~Manager~

Kofuyu noticed from the corner of her eye that all of the hosts scooted closer to Kyoya to talk to him quietly. Kofuyu hesitated, but she joined them, so she could hear what they were talking about. Tamaki sat down beside Kyoya, and Kofuyu sat on the other side, but she left extra space between her and the second-year.

"So, she made it up, right? She's not really your fiancé?" asked Tamaki. All of the hosts listened in for Kyoya's response.

"Well, no. I don't remember ever asking for her hand in marriage. Besides, this is the first time I ever met the woman," answered Kyoya. Kofuyu felt a weight off her chest, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"It doesn't mean anything, no," she denied. "You still could've said that sooner instead of letting us think you were secretly engaged," she gently scolded him. Kyoya smirked at her reaction. He mentally noted how she was trying to remain emotionless, and how she refused to look him in the eye.

"What a tsundere," Kyoya mused.

"According to my research, I understand that you're in charge of managing the club. Is that true, Kyoya?" Renge asked. She purposely forced herself into the space between Kofuyu and Kyoya. Kofuyu scoffed and scooted further down the couch anyway. She was more annoyed that Renge so rudely pushed her out of the way like some pick-me rather than how she was clearly trying to assert dominance over the only other female-presenting person in the room.

"That's right! Kyo-chan is our director," Honey-senpai confirmed. Of course, the hosts were oblivious to the little feud that developed between these two girls.

"If you did your research on this club, why did you think I was a guest or something?" questioned Kofuyu.

"You have a forgettable face," Renge casually answered. "Anyways, that's perfect! Oh, wow. I've always wanted to wear a sandwich board to advertise a business!" Kofuyu's eyes narrowed at her response.

"She's trying to weasel her way into this club. Of course, she is. It only makes sense," thought Kofuyu.

"We don't advertise. We're just a host club," the twins said with a blank face. Renge was barely listening though.

"I've made up my mind! From now on, I'm going to be the manager of this host club!" She declared.

"We don't need a manger," replied Hikaru.

"We already have Kofuyu for that," explained Kaoru.

"I did my research. Kofuyu is listed as an assistant, not a manager!" Renge denied. "I'm your new manager!" She stood up and started walking around while still staying close to the others. The brothers let out irritated noises, and if Kofuyu was willing to openly show her emotions, she would've been too.

"Um, listen, Kyoya..." Tamaki whispered.

"Miss Houshakuji is the only daughter of a very important Ootori family client, so please be polite and try not to offend her, alright?" Kyoya asked. Kofuyu frowned and watched Renge smile to herself.

Kofuyu's mood was beginning to sour quickly. Not only was Renge already annoying her, but now she feels like Renge's taking her spot.

"Is she going to take Kofu-chan's spot?" Honey frowned sadly.

"No, Kofuyu's duties will remain unaffected, as the host club's assistant,"

"Ugh, assistants don't help manage the finances," Kofuyu groaned. "Does that mean I don't have to do that anymore?" She forced a smile, but didn't bother making it believable.

"Unaffected," Kyoya repeated.

"Well, boys, I can't wait to work with you!" said Renge. She smiled with her eyes closed, and the twins groaned again.

"Assistant, my ass," Kofuyu muttered before she got up to leave.

~~~

"How, um, how are you feeling?" Haruhi asked Kofuyu. The two of them were sitting on the bus, on their way home. Kofuyu shot her a confused look.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" answered Kofuyu. Even though her words said she was fine, her tone told a different story.

"I'm just asking," Haruhi waved her hand. "You just seemed kind of annoyed about Renge and everything. That's all."

"She called me forgettable! I am not forgettable," Kofuyu grumbled. "You should've seen how rude she was when I was alone with her! Oh, did you see how she pushed me out of the way to sit next to Ootori? I mean, I don't care that she wanted to take my spot, but she didn't have to push me like that."

"Yeah, but I know some of the more jealous students have said ruder things to you. Are you sure this has nothing to do about how she claimed to be Kyoya-senpai's fiancé?" Haruhi spoke carefully and tried not to upset her any further.

"What are you implying?" Kofuyu scoffed dismissively. She turned her head away from the other girl. "That I like Ootori? No, I don't. This has nothing to do with him."

"Okay, if you say so," Haruhi answered. She decided not to push the subject any further since Kofuyu was already annoyed about Renge's actions. "There's so much tension between Kofuyu and Kyoya-senpai. It's hard to believe there's nothing going on between them. I don't think it has anything to do with the blackmail either."

~~~

The following day, Kofuyu kept her distance from Renge, the new student in her class. Either way, it didn't affect her schedule much. Kofuyu still ate lunch at the gazebo by herself, and mainly only talked to Haruhi during class. She barely even noticed Renge, and she almost forgot about her until she went to the host club.

"I thought about it a lot last night, and maybe having a lady manager isn't such a bad idea," stated Tamaki. Kofuyu's mood dampened. They just had to talk about her.

"Why do you say that?"

"We already have Kofuyu. She's basically a manager, and she's on time."

"Except for that one day she ditched us."

"Yeah, but she had a reason for ditching us. She wasn't feeling good."

Kofuyu internally groaned at all the back and forth between the two brothers. "Why do they talk about me like I'm not even here?" She went over to where Kyoya sat by himself, but she kept listening to Tamaki speak.

"Well, she's in your class, isn't she? That means my Haruhi has more girls to hang around with! It'll bring out the female side in her! Renge's girlish air of tenderness might be able to stimulate Haruhi's own sense of femininity," Tamaki ranted. "I'm afraid Kofuyu by herself won't be making a change in that."

"Geez..." Haruhi mumbled.

"Are you saying there's something wrong with Haruhi now? Do you not like the way she is, so you're trying to change her?" Kofuyu stared directly at Tamaki as she took a seat beside Kyoya.

"What!? No! I-" Tamaki panicked. Kofuyu sighed, content with the amount of stress she caused in Tamaki. She looked at Kyoya, and when their eyes met, she spoke.

"So, what are my assignments for today?" She took a small pause and added, "You know, as an assistant." He turned away from her and flipped through his notebook.

"I don't need any assistance with maintaining the financials today. You're free to serve the guests and help out the hosts," answered Kyoya. He turned back towards her and repeated, "You know, as an assistant." The corners of Kofuyu's lips turned upwards, and a second later, so did Kyoya's.

"Don't know why Kofuyu keeps denying it. It's so obvious," Haruhi thought as she watched them interact. Kofuyu broke the staring contest and stood up to start preparing all the tea and coffee.

"Hey, everyone!" Renge greeted. "You'll be happy to know that your new manager has baked all of you some cookies!" Kofuyu didn't acknowledge the girl, but the slight smile she had disappeared quickly.

"Isn't she so lady-like? I'm so moved by your generosity," Tamaki complimented and twirled up to her.

"I didn't bake these cookies for you, you phony prince!" Renge shouted. Tamaki went to his corner, and Renge skipped towards her 'fiancé'. "I'm sorry I burnt them a little bit. I did the best I could! And I already know what you're going to say!"

Kofuyu tuned out their conversation. She knew she'd only get annoyed, so there was no point in her listening.

She let her mind go on autopilot as she plugged the electric kettle on and started preparing tea for the third-years and coffee for Kyoya. After so many days, she's noticed that Honey and Mori like to enjoy their cake with tea.

She prepared Honey and Mori their tea first, and carried the saucers over to the two. She wordlessly set them down on the table in front of them and Honey quickly said, "Thank you, Kofu-chan! You're so thoughtful!"

"Thanks," Mori repeated. Honey picked up one of the cookies Renge brought and took a small nibble from the darkened edge.

"She wasn't kidding. These cookies really are burnt," Honey mumbled.

"Don't eat that, Mitskuni. It's bad for you," replied Mori. Kofuyu let out almost silent giggle because of Mori's warning. Renge obviously over heard them because she instantly started shouting and chasing around the two third years. Unbothered, Kofuyu went back to the kettle and prepared Kyoya's coffee.

When Kofuyu turned back around to face the hosts, she saw Haruhi pick one of the cookies from the container and took a small bite for them. Kofuyu felt a sudden craving to at least try one of the blackened cookies. She gave Kyoya his coffee and walked away before he could respond.

Kyoya's eyes landed on the teacup then moved to Kofuyu. He watched as she grabbed one of the cookies and took a quick bite. "Of course, she's going straight for the snacks," he thought. He didn't mean it in a bad way. He just thought it was slightly amusing how she was so food motivated.

Hikaru and Kaoru simultaneously glanced at each other, and they knew they were thinking the same thing.

They stood on either side of her, and Hikaru took the cookie from her hands. "May I try?" asked Hikaru. He shoved the cookie into her mouth and lifted her chin.

Sure, they knew there was a possibility that she'd freak out or cry again, but they were willing to take those chances. The brothers were curious as to what her reaction would be seeing as how they've gotten a lot closer since the last time they tried to flirt with her.

Hikaru took a bite of the other end of the cookie, and Kofuyu's eyes went wide. She was frozen due to the initial shock of the unexpected actions.

"Huh," Kyoya thought curiously as he took a sip from the tea cup. "Perfect coffee. She gets it right every time."

"What do those idiots think they're doing?!" Tamaki fumed.

"Please, don't be too upset, Kofuyu," groaned Haruhi.

When Hikaru pulled away, chewing on his bite of cookie, his brother grabbed Kofuyu's cheek and said, "Uh oh, Kofuyu. You have some crumbs on your face."

"What?!" Kofuyu spit out the cookie and slapped Kaoru's face away from her. It wasn't hard enough to leave a mark, but it definitely stung a little. "Were you about to lick my cheek?? What is wrong with the two of you?" She stomped away from the brothers with an angry look on her face. "I can't believe them! That's disgusting, really."

"Kofuyu doesn't seem to be as upset as last time the twins did something like that," Kyoya noted. "Maybe she's adjusting."