"What?" Tamaki said, mouth agape when he found that Mickey had left. "That
Mickey boy left?" "Aw, we wanted to get to know him better." The twins said with grins.
I grinned. "Come on. Aren't there other places we haven't been to yet?"
For the rest of the day, we wandered the mall, checking out some other stores that seemed vaguely interesting, like a hat store and a cell phone store. We ate lunch at the cafeteria in the mall. This time Honey treated us, with the exception of Kyoya, who never liked owing anyone anything. We hopped on the limo later in the afternoon, dropping the twins and Haruhi off first. Then it was Kyoya, and then on our way to Honey and my house.
"Oh, hey, Honey, do you think I could keep some stuff..." I trailed off, staring at the Zoro figurine box in my hands. No, how could I ask Honey for such a favor?
"Sure!" Honey said.
I looked up and blinked at his smiling face. "What?"
"Do you want to put some of your things at my house?" He asked. "Like that figurine and some of those clothes."
"Y-Yeah, but-"
"But what?" He smiled innocently. "It's fine, Ri-chan. Our house is big anyway." I glanced at the remaining two other Host Club members. Mori just nodded.
Tamaki though was staring with wide eyes and then asked, "Why would you need to put your clothes at Honey's place? You didn't buy anything...scandalous, did you?"
I sighed but smiled. "Not scandalous, Tamaki, geez. It's just jeans and t-shirts and stuff my parents don't approve us."
"Why are your parents like that, Rika?" Honey asked, again using an innocent look. I stared at his sweet eyes. "I'll tell you. Eventually."
"What? My daughter is hiding secrets from us?" Tamaki said. "Don't worry, Rika-chan, if you have any problems, you can always tell us."
I smiled. thanks, Tamaki. You're really sweet."
And off he was with stars glittering around him.
"I'll take them in if you'd like," Honey said. "I can put them in the closet."
"You'll do that? You wouldn't mind me randomly visiting you just to get some clothes?" I said with a small laugh.
"'Course not!" Honey grinned.
"Then do you want this Zoro?" I held out the figurine. "He's pretty cute huh?" He took the box, studying the green-haired swordsman.
Honey grinned, chuckling. "Sure. I'll put him on my desk."
"Okay. thanks a bunch Honey!" I hugged him quickly then went back to my seat.
And then, when I returned home, Azumi was standing at the door, hands on her hips. She smiled at an attempt to seem kind and friendly.
"Hello, Azumi." I said, mirroring her friendly attitude.
"Hello, Rika-sama. How was your day?" Azumi followed me into the kitchen, where I set my shopping bags on the floor and reached for the fridge.
"It was fun." I pulled out the milk and fetched myself a cup. As I poured myself milk, I watched as Azumi pulled out my books . "Commoners' mall have a lot of things. Did you know that Azumi? There were so many clothing stores. It was a very interesting experience."
"And everything went well?" She asked, scanning each of my BOOKS.
"Oh yes." I put the milk back in.
"Even though you went with all boys, except for that one girl?" Azumi now had the clothes bag in her hands. She pulled out the red dress.
"That's the one I was talking about, Azumi." I said cheerily, sipping my cold milk.
"What do you think?"
"I'm sure you look beautiful in it, Rika-sama." Azumi replied with a really fake smile. I had also purchased a few skirts, and they were all not pink. Then there was some underwear that Azumi quickly dismissed.
"Is Mother and Father going to return HOME anytime soon?" I finished my milk and went to put it in the sink.
your parents are busy as always, Rika-sama. But I believe YOUR MOTHER will be home next weekend but only for a few days."
"Alright then. Are you done, Azumi?"
She looked up from rummaging through my bags and finally nodded with a very quiet sigh. She must have had a rough day to be so easily readable.
"I'll be in my room then. Thank you, Azumi." Then I grabbed my things and went upstairs. Reading time!
There were two transfer students, and they were both in my first class.
One was the girl I'd met on Friday, Minami Chiyo. She was in the 3rd year math class because she was apparently very smart. The guys were immediately smitten when they saw her bright smile.
"Hello, senpais!" She said cheerily. "Please take care of me!"
The other girl was a third year. "H-Hello. I'm Kurosawa Tomiko. Please take care of me." She bowed. She had dark-brown hair, tied into two pigtails. She had glasses, side bangs, and a shy smile. Really, she gave off that classic bookish girl. You know that nerd who's best FRIENDS WITH the main shojo character. That girl.
She seemed nice at the very least. Chiyo and Tomiko were put together, sitting to my right. Chiyo quickly took the seat closer to me and flashed me a brilliant grin.
"Senpai! I can't believe I'm in the same class as you!" She said excitedly. I swear she was making an XD face. Like, how do humans do that?
"Yeah," I replied with a smile.
Honey glanced over. "You know her, Ri-chan?"
I nodded. "I met her on the day I was kidnapped. The second time." Chiyo and
Tomiko both heard, perking up at the news.
"Kidnapped?" Chiyo's mouth hung open. "Wh-What?"
"Don't worry about it, Minami-san." I smiled pleasantly.
"Yes, ma'm!" She replied with a beam.
"Minami, Hayashi, be quiet." The teacher said. We shut up after that. I waved goodbye to Chiyo after class and followed Honey and Mori to our next class.
Tomiko was in that class. I smiled at her warmly. Transferring during this time probably wasn't too fun.
She smiled back. "H-Hi," she said shyly.
"Hello. I'm Hayashi Rika." I said, bowing in greeting.
"Haninozuka Mitsukuni! But you can just call me Honey." said with a flower-producing grin. Tomiko blushed at the sight. "And this is Morinozuka Takashi. You can just call him Mori." Honey gestured at the ever-present, looming giant. Next to Mori, I probably looked as small as Honey. Well, we were the same size...
"N-Nice to me-meet you!" Tomiko said, blushing and bowing quickly.
She was in four of my classes: the first two and the last two classes. And it turned out that Chiyo was in three of my classes: first, third, and fourth.
The bell that signaled the end of class had just rung and I was chatting with Yukimura Naoko and Ishii Hanako, who'd both came from the same middle school.
"-and that one part-" Naoko said with excited eyes. We'd been talking about this series the three of us all loved.
"-yeah, that was so cool!" Hanako squealed with a grin. I nodded along with enthusiasm. It wasn't a very popular series, so this was the first time I'd met people who'd read the books too.
"Senpai!"
I turned and was immediately tackled into a hug. I stumbled but managed to keep my footing. Looking down, I saw a head of blond hair. Uh...
"Minami-san?" I said hesitantly.
She raised her head, eyes wide. Aw, she's so cute! Just like a puppy! "Senpai! You're so cute! And huggable!" She squeezed me in a death hug, nearly shoving my face into her big boobs. GAH! What is this! A manga moment?! That was a close one.
"Th-Thanks, Minami-san." I croaked out.
"Oh, just call me Chiyo, Senpai!" Chiyo said, pulling away from me with an innocent look. "Go ahead! Chiyo!"
"Chiyo." I repeated after her.
"Kya! So cute!" She squealed, hugging me again. "Oh, right. I came to ask about the Host Club. Do you know where their room is?"
"Host Club?" Two voices echoed from behind us.
Naoko and Hanako were now staring at us quite intensely.
"Oh! More senpais! Hello!" Chiyo said, grinning.
"There's Rika-senpai!" Another pair of voices. Oh dear, I've gotten quite familiar with those voices...
Arms latched around my shoulders, knocking off my balance.
"Rika-senpai! Rika-senpai! Time for the Club! You can't run away this time!" said the demon twins.
"Did Kyoya send you two from the depths of Hell or something?" I asked them.
They just grinned cheekily. "Yup!"
"Don't reply like that!" I yelled with a scowl.
The three were staring. I gulped. I did not just cuss, yell, and furrow my eyebrows in front of these girls... Yup. I did.
"So cute!" Chiyo said, hugging me. Great, now there are three people clinging onto me.
"Rika-san," Yukimura said with a smile. "You're part of the Host Club?"
"Yes," I replied, as the twins rubbed their cheeks against mine.
"Get off my senpai!" Chiyo frowned, shoving the twins away. "She's mine! Cutesy Rika-senpai is mine!"
"Huh?" That was the twins and me.
She smiled and then contented herself to hugging me. It was a really one-sided hug, since it was more of a side hug.
"Whatever, let's go Rika-senpai. Kyoya-senpai will come personally if we don't get over soon." The twins grabbed my arms again.
"Wait! Wait!" This time it was Hanako, who'd finally seemed to come out of her shock. "Rika-san, what will you do there?"
"I'm hosting. Apparently," I replied.
"Th-Then, could I come?" Hanako asked.
"Of course!" I said with a smile. "I'd love it actually!"
"I want to go too!" Chiyo declared.
"Then I'll come too," Yukimura said with a smile that quickly turned rather sly.
"Let me go and fetch a friend of mine first though...."
Why do I not like the sound of that?
But before I could say anything else, I was being dragged away by a certain pair of twins. "It's Music Room Number 3! Come to save me from boredom!"
In the music room, I was shoved into the dressing room and tossed a package of something. When I looked at it, it turned out to be clothes. Or, more accurately, a dress.
"What is this?" I asked, inside the curtains. It seemed the twins were still outside. "Your outfit for the day!" They said.
"What outfit? I don't remember agreeing to cosplaying!" Pulling out the dress revealed that it looked suspiciously like a maid outfit.
"Rika, on the contract, you clearly signed that you would participate in all club activities." The demon lord had entered. "Dressing up is one of them."
"I've been tricked!" I yelled, horrified.
"Just hurry up!" cried two very impatient voices. "We want to do your hair and makeup too!"
"Hair and makeup? Good God, no."
Kyoya cleared his throat. I sighed. "Okay, fine. Fine. I won't break the contract a second time. Happy, Kyoya?"
"Thank you, Rika."
Hm. Sometimes Kyoya can sound really nice. I changed. It was a very short, black dress with an ironed on white apron, from the looks of it. It poofed out ridiculously at the ends, and the black sleeves were puffed out too. There was even a black bow at the back.
"Okay, I'm done." I pulled the curtain away. The twins were standing by a chair with a box of makeup and a comb in each hand. I sat down with a heavy sigh.
"Carry on."
"Yay!"
One hand immediately reached for my bow. Oh no you don't!
I grabbed the hand and the next one that came.
"What are you doing, Rika-senpai?" said Hikaru.
"I thought you said you'd let us do whatever we want." said Kaoru.
"I did not say that!" I said hotly. "And besides, no one gets to touch my bow." I took my red bow off quickly, slipping it on my wrist.
"But you let that Mickey boy touch it," Hikaru said mischievously.
"Yeah because it's Mickey." I replied, as they proceeded to comb my hair.
"What makes him so special?" Kaoru asked.
"I trust him with my life." I said quietly, staring at the white tiled floor. "And he's friends with my best friend who gave me this bow."
"Hm..." The twins said, now pulling at my hair. "Okay, done with the hair!"
"You can put your bow back on." Kaoru said, as they moved to the front for makeup. It was quite awkward because they were very close to me. And they kept staring at my face. Even though I know that's how it's supposed to work, it still felt very awkward.
They'd tied my hair into two ponytails. Great, as if I don't look childish enough. I slipped the red bow onto the right ponytail, securingit there tightly.
"Done!" They said. I hopped off the chair and to the full-length mirror that laid against the wall.
I saw a little girl. It was certainly not a high schooler, and the oldest would probably be a 6th grader. The ponytails, bangs, and my naturally round face made me look like a little kid. And the light makeup, which made my cheeks glow, only helped to bring out my childish features. I pouted. I hated looking like a kid. And- oh great. Pouting makes me look like a spoiled brat ready to throw a tantrum.
"Aw, Rika-senpai is so cute!" The twins cooed.
I stopped pouting just to stop looking at myself like that. The dress was short and showed off my legs. A bit too much really. Gosh, really. Why did I have to look like this?
We exited the back room to where the other host club members were waiting. The twins, Tamaki, and Kyoya were dressed in waiter outfits, while Haruhi, Honey, and Mori wore yukatas.
"Aw, Rika-senpai, you look so cute!" Haruhi said with a warm smile. "Thanks, Haruhi." I smiled back. "You look nice too-"
"Rika-chan!" I stumbled as a particular blond attacked me with his infamous hugs. "You look so cute!" He lifted me off the ground, twirling me around while still in his crushing hug.
"T-Tamaki," I gasped. "C-Can't breath!"
He couldn't hear though, gushing about how "cute" and "pure" I looked. And how "Daddy's so happy."
I was getting really dizzynow.
"He-Help!" I squeaked out. If this were a manga, my eyes would probably be mere spirals.
I felt two hands on my waist gently lift me into the air. I gasped, grabbing my dress and pulling it down. Then I was set on the ground, just as gently. When I looked up, I saw the warm eyes of Mori, smiling just a bit.
"Phew, thanks Mori." I said with a sigh, hugging him real quickly.
"Ri-chan!"
Great. Another tackle hug. If I didn't know any better, I'd start to think that all blondes have a habit of tackle-hugging the people they like. For example, Tamaki, Honey, and now even Chiyo.
Except, Honey had come from the back and now had his arms wrapped around my waist. I couldn't help the blush that crept up. Re-Really now, why did this only happen with Honey?
"H-Honey!" I said. Then I shook my head. No, I was not going to stutter and stammer like an idiot just in front of Honey. Blushing I could handle, but not stuttering.
"Hey!" He said with his usual grin as I turned around to see him.
I smiled back genuinely. His smile seemed to always lift my spirits up. All the sudden, I didn't really mind being here.
"Ri-chan's so cute like this!" Honey said, causing another light blush.
"I look like a little kid though," I made my pouty face. He giggled, poking at my puffed out cheek. "See what I mean?"
"No! It's super cute!" He hugged me again. "Thanks," I smiled.
Then someone cleared his throat, quickly attracting attention. We all turned to see Kyoya, with his black notebook and a pen in hand. "Now the only issue left is your type, Rika."
"My type?" I said, confused.
"Yes," Tamaki said, jumping in eagerly. "You see, Kyoya is the Cool type. Honey is the Lolita-Shota type. Mori the Wild type." I giggled at that. Wild? In what way?
"The twins are the Devil type, while Haruhi is the Natural type. And I am the Princely type." He then flicked his bangs in a very flashy manner.
"Princely, haha," I giggled. That sent Tamaki into his emo corner, causing a sigh from Haruhi and grins from the twins.
"With your appearance," Kyoya said, trying to bring the group back to the topic at hand. "You could be the lolita-shota type, but Honey-senpai already has that covered."
I glanced at Honey, who just sent me a flowery grin instead. Then the ground began to shake.
"Woah!" I said, grabbing the nearest thing to steady myself. Which happened to be Honey's arm. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up to my feet, as a strange platform began to spiral out of the ground. "What is going on?"
"Oh ho ho ho!" The lights were shut off, leaving only one spotlight at the revolving platform. It stopped with another shudder, and there was a brown-haired girl sitting and drinking tea calmly, as if she did not just come out of the ground like that. "I overheard your dilemma. As the Ouran Host Club manager, I should meet this new member!"
She set her tea cup down and hopped off her platform. What? It looked like it was six feet off the ground! Very gingerly, she walked over to me and bowed. "I am Houshakuji Renge."
"Hayashi Rika," I said with a bow. "Third year."
"Hm." Renge began to walk around me, inspecting me with an intense stare. She circled around me slowly. "If you ran into someone what would be the first thing you do?"
"Uh, say I'm sorry...?"
She frowned. "No! You must have confidence! Do that again!"
"Say I'm sorry," I said with a quiet sigh.
"And then?"
"Help the other person up."
"Hm..." Renge nodded slowly. "Perhaps a tsundere?" She turned to Kyoya, as if for confirmation. "Yes! A tsundere would be an excellent addition to the Host Club."
"I'm not a tsundere." I said, while the other members began murmuring in the background: "What's a tsundere?" Kaoru was asking Kyoya.
"Let's see. It says here that it's a term to describe a character that acts cold or harsh on the outside but has a soft and vulnerable interior at times." Kyoya replied, probably having looked it up.
"Hm. Then Rika-senpai's not a tsundere," Hikaru said.
"Yeah, more like the opposite of a tsundere." Kaoru said and the twins started to giggle. Wow, really? But I guess that was true.
"Hey, Ri-chan, what's the opposite of a tsundere?" Honey asked, now holding Usa-chan in his arms.
"A yandere." Renge answered calmly. "What does this girl know about tsunderes? Unless you're an otaku too?"
"I am," I replied curtly, crossing my arms. "And for your information, there are actually two kinds of tsunderes. The first is the most commonly seen one, where the tsun-tsun part is default. But Type B is where the dere-dere side is default, and there's a hidden violent side that is triggerable."
"Rika-senpai, are you admitting that you have a hidden violent side?" The twins asked, snaking their arms around my waist.
"No. I'm just saying that Type A and B of tsunderes are opposites." I said, gently pushing them away. "Anyway, why do I need a type? I'm the only girl, so it's fine right?"
"Perhaps," Kyoya said, pushing his glassesup.
"I know what Rika-chan's type is!" Tamaki jumped over, a finger in the area and an excited smile on his face.
"What?" I asked. Renge just frowned, crinkling her nose ever so daintily. Dang, I didn't know how to do that.
"The perfect princess type," Tamaki said with a dramatic arm flourish. "Rika-chan is smart, beautiful, and a lady."
The twins snorted then burst out laughing. "That's the funniest joke Tono has made in a long time!" They said through their giggles.
"Oh very funny," I said, rolling my eyes. But I smiled too. I was more likely to be the evil queen type than the perfect princess type.
"That is a terrible type!" Renge suddenly said, looming over Tamaki. It seemed like thunder and lightning was behind her. "Perfect princesses don't exist, you fake fool!"
"There, there," I patted Tamaki's head as he started crying and clinging onto my waist. "Anyway, can we just leave this type thing alone for now? And how am I supposed to host exactly?"
"You just talk to people." Haruhi said with a smile, prying Tamaki off of me.
"Just talk?"
"It'll be just like what you were doing in the library the last time," Kyoya said.
"You'll be fine, Rika."
"Ok. Then can I please just not have a type? Not that many people know about tsunderes anyway."
"Just what qualifies you to be a Host?" Renge asked, encircling me again. "Is it your cute, childish looks?"
"Rika-senpai is very smart." Haruhi piped in, gaining the nods of agreement from Honey, Mori, and Kyoya.
"Aw, thanks, you guys." I said grinning back.
"What do you do in your free time?" Renge asked, continuingthe interview.
"Read. Bake."
"Anything else?"
"Listen to music. Well, I used to play video games, practice my martial arts, and read manga. But nope! Not anymore. "
"What about your social life?"
I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "What about it?"
"Who are your friends?"
"These guys," I gestured at the gathered Host Club. Renge frowned, stopping in her path around me.
"You'll have to give me some time to think about this." Renge said, turning away. Her platform began to spinback down. She hopped on it with ease and grace. "For now, you'll have to make do. Good bye!"
"What the hell." I muttered, as the floor closed over the hole, and she disappeared. Several of the Host Club members had left during the interview, leaving only the twins, Kyoya, and me.
"Okay, let's go now." The twins each grabbed one of my hands and led me out of the room and down the stairs.
Wait, what?
"Where are we going?" I asked, as we burst outside.
"Today, we are having club activities outside!" Hikaru told me. We stopped at a wide, grassy spot. Oh my.
There were gorgeous cherry blossom trees above. beautiful. I let out a quiet sigh, admiring the pretty view. The soft, pale pink color of the blossoms glowed from the sunlight. The wind tinkled the branches, letting a flurry of blossoms drift down.
"It's beautiful!" I said, throwing my arms in the air.
"It is." Haruhi agreed. There were dainty chairs around dainty tables, covered with a table cloth and fancy teacups all set up. "The cherry blossoms here are the best."
"Everyone, get in your positions." Kyoya called out calmly.
"Positions? Do I have a position Kyoya?" I asked, running over towards him.
"Stand behind us." He replied, as everyone began to gather in a formation, with Tamaki sitting in the middle. "We'll properly introduce you."
"Okay." I said, going to stand behind Mori. "Welcome!"
I started fidgeting. Gah! What if I messed up? I'd definitely have to check my temper. I tugged at the edge of the dress as Tamaki began introducing each of the members.
"And now, we have a new member joining our club!" Tamaki said.
"Oooh," said the girls gathered. I couldn't see them, but that was just fine.
"The Ouran Host Club has decided to add a hostess, to chat with you fine ladies about all the latest trends."
He did not just say that. There is no way I'm going to be talking about dresses and high heels and makeup with frivolous girls! I can't do that! Didn't Kyoya say it'd be like the library? At the library, we talked about books!
"A brilliant student, this hostess has adorable looks and a sweet smile! Let's welcome, Hayashi Rika!"
The Host Club members stepped to the side, making way to reveal me. I stood under the mixture of intrigued, annoyed, and surprised stares. I smiled hesitantly, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. "Hello everyone! It's nice to meet you all. I look forward to spending my time with you lovely ladies." I curtsied, since it seemed more befitting with my outfit.
In response, I received a chorus of: "WAH~! So cute!"
After that, the Hosts split into their respective places. Honey, Mori, and Haruhi were together, sitting under one tree on a blanket. The twins, Tamaki, and Kyoya took some tables. Girls were everywhere: sitting, standing, talking, and laughing.
Ok. It was time to host.