Just Look into It

52. Corrupted

The next few days, Ryo made sure to get to the school early. It had been a shock to hear that Kasanoda was trying to get Mori to help him out in regards to his image, which she figured wouldn't have been a bad plan if the other hosts hadn't jumped on the bandwagon. Mori alone would likely have been just fine, but others... The least she could do was try to give him some support during whatever chaos was about to go down. 

She could spot him easily as he approached the gates, his eyes almost instinctually glaring as she called his name. They softened however as he glanced away. Progress. She grinned and fell into step at his side. 

"How's the host club treating you?" she asked, adjusting her bag strap. 

"Fine, I guess. Can't seem to remember my name," he groaned. He shoved his hair from his face and returned his gaze towards the ground. With a click of her tongue, she reached up and tugged off the bright disaster of a scarf he'd been told to wear.

"I thought I had confiscated this..." Ryo shook her head. "But I believe they're doing that on purpose, to get you to lighten up and used to joking around."

"Oh."

"Don't let them get under your skin too much, they mean well, I promise," she mused. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Honey and Mori approaching. The former started waving his arms wildly, to which she responded with a small nod of her own. 

"I uh- Thanks for the help," he suddenly blurted. She blinked, turning her attention back to him. They had stopped walking, though he was now a few steps in front of her. "Since the start, ya know?"

"There's no need to thank me, Kasanoda," she shot back, adjusting her glasses. "It's always been rather obvious that you don't exactly fit the rumors about you."

"I think you're the only person-"

"Watch out!" 

Ryo stumbled back as she noticed a potted plant suddenly fall from the balcony above where they had been walking. In an instant, she assessed the damage, noticing that Mori had stopped Kasanoda from getting hurt, leaving the pot to shatter against the sidewalk. 

"Are you alright?" Honey quickly asked her. 

"Hisakawa?"

She pressed her lips shut and nodded, whipping out her computer. A sense of fury quickly rose up in her, and she hoped desperately that whoever had knocked the plant over the edge had done so by accident. She glanced up to see two figures dart away. 

"That settles that," she hissed to herself, typing away with one hand. "I'm sorry, but I must excuse myself. Don't worry, I'll find those responsible and make sure that everything gets settled out properly."

The red-haired male quickly brushed past the third-years to stand in front of her. She met his gaze for a moment before turning back to her screen. "What do you mean? You can't be thinking about going after whoever did that. It was probably an accident."

She sighed. "I highly doubt it was an accident, but my system will show what truly happened. For now, it is best to assume that there are students who wish to do you bodily harm. Thank you for stepping in, by the way, Mori-senpai."

Mori nodded, eyes scanning the area. 

"If you'll excuse me, I have work to do," she stated, taking the first step around him before stopping. The brunette leaned back slightly to look him in the eye. "Stay safe, I'll take care of things on this end. Focus on your image, yeah?"

By the end of the day, she had already gathered all information required. Kyouya had been a bit surprised to hear that she was already working on the case when she received a call from him later that day. She forwarded the relevant information to him and prepared for the confrontation that was likely to occur after school. The host club was closed for the day due to their deal with Kasanoda, leaving her to abandon her library much sooner than she normally did. A conversation that she had caught through her system floated through her mind again as she made her way out towards the courtyard where the red-haired male was spending time with Haruhi. 

Ryo had learned from her mistakes, giving a small nod to the hosts that were lurking about. 

The two familiar figures walked past her, and she sighed.

They really weren't trying to be subtle, were they?

She winced as Honey kicked the paint can from the air, eyes following the sparrow that took off into the air shortly after. Mori locked gazes with her as the others checked on Haruhi and Kasanoda, quickly grabbing hold of the two boys. 

"Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk?" she chirped, cutting off their complaints. They jolted in the third year's arms, glaring at her. 

"What do you want? Let us go," one snarled. 

She smirked. "Well, considering the situations in which we met last, I hope you'll be more courteous in your tone."

Their eyes grew wide as they looked her over again. The two boys from Renge's movie didn't look like they had expected to see her at all. 

"As you should know, violence is frowned upon here at Ouran, and that includes plotting harm to another student." Ryo took a step forward, amused as they continued to struggle against Mori. 

"It's his fault! That kidnapper!"

"Give us back-"

Ryo leaned closer to them, eyes cold. "Do not test my patience. From this point on, any interactions with Kasanoda, aside from an apology, will result in consequences for you both. Be glad that I'm letting you two off the hook for the second time."

They both gulped and sat quietly while the twins tied them up. 

"-you helped me, why?" 

The brunette turned around to see Kasanoda being comforted by Mori. Her attention didn't linger, however, as she turned to a face she had discovered while doing her research. She gave him a nod and moved over to her cousin, who was frowning at the paint now covering her uniform. 

"I'm going to go change," Haruhi decided. 

"I'll come with you, I'll make sure the paint comes out by tomorrow," Ryo mused, following behind. The two quickly made their way back up to the music room, making sure that the doors were shut behind them. 

Haruhi took off her blazer and placed it carefully on the table, trying not to get paint everywhere else. Her cousin sighed, probably more at the thought of how much further in dept she would go if it was ruined. 

"Since you're supposed to be a guy," Ryo mused, "you can wear my blazer. It will look more androgynous than just a shirt.

Haruhi glanced over, giving her a small smile. "Thanks."

Though she didn't doubt that the blazer would fit, being that they were similar sizes, she stood by to make sure. Of all the colors that they could have gotten the paint in, it had to be a bright red. Hopefully, if the color wouldn't come out, she could convince Kyouya not to tack the cost of a new one onto her debt. Hell, she was surprised that he wasn't insisting she wore a proper uniform with how frequently she was around the hosts. 

The sound of a voice and door opening caught her attention immediately but by the time she had moved to step in front of Haruhi, Kasanoda's face was already a bright red. Blurting out something, he darted away and slammed the door. 

After confirming that Haruhi was unfazed by his sudden appearance, she picked up the ruined uniform and left the room. A wince flashed across her face at the glares he was receiving from Tamaki and the twins. Kyouya stood a few steps off, pausing in his writing to watch her approach. A twinge of a smile touched his lips before it vanished. 

"Would it cost more to get a uniform dry-cleaned or to simply buy a new one? A red this bright will be hard to clean," she asked as she came to stop at his side. 

"I suppose that choice could be left up to Kasanoda, as a thank you to Haruhi's efforts on his behalf," he mused, staring at the still very terrified student. She caught his eye as he tilted his notebook down slightly for her to get a better look at the only note on the fresh page. 

She smirked, feeling a bit bad for Kasanoda. "A non-disclosure agreement? I've had one prepared for a while now for a situation like this. It shouldn't take long to edit."

"You've corrupted her," the twins whispered.

Ryo decided not to respond, simply fixing them with an amused look as she whipped out her laptop to edit and print the necessary paperwork.