We Are the Sons and Daughters - Kyoya x OC

Chapter 20

     As her measurements were being taken, Reiko watched her father on the other side of the room. In the thirty minutes they had been there his phone had gone off four times, but he hadn't answered a single call and wouldn't so long as he was with the silver-haired teen. Despite living with her for the past four years, Jiro Ishikawa rarely saw his daughter. It wasn't intentional, of course, after being separated from her for so long, he would spend every moment he had with her if he could- he just had a lot of work. Being the owner of the chairman of the largest investment group in Asia called for a busy schedule and between meetings, business trips, and day-to-day tasks there weren't always enough hours in the day to see Reiko. Her schedule was almost as busy as his after all.

     In the short time that he'd known his only daughter, Jiro had come to pick up on a few of her idiosyncrasies that gave him a general idea of what her mood was like that day. From the way her brows were furrowed, and her lips were ever so slightly downturned, Jiro could tell something was troubling her.

     "What's bothering you, my dear? Is it the dress?" he asked.

     Reiko looked away from the recommendations list the tailor had given her and turned her attention to her father. "Ah... no that's not it," she started. What was really bothering her was her situation with the Host Club. She knew she should talk about it with him, but she didn't know if this was important enough to concern him with. "It wouldn't hurt to ask for his advice though, right? He's probably dealt with something like this in the past!"

     "Something happened at school today," she admitted.

     Jiro frowned. "At school?" Ouran Academy was an excellent institution, and Reiko was a phenomenal student. What could possibly be concerning her in such an environment?

     She nodded. "I was offered to join a club," she told him.

     At this, her father smiled brightly. Reiko rarely mentioned having friends and had expressed no interest in extracurricular activities in school. "That's excellent news! What club? Ouran's business club is the best in the country."

     Reiko cringed slightly. "If only," she thought. "No... it's a Host Club."

     Jiro raised an eyebrow, he was surprised the school even had such a club in the first place. "A Host Club?"

     The teen sighed. "The members entertain female students with tea and conversation," she explained, pointedly leaving out that the members were in fact romancing their guests.

     "And who is in this club?"

     "Haninozuka-senpai, Morinozuka-senpai, Tamaki Suoh, Kyoya Ootori, the Hitachiin twins and Haruhi Fujioka."

     Jiro nodded; he recognized all the names she had listed- the members of the club were from well-known and reputed families. The only exception was Haruhi Fujioka, but Reiko had mentioned in the past that she was an honors student and was very focused. "It's fine if Reiko associates with them," he thought. It was just surprising that Reiko would even consider joining such a social club when she preferred to be alone. "I see no problem with that," he approved.

     "Well, I was actually going to decline... truthfully my schedule is already full to begin with and I didn't want to complicate myself with another activity."

     "But you accepted?"

     The teen bit her lip and nodded. "They found out what my real name is," she revealed.

     He narrowed his eyes. "Was it because of the Ootori boy?" he asked.

     Reiko shook her head. "No, Yuna let it slip while trying to find me at school today."

     Jiro ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. These were members of prominent families, if they told their parents, it could result in a PR nightmare. "You need to make sure they don't share this information with anyone. There's little time left before we make the announcement."

     "I know. That's why I joined the club. They promised to keep it a secret if I become their secretary. I just don't know how I'm going to balance it all."

     Sitting back, the man thought for a moment. He knew Reiko had a lot on her plate, and now the Host Club was one of her responsibilities, at least until the official announcement regarding her identity and succession were made. "Focus on your studies and the club; my assistant will take care of whatever you are unable to finish regarding the subsidiaries," he decided.

     Reiko looked down and nodded. She was disappointed that she would have to give up some of her company duties, but she knew that if she tried to do it all herself it would only harm the business or her own academic performance. "Alright."

     Noticing her disheartened expression, Jiro gave her a reassuring smile. "Thank you for bringing this up, Rei. It was very mature of you. This could be a good opportunity for you to learn valuable team working and leadership skills."

     Her lips quirked into a smile at her father's attempt to make her feel better. "Thank you, father."