𝙎𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙏𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙎 // 𝘔.𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘻𝘶𝘬𝘢 𝘹 𝘖𝘊

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The Sun, the Sea, The Host Club! (Part 4)

After what happened, Haruhi had confessed she didn't feel too good. It was most probably because of the crabs she ate. She headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Kiyo let out a satisfied sigh, finishing the carbs on her plate. "I'm gonna go wash up and head to bed." She announced, standing up from her seat. "Goodnight Ki-chan!" Honey grinned, waving at her. Mori sent her a firm nod, enjoying the crab. 

"We'll walk you to your room." The twins stood up and slid to either side of their cousin. Kiyo smiled, "Alright." the twins waved at their upperclassmen, "Goodnight Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai."

"Night night Hika-chan, Kao-chan!" The short blond waved back, his cousin grunting back an answer.

Lightning flashed in the sky as Hikaru and Kaoru walked with Kiyo back to her room. The sound of distant thunder mixed with their footsteps. The resort was quiet under the dark clouds, feeling just as gloomy as the cousins did.

As they got to Kiyo's door, Hikaru felt that something was off. "Kiyo, where's your flower clip tonight? You usually wear it," he asked, looking concerned.

The club's princess touched her hair where the clip usually was. "I... I just didn't feel like wearing it," she said, avoiding their eyes.

Kaoru could tell something was bothering her. "You always wear that clip, especially when you're feeling down. What's going on?"

Standing in the dim light of the hallway, Kiyo felt the protective gaze of her cousins. The wind outside picked up, rattling the windows as if it knew how tense they were. She took a deep breath and said, "It's my mother. She called about another marriage proposal. She won't take 'no' for an answer this time."

Hikaru's face showed his worry. "Another proposal? But you've already told her you're not ready. Why can't she understand that?"

Kaoru leaned against the wall, his face serious. "We know how strict she can be, Kiyo. But you can't let her control everything. You've said 'no' before. We'll help you do it again."

Kiyo nodded slowly, feeling scared of facing her mother, who always pushed her own way. "I know, but each time it gets harder. She thinks it's for the best. But I'm just not sure..."

Hikaru stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "Princess, you don't have to decide anything tonight. Let's just enjoy our vacation. We'll be with you when you talk to her. We'll support you, no matter what."

Kaoru walked towards the vanity that had the flower clip, taking it and walking back to them. "Yeah, let's think about it tomorrow. For now, why don't we just relax a bit?" He clipped the flower on it's usual place.

Kiyo gave a small smile, thankful for her cousins' support. "That sounds nice. Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you guys." Loud thunder sounded and the white haired girl was snapped back into reality.

"Haru-chan!" She muttered out worriedly. The twins raised an eyebrow, "Huh? Haruhi?" they both asked. She turned to them in a panic, "Haru-chan is sacred of thunder! We need to find her!"

The twins gasped and sprung into action. Kiyo burst through her door and started calling out Haruhi's name. "Haru-chan! Where are you?" She worried for her underclassman, she didn't want the brunette to be dealing with her fear alone.

Thunder roared again, almost in tune with the loud beating of her heart. The twins and Kiyo started opening random doors trying to see if Haruhi was in them. They bumped into Kyoya on their frantic search.