Mitsukuni happily skipped toward Kunugigaoka Junior High. Sweets comfortably snuggled in his arms, he carried a sling bag over his shoulder as he led the way inside the school grounds. Behind him were Takashi and Kyoya, both that would help him set up the last minute props.

Tamaki, as he was only an elementary school student couldn't come so early— the gates weren't open for visitors yet, and wouldn't be for another hour or so. Haruhi would bring Tamaki as she knew Matsukata and the later trusted her with his foster son. What's more, the girl had a few matters to attend before coming.

Lastly, the latest addition, the twins were on their way. Truthfully, both boy— girls should have been there already, but for reasons unknown, they weren't. Either they overslept, or there was a bit of circulation on the way. Be it one, or another, it all perfectly fell into Kyoya's calculations and consideration. The man wasn't the Host Club's former vice-president, otherwise known as the Shadow King for pulling the strings, for nothing.

He had the skills to back both his title and the rumors.

The fact that the nickname Shadow King followed him in his second life, although for different reasons, was totally out of his calculations, though. Kyoya stole a glance at his wristwatch, mentally calculating the time they needed, how long they would take, and the latest adjustment they had to do.

As Mitsukuni couldn't very well occupy a classroom, as all of them were full to the brim with unused props or standing booths, the Host Club would be held outside. Precisely, under the cherry blossoms in the backyard of the school, a few minutes away from the central alley and the majority of the stands.

At first, Kyoya wanted to go for a Butler themed Host Club. After all, both their budget and time were limited. It would be hard to find some authentic enough costumes for the festival on such short notice. Well, then again, they could have done a surgical or military theme without much difficulty, but it didn't exactly cater to the clients' wants in Kyoya's opinion. Also, he didn't feel like dressing in his work attire, and the military honestly wasn't his cup of tea.

Not that he would tell the remaining members of the Host Club if they were to ask.

But now that the twins were in the picture, the variables were different. As the heirs to the Seki Conglomerate, famed mostly for its fashion brands that ranged from custom-made to tailor-made, they didn't leave a single potential customer out. After speaking with the twins some more yesterday— under the dubious eyes of his students, Kyoya and the twins settled on a new theme. The raven sent them everyone's measurements and the duo would come with their clothes.

On their way, the trio received a few inquisitive and curious glances. A few third-years who Mitsukuni knew came up to greet them, leaving the others to stare at them in confusion. After all, while Mitsukuni was more or less of a personality as part of the Virtuosos, the men behind him were strangers and adults.

Unlike Irina and Karasuma, they didn't attend the morning assembly, so the number of people who knew them was scarce. While some felt Takashi's face was familiar— from the time he picked Mitsukuni up, Kyoya was completely unknown, further fueling the students' curiosity.

Surely because they were used to people's gaze on them, the group didn't falter and continued on their merry way to the backyard where the famed cherry blossom tree was.

Kyoya surveyed the place with minute concentration, there was a couple of picnic blankets spread under the shade of the tree. They were plaided and looked most common. Atop of the cloth was a closed wicker basket in which crockery for tea and snacks could be found.

The pastries were on their way, as were the beverages. They would arrive any time now, and while Kyoya would have preferred to receive them beforehand, he would do with what he had. He felt his phone buzz and noticed a text from the twins telling him they were in front of the gate and couldn't enter— not so surprising as they weren't students.

"Can I trouble you with fetching them, Honey-senpai?" Kyoya asked as he turned his head to look at the shorter male who sat on one of the picnic blankets.

Mitsukuni gave the raven a nod as he stood up. "Sure," he grinned before handing Reiko to Takashi. He didn't know if Hikari and Kaori would need help to carry their material. "Here, Takashi, I'll trust you with Sweets," he beamed.

"Okay."

The strawberry blond chuckled at the adult's bland answer before he strode away to meet up with his two former underclassmen. Kyoya stared at Mitsukuni back for a few seconds before he brought his attention back to his phone. He pulled a booklet and pen from his breast pocket and began to go over his checklist.

Takashi was as silent as a tomb as he stood tall behind Kyoya, Reiko in his arms. It made for a strange picture, but the raven head seemed unbothered by it.

"Tamaki and Haruhi should be there by the festival's opening, with either of the twins helping them get dressed, we'll begin with reduced members," Kyoya spoke as he closed his notebook and readjusted the rim of his glasses.

Takashi gave a light hum. He carried Reiko up, holding her over his head as he stared at the two black buttons that made up her eyes. "It's okay," he reassured. "This isn't Ouran," he reminded. They wouldn't have the same humongous number of fans waiting for them to open.

The affirmation made Kyoya chuckle. "True, this should be a stroll in the parc compared to Ouran," he seconded without much hesitation. "Nevertheless, let us hope that the Ladies will spend some money on us," he beamed as he pulled his suitcase closer to himself. He crouched down and opened it.

Instead of the usual assortment of poison, surgical material, and other assassination-related props, there was a computer and a high definition camera. "I hope you don't mind if I photograph your face, Mori-senpai," Kyoya called as he pulled the camera and began to do some adjustments on the lens.

Takashi's icy-blue eyes minutely narrowed at his words. He mulled over Kyoya's words for a second before nodding in agreement. "Not a lot," he reminded. Although he doubted people would use them to attack him later, as part of the secret services, too much exposure wouldn't be good. It was better to keep the spotlight on the twins who were part of the entertainment industry through modeling.

There was a slight pause on Kyoya's side as he went through the pictures of his camera, namely, a few picturesque sceneries he took while strolling around Tokyo. A slight smile grew on his lips and his eyes gleamed with a blend of regret and resignation. "Of course, I will mainly focus on the twins," he concurred. "We wouldn't want some unwanted attention to be given to those pictures," he complied.

Takashi gave a silent nod. There was a lingering sense of belonging and understanding between the two males. In this life, only both of them would understand this feeling. And truthfully, while they sometimes wished they could share it with the others, they hoped it would remain unchanged.

Kyoya's phone buzzed. "The tea and pastries should be on their way, let's fetch them?" he proposed to the taller raven head with a slight nod of his head.

Takashi hummed, he secured his grip around Reiko and followed Kyoya. If they wame across Mitsukuni and the twins, he would give Reiko back to the blond.

::

While 3-A's café traffic was at its peak, and talks of an exceedingly good booth atop of 3-E's hill circulated, rumors of a newly inaugurated Host Club opening under the cherry blossoms popped around the school.

It wasn't only the idea of a Host Club that made people talk, it was also the people starring in it. In fact, the latter part was the source of much confusion. The booth was undoubtedly approved by the headmaster, otherwise, police would have thrown them out long ago, but there was only one student in the whole group.

From the rumors, the group of Host was made up of six people, with half of them being girls. Of these girls— all of them being teens and in High School, two were models and heiresses of a large conglomerate, while the other was a peerless beauty.

Then, the three boys— well, one boy and two men would be more accurate. In the trio was the sole Kunugigaoka student, the President of the Judo Club as well as the famous top student Kannazuki Mitsukuni. The other two men were part of the teaching staff. One of them being an assistant and the other a nurse. No one had met them before, but they were both incomparably handsome.

Finally, some people added that there was a child, no older than seven, around them. Most of them inferred that he was the mascot of the booth, yet it seemed like he also hosted customers.

Nakamura whistled, her hands behind her head, she threaded through the crowd. Although 3-E's booth was totally packed, they had breaks between their shifts, and during hers, Rio decided to drop by her teachers' stand. After all, their raven-haired nurse promised them a discount. With her were a curious Fuwa— self-proclaimed detective of the group, an excited Yada— or Irina's most promising student, and a silent Kanzaki— the class' number one beauty.

"So many people," Rio marveled as they made their way around the building to reach the backyard. "And here I thought we were packed!" she joked.

Kanzaki gave a silent chuckle while Yada shook her head in defeat and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's not as much place by our class," Yada Toka reminded before tightening her ponytail.

Fuwa Yuzuki seemed unbothered by the crowd as she led the way deeper into the school grounds and to the Host Club. "Do you think Shimamori-sensei will manage to host?" she asked with an eager smile. "I've never seen him speak much outside of practice," she said.

Toka hummed. "Bitch-sensei told me that observing how they hosted could come in handy," she chided. "And that if they didn't know how to do it, observing Oshiro-sensei would do."

"Bitch-sensei is so serious," Kanzaki Yukiko added with a small smile, obvious affection for the woman tinting her voice.

Rio merely laughed at her words in agreement. Soon enough, they reached a moderately crowded clearing. There was a small line but nothing to scare them away. Anyway, it was the end of the day, people began to go home and they didn't have any more shifts, they could wait.

"Good evening, Ladies," the smooth and soothing voice of a girl reached their ears, making them look up toward the newcomer. The girl had a natural charming smile drawn on her lips. Her eyes were slightly curved, giving off a warm feeling as she extended her hand toward the closest girl to escort her— in this case: Fuwa.

The short-haired girl hadn't expected the girl— a beautiful one at that, to come out and escort her, and was left momentarily flustered. Haruhi seemed unbothered by the growing blush on her guest's face and merely smiled in acknowledgment.

"Welcome to the Ouran Host Club, you may address me as Haruhi, shall I introduce you to our Hosts?" she asked, both her voice and gait smooth and professional, leaving almost no shadow of her true identity.

Yukiko, Toka, and Rio, who weren't completely swept away by the girl's pace, admitted that this Host Girl was quite skilled. It was Kanzaki who answered, snapping Yuzuki out of her daze. "Yes please," she agreed, her move and voice layered with elegance and grace.

Haruhi unconsciously noted their reaction. "If you will," she motioned. Although it had been a while since she last spoke in such a posh tone, the words easily rolled off her tongue like a well-oiled machine. "On your right, Mitsukuni, the Loli-Shota type," she introduced as they walked through the specially made pathway.

The girl followed Haruhi's voice and hand, easily relaxing and letting their guard down as they listened to the girl's soothing voice.

"With him, is Shimamori-san, the Wild type."

The two males sat around the picnic blanket in Victorian-styled clothing. Their sleeves and collars were full of ruffles and embroidered with intricate designs. From the fact that the blond's clothing was much more elaborated than the raven, they guessed that Mitsukuni was a young master and Takashi the butler/attendant.

They observed Takashi and noticed that his aura was a bit off compared to usual. He came off as gentler, probably because of the ghost of a smile on his face and the minute curves on his eyes. Yet there was an undeniable feeling of roughness and danger when they looked at him— probably was it enhanced by the contrast with Mitsukuni's docile and childish aura.

Haruhi's voice snapped them out of their trance. "If you are interested, shall we stop here?" she proposed. She noticed Mitsukuni happily waving at them, and Takashi nodding in acknowledgment, and couldn't help but smile and wave back.

Rio shook her head. "Let's see the others first!" she chirped as she pushed her two classmates forward. Fuwa remained in Haruhi's grasp as the older girl escorted her around.

There was no word of complaint on the chestnut-haired girl's side, only a simple nod. "Please," she motioned before picking up and leading to another picnic blanket. There, most of the customers were male, and the number of whispers and dubious sounds was at its peak. It picked the girls' curiosity, and they couldn't help but look at Haruhi inquisitively.

The Host chuckled. "How cute," she complimented them, making some of the unprepared students blush— truly, Haruhi was worthy of her title as the Natural type. "There, are the Seki twins, Hikari," she motioned to the girl with a blue rose pinned to her corset. "And Kaori," she had an orange rose pinned in her hair. "Do not be fooled by their appearances," she warned. "Both make up the Little Devil type and are mostly sought after for their Forbidden Sisterly Love package."

As if on cue, Hikari threw herself into her sister's arms and snuggled into her exposed cleavage. She moaned her sister's name in distress as if a simple look from the other could soothe all her pain. Kaori didn't disappoint. She leaned into her sister's face, bringing their lips dangerously close as she stroke her cheek, whispering sweet words that only the customers could hear. There was another wave of hushed and fervent whispers from the audience.

Noticing the flabbergasted and somewhat intrigued look on the girls' faces, Haruhi chuckled. It reminded her of herself when Kyoya first introduced her to the twins' act— fun days.

"Shall we go?" she gently proposed, snapping the girls out of their trance. The four found themselves awkwardly coughing into their fists as if to defuse and forget their moment of absentmindedness. Haruhi merely smiled, not commenting on their state of mind. She slightly squeezes Fuwa's hand in comfort, knowing how she felt, and unthinkingly made the poor girl blush again.

Haruhi didn't seem the least bit aware. "Now, on your left, Tamaki, the Princely type," she said. The girls zeroed their eyes on the pack of girls that squealed over something they couldn't see. Haruhi could feel their curiosity. With Tamaki's current height, seeing him through the crowd was hard work. "Although Tamaki is by far the youngest, he is also our best Host," she complimented. She felt fortunate that Tamaki didn't hear her, lest he snapped out of his character.

The 3-E girls nodded in mute amazement. "Is he the rumored elementary student?" Yuzuki calmly asked, her voice laced with understanding.

Haruhi grinned. "That would be him," she paused. "I do not know if you remember him, but he is Matsukata-san's foster son," she reminded. She saw a flicker of recognition flick through their eyes before they widened in surprise. Haruhi chuckled. "Don't worry, our tour is almost finished," her eyes minutely narrowed, as if noticing something, and she flashed the group an amiable smile. "Should I pour you a drink before we go ahead?"

Hearing her question, Rio realized she felt parched, she nodded. Toka minutely widened her eyes, she herself hadn't noticed she began to crave a drink until the girl mentioned it. Just how skilled was this girl to notice this smallest change when they hadn't noticed it in themselves?

Haruhi moved the group to a blanket before excusing herself and fetching a bottle of temperate water, and another one of cold water. She poured the girls' drinks, easily answering their few questions and after less than a minute, brought them to see the latest Host. One of the men the twins brought stored the used glasses and bottle away before cleaning the place.

"Now, this is Oshiro-san, the Cool type," she gestured to the raven head that sat at a table— unlike the others. He typed on his computer, a serious and somewhat bewitching look on his face.

Bewitching, the four girls felt embarrassed at their thoughts.

"Lastly, I am Haruhi, the Natural type," she introduced as she let Fuwa's hand slip out of her grip. She bowed. "A pleasure. Now, which type interests you the most?"

One thing was sure. Although the Host Club didn't collect more funds than 3-A, their booth was an undeniable success.