Now that Reiko no longer had to prepare for her debut party, she was able to completely return to her role as the Host Club's secretary. To honor her return, the club decided to host a traditional Japanese-themed day.
Though the room's transformation wasn't as dramatic as their Balinese-themed day, decorative folding screens divided the room giving each of the hosts their own sections. Some of the couches and pillows had been replaced to fit the era, and the tea and snacks being served that day were also cultural staples. Although they added to the club's ambiance, the real allure of the themed days still lay in the costumes the hosts wore. Following the theme, all Host Club members were dressed in kimonos that day, a process that took a significant amount of time and preparation considering most of the hosts were unaccustomed to putting on kimonos.
In the end, Reiko and Haruhi were the only ones with any experience actually putting on a Kimono so they'd had to help the others get dressed. Unfortunately, that meant they were the last ones ready and were unfairly subjected to impatient whines from the hosts who wanted to open the club doors already.
"Are you almost ready Haruhi?" Reiko asked as she slid her hair ornament into her hair; it was the final piece in her ensemble.
"Yeah," Haruhi answered as she tugged on her final outer layer.
Nodding in satisfaction, she turned around to see the younger brunette who was adjusting parts of her outfit in the mirror. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't fuss with it too much or one of the pieces will come undone. Let's get going before the others charge in here."
Haruhi nodded and turned around to face her. "Yeah let's- wow," she said staring at Reiko with wide eyes.
The silver-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" she asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing, it's just you look pretty amazing Rei-senpai," she said honestly.
Reiko smiled down at the girl. "Thanks Haruhi. Hopefully it stays that way, but you never know with this bunch."
Pushing aside the curtain from the changing room, the two girls stepped into the main club room and split off to attend to their respective duties.
Reiko immediately made her way to Kyoya who was setting up a calligraphy station. His black folder was lying on the floor beside him.
"You're hosting today, aren't you?" she asked as she carefully kneeled beside him and picked up the folder.
"Yes, that's correct. There's a copy of the schedule in my folder if you-" he stopped when his eyes shifted to the silver-haired teen. Of course, she always looked beautiful, but there was something about the way she looked in the midnight blue kimono with gold, red, pink, and orange flowers that made Kyoya stop for a moment.
Reiko looked up expectantly. "What?"
After a moment of no response, the silver-haired teen quickly pieced together the situation and smirked as she gestured toward her outfit. "I must look quite impressive today. Haruhi had a similar reaction when she saw me."
Kyoya nodded slightly his eyes staring her up and down as he took her appearance in. "I'm not surprised, you do look lovely, Reiko."
"I suggest saving such lines for your guests but thank you. You look handsome as well. It suits you," she said nodding towards his clothes and flashing him a smile before moving to check on the other hosts.
After another fifteen minutes, the club doors were officially opened, and the girls poured in. Reiko was constantly moving across the floor as she tried to get everyone situated. It was more chaotic than usual as several guests had tried to spontaneously add their friends to their reservations, but eventually, everyone was seated and chatting away with their preferred hosts.
"Thank you for your patience," Reiko said as she approached the last two girls in the queue. "Miss Otsune, Miss Akiko, I see you have an appointment with Kyoya this afternoon. Please, right this way," she said leading them to the raven-haired male's section where he was sitting at the calligraphy station and chatting with Haruhi.
"Haruhi, you've booked another appointment. It seems you've had a pretty steady flow of new customers lately. Keep up the good work. I'm not going to charge you interest on your debt like I normally would, so keep this up and you should be able to pay it off. Although the rental fee on that kimono you're wearing is nothing to sneeze at," he told the brunette who sighed in resignation.
Reiko shook her head. "Please don't worry about it Haruhi, I'll cover the fee, and Kyoya these are your guests."
"Hello Kyoya!" One of the girls greeted.
"Hello ladies, I do hope you'll enjoy our time here together," he said smoothly.
Quietly excusing herself, the silver-haired teen crossed to the far side of the room to fetch the girls some tea since Kyoya didn't have a tea set at his station- an oversight on her part admittedly.
When she returned, she couldn't help but momentarily tune into their conversation.
"I can't get over how great you look in that kimono," the other guest commented. "Are you planning to release any more picture books of the host club?"
"Unfortunately, we don't have anything planned at present-"
"I think it would be alright to share it with them, Kyoya," Reiko said interrupting him with an apologetic smile. She kneeled to join the ladies at the station and leaned in as she dropped her voice to a whisper. "We do have a sticker book version of last month's photobooks coming out. It even includes some exclusive content you don't have in the original photobooks. It's not set to release quite yet, but I'm sure we could make an exception and give you guys one of the original copies. It would be more expensive since we have such a limited number though... what do you think Kyoya?" she asked.
The male adjusted his glasses. "I suppose if you ladies agree to keep it confidential, we could sell two copies," he acquiesced.
The girls squealed and nodded eagerly. "Of course, we will!"
Reiko smiled. "Wonderful! I'll set them aside for you two, so come find me after your appointment," she said as she finished pouring Kyoya his cup of tea.
Haruhi, who had been witnessing the exchange with the clients, watched as the second years executed a perfectly coordinated sales pitch to the guests. "If it wasn't for Kyoya and Reiko, the Host Club would spiral into the depths of bankruptcy," she concluded.
The rest of the afternoon was for the most part uneventful save for Honey accidentally losing one of his sandals and having everyone in the room search for it. With Reiko once again managing affairs things were able to run smoothly and relaxed the club's normally chaotic ambiance. She would take care of everything else while the boys and Haruhi concentrated on entertaining their guests.
"Thanks so much for the sticker books, Reiko!" one of the girls- Kyoya's guest from earlier- told her as she headed for the door.
"Yeah! Thanks a lot!" her friend said.
Reiko waved slightly. "Of course, I hope you enjoy them, ladies! Please let us know what you think about them next time you stop by!"
As they opened the door, the silver-haired teen spotted a young girl hiding behind the doorway and shyly peeking into the room. Quickly, she made her way to Tamaki and Kyoya who fortunately were not hosting at the moment.
"Tamaki, it seems we have a new guest," she said discretely gesturing to the door.
"Looks like the club has a brand-new guest! Ah! The twins announced sliding towards the honey-blonde-haired young lady.
"Come on in, what're you waiting for?" Hikaru asked, holding out a rose.
"Watching from afar is no fun," Kaoru added, holding out another rose.
"Please miss..."
"Stop that!" Tamaki interrupted. "How many times do I have to tell you boys to be more courteous to our first-time guests?" he turned to the girl; eyes teary with sincerity. "Please, you don't have to be afraid, my princess. I welcome you to the Ouran Host club."
The young lady remained quiet.
"Yes?" Tamaki asked, prompting her to say something.
Suddenly, the girl harshly shoved his face away. "NO! Don't touch me! You're a phony!" she cried out.
Everyone gasped. No one had ever reacted so violently to any of the hosts, much less Tamaki.
"What do you mean I'm phony?" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Just what I said! You're phony! I find it hard to believe that someone like you is the prince character of this Host Club! You shouldn't go spreading your love around so easily like that, you stupid!" she shouted.
Reiko stood next to Kyoya; their shoulders brushed against each other as she shifted to observe the scene unfolding in front of them.
"You must be a dimwitted narcissist! You're incompetent! You're a commoner! You're disgusting!"
After so many insults, Tamaki's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed on the floor.
Glancing up at the dark-haired male to see if it was time to intervene, Reiko quickly noticed the look of recognition on his face. "You know her?" she asked.
Kyoya adjusted his glasses slightly. "I don't suppose you are..."
The honey-blonde-haired girl turned towards him, and tears welled in her eyes. "It's you! Kyoya!" she exclaimed. She ran towards him. She threw herself into his arms, shoving Reiko out of the way with enough force to send her stumbling. She took several steps backward, tripping over Tamaki's body.
Kaoru, who was closest to her quickly stepped in and managed to catch her moments before she could fall and get hurt. His arms wrapped supportively around her waist as he straightened her and helped her regain her balance. "Are you alright Rei-senpai?" he asked.
"What the hell?" She asked as she stared at the blonde with wide eyes.