This story is a work of fiction.

Similarities between characters and events between persons living or dead in your reality are purely coincidental.

Nor is this work suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

Individuals suffering from anxiety or depression may not have a safe experience reading this story.

I Agree.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" I hear an annoying girl calling over to me from across my bedside. I groan out in frustration, turning to face the girl as she eyes my movements with the curiosity of a kitten.

"N-Niko?" I stammer in surprise once I actually manage to recognize her face. I could only stare in disbelief upon the realization that my old childhood friend had suddenly shown up to wake me from a good night's sleep.

"Yep, that's me! I'm glad you can still remember, MC!" Niko responded cheerfully, taking a moment to run her hands through her long, bleach colored hair.

"How in the world did you get into my house?" I blurt out, for lack of a better thing to say.

"You know, you didn't make it easy, but I managed to fidget my way through all the locks after enough attempts. It was almost like you were holing yourself up in here to hide from a killer or something!" Niko replied, totally unaware of the questionable legality of her actions. With a look of disapproval that went completely unnoticed, I proceeded to question her further.

"You… do realize it's against the law to-" I begin to reprimand her, only for Niko to quizzically look back at me. "Fine, never mind that. Why are you here? At six in the morning of all times? …And is that supposed to be one of my school uniforms?" I ask, suddenly taking note of her new apparel.

"Ooh, I was hoping you'd ask, MC! You see, starting from today, I'm going to start attending the same school as you, and I was even hoping we walk over together! Look, I even brought a couple of snacks for us to share along the way!" Niko explained rapidly, only stopping to pull a pair of corn dogs from out of nowhere. "Come on, let's go, I don't wanna be late!" She continued, reaching out to grab my hand and yank me to my feet.

"Whoa, hold on!" I protest, struggling in vain to break free from the girl's grip as I stumble out of my bed. "Niko look, I'm not even dressed yet, and school doesn't even start for like two hours!"

"I-I knew that!" Niko pouted as she released my arm from her deceptively strong hold. "I just thought you'd be excited to see me after so long, you know?" she muttered, looking down at the floor in embarrassment.

"Come on, you know it's not like that." I softly reply, placing a hand on her shoulder in reassurance. "I really am happy to see you again, but this is kind of a lot to take in at once."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that." Niko chuckled, pausing to take a large bite out of one of her corn dogs. "But I still wanna be able to walk to school with you today. There're a lot of things I've got to talk to you about, MC!"

"Relax, Niko. We'll be right out the door as soon as I finish preparing my stuff." I reassure her, playfully ruffling my hand through her thick head of hair.

"Ahahaha! Come on MC, we're not in Elementary anymore!"

"Yeah, well you haven't exactly changed much since then. Here, let's go downstairs so I can cook up a more substantial meal for us."

"But I brought corn dogs!" Niko quickly protested as I made my way to the door.

"Come on, Niko, you know those aren't healthy for you, especially at this time of day."

"Bah, you're no fun MC!" Niko shouted out in frustration as she proceeded to tear into the remains of her first corn dog with the ferocity of a piranha. "If you're going to be that way, then I'm totally not letting you have this last one!" Niko taunted with her mouth still full as she raised her remaining snack high into the air.

I snickered at the young girl's antics as I made my way out of my room. Today was certainly going to prove to be a unique experience to say the least.

Our short walk to the school was occupied by a steady flow of smalltalk. Niko and I had a fairly easily time catching up with each other, considering the fact that we haven't seen one another in over three years at this point. By the time we made our way to the school gate however, Niko suddenly tapped on my shoulder to grab my attention.

"You know, I almost forgot to ask you this, but do you happen to be in any clubs right now?"

"Hm, nope. I can't say I've ever been interested in that kind of thing-"

"Ooh, really?! That's perfect!" Niko gleefully interrupted, ignoring the latter half of my reply as she suddenly took hold of my sleeves. "So long as we've got the time, I've got the perfect club for you try out, MC!"

"Whoa, hold on there, Niko." I cut in, pulling my arms away from her. "I'm not planning on wasting my time on any clubs."

"It's not a waste of time! Are you gonna be busy after school or something?" Niko questioned, shooting an accusatory look at me with her hands placed firmly on her hips

"I mean, I will have a mountain of homework to attend to, and I am planning to catch up on a marathon of my favorite anime when I get home."

"Oh please, you're making up excuses now. I can't believe you turned into a NEET while I was gone!"

"That's not how it works, Niko." I sigh dejectedly. "Why are you even asking me this all of a sudden?"

"I just thought you'd want to spend more time with your childhood friend, MC… Don't you care about me anymore?" Niko pouted, doing her best to guilt trip me with the largest pair of puppy-dog eyes you can imagine. "I even promised the rest of the club that I'd bring in a new member today…"

"I know exactly what you're trying to pull, Niko." I say as I stare blankly at her. "You really should try to think before you start making promises like that, but if it'll really make you happy, then I guess I'll give this thing a chance." I give in, not wanting to make her any more upset than she already was.

"Yay, I knew you'd come along MC!" Niko immediately perked up, digging into her bag to pull out a small decorative card. "Here's your official invitation! You'd better not lose it!" she warned, haphazardly shoving the item into my hand.

I opened the card to reveal what appeared to be a strange series of opera masks with the words Welcome to the Velvet Club written across the top in a myriad of bright colors. "Say, Niko, what kind of club is this supposed to be?" I asked, nervously scratching the back of my head in confusion.

"I'll let you know when I come over to meet you after school."

"That's awfully suspicious. Does this club have some sort of deep dark secret you're trying to hide from me?"

"Ah relax, you're reading into this too much. I can tell you're nervous and all, but this is gonna be my first time attending the club too, you know?" Niko assured me as she began to make her way into the school building. "Trust me, MC. I can see just how disinterested you are in this, but I guarantee you're really gonna love spending time with the students in there. I'll see you soon, alright?"

I simply gave a weak smile in response until Niko eventually disappeared into the halls. With another dejected sigh, I reluctantly followed suit, mentally preparing myself for the school day to come. There really is no telling what I've gotten myself into. I don't know what sort of fate brought my childhood friend over to me today with the intent of dragging me into some unknown club, yet a small part of me felt as though this decision would mark an important turning point in my life to come.