I continued making my courtesy calls to Ranka – insurance against the day when we might need his assistance with Haruhi in one way or another. It was about a month after we visited her home that I noticed he didn't seem as animated as usual.
"And so Haruhi taught us a number of games from her childhood-kick the can, hanaichimonme, hide and seek. It was quite relaxing, and I was glad to find an excuse to get her out in the refreshing spring weather. Although she did get 'lost' with Tamaki in the hedgerow maze for a rather long time," I paused to relish his outburst at this news. But none came.
"Oh, okay. Very good," he answered by rote and said no more.
"Ranka-sama, forgive me for intruding, but it seems as though something is bothering you."
"Oh, no, not all, everything's fine," he replied airily. "Everything's just [sniffle]…" His voice began to quaver. "Just fine…"
And then came the outburst, though not the one I had expected. "It's not fine!" he cried. "Very, very not fine! And my poor little girl, how will she ever bear it if she loses her father as well as her mother!"
He blubbered on, but I was arrested by the severity of his assessment. "What makes you say that?" I did not allow alarm to creep into my voice. After all, Ranka was given to overreaction.
"I just know something is terribly wrong with me! What if I have cancer? What if I have malaria? What if I have," his breath hitched in real fear. "AIDs?"
"Let's try not to assume the worst just yet," I soothed, though his odd behavior did set off warning bells. I couldn't let myself imagine Haruhi having to endure such heartache. "What sort of symptoms have you been having? And for how long?"
His voice was all seriousness now. "Well, it was about a week ago…yes, last Tuesday, because I remember I had been out shopping and picked up sushi for dinner –not from our usual place around the corner, you see- and I thought maybe we had got a bad batch and I would certainly never buy from that vendor again."
I tried to follow his convoluted explanation. "Um, what made you think the sushi was bad?"
"Why, the terrible stomachache, of course!" I was pretty certain he hadn't mentioned that, but whatever.
"But a couple days went by and it was still bothering me. And then I got a fever…" Uh-oh. That's not good. "…And now it hurts even to touch anywhere near my stomach, and there's…" His voice cracked and he began sobbing again, "My poor little girl!"
"It does sound like you need to be checked out by a doctor, Ranka."
"I know," he whined, "but I don't want Haruhi to worry. She takes too much on herself, you know. And with her mother…" He trailed off.
"I understand," I assured him. "As you know, my family is in the health care business. Why don't you let me set you up with one of our specialists for a consultation? Then if more extensive treatment is required, you may need to send Haruhi away on a vacation during our summer recess. It begins next week, you know."
"You would do that for me?!" He paused. "Oh, Kyoya-kun, you are a wonderful friend to my Haruhi! Such quality young men in that host club of yours…"
I cut off his raving. "Thank you. But you need to see a doctor as soon as possible." My tone brooked no argument. "So please allow me to make some calls and I will get back with you shortly."
The arrangements were made, and Ranka was seen the following day. Thankfully, the diagnosis was not so dire as he had assumed. The doctor was relatively certain Ranka had contracted a parasitic infection that was wreaking havoc with his digestive tract. A course of antibiotics was prescribed, but the doctor wished to perform additional tests and might even need to schedule surgery if the liver was affected.
Just to be safe, the doctor recommended Haruhi avoid contact with her father as much as possible. It seemed the vacation plan was on.
After the doctor gave me his report, I snapped my cell phone shut and returned to the club room. With school ending in a matter of days, preparations were underway for an extravagant end-of-year host club costume party. It would have an international theme, highlighting various countries our elite society often frequented on breaks. One of the twins was constructing a primitive-looking spear, the other painting a breastplate of sorts. Mori's large frame looked absurd bent over a pile of silk flowers he was painstakingly stringing into chains, while Honey appeared to be perusing a catalog of Swiss chocolates.
Tamaki and Haruhi were missing, and I seized on the opportunity to advance Ranka's agenda.
Strolling to a couch near the group, I took a seat and pretended to look through my notebook.
"I believe I will invite Haruhi to visit one of my family's resorts this summer," I said offhandedly. "She's probably never had a real vacation before."
"Well she already visited your Jungle Resort," said Hikaru.
"And didn't seem to think much of it," followed Kaoru without missing a beat. "Besides she prefers the beach," he continued.
"So she should go with us!" they concluded in unison.
"I don't know, Hika-kun," said Honey. "She might have bad memories after last time. She should go somewhere totally different. Like… the mountains!" he beamed.
As it turned out, Ranka called in a favor from an old friend and settled Haruhi in a pastoral village not far from the health spa where my oldest brother would be overseeing his care.
Ranka phoned to fill me in before they left. "It should only take a couple weeks, maybe three at the most," he said, considerably more sanguine now. "I told Haruhi I had to go away on business…an old friend needing help with his club. It's not far from the truth, really, since Misuzu-chan is desperate for help and he… well, you'll see soon enough." Then he seemed to hear his own assumption. "You will watch over my little girl for me, won't you? She's very independent but I still worry, you know? Say you will, Kyoya-kun!"
"Of course. I would be happy to." Well, that wasn't a lie.
"Oh, you're such a good boy!" he enthused. I tuned out the rest of his effusions, my mind already considering how much I might see of Haruhi in the next month. And wondering what it might do to me.
Several days into our break I stood on the lanai of my family's vacation cottage practicing my judo forms. A misty breeze blew strands of dark hair across my face as I took in the serenity of the surrounding hills. My limbs moved fluidly, but my spirit was far from tranquil.
How soon could I visit the inn without arousing Haruhi's suspicion? What excuse could I give? 'Hey, just happened to be in the neighborhood.' "Not likely," I muttered.
My cell sprang to life on the wrought iron table stationed by the patio door. Falling into one of the matching chairs, I put the phone to my ear. Seconds later I wished I'd not placed it quite so close.
It was Tamaki, of course, or rather a conference call from the entire host club initiated by Tamaki. He had discovered the absence of both Haruhi and her father and was coping in typical Tamaki fashion – by imagining fantastic scenarios in which she desperately needed to be saved…by our prince, of course.
Usually his insane antics amused me, but today for some reason it just rankled. Or maybe it was the blaring in my ear drum. I finally broke in and informed them that she was not missing; she was in Karuizawa.
"Karuizawa? That's hours away!" he wailed.
I didn't dare tell him I was already there.
Well, now I had my answers. I would be dropping by the inn today for tea. And it wouldn't seem suspicious because the rest of the host club would be converging there as well.