Chapter 32 | The Refreshing Battle of Karuizawa!

--one day later--

~Third Person POV~

Ring, ring, ring!

"Hikaru... your phone is ringing..." Kaoru grumbled as he tried grabbing his pillow and slamming it down on his ears to drown out the annoying sound.

A few seconds later, the sound didn't stop.

Ring, ring, ring!

"Hikaru..."

"Kaoru, you answer it..."

Ring, ring, ring!

"Hikaru, with all due respect, get your lazy-ass up and answer your God damn phone...," Kaoru groaned. "That ringtone is Tono's..."

Hikaru groaned back. But, he eventually gave in and picked up his phone. "Ugh... Why should we have to be awakened just barely one day into summer vacation by his ringtone??? Why can't he call someone else??? He wakes up too early... I mean, has he ever heard of a weekend...?" he demanded, quite cranky from being woken up.

Then, he and Kaoru sat up in their king-size bed.

"I really didn't want to be woken up by milord..." Kaoru grumbled.

"Oh, believe me, I know you didn't..." Hikaru said. Kaoru looked at him.

"Why do you say it like that? It's not like you wanted to be woken up either..."

"Yeah, but I wasn't the one having a creepy fantasy dream..."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "What?"

"You were having a fantasy dream about Arabella."

"W-What?! No, I wasn't...!" Kaoru immediately said.

Ring, ring, ring!

"Yes, yes you were. Don't lie, Kaoru. It's pathetic." Hikaru said.

"I was not dreaming about Arabella!"

"I heard you saying her name in your sleep. And you were saying it like you were finally professing your undying love to her," Hikaru pointed out. "You said her name in your sleep several times last night."

Kaoru turned pink. "Th-That means nothing...!" he studdered.

Ring, ring, ring!

"God, save it already, Kaoru--it's way more than obvious that you're in love with this girl." Hikaru said.

Kaoru turned pinker. "I-I am NOT!"

"I smell a liar. And not a good one." Hikaru said.

Ring, ring, ring!

"Just answer the damn phone, Hikaru! We can talk about your false accusations later." Kaoru snapped. Hikaru rolled his eyes.

"The only thing false here is what you're telling me about not liking Arabella when you so clearly do." Hikaru said.

Ring, ring, ring!

Kaoru glared at him before he rolled his eyes again and finally answered the phone. "Hello?"

"MY LITTLE GIRLS!!! MY LITTLE GIRLS ARE GONE!!! HARUHI AND ARABELLA ARE OFF THE GRID!!! MY DAUGHTERS HAVE BEEN KIDNAPPED!!!" Tamaki screamed through the phone.

Hikaru flinched at the volume of his voice. "What?"

"MY DAUGHTERS!!! I CAN'T GET THROUGH TO THEM!!! THEY WON'T ANSWER THEIR PHONES!!! THEY'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!!! CALL THE POLICE!!! MAYDAY!!! MAYDAY!!! WE NEED AN EMERGENCY DEPLOYMENT OF THE SDF!!!" Tamaki screeched.

Hikaru and Kaoru both flinched this time.

"Calm down, boss. And, what now?" Hikaru said.

"What's happening?" Kaoru asked.

"DID YOU TWO NOT LISTEN TO A WORD I SAID?!?! I SAID, HARUHI AND ARABELLA ARE OFF THE GRID!!! THEY'RE MISSING!!! PROBABLY KIDNAPPED!!!"

Hikaru and Kaoru's eyes widened.

"What?!" Hikaru shouted.

"Haruhi and Arabella are missing?!" Kaoru shouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Eh?! Haru-chan and Ara-chan are missing?!" Honey said into his phone, sitting up in his bed at his estate. Tamaki had called him.

"What? Missing? Bankrupt and fled by night?" Mori asked over the phone call. Tamaki had called him as well.

"Yes! I've called both of them time and time again, for several hours straight, and they're not answering!!!" Tamaki said over the phone, panicked. "And I've called both their families! They're not answering their phones either!!! I'm sure both families were unable to pay for their living environments! Haruhi's father probably couldn't afford to pay the rent, and Arabella's mother was probably way behind on her payment for their house!!! They've been forced into servitude!!! Otherwise, why would they flee into the night?!?!"

"Oh no...!!! Haru-chan and Ara-chan are in trouble!!! They'll be gone from our lives forever!!!" Honey cried.

"Tono, calm down. Are you sure you called both their cellphones?" Hikaru said.

"Yes, I'm sure! I've called them a million times!!!" Tamaki shouted. Then, his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "I know! There must be a hidden society among the commoners called the Fly-by-Nighters...!"

"Forgive me for interrupting your dramatic delusion, but both Haruhi and Arabella are in Karuizawa." Kyoya said, who had been contacted as well.

Tamaki's eyes widened again. "Not only did Haruhi and Arabella go bankrupt, flee into the night, and get kidnapped, but they're in Karuizawa?"

Kyoya sighed. "Calm down, would you? If you're so desperate to get to them, I've got somewhat of an idea."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you so much!"

"Come back again, soon!"

Haruhi and Arabella watched as their guests left. Then, they got back to cleaning off the tables.

Someone walked in the door.

Haruhi and Arabella turned to greet them. "Welcome!" they both said.

Both girls had come to Karuizawa for part of the summer to work at a bed & breakfast. Which, so far, is what they've been doing.

"This is so great! Thank you again for getting me this awesome summer job!" Arabella said as she and Haruhi worked.

"Of course, Arabella! I'm glad that you and I get to work together! And I'm also glad we get a break from the Host Club." Haruhi said.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, I love them, but they can be a bit... exhausting at times..." Arabella said.

"Amen, to that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, Haruhi and Arabella are in Karuizawa?" Kaoru asked.

"It seems so." Hikaru said.

Two of their maids appeared. "Good morning." they said in unison.

"Good morning." Hikaru and Kaoru replied.

"Your breakfast is ready!" their maids said.

"Alright. We'll be right there." Hikaru said.

The maids bowed. "Excuse us." Then, they left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ya' know, I was a little anxious about not telling the Host Club where we went..." Arabella said as she and Haruhi strung up the laundry outside the pension.

"I sure wasn't. I'm glad we're getting a break from them. Like you said before: they're exhausting." Haruhi said.

"I know, but what if they're worried about us? I mean, you know Tamaki has the habit of overreacting to most things. What if they think we've been... Oh, I dunno... kidnapped, or something of that nature?" Arabella said.

"Come on, Arabella. They might not be the sharpest guys around, but they're not that stupid. In fact, they're all probably doing their own things as they told us; they're probably not even giving us a second thought." Haruhi said.

Arabella nodded. "You're probably right--they're not that stupid. They probably barely even noticed we were gone!" she said.

Haruhi smiled. "Exactly. Now, look," she said as she and Arabella looked around. "This scenery is so nice, and the air is so clear and fresh..."

"Delightful, indeed. In fact, we should be able to get some studying done for next year while we're here!" Arabella said.

Haruhi nodded. "I know. Great, isn't it? So peaceful and quiet and beautiful," she said. "So, anyway, I've been meaning to ask you this for awhile, but it was never the right time. Seeing as we're alone, I think this is the perfect time to talk about it--what's going on between you and Kaoru?"

Arabella's eyes widened. "What? Nothing. Nothing at all. Why would you even ask that?" she said, turning a bit pink.

"Look, Arabella, I know that you're pretty smart on most things, but not this. Are you seriously saying you haven't noticed how you two look at each other? You clearly like Kaoru, and I think he likes you too. You two light up whenever you're near the other. It's obvious. You and Kaoru are the only ones who aren't acknowledging this." Haruhi said.

"Yeah, because there's nothing to acknowledge. Kaoru and I don't like each other that way. Besides, I don't want a boyfriend. I'm not at all interested in that sort of thing." Arabella said.

"I know it's probably not any of my business, but I've noticed something about you ever since you joined the Host Club--you tend to shut people out, so they can't get too close. You build up walls between you and other people and almost never interact with them. Any person can see you have trust issues, Arabella. What I don't understand is why. You don't have to tell me, it's okay. I just thought you should know what I know." Haruhi said.

Arabella just stood there, not saying anything. Should I tell Haruhi? Can she handle it? Do I WANT to tell her? she thought to herself.

Just as Arabella was about to open her mouth and say something, something interrupted her from doing so.

Namely a helicopter.

"MY LITTLE GIRLS!!! Haruhi, Arabella, are you okay?!?! Don't worry, daddy is here!!!"

Tamaki.

Tamaki was in a helicopter, shouting down at the girls.

Haruhi and Arabella just stared, wide eyed.

"And... there goes our peaceful and quiet and beautiful vacation..." Haruhi grumbled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh my! What handsome, handsome boys we have here!!! Are you all friends of Haruhi and Arabella's???" Miszuru Sonoda said, Haruhi and Arabella's boss and the owner of the pension.

"He's a tranny..." Hikaru whispered to Kaoru, who just nodded.

Miszuru smiled. "You can call me Susuzu-chi!"

"He's an old friend of Ranka, Haruhi's father, and worked with him at the same shop, way back." Kyoya said.

"How do you know that?" Tamaki asked, suspicious.

"Yeah, seriously..." Haruhi said.

"I started this business here two years back! It was my dream, you know? Running this adorable pension!" Miszuru said.

"But, why are Haru-chan and Ara-chan working here?" Honey asked.

"Well, Ranka is always away on business, and while he's away, he's worried about Haruhi, so he had Miszuru here take her in. And, also, Haruhi invited Arabella to come work with her at the pension, so Miszuru took her in as well." Kyoya said.

"Like I said, how do you know all this???" Tamaki said, getting more suspicious.

"Yeah, really..." Haruhi said. Arabella nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I took them both in. Now, I still can't afford to hire any employees, so having Haruhi and Arabella come here has been a tremendous help! They're really such hard workers! I feel bad that their wages are low...," Miszuru said. Then, he smiled at Haruhi and Arabella. "Oh, Haruhi, Arabella, you both look so cute in those aprons~! I made them myself!"

The Host Club gave them a thumbs-up. "And a good job you did at that, Miszuru-chi!" Tamaki said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"A job, huh? So that's why you both turned down our invitation to Bali, is it?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked.

"Takashi and I also invited them to go to Switzerland with us, which they also said no to..." Honey said.

"I don't have a passport." Haruhi said.

"And the only one I have, my mom won't let me use unless she's going with me." Arabella said.

"Which is why I suggested we use one of our domestic resorts, at a discount." Kyoya said.

Tamaki glared. "Why are you guys just inviting Haruhi and Arabella out by yourselves like this?" he questioned. "Are you just out for yourselves? Have you no sense of solidarity? I work so hard as your president, day in and day out, to come up with plans so that all of us can enjoy ourselves together..."

"You turned off your cellphones, didn't you???" Hikaru asked the girls.

"You can't do that!" Kaoru said.

"But it's such a pain, especially when you're supposed to be on vacation." Haruhi said.

"Most definitely." Arabella agreed.

"No offense, but can't you all just leave please? We'll all see each other again, come the new term anyhow." Haruhi said.

"Yeah, and we're all free to spend our vacations on our own and how we want to, right?" Arabella said.

Kyoya suddenly pulled out a book. "'School rule number nine: part-time work is prohibited'." he read.

Haruhi and Arabella froze. "Uh... Erm... I-Is that right...?" they both mumbled.

Hikaru and Kaoru smirked. "Did you hear that? Haruhi and Arabella have jobs without the school's permission..." Hikaru whispered.

"My, they have some nerve, huh?" Kaoru whispered back.

"Every once in awhile, it'd be nice to come out in Karuizawa! To get out of the heat!" Honey said.

"I have gotten tired of vacationing over seas..." Kyoya said.

"It is true; you are free to spend your vacation how you want, but so are we! In which case, you have no grounds to stop us." Tamaki said.

Haruhi's right eye twitched. Arabella pressed her lips together tightly.

"Let's all stay at this lovely pension in the VIP guestrooms!" Tamaki said.

Haruhi and Arabella looked like they were about to faint.

"Accidenti..." [[Translation: "Damn it..."]] Arabella mumbled.

However, Tamaki heard her. "Bless you!" he said, thinking Arabella had sneezed.

Arabella glared at him. "Thanks..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm sorry, I'd like all of you to stay here, but unfortunately, I only have one guest room available!" Miszuru said.

"One guest room, you say? What else can be done? Very well, I, being the president, will stay here and represent everyone!" Tamaki said.

Honey frowned. "Tama-chan, that's not fair!" he said.

"Are you just out for yourself? Have you no solidarity?" Hikaru and Kaoru mocked Tamaki. "You were the one who was complaining about it so much before!"

Tamaki glared at them before his eyes widened.

"Am I being unfair...? Am I out only for myself...?" Tamaki muttered to himself.

"Hey, Tono! We just came up with a fun game to play! Wanna play with us?" Hikaru said.

"We call it the Guestroom Refreshing Job Contest in Karuizawa." Kaoru said.

That got Tamaki's attention. He looked at the twins.

"We'll work all day here at the pension, where, in fact, they say they are shorthanded." Hikaru explained.

"And, whoever makes the best impression on Miszuru-san gets to stay in the guestroom!" Kaoru explained.

Miszuru smiled. "Sounds fun! Alright, alright, I'm in on this plan! Yes, if the one who I choose at most refreshing stays here, then it will undoubtedly lead to increased popularity for my pension!!!" he said excitedly.

"Our finest regards to you!" Hikaru and Kaoru said.

"I'm going to work you to the bone!" Miszuru said as he pointed at the boys. "Until I make my decision, I will not treat you as guests!"

Haruhi smiled grimly. "Haha... sounds fun..." she grumbled. Arabella gave her a pat on the back.

"It'll be okay...! Our summer isn't quite doomed...! We can just ignore them! That shouldn't be too hard, right...?" she comforted Haruhi. Haruhi groaned again in response.

"Whatever you say..." Haruhi mumbled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bang, bang, bang!

Another nail went into the fence.

Honey sat in a lawn chair eating cake as he watched Tamaki hammer away.

"You know, this is the first time in my life I've ever held a hammer..." Tamaki mumbled as he worked.

"Having a job can be pretty harsh, huh?" Honey sighed.

"You there!"

Honey and Tamaki turned to see Miszuru standing over them.

"Complaining is forbidden! Minus three refresh points!" Miszuru said.

Tamaki and Honey panicked.

Just as they did, the hammer went down on one of Tamaki's fingers.

Tamaki immediately released it and reeled away, howling in pain.

He held his now injured finger, which was starting to swell. "It hurts... it hurts..."

Miszuru shook his head at Tamaki. "You look disgraceful! Minus another--hm?"

Honey had appeared in front of him, making the cutest face he could.

"You can't persuade me with cuteness either!" Miszuru said.

Honey froze.

Back inside the pension, Hikaru and Kaoru stood at the main entrance.

"Hi! Come in, come in!" they welcomed.

Two girls blushed. "W-We have reservations to stay here..." the first one said.

"Ah, yes, yes, we've been expecting you!" Hikaru said as he and Kaoru made their way up the stairs.

"Make yourselves at home, okay?" Kaoru said. "Allow us to show you to your rooms!"

Miszuru watched them and nodded. "They are quite forward, but they're loveable characters! Plus five refresh points!" he said. Then, he saw Mori walk by. "Ah, Takashi-kun! The legs on that table are wobbly. Could you fix it for me, out in the yard?"

Mori picked up the table. "Of course." he said before he exited the pension.

Miszuru watched him leave. "Ah! Nothing wasted in word or deed! Plus five refresh points!" he said.

"Uh, what are refresh points...?" Haruhi asked Miszuru.

"Uh, yeah..." Arabella said.

"Haruhi, Arabella, do you know what guests are after when they come here to Karuizawa?" Miszuru asked them.

"Hm... let's see... The cooler weather?" Haruhi said.

"No." Miszuru said.

"A nice bed & breakfast?" Arabella guessed.

"No," Miszuru said again. "At least, those aren't the only reasons. It's what they can't experience in the city--the refreshing air! The refreshing scenery! The refreshing boys! They all come here to Karuizawa in search for refreshment. This is a contest for them to see who has the most refreshing appeal to the girls who have come here to Karuizawa!"

"Gee... that sounds like fun..." Haruhi said sarcastically.

"Is it just me, or does this vividly call to mind a certain someone else...?" Arabella mumbled.

Then, she and Haruhi headed outside, where they found Kyoya sitting at a table, drinking tea.

"Kyoya, you aren't competing?" Haruhi said.

"No. Even if I did win, it wouldn't do me any good to stay by myself at this pension. I'll just watch here as much as I'd like and then I'll leave for the cottage." Kyoya said.

"Cottage? You mean your family's, Kyoya-senpai?" Arabella asked.

"Yes, that's right. We all have one in the area." Kyoya said.

"So you guys have places to stay? Then, go stay there." Haruhi whispered.

"So, about this refreshing contest... Who do you two think will win? Shall we bet on it?" Kyoya said.

"No thanks." Arabella said.

"Yeah, we have no idea who has the best chance." Haruhi said.

"Really? I'd say it's easy to tell just by glance. First off, Honey-senpai is more 'cute' than 'refreshing', so he's out. Tamaki may be refreshing when he keeps his mouth closed, but he's too heated up about winning the contest, so that eliminates him. Ordinarily, you'd figure it's Hikaru and Kaoru... however, we have a dark horse." Kyoya said before he pointed over to Mori, who was chopping wood with his shirt off.

"Fantastic!" one of the girls in the pension sighed as she looked out a window.

"Refreshing!" said another.

"Plus twenty refresh points!" Miszuru said.

"So, it's Mori-senpai?" Arabella asked.

"But, if Honey-senpai is out, then Mori-senpai will drop out with him, he's only in this to tag along with him." Kyoya said.

"Which means..."

"... the win is certainly ours, alright!"

The three of them turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Ya' know, Haruhi, Arabella, we wouldn't mind including you two! How would you like to bunk with Kaoru and I when we win the guestroom?" Hikaru said.

"I'll pass." Haruhi said.

"Me too, there's barely enough room for two people, it's definitely not gonna fit four." Arabella said.

"Now, don't get too ahead of yourselves, the contest hasn't been decided yet," Kyoya said. "There are many ways to make this game more interesting."

"Huh? Kyoya, are you thinking of assisting Tono?" Kaoru asked.

"Even so, we don't intend to lose." Hikaru said.

Kyoya just smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miszuru! I'm done fixing the fence!" Tamaki said.

But, unfortunately for Tamaki, the fence was anything but fixed--it was put together all wrong. Some of the boards were sideways, diagonal, or upside-down.

Miszuru shook his head at Tamaki's work. "The finished results are completely unrefreshing. Minus three refresh points." he said before he walked away.

Then, Tamaki frowned and crawled into corner before curling up into a ball and sulking.

"He's trying too frantically to be refreshing." Haruhi said.

"He's utterly negligent in his work." Arabella agreed.

"He's never had a job, you see." Kyoya explained.

Arabella was sure that none of them had ever had a job before.

Suddenly, laughing was heard.

Hikaru and Kaoru were playing with the hose that was hooked up to the side of the pension.

Hikaru was spraying it in Kaoru's face.

"Ahahaha...! That's cold, Hikaru...!" Kaoru laughed as he got sprayed.

Two girls that were watching nearby squealed and said, "How refreshing...!" with hearts above their heads.

Tamaki watched with dismay.

He gripped the grass on the ground in his hands. "Oh no... at this rate I'll lose to them for sure... And I have to win this, no matter what! I need to win to deepen my friendship with Haruhi... and Arabella too!"

"Before going into how low you set your goals, could you try to not be so melancholy and overreactive?" Kyoya asked him.

"Kyoya, can't you understand how I feel, as a father for his daughters?" Tamaki said.

"Let me offer you a piece of advice." Kyoya said.

Tamaki looked at him.

"This is a trick only you can pull off," Kyoya said with a smile. "Just don't mess up your music selection."

Tamaki stared at him with wide eyes as he realized what he meant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music was heard.

It was soft at first, but gradually, slowly, it got louder.

Soon, it had everyone's attention.

Tamaki was playing the piano.

And he was doing it beautifully.

Miszuru noticed, and was smiling as brightly as ever as he watched in amazement as Tamaki played.

All the girls that were listening to Tamaki play watched him dreamily.

Tamaki's playing was loud enough to be heard outside.

Which was where Kaoru had been sweeping the patio and had stopped when he heard it.

He sighed. "We've been done in..." he said to himself.

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru turned to see Arabella, holding a laundry basket filled with clothes.

"Why are you by yourself? Where's Hikaru?" she asked him.

"Where's Haruhi?" Kaoru asked.

Arabella chuckled. "Oh, answering questions with questions, are we?"

Kaoru smiled.

"Okay then--Haruhi's inside washing some dishes. And, right now, I'm about to go do some laundry." Arabella said.

"Well, Hikaru went to go get some trash bags." Kaoru said.

Arabella nodded. "Oh," she said before she walked on the patio and stood next to Kaoru. "So... do you think you're gonna win the contest?"

Kaoru didn't say anything until a few seconds later. "I don't know. But, that's Kyoya for you; Tono didn't even realize there was a piano here." he said.

Arabella put down her basket and leaned against the railing. "You know, I'm surprised to find out Tamaki's a pianist... I had no idea... It doesn't seem like something he did, playing the piano. He does it really well." she said as she listened carefully to Tamaki playing.

"Yeah, but that's Tono for you." Kaoru said.

Arabella smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is. He always seems to be full of surprises."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah. He is," he said. Then: "Hey, Arabella, I know this is really random, but I've been kind of thinking about that day when Sakura stole your diary and we ended up locked inside a closet, ya' know, when you told me your secret."

Arabella looked at him. "You've been thinking about it?"

"Yeah, I have. It just surprises me that you can still trust people after all that." Kaoru said.

"Who said I could still trust people?" Arabella said.

Kaoru looked at her.

Arabella didn't look at him.

"Do you trust the Host Club?" Kaoru asked. "Do you trust me? Because I definitely trust you. Take it from someone who used to put up walls between himself and the rest of the world--the only person he was ever allowing in: his twin brother. But that's all changed because I know I can trust the Host Club, and I know I can trust you; I hope someday you'll trust me. Because trust is something you earn. And I'll do the work to earn yours."

Arabella found herself studdering, "W-Why?"

Kaoru smiled again. "Haven't you already figured that out? I'll do it, because you're worth it." he said.

Arabella turned to look at him, her eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape.

Arabella didn't know where else to look, so she looked up.

Then, she suddenly stepped towards Kaoru, so close that her nose was almost touching his. "Move."

Kaoru immediately turned bright red. "Hm...?"

She leaned more into him, her nose barely brushing his. "Kaoru." she whispered.

"Arabella," Kaoru whispered back. Then, he paused for a second before saying, "You're beautiful."

Then, his eyes widened, upon realizing what he said. Why did I just say that...? he thought to himself.

Arabella turned redder than ever. But, she then shook it off and whispered, "Move."

Kaoru blinked. "Huh?"

Then, it happened.

"I said, MOVE!" Arabella shouted before she jumped on him, causing them both to fall to the ground.

A single crash was heard.

A flower vase lay just inches away from Arabella and Kaoru, in pieces.

It had fallen from a second-story window.

"I'm sorry!!! I'm so sorry!!! Are you two okay?!"

Two girls were looking out of the second-story window the vase fell from.

Arabella was laying right on top of Kaoru when she sat up and gave the two girls a thumbs-up. "It was close! But, we're okay!" she said.

Both girls sighed with relief.

Kaoru's eyes darted around in surprise of what just happened.

Then, he felt a slight pain on his cheek.

He brushed his fingers against his cheek and felt it.

A cut. Not too big, but still there.

Arabella immediately looked down at Kaoru. "Kaoru! Are you okay?" she said.

Kaoru nodded.

No more than a few seconds later did Hikaru run up to them.

"Kaoru! Kaoru!" Hikaru shouted in alarm. He bent down to Kaoru and Arabella's level. "Kaoru! You have a cut on your face! Are you okay?!"

Kaoru felt his cheek again. "It's fine. It's not even that big." he said.

Hikaru immediately hugged him.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru asked.

"Don't scare me like that."

Kaoru smiled at his brother. "Mm hm, sorry, I'm alright."

"Thank God." Hikaru whispered.

"BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!!"

Miszuru had suddenly appeared.

"What fantastic, refreshing, brotherly love!!! I'm so touched!!! Plus one hundred refresh points!!! The winners of the contest regarding the last guestroom are the Hitachiin brothers!!!" Miszuru shouted all at once.

Tamaki's hands slammed down on the piano keys. "Are you... serious...?" he muttered.

"Congratulations." Arabella told Hikaru and Kaoru. By now, all three of them stood up.

Hikaru and Kaoru smiled. "Thanks!" they chirped happily.

On the outside, Kaoru seemed to be over what little moment had passed between himself and Arabella.

On the inside, however, he was still a blushing maniac.

As was Arabella, who was also doing her best not to show it, even though she had only been trying to get Kaoru to move out of the way.

But, he had called her beautiful. Her.

Arabella turned pink just thinking about it.

Haruhi suddenly came running. "Arabella! I heard the crash! Are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't come sooner...!" she said.

"I'm fine," Arabella said, still thinking about what Kaoru had said. "Just fine..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Hikaru and Kaoru came out of their newly-won guestroom, grumbling with each other.

"I told you, didn't I, Kaoru? I said I was sorry! I don't even remember kicking you out of the bed!" Hikaru said.

"I slept on the floor, Hikaru. The cold floor. And now my back hurts." Kaoru huffed.

Then, he and Hikaru sat down at a random table.

Both Haruhi and Arabella approached the table.

Hikaru snapped his fingers at them. "Breakfast, please." he said.

Haruhi and Arabella just blinked.

"Excuse me?" Haruhi said.

"I'd like some whole-wheat toast with some garnet seal syrup. Also bacon, eggs, and Beasley cereal for Kaoru. Don't forget the dried fruit. 'Kay? Thanks." Hikaru said.

"First of all, I know we heard you wrong. Second of all, we don't have any of that stuff here," Haruhi said. "Right, Arabella?"

Arabella stared off at nothing, not replying.

Haruhi nudged her. "Arabella?"

"You're beautiful." he had whispered.

"Arabella!"

Arabella snapped out of it and looked at Haruhi. "Hm?" she asked, dazed.

"Um, are you okay...?" Haruhi asked her.

Arabella immediately nodded. "Yep. Uh huh. I'm fine. Great, even. Just dandy."

Haruhi and Hikaru looked at her, weird looks on their faces.

Kaoru just scratched the back of his neck awkwardly as he looked down.

"Alright then...," Haruhi mumbled before she turned back to Hikaru. "As I was saying, we don't have any of that here. Sorry."

Hikaru and Kaoru gave her annoyed looks. "Huh?!"

Tamaki suddenly appeared and slapped them both over the head with a newspaper.

"Ow!"

"Stop being fussy, you fiendish twins! Do you two think you're some sort of affluent aristocracy?!" Tamaki snapped.

"Well, actually, that's what we are." Hikaru said.

"And, may I point out, so are you, Tono." Kaoru said.

"'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. That's my general rule. So, when in Karuizawa, enjoy Karuizawa! That's my ironclad rule." Tamaki said.

"You have too many rules, Tono." the twins said.

"What's the problem with that? In fact, Haruhi, you must not treat me as your senpai while you're training here! Arabella, you as well! That's a rule in this rulebook I found!" Tamaki said before he held up a book.

"What's this? Rule number five says you have to get up at 6:00am..." Hikaru said as he read through a copy of the rulebook.

"Have Kyoya and Honey heard about that?" Kaoru asked.

Tamaki's eyes widened.

Kyoya and Honey definitely weren't morning people.

Suddenly, the ring of a bell was heard.

Someone had entered the pension.

"Arai Produce!" a voice called.

Haruhi turned around.

"Ah! Thank you so much! What a strong, working boy!" Miszuru greeted a guy at the door. "Are you in high school?"

"Yep. I'm just helping out at my uncle's shop during summer vacation." the guy replied.

"How refreshing!" Miszuru gushed. Then, he turned to Arabella and Haruhi. "Arabella! Haruhi! Would you mind putting these in the fridge for me?"

"Sure." Haruhi said as she and Arabella approached the guy, who had a box full of fruit in his arms.

The guy's eyes suddenly widened when he saw Haruhi. "H-Haruhi...? Haruhi Fujioka???" he said.

Then, Haruhi's eyes widened. "Arai-kun...!" she muttered.