Just Look into It

25. Incomplete

Ryo pushed open the doors to the Host club's room, all of the hosts too occupied with their guests to notice her. With confident movements, she skirted the edge of the room and made her way to one of the back tables, eyes locking onto the familiar head of black hair bent over a laptop. 

She approached, their eyes meeting before he looked away. She placed the folder she had been carrying on the table. 

"The information you had requested."

"Thank you," he replied, eyes staring into hers once more. There was a moment of silence between them.

"If that's all, I'll take my leave." 

There was no response, so she turned around and started toward the door once again. 

"Ryo-chan!" 

The brunette was barely able to brace herself before Honey was clinging to her side, eyes wide and watery. 

"Don't you have guests to attend to?" she asked, adjusting her stance slightly since there was little chance of her being able to pry him off herself. "You shouldn't desert them."

He grinned. "Nope! You came just in time, Ryo-chan. We're all done for the day!"

She frowned, her eyes flicking over to Kyouya who was conveniently busy writing in his notebook. "I'm not staying. I was just dropping something off, so I need to be on my way."

He seemed to hold on tighter, and Mori stepped closer.

"Please let go," she asked, looking Honey in the eyes. 

Reluctantly, clearly a bit upset, he slowly let go and stood on his own two feet. Before she could continue on her way, however, his hand grabbed her sleeve. 

"I'm sorry. We should have asked you," he murmured. "Please forgive us Ryo-chan. Please don't be cold to us again."

Shock rushed through her as she looked down at her upperclassman. Her eyes trailed over to Mori, the only other person nearby. He nodded.

Since when did she get so close to the members?

How had things gotten so far out of hand?

Stiffly, Ryo swallowed. "I understand. I appreciate the apology-"

What was she supposed to say? She couldn't think. 

Her words were slow and firm, but she wondered if he would believe them. "However, I am a student at Ouran merely to operate my system. My entire purpose for being at Ouran is that of business. Sorry, but I don't think I can be anything but."

Ryo lightly tugged her sleeve away and to her surprise got it free.

"Do you really believe that Hisakawa?" one of the twins demanded, the two staring intensely at her. 

"Yes, I do. It has been the truth of my situation since my first year, and it will be true my third year," she retorted, trying hard to keep her voice level. "Should I want it, I have a job already at Ouran once I graduate."

Tamaki approached her, and she forced herself to stare into his violet eyes. "But are you happy with that?"

Ryo tried and failed to suppress a small smile at his words. She wasn't surprised by his words. That was who the blond was at his core and it was the reason he had started the club. 

"Happy or not, it's irrelevant. I've made my bed and I will lie in it," she responded, moving towards the doors. "'Happy' doesn't have anything to do with me."

The brunette made her way out of the school after gathering her things from the library. Exhaustion pressed heavily on her shoulders. She was glad that Haruhi hadn't been at the host club that day, as her cousin would have been able to read her like a book and make leaving much harder.