"She's WHAT??" I exclaim in Haruhi's face as we both sit on our beds.
"She became our manager," Haruhi explains calmly.
"My God, you're kidding me," I groan. "WHY?!"
"It's not that bad, Char-chan," Haruhi gives a grin. "Look at the bright side; at least we won't be the only girls in the Host Club anymore."
"Hey, about that," I lean forward. "Do those creeps still think I'm a boy?"
"No," Haruhi replies simply. "Kyoya does want you to help pay off the debt, though. That's why you're working there."
"Why do I still have the male uniform, though?" I ask. "If there is a girl uniform, shouldn't I be wearing that?"
"You've done this before, haven't you?" Haruhi asks.
"Done what?" I shrug.
"Pretended to be a guy."
"No... yes... maybe?" My mind flutters to Weston.
Haruhi shakes her head. "They want you wearing the boy uniform so you don't look as out of place."
"Oh... okay," I sigh, and sit back. After fifteen minutes, Haruhi is sleeping soundly.
How could the Circus have come back? Was it even real? And who was the one who committed the Nekko Murders? Was he part of the Circus?
=-=📚=-=
"I thought about it all last night," Tamaki tells us as we all sit around a coffee table. "And having a lady manager might not be all that bad."
"Why do you say that?" The twins inquire in unison.
"Don't you see? She has transferred to the same class as Haruhi," AVG 2.0 starts explaining. "If the two become friends as girls, Haruhi might become more girlish. The unique girlish air of tenderness about her could stimulate Haruhi's own sense of femininity."
I groan, and shake my head before resting it in my hands.
"Good grief," Haruhi mutters next to me.
"This is a grand-scale project in order to stir Haruhi up to be more girly!" Tamaki exclaims. "Only having these two disreputable twins as close classmates is not good for Haruhi."
"That's us, all right," The twins say together.
"I'm right here, too ya' know..." I grumble.
"You don't help her either, Charlotte. You are just as boyish as Haruhi," Tamaki scolds.
I sigh. "You forget. I was brought up as a proper English noble. I know how to properly set a table, and fence well enough to match my cousin Lizzie."
Tamaki huffs. I look up to see Miss Lady Manager cracking open the club door.
"People. Renge, your Host Club drawing card, has baked some cookies," the Frenchie chimes happily.
"How ladylike!" 2.0 is suddenly next to Renge, startling her. "I'm so moved!"
"I didn't bake them for you, you phony prince," Renge scowls.
Tamaki's legs fail him and he falls to the ground, before teleporting to a wall.
"They're a little burnt," Renge walks up to Kyoya, grinning. "But I know what you're going to say, Kyoya-sama." Renge starts blushing and looking all lovey-dovey. "Oh, Kyoya-sama."
Mitsukuni pops up and takes a cookie, and nibbles at it. "You're right, these are burnt."
"Mitsukuni, stop. They're bad for you," Takashi looms over the teen.
Renge suddenly stops, and her hair looks like snakes all of a sudden. The girl starts charging at the two.
Haruhi watches the three for a few second, before looking down at the cookies in her hand. I take one, as does Haruhi.
"Hey, their not all that bad. I've had worse," I shrug, and gobble it down. I can hardly taste the chocolate and sugar as I chew it. Stupid demon taste buds.
"Their savory, and, like Char-chan said, not all that bad," Haruhi says.
As Haruhi goes to take another bite, Hikaru lightly grabs my sister's chin and brings it upwards toward him.
"Let me see," the twin asks, and takes a bite of the other end of the cookie. Both Tamaki and I stare at the two, surprised.
Kaoru comes up to the other side of Haruhi's face and inspects it. "Oh, Haruhi, you have some cookie crumbs on your face."
And then the twin kneels down...
And licks them off her face.
"Hikaru!" I scold. "Kaoru! What in the world?!"
Haruhi starts explaining to the twins how she could have taken care of everything herself.
"Your reaction is wrong!" Tamaki shouts in Haruhi's face. "This is the part where you have to rebuff them and causally brush them aside!"
"Oi!" I exclaim. All three male heads turn to me, with Haruhi's a second behind. "Stop sexually harassing my sister!"
"Harassing her?!" Tamaki charges up to me. "If I'm harassing her, then they're twice as guilty! Police!"
"Okay, we're sorry," the twins sigh.
Tamaki rambles on.
"Shut up, Tamaki-senpai!" I groan. He does.
"It's all too tepid!"
We all turn to see Renge shouting at Mitsukuni.
"Except for Kyoya-sama, all of your characters are too lackluster!" Renge points to us. Me? Lackluster? She has got to be kidding. "All of you hosts are lacking a "dark" side! Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men going through trauma! If you keep carrying on in this ridiculous manner, it's only a matter of time before everyone get's bored of it! Are you trying to ruin Kyoya-sama's precious business?
"As manager, starting today I'm changing all of your character backgrounds."
We all stare at Renge, only Kyoya and I not showing any discernible emotion.
"Starting with you!"
Renge points to Mitsukuni, whose hanging off of Takashi, and starts worrying.
"If all you are is cute, inside and out, then you are the same as a baby! As such, you're the cute-face who's actually a thug.
"Morinozuka-senpai, you're the childhood -friend flunky.
"The twins will be basketball players, shut up in their own world.
"Haruhi-kun, you're the honor student faced with intense bullying.
"Charlotte-chan, you're Haruhi-kun's younger sister who acts tough, but is really a timid little girl inside, running from you're past.
"And Tamaki-san, you are the school idol, esteemed for your looks, but, actually, you have an inferiority complex. The lonesome prince."
I sigh and turn to Haruhi. "This girl just described my entire life."
Haruhi shrugs. "Just go along with it. I'm sure nothing big will happen."
=-=📚=-=
Haruhi and I stand off to side, going over the script that had been thrust into our arms this morning. I groan again, watching Tamaki do his lonely prince stuff for the hundredth time today. Haruhi nudges me, and we got ready to run on set. I gave Mitsukuni a reassuring smile, before my face turned stoic.
We run past 2.0 and into a forest area. It's raining.
"Go on, Haruhi! I'll hold them off!" I (fake) push Haruhi forward, and we end up stopping at a tree to (fake) catch our breath.
"You can't run any longer."
Mitsukuni and Takashi walk up behind us. The cute Loli-shota has an evil expression, Takashi with his usual stoic-ness.
Haruhi slumps into the tree as I stand tall in front of her, arms out and a determined expression growing.
"You won't touch him," I growl.
"Be quite, you faker. Your brother is going to learn what happens when you go against me," Mitsukuni sounds so tough. I like him the other way.
"Don't, Mitsukuni," Takashi glances down at his cousin. "Every time you hurt others, you're the one who ends up getting hurt."
"Don't try to give me advice, Takashi. You want me to put you over my knee again?"
"Listen to Takashi. Please," I (fake) beg.
"I told you to shut up. I hate when people try to rise above their own station in life," Mitsukuni snarls. Then he's silent for a second. And then he comes running into me, hugging me.
"Char-chan!" he cries. "I'm sorry! I really can't do this"
"Cut!" Renge shouts from the left, Medusa hair back. The lights turn to normal, and the (fake) rain stops. "Cut! Cut! Cut! You there, stick to the script!"
"But, I-" Mitsukuni starts.
"Cameraman, hold for now!" Renge diverts her attention to the American's behind her.
"It's okay, Honey-senpai. I understand," I grin warmly, pulling the boy close.
We all get up and walk off set. I am given a towel and start to dry my hair, when Miss Lady Manager runs up to me.
"Charlotte-chan! Take off the hideous eye patch! It ruins your look!" The Frenchie barks.
"What, this?" I trace the square patch over my eye. "No."
"What?"
"I told you, no," and I walk away. Groaning, I sit against the wall.
"Charlotte? What are you doing?" A familiar British accented voice drifts over to me.
Yay.