Lonely Souls

I brought in the applications and Kyoya posted them for first years to apply for. A month later Kyoya dropped a stack of application, 6 inches thick on my desk before class started. “What are these?”
“Applications for the new hosts. You’ll be narrowing it down to ten or less.”
I flipped through some of them. “And how many am I starting with?”
He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. “Oh, not that many. Just about 58.”
“What?!”
“Thank you, Hisoka-chan. I trust your intuition on this matter. Please have these done by the end of the week. And remember these rely on your intuition as a girl.”
He was about to leave me alone when I called out, “What the hell?! You gave me practically everything.”
He looked over his shoulder at me. “On the contrary. I went through them all. Initially we had over 600. It appears that many people decided to submit their applications despite the fact that they are not first years and/or not boys. I also made sure that they had the grades to be able to handle the club. So in actuality, I have done most of the work for you, Hisoka-chan.”
I stared at him dumbfounded. I wanted to say something snarky, but nothing came to mind. But I also wanted to thank him and at the same time I didn’t. ‘Cause that would inflate his already huge ego. Instead I started looking through the first application. “Hmm. No, snarky comeback? Well, there’s a first.”
“Shut up and go back to lurking in the shadows.”
He chuckled and sat down. And we both worked on separate projects until the teacher walked in.
That day I learned that people are creeps for the club’s official website.
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Lunch time rolled around and I decided that I would go through the applications. I had to eat lunch alone so I could concentrate on my job. I was in the middle of my lunch when I was suddenly swarmed by a group of first year girls. “Are you Hisoka-senpai?”
“Yes. What is this about?”
Another girl said, “Well, we’ve heard that you’re picking the new hosts.”
“In a way, I am. But not really. I’m just narrowing it down. Tamaki and the others have the final say.”
Yet another girl asked, “So what are you looking for?”
Another piped in, “A gorgeous boy?”
And suddenly several voices started piping in. ‘Blonde?’ ‘Dreamy?’ ‘Tall?’
That’s when I noticed a pattern forming. They all seemed to be talking about the same person. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy matching the girls’ description. He started heading for us. He stood a few feet away from me when the first years started drooling. “Hello, Senpai. Might I say you are look lovely today?”
I rolled my eyes and started going through another file. “You may say it. But it won’t do you any good.”
I didn’t have to look up to know that he was startled by my response. “Well, I am Yoichi---“
“Shut up!”
“P-par--“
I stood up and took my stuff with me. I missed my little brother more than anything in the world. And if I had to hear that name everyday and it not being my sweet little brother, I don’t think I could handle that. Especially when said person was nothing like my little brother.
I headed back to the classroom. I sat down in my seat and went through the applications and found... that boy’s application. I drew a big red X on the front and put it with the rest of the ones that didn’t pass.
By the time class came back I had 20 applications looked through. As everyone took their seats the teacher walked in with a slightly amused face. We all looked at her with curiosity. “Akiyama-san, there is something waiting for you out in the hallway.”
I got up kinda of scared. I walked out into the hallway. *Anime sweatdrop* There stood 9 or 10 first year boys. They were all in some sort of sports uniform. And they were all sarcastically practicing their sports in the hallway while trying to be flirty.
I place my hands on my hips and leaned slightly to one side. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing. Just practicing, because that’s what we do.”
“In the third year hallway?”
“Yep,” said another boy.
“Why?”
Couple of boys said, “Why not? Besides we get to see beautiful girls like you.”
I face palmed. “What are your boys’ names?”
They told me their names and I headed back inside the classroom. I sat down at my desk with everyone staring at me. “What?”
They all turned back to what they were previously doing. I took out the applications of the boys in the hallway and marked them all with a red X. Kyoya was sitting not that far from me with his notebook open. “This is all your fault, isn’t it?”
He smirked slightly to himself. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hisoka-chan.”
I rolled my eyes as I listened to the teacher begin her lecture. But under my breath I grumbled, “Asshole.”
He just chuckled at my comment.
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Class was finally over. Now all I had to do was think of a hiding place. No, way in hell was I going to the music room. They would find me. I grabbed my papers as I prepared to leave the room.
I stuck my head out the door first, looking both ways to make sure the coast was clear. I left the room as fast as my short little legs could carry me. I was half way to the courtyard when I saw art pieces. And not just any art pieces. They were paintings, sculptures, and drawings of the Host Club and myself. ‘How do they know what I look like?’
I looked at all the names of the artists and checked to see if they were any of the people who were in either my accepted stack or unlooked through stack. And lo and behold they all were. Once again I drew big red X’s on all of their applications.
Why was I marking down them down for the shredder? Well, if they resort to some sort of bribery, they aren’t confident. And from what I observed of the Hosts, they were confident about, if not everything, then almost everything. These attempts to impress me with their skills only annoyed me and to some level embarrassed me.
I got to the courtyard and it was silent. But the moment they saw me, they began playing. And they were all staring at me. It was a group of about 5 boys playing some sort of original rock song. I shook my head and took out my stacks. I just matched up their faces with the ones on the applications and marked them off.
I headed towards the first year hall. They all would be gone by the time I got there. Not to mention that none of them would care to look here. I stayed in the shadows as I entered the hallway. For a moment, just a moment, I thought I saw Sadao turn a corner.
I froze right there. It took me a at least a minute for my heart rate to calm down. I-If that really was him, I didn’t want to be alone here. I was about to turn back when I ran into someone. I fell down to the ground and looked up slightly scared.
I relaxed a bit when I saw that it was just a boy. “Oh, man! I’m so sorry! I should have seen where I was going! Here, let me help you up.”
He held his hand out towards me and I took it. I straightened myself out and looked him over. He was a little taller than Kyoya but not as scrawny. He was pale with huge, puppy-like green eyes. His shaggy brown hair hung down to his shoulders. He smiled awkwardly at me, making his cheeks dimple. “Um, sorry about that again. I should have looked where I was going.”
The boy held up a DS. “It’s alright. I was standing randomly in the hall. So it was partially my fault.”
He held his hand out to me. “I’m Zakimear Dremean. First year.”
I shook his hand. “Hisoka Akiyama. Third year.”
“What are you doing in this hallway, Senpai?”
“Hiding.”
He nodded his head. “Well, you certainly have come to the right place to do that. No one comes down here after class.”
He started walking off. I just stood there. A moment later, I ran after him when I remembered that I thought I saw Sadao. “Hey! Do you think I could sit with you? I need a hiding place where I can finish my club work.”
He hesitated. “Yeah, sure. This way.”
I nodded my thanks. He led me to a classroom. There Zakimear took one side of the room and took the other side. I went through my stacks and was slightly surprised when I found Zakimear’s name in the stack.
Was this a way for him to try and win favoritism with me? Or did he genuinely not know who I was unlike the rest of the first years. I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Finally I was done. I double checked everything. Wow. I had somehow managed to narrow it down to 3. I gathered my things and threw the failed applications in the trash.
Several minutes later I stepped into the Host Room. Kyoya was working on his computer. He was completely oblivious to me coming up from behind him. I stayed silent as I looked over his shoulder. On the screen was the Host website with a picture of me! The caption read,
<i>‘Hisoka Akiyama, year 3. Cousin of Haruhi Fujiyoka, Akiyama helps with the administrative work of the Host Club. She works on the clubs financials as well as helps the club with serving snacks and providing some musical entertainment. Her musical specialty is a cello solo. Akiyama is often seen spending time with the club’s vice president, Kyoya Oturi. Their business and social relationship is well known.
‘Akiyama has been designated the task of choosing the new host from the first year boys.’</i>
Kyoya was currently highlighting the last part and deleting it. He sighed and called out, “Kaoru-kun. Hikaru-kun. You two are the reason Hisoka has been plagued by first year boys. Go and apologize to her.”
“No need. I finished. It made it surprisingly easy to choose.”
I placed the applications next to him. He looked up and smiled slightly. I took my customary seat next to him and worked on homework.