//Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.//

CHAPTER SIX
SCHOOL BEGINS

Asami feels like someone is watching her. She stares out her bedroom window with a frown on her face as she observes her surroundings. The eerie feeling started a few weeks ago when she came home from her interview. Luckily, she passed the interview portion and has been selected to attend Ouran Academy. She has an inkling that those two interviewers who immediately showed disdain for her last name properly fought to not allow her in. She is thankful that the other interviewees liked her enough to allow her through. She worries about what is going to happen if she has one of those two interviewers as a teacher. Maybe they will try to fail or humiliate her. Her mind gets distracted when the street lights across from the mansion flicker before going completely out. She hums, tilting her head to the side while her thoughts run a mile a minute. This is usually the beginning of horror movies. If the street light comes back on and someone is under it, she is bolting to Tamaki's room for safety. Tamaki has "main character love interest" energy so he'll most likely survive in a horror movie. Asami considers herself the tragic side character that the main characters find themselves helping for an episode and who pops up randomly for plot convenience—meaning that she will be killed during the horror movie. Asami can feel the hair on her arms stand up after she notices a dark figure moving in the shadows of the street light. "Not today," she mumbles and quickly leaves her room, heading down to Tamaki. She knocks on the door and patiently waits. The door opens to reveal a tired Tamaki in his pajamas with horrible bedhead.

"Asami?" He yawns. "It's not time for school yet, right?" He turns his head to look at his alarm clock for the time.

"No, it's only two in the morning. Something freaky happened and I got scared. Can I sleep in here with you?" She asks. His eyes soften and he nods, opening the door wider for her to come in. She walks in and immediately sees that he has bought new black-out curtains. "When did you get those?" She asks, carefully watching his body behavior. He tenses for a minute and that tells her everything. "You've been seeing the dark figure across the street too." He snaps his head towards her with wide eyes.

"They're bothering you too?" He asks.

"I kept having this feeling like—"

"You're being watched." He finishes. She nods her head. "I think it's Maru." He mumbles.

"Are you sure?" She questions, climbing into the left side of his bed. She builds a pillow barrier between the two since she tends to kick in her sleep. This is not the first night the siblings slept in the same bed. It was a bit weird for Asami when Tamaki asked if she wanted to have a sleepover one night after the charity event occurred. She assumed he was fearful that Emica was going to show up in the middle of the night and take her so she indulged him. Ever since then, they typically have one sleepover every week. She appreciates how warm and welcoming Tamaki has been. She loves the normal sibling activity between them since she always wanted siblings growing up. She wonders how things would be if Tamaki was cold and mean to her when they first met. She would've understood that reaction considering they have not seen each other since they were toddlers. She snaps out of her thoughts once more when Tamaki slips into the right side and lays down, staring up at the ceiling.

"No, it's just a feeling because who else could it be?" He freezes. "Oh no, what if it's Emica?" He hisses, jolting up.

"Tamaki, it's not. Remember she's on the other side of the country," which Asami knows is a lie, "and the Ootori police force is tracking her. They'll alert us if she is anywhere near us." She assures him. "Go to sleep. We'll talk to father about this in the morning." He slowly nods his head and settles back down. She flips onto her side facing away from him and closes her eyes. A few moments of silence pass by before the sound of snoring fills the room. She tries to not laugh at how Tamaki snores like a walrus. If any of his customers heard him sleep, they'll probably run in the other direction. She cracks open an eye and stares at the curtains. Could Maru break into the mansion? Could Emica? It's quite concerning to know that each Souh sibling has a person after them—technically Tamaki has two since Emica did want to initially kidnap him too and probably will the next time she gets the chance to. Asami knows that Emica would never hurt them because she wants them to be a perfect family together, but Maru... After hearing about what she did to the other hosts and customers, it is very likely that Maru would hurt them. She frowns and her right fist tightens. She needs to protect Tamaki from both crazy women. He has done so much for her these last few months that is it only fair that she returns the favor.

A soft sigh escapes her while she tries to imagine how tomorrow is going to go. It's the first day of school, the first time she will be taking classes with complete strangers. In Shirakawa, everyone already knew each other by the time they started school due to how small it is. There were only so many kids you could befriend and play with as children. There were only so many places to go to. Everyone ends up running into each toner at least once. These strangers at Ouran probably know her already from the news stories circulating around the internet. Thankfully, the hype around her being found has died down in the last few months. There hasn't been a crazy amount of media waiting outside the mansion to catch a glimpse of her—that doesn't mean the students are going to be like that. They could be all over her because their parents told them to befriend her. Kyoya warned her that many of the male students will probably be seeking her hand in marriage due to her last name. She appreciates him telling her that so she can better prepare herself. She has to remind herself that the only men in the school she can trust are the Host Club. While she didn't quite like them at first, their time together made her fond of them. Each host is incredibly kind once she got to truly know them. None of them have made any moves on her which can be either from them only seeing her as a friend or due to the respect they have for Tamaki so they do not hit on his little sister. Her eyes start to flutter shut as her tiredness wins over. She falls asleep imagining what kind of dessert Mitsukuni will have her try tomorrow.

•••

"I look like a banana!" Asami yells, truly horrified at the sight of what she has to wear as her uniform which includes: a yellow fitted-bodice dress with a pointed white collar that has an attached red loosely-bowed tie and Juliet sleeves ending in a white cuff along with a skirt that is typically calf-length and somewhat puffy; to finish the look off is a pair of white tights and black Mary Jane shoes.

"It's not that bad," Tamaki protests and grabs her hand to twirl her around. "You look like a Princess."

"I look hideous. My hair color does not do well with yellow clothes." Asami shakes her head, eyeing her uniform in absolute disgust. She wishes there wasn't a dress code at the school so she could wear what she wants. She turns and glares heavily at Tamaki. "At least the boy's uniform is actually nice looking." Tamaki strikes a pose in the mirror, showing off his nice uniform which includes: straight black trousers and a pale blue blazer, with a long or short-sleeved white shirt and black Windsor-knotted silk tie underneath—the tie accented by a narrow purple band running vertically down its center length and the blazer has an Ouran Academy seal sewn onto the left breast—black socks and loafers complete the look. "Why can't the girl's uniform be a cute version of that?" She whines. He grins at the sight of his sister acting like a child. While most people may be annoyed at this behavior, he finds it amusing. He missed all her childhood years full of her whining and crying. At least they can make up for that lost experience with her current attitude towards the uniform.

"You can always talk to father and see if he'll let you change the girls' uniform." He suggests. A gleam lights up in her eyes at that suggestion.

"Good idea, remind me to do that later." She comments and he nods his head, taking out his phone to put a reminder in so he also does not forget. A meow catches their attention and they turn to see Salem trotting toward them. Salem rubs against Asami's leg while purring. "Awe, are you going to miss me?" She bends down and picks him up gently. He bumps her chin with his head and she plants a kiss on his forehead. He purrs loudly, lifting his paw and lazily patting her face with it. "You're too cute." She says with a smile. She glances to see Tamaki glaring at the duo in jealousy. The male cats still openly seek Asami out more than Tamaki while the female cats are still their aloof selves.

"I just want one cat to prefer me." He pouts. Another meow catches their attention and Gremlin is slowly strolling toward them. He stops, glancing up at Asami, and sees Salem getting her attention. A huff emits from the cat's mouth before he turns and goes over to Tamaki. Stars appear around Tamaki's head as he dramatically bends down with his arms open wide. "Yes, come to daddy!" Asami eyes him warily, honestly thinking her brother may have a daddy kink without knowing it. Gremlin seems to be launching toward Tamaki to welcome the hug, but the last second leans left and misses him. Gremlin continues to walk down the hallway without another glance at the duo. The stars around Tamaki fall to the ground in shattered pieces as dark lines appear on his face. He is frozen in his pose. Asami leans down, letting Salem go, and approaches Tamaki.

"Are you okay?" She asks, snapping her fingers in front of his face. In a flash, Tamaki is hanging off her figure as he sobs.

"Why don't they like me?" He cries. She softly pats his head, wincing at how tight his hold is.

"They'll warm up to you soon. Try feeding them a few treats every day." She comments. He nods his head as his sobs turn into little sniffles.

"Miss and Mr. Souh," the siblings look over to see a maid, Harumi, awkwardly standing there. "Your driver is pulled up front to take you to school."

"Thank you for letting us know." Asami smiles at her, pushing Tamaki off her. The siblings head downstairs to the front door. "What should I expect?" She asks with a sigh.

"A boring day." He replies as they enter the car.

"That makes me so excited to go to school." She sarcastically states. "Is the host club happening after school today?"

"Of course, we have to welcome all the young ladies to the academy." He tells her while pulling out his phone after it dings. "Do you think a cat cafe theme would go over well with the ladies?" He inquires.

"Is Kyoya asking you for themes?" She asks which he nods his head yes to. "I'm surprised he's trusting you with that," she cocks an eyebrow. "Yes, the ladies would love a cat cafe theme day. We could bring our own cats." The two exchange a smile before he texts Kyoya back. A very quick ding is heard and the smile falls from his face.

"He says no, that we cannot have cats due to some ladies being allergic and because they need kitty litter and their pee will stink the room up." He sulks. She scoffs and pulls out her phone.

"Let me talk to him." He brightens up and leans forward on his knees with his head in his hands, stars twinkling in his eyes. He wonders how he got such a wonderful sister who is willing to do anything to make him happy—even if it means going up against the devil.

From: Asami
you can always give allergy medicine or masks and gloves to the ladies who are allergic and the kitty litters can be put in that separate room that the weird club uses.

From: Greedy Devil
List the benefits of a cat cafe theme and I may consider it.

From: Asami
Easy, women love animals especially cute and cuddly ones. By spreading the word about how guests can come and play with cats for a day and even adopt one, you will have more ladies showing up. You may even have a few male guests looking for a new pet. You can partner with animal shelters
to provide this opportunity for their cats to be adopted if they provide you with the necessary equipment such as kitty litter and cat food that the cats will need during the duration of the day. The cat care will not make a dent in the budget plan. All you'll have to pay for is whatever decorations Tamaki and food Mitsukuni decide on.

Asami hears a ding in front of her and looks up to see Tamaki cheering happily, raising his hands in the air in a victory pose. "He said we can do a cat cafe!" She smiles at him, happily cheering as well when her phone dings and she glances down.

From: Greedy Devil
You're responsible for finding an animal shelter to partner with us and convincing the Black Magic Club to allow us to use their room. Let me know when it is done so I can make the financial arrangements.

Asami sighs and slides her phone back into her pocket. She should've expected that. She watches as her brother practically vibrates in pure excitement and happiness. Maybe today will be a good day.

•••

Today was not a good day. Asami's smile from walking to her class with Tamaki and listening to him babble on about what classes she should be taking vanishes when she notices who is in her class. She knows the twins are her age, but she truly assumed they would be placed in different classes. Hikaru and Kaoru notice her, waving at her with devious grins on their faces. Tamaki bristles and points at his glaring eyes before pointing at them. The twins mockingly cross their hearts to promise that they'll be good to her. "Can I switch classes?" She asks. "They're going to torment me." While the twins and she have grown closer, they do tend to pull pranks on her and call her their 'toy'—which she truly does not appreciate.

"You're too smart to be put in any other class." He informs her and pats her cheek. "Let me know if they annoy you too much, I can make Kyoya double their customers for the day." She smiles at him and the siblings bid each other goodbye. She slides into the room, trying to not focus on how everyone's eyes are glued to her form as they whisper to each other. Kaoru stands and moves over to the desk on his left to leave an empty desk in between the twins. Hikaru pats the desk and a sigh escapes her before she heads over. She sits in the chair, placing her books, notepad, and pencils down on the desk. She flinches when a finger pokes her right cheek. She turns to see Hikaru leaning in close to her.

"How's our new favorite toy doing?" He asks.

"Stop calling me that." She grumbles, dramatically lifting her desk and scooting it closer to Kaoru. Hikaru scolds and places a hand over his heart in mock hurt. Kaoru wraps an arm around Asami and the duo sticks their tongues out at him. The trio is unaware of the wide eyes staring at them and the whispers concerning them. No one has seen the twins be so welcoming and warm to someone in their lives. The twins have always lived in their little world by themselves before they allowed the Host Club to enter and now it seems they may be willing to allow another person to enter their world. "Tamaki wasn't very helpful in talking about the teachers. Do you know who our teachers are?" She curiously asks.

"Not clue." The twins chorus while simultaneously shrugging. "We were too busy playing on our phones to pay attention to whatever was told to us by Tamaki. Mi'lord talks too much." She snorts at the nickname they call her brother.

"Hopefully it's no one that interviewed me because I had a few that were against me due to my last name." She sighed.

"Get used to it," Hikaru comments, "there's going to be girls coming after you simply because you're Tamaki's sister."

"They do understand Tamaki and I are not romantically involved, right?" She turns to Kaoru in desperation for someone to agree with her after seeing how Hikaru shook his head. To her misfortune, Kaoru only sadly smiles at her and shakes his head too.

"They truly think Hikaru and I are together. Why would they think that Tamaki and you are any different?" He points out before standing up and 'tripping' into Hikaru's arms. Fake tears swell in his eyes as he cups Hikaru's cheeks. "You saved me from getting hurt, my hero." Asami watches in amazement at the number of girls who swooned at the sight. She knew what her brother and his club does yet she has never seen them in action until now. She gags a bit, covering her mouth when Hikaru strokes Kaoru's hair out of his face and smiles down at him.

"I should've listened to Tamaki. You two are heathens." She shivers in disgust. She perks up when she spots a familiar person sitting in the corner away from everyone. As she gets up to go say hi, their teacher walks in. "Oh lord, why do you despise me?" The twins send her a curious look as she slams her head against her desk as defeat lines appear around her body. Kaoru shuffles back to the seat on her left and awkwardly pats her back.

"My name is Hori Yukio and I will be your mathematic teacher for this year." His eyes zero on Asami. "I hope you all will meet my expectations and maybe even soar above them."

"What did you do?" Hikaru whispers. "I have not seen that look of hatred from a teacher in a while."

"He thinks I'm a nepotism student which is ridiculous considering most of you are nepotism children so why does it even matter?" She grumbles. "Plus I didn't even grow up with my family so I never got the privileges of being a Souh until now." The twins wince at that statement because truthfully, they cannot imagine being kidnapped and living with the kidnapper for more than a decade.

"Since you are the advanced first-year class, I will be teaching you algebra and trigonometry while the other classes will be learning geometry. I do hope you all have a solid foundation in geometry because you will need it." Yukio informs them. He turns away and begins to write on the chalkboard. Written on the board is an equation: x/100 = 2/20. "Now who can solve this for me?" Many hands lift into the air—including Asami's. She is determined to get on this man's good side. His eyes lock with hers and a smirk comes to his face. "Miss Souh, please come here." She raises from her chair and approached the board. He hands her the chalk and steps back with his arms crossed. She multiples both sides by 100 which leaves her with x=200/20 which divides and leaves her with x=10. She circles her answer, placing the chalk back on the little tray underneath the board. "Thank you, please sit." She heads back to her seat and slides in with her heart beating out of her chest. She knows her answer is correct yet she is still fearful of what he is going to say. "Can someone explain what her thought process was to solve this?" He points at a random person, "Mr. Okakura."

"We must solve for x so we need to isolate it. She does this by multiplying both sides by 100 to leave only the x on the left side. This causes the right side to become 200/20. Then it is simple solving after that point because 200/20 is 10 this x equals 10." Okakura answers.

"Correct." Yukio erases the equation and writes a new one: 30= 10+2x. "Miss Souh, can you come up and answer this question as well?" Asami holds in her sigh because she knows that he is testing her. She reaches the chalkboard and begins to work on the problem. She divides both sides by 2 which leaves her with 15=5+x and she then subtracted the 5 from both sides which leaves her with 10=x. She circles her answer and heads back to her desk once more. "As you can see, she is isolating the x once again but it requires more steps in this equation. Not only did she divide, but she also had to subtract to get x by itself. This is merely the basics and you will have a test on this material in two days. Open your textbooks to page 34. You will be doing exercises," he writes on the chalkboard #1-100, "one through one hundred; however, only do the odds. We will be working on the evens during class today." For the rest of the period, Yukio would write the even equation questions on the chalkboard and force someone to come up and answer them. He then called on someone else to explain what the previous student did. Asami is a bit annoyed that they are going over something so easy on the first day. She has already learned this during junior high, why are they relearning it? She holds in her complaints and sighs to avoid receiving any criticism from Yukio. Eventually, the bell rings and he erases the board. "Remember to do your homework and study for the test." Asami raises from her desk along with the twins. She quietly follows them to their next class which is history.

"Good luck trying to please Mr. Hori," Kaoru shakes his head in disbelief, "he kept calling you to solve the equations in hopes you wouldn't be able to."

"What a prick." Hikaru comments causing Asami to snort. They finally reach their class and she relaxes when she realizes she does not know who this person is meaning she might have an easier time in this class. They enter, quickly finding seats in the back and sitting in the same order as they did in the previous class.

"Hello, you lot already look quite tired." She laughs. "My name is Nakamura Etsuko and I will be your history teacher for this year. What you learn will not be different from the other classes; however, your workload will be harsher and we will move faster than they do through the material. Open your textbooks to page 13 where the Jōmon period begins." She writes numerous things on the chalkboard: Incipient, Initial, Early, Middle, Late, and Final. "What do these names refer to?" She glances at the name chart accompanied by pictures of the students. "Mr. Hikaru Hitachiin."

"They refer to the several phases that the Jōmon period is broken up into." Hikaru answers.

"Correct. Mr. Kaoru Hitachiin, can you tell me what years each period lasted?" Etsuko asks.

"The Incipient phase was from 13,750 to 8,500 BCE. The Initial phase was from 8,500 to 5,000 BCE. The Early phase was from 5,000 to 3,520 BCE. The Middle phase was from 3,520 to 2,740 BCE. The Late phase was from 2,750 to 1,250 BCE. The Final phase was from 1,250 to 500 BCE." Kaoru replies as his cheeks become light pink. Asami wonders if the shy blushing is just an act for the girls when she watches a few swoon quietly over him. Etsuko writes the years beside each phase on the chalkboard.

"The Incipient and Initial phases are often combined in history books. We will go around the room reading the first chapter together starting at the front of this row and snaking around until we end with this row. I do not assign homework often so instead, I grade your notes at the end of the week. Make sure you are paying attention and taking good notes because these will be the only grades you receive besides a few essays and exams." Etsuko informs the class. Asami scowls at that. She never really takes notes because she naturally remembers most things that are taught to her—this makes studying for exams rough sometimes.  "Miss Sakai, please start us off."

"At first, Japan's society was centered around hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants for sustenance, with different areas adopting different lifestyles. Those living near the sea relied heavily on fishing, while those further inland tended to hunt. The Jomon people, who lived in small communities, developed a unique culture, known for their intricate pottery adorned with intricate designs and patterns. Many villages also had presumed ceremonial stone platforms and storage pits. Initially, villages consisted of simple shelters that later evolved into pithouses constructed around a central fireplace, supported by pillars, and housing about five people each. Settlement locations varied depending on climate changes; during colder periods, communities were nearer to the sea, as evidenced by larger piles of shells and fish bones. In warmer times, settlements moved further inland to take advantage of flourishing flora and fauna." She stops and the next student picks up where she left off. Time moves extra slowly during this class as Asami reads along and takes notes. Unfortunately for Asami, she is next to read aloud.

"During the Middle to Late Jomon Periods, the Jomon people buried infants in large jars, while adults were interred in pits or shell mounds near villages, often with ceremonial offerings and other ornaments. As early as the earlier Jomon phases, the Jomon created clay dogu figurines, which started as flat images ranging from 3 to 30 centimeters in size. These figurines became more widespread and numerous during the Middle Jomon phase, and by the Late Jomon phase, they acquired three-dimensional features. Many of these figures depicted pregnant women to boost fertility, while others depicted regular people. Sometimes, the figurines were broken, as it was believed that any bad luck or illness would pass to the figurine rather than the living person it represented. Males entering puberty often underwent ritualistic teeth pulling, the reason for which is unknown. Stone circles have also been found around Jomon villages in northern Japan, but their purpose remains unclear, though some theorize that they were used for hunting or fishing." She finishes.

"I believe that is a good place to stop. We will pick up learning about the Yayoi period next time." The bell rings again. They attend two more classes before it is time for lunch.  Asami leans backward and lifts her hands above her head, successfully cracking her back. A sigh of relief emits from her mouth as she raises from the desk and slings her bag over her shoulder.

"I am so ready to eat," She groans.

"Was that your back?" Hikaru has a look of disgust on his face. She rolls her eyes at him.

"Yes, it was. I can't help it that I have the back of an eighty year old woman." She states.

"Maybe you should go see a chiropractor." Kaoru suggests as the trio make their way to the lunch room.

"Chiropractors are quacks."

"No, they're not." The twins shakes their heads at her. "We go to a chiropractor occasionally and always feel better afterwards."

"They're just cracking your bones which I can do myself."

"They're licensed healthcare professionals who specialize in the human musculoskeletal system. They're better equipped to crack our bodies to fix our problems since they know what not to do to avoid paralyzing or hurting us." Kaoru and Asami both blink in surprise at the words coming out of Hikaru's mouth. He glares at them and huffs. "What are those looks for?"   

"I'm just surprised you know so many big words." She comments causing Kaoru to let out a laugh which he tries to cough to cover up when he sees the sharp look from Hikaru.

"You both earned yourselves a prank." Hikaru growls as he stomps away from them.

"Hikaru, don't take it too seriously!" Asami and Kaoru call out and rush after the easily angered boy.

The lunch period was spent with Asami and Kaoru apologizing to Hikaru while begging him not to prank him—they kept a close eye on their food just in case he sneaked a prank on them.

•••

It has been a few days since school started. Asami is quietly working on her schoolwork in the corner of the room as her brother and his friends get the club ready for later today. She passed her math exam and they've moved on to the next lesson. She, thankfully, got a good grade on her notes in history class. Her Japanese and English classes have yet to grade anything, but she is currently working on an essay for both classes. Her science class is covering the scientific method and will be conducting an experiment soon. She has barely spoken to anyone besides the host club and her brother—not like she hasn't tried because she has yet the twins distract her and pull her away from the person. She briefly wonders if they're doing it on purpose. Haruhi is the only person that she has actually talked to since they have been paired up in science class. She appreciates the nonchalant and honest attitude of Haruhi. Haruhi is a breath of fresh air in this school full of nepotism snobs. Asami has ran into Kazuki while walking to another class. Kazuki is in class 1-C due to his average grades, average money and low family prestige which explains why she didn't see him on the first day of school. The two regularly text, but have not found a moment to hang out yet since they're busy doing other things. Koari and Hikari successfully got into Nekoma High School like they wanted. Kaori, being the weirdo she is, has been begging to be the boy volleyball team's manager. Hikari says that they already have a manager and it seems that Kaori is going to have to wait for that manager to graduate. Asami phone dings and she opens it to see a message from her friends.

GROUP CHAT NAME:
CONFESSIONS AT CHURCH

From: Sinner Hikari

*a picture of Kaori creepily watching a private volleyball practice through a window*

She's going to get us arrested

From: Goddess Asami

Kaori, stop being a stalker

From: Saint Kaori

I am not a stalker! I am merely passionate about Kozume's volleyball success

From: Pastor Kazuki

Leave that poor boy and his team alone before you do become a full fledged stalker

From: Saint Kaori

How many times do I have to say that I am not a stalker and will never be a stalker

From: Goddess Asami

As many times as it takes for us to believe you

"Ami-chan," Asami looks up to see Mitsukuni appear with cute flowers floating around him, "can you help me make some strawberry shortcake when you're done working on your essays?" She slides her phone back in her pocket and smiles at him.

"I've gotten a lot done so I can come help you now." She says and he grabs her hand, beginning to pull toward the door when suddenly, a noise signals that someone is opening the door.

"Sorry, Ami-chan!" Mitsukuni releases her hand and goes to stand in his position. Tamaki is in the middle, sitting on a chair with the twins standing to his left and Mitsukuni stands beside him on his right with Kyoya and then Takashi right behind the duo. She sighs and goes to sit back in her spot when she sees the door fully open to reveal Haruhi. Asami pauses, completely shocked that Haruhi would even come here. Haruhi is fighting off the board of rose petals that have descended on her.

"Welcome!" The host club choruses.

"Oh it's a guy." The twins comment, their fake smiles dropping off their faces. Asami furrows her eyebrows that they think Haruhi is a guy, but doesn't correct them. Haruhi has been mistaken as a guy ever since she cut her hair—since some kid out gum in it—and Haruhi has told Asami that she doesn't mind being called a guy so Asami doesn't have to correct everyone that says it. She shrugs her shoulders and sits down, taking a sip out of her milk black tea with popping boba drink as she watches the scene before her.

"Watch your mouth. He is our most important guests even if he is a guy." Tamaki scolds the twins. He dramatically stands up and holds his hand out, having his hair swing beautifully around his face. "Welcome to Ouran Host Club, rare scholarship student, Fujioka Haruhi!"

"How did you know?" Haruhi looks a bit creeped out that they know her name.

Private school Ouran is first about pedigree and second about money. Rich people have free time, thus, this host club was created by six beautiful high school students with lots of free time to serve those female students with lots of free time. It is a luxuriant recreation for super rich school.

"It seems the tone of our school doesn't fit for commoners, so if you don't have a lot of nerve to be here, you can't get a scholarship here. If I didn't know all about you, I shouldn't be in this school." Kyoya comments while pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Yeah, thank you for explaining so kindly." Haruhi sarcastically says and glares at Kyoya.

"So to speak, you are a hero Fujioka-kun!" Tamaki screeches in her face, grabbing her shoulders in excitement. "Even if you are the top student, you are also the poorest in the school," Asami thinks back to Kazuki and realizes that he doesn't have a scholarship so he pays for everything out of pocket. So the scholarship must only go to the student who absolutely needs it the most. "People will call you a weed, and you will be despised as a lower person!"

"Wait, you don't have to..." Haruhi gets cut off by more of Tamaki's dramatics.

"Don't worry, I praise the poorest! What is important to the hero is the reckless spirit! Welcome to the luxuriant world, oh poorest person." Tamaki taps his chin. "I cannot believe that the rumored student is gay." Asami has her mouth covered with her hands as she tries to not burst out laughing when Haruhi lets out a big, 'huh,' at those words. "What would you like? The wild type? The boy Lolita type? The little devil type? The cool type? Or," suddenly, Tamaki is caressing Haruhi's face and their lips are fairly close to touching, "would you like to try me?" Haruhi slaps Tamaki's hands off of her and begins to back up while shaking her head.

"You misunderstood, I just..." Haruhi gets cut off once more.

"Haru-chan, are you a hero?" Mitsukuni cutely asks. "I want to hear the story about when you saved the queen."

"Who have you permission to call me Haru-Chan!" She shouts, continuing to back up. Mitsukuni gets visibly upset and Asami approaches him along with Takashi. The two gently pat his head. "Anyway, I was just looking for somewhere quiet to study. Please excuse," a large crash sounds as Haruhi bumps into a vase and it falls to the ground, breaking. Asami winces because she knows how expensive that vase is considering she helped them pick it out.

"That Renaissance vase was suppose to be the feature for the school auction." Hikaru sighs.

"What will we do? We were going to start the bidding at 8 million yen." Kaoru crosses his arms in annoyance.

"8 million yen!" Haruhi blanches. "I'll pay it back..."

"Can you? You can't even buy your own uniform." Hikaru scoffs. Asami leaves Mitsukuni to hit him on the back of his head. Hikaru grumbles while rubbing his sore head and shots her a look. 'Be nice,' she hisses toward him.

"What's with the lame clothes you're wearing anyway?" Kaoru asks and receives a blow to the head as well. "What was that for?"

"For being a prick like your brother!" She growls, reaching up to pull both twins' ears. They yelp and start begging for her to release them as she drags them to the corner of the room. "You two need to be nicer to others." Haruhi watches in brief amusement at Asami acting like a mother toward the twins before she overhears the other two males.

"What would you do, Tamaki?" Kyoya questions.

"Do you know this proverb, Fujioka-kun?" Tamaki mutters, rubbing his chin before pointing at her, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do! If you have no money, then pay with your body. From now on, you are the host club's dog!" The twins escape Asami and appear on either side of Haruhi, mockingly barking at her. Asami smiles apologetically at Haruhi.

•••

Asami yawns, drying her hair off with the towel as she enters her room. Haruhi will officially be the host club's dog starting tomorrow. The poor girl has no idea what she's gotten herself into. She gets dressed in some pajama bottoms and a tank top before climbing into her bed. She scrolls through social media, raising an eyebrow when she comes across a picture of her and Mitsukuni on the host club's Instagram. The duo are in the kitchen baking the strawberry shortcake. He has a smile on his face while she seems to be laughing at something that was said. She reads the caption, 'As Asami and Honey once said, "let them eat cake." Come to Music Room 3 and try their treats!' She shakes her head at the ridiculous caption knowing that Tamaki probably came up with it. The picture was only posted an hour ago and it already has over five hundred likes and two hundred comments. She saves her sanity and does not read any comments, knowing that some of them are probably ripping her apart. The host club posted a picture of Tamaki and her to introduce her to their customers and the comments were horrendous. Most of them ripped into her appearance and her kidnapping, saying that she must be faking being related to Tamaki and that she doesn't belong in their world and need to go back with her kidnapper. Girls are ruthless when it comes to the guys they like. She plugs her phone in and lays it on her nightstand. She closes her eyes, drifting off to sleep as she imagines what tomorrow will be like with Haruhi working for the host club. Sleep fully takes her and she does not hear her phone ding, alerting her to a new message.

From: Unknown

*see attached file*

I only wish for you to know the truth, my little butterfly.