opia | k. hitachiin

2 | the host club

Ai didn't know what to make of the school yet. If she had her sight, it would've been really easy but the expensive aromas—rich wood, new furniture, polished doors—wafting in and out of her nose were nearly as helpful.

Kei dropped her off a few minutes ago and left her in the hands of her guide, Haruhi Fujioka—she was pretty sure she's a girl but she's a bit embarrassed to ask. Her brother left her with her costly cane in her small hands, entrusting it to lead her around. The dress was not making the tour fun though, she almost tripped twice and for some reason, she believed that everybody could see her legs but she checked like five times and convinced herself that there was just too much space underneath the skirt. She could hide an actual person there if she ever needed to.

Just saying, it's important to keep those kinds of tips in mind.

So far, she could not hear any steps that did not belong to her and Haruhi so it was safe to assume that this school was so damn huge that students just didn't run into each other easily. Also, she wondered if all the school had carpeted floors—the fact that they were allowed to walk with their shoes further assured her that money here was probably also used as tissues and napkins.

"And this is the third library on the third floor," her guide said. "I don't advise you to go to any of them with the hope of getting a good study session. Most students here seem to think this is the cafeteria."

Ai snorted in the very way her father warned her not to but then stopped short. "We're on the third floor?"

Haruhi chuckled a sweet combination of bells. "I guess we both share the trait of a short attention span."

Okay here goes nothing

"Do we, by any chance, also share our...gender?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, aren't you a girl?"

She heard a bit of a sputtering and immediately knew she messed up. Heat spread from her neck uncomfortably and she wished she could be swallowed by the doors of the library they passed.

"I'm so sorry, I just assumed, well your voice, it sounds so feminine but that's probably just rude to say. I'm sorry I didn't know you were a boy."

"No, no! Don't apologise, please. I should've taken this into consideration and told you."

They stayed arguing back and forth on whose fault it was until Ai got sick of it and laughed to cure any tension that she might've been blind to.

"Well, that leaves introducing you to some of my friends."

They walked for just a minute more until Haruhi gently grabbed her arm to stop her from walking further. She heard doors being swung open and a change of scents greeting her—soft rose perfume with a smell of cakes.

"Haruhi! Who is this with you?" A shrill boyish voice rang through the room and Ai resisted the urge to clamp her hands on her ears. "Why is she holding a cane? Why is she looking weirdly? Is she threatening you? Hey! Who are—"

"One more word and I'll grab her cane and smack you." Haruhi huffed. "Let me talk."

A hand, nice and warm, grabbed hers and pulled her forward. "This is Ai, she's a new student and I'm showing her around. She's blind. No questions please or risk getting something worse than a smack of a cane."

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He bore his eyes into her and he was pretty sure she's feeling some discomfort. He couldn't help it. He just met her a few days ago in the park and then she shows up, new kid and all.

She looked cute but stiff in the yellow dress. Her short black hair was braided back in a French braid that reached just below the nape of her neck. Her face was glowing and for all to see her galaxy-like eyes, freckles and small plump lips. She was beautiful and he knew the rest of his friends could see that too.

He didn't feel like telling her that he was the boy a week back. Not yet anyway. It was kind of entertaining to watch from the sidelines.

"So is your family rich or are you on a  scholarship?" Tamaki's huge mouth was going to get him in trouble, Kaoru was sure.

"What did I say about questions?" Haruhi snapped, unnoticing to Ai's curious gaze in her direction.

Tamaki pouted and pushing his forefingers together like an innocent child. "I thought you meant regarding her—" Oh he should've reassessed Haruhi's warning gaze "—blindness."

Cue the scolding and Tamaki's stupid mushrooms. Meanwhile, Mori and Arashi were taking advantage of the girl's lack of sight to go act lovey-dovey in a corner away from them. It was so cute seeing their taciturn senpai affected by the shorter bubbly girl.

But seriously, he's starting to feel sorry for the girl. With the old couple fighting, the dark lord planning, the small senpai trying to feed her cakes and his brother's eyes gleaming, he was sure there would be more disasters.

But before he could help her excuse herself, his brother, oh his sweet brother, chimed in.

"Say, Ai, would you like to play a game?"

So much for watching from the sidelines.