Yutarou just realized that Kazuya got his number but he never got the redhead's.
It's not that he wanted it, but he'd rather decline him over a text message than in real time.
He went to the club room again, hoping Kazuya was still there.
Yutarou opened a crack on the door, letting his eyes search the room. "Suzuki—senpai? Senpai, are you here?" He called, getting inside.
"Who are you?" Yutarou glanced at the person who just spoke.
He knew who he was.
Kaneko Hiroshi.
A tall figure in a school uniform. His jacket was unbuttoned and his necktie was quite crooked.
His icy blue eyes that seemed so hollow and empty. His white hair brushed on his flawless face.
He had a stoic look on his face.
"Ah! Well, I'm a member of the Yandere Host Club, as an errand boy." Yutarou bowed.
"Name." Hiroshi demanded. His voice was quiet but soft, like a gentle breeze on a cold summer night.
"Huh?" Yutarou asked, not hearing what he just said.
"What's your name?" He clarified.
"It's Yamaguchi Yutarou..." He told him.
"Oh, you're that "Yuu—chan" Kazu is always talking about." Hiroshi stated.
"Kazu? Oh, you mean Suzuki—senpai?" Yutarou
"Yeah."
"Well, do you know where he is?" Yutarou asked.
"Yeah. He went to grab his bag." Hiroshi answered, fiddling with his bag.
"I see. I guess I'll just meet him some other time." Yutarou turned back.
'I can just tell him that I forgot. He won't kill me for that, right?' Yutarou groaned.
"Or, you can just stay here." Hiroshi suggested.
Yutarou stopped in his tracks. "Uh, well..."
"You're an errand boy, right? I need help with these, anyway." Hiroshi said.
"Oh..." Yutarou followed him in small paces. "Wait, is that...?" His eyes widened at what Hiroshi was carrying.
'A portable microwave? Is he going to bake in here, right now?' Yutarou observed the white haired boy as he arranged his tools and ingredients on the table behind a long curtain. It was some sort of stage, this room were owned by former dancers after all.
"Our first guests will be arriving soon. We need to serve them snacks and tea. You can make tea, right?" Hiroshi asked him.
"Of course, I can." Yutarou affirmed.
"Use that one over there." Hiroshi pointed a box of tea.
"Oh, this is Earl Grey Tea! It's a British tea, right?!" Yutarou exclaimed, reading the contents of the nutritional value and the random words on them.
It had been so long ever since he read the English language from an English speaking county.
"You're knowledgeable about this. I guess Kazu wasn't exaggerating when he said that you were fascinating." Hiroshi asserted.
"Oh, no. I just fancy foreign countries, so..." Yutarou chuckled. He had never thought that those days he spent studying foreign countries would've been important in this world.
'The tasty aroma is making me hungry...' Yutarou's stomach growled, and he turned away. 'So embarrassing. You little traitor.' He slightly slapped his own stomach.
"Here. I baked these earlier." Hiroshi gave him a sealed pouch with mosaic designs on it.
Yutarou opened the pouch and it was filled with cookies.
'It's not poisoned, is it?' Yutarou stared at the cookies.
"Why are you not eating? Are my treats not to your taste?" Hiroshi asked, his eyes were like daggers on Yutarou.
The teal haired boy shook his head. "Oh, no, no. It's nothing like that. I'll eat them right now."
'Let's have a leap of faith, shall we?' Yutarou exhaled, slowly, preparing himself to eat. He was starving.
"Uh, why did you join the club, senpai? I mean, it's okay if you don't tell me, either." He asked, chewing on some cookies. Luckily, there was nothing on them, or it hasn't worked yet. "I'm just curious, you know." He added.
In fact, Yutarou already knew why, but the silence was killing him. He doesn't want to hear his own chewing sounds.
"Kazu invited me." Hiroshi answered, briefly.
"You and Suzuki—senpai are such good friends, aren't you, senpai?" Yutarou praised.
"Yeah. But, he could be draining at times." Hiroshi admitted.
"Eh?"
"He's so energetic and has a carefree spirit. It's hard to keep up with him sometimes." Hiroshi explained, mixing the ingredients in the bowl.
"Why don't you tell him that?" Yutarou consulted.
"I did and he knows. He's just really impulsive and does whatever he wants at the moment, not thinking about the consequences or anything like that." Hiroshi spoke so much, not even he noticed himself.
'He's speaking so much, he really treasures Kazuya. He almost seem so innocent. But, don't fall for it.' Yutarou giggled.
"Ho... You know a lot about him." Yutarou complimented.
"He does." Kazuya said, his lips almost touching Yutarou's ear.
"Ah!!" Yutarou squealed, flinching. "Oh, it's just you, senpai." He held his chest.
'I almost had a cardiac arrest.' Yutarou could feel his heart beating against his ribcage.
"Why did you call Hiro "senpai" when you just met him? And, yet, I had to force you to call me one." Kazuya asker, pouting.
"Well, I..." Yutarou couldn't look for an excuse.
"You don't even know his name." Kazuya scoffed.
"Kaneko Hiroshi." The white haired boy spoke.
"...huh?" Yutarou blinked a few times, trying to register what just happened.
"My name." He clarified.
"Oh."
'I know. It's just that you never reveal it this early. Are you targeting me, now?' Yutarou got the chills.
"Yes." Yutarou exclaimed, pretending to be excited to meet him. "I shall call you Kaneko—senpai, then!" He informed. Hiroshi hummed in response.
"You... Why are you so friendly with everybody else and not me?" Kazuya inquired, stealing some of Yutarou's cookies.
His eyes followed Kazuya's handful of cookies. There were only a few left. "Huh?"
"It's as if you dislike me." Kazuya said.
'No! I'm scared of you. I don't want to be burned alive.' Yutarou wanted to say.
Kazuya was a lot of things.
And, one of those things, was that...
He was a pyromaniac.
One could even call him an arsonist.
In one of the routes, he had burnt his parents to death, together with the whole school.
He loved fire. He once thought of setting the world on fire. He wanted to be free from his parents. From his past. And, his limitations.
Freedom.
That was the theme of Kazuya's route.
"It's because senpai is so popular. How could I, a nobody, ever be so casual with you?" Yutarou reasoned out, scowling.
"I see, I see. So, that's your reason. Useless thoughts. So useless. Are you scared of other's judgements!? Pfft! Useless. What people think about you is useless. The only person who you should be listening to is yourself. No one else knows you better than yourself, remember that." Kazuya's speech made Yutarou's jaw agape.
"Senpai. You say decent things, too, huh?" Yutarou chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Kazuya pouted. "I say a bunch of great things!" He defended.
"No, like. You absolutely sound like a real philosopher." Yutarou complemented.
Kazuya grinned. "Do I? I like the sound of that."
'Ahh... I want to be praised.' Kazuya bit his lip.
"The guests are here." Akira burst in the room with five girls following behind him."
"Great! I've tired of waiting." Kazuya asserted, red tints were visible on his cheeks.
'That's not a good thing to say in front of the guests.' Yutarou sighed.
"It's Suzuki—san!" One of the girls squealed and the others followed.
There was only one girl who didn't greet him.
'Nevermind. It looks like they love his "bad boy" persona.' Yutarou mentally slapped himself.
"So, why have you girls come? You looking for a boyfriend or something?" Kazuya asked them, sitting on a chair, legs apart.
"Well... I guess I am. Why? Is Suzuki—san available?" One of the girl tucked his hair behind her ear.
"Am I available? It depends." Kazuya answered, catching glimpses at Yutarou.
"Oh, no. Of all people, you like this redhead brat?! Psh! I have trust issues of you, now." The girl earlier
"Yamaguchi." Yutarou turned to Hiroshi.
"Oh, yes?"
"Send these to the guests." The white haired boy said, giving him a tray with two plates filled with macaroons and seven cups of tea.
"Okay." Yutarou took the tray, arranging his hair to look presentable.
"If you'll excuse me." Yutarou bowed.
"Oh, who's this?"
"Another member?"
"Are you a host, too?"
The girls began bombing questions at Yutarou questions.
"Oh, no. I'm just helping around." Yutarou responded.
"Aw. What a shame. You're face is just my type. I like your eyes, they're shining like the sun's rays." One of them complemented.
"Oh. Ah, thank you so much." Yutarou blushed by the sudden praise.
"Tsk." Kazuya clicked his tongue and Akira was glaring at the girls.
"Earl Grey Tea, fresh from the UK." Yutarou presented, giving the guests their tea, one by one.
"Oh!! How sophisticated!" A girl exclaimed, inhaling its aroma.
"And, macarons. Specially made by one of our hosts, Kaneko—senpai." Yutarou said, pointing at Hiroshi with his hand.
"Oh, his stoic expression is such a turn on." One of the guests told the others.
"You." The girl asked. Her bright orange hair was in a thick bun.
"Yes?" Yutarou faced the girl who tapped on his arm.
"Are you free later on?" She asked him.
"Me? Ah, well, I'm..."
"He's not. We have plans after this." Kazuya said, latching to Yutarou's wrist. He gestured for him to leave.
"Aw... Well, then. Let's meet again, sometimes." The orange haired pouted.
'This might be the first and last time I'll be grateful towards Kazuya. I'm saved!' Yuutarou sighed.
"Stop hitting on my kohai!" Kazuya told the girl.
"He's also my kohai, idiot!" The orange girl who was busy on her phone blurted out.
"I met him first!!" Kazuya argued.
"Bullshit." Kazuya raised his fist as a joke and the girl actually punched his shoulder.
"This barbarian. Act like a woman, not a gorilla." Kazuya told her.
"I'm gonna act the way I want, you monkey." She asserted which made Yutarou snort.
He immediately covered his mouth.
His eyes met the girl's big, round brown eyes.
He turned away, with a flustered expression on his face.
Yutarou has never dated anyone before, let it be a woman or a man. He was so consumed in his studies, he never had a chance to have a normal char with anyone. He didn't have any close friends, either.
He lived his life in his own way, and he was fine with that.
Yutarou tapped his fingers on his forehead. 'That girl. Oh! She's like the one of the boys in the game. She's the trio with Kazuya and Hiroshi.' Yutarou smiled as soon as he recalled.
Yutarou liked her character since she was a fun person to be with. Even though she was a huge troublemaker, maybe, a little too much, but she has never caused troubles for MC.
Although, in the end, she died.
Kazuya got jealous of her she was always hanging around the MC.
Yutarou frowned as his heart became heavy. 'I should prevent her from meeting Keijirou. I don't want either of them to die... It would have been so fun watching their friendship bloom. Such a shame.'
"You little shit, don't be rude to my friends. I'll kick you in the balls." The girl gave Kazuya a middle finger.
Kazuya did the same. "I would be infertile, then, or something. Don't you want to see some GREAT looking children."
"Sure, just make sure your wife is pretty, unlike you." The girl scoffed, then laughed, uncontrollably.
"This gorilla...!" The girl laughed as if there was no tomorrow and Kazuya smacked her head. And, she did the same.
The girls were just chuckling along, even Akira had a grin on his face.
'This scene looks so beautiful. I wish I could treasure it.'
"Hoo..." Yutarou froze and slowly turned around.
He saw Hiroshi's eyes glowing.
'I want to leave.' Yutarou could feel his tears flow down his face.
After half an hour, everybody left, Kazuya and Yutarou were the only ones left.
Yutarou had cleaned the table and the room.
"Suzuki—senpai." Yutarou called to to the redhead who was playing with a basketball.
"Oh, what is it, Yuu—chan?" Kazuya asked, holding the ball in his hand.
"Well, I don't think we can hang out today." Yutarou said, finally.
"Why not?" Kazuya asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Just because. Maybe next time." Yutarou answered.
"Hmm..." Kazuya closed his eyes, thinking.
'Please be okay with it. Please, God, just this once.' Yutarou prayed.
He smirked, opening his eyes. "Then, why don't you make a tea for me before you leave?"
"Eh?"
"I liked how you made it. I'll let you go for today, then." Kazuya said.
"Really?!" Yutarou almost jumped.
"Sure."
"Okay, I'll do it, right now." Yutarou made another cup of tea for the redhead and placed it on the table, for it was steaming hot.
After Yutarou had indulged Kazuya, he was free to leave. He practically flew out of the club room.
Kazuya didn't touch the cup nor the spoon and waited for Yutarou to be gone. "Ahh... The spoon is still warm from his heat." He smiled, placing the handle of the spoon on his cheek. "It feels good."