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"Tamaki-kun," a guest called out. "Why is it that you are so beautiful?" she laced her fingers, blush spreading on her cheeks.
The blond king's mouth curved, staring lovingly at his guests. "Because I want to catch your eye, if only for one second longer." he answered with the most charming voice, bewitching his guests with his endearing words.
"Why is it that your voice is so mellow?" another guest asked, her hand placed on her chest.
Tamaki held the pipe on his hand in a captivating manner, smiling as he looked at the girl. "So that my feelings might reach your heart." he answered again, his confidence not escaping from his voice.
"Why is it that you look at me with such moist eyes?" one last girl asked.
Tamaki swept his golden bangs on the side; showing the guests his glassy eyes, tears seen on his bottom eyelids. "Because your fresh, young smile makes the spring in my heart overflow." a small tear finally fell on his cheek.
"Tamaki-kun..." the guests swooned, blushing as they stared at the blond.
The scene suddenly moved from the alluring blond to the twins, also talking with their guests; proudly presenting their blue matching kimonos.
"The two of you are wearing matching kimonos, huh?" a guest smiled, admiring the twins in front of her.
"The outfits that everyone is wearing today were designed by our mother," Hikaru grinned. "If you want one, we'll gladly take your order!" he opened his palm, indicating that they would appreciate it if the guests are willing to buy clothes from their mother.
"Our grandmother is the one dressing us up, though." the younger twin, Kaoru, held his chin as he chuckled softly.
Hikaru suddenly grabbed his twin's chin with a smirk, making their faces uncomfortably close. "And of course, it's my task to undress you, Kaoru." he whispered in his younger twin's ear, increasing the volume of his voice just enough for the guests to hear.
"Hikaru," Kaoru gasped. He looked away, flustered. "You're embarrassing me..." he muttered, tears on his eyes.
The guests huddled together as they squealed in excitement, "What a tender embrace!"
In the background, Haruhi stared at the twins with dull eyes. They're up to their nonsense again. She sighed.
Two guests walked towards the chocolate-haired girl with grins on their faces. "Haruhi-kun!" they exclaimed.
"You look so cute in that kimono!" the guest complimented, cupping her hand on her cheek.
The other guest giggled, "You almost look like a girl in it."
Haruhi blinked at the guest. The two girls admired her costume. Haruhi was wearing a flowery-patterned kimono. The pinkish outer garment complimented Haruhi's fair and white skin. A white ribbon was also tied on her brunette hair to match the outfit.
"Yeah," the chocolate girl could only nod in agreement.
"Haruhi, you've been requested."
Haruhi turned around to find where the source of the voice is, only to sweatdrop when she saw the sight before her.
Kyoya sat not so far away from the girl, peacefully doing calligraphy with a soft smile on his face. On his back, there sat a frowning Rei, hugging his lover from behind. Rei's arms were on Kyoya's waist, embracing them gently. His head laid on the raven-haired boy's shoulder; burying it on the crook of Kyoya's neck.
Haruhi smiled awkwardly. Rei-senpai is a lot clingier than usual.
Kyoya continued to do his calligraphy, his smile not fading away. "Your clients have pretty well stabilized lately, haven't they? Keep it up." Kyoya didn't seem to mind Rei's affections. From Haruhi's eyes, he looked like he's enjoying it.
"We're not planning to charge interest on the original debt you incurred, so just keep working hard and pay it off. The rental fee for that kimono is nothing to sneeze at, after all." he finished, closing his eyes as he smiled.
Haruhi's face turned blue. Is this guy the crooked magistrate?
Two girls suddenly popped up, "Kyoya-sama!" they called out.
"You two look really wonderful in those kimonos!" the other girl praised, admiring their matching kimonos. Like the twins, Rei and Kyoya were also wearing a matching pair. Theirs were brown instead of blue, though.
Kyoya chuckled, "I appreciate the compliment, miladies." He slightly widened his eyes when he felt Rei's embrace got tighter. He turned his head, seeing Rei with the same frown since earlier. He stared at the boy, raising a brow. Kyoya doesn't recall doing something that might make Rei sulk, so why is he sulking now?
The voice of the guests snapped him back from his deep thoughts. "Are there any new photo collections of the Host Club coming out?" they tilted their heads, hoping for Kyoya to say yes.
"Unfortunately, nothing is scheduled at the present." he answered, earning sad looks from the girls.
The twins' head peeked through the divider behind the couple. Hikaru opened his mouth, "The club makes much of its money—"
"—From the sale of promotional items, right?" Kaoru continued, a blank look on his face.
Kyoya tried to remove himself from Rei's embrace to answer the twins properly.
He frowned when he felt the hug only getting tighter. He faced the twins with his head, not wanting to disturb the boy any further. "The promotional items themselves are poor," he brought out blurry pictures of the host from who-knows-where.
"The photo collections are just amateur hidden camera shots. In order to draw even more for the club's expenses out of the school budget," he pushed his glasses up, creating a glare on the lens.
"We have to start coming up with some higher quality products." a calculator was suddenly on his hand. He pressed the buttons, trying to compute something.
Haruhi stared at his senpai with a blank look. It's only because of him that this club can operate without getting bankrupt...
"Haru-chan, Haru-chan..." a sad little voice called out, grabbing the attention of the chocolate girl. It was Hani walking up to her with teary eyes. The blond boy rubbed his eye with his hand, his other free hand held a single sandal. "I lost one of my sandals." he cried, tears continuing to fall from his eyes.
Haruhi walked towards to the boy with a concerned look, "You were just wearing them a while ago, weren't you?"
"Mitsukuni," Mori knelt down, suddenly lifting the blond boy's leg, putting the missing sandal on his foot.
"Takashi..." Hani exclaimed with glassy eyes.
"It was lying over there." Mori bluntly stated. Despite his stoic expression, the guests stared at him lovingly.
Hani hugged the the taller boy, tears falling again. "Takashi!" he yelled.
"Fantastic!"
"It is fantastic!"
Haruhi twitched her eye, walking away from the scene. These tearful scenes seem to be spreading. How is it that everyone can get so weepy suddenly? Due to Haruhi's unawareness, she accidentally bumped onto Kaoru's back. They both stumbled, fortunately not falling as they regained balance at the right time.
At the corner of her eye, Haruhi noticed that a tiny container fell from Kaoru's sleeve. She bent down and held it on her hand, her eyebrows twitching when she realized what it is. "This?" she mumbled, staring at the small eyedrop.
The twins faced their backs against each other, wearing mischievous looks on their faces.
"I should let you know it's a common practice for a host." Kaoru smirked.
"There isn't a girl around who won't swoon over moist eyes." Hikaru pointed out, also smirking like his twin.
Haruhi furrowed her brows, "That's cheating."
Hikaru placed his arm around the girl, a grin on his face. "Oh, don't be so rigid." he teased, poking her cheeks with his finger.
"Here, Haruhi," Kaoru smiled, grabbing something from his sleeve. "This is for you." he placed a small pastry in a glass container on her palms.
Haruhi stared at the pastry on her hands, "I can have this?" she exclaimed, a small blush crept on her cheek.
The twins grinned, showing their teeth, "How charming," they said in unison.
Haruhi's guests ran up to her, squealing with huge smiles. "Haruhi-kun, do you like pastries?" the guest tilted her head.
Haruhi shook her head, "No, I'm not a fan of sweets," She lifted her hand; admiring the small pastry with a gentle smile, "Still, it might be nice as a memorial offering for my mother."
The guests stared at her, feeling sad for the chocolate girl.
Suddenly, Tamaki appeared, twirling around as tears fell from his eyes. "How admirable!" he yelled, stopping in front of Haruhi. "Such devotion to your mother! Here, Haruhi, take as many as you like!" he smiled as he placed the same sparkling pastry on her palm.
The rests of the hosts applauded (Except for Kyoya and Rei.), while Haruhi looked at him with a sickened look. "Are those fake tears, too?" she rose a brow.
Tamaki paused with a sweatdrop at first, but his confident and charming aura quickly returned. "How can you say that?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"My tears are always genuine. Being able to cry without using eye drops is the mark of a true host." he fluttered his eyelashes, causing tears to fall again. He changed his pose into a dashing one, "Well? Are you impressed? Have you fallen for me now?" he grinned.
"Not really." she deadpanned.
Kyoya sighed as he was still not released from Rei's embrace. He was slightly irritated since he couldn't finish his work properly, and Rei has been neglecting his guests since club activities started. It's also been bothering him that Rei's quiet, not teasing him like his usual self. It's not like Kyoya enjoyed his teasing, he's just worried since he's quite different today.
"Rei," he called, only hearing a hum as an answer.
"Hmm?"
"Is something wrong?" Kyoya asked, concern was heard in his tone.
Rei was silent at first, but still answered him. "It's nothing."
Kyoya stared at him, obviously not moved from his answer. Lies. "Tell me the truth," he looked Rei straight in the eyes. "I'll get angry." his mouth curved into a frown.
Rei averted his eyes from Kyoya's intense stare. He breathed through his nose, showing Kyoya a smile. "Alright, Alright." he snorted. "You win. You always win." he whispered to himself the last part of the sentence. Rei's eyes slightly furrowed, he couldn't remove the unpleasant feeling in his chest.
"I just... think that something bad will happen once I let go of you." he muttered with an annoyed look on his face. Rei won't be able to control himself if Kyoya got hurt or be snatched away from his grasp. That thought alone terrifies him.
Kyoya's face became sullen when he saw Rei's hands faintly trembling. His lips puckered, placing his hands onto the other pair to comfort him. "Rei, do you consider me as incompetent?" he queried, not removing his gaze on their hands.
Rei widened his eyes from his sudden question. He shook his head vigorously, hoping that he hadn't offend Kyoya in a way.
Kyoya looked up in Rei's eyes, fiery eyes looking up at him. "Then stop treating me like one."
Rei can only stare at the raven-haired he was hugging. Kyoya never took his eyes off from him, proceeding to talk.
"I'm not a fragile person that you should protect. If something does happen to me, I am capable of protecting myself." he said in a bitter tone. "Understood?" he rose a brow.
Rei looked at his lover with amazement. In front of him, he saw a man full of confidence. He chuckled as he finally gave in. "Yes, I understand. I'm sorry for making you mad." he smiled, giving his lover one more hug before finally letting him go.
"No! Don't touch me, you phony!"
Kyoya and Rei twitched when they heard a feminine yell. They looked at each other before standing up and running towards the source of the voice. They were worried that a girl might be harassed. Luckily, no female was harrased, but a familiar blond instead.
Both of them watched as Tamaki stumbled, a hand on his face, covering the red hand mark caused by the unrecognisable girl.
"I'm a... phony?" Tamaki asked with a pained expression.
"Yes, you're a phony!" the girl didn't hesitate to answer. She furiously pointed a finger at Tamaki, anger overtaking her face. "I can't believe that you are the prince figure in this club! The prince character doesn't go spreading his love around so readily!" she bawled out.
Rei observed the girl's physical features. The girl had mid-back length dark blonde hair and dark brown eyes. A pink ribbon was also seen tied on the back of her hair. His stomach suddenly twisted; he doesn't know the reason why, but he felt nervous.
Tamaki looked at the rambling girl confusingly, stepping back, scared that he might be hit by the girl again.
"How can you be so stupid?! It's almost like you're a dim-witted narcissist! Incompetent! Mediocre! The worst!" each insult that the aggressive girl yelled stroke arrows inside Tamaki's body. He continued to back away, his face turning blue.
"Oh, it's a new technique!"
"One-man slow motion!"
The blond's body is now on the ground, still doubting the fact that he was insulted by a girl.
Kyoya stared at the girl, "By any chance, are you..." he held his chin as his voice trailed off.
The girl's angry facial expression turned into joy when she saw Kyoya's presence. "Kyoya-sama!" she shouted desperately, running towards him with tears. She hugged Kyoya's waist, tightening her grip with a smile on her face. "I've wanted to meet you! My own prince, my fiancé!"
Rei widened his eyes in shock, unable to process what's happening. His tongue tasted bitter when he saw Kyoya being hugged by someone else other than him. He gripped his hands. What...?
The remaining hosts gaped their mouth open, just as shocked as Rei was.
"Fiancé?!"
This... this was the bad feeling Rei was anticipating for.
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"F-Fiancé?" Hikaru stuttered, failing to hide his frantic expression.
"Kyoya-senpai...?" asked Kaoru, feeling conflicted.
The female newcomer sat on the opposite side of the couch, grinning at the troubled hosts. She nodded her head, "Yes. My name is Hoshakuji Renge," she took a sip of her tea before continuing to speak. "I will be transferring in 1st year, Class A tomorrow." she informed.
The hosts looked at each other with stressed eyes. The twins exchanged glances with each other.
"Don't tell me..." one whispered to the other.
"Kyoya-senpai cheating...?" the other whispered back.
"No way..."
The twins flinched when they felt an insanely dark aura behind them. They looked over their shoulders, freezing when they saw Rei's cold glare.
Following Kyoya's order, Mori and Hani were behind him. Mori held his shoulder, while Hani gripped Rei's knee, holding onto him in case something happens.
Haruhi sweated nervously, "Renge-chan, are you really Kyoya-senpai's fiancée?" she forced a smile.
"Of course!" she answered happily, oblivious to the dark atmosphere of the room.
Haruhi shivered when she felt the dark aura getting stronger. She hugged herself, rubbing her shoulders for warmth. Rei-senpai's mood is making the room cold...
She sweatdropped when she also saw Tamaki crouching at the corner of the room. "I understand Rei-senpai, but why is Tamaki-senpai also sulking?" she rose a brow.
"That's because the vice president is hiding things from the president." Kaoru shrugged.
"Ignore them," Kyoya flatly said.
Renge placed her palms on her cheeks, blushing as she closed her eyes in happiness. "It is indeed love at first sight!" she squealed. "The way you were adoring those flowers by yourself in the back courtyard, even when no one is looking. The way you kindly reached out to that injured little kitty..." her heart weakened as she imagined Kyoya doing those scenes in her mind.
The twins tilted their heads, "Who are we talking about?"
Rei crossed his arms in irritation. That isn't Kyoya. He continuously tapped his finger on his skin, trying to calm himself down.
Haruhi blinked her eyes, "Could you have the wrong person? After all, Kyoya-senpai already has a—"
"No! You can't fool these eyes!" Renge interrupted with an eager look. "He's a person who's kind and gentle to anyone. He likes solitude, but he sometimes gets lonely," she swooned, while the hosts around her panicked as their heads began to hurt because of their 'relationship'.
"The one who looks just like the star of the currently popular love simulation game, 'Uki-doki Memorial', Ichijo Miyabi, that's you!" she rambled, pointing her finger at Kyoya.
The hosts just froze at her statement.
Haruhi tilted her head, "Uki?"
"Doki?" Hani bit his finger.
"Otaku!" Tamaki gasped in horror.
"She's an otaku!"
Mori and Rei just stood there with blank faces, confused on what they're saying.
"I've never seen one before!"
Kyoya sat on the couch, finally understanding the girl's words. "I see now. You're infatuated with the character. You're projecting the character infatuation onto me, going so far as to delude yourself that we are engaged. This Miyabi-kun character probably wears glasses too, right?" he held his chin, summing all the fiasco.
Tamaki popped up behind him, his face still blue. "Deluded? Then, that story about her being your fiancée..." he mumbled.
"I don't remember acknowledging that. For one thing, I've never even met her before today." Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "Besides, I already have a fiancé, don't I?" he rose a brow.
The hosts sighed in relief. You should have said so earlier...
"U-Umm, Renge-chan," Tamaki called out nervously. "Don't you know that Kyoya already has a fiancé?" he tilted his head, wishing that the girl won't hit him out of frustration.
The squealing fangirl stopped on her tracks, "W-What do you mean?" she asked, sadness suddenly appearing on her face.
Rei, finally doing some action, stood behind the sitting Kyoya. He suddenly pulled out the raven-haired's arm, cupping his face closer as he pecked the surprised boy's cheek. Rei gave Renge a stare that says 'He's mine.', not showing any mercy even though she's a girl.
Tamaki pointed at Rei, "Kyoya's already engaged with someone else..."
Renge's arms fell to her sides, staring at the couple with a stunned expression. She lowered her head as silence filled the room. "This..." she mumbled on her breath. "This is great! A worthy love rival!" her beaming smile returned once again.
Haruhi twitched her eye. What an unexpected response.
Rei lets go of Kyoya; his brows furrowing, "What?"
"Every heroine needs a formidable love rival, this is perfect!" Renge clasped her hands together, her mouth lifting up.
Rei could feel his veins popping out on his skin, but instead of showing his anger, he faked a smile to not look frightening. The twins were still terrified by his facial expression, though.
Rei flinched when Renge took a sit beside the serious Kyoya on the couch. "According to my information, Kyoya-sama, I understand that you administer everything about this club." she looked at him with stars in her eyes.
Hani nodded cutely, "That's right, Kyo-chan is our director."
Renge's face perked up, "Director? That's perfect!" she beamed. "I've always dreamed of being the drawing card for someone's business."
"We don't need one. We're a host club, after all." the twins said in the background.
"I've made up my mind! I'm going to be the Host club's manager!" Renge twirled around, completely ignoring the twins' statement.
The twins turned blue. She's not listening.
Rei frowned as he leaned his body down on Kyoya's eye level. "Kyoya..." he muttered grumpily.
Kyoya chuckled when he saw a small pout on Rei's face. "She's the daughter of a client that's important to the Ootori family. I ask that you be sure not to do anything impolite." he smiled.
Rei lowered his head, sulking more when he heard Kyoya's response.
"Everyone, it's going to be a pleasure!" she bowed as she wore a formal smile.
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Kyoya sighed in relief when he was finally done with the documents of the club. As usual, he was sitting on his bed with his laptop on his lap. He moved his gaze on his phone beside his pillow, staring at it for a moment before picking it up.
He opened his contact list, clicking 'My man' on the list. Kyoya wasn't the one who renamed Rei's contact name, it was actually Rei himself. After many attempts Rei persuaded him to change his contact name to be more 'sweet', Kyoya gave in.
The other side of the phone finally answered, "Junichiro speaking,"
Kyoya rose a brow. Whenever he called; Rei would always be energetic when answering his call, but now his voice was melancholic, lacking energy. It seems he still hasn't realized that Kyoya was the one calling.
"Rei,"
"...Ah, Kyoya, it's you." He heard a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite feeling well at the moment."
Kyoya stayed silent for a moment. "Are you still bothered by what happened at the club earlier?" he asked.
"...Yes."
Kyoya furrowed his brows, holding his forehead incase a headache returns. "Wasn't it all a misunderstanding?" he irked.
"Yes, but..."
Kyoya rose a brow, "But?" he crossed his arms, waiting for him to continue what he's saying.
"No, never mind. You should get some rest."
Kyoya felt his finger twitch, his brows still furrowing. His mood became more upset little by little. Kyoya knew Rei was jealous of Renge, but shouldn't he not worry and trust him? He frowned, "Rei, am I that untrustworthy?"
"What? No, that's not—"
"I've heard enough," he sighed. "I'm tired, so I'm going to bed."
He could hear Rei calling out his name, but Kyoya immediately ended the call. He massaged the temples on his forehead with a frown, laying his head on his pillow to sleep. He stared at the ceiling before closing his eyes.
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The hosts sweated nervously as awkward silence spread in the club room. No one dared to speak up, afraid that they might make one of the pair get mad.
Haruhi looked at the couple in front of the sofa she was sitting. Kyoya and Rei sat on the same sofa; but instead of their usual scene, they sat away from each other. She could see how Rei was giving Kyoya glances, but Kyoya merely ignored them, silently writing on his clipboard. What happened to them?
The atmosphere became darker when Rei tried to speak to Kyoya but was rejected. He lowered his head, a gloomy aura surrounding him. Rei kind of resembles Tamaki when he's also sulking. The quiet hosts sweated more, not wanting to experience the awkward silence any longer.
"I-I thought about it all last night," Tamaki spoke up, slightly making the room brighter. "Having a lady manager might not be bad."
The twins stared at him with doubt, "Why do you say that?"
Tamaki rested his chin on his palm. "Don't you see? She has transferred into the same class as Haruhi. If the two both become friends as girls, Haruhi might become more girlish. The uniquely girlish air of tenderness about her could stimulate Haruhi's own sense of femininity!" he explained with a grin.
Haruhi's face became dull when she heard Tamaki's 'plan', "Good grief..." she mumbled, an irritated tone in her voice.
Tamaki's eyes became serious, "This is a grand scale project in order to stir Haruhi up to be more girly!" he snapped his fingers in an elegant way. "Only having these two disreputable twins as close classmates is not good for Haruhi." he said as pointed at the twins with gritted teeth.
The twins tilted their head, "That's telling us, alright." their brows raising.
The hosts' attention shifted at the door when they heard it creak.
Renge peeked through the small gap before going in the club with her usual huge smile. "Everyone! Renge, your manager, baked some cookies!" she tilted her head in a cute way, showing the chocolate chip cookies on her hand.
Tamaki was suddenly beside her. He stroke a jaunty pose, "Oh! How ladylike! I'm so moved!" he yelled enthusiastically, only for it be backfired.
"I didn't bake them for you, you phony prince." she glared.
Tamaki collapsed at her insult, returning to his emo mode again.
Renge walked towards Kyoya, hearts swirling around her. "They're a little bit burnt, but I know what you're going to say, Kyoya-sama!" she swooned with joy. "Oh, Kyoya-sama!" she wiggled her body as she imagined Kyoya complimenting her.
Hani munched on the burnt cookie, "You're right, these are burnt." he said with a disappointed look.
"Mitsukuni, stop. They're bad for you." Mori gave Hani a look of concern.
A vein popped on Renge's forehead when she heard Mori's statement. Her orange hair turned into snakes, chasing the two while hissing. Hani cried loudly as the two of them were chased by an Orange Medusa.
Haruhi stared at the bag of cookies on her palms. She grabbed a piece, taking a small bite on it. "They're savory, and not that bad." she commented, biting on it again.
The twins exchanged glances with each other, smirking when an idea popped in their mischievous heads.
Hikaru grabbed her chin, biting off a small piece. "Let me see..." he muttered.
Kaoru, following his twin's lead, placed a hand on her head. "Oh, Haruhi, you have cookie crumbs on your face." he licked the spot on Haruhi's cheek that has small crumbs.
Tamaki rose from his spot, pointing at the twins furiously while shaking Kyoya's body.
"Before anyone realized it, they've become a congenial classmate trio..." Kyoya said.
Haruhi rubbed the spot on her cheek Kaoru licked. "You know, if you'd just say so, I could get the crumbs off myself." she claimed, unfazed by the twins' small prank. "If you wanted one, they're right here." she lifted her palm, showing them the bag of cookies.
Tamaki suddenly grabbed her cheeks. "Y-Your reaction is all wrong!" he stuttered, shocked by Haruhi's response. "This is where you're supposed to rebuff them, and casually brush them aside!" he panicked.
Haruhi's face turned dull, tired by the blond's ramblings. "Please stop sexually harassing me, senpai." she bluntly stated.
"Harassing you!? If I'm harassing you, then they're twice as guilty! Aah, police!"
"Okay, okay. We're sorry, sir."
While the other hosts were doing their own thing, Rei sat alone on the couch. He was still gloomy, upset that Kyoya is ignoring him. His color faded minute by minute when he thought that he'll never be able to talk with Kyoya again.
Renge stood in the sidelines, holding her chin as she stared at the hosts. She stayed silent, only thinking of deep thoughts. All of that was disturbed when Hani called out her name.
"Renge-chan, Renge-chan." Hani walked over to her side, holding a glass of milk. "Want some milk?" he tilted his head as pink flowers surrounded him.
"Tepid..." she said in a low tone. Hani looked at her confusingly, not hearing what the lady manager said. "Too tepid, It's all tepid!" she yelled, startling all the hosts with her sudden shout. "Except for Kyoya-sama, all of your characters are too lacklustre!" she placed a hand on her hip, the other one pointing at the hosts.
"All of you are lacking a 'dark' side! Girls are vulnerable to handsome young men going through trauma! If you keep carrying on this ridiculous manner, it's only a matter of time before everyone grows tired of it! Are you trying to ruin Kyoya-sama's business?!" she shouted furiously.
"As manager, starting today, I'm changing all of your character backgrounds! Starting with you!" she pointed at Hani, making tears fall out from his eyes. "If all you do is act cute, inside and out, then you're the same as a baby. As such, you're now 'The cute-face', who's actually a thug!" Hani cried at her frightening face.
"Morinozuka-senpai, you're the Childhood friend flunkie!"
Renge faced Rei with her confident gaze. Rei only stared at her back with a blank look, not fazed by her expression.
"Rei-san, a lot of girls like you but you're a possessive person. You reject their feelings to protect yourself from getting hurt, because you're scared that they might leave you!" she pointed at him.
Rei slightly flinched at her words, but regaining his composure quickly after. "...Oh, if that's the only way to end this all immediately, then that's fine." he only muttered, not having enough energy to spite back.
"The twins will be basketball players shut up in their own world!"
"Haruhi-kun, you're an honor student faced with intense bullying!"
"And Tamaki-san," Renge looked at Tamaki with an intense gaze, making him step back. "You are the school idol esteemed for your looks, but you have an inferiority complex. The lonesome prince!" she roared.
Her intense gaze then turned into an affectionate one when she faced Kyoya. "Oh, Kyoya-sama, you're perfect. You just stay your usual kind and sweet self." she said with a smile.
"I'm honored," Kyoya placed his hand on his chest, bowing his head slightly.
Tamaki stumbled on his steps, "The lonesome prince... Indeed, that is perfect for me!" he swayed as he stood in a spotlight.
Haruhi twitched her brow in irritation. That's probably the one she got most wrong.
The twins grabbed Kyoya by the shoulders, whispering something in his ears.
"Kyoya-senpai—"
"—Do something!"
Kyoya held his chin with a frown, "But his highness seems up for this." he pointed at the emotional blond.
Tamaki leaned on the wall, a dramatic aura surrounding him. "Renge-kun, is this what a lonesome pose would look like?"
"My, that's pretty good, Tamaki-san. I'm sure it would be more effective if it was raining!" Renge complimented.
"How about Rei-senpai? Look how bad he looks right now!" Kaoru half-whispered with furrowed brows. The three of them looked at Rei, sweatdropping when they saw him completely white. "He looks like Tamaki-senpai sulking!" the younger twin added.
Kyoya smiled, "Well, let's just see how it goes, shall we? I'll take care of Rei, so don't worry. Something interesting will come of it, I bet." he finished his sentence with a smirk.
The twins looked at each other with bewildered looks. Weren't you ignoring him?
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Rei stared blankly at his surroundings. All of the sudden, expensive cameras surrounded the place as the film staff prepared for his scene. He watched as Hani gets scolded by Renge, still mad at the small actor's mistake from earlier. They were about to start his scene, but Rei demanded not to. He doesn't plan on acting with his horrible mood. He only glared at the director to give him a small break, terrified by his Junichiro blood.
A female staff headed towards to him, giving him a bottle of water. "Umm, Ootori-san asked me to give this to you." she bowed, leaving after giving him the bottle.
He stared at the water bottle with wide eyes, slightly smiling as he leaned his forehead on it. He's still taking care of me even though he's mad...
Hikaru sighed on his seat, "Why have we suddenly gone from talking about changing our characters into a movie shoot?"
Haruhi walked over with her hair dripping wet, "And I have to say, it's an overblown film crew, huh?" she hanged a towel over her neck, eyeing the whole place.
"Apparently, she rushed them here from Hollywood. Haven't you ever seen them?" Kyoya suddenly spoke up from behind, not taking his eyes off on his clipboard. "That man is the director of 'Millennial Snow', the vampire movie, that was number one box office hit across America last year." he clarified.
Damn these rich people... Haruhi twitched her eye.
"And another thing, how come this script has Kaoru being the pitcher?" Hikaru furrowed his brows, lifting the script on his hands.
"Yeah," Kaoru nodded in agreement.
"Pitcher?"
"If you don't know, then never mind." the twins shrugged.
Haruhi blinked her eyes, tilting her head in confusion. "...Pitcher?" She should ask Rei when she has a chance.
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Rei snapped from his blank mode when he heard a feminine scream from afar. It wasn't him who heard it too, the other hosts also became cautious when they heard the scream. Rei and Tamaki quickly ran to find where the yell is, concern taking over on their faces.
Once they arrived in the scene, Tamaki widened his eyes in shock when he saw Haruhi 'crying' and collapsed on the ground. Tamaki went over and comforted the girl, letting Rei take care of the males involved in the accident.
Rei went ahead and kicked the two males in the stomach with his hands on his pockets. The two males fell on the ground, yelping in pain.
Rei leaned his body closer to face the horrified look of one of the collapsed males. "I'm not really in a good mood right now, so scram if you don't want to get hurt more badly." he was smiling, but his eyes weren't. He glared coldly at the two males, sending shivers down their spines.
The males trembled in fear as they stared at his cold glare. "W-Wait, Junichiro-san! She's the one who's giving us a hard time!" one managed to yell out, pointing his shaking finger at the quivering Renge.
Rei turned his head, seeing a struggling Haruhi standing up from her spot. "It's true, senpai. These boys aren't at fault." she said as she rubbed her teary eyes.
While Rei was distracted, the two men ran off, screaming for their lives. He placed a hand on his hip, watching the two comfort each other.
Tamaki gently placed his hands on Haruhi's cheek, lifting her face up. "Haruhi... does it hurt?" he asked with a pained expression.
"Yes," she answered, showing him a transparent tiny circle on her finger. "My contacts..." she bluntly muttered.
Tamaki's eyes suddenly became two pairs of dots. "Your con... tacts?" he tilted his head.
"Yes, it slipped out." she nodded her head.
Tamaki's frown turned into a smile. "Oh, so that's it! Once you cry without using eyedrops, you're a full-fledged host!" he laughed. Haruhi was confused at first; but laughed along with him, enjoying the small moment they were having.
Renge stared at the scene with an astonished expression. "C-Cameraman, did you catch that?!" she turned around, facing the film crew.
"Yes, boss!" the cameraman showed her a thumbs up.
She gripped the script on her hands, a grin on her face. "Except for the contacts falling out, that was the ideal last scene! All it needs now is for Kyoya-sama to provide some moving narration—"
A sound of glass shattering was suddenly heard.
Rei widened his eyes in shock when he saw Kyoya slamming a rock on the camera's lens. His arms trembled when he saw Kyoya's fist bleeding.
"K-Kyoya-sama?" Renge stuttered.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow there to be any record of a club member engaging in violence," Kyoya pushed his glasses up with his free hand. "I am extremely displeased at the way you're acting like a pest." he scowled.
Renge's lip quivered. "Why?" tears fell from her eyes. She stepped forward, her hands on her chest. "Kyoya-sama, you're supposed to tell me not to worry about it, and then gently pat me on the head!" she cried out sadly. "Why would someone kind and affectionate as you..." she lowered her head, tears continuing to fall.
"That's not who Kyoya is," Rei furrowed his brows, gripping his fists as he struggled to calm himself down.
Renge turned around, facing Rei with a sorrowful look. She collapsed on the ground, her legs giving out. She continued to cry, suddenly stopping when Haruhi bent down in front of her.
"It doesn't matter, right?" Renge lifted her head up, staring at Haruhi's huge brown eyes. "Even if Kyoya-senpai is different from what you expected, I think that watching people, and getting to know them little by little can be fun too." Haruhi plastered a smile on her face.
Rei ran to Kyoya with a worried look. He gently grabbed Kyoya's injured hand, staring at it with a pained expression.
"I'm fine, you don't have to worry—"
Kyoya was interrupted when Rei brought his hand closer to his face. He could feel his hands trembling in fear. "Don't... don't injure your hand like that..." he uttered, his lip quivering. Rei laid his head on Kyoya's shoulder, still holding his hand.
Kyoya stared at the man in disbelief. He brought out his free hand, placing it on the trembling boy's head. "I'm sorry..." he muttered, patting Rei's head.
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After that disastrous event, Rei asked Tamaki if he could call his secretary to ask for his chauffeur. He was too worried to leave Kyoya's side. When their car finally arrived, the engaged couple left school early.
The couple was in Rei's room. Both of them were sitting on the bed, Rei holding the now bandaged hand of Kyoya, rubbing it softly with his finger.
"I'm sorry," Kyoya lifted his head, surprised by Rei's sudden apology. "I didn't mean to make you mad. It's not like I don't trust you or anything," Rei frowned. "Renge described my character perfectly. Ironic, huh?" he let out a sad chuckle. He then frowned again, his mood darkening.
"I'm aware of my own possessive nature. I tried to hold them back because I didn't want to be a burden to you." he slightly tightened his grip on Kyoya's bandaged hand. "Whenever someone touches you, I act like I'm fine with it, but deep down... I want you to only look at me." he bit his bottom lip. He lowered his head, "I'm sorry for my twisted personality."
Kyoya stared at the sad man in front of him. "Is that why you were acting differently?" he rose a brow, sighing when he saw him nod. He hit Rei's head gingerly, earning a confused look from the boy.
"You fool, don't keep this all a secret." he glared. "You trust me, right? Then stop acting insecure because the only one I love is you." he grabbed the cheeks of the surprised Rei, staring at him with serious eyes. "You're the only one in my eyes, don't forget that." he grumbled, getting embarrassed by his own choice of words.
Rei chuckled, this time in a sincere way. He tenderly placed his hands onto the other bandaged pair, smiling longingly at his blushing lover. "You're the only one in my eyes too, Kyoya." he grabbed Kyoya's bandaged hand from his cheek, kissing it affectionately.
"...I know."
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Several days later...
Haruhi smiled when she saw Rei's attitude returned. Kyoya was scribbling something on his black notebook. Behind him, was a grinning Rei; hugging him again from behind. She sighed in relief, glad that she doesn't need see Rei's blank mode again.
"I bought the video!" one girl exclaimed with an excited smile.
"Me too!"
The hosts' eyes blinked in confusion, "Video?"
"That scene in the rain was the greatest!"
"The lonesome prince!"
"The deep relationship between Hikaru-sama and Kyoya-sama was too much!"
"I want to see Hani-kun acting like a thug again!"
"Haruhi-kun's poignant expression!"
"I'm sad that Rei-sama doesn't have his own scene..."
"Mori-kun was definitely some kind of masochist, right?"
The guests continued to fangirl together, while the hosts stared at them confusingly. "Kyoya..." Tamaki snapped his fingers, asking for an explanation.
"I may have damaged the lens, but the footage that was already shot still remains. Of course, that one violent scene was cut out." Kyoya answered behind the hosts, still scribbling with Rei cuddling him. "Sales have been pretty fair. That first rate Hollywood staff did a good job as you'd expect." he added, pushing his glasses up with a smile.
The twins sweatdropped, "Is this what you mean by interesting?" they asked in unison.
"It's best to have as much as we can in the club budget, right?" Kyoya rose a brow.
Haruhi's face turned blue. At what point did this guy started calculating all of this?
"Hello," the hosts turned their heads, seeing a smiling Renge looking at them.
Rei only stared at her, not acting all overprotective unlike before. After hearing Kyoya's 'speech', his possessiveness seems to have calmed down a bit. Rei was glad, thinking that he won't make trouble for Kyoya that often anymore.
"Huh? I thought you went home back to France?" Tamaki tilted his head.
"I came to apologize to Rei-san," she bowed in a formal manner, earning a curt nod from a smiling Rei. "And I realized something. Your kindness earlier when you risked your life to protect me, and your deep love for giving those stern admonitions." Renge laced her fingers, grinning as she placed it near on her face.
She suddenly grabbed Haruhi's hands, holding them lovingly. "This is what you meant by watching people, and falling in love with them, right Haruhi-kun?" she asked, hearts in her eyes.
Tamaki gasped in shock in the background, while Haruhi's eyes only turned dull. "What?" she rose a brow.
Renge pulled her arm as she proceeded to lead Haruhi to the door. "Come, let's go play games together!" she beamed. "You have to find out more about me, too!" she giggled.
"Huh?" Haruhi tried to resist, but she was no match for Renge's happy-go-lucky attitude.
"Kyoya-senpai..." one twin called out.
"Are you sure this is okay?" the other one asked.
Kyoya chuckled, "Why wouldn't it be? She's not wrong in what she's saying."
"No, it's not okay!" Tamaki roared, his hair turning into white.
"They're both becoming friends with each other as girls, just like you wanted." Kyoya said.
"But they're not being both girls!" Tamaki gritted his teeth, pointing at the heart-struck Renge.
"Come, Haruhi-kun! Let's go!"
"Wait! Don't take Haruhi away!"
Kyoya turned his head, smiling when he saw Rei happily clinging on him. Rei grinned at him back. He closed his eyes, still smiling. He's glad that Rei's finally back to normal.
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Omg im finally done. This chapter was rlly long im dyingggggggg. Well, hope u like this long chapter. ok im too tired to write a proper author's note, so im just going to stop here.
ok bye. luv u guys.