Disclaimer:
This story contains discussions and depictions of sensitive and potentially distressing topics, including but not limited to: mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, domestic abuse, child abuse, eating disorders, suicide, sexual themes, and the use of profanity. Reader discretion is advised.
Prologue: Miss Jigglypuff and the Perverted Wolf
Kaoru wasn't sure what he was looking for as he wandered the empty streets in the middle of the night. Everything felt different now, as if the world had shifted under his feet, leaving him struggling to keep up. The Host Club felt like a distant memory, with each member scattered or immersed in their own paths. Everyone seemed to have moved on, while he was left trying to make sense of a life that felt increasingly disconnected from what it once was.
In his final year of high school, Kaoru should have been focused on university prospects and graduation, like Haruhi and Hikaru. But instead, his mind was clouded with thoughts he'd been trying to push away for months, making it impossible to rest. These secret nightly strolls had become a habit—an escape from the overwhelming noise in his head.
He sighed, kicking a loose stone along the sidewalk as he wandered. His restless steps eventually led him to a playground—a pitiful excuse for one, really. Just a lonely swing set and a bench tucked away in a corner, half-concealed by the shadows of two trees. The pale streetlights cast an eerie glow over the scene, giving it an almost surreal quality.
Kaoru sat down on the bench, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. He leaned back, letting out a sigh as he gazed up at the night sky, searching for a sense of calm amid the swirl of emotions. Maybe he was being melodramatic. Maybe he just needed a distraction—anything to pull him out of his head.
As if answering his unspoken wish, a soft, muffled sound broke through the stillness. Curious, Kaoru sat up and peered through the dim light. There, on the swing, was a girl dressed in a pink Jigglypuff onesie.
Kaoru blinked, taken aback by the sight. Okay…this was weird.
He considered just leaving her to whatever midnight crisis she was having, but something made him stay. She looked so small, so sad, and… well, he did have a handkerchief. That was something, right?
Besides, he could already hear Milord's dramatic lecture if he found out Kaoru had walked away from a "maiden in distress"—something about "the sacred duty of a host" and how "not even a Jigglypuff onesie should ever deter a true gentleman."
With a resigned sigh, Kaoru decided to approach her. He stepped out of the shadows and gently touched her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.
"Hey," he said softly. "Are you alright? I know it's not much, but—"
The girl jerked in surprise, her eyes widening as she whipped her head around to face him. Panic flashed across her features as she scrambled to move away.
"Wait, I'm just trying to—" Kaoru started, his voice full of concern. In his rush to reassure her, he lost his footing. He stumbled forward, unable to stop himself, and fell onto her from behind.
As they both tumbled to the ground, Kaoru tried to brace himself, making a desperate effort to avoid crushing her under his weight. Despite his attempts, they landed in a clumsy heap, with Kaoru barely managing to shift his weight to lessen the impact.
Great. Now he was the creepy guy who tackled girls in the middle of the night.
Before he could get off of her, she twisted around and pushed him away with surprising strength. "What the hell?!" she shouted, her voice sharp and frightened. "What do you think you're doing, you freak!?"
Kaoru scrambled over to the girl, quickly covering her mouth with his hand. "Shh! You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood!" he hissed, his panic rising. He shook his head in disbelief. Did fate really enjoy playing jokes on him? How had he ended up in this absurd situation, and how on earth was he going to fix it? His heart raced as he tried to make sense of the chaos.
"That's the point, asshole!" she snapped, her words muffled against his palm. She glared at him with an intensity that could melt ice, her anger unmistakable. Then, without warning, she bit him. Hard.
""Ow!" Kaoru yanked his hand away, stumbling backward. "What was that for?! I was just trying to help!"
"Help?!" She scrambled to her feet, quickly putting a safe distance between them. "You sneak up on me, tackle me, and call that help? What kind of messed-up fairy tale do you think this is, 'Little Red Riding Hood and the Perverted Wolf'?"
Kaoru snorted in disbelief. "Wow, I didn't realize I'd signed up for the midnight horror edition. Next time, I'll bring popcorn." He straightened up, trying to salvage some dignity despite the throbbing pain in his hand.
She shot him a murderous look and turned to leave when Kaoru stopped her. "Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I admit, that didn't go exactly as planned. But seriously, I'm not a pervert or a psycho. I saw you crying and just wanted to offer you a handkerchief. Honest."
Miss Jigglypuff—Kaoru decided that that should be her name from now on—crossed her arms, glaring at him suspiciously. "Oh, so that's what the kids are calling it these days—offering a handkerchief."
Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle at her response, though the laughter quickly turned into a wince as he rubbed his sore hand. "I swear, it was just a handkerchief. Here, look." He held it out again, keeping a careful distance. "I was just trying to be chivalrous."
"Chivalrous?" she shot back, incredulous. "Yeah, right. You just tried to silence me with your hand! You don't sneak up on someone in the middle of the night. Keep your creepy chivalry to yourself," she muttered, eyeing him like he was a lunatic. As she scurried off, her Jigglypuff tail bouncing with each step, she threw him a last suspicious glance over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't following.
Kaoru stood there for a moment, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. His hand still stung from where she'd bitten him, and he rubbed it absentmindedly, feeling both baffled and amused. He couldn't believe how bizarre the night had turned out—getting bitten by a girl in a Jigglypuff onesie after just trying to offer her a handkerchief. He couldn't help but laugh despite the lingering pain in his hand.
Just as he was about to head home, his foot kicked something small and metallic on the ground. Curious, he bent down and found a gold necklace lying in the grass. It had a heart-shaped pendant with some elegant engravings. She must've dropped it.
He picked it up and inspected it more closely. The first kanji was 愛, meaning "love," and the second, 玲, which read as "Rei," could translate to "exquisite" or "clever."
Kaoru turned the pendant around, trying to figure out what it meant.
"Ai-Rei…" he murmured, squinting at the kanji. "I wonder if this means something special to her."
With a thoughtful expression, Kaoru carefully tucked the necklace into his pocket. Despite the odd and embarrassing way they'd met, he felt a sense of responsibility to return it. Looks like he had some detective work ahead of him. He'd need to figure out how to find her and give it back.
As Kaoru started heading home, a smirk tugged at his lips. Everything around him seemed to be changing, but one thing remained constant—his uncanny ability to stumble into the strangest situations and meet the most unexpected people.
A/N: Hi everyone,
A few years ago, I posted this story idea but ended up taking it down because the writing was awful. However, I've fallen in love with the manga all over again, so I'm challenging myself and my English skills to give it another try! Please bear with me if you notice any grammatical or stylistic errors—my English has gotten quite rusty and I need a lot of time to write something remotely coherent, I also don't have anyone to proofread my stuff.
This story is set after the manga's ending, with Kaoru in his final year of high school. I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear your thoughts. I do apologize in advance for irregular posting schedules. Life and work keep me quite busy, and I want to make sure the chapters I share aren't a complete mess. I haven't fully mapped out the plot as well, so I'll be going with the flow as I write. But I did put a lot of thought in it (even spend days considering what title would be fitting) so just bear with me please, lol. Your feedback, criticism, and suggestions are always welcome!