"I see. You guys are the host club I've heard about! My, what a group of handsome men! I can't decide on who I should pick. Right, Haruhi?" Ranka cheered as the Host Club and Kazumi sat by the center table where they just had tea and dessert. "And you must be Kazumi-chan, such a beautiful woman you are! Oh, look at this glowing skin and shiny hair! You must tell me your secret, dear!"
"But your hair is gorgeous, Fujioka-san. The color enhances your eyes."
"Oh my, you flatter me! You can call me Ranka-san. Ranka is my Genji name at the okama bar I work at."
"Genji name? Is that like an alias?" Honey asked.
"That's right, Mitsukuni-kun."
"Huh? How come you know my name?" He asked in surprise.
"The seniors. Haninozuka-kun, Morinozuka Takashi-kun, and Tokimatsu-san." Kazumi bowed slightly in greeting. "Then, the freshmen that are in the same class as Haruhi. Hitachiin Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun, right? I wonder which one's which. I've been hearing a lot about you guys."
"Haruhi's been talking about us?" Kaoru asked.
"No, I've been talking with Kyoya-kun on the phone a lot," he smiled brightly.
"Ranka-san, you're such a beautiful person," Kyoya complimented.
"What?!" The twins, Honey, and Haruhi gasped.
"We're taking care of his precious daughter. Of course, a greeting and periodic reports are obvious things we should do. It should have been your job originally, Tamaki," the bespectacled boy jabbed.
"What a fine president you are!" Ranka praised Kyoya. "Oh, sorry, Kyoya-kun, you are the vice-president. The president must be someone pretty worthless."
Kazumi coughed to cover up a laugh.
"Just a minute, dad!" Haruhi intervened. "I never knew that you were connected with Kyoya-senpai!"
"But, Haruhi, you never talk to me about school," he pouted.
"That doesn't mean you can secretly--"
"Haruhi, your angry face looks cute!" Ranka clung to his daughter, just like Tamaki often did.
"I'm going to the supermarket alone. I'll be right back, so, everyone, wait here quietly."
Hikaru tried to stop her, but the girl had already left.
"She won't change her mind once she says it," Ranka said. "She decided to go to Ouran and did all the admission paperwork herself. I want to respect her independence, but I do want her to fawn on me from time to time."
The elder Fujioka narrated about Haruhi's independence, even as a little girl at age seven, telling Ranka that she didn't inform him about Parent Visitation Day because she didn't want him there. He assumed it was because she was embarrassed by him, but it turned out that she wanted him to use his time off to rest, making their loving relationship obvious.
"I really want to thank you all. It seems like she's having quite a lot of fun at school, right Suoh Tamaki. I could tell immediately. You are the idiot president that came up in Haruhi's talk. I heard you took her for a guy until the end. You really don't understand things, do you? You're the worst."
"I think you're doing a great job, Ranka-san," Kazumi butted in. The hosts and Ranka turned to face the quiet girl. "I can see you're a good father... Because Haru-chan is a great person," the black-haired girl smiled kindly. "It shows that you raised her well."
Ranka's eyes watered at her words. He embraced her tightly, catching her by surprise.
"You truly know how to touch people's hearts, Kazumi-chan! Whoever raised you also did an amazing job. You're such a nice girl!"
Kazumi chuckled. "If I had a father like you, I'd be very fortunate. But my mom is pretty amazing. She'll be glad to know you think so too."
"Well, then, everyone," Ranka composed himself. "Shall we do something fun now?"
🌸
Kazumi noticed from the beginning that Ranka and Tamaki shared similar personality traits, so it was only logical that their idea of fun would be quite the same - twisted.
Ranka dragged them through the streets to stalk Haruhi, and his attempt of discretion attracted even more attention. Or was it because of the hosts' good looks?
"I just wanted to drag along a lot of handsome men around with me," Ranka declared. "But I'm happy to have Kazumi-chan here too!" He grabbed the teen's arm on his.
At the supermarket, Kazumi left Ranka, Tamaki, and the Twins to follow Haruhi around. She put Honey inside a cart, grabbed Takashi, and pulled them towards the aisles of products.
"Where are we going, Kazu-chan?"
"I'm looking for a pan."
"Don't you have pans at home?"
"I don't have a Taiyaki Pan," she explained while roaming the shelves.
"Do you want to make Taiyaki, Kazu-chan?" Honey blinked in confusion.
"I want to do something for Takashi for spoiling me so much, but I never tried baking before. So you have to teach me, Takashi. You know, I didn't expect you to know how to bake. I was surprised when Mitsu-chan told me that you baked that apple pie the first time."
"Takashi taught himself how to bake because he knew you liked pies, Kazu-chan!" Honey informed happily.
Kazumi froze. She eyed the taller boy for confirmation and found him trying to hide his blush behind his hand.
"He learned to bake... For me?" Her chest filled with warmth for his thoughtfulness.
Honey nodded.
"I suddenly feel inadequate to be Takashi's girlfriend..." she murmured.
"You're not." Takashi grabbed her hand in reassurance. "You're perfect to me, and I want you to meet my family."
Her eyes widened at his boldness.
"Uncle Akira wants to meet you," Honey supplied. "He said he wanted to know the girl who stole his son's heart. Why don't you have dinner with us tonight?"
"Tonight? But we just had our first date..."
"It's okay. We don't have to rush into this," Takashi comforted.
"We've been waiting for two years for you to come!" Honey said.
"Two years...?!"
"It took a long time for Takashi to confess."
🌸
After the supermarket stroll, Kazumi insisted on paying for part of Haruhi's groceries, aware that the "commoner girl" wouldn't accept someone else paying for everything. Even so, the brunette declined as it wasn't in her nature to accept help from others in any shape or form. So, in gratitude, the raven-haired gifted the Fujiokas with some fancy tuna, a favorite of Haruhi.
The lunch was great, but the hosts had the common sense to leave soon later, for they had imposed their presence enough. Plus, Emi was still expecting a report of her daughter's date. God knew how much that woman loved gossiping about her daughter's life and how many times Kazumi caught her mother whispering secretively with some maids.
"Ranka-san sounds like an amazing person!" Emi gushed. "Maybe we can exchange some beauty secrets since you don't enjoy it." She pouted.
Kazumi rolled her eyes.
"Do as you please. Your social life is as exciting as mine used to be before the Host Club. I'm sure you two will get along."
"I'm not planning on remarrying, if that's what you're implying," Emi's brows narrowed.
"I'm not. And I don't believe he's either. But it won't hurt if you become friends."
As evening approached, though, Kazumi got progressively nervous. She could deal with her father and brother all right, but meeting her boyfriend's family right after their first date?! How was she supposed to manage that?
"It's okay, Zuzu, you look stunning!" Emi clapped in excitement for her daughter not complaining about getting all dolled up. She knew it was because she wanted to make a good impression on Takashi's family and look good for him. "Everything will be fine. They'll love you!"
"Don't you think it's too soon for this stuff?"
"I think it's natural for wanting your significant one to meet your family," Emi smiled kindly.
"But I feel like we barely know each other..."
"That's why you go out on dates," her mother replied. "Besides, what better way to get to know someone than seeing how they interact with their family? Small things such as favorite food, color, or hobbies are easy to find out. The most important things are their principles, values, and beliefs, and you already know that Takashi is a loyal friend, a caring cousin, and a respectful young man. I think it's okay for you to already be in love with someone like him."
"What if...?" Kazumi trailed off, unable to finish her question.
"Do you really think Takashi would do anything to hurt you?"
"Not intentionally..."
"The best way to find out what he thinks about that is telling him." Kazumi widened at her. "There's no relationship without trust, Zuzu." Emi stated gravely.
Kazumi sighed. "I suppose you have a point."
"Of course I do. I'm your mother. I'm always right," she chuckled. "Now, you better hurry up if you don't want to be late. We'll talk later about how dinner went. Meanwhile, I'll act on your suggestion and call Ranka-san."
Kazumi eyed her mother suspiciously but decided to let it slide for the moment.