Rory's uncle ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Hayato was the second born in the Koga family and in charge of running the Tokyo branch of Koga Enterprises, a job that he took very seriously. Since the Koga Enterprises conglomerate dealt mostly with science and technology, he found usually himself not only in a boardroom but also in various laboratories, testing grounds, and other family-owned facilities.

The other aspect of the job, one that Hayato found much less stimulating, was the public side. He was the face of the Tokyo branch and, as such, was obligated to make many public appearances at charity balls, business dinners, and any other such events that would pop up on the radar. They were almost always dreary, insipid affairs where he was forced to make small talk with extremely important strangers and chuckle at their attempts at humor.

The women at those parties were another matter entirely. Besides being a member of the Koga famiy, Hayato had had the misfortune of being quite tall and very handsome, a combination that sent many unattached women scurrying in his direction. Having no wish to entertain such an abundance of potential female suitors, he eventually perfected the art of dodging and/or brushing off their attempts at flirtation.

Yes, Hayato was a man with many talents. But dealing with teenagers wasn't one of them. It certainly didn't take a genius to discern that Rory had had a less than steller day at school. He already knew from his sister that his niece was severely lacking socially but, even so, upon her arrival, he was surprised at how withdrawn she was. In the weeks before her enrollment in Ouran was accepted, he scarcely hear her speak two sentences in one day. Whenever he made the time to check up on her, she was usually either watching television or curled up in bed while reading.

He leaned back in his chair, thinking. There was no doubt in his mind that her behavior remained the same while at school. She hadn't expressed any interest in joining any clubs or activities when he had mentioned them to her. Even when the principal had arranged a tour of the academy after school hours, Rory seemed to shrink away from any remaining students that they passed.

How long would this keep up? he wondered. Suppose...suppose the other students get the wrong idea about her? She was in class 1A but that wouldn't stop other students from different classes from cozying up to her. He knew that there were students attending Ouran whose families were tied to the yukuza. What if one of them tries to recruit her? He sat up straight as this terrifying thought passed through his mind. For all he knew, she could be an unwitting pawn in the future.

"Is there a problem, sir?"

Hayato turned to see Xania Thapa, his sole bodyguard.

Standing up, he replied curtly, "No, there isn't. But I do need something."

"Ask and ye shall receive."

"I'm going to need all the information you can get on Ouran Academy."

Lifting an eyebrow, she patiently queried, "I thought you went through all the neccesary paperwork beforehand, Sir. And, as I believe it was your alma mater, shouldn't you already know all about the school?"

"That's not the sort of information I need, Xania," he declared, eying her uncertainly "I need student rosters, clubs, sports teams, student polls. Anything that would involve or determine someone's popularity at that place!"

Ignoring his rising volume, she merely gave him a slight nod and stated, "Very well, Sir, but that might take a bit."

"Then so be it. I expect a full report on my desk as soon as you're done."

"I'll gather the files as quickly as possible," she replied, bowing before leaving the room.

Watching her go, Hayato sat back down and quietly mulled over Rory's situation and he was going to fix it. There wasn't going to be any yukuza in her future. Not if he had anything to do with it.

A few hours later, Hayato was poring over the files that Xania had delivered to his office. She had made good on her promise and gathered everything pertaining to students currently attending the school. Unfortunately, it was a bit difficult to determine their popularity from their rosters alone.

Tossing them aside with disdain, he glanced at the immense files of school club and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Were they trying to teach those kids or entertain them? he wondered as he worked his way through the pile, carefully reading the popularity ranking of each club.

When he got to the one about the host club, his eyebrows first popped up in surprise then furrowed. A host club of all things? As if these teens needed to flare out their hormones any more? Grunting in disgust, he was prepared to toss the file aside before catching a glimpse of the student popularity rating. Out of all the clubs, it was ranked number one both in popularity and funds.

Intrigued, he flipped the file open and immediately spotted familiar surnames. Most of the students were from very well known and respected families. As he carefully read the contents, Hayato felt the glimmer of an idea begin to form in his head. He needed to meet this "host club". Immediately.