Fanart by @Twilight44 on Quotev~
"Still, I didn't know late-Edo era cosplay would be so popular." Haruhi hummed, observing her costume's sleeve. With a new day, the host club had a brand new theme, and this time it was of the Edo era. After nights of drafts and colourings, the host club was fully transformed into the Ikeda Shops, fitting of such a historically significant period. Everyone in the host club, including Renge and Miki were wearing kimonos. The ladder, wearing the gift she was given by Tamaki a while back.
"What are you talking about?" The twins appeared behind Haruhi. Hikaru spoke. "That's the basic of the basics."
"There are more girls that like the late-Edo era than you can imagine, especially the Shinsengumi," Kaoru added with an aloof expression.
"And in any case, among those who like it, there are lots of real maniacs," Honey nodded.
"Perhaps the reason for their popularity was their gallantry in giving their young lives for the sake of the country." Renge appeared, slamming open the Japanese screen panel doors dramatically. "In their single-mindedness to live the bushido code, and in the stoic way in which they comported themselves. Or perhaps..." She turned to look at the twins.
Kaoru's eyes widened as he let out a startled gasp. His knees buckled, and he fell forward, his hand clutching at his chest as if he had been shot by an arrow. In a panic, Hikaru grabbed onto his wrist and reeled his brother to his chest, clutching him close.
"Don't you die." Hikaru pled with desperation and urgency.
"I'm done for," Kaoru replied, closing his eyes in defeat as the fangirls squealed in delight.
"...they detect the scent of something forbidden, coming from this gymnasium-type group of young men." Renge completed before snapping around. "Miki-senpai!"
"Yes, Renge-san?" Stepping out behind one of the other corners of the room, the girl in question smiled.
"The Ikeda-ya Inn may indeed be generally well-known," Pulling up a screen and slamming her hands on a desk that appeared out of nowhere, Renge's lectures began as pictures began to play in a slideshow. "But for me, just imagining the back of Hijikata-san, facing the northern lands, following the battle at Toba-Fushimi, sorrowfully wandering, trying to defend the Shinsengumi by himself, I could eat three whole bowls of rice!" She concluded with a dreamy sigh.
"Hijikata... Northern lands... Three bowls of rice..." Nodding as she took notes in her tablet, Miki smiled. "Thank you for your input; I will keep that in mind for next time Renge-san."
"I don't think you need to add the three bowls of rice," Haruhi commented with a sigh.
"Following your advice to not have us cast ourselves in any specific roles, saying it would be better to leave it up to our guests to freely fantasize for themselves, was the right choice." Kyoya wore a smug smirk as he jotted down in his usual notebook.
"Naturally," Renge puffed out her chest in pride. "Still, sure enough, having Haruhi-kun be Okita Soji is perfect."
"He does indeed fit in as the handsome evanescent young swordsman!" Momoka sighed dreamily.
"No, Haruhi-kun, don't die!" Kimiko squealed.
Miki blinked, thinking about Kimiko's words. She was about to go forth and ask Haruhi if she was feeling well, only for Kyoya to stop her.
"Matter of Imagination." He explained, not lifting his eyes from his notebook.
Suddenly there was the sound of something breaking, followed by another round of fans squealing. The hosts turned around, to see Mori had thrust a spear through the red sliding door before him.
"Mori-senpai?!"
"Why the sudden lunge?!"
"Discontent about not getting any attention?"
"Please calm down!" Tamaki shouted defensively. "I know you only get one line every chapter, and we are barely even halfway through this fanfiction, and you never got your own feature, so you must be irritated..."
"Mori-senpai!" Miki's eyes widened as he pulled out the sharp edge of his spear, finally showing the damage he had done to the prop. Running over, she knelt next to the prop as her fingertips traced over them with slight hesitation. "No matter how upset you are, please do not damage the set." She scolded with a pout on her lips.
"Sorry," With a deadpanned face, Mori pulled her hand away and slid the door open. "We have a trespasser." He stated, standing before her to act as a barrier between the designer and the intruder.
Everyone looked down. In the shadows, a male student with red hair was sprawled onto the ground, clearly, a little startled by the spear the suddenly stabbed through the wooden door. He wore a scary scowl and gritted his teeth. "Morinozuka Takeshi!" He shouted, scaring everyone except Honey, Kyoya and Mori himself half to death.
"Surprise Attack?!" They exclaimed in unison.
Just when it seemed like the red-haired boy was about to punch Mori, he instead knelt to the ground and bowed as if they were in a dojo.
"Senpai, please take me on as your apprentice!" He proposed.
"Huh?"
"Kasanoda Ritsu, of 1st year, Class D," Kyoya read from his notebook, sitting on the couch with Haruhi and Miki on either side of him, reading over his shoulder. The twins next to Miki and Tamaki next to Haruhi, staring at Kasanoda. "Heir to the 3rd generation head of the Kasanoda Syndicate, the most powerful line in the whole Kanto area. Admitted to Ouran for high school. He has long red hair and a mean-looking appearance and is taciturn, and without friends. If your eyes meet, you will have bad dreams for three months. If you bump shoulders, you will be sent to the hospital. Those who attempt to talk back to him are sent directly to their graves. Also, he is feared by his classmates as 'the human blizzard."
"So," Tamaki rested his elbows on his knees with a curious expression. "Why does a human weapon like yourself want to become an apprentice of Mori-senpai's?"
"No, Tamaki-kun. It's black magic." Miki corrected him as she leaned forward with a severe expression.
"That's not true." Kasanoda lowered his head. "I'm not a human weapon, neither do I practice black magic. I was just born with a face that makes me look mean."
"Then you're aware of it, Casanova-kun." The twins shrugged with Tamaki nodding.
"It's Kasanoda." The boy corrected.
"Vasanoka?" Miki tapped her chin.
"Kasanoda." Eye twitching, he tried once again. That wasn't even relatively close.
"Bossa Nova?"
Eyes gleaming red, Kasanoda jumped forth and shouted. "I said its Kasanoda! Do you want to die!?"
The twins and Tamaki jumped behind the couch, glaring sheepishly. "He does indeed have a mean look." They spoke.
Realizing that he was scaring the hosts as he did with the rest of his class, Kasanoda leaned back. "Damn it; it's all because of the way I look." He grumbled.
"Really?" Miki blinked, tilting her head to the side. "Once you get used to it, he looks adorable." She commented quietly, her cheeks breaking into a smile.
"I don't think he wants to be called that either..." Haruhi muttered with a sweatdrop.
Not hearing the two exchange words, Kasanoda continued. "From the time I was born, since I was just tyke, my old man would always say 'Cause of this mean look I have...I'm set to be the greatest gangster of our time.' And so, from the time I was little, I was taught how to be a godfather." Running a hand through his fiery red hair, he continued with a pained voice. "Thanks to that gangster's education, nobody ever comes near me. Even my friends got scared and won't get too close anymore. And so, I am all alone. But I really, I, too, would like to play with everyone else, I'd like to play Kick The Can with the people that follow me."
"To be sure, Kick the Can is nice." Tamaki nodded in approval, his elbows resting on the backing of the couch.
"But I don't know how I'm supposed to associate with other people anymore," Kasanoda continued glancing up at Mori, meeting his eyes. "Morinozuka-senpai, that's why I need you to show me. How can you be the way you are? As mean-looking as you are?" Those words seemed to have struck a chord with him as his usual calm and composed face turned to disbelief and shock. Not noticing the change, Kasanoda continued. "Expressionless, unspeaking and unsociable, you've got a mug like a watchdog from hell, so how is it that you're able to get those who are around you to like you so much? Please, teach me your secrets!" Getting out of his seat, Kasanoda bowed his head, once again pressing his forehead on the ground.
Feeling a little defeated by the first-year's unintentionally hurtful words, Mori leaned forward, pinching his nose bridge.
"Takeshi, are you okay?" Honey asked, a little worried.
"I'm a little lightheaded." He replied in a flat tone.
"Sir..." Hikaru began.
"...are you sure we shouldn't do anything?" Kaoru finished.
"No, leave him be," Tamaki closed his eyes. "He said that he wanted to become Mori-senpai's apprentice. Mori-senpai must be the one who decides what to do. This is not something that we can interfere with."
"Tamaki..." Mori's voice was as calm as ever, calling out to the blonde who looked up in response. Once he met eyes with him, Mori gave the king a distressed and desperate look, clearly sending an 'SOS' message.
"Very well. Mori-senpai, if you insist, I, Suoh Tamaki, will do whatever little I can to help you out," Tamaki grinned in secret delight, running a hand through his hair. "Lift your head, Bossa Nova-kun."
"It's Kasanoda."
"For the time being, you can call me King, Bossa Nova-kun," Tamaki continued, paying no attention to his protests.
"I told you-"
"Are you listening, Bossa Nova-kun?"
"Yes, sir." Given up at correcting these dorks to pronounce his name properly, Kasanoda sat up straight.
"There are may be many points of difference between you and Mori-senpai, but there is one definitive thing that you are lacking," Tamaki lifted a finger. "That being a lovely item!"
As Tamaki went on to explain the benefits of a 'lovely item' and how to fix his 'Yankee fashion,' Haruhi, Kyoya and Miki remained on the couch watching the events unfold.
"Does he really need the image change though?" Miki wondered as she leaned on the backing of the sofa, kicking her legs like a child. "I think he's really nice and kinda adorable, just as he is."
"You say that about everyone," Kyoya spoke, still not even sparing a glance at the host's usual antics.
"Once again, I don't think he'd like being called that." Haruhi sighed. "You are still going to join in on whatever Tamaki-senpai comes up with, aren't you?" She raised an eyebrow at Miki.
"Of course." Miki chirped with a firm nod. "Everything is a new experience."
"I don't think this is the kind of 'nex experience' you should have..." Averting her eyes, Haruhi commented.
"Someone's out to get Mori-senpai?" Miki repeated with a blink.
"No doubt about it. I was there when it happened. Clearly, he's gotten on the wrong side of someone." Kasanoda nodded. He had come back for the second time since the twins and Tamaki's combo 'fashion and lovely item image' didn't play out as planned. However, he had also informed them about how two flower pots seemed to have fell atop of him and Mori earlier that morning.
"Oh, no way, no way," Hikaru shut down his claim.
"Mori-senpai would be the last person to get on someone's wrong side," Kaoru added.
"You don't know that for sure," Kasanoda was quick to argue.
"Never mind that, Bossa Nova-kun," Pulling over a whiteboard that has bold words written and a few drawings Miki sketched up, Tamaki declared. "As of today, we start 'Operation Bossa Nova-kun Image-up' in earnest!" With a pointer, he gestured the board.
"Yes, sir!" The twins, Honey and Miki, were quick to join him.
"Hey, just a minute! What do you mean, 'as of today'?!" Kasanoda shouted, the events of the day before not forgotten. "Don't go pretending that thing yesterday didn't happen! Thanks to that, people were even more afraid of me yesterday than usual."
"Bossa Nova-kun, I hope you don't misunderstand." Tamaki gestured behind him. "That thing yesterday was just the twins getting carried away. I hope you'll forgive them."
"We are really behind you on this." Miki nodded, with her signature radiant smile. "Bossa Nova-kun, you are a nice person, and we want everyone to see that." She giggled.
Kasanoda mumbled, lowering his head. "Sorry, I am in your hands."
And with that, all the hosts except for Haruhi gathered by the board and began to discuss their strategy of the day to change Kasanova's image.
"All right, does anyone have any ideas?" Tamaki asked.
"Should we try another outfit?" The twins asked in unison, a prankish grin residing on their faces.
"Absolutely not," Tamaki denied firmly. "Let's tackle the subject of a lovely item instead." He suggested, making a grand gesture. "Something pure, something captivating, something fluffy, like Kuma-chan."
"Should we put angel wings on him?" Miki suggested, raising her hand as if they were in class. "He turned out pretty cute in that drawing." She pointed at the sketch of Kasanoda with angel wings and a halo as well as large anime-like sparkling eyes.
The twins and Tamaki took long stares at the drawing before shaking their head. "No, that won't work." They denied.
"What about giving him a pet?" Honey advised enthusiastically.
"That's a good idea." Tamaki agreed as he placed a hand on his chin, rubbing it as he thought. "What animal would work though?"
"A dog!" Miki tilted her head. "We could let him borrow Antoinette."
"No!" The idea was immediately shut down by Tamaki who shook his head violently.
"A bunny?" Miki tried again.
"I don't think a bunny would look good on a Yakuza." Hikaru pointed out.
"A parrot?"
"Those only look fitting on pirates." Kaoru sighed.
"An alligator!" Miki's eyes sparkled.
"Just what do you find cute, Miki-senpai?!" The twins shouted.
"But they are so cute." Pouting slightly, Miki reasoned. "How about a cat?" She tilted her head.
"That's a good idea!" Tamaki and the twins exclaimed, giving the strawberry blonde a thumbs up in approval.
"Have any of you considered the prohibition of pets on school grounds?" Seeing as the group finally come to an agreement, Kyoya pushed his glasses up, suppressing a sigh.
"Ah." Everyone fell silent.
"Wait! I have a solution." Tamaki raised a finger dramatically as his eyes flashed with an idea. "If we aren't allowed to have pets on school ground, why not dress him like one?"
"Would that really..." Hikaru began.
"...work though?" Kaoru finished.
"Renge-kun told me that kitty-ears are quite effective lovely items." He explained with a proud smirk.
"Then let's do it!" Miki and the twins affirmed.
A little later, Kasanoda stood before the hosts who stared at him with an estranged expression, except for Kyoya who wouldn't even look at him. He wore black cat ears on his head, and they stuck out like a sore thumb.
He looked a little like a grumpy old aged cat your equally grumpy neighbour would have.
There was a collective moment of silence as everyone tried to find their words for how he looked when Honey spoke his opinion.
"He's a cat monster." He stated bluntly.
Quickly, the host club back away and huddled together as they discussed the cat ears.
"What's going on sir?" Hikaru and Kaoru hushed. "You said it would work."
"He looks less cute with those ears on." Miki furrowed her brows.
"That's strange. I was told by Renge-kun that these days, kitty ears are quite the do-it-all lovely item," Tamaki tapped his chin, trying to figure out where his foolproof strategy went wrong.
"Naturally, there are limits to what placing ears on him can do, to temper the frightfulness of his appearance," Kyoya pointed out, his eyes still glued to his notes.
"Sir, that came off pretty weak," Hikaru commented.
"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. "If you're going to do it at all, then look..."
"You've got to go all the way and make him a kitty-eared maid." Presenting a cat maid outfit, the twins proposed.
"Are you guys making fun of me?" Kasanoda growled in annoyance.
So after much convincing, the twins managed to force the outfit onto Kasanoda. Just as they fluffed out the petticoat, there was a slight creak at the door, and a dirty blonde poked his head in.
"Excuse me," He stepped in apologetically. "Is Young Master Kasanoda in here?" He paused when his eyes finally trailed to see... his young master, dressed as a cat maid.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your private pastime." Stepping back, he stammered.
"Who are you saying has a private pastime?!" Kasanoda shouted, grabbing the poor boy by the collar in rage. "Damn it! I can't take this anymore!" In his aggression, he tossed the cat ears onto the ground and bolted out of the music room.
"Young Master!" The blonde boy ran after him in a hurry.
"I wonder where Kasanoda-kun could've gone." Miki hummed as she walked with Haruhi, the two of them searching for the red-head in the inner gardens as the rest of the hosts searched other parts of the school courtyard. As they got closer to the pond, they found him sitting on the steps with a straw basket resting on his lap.
"Ah, a sparrow!" Haruhi gasped, looking behind his shoulder.
"Eh?" His head snapping up in alarm, he relaxed a little when he saw the two from the host club. "What are you two doing here?"
"So this is a sparrow, it's so cute." Crouching near him, completely ignoring his question, Miki chuckled. "Huh? What happened to it?" She perked up, noticing the bandage around its wing.
"It got hurt and had fallen down here the other day," Kasanoda informed her. "I took it to a doctor, who said it would heal in no time."
Humming, Haruhi sat down next to him as Miki reached in, stroking the back of her index finger on the head the little bird.
"Can I feed it?" Haruhi requested as Kasanoda stuttered back, looking a little flustered by how close Haruhi was.
Miki blinked a little at how red his face was, and how his eyes darted all over the place. As Haruhi's focus was drawn to the bird, she tilted her head as she knelt down before the two.
"Bossa Nova-kun," She called out to him. "Are you okay?"
"H-Huh?" Snapping around Kasanoda stuttered. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Your face is completely red." She informed him, pointing at her own cheeks. She began to giggle as she watched him flare up even more, quickly looking away. "I haven't formally introduced myself to you yet, have I?" She bowed her head gently. "Just call me Miki, it's good to meet you." She introduced with a bright smile.
"Y-Yeah," Bowing his head as he pressed his hands to his knees, Kasanoda greeted.
"Bossa Nova-kun, you are a nice person." She stated, looking down at the sparrow in Haruhi's hands as it hopped around, eating up its share of bird feed.
A little surprised by her statement, Kasanoda blinked in confusion.
"I can tell. You can't fool these eyes." She giggled playfully, pointing at her sparkling hazel orbs, even though many people will disagree with that last part. "I don't think you need an image change, you should just be yourself, and then your feelings will surely get across to your followers." She wrapped her arms around her knees as she turned to look at him with a soft smile.
She's a freaking cinnamon roll! Kasanoda realized as he felt his body tense up in fear.
"Say, say, can I hold him too?" Turning her attention back to Haruhi, she nudged her in the arm like a little girl ready to get her turn on the swings at a playground.
"Miki-senpai, please don't push me like that, you'll scare the sparrow." Haruhi chuckled wryly before gently placing the bird in her eager hands. "Be gentle with it." She reminded.
"Hehe, I will." Feeling the little creature hop around and pick up the bird feed in her hands, Miki giggled. "He's so cute, and his feet are so ticklish."
"Kasanoda-kun, you did a great job nursing him back to health." Haruhi looked up with her natural smile.
Seeing such an adorable expression, Kasanoda jolted up from his seat next to the two girls scratching his head in embarrassment when Honey's voice echoed through the area.
"Look out!"
A can of paint was sent flying over toward the three, straight at Kasanoda who froze up. Luckily, Honey intercepted by kicking the metal object out of the way. Red paint spilled out flying straight towards the bird and Miki who was still trying to comprehend what was happening, but Haruhi acted quickly. Shoving Miki out of the way, as the red paint to splatter over her uniform.
Startled by the sudden movement, the bird spread its wings and soared up towards the sky.
"It flew away," Haruhi commented, not minding the red paint.
"It flew away." With a faint smile, Kasanoda let out a sigh of relief.
"Looks like it's going to be fine now." Miki beamed, waving at the bird. "Bye-Bye!"
"Haruhi!" Tamaki cried comical tears as he squealed, Kyoya following close behind. "Is that blood on you?"
"No, I just got some paint on me, that's all," Haruhi commented.
"Thank you for pushing me out of the way," Miki stood up and furrowed her brows worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"It's just some paint, senpai." Standing up, Haruhi overlooked her stain uniform. "I'll live."
"Are you sure you're alright, Fujioka?" Kasanoda followed up.
"Mm-hm."
"Let go of me, you bastard!"
"You big behemoth!"
Two unfamiliar yet also oddly familiar voices tore through the courtyard as Mori emerged behind some hedges, dragging two struggling students in his hands.
"This is dirty of you, Kasanoda!" One of the two shouted. "Not only do you kidnap our boss's kid, but you're also using musclemen like this one! You rotten kidnapper! Give us back the young master!"
"Silence, you ruffians!" The twins raised an eyebrow. "Here's some rope!"
"What's this about?" Kasanoda looked utterly confused as the twins tied the male students up.
"You know what?" Honey smiled, holding Usa-chan. "You were the one they were after all along, Bossa Nova-kun. We decided not to say anything until we caught the culprits. To avoid having any disturbance, you know?" He tilted his head, Mori pacing up behind him.
"So then, you helped me." Kasanoda looked dumbfounded as he paced up to Mori. "Why?"
Gently, the silent giant placed his hand on his head. "We can tell just by looking, who the bad guys are." He stated simply.
Kasanoda's eyes widened as he heard those words. He quickly turned his head to meet Miki's eyes. She merely smiled knowingly at him, hiding her arms behind her back.
Haruhi, who stood beside her glanced down at her arms before turning to look at Tamaki. "I'm gonna go change my clothes." She informed him.
"Need some help?" The twins teased.
"No thanks." Haruhi narrowed her eyes in annoyance, quickly shutting down the idea.
"Once again, thank you for protecting me." In gratitude, Miki bowed once more.
Waving her hands as she walked towards the building, Haruhi shook her head. "It's what anyone would've done, don't worry about it." And with that, she was off.
Just as she left, a new figure joined the group and quickly loomed over them. Miki looked up, recognizing him as the dirty blonde who entered the club room earlier. "You dumbasses!" He yelled, kicking both tied up goons in the chest.
"Hey!" Miki was about to run forth to stop him, but Kyoya quickly pulled her back.
"Not your place." He warned her in a low voice, earning a worried glance from her.
"Tetsuya...You're..." Kasanoda muttered.
"I'm terribly sorry for not telling you," The boy named Tetsuya knelt to the ground and lowered his head. "I am Sendo Tetsuya, son of the godfather of the Kanto branch of the Sendo Syndicate. I have long been opposed to the any-means-necessary methods of the Sendo Syndicate, and at length, one rainy day, a year ago, I got into a big blowup with my old man and ran away from home." He explained. "I had nowhere to go, so I sat in the rain as people passed by without sparing me a second glance. It was then, young master. You're exactly the sort of person I thought you'd be when I first saw you. Afterward, when I went to join with the Kasanoda Syndicate, you accepted me with kindness. I know, Young Master, that you're more self-conscious and awkward than most people, and yet, you're warmer than most people." He spoke with a nostalgic smile, clearly whatever happened that rainy day remained crystal clear in his mind.
Kasanoda seemed awestruck at Tetsuya's words as he merely stood there with a flabbergasted expression.
"And it's not just me," Tetsuya smiled. "Everyone in the syndicate knows. They just don't say anything since it would embarrass you." He then bowed his head deep, demonstrating his loyalty and dedication towards his master. Miki's heart stung a little as she was quickly reminded of someone else who had just as much loyalty as Tetsuya. "I, Sendo Tetsuya, wished to be someone like you, Young Master, so I cut my ties with the Sendo Syndicate and consigned myself to make my home among the Kasanoda Syndicate. Please, allow me to remain at your side, Young Master, from here on out, as well." He paused, looking back up with a flustered smile. "Oh right!" Reaching into his bag, he pulled out an umbrella and offered it to the redhead. "Here. The weather is turning bad, so please keep this. If our 4th were to get a cold, everyone would worry."
"You guys..." Lips curling Kasanoda took the umbrella, averting his eyes. "I will use it, then."
"What a great story!" The twins cried into their handkerchieves while Miki clapped excitedly.
"Oh," Turning to Miki, Kasanoda bowed. "I'm sorry Miki-senpai, because of me you almost got paint all over you."
Immediately waving her hands, Miki laughed wryly. "No, you don't need to apologize to me. Haruhi was the one who protected both of us. If anything, you should apologize to her-him." She quickly corrected herself.
"Right, I should go apologize to him too." Scratching his head, Kasanoda looked down.
"Haru-chan went to the club room to go change." Honey informed him, leaning forward playfully.
"Oh, thanks. I'll be right back."
"Right. Oh, Young Master!" Tetsuya called after him. "Let's play Kick The Can later!"
"Yeah!"
As she stared at the redhead runoff, Miki tilted her head as she watched his figure fade. A little confused on why they sent him off when Haruhi was changing, did he already know Haruhi's gender?
"We've done a good thing here!" Tamaki nodded in pride, hugging a still confused Miki close by the shoulder.
"Sir, you didn't do anything this time, did you?" Hikaru and Kaoru commented.
"More importantly, doesn't anyone care?" Kyoya questioned, turning to jot stuff down in his notebook once again "Haruhi went to go change clothes."
After a few moments of silence, the trio yelled in unison.
"MA!"
Quickly the chasing after Kasanoda, Tamaki grabbed Miki by the arm and dashed back into the school building.
"I can't believe we got careless!" The blonde cried. "Haruhi! Wait for me! Daddy's coming!"
"I thought you guys already told him about Haruhi." Miki's face remained blank, despite the fact that she was being dragged up the stairs by her brother.
"Miki-senpai, why didn't you say anything?!" The twins shouted, bolting up the stairs at lightning speed.
"No one asked." Miki blinked, stating it as if it were a matter of fact.
Before either Tamaki or the twins could form a rebuttal, Music Room #3 was in the distance and a shocked voice that echoed out.
"MA!"