Companion Cupid [OHSHC] [Hikaru] {Discontinued}

Chapter 07 | Commonalty Bicycle

[Chapter 07 | Commonalty Bicycle]

[Aged Thirteen, Tomoko Hatakeyama]

"Tomoko, you're home!" Her little brother, Tae-won, announced when he saw Tomoko walk through the front doors from the lounge room couch.

"Yeah- I'm home." Tomoko slipped her shoes off and rubbed her damp hair with a towel.

"You just went to a pool, didn't you?" Tae-won put down his Nintendo. "With your weird American friend?"

"Yeah..." Tomoko chuckled softly. She was wearing swim shorts and a basic white t-shirt, both damp of course. She still couldn't swim but she had managed to get just as wet if she did swim.

Tae-won hopped up from the couch, deciding to be nosy. "Where did you swim at? Her place? Is she rich? She probably has a great swimming pool..."

"She is not rich but the family she's staying with in the exchange program is well off...not like us though." Tomoko shrugged. "She took me to a common public pool."

Tae-won almost choked on his own saliva at that. "A commoner pool!" He exclaimed, eyes big.

"Y-Yeah! It had a big sign out front saying 'LOCAL POOL' in capitals." Tomoko explained to her brother who was but a year younger than her. "And it smelled weird...she told me that was just the chlorine though."

"Bet it wasn't. Bet it was the stink of commoner-"

"Hey!" Tomoko smacked his bicep, making him wince. "Don't be rude, Tae-won."

"Ouch, alright, fine..." He pouted, going back to the couch and picking up his Nintendo, going back to playing on it.

Tomoko sighed at her younger brother before she went upstairs to change out of her swimmers, unable to get the day out of her mind. A commoner pool...that was surely something- not something bad though. She liked it, in fact. It was a simple...the people there were simple and nice.

She sat down on her chair and leaned back, sighing.

Aicha...She sure was something. She said she'd even help Tomoko learn how to ride a bicycle- how ridiculous is that...

Yeah, she was something.

[Present day]

"Out of the way please!" Tomoko called out to the Ouran students as she rode to the school entrance on her blue bicycle.

Haruhi stopped walking at the sight of Tomoko riding in on a bicycle, like a 'commoner'. It wasn't something you saw everyday...well, not here anyway. She slowly approached the matchmaker when she parked her bike and got off it. "Hey." She greeted, waving.

Tomoko looked over to her, eyebrows raised. "Oh! Hello." She smiled at her. "You look familiar..."

"Yeah, I'm one of the hosts if that sparks your memory?" Haruhi said.

"Oh! Right! You are too." Tomoko quickly turned around and took her hand, shaking it. "I'm Tomoko, Tomoko Hatakeyama."

"I know who you are. Hikaru talks about you."

"He does?" She rose her eyebrows. "That's surprising."

"It is?" Haruhi rose her eyebrows.

"Yeah! I mean...he's so embarrassed to be using my services." Tomoko chuckled softly. "I think it's because he's a host. Hosts can get help too! Even you, if you ever need help to get a girl...or a boy, or anything." She smiled brightly at Haruhi.

A nervous chuckle left the commoner. "Thanks..." She had no interest in that and even if she did, she was hiding her gender so that'd be difficult. "So, why are you riding a bicycle to school, if you don't mind me asking?"