Kyoya started being much nicer to me once I got my first customer.
It may or may not have been Rika from quartet, but money was money to Kyoya.
And her parents didn't mind. So it all worked out just fine.
Before her, I'd been bouncing around from host to host, helping them and schmoozing the other guests, trying to worm my way into their hearts. And wallets. We played games, dressed up in silly costumes, performed little skits... I wondered if it was fruitless, if I didn't have customers because I was unapproachable, or maybe because I was sort of a celebrity... or, most likely, both.
But like I said, things got better once Rika requested me. We mulled over pieces for the summer concert, going over our notes from practice, sipping tea, and talking about things to tell the boys. We'd been given six slots for the concert - our final exam, basically - and we only had three pieces selected at that point; if we didn't nail our performances, then the quartet could get cancelled or defunded by the school. Which none of us wanted.
By the end of our first meeting, Rika and I settled on two more pieces: the theme song from Howl's Moving Castle, and Kiss from a Rose by Seal, both of which fit the concert's theme of pop culture. We found Vitamin String Quartet covers on the internet, bought the sheet music, and emailed the pages to the boys, hoping to practice at our next meeting.
A deep cough shook us from our excited planning for the concert, finding Mori senpai hovering over us. "Sorry to interrupt," he muttered, crossing his arms and staring at the marble floor, "Ootori said it's time for your next customer. I can take you."
"Oh!" I jumped up and hugged Rika briefly, waving her off as she left the Host Club before following Mori through the sea of tables and potted plants. "I guess I didn't know I had another customer today, Mori," I explained, trotting along behind him, "Sorry. I would've been ready-"
"It was last minute," he answered, looking over his shoulder at me and slowing to accommodate for my shortness. "Don't worry."
Mori led me to a table in the far back corner, where Kyoya sat with another girl who looked vaguely familiar. "Good luck," he muttered, abandoning me with the stranger and the shark.
Grimacing, I forced a smile at the two of them, and said, "I heard you two are my next appointment?"
Kyoya stood from his seat and ushered me closer to the table. "Michiyo Kimura, this is Renge Houshakuji. Renge helps me run the host club," he explained.
I extended a hand to her, and the name clicked. Renge. Kyoya and the others had mentioned her before, and I'd seen her around the club. "Nice to finally meet you," I said, pressing my lips to her knuckles when she placed her hand in mine, laying the flattery on a little thick.
She flushed and giggled, covering her mouth. "Oh my! So sweet!"
I could practically hear Kyoya's optic nerves snap as he rolled his eyes.
We took our seats, and Kyoya poured me a cup of mint tea. I thanked him and fixed it how I liked, waiting for someone to say something. Surely they asked me to join them for a reason, right? I used Kyoya's tactic against him and stayed silent, holding out for one of them to begin the conversation.
"Renge directed me to your fan club page," Kyoya finally said. It was probably the last thing I'd expected to come out of his mouth, but I kept my cool and waited for him to continue, sipping my tea. "And we know about the stalker."
Great.
Renge leaned forward and placed her hand on my free one, a worried look crossing her features. It seemed genuine. Either that, or she was a better actress than me. "Have you caught them before? They seem to have a lot of insider information, going back since the-"
I'd already been shaking my head as Renge spoke, and set my teacup down with a clatter. Of all things, I really hadn't wanted to talk about them today. Or the accident. "They've broken into my house before," I explained, trying to keep my tone even and my heart rate at a calm level, "They've attacked me. They've followed me places. Home, school, the mall, sets... and they've gotten away every time." Renge's hand tightened on mine, and I squeezed it back, surprised at her kindness when we'd only just met. "I guess I'm just used to it. But I'm not going to stop living my life because some creep can't stop fantasizing about me. That's his problem."
Kyoya's brow furrowed and he pulled out his phone, fingers flying across the touch screen. "I can have someone from my family's personal police tail you, ensure your safety when you're not with Mori and Hon-"
"No."
He froze, and I could feel his gaze boring holes through my skull. "No?"
"No," I repeated, staring at my half-drunk tea. I already felt like a freak. An animal in a zoo, always on display. A doll to be looked at but never played with. A trophy for my parents, their actress daughter who got better roles than either of them and never broke a rule or talked back. "I don't want to owe you anything else, Kyoya. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Just..." I stood and cracked my neck, draining my teacup in one chug, "Forget we had this conversation. Sorry. " I left to grab my things and called Ellis to pick me up.
Little did I know, Renge and Kyoya sat silently for a long time, the two of them watching the door long after I'd left. "You should still send the Black Onion Squad," Renge muttered finally, her fingers tracing the rim of her teacup. She tore her gaze away from the door to watch outside, looking for a distraction. "I have a feeling."
Kyoya nodded, tapping away on his phone. "I agree." He didn't like keeping secrets from Michiyo so soon in their friendship, but...
It was for her own good.
-
"Kimura!"
I looked up from my place in the library, finding Haruhi hovering over my shoulder with a grin on her face. "You were in deep. Whatcha working on?" she asked, making herself comfortable in the empty chair at my side.
Stretching, I frowned and groaned, "Precalculus homework."
"Gross," Haruhi agreed, pulling out a textbook and her notes. "Hey, did you hear about this talent show that senpai cooked up for Friday's host club? What are you going to do?"
Talent show?
Knots of anxiety twisted my stomach, and I shivered. "No, I hadn't heard," I moaned, rubbing my temples. Friday only gave me three days to rehearse something or whip something up. Dammit.
"He just sent the text like half an hour ago, so I wasn't sure," Haruhi said, "Sorry."
Resting my head in my crossed arms on the table, I let my eyes drift closed. "It's fine. I'll think of something eventually... What are you going to do?"
Haruhi leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know yet," she confessed, running a hand through her hair. She chewed her lip as she thought about it and said, "Cooking is really my one talent besides, like, knowing commoner stuff, if that even counts."
I laughed, which seemed to put her at ease. "I'm sure you could cook something, Haruhi," I said, "The FACS rooms have those portable kitchens with the mirrors overhead? You could whip something up in front of everyone. None of those rich kids know how to cook; It'd be like magic to them."
"Hey, you're right," she laughed, holding her stomach, "I totally should."
We sat there laughing for a bit and joking about what I should do for my part of the talent show before turning back to homework. My phone vibrated in my pocket just as soon as we got started, and I pulled it out to find a ton of missed texts, including the one from Tamaki about the talent show.
But there was another one from him that simply said: I have an idea.
Oh no.
-
Oh, sweet girl.
You've come so far.
I'm so proud of you...
Someday soon, you'll be mine.
And the rest will be history.
I'll show them all...
That our love is unquenchable,
Insatiable,
Unstoppable.
A/N: A talent show? Tamaki acting sus? That's bound to be trouble, right?
How do you feel about the new cover? Excellent, right? I love it!
See you next week, friends!