club pushed the boundaries of discretion, but at least the members were all of fine families.
All except one.
A knock at the door of my suite interrupted my musings. "Young master, Tamaki Suou has arrived and requests an audience."
Then again, sometimes the pretension is a bit over the top.
"I'll be right there." Perhaps this visit would remind me of how impossible it would be to bridge the vast chasm of social standing that separated an Ootori from a commoner.
We pulled to the curb behind a small black limousine and across the street from a plain looking, three story apartment building. As we exited the Suou's sleek luxury car, we saw the twins and then Honey and Mori pouring from the limo, eyeing the building with some delight.
"It's pretty big, huh?" said one of the twins. "Yeah, bigger than I thought it'd be," his brother added.
"Look at all the rooms!" Honey exclaimed.
Resisting the urge to shake my head at their ignorance of anything below their station, I explained that Haruhi's family occupied only one of the units.
Tamaki pulled me aside. "Why'd you bring these idiots with us?
No way was I admitting my real motive of ensuring our prince kept his distance from Haruhi. "I knew you didn't have the courage to come alone, so I thought it'd be best if everyone came along."
Goading him, I pulled the twins toward the limo and announced, "Alright. Let's go home. I guess I underestimated the courage of our great leader."
He caved quickly.
And just as quickly managed to put his foot in his mouth advising us all of how not to behave condescendingly in the Fujioka home. Behind him I could see Haruhi coming from the opposite direction, a thunderstorm growing on her face as his own condescension reached her ears.
Oh, this is gonna be good…
The fit she pitched garnered even more attention than our fancy vehicles, and her landlady came forward to intervene. I watched Haruhi's reaction as Tamaki turned the full force of his practiced charm on the woman. I could tell Haruhi wasn't jealous (I guess she'd seen him in action plenty of times), just annoyed. Something inside me was rather pleased.
As the landlady caved under his attentions, Haruhi's face admitted defeat. While Tamaki dismissed his victim I headed across the street. The Fujioka apartment was on the second floor and opened from an exterior hallway. I leaned casually on the railing of the staircase that led upward. When Haruhi approached, I reached to take one of the grocery bags she carried, but she snatched it away, shooting me a defiant look.
I believe I'll let the others brave the lion's den first. I fell into step at the rear of the parade.
Standing at the door, Haruhi played tough, insisting she would only give us a few seconds' glance. But Honey had brought a bribe. She regarded his box of cakes with an uncharacteristic greedy look in her eye. After a moment's struggle, she grudgingly agreed to allow us to stay for tea so we could all enjoy them.
While removing my shoes at the entrance as requested, I took in the surroundings. The apartment was small by my standards but appeared to be average size for someone of Haruhi's status. A single room –smaller than my bedroom—served at once as dining room, TV room, and study. Shoji doors separated the main room from the small kitchen/entry and from what must have been the bedrooms. I tried to imagine myself living in the confined space and could not.
Hikaru spoke up and I had to give the brothers some credit. They also had brought a gift - a bag of black tea they claimed was a recent souvenir from their father's travels. With two swift strokes, Honey and the twins had ensured Haruhi's hospitality would cost her nothing.
"It's best served as milk tea. Do you have milk?" Kaoru asked.
Or not.
While Haruhi busied herself in the kitchen and the others crowded around the low table (enduring Tamaki's admonitions to moderate their expectations), I examined the contents of a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. I was rather surprised to find so many books, and even more surprised by the subject matter. The shelves were packed tightly with reference books and textbooks that clearly related to Kotoko Fujioka's legal practice; a good number of scholarly texts discussing philosophy and religion (with a significant subsection of flimsy paperbacks that appeared to be Bible studies); a number of classics and a book on mythology; and even a few psychology texts that seemed to relate to gender identity formation and lifestyle issues.
It presented an interesting picture of the individual who purchased and read such an erudite collection. I wondered how many Haruhi had perused.
A small shrine sat in a recessed alcove. I examined the photo of Haruhi's mother displayed there. She was an attractive woman. Haruhi had inherited her dark hair and heart-shaped face. But her smile was more carefree than any expression I'd seen Haru-chan wear.
Our hostess returned with the tea-in a serviceable porcelain teapot-and we all knelt at the table to enjoy the sweets together. When the dainties had been consumed, I decided that we had imposed upon Haruhi long enough to satisfy our curiosity. I was preparing to suggest we say farewell when the twins and Tamaki rudely suggested luncheon. I could see they were angling to get a taste of Haruhi's cooking, but to provide food for our entire group of young men (with hearty appetites) would cost a great deal. I worried that we would deplete her family's grocery budget.
I stood abruptly and said, "We'll take care of it. We did drop in unexpectedly, so we'll pay for lunch. Why don't you just order us some of your favorite sushi?"
"Thanks, but no thanks. I know that if I let you guys pay I'll only regret it later."
I acted quickly to spare her feelings. "Oh, don't worry, Haruhi, we'll just pay for it using the profits from the photos of you we auctioned off," I said, waving my credit card and making a mental note to auction those photos later.
Despite my teasing comment about her photos, she was willing to take the olive branch. But Honey-sempai wouldn't give up so easily. Behind that cute face was a prodigy who knew how to manipulate more than just math equations.
"I'd really love it if you'd make something for us, Haru-chan," he offered hopefully.
"I guess I could whip something up, but it's gonna take me some time. I'm going to have to go to the supermarket…again," she grumbled.
Well, this was an oddity that our well-to-do group was eager to sample. We all had staff that not only cooked our meals but took care of the purchasing as well. I escorted the group outside, failing to notice that Tamaki did not follow.
Honey tripped lightly down the stairs, remarking, "Haru-chan is always talking about the free samples she gets at the supermarket. Maybe I can try some."
We lingered at the foot of the stairwell waiting for Tamaki and Haruhi. What are they doing up there all alone? I mentally groused.
"I guess we're going to have to walk to the supermarket," one of the twins sighed. "I hope this neighborhood is safe," said his counterpart.
As if to prove his point, an overly large woman clomped past us to climb the stairs. Her eyes lingered appreciatively on our group. I was used to being admired by the fairer sex, but something about this encounter felt creepy.
Honey swung around a lamp post to pass the time, but the twins were clearly getting as impatient as I was. "What is taking so long?" Hikaru grumbled.
"We'd better go check on them. You remember what happened last time we left them alone," Kaoru snickered, referring to the 'S&M' episode at the beach.
As they turned to retrace our steps, we heard an outburst from upstairs that sounded suspiciously like Tamaki denying guilt.
What's he done now? I went to investigate.