Shiroiwa High School Host Club

Noriko ran her fingers nervously through her hair, noticing Kiriyama's obvious displeasure about being here. She hummed a little before speaking again, and looked over at the sociopath, tilting her head slightly.

"Surely there must be something you like about being here. It's a nice area, and you get any refreshments you want. Isn't that appealing?" she asked before taking another sip of her drink. She felt slightly bad for enjoying this so much when her host was obviously hating this.

His gaze seemed to follow his thoughts, hesitantly drifting over to the snack table. He gave a slight, half-hearted shrug in answer. It was nice having access to all the food and drink there every day. But it wasn't like he was even very hungry very often anyways, and it probably wasn't worth what he endured as a Host.

He would much rather be dissecting animals.

"You should at least try." She gave him a small, encouraging look. "If it'll help with songs, then go for it."
Geeze, he was really bringing out the best in her. She'd never been this nice to someone outside of her family before.
"Pffft, I know people with *real* baby brains. And awful personalities to boot. Don't rub yourself in with them." She crossed her arms and raised her nose in mock snobbishness to meet his pout.

Happiness flooded over Noriko when she saw Kiriyama admitting to (somewhat) liking something about being here. She sat back a little more comfortably, feeling proud of her effort. She reached forward and finished off the last of her sweet tea before placing the empty cup carefully back on the table.

She then closed her eyes and laid her head on Kiriyama's shoulder, staying silent, knowing that attemtping any kind of conversation outside methods of torture and death wouldn't get any response from him. She let out a soft happy sigh, deciding that perhaps choosing someone more silent was a nice change.

A modest smile crept over Shuya's lips. "Haha, well, I guess I could. Might be tough to get away from the guitar, though." He laughed, strumming a row of notes across the guitar strings before lifting the instrument from his form and gently resting it against his chair on the floor beside him. "Oh, I'm not," he assured her jokingly. "But I really do have a baby brain..." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "But it's okay. Customers seem to think it's cute," his small smile pushed itself into his eyes as he gave a quick wink.


He gave another short flinch at her resting head on his shoulder. The weight of it only made him think about how much force it might take to smash her skull open; another thought he could not afford to linger on. Her blissful sigh made his stomach churn, made him crave strangling the breath from her throat - but that wasn't happening, either. He glowered out toward the windows miserably.

She blushed slightly when he winked at her. Not in attraction, but moreover in the notion.
"What kind of customers usually come in here?" Her foot began to type lightly against the floor, stopping when a few notes erupted from the guitar. "I'm sure you all have regulars."
If he kept this up, she would be, too.
Maybe she'd even see some of the other boys later.

"You do know if I'm making you feel too uncomfortable, you can just tell me, okay? Or you could just let out some kind of grunt if you really don't want to speak..." Noriko offered, feeling slightly paranoid once again. It was easy to forget that Kiriyama was very different from the other hosts, and was not as comfortable about any kind of physical contact.

"Oh, we get a good variety..." Shuya scratched his cheek, thinking back. He didn't look keen on elaborating, not wanting to bash on either extreme of the spectrum. There were the very shy girls who froze up upon facing him, and on the opposite end incredibly overbearing girls who wanted to order him around every other minute...

He smiled. "Yeah! But even our regulars are all different. Uh... If that makes sense."

He shifted position his seat a little. "How're you liking it here so far? Am I doing a good job?" He flashed the most charismatic smile he could muster, an exaggerated effort as if to win her favor with the smile alone.


Kazuo gave another, slightly more subtle roll of his eyes before casting his client a scrutinizing leer. Even as only selectively mute, Kazuo just about never used his voice unless on accident, such as in the instance of being hurt - if even. If he wanted to get anyone's attention about anything he used gestures or physical force. He generally didn't need words to get his point across... and he didn't need grunts, either.

He looked away again, still annoyed at Nakagawa's incessant concern.

When Kiriyama leered at Noriko, she cautiously sat upright again, resuming her position and looking down at her feet. She was beginning to worry if Kiriyama quit the club and went back to killing classmates, she would be one of the first targets on the list for doing all this.

"Mr. Kiriyama, I do think you are a pleasant host... It's nice to be around someone so quiet," Noriko told him appreciatively. She decided one compliment wouldn't be so bad for the sociopath.

Another warm smile went his way.
"I'll admit, it disgusted me to hear about the Host Club at first. Sorry." She quickly added, really not wanting to offend her new acquaintance. A hard swallow. She should really do some thinking before she opens her mouth. Her head hung down in slight shame.
"But...Nanahara, you're so nice. You're doing a great job." Setsuko got a little more tense, but she did not look away. The corners of her mouth retreated into her skin, making somewhat of a small pout.
"...Sorry again."

Shuya laughed rather nervously. "Oh, that's not really that surprising... For some people, it's just not their thing..." But as she continued, his smile spread. "Aww, thanks!" He blushed a little despite himself. Compliments got to him every time. "Don't worry about it, I totally understand. I think some people get the idea we're... like... prostitutes or something, haha." He lowered his volume timidly at the word. "But it's really not like that. We're just here to entertain people and give them someone to talk to, and that kinda thing... But I'm glad I've made a good impression!" He laughed. "I'm curious, though, what made you want to try it out?"


He froze for a second and was driven to turn and look at her again, arching a brow somewhat with an expression caught between perturbed and incredulous.

He wanted to shove her off the couch and kick her. This girl was unbelievable.

He was only 'pleasant' because he wasn't striving to kill her like he most certainly would under normal circumstances - and he was equally certain she was aware of that fact. It was a joke to call him 'pleasant', to claim he was 'nice' to be around. A bad joke. He scowled vehemently and turned away again.

She looked at him, her face going serious, but not unfriendly. Her teeth caught the inside of her cheek and began to chew.
"Well, girls talk about Host Clubs incessantly, in general." Setsuko resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she thought about the small club back to her hometown on the island. "Decided to go check it out."
Looking around for a moment, she lowered her voice.
"...Also, that wild-looking boy who wanders around here..." Her voice trailed off. "Nevermind. It's silly."
Shut it. She said to much.
"Uhm...so, what made you decide to join?"

He grinned on the verge of laughter, but refrained if only because Setsuko sounded annoyed at the memory. "Well, I think that's really cool of you. It's good to give stuff a chance - especially when it turns out to be something you like!" He smiled. "Who knows, maybe I'll try piano and like it so much I'll forget all about guita- nah, I can't even say that with a straight face," he laughed.

His smile dropped somewhat at the start of her question. "Uhh..." By 'wild' she had to have meant Sasagawa or movie Kiriyama... and he leaned toward the latter. Even with Sasagawa's blonde hair, movie Kiriyama was probably the more eye-catching of the two; he had a kind of aura about him that felt absolutely... feral, perfectly fitting of a word like 'wild', not that the word didn't suit Sasagawa, too. Regardless, Shuya wasn't going to make assumptions. "Wwwhhich one? The blonde or the... other one?" He worked to maintain a smile at his tentative question. "It's okay," he tried to reassure her, laughing a little. He couldn't tell if she was thinking of switching Hosts or if she was just curious, but he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't be open about it either way. "What about him, at any rate?" He rubbed the back of his head, hoping he wouldn't have to answer with anything Setsuko didn't want to hear.

"Hmm? Oh, uh... Well, my friend Shinji had been kinda joking about the idea, and then... all of a sudden... I was helping him set the whole thing up, haha." He grinned sheepishly, a little embarrassed about how easily he was suckered into things.

"Well, as long as you're having a good time and comfortable, right?" She stayed silent for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, when I was inquiring, I didn't mean to sound like you weren't good company. I was just...curious about him." Might as well tell him more since she started, and he seemed genuinely curious. "The other one. With the darker hair."

Shuya just smiled, laughing a little. "Yeah, it's fine, it's fine either way," he said reassuringly, rubbing the back of his head. Still, a bit of the cheerfulness faded from his face when she clarified which 'wild' boy. "Oh... Uhh... Kazuo Kiriyama. We have two of them. The wild one, a transfer, and his... counterpart, with the slick-backed hair. They look like opposites, right?" He chuckled rather nervously. "Uhm.... What did you want to know about him?" Hopefully not why I've gotten quieter bringing him up, Shuya thought anxiously.

Once Setsuko noticed how quiet Shuya got, she decided that the wild youth's name would be enough for now.
"They do." Her smile was a little strained this time. "And that's all I wanted to know."
She reprimanded herself in her mind, one of her habits that got annoying after a while. It had its uses. This was her time to get to know Shuya, not to ask about the other boys. She could learn about them herself.
"Well, I am getting hungry, actually. I'll try anything you like." Her smile became more genuine.

Noriko giggled at Kiriyama's reactionto her statement. She shut up immediately, afraid it would only irritate him any more. She glanced at the clock, and figured that she had already been here far too long for Kiriyama's liking.

"Thank you for letting me choose you as a host. I'll be going now... Goodbye, Me. Kiriyama! I'll be sure to choose you again in the future!" Noriko said to him, standing up.

Before walking towards the door, she stooped down to where Kiriyama was sitting and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Then, Noriko walked out of the room, delighted with how the day went.

Shuya didn't look certain his client was being totally honest, but he certainly wasn't going to pester her about it, so he gave a short nod, maintaining his smile all the while. He blinked. "Oh! Okay. Uhh-- Okay, I'll be right back." He nodded again and stood to move for the snack table.

The cookies were often donated to the Host Club by Noriko; undoubtedly the best cookies in the school. Sometimes other girls pitched in, and their cookies were great, too, but Shuya knew the chocolate chip cookies today were Noriko's, and in that case his client had to try them for sure. He grabbed two small plates and set two cookies on each, then carrying both back to his seat by Setsuko and offering her one of the plates. "These are the best cookies anywhere. You won't be disappointed!" He waited politely for Setsuko to try hers before taking a bite of his own, still smiling and watching her with excitement dancing through his eyes.


His lips took on a more distinct pout at his customer's giggling - an expression which was often the result when Kazuo frowned without a scowl being involved. He gave another roll of his eyes at Nakagawa's farewell, glancing over to cast her a last glare before she turned to leave - but instead he turned just in time for her bend closer and deposit a short-lived kiss on his cheek.

His frame seemed to bristle, goosebumps sweeping over his skin as if a slug had just crawled across his face. His face became torn between a scowl and a look of disgust, and he wiped hard at the afflicted area with his sleeve. He felt his stomach lurch unpleasantly... So his legs lifted back onto the touch and he slumped to lie down, resting his head back against the armrest. Now he was left to try to shake off the irksome feeling in his gut before the next client came along.

While Setsuko did not like sweets too much, she took one of the cookies from the plate and took a small bite, remaining there for a moment.
It sweet, yes, but...not too sweet. The flavors were abundant.
"Mm..." She broke away and allowed more of the flavors to set in.
"These are really good." Another bite. "Nicest I've ever had."

Shuya grinned. "Didn't I tell you?" He chided playfully. "A really good friend of mine makes them," he added, not wanting to tell her beforehand so her opinion of the cookies wouldn't be biased. He finished off his first cookie quickly. "Do you have a favorite dessert? We have a lot of different stuff here... These cookies are my favorite, haha."

"Honestly, I don't really care for sweets." She playfully raised an eyebrow. "So, your friend made a confectionery that I actually like. Good on her. Or him." She quickly added. "...I am partial to fruit and cream, though. Nice and simple." The first cookie was done, and she gently set the plate on the table nearby for later. "What do you like to cook?"