Well, I felt so good about the previous chapter that I decided to write another chapter with the Velvet Room. Because of this, I decided that all stuff involving the Velvet Room will be kept in a separate chapter just to display it's significance instead of simply writing it within one chapter of a day.

Thus it will be the perfect opportunity to release two chapters at once! Have fun reading!

I woke up to find myself sitting on a blue chair. There was blue, velvet blue all around me. It was…calming…to say the least.

I still wondered where my friends were. Where Mira and Hamuko are. I also noticed that my exhaustion from before is gone. And yet, sitting there was all I wanted to do. It was then I studied my surroundings. It looked like an oldies bar, the one where they used to have a stage and have a woman singing on it. In fact, there was a woman singing on the stage. Just like the room's theme of colour, she wore a velvet blue opera dress. But that wasn't what caught my eye.

It had been barely hidden, actually she isn't even bothering hiding them. Her limbs, arms and legs, had all looked- ARE mechanical. Robotic. It was then I knew that the woman in front of me was a robot. A gynoid. Yet, as I stared into her human-looking face, framed by yellow hair and red, headphone-like ears, it carried so much emotion along with her voice that I couldn't help but think she doesn't deserve to be called mechanical anymore. She was human, regardless of her origin.

"It seems you have noticed." A voice to my side suddenly spoke out. Turning to the voice, I found a man sitting on the chair beside me. Actually, now that I think about it, we seem to be the only occupants here.

Looking back at the man, I studied his features. In contrast to the velvet blue around us, he wore a professional business suit: black blazer, pants, shoes and tie followed by white gloves and buttoned-up shirt, probably long-sleeved. The man's facial features showed skin that was of the same shade as mine. His hair was of the same velvet blue as our surroundings, except his hair was of a darker shade. His eyes were of a pale gray, yet there was LIFE in them.

And he was smiling a neutral smile. A smile that seemed professional, yet for some reason coupled with his gaze had been displayed only for the woman on the stage to see.

"Are you finished examining?" he asked me, not in a sarcastic, mocking tone, but an amused one. Like this was natural. "Forgive me for my lack of manners, let us proceed."

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my name is Minato Arisato, the Proprietor of the Velvet Room." He introduced himself before gesturing his hand towards the singer just as the instrumental part of the song starts. "And this is my assistant, Aigis."

At being introduced, Aigis turned towards me and bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you." She says it in a professional voice that actually carried eagerness and happiness despite the suppressed emotion.

I bowed towards her out of reflex. When I finished, I saw her sky blue eyes. Such eyes can't be held by someone who feels no emotion.

When I looked back at Arisato-san, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Sure he is, as he says, the Proprietor of this Velvet Room. But for some reason he matches the place and yet looks out of place at the same time.

…and honestly, for some reason, I had been expecting a short, almost bald, long-nosed old man.

Arisato-san then snapped his fingers. A round table appeared in front of us, his chair somehow moved so that it was positioned a quarter of the table away from me. He then placed his hand just above the table and, with a soft motion of his hand, moved it to the side to reveal cards that made my eyes widen.

Death, Moon, and Tower Arcana.

I looked at him with a surprised look on my face. He was there in my dream.

"I have been expecting you. I know you have questions, but I'm afraid we do not have much time." He said grimly, still keeping his neutral smile. "The next time you come here, it would be of your own free will. So take this."

A key appeared in front of me. It looked like a skeleton key, the ones they used to have for doors back before pin tumbler locks were made. The teeth were held in place by a long metal cuboid rod, which then ended with a symbol depicting a mask with inverted contrasting colours of black and white.

Taking the key, I put it inside my pocket.

Received Velvet Key

"It has been a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to our next meeting." He said again. And my heavy eyelids closed once again.

{-Velvet Chapter-END-}