A/N: Another chapter already?! Don't you all feel special now? Keep the lovely reviews coming, my little ducklings. I have a vague idea of what I'm going to do with this story now; I just need to think of an ending! So, I hope you all enjoy~

I spent the morning avoiding my dad. It's as if he has sensors in his head that just tell him that there is something going on, 'a daddy's instinct' he calls it.

"Oh sweetie, what is it? You can tell me!" he crooned, spinning in circles around me and the dining table. I couldn't bring myself to watch him for too long or I would start to get dizzy.

Deadpan, I took another bite out of the apple I was munching on for breakfast. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't you lie to Daddy!" he scolded, waving one perfectly manicured finger in my face with the sternest expression he could muster. "I can tell just from the look on your face. Those are love struck eyes, believe you me!"

I watched as he began to drift off into some kind of daydream and I thought he may have finally ended his endless onslaught of questions. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Who is it!? Please tell Daddy, Haruhi," my Dad begged, snapping back to reality and dropping down to my eyelevel. Then a lightbulb went off and he began rampaging about the room, pacing the short length of our apartment and around the table. "It's not that blonde buffoon is it!? I will not have him tainting my perfect little girl!"

"No Dad, it's not Tamaki-sempai," I insisted, successfully tossing the core of my apple into the bin.

He quit his stamping and bustled over to me, eyes wide with glee. "So there is someone! I knew it!"

"Dad!" I yelled when he glomped onto me with a vice like grip. Fortunately I wormed my way out of the choking embrace rather quickly and made a beeline for my school bag and escaped out the door, leaving my Dad singing joyfully in the kitchen.

Classes went by rather quickly despite whispered questions being tossed at me from either side as the Hitachiin brothers decided to get nosy. I tried my best to ignore most of them as they shuffled closer and closer to my seat in order to breathe their words right into my ears.

"How long, Haruhi?"

"Why the Shadow King?"

"It's not to repay your debt, right?"

"What's the answer to question four? I hate English class."

"Does your Dad know?"

"Have you sealed the deal yet, huuuuh?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner!?"

"Does he call you by some weird petname?"

"Are you in loooooooove?"

I really wish I wasn't taking a sip of water whilst Kaoru whispered that into my ear. Instantly I began to choke as a squeal tried to make its way out of my lips but I ended up just spraying water all over my notebook. Both redheads found the situation hilarious as I tried to explain the interruption to our rather strict English teacher and only narrowly avoided punishment. I resorted back to ignoring them after that.

Then it was hosting hours. I managed to run late for starting designations again after studying in the library although I didn't bother to run like I usually would. I couldn't take any more of the twins questioning and I knew that Tamaki would probably only encourage them to go even further. So that is why I took a detour down by the cafeteria and the arts wing corridors instead of cutting across the courtyard like I normally would after using the third floor libraries.

"You're late," is the first thing I heard as I swung open the doors. All of the hosts were busy with their ladies already, leaving Kyoya to his usual financial planning.

"Sorry, sempai. I got caught up in studying again," I explained, completely unsure of how to act now. A small part of me wanted to give him a hug or at least something, but I refrained.

"That's quite alright," he smiled and went back to the spread sheets and databases.

I blinked. That just felt odd to me, I got off the hook just like that. No increasing of the debt. No steely glare. As the initial weirdness wore off, I decided that I could get used to that. Dropping my bag off in the kitchen area, I set to work of providing tea for each of the lovely ladies of the day and attended to my own small group of girls that were anxiously waiting around our usual table. Their faces lit up as I walked over with the tea tray and they accepted my apologies with no bother.

"We knew you'd show up, Haruhi-kun," one of my regulars, Aya, said. Like most of my clients, she was very quiet, reserved and studious, and her small crush on me combined with my attention was enough to boost her confidence slightly. It was common for both mine, Mori's and Honey's client pool to overlap due to the type of girls we attracted.

The others in the group nodded joyfully. "You study so hard, it must be tough having to stay top of the class all of the time."

"You look so cute today, Haru-kun," another whispered nervously, cheeks dusted with pink.

I handled them with my 'natural' style and left from time to time to top up everyone's teacups and restock the platter of cakes in front of Honey and his guests. A buzz in my pocket caught my attention.

Kyoya Ootori (18:22) – Dinner tomorrow night?

He was looking over at me with a smirk. Why he couldn't just come over and ask me in person was beyond me but I responded in kind.

Haruhi Fujioka (18:23) – Is this the dreaded Shadow King's way of asking me on an actual date?

Kyoya Ootori (18:25) – Depends if you say yes or no

Haruhi Fujioka (18:27) – You know I wouldn't turn down food

Kyoya Ootori (18:28) – Then it's a date

I went back to my table slightly giddy. Acting like a typical school girl with a schoolyard crush was usually not my style but I couldn't help it as the first butterflies began to flutter in my stomach. But I savoured the feeling for a minute before pushing it all down and returning to my clients with a fresh pot of tea.