There were very few surprises at Ouran Academy, and that is exactly how Hanako liked it. No surprises meant that everything was running smoothly. It was just a school for boys and girls with too much time on their hands, and that should have been easy enough. Hanako tied her long dark hair back before taking on the responsibility set out for her today. Carefully, she sliced the decadent strawberry topped cake set before her, patiently ignoring the large brown eyes fixed on the large dessert.

"Honey-sama," Hanako chastised in a cool, flat tone, "please go wait out front with the others."

His pout grew more pronounced and tears quickly filled his eyes, "Are you trying to get rid of me, Hana-chan?"

"Of course not," the girl replied easily, undeterred by his watchful gaze. "Kyoya-sama would be very unhappy if I gave you cake before everyone else, again." Honey's pout somehow deepened further at the reminder. Hanako plated the slices with ease, placing the perfectly sliced pieces right on the center of the expensive dishes.

"Hana-chan always does what Kyo-chan says," Honey whined, sniffling like a child whose mother had just refused dessert before supper. "Just this once, Hana-chan, I promise I won't tell. Please?"

Hanako was well past the point of giving in to Honey's wishes, but even she faltered under the intense pressure of his sweet, sad eyes. She reached her delicate fingers towards a plate, tempted to give him just one slice. She could see the hope and excitement shining through his gaze as her hand moved, almost of its own accord. Then, a voice interrupted the trance sharply, "Honey-senpai, please leave Hanako alone so that she can finish."

The pout returned to the third year student's face quickly and he grumbled a quick, "Okay." Honey marched out of the kitchen, joining the others cheerfully as Takashi handed him the pink rabbit plushie that he had left by the dessert table.

"You need to stop giving in to him so easily," Kyoya scolded Hanako, who had just finished plating the entire cake. She removed the pink apron from over her dark uniform and picked up the clipboard on the counter.

"He's very insistent," she replied apologetically. Her young employer regarded her with unamused slate colored eyes. He wasn't much older than her, but he always carried himself with the authority of someone who would one day run one of the most influential businesses in the world.

"Are we set to open for the day?" he asked her as they moved away from the kitchen, checking the clock to ensure that their doors would open on time.

"Yes, sir," Hanako reported. "The roses are all in place, beverages are currently maintained at their proper temperatures, and snacks are on standby."

"Excellent, and reservations?"

"We have the usual requests made in advance by our regulars," she stated as she read through the schedule. Kyoya nodded his approval and stepped into place among the other hosts.

"Good work, Hanako. It appears we have someone waiting outside. If you'd please release the rose petals." Hanako took her place by the door and pulled on a long gold chord, releasing the flurry of loose, red petals from above. The boys chorused their welcome, and club activities began.

The guest pressed his back against the double doors in horror, "This is a host club?" The color had left his cheeks, and the hosts started to discuss the new arrival.

"Wow, it's a boy," a pair of voices remarked in surprise. Hanako stepped away from the door, now that the guest had arrived.

"Hikaru, Kaoru, I believe this young man is in the same class as you, isn't he?" Kyoya asked the twins in their line up. Hanako took her place just behind Kyoya, reading through the list of students on the clip board.

"Yeah, but he's shy." The twins answered in perfect unison, "He doesn't act very sociably, so we don't know much about him." They shrugged, already bored with the strange guest.

Kyoya's mouth turned up gracefully, "Well, that wasn't very polite. Welcome to the Ouran Host club, Mr. Honor Student." Hanako looked up from her clipboard after marking down the name Haruhi Fujioka on the list of walk-ins. The girl wore an old, felting sweater that dwarfed her body and thick framed glasses. In a word, unimpressive.

"What?" the golden haired club president gasped, leaning forward with wide eyes as the honor student struggled to reopen the door, "You must be Haruhi Fujioka! You're the exceptional honor student we've heard about!"

Hanako had heard about the new student not long after enrollment, when she received the list of incoming students for the term from school security. This was certainly not what she had been expecting. The new student froze and turned around slowly, "How did you know my name?"

Kyoya replied easily, "Why, you're infamous. It's not every day that a commoner gains entrance into our academy." Hanako stood pin straight behind Kyoya, amused at the annoyed twitching of Haruhi's face. "You must have an audacious nerve to work hard enough to fight your way into this school as an honor student, Mr. Fujioka." Years of companionship had made Hanako immune to Kyoya's candor, but she knew how easily it could unnerve other people, especially people outside of his immediate circle. She was reminded, by Haruhi's obvious irritation, how unsettling her employer could be.

"Well, uh, thank you, I guess," Haruhi grudgingly replied.

Tamaki's hand landed on Haruhi's shoulder and he sang, "You're welcome!You're a hero to other poor people, Fujioka! You've shown the world that even a poor person can excel at an elite private academy! It must be hard for you to constantly be looked down upon by others." Tamaki launched into his monologue and followed Haruhi despite the latter's obvious attempts to maintain distance from the melodramatic blond.

"I think you're taking this poor thing too far."

"Spurned! Neglected! That doesn't matter now," the charming boy continued despite the deadpan protest. "Long live the poor!" Tamaki had always had an affection for the lower socioeconomic classes, as Hanako recalled. Couple that with the setting, and what happened was an outrageously insensitive introduction. "We welcome you, poor man, to our world of beauty."

Already, Haruhi had turned her back to Tamaki's exclamations, declaring, "I'm outta here." Hanako moved to scratch the name from her list, but just then, Honey shot forward and grabbed the student's arm, dragging her back into the room.

"Hey!" he protested pleasantly, "Come back here, Haru-chan! You must be, like, a superhero or something! That's so cool!"

"I'm not a hero. I'm an honor student," Haruhi's flat response came before she realized the familiarity of Honey's address. Once it settled in, Haruhi scolded Honey properly, "And who're you calling Haru-chan?" Honey burst into tears and raced to hide behind Hanako's stationary figure.

"I never would've imagined the famous scholar would be so openly gay," Tamaki mused after Haruhi's outburst. Hanako tapped her pen to the clipboard impatiently, wishing that they'd get on with this appointment so that she could log it for the day, while Mori lured out Honey from behind her with Usa-chan. "So tell me what kind of guys you're into? Do you like the strong, silent type? The boy Lolita? How about the mischievous type? Or the cool type?"

The guest was obviously more distressed, and Hanako worried about the increasing loss of color in her face. "Oh… I, uh… It's not like that!" The honor student protested, backing away from the host. "I was just looking for a quiet place to study!"

"Or maybe…" Tamaki cupped Haruhi's cheek brazenly, "You're into a guy like me? What do you say?"

Haruhi launched back, colliding with one of the displays, and the delicate vase shattered just as the student reached across the pedestal for the handle. Hanako logged the damage on the inventory sheet, and the twins flanked the distraught student, "Aw."

"We were going to feature that Renaissance vase in an upcoming school auction!" Hikaru continued.

"Oh, now you've done it, commoner. The bidding on that vase was supposed to start at eight million yen!" Kaoru picked up.

"What?" Haruhi exclaimed in horror. "Eight million yen?" The student devolved into frantic questioning before lifting off the pedestal and turning around, "Uh, I'm gonna have to pay you back."

"With what money?" the twins questioned together. "You can't even afford a school uniform."

"What's with that grubby outfit you've got on, anyway?" Kaoru asked.

Hanako gently smacked the twin who had spoken with her clipboard, "Boys, please, remember yourselves." Hikaru shrugged unapologetically, and Kyoya picked up one of the broken pieces.

"Well, what do you think we should do, Tamaki?" he asked the club president.

The blond had taken his seat again during the commotion, "There's a famous saying you may have heard, Fujioka. When in Rome, you should do as the Romans do. Since you have no money, you can pay with your body. That means starting today, you're the Host Club's dog!"

Whatever was left of Haruhi's complexion was replaced with a concerning pallor at Tamaki's decision, and the hosts crowded around her following the lack of response.

"Poke, poke," Honey prodded Haruhi's arm.

The twins leaned forward to inspect the statuesque form, "Huh?" Then, Haruhi collapsed onto the marble flooring.

"That won't do," Kyoya sighed. "Hanako, please wake Fujioka up and give him a list of chores to do."

Hanako placed her clipboard on one of the tables and lifted the younger student up by the shoulders. Haruhi was only a year younger than herself, but she was so small that Hanako didn't have any trouble lifting the girl up onto one of the plush couches. The distress on the honor student's face seemed to have been carved as if on marble, and even in her unconscious state, Haruhi appeared troubled.

"You really did a number on him," Hanako stated to the boys in a monotone as she filled a glass with cold water and retrieved a towel.

"He's the one who broke the vase," the twins stated without remorse.

"Even so," she said, throwing the contents of the glass onto the unconscious student's face. The hosts gaped at the rude awakening as Haruhi yelped and Hanako quickly offered the towel. "Please, forgive me, Fujioka-san."

"I just had the worst nightmare," Haruhi mumbled into the towel. "I found a host club in the music room and broke an eight million yen vase."

"I'm afraid that wasn't a dream," Hanako stated, and Haruhi froze up again. "I'm Hanako Negida." Haruhi took in the sight of the other girl. Hanako was slender, with long black hair and sharp caramel colored eyes. She wore a black suit jacket over a crisp white, collared shirt and matching black trousers. Confused, Haruhi noted that she didn't look like a student.

"Hanako's my personal assistant," Kyoya explained in passing . "From now on, you'll answer to her. She manages all of the Host Club's inventory and arranges the entertainment. She'll also keep track of how much you pay us back." It was an oversimplification of Hanako's responsibilities, but she didn't correct him. She had one job, and everything beyond that was just trivial.

"You work for that guy?" Haruhi asked in disbelief, unable to wrap her head around the idea that an ordinary person would willingly be in the employ of such prejudiced people.

"I owe Kyoya-sama and his family a great deal," Hanako stated with a small smile, the first crack of her otherwise indifferent appearance that Haruhi had seen. "Come on, let's get you started."

Hanako gave Haruhi a quick tour of the club facilities. The music room was originally intended to fit a full orchestra and have enough room for each section to practice separately. Once the Host Club had taken over, the entire space had been converted into a perfect sitting room. The Host Club was the most successful club at Ouran Academy, and it was through hard work and meticulous planning they achieved that ranking.

Hanako usually carried out the menial tasks around the club on her own or with hired help. Haruhi's presence split her work load in half, and the other student didn't complain about some heavy lifting or dull inventory checks. She even volunteered to go out to restock the pantry if for no other reason than to get away from the Host Club for a while. Hanako quickly found that she enjoyed Haruhi's company.

An hour into business and the hosts were all occupied with their guests. Hanako drifted between the tables with her clipboard, keeping track of inventory and guests and revenue as she did. She kept her interactions with guests to a minimum and acted more like a watchful shadow than a proactive member of the club. Guests tended to ignore her, and the hosts knew better than to address her while she was working. Hanako wasn't one for actually participating in the daily club activities, but she understood why the girls who came to see Kyoya and his friends did.

Tamaki had created a rose ridden fantasy for every girl who stepped through those doors, and he made it his personal responsibility to ensure that every girl in this room was treated like a princess. There was a charm about Tamaki that had even won over Kyoya, and Hanako backed the blond's efforts. So, while the guests chatted with the hosts and basked in the attention of the most handsome boys on campus, Hanako contentedly scrawled on her clip board and continued her loop around the music room.

Hanako was passing Tamaki's section of the room when she heard a melodic, regal voice ask, "May I have a word with you, Tamaki?"

"Hm?" the blond boy turned his attention from another one of his guests to face the beautiful girl beside him. Hanako recognized her as Seika Ayanokoji of the 3-A class.

"I've recently heard the Host Club is keeping a little kitten without a pedigree," the lightly spoken words seemed to mask a sharp edge to them. Hanako lingered, just for a minute, by a nearby column.

Tamaki laughed to dispel the probing comment, "I don't know if I'd call him that. Speak of the devil!" Hanako glanced up from her clipboard to see the brown haired student emerge from under the arch of the foyer. "Thanks for doing the shopping, little piglet. Did you get everything on our list?"

"What? Piglet?" Haruhi repeated, coming to stand by Hanako. The older girl flipped the page of her clipboard to the inventory and glanced at the paper bag in Haruhi's arms, noting that nothing the other student bought was from the usual suppliers.

Tamaki picked up a canister from the bag, his usual curiosity showing, "Hey, wait a minute, what is this?" In his hand, a container of tiny brown chips.

"Just what it looks like. It's coffee."

"I've never seen this brand before," Tamaki remarked. Hanako took the bag from Haruhi as Tamaki continued to study the low quality coffee. Hanako was familiar enough with Tamaki's xenophilia to predict what would happen next. She brought the bag to the kitchen and inspected the other items that Haruhi had purchased. It seemed that Haruhi had just gone to the local grocery store for the sweeteners and drinks that Hanako had told her to get. She had gotten boxed tea bags and generic sugar. Hanako didn't live precisely the same lifestyle as the boys, but even she had grown up on the expensive high quality teas that they were all familiar with. For a moment, she wondered if they ought to keep the cheaper items for the sake of novelty, since the guests seemed so entertained by Tamaki's fascination with the drink.

When Hanako returned, the crowd had grown and even expanded to include the twins. "I will drink this coffee!" Tamaki's declaration was rewarded with respectful applause. "Alright, Haruhi. Get over here and make some of this commoner's coffee." The flock followed Tamaki to a larger table, leaving Haruhi and Princess Ayanokoji by the elegant chair.

"Oh, Tamaki, now you're taking the joke too far. Your palate won't be able to stomach that crap, you don't have to drink it just because he bought it." The heiress's demure manner of conduct contrasted grossly with her words. Hanako made a note on her clipboard.

"Huh?" Haruhi sounded, not hearing the girl's remarks clearly.

Ayanokoji turned gracefully to Haruhi with a charming smile in place, "I'm sorry. I was talking to myself."

Haruhi looked back, at a loss for what to say in response, glancing to Hanako as if to confirm that she had heard Ayanokoji correctly. The steely look in the taller girl's eyes seemed to tell her that they had both heard the same thing. "Haruhi!" Tamaki's pleasant lilt called.

"Ugh, I'm comin'." Haruhi walked towards the crowd. Then, it was just Ayanokoji and Hanako at the coffee table. The auburn haired girl watched the crowd with a pointed gaze, and Hanako lowered her clipboard to her side.

"I must warn you, Ayanokoji-sama," Hanako stated. "The Host Club holds its members to a high standard."

Ayanokoji turned her unimpressed eyes to the shadow that lurked about the music room. Despite the reserved and otherwise unoffensive way Ayanokoji carried herself, the disdain with which she appraised Hanako was clear. At a school where the motto was "lineage counts first; wealth a close second", elitism was unavoidable, and everyone knew the story of Hanako Negida

"Yes," Ayanokoji acknowledged, "I'd hate to see the Host Club slipping." She cast her gaze to where Haruhi was pouring hot water over the delicate tea cups lined up on the table. "But you know those boys and their… pets." Hanako took the subtle dig gracefully and retreated back to her usual path, her clipboard bending against the pressure of her grip. She passed the Hitachiin twins' brotherly love act, Honey and Takashi's dessert table, and Kyoya's perfectly conducted tea party. The debonair company excused himself politely, picking up his slim binder from the table and joining Hanako.

"It seems the commoner goods Haruhi acquired are a hit," he remarked, reviewing the contents of her clipboard. "Keep the other items on hand. We can market them as a special experience for our guests."

"Yes, sir," Hanako made the note on her papers.

"You placed a warning next to Ayanokoji-hime," he stated as they walked.

Hanako nodded briskly, "She spoke in a manner unfit for a young lady of her standing."

Her employer raised a questioning brow at her, "Ayanokoji-hime is a descendent of royalty on both sides." The warning tone he had taken was not lost on her. Kyoya had always held the elite in high regard, and he always took care so as not to step on any toes. Of course, he was clever and charming, and no matter how badly he offended, he could make it seem as if he had never done any harm. That being said, so could the rest of them.

Hanako raised her chin defiantly, "I know what I heard."

Kyoya easily dropped his expression and adopted a neutral face, "Very well." The two of them came up behind Haruhi, who was observing the third year students' meeting. Hanako was very familiar with the boys' displays. She watched with some affection as Honey wiped sleep from his teary eyes, and the girls squealed with appreciation. Her gaze skirted to the larger of the two boys, who was seated upright, watching the scene more than contributing to it.

"Honey-senpai may seem young and childish," Kyoya stated in response to Haruhi's skeptical expression, "but he's a prodigy."

"Huh?"

"And then Mori-senpai's allure is his strong and silent disposition," he continued, tucking his notebook under his arm. Kyoya's attention flickered to his side at his employee whose head came up just to his chin. Nothing about her expression had changed under his gaze, but when Honey leapt into Haruhi's unprepared form, the corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile.

"Haru-chan!" the small boy exclaimed fleefully. "Hey, Haru-chan, you wanna go have some cake with me?"

The dizzy honor student staggered to regain her balance, "Thanks, but I… don't really like cake."

"Then how would you like to hold my bunny, Usa-chan?"

"I'm not into bunnies."

"Are you saying you don't like Usa-chan?" Honey held the blank faced rabbit out to Haruhi with a pout on his features. Haruhi's attention remained trained on the toy. Hanako's smile widened a little bit as the younger girl seemed to soften before her eyes.

"I guess he is kind of cute, huh?"

Honey's mouth dropped into a little o shape before he handed off his dearest toy to the girl. "Take good care of him, okay?" the short boy skipped around Hanako's legs and grabbed her hand with a cute laugh. "Come on, Hana-chan!" Hanako laughed with him and carefully extracted her hand from his as he tugged her forward.

"I'm afraid I should stay with Kyoya-sama," she explained apologetically as his face fell. Hanako felt the attention on her from afar and tried her best to ignore it. She didn't have to look up to know who it was, the intensity of his gaze could never be mistaken. "Maybe next time, Honey-sama." The boy's smile easily returned at her empty promise and he jumped onto the chair between two girls. Hanako chanced a look back at the table and saw Takashi smiling indulgently at his cousin's antics as Honey cuddled into the loveseat in a fit of giggles.

"You'll notice that our club utilizes each man's unique characteristics to cater to the desires of our guests. Just so you know, Tamaki is number one around here. He's the king. His request rate is seventy percent. In order for you to pay off your eight million yen debt with us, you will act as the Ouran Host Club's dog until you graduate." Kyoya placed his perfect smile in place and corrected himself, "I'm sorry. I meant our errand boy. You can try to run away if you want to, Haruhi, but just so you know, my family employs a private police force of one hundred officers, overseen by Hanako." He motioned to the silent girl at his right.

Haruhi's gape dropped further as she regarded the assistant. The last thing she expected was for the older girl to run a private police force. Yet, with Hanako's dark ensemble, attentive and sharp eyes, and the way she hovered by Kyoya's side, it wasn't difficult to imagine. "She will, of course, know if you try to run. By the way, do you have a passport?"

"My officers are hand picked from a selection of specially trained individuals from across the country," Hanako supplied, relaying the extent of her influence across Japan.

"You're going to have to work hard to pay off that debt," Tamaki joined them, "my little nerd." He blew on the back of Haruhi's ear, and Hanako sighed as she girl shrieked and leapt away. Hanako and Kyoya made their escape, exchanging notes while Kyoya was available to do so. Involving Hanako in the Host Club had been a beneficial arrangement for the two of them.

Kyoya maximized the efficiency of the Host Club by utilizing Hanako's precision and work ethic, and Hanako was near Kyoya at any given time. The two of them practically managed every detail of the club, and Hanako couldn't even complain. She actually enjoyed the change that had come when they entered high school, and she owed it all to the rambling boy making a spectacle of himself.

"Is everything alright, Hanako?" Kyoya questioned when he noticed his assistant watching Tamaki's monologue.

"Yes, it just seems that Tamaki-sama's enjoying himself," she replied, turning her attention back to the notes at hand. Kyoya hummed in agreement as the two finished reviewing each others' notes and editing their own. His assistant's focus was once again displaced when a comment from Haruhi sent Tamaki into a dampened aura. Kyoya regarded her silently, once in a while acknowledging the growing scene before them. Hanako had been an excellent employee ever since she came to the Ootori household, and she had fallen into place among the Host Club very well. He preferred her company at school, where she was always just a little bit more at ease than at the estate.

Her shoulders were just slightly more relaxed with that clipboard of hers in hand, and her face seemed less stern with the hosts constantly causing a commotion around her. In a setting like this, it was easy to doubt that she was the head of one of the best private police forces in the world. Of course, nobody expected that such a young woman would be the primary executive of the company in the first place.

"You can teach him all the basics of hosting," Kaoru was saying.

"But he's not going to get very far with the ladies if he doesn't look the part, you know?" Hikaru finished. "He's not exactly host club material, but maybe if we took off his glasses, it'll help." The twin carefully removed Haruhi's thick lenses, not expecting to be impressed.

"Hey! I need those!" Haruhi protested. "I used to have contacts, but I lost them on the first day of school." Hanako and the other hosts slid over to see what their dog looked like without the lenses. Hanako had to admit that she wasn't surprised to see how sweet faced the girl really was under the heavy frames. Tamaki, of course, was absolutely shocked.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!" the blond snapped his fingers and ordered.

"Got it!" the two saluted and grabbed the new student, who screamed as she was hauled away.

"Kyoya, my hairstylist! Mori-senpai, go to the eye doctor and get him some contact lenses!" The phone was already out in Kyoya's hand, and Hanako had already written down Haruhi's prescription on a piece of paper and handed it off to Takashi when he ran past her.

"What about me, Tama-chan?" Honey asked hopefully.

"Honey-senpai."

"Yes, sir?"

"You… go have some cake," Tamaki settled, not seeing a task for the other blond. Honey stomped off to a small table and grumbled at his cake. Hanako wasn't assigned a task, either, so she went back to her usual routine. The excitement had been quite a lot for some of the guests, and as the day drew on, the girls had to leave. Hanako served plate after plate of cake to Honey, and when the twins were thrown out of the dressing room, she brought them some cake, too.

"You know, Hanako," Hikaru remarked as she carefully placed the saucer in his hand.

Kaoru took his own plate just as carefully and completed his brother's thought, "You're almost as bad as Kyoya-senpai."

Hanako just shrugged and tucked her clipboard under her arm, "I have no idea what you're talking about." The two of them just hummed skeptically and ate their cake. The hairstylist had come not long after Takashi returned with the contact lenses, and it was well past five when Haruhi was ready to emerge from the dressing room.

"Um, senpai?" Haruhi called from behind the curtain.

"Aren't you done changing yet?" Tamaki asked. The curtain was drawn open and revealed Haruhi's improved appearance. Her coffee colored hair had been styled to flatter the shape of her face, and the uniform fit much better around her waist than the baggy sweatshirt. "You sure it's really okay for me to keep this uniform?"

"Cute! You're as pretty as a girl! Adorable!" Tamaki exclaimed joyfully.

Honey also nodded with approval, "Haru-chan, you look so cute!"

"If we had known that's how you really look," Hikaru said.

"We would have helped you out sooner," Kaoru finished.

"Who knows? Maybe he'll draw in customers," Kyoya suggested. Hanako handed him another piece of paper from her clipboard with the numbers showing how beneficial it would be to have Haruhi as a host.

"You know, that's just what I was thinking!" Tamaki quickly supported the idea. "Our errand boy is moving up the ranks! Starting today, you are an official member of the Host Club. I will personally train you to be a first-rate host. If you can get one hundred customers to request your service, we will completely forget about your eight million yen debt." Hanako checked her math and sighed at how easily Tamaki disregarded the loss they would suffer by capping Haruhi's customer limit to a hundred.

"A host?" Haruhi repeated in distress. She locked eyes with Hanako, shaking her head rapidly and hoping that the other girl would help bail her out.

"It'd be a good way for you to pay off your debt," she assured Haruhi while updating the club member roster. "We'll waive your club fees since you have enough to worry about, but you will have to fill in some paper work."

"I don't know if I can do this," Haruhi groaned as she and Hanako approached a table of girls who had walked in and were on the waiting list for their hosts.

"It's really not that hard," Hanako assured her, "you just have to make conversation and make them feel good about spending time with you." Her advice didn't do much to help the younger girl, but Hanako didn't waste any time lingering on it.

"Excuse me, ladies," Hanako cut into their conversation. "All of our hosts are running a little behind on their schedules. We're very sorry for the delay. This is Haruhi Fujioka from class 1-A, and he's a new host. It's his first day, and we were wondering if you'd like his company while we caught up."

Haruhi blanched as she realized how charming Hanako was in her own right. She slipped easily from her distant and watchful position to exuding a warm and inviting aura. The girls politely accepted the intrusion, and Hanako procured a chair for Haruhi. The older girl bowed before returning to her "So, tell me, Haruhi. Do you have any hobbies?" she heard one of the girls ask as she retreated. Hanako recovered some dishes as she passed the tables and logged who was seated with which host. She wondered how Haruhi was doing on her own and often drifted by the small table. It really wasn't a surprise to her when she caught Tamaki peering over the back of one of the chairs.

Haruhi's sincerity and openness easily earned the sympathy and admiration of her guests, and Hanako noticed a faint pink trail along Tamaki's cheeks as he listened in. Just like that, Haruhi had the other girls wrapped around her finger. The doubt was already wiped away from Haruhi's person, replaced by a modest confidence that only served to help her cause.

"Why's he so popular?" Tamaki asked sadly, pouting behind the chair.

"He's a natural," Kyoya supplied.

"No training needed," the twins chorused.

"Hanako," Kyoya turned to his assistant, "I'd like you to schedule those three for Haruhi tomorrow. Make sure they get the first slot during club hours."

As she filled out the request schedule, she heard Tamaki's companion ask innocently, "Have you forgetten about me?" Tamaki immediately returned his attention to Ayanokoji and placated her need for attention. Hanako hung back after the twins and Kyoya returned to their own hosts, recalling the incident that she had logged in her notes. Tamaki introduced the two, and Hanako was pleased by Haruhi's ease in making the heiress's acquaintance.

"That was so cute!" Tamaki burst uproariously, grabbing the younger student to his chest tightly. "That air of bashfulness was very good!" He lavished praise onto the new host, leaving Ayanokoji effectively forgotten.

"Mori-senpai! Help me!" Hanako heard Haruhi's cry for help from nearby and turned to see what damage Tamaki had managed to do. Of course, Takashi responded as he always did, lifting Haruhi by under her arms and removing her from Tamaki's hold. The quiet host's mouth opened slightly in surprise, and a dusting of pink colored his cheeks. Hanako gripped the clipboard tightly with one hand and righted the chair that had been thrown back with Takashi's quick response with the other.

"How nice of them to take care of Haruhi," Ayanokoji remarked bitingly, her eyes on Hanako's white knuckles. The assistant tore her gaze from Takashi's face and whipped her head around to face the princess.

"Of course," Hanako's sharp gaze landed on Ayanokoji's with a silent warning. "he is a member of this club now." Hanako turned away from the older girl and strode confidently back to the kitchen. In the safety of the back room, she shakily set down her clipboard and took a deep breath. It was turning out to be a very long day.

Later, the hosts charmingly bid goodbye to their guests, and Haruhi and Hanako sorted the dishes and put away the leftover cakes. There were so many girls who brought desserts to the boys, that Hanako almost always had cakes left over.

"You can take some home, if you want," she offered Haruhi in the kitchen.

"Really?" the girl asked in mild disbelief, taking in the sight of the expensive cakes that were just waiting in the fridge.

Hanako nodded, "It would all go to Honey-sama, otherwise."

"Huh, okay, thanks." Haruhi removed one of the cakes and placed it on the counter. Hanako retrieved the girl's glasses from her jacket pocket and handed them back.

"Kyoya-sama gave me these for safe keeping," she said. "He wanted to make sure you didn't try to put them back on during the day."

Haruhi rolled her eyes and accepted the frames, "Do you really work for him?"

"Yes," Hanako confirmed simply as she made the final changes to the day's inventory. She logged the remaining cakes and fruits left inside, and when she was done, she moved on to check how much tea and coffee they had used.

"So, you're just an ordinary person with a job?" Haruhi wondered, doubting that someone like those girls would ever find themselves in the employment of someone like them.

Hanako paused for a moment, taking in what Haruhi had just asked. "It's a little complicated," she admitted, returning to her task. There were years of history that went into her current role as Kyoya's personal assistant, and she was sure she'd bore Haruhi with the details.

"I inherited the company that is privately contracted by the Ootori Group from my father," Hanako elaborated after some consideration and the blatantly confused expression on Haruhi's face. "I have a small fortune, myself, that I won't be able to access until I'm of age. Until then, my services are fully available to the Ootori estate."

Haruhi nodded, still wondering why Hanako was working for the Ootori family if she also had her own family money. It couldn't be that she just wanted to make a living for herself, could it? Haruhi had only met Hanako earlier that day, but she already felt closer to the girl than she did the other rich kids at the school. It may have been the respectful distance she seemed to maintain or the equal footing with which she seemed to address Haruhi, but Hanako somehow felt more real than anyone else there.

"Hanako," Kyoya called from the doorway, "the car's here. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost," she answered, straightening up the shelves in the kitchen and making the final touches to her clip board. Finally, she was satisfied with her notes and locked the cabinets with a small key. Hanako passed her clipboard to Kyoya, and in a fluid, simultaneous motion, placed a pair of sleek sunglasses over her caramel eyes. "It was nice to meet you, Haruhi, see you tomorrow," she bade farewell to the new host, who was dumbfounded by the strange shift in Hanako's behavior. One second, she was digging through a kitchen and the next she looks like a professional bodyguard.

"Yeah, you, too?" Haruhi said to their backs.

Hanako always followed a few steps behind Kyoya when they weren't at school, and as soon as club hours ended, she put the wall up between them. The world existed in black and white for them, and not even the rose colored walls of Ouran would change that. Yet, as she opened the car door for him and he caught her eyes behind the dark lenses, he smiled a little bit at her before ducking into the car, and she smirked back at him before closing it behind them.

"What an exhausting day," Kyoya declared, leaning back into his seat and tilting his head back.

"Would you like me to have Tachibana send up the masseuse?" Hanako asked.

"No, that's quite alright," he waved away her offer and tilted his head to the side, trying to get a better look at her. As usual, she kept her hair in the ponytail that she always put it up in for her Host Club responsibilities, and the black sunglasses that his personal staff members donned rested on the bridge of her nose. "I have more important matters to deal with."

"Yes, sir," Hanako replied, retrieving a black phone from her pocket and beginning to list off the e-mails that Kyoya had received during the school day. Nothing changed their routine, not even a cross dressing honor student in debt.