Masuyo awakens to the feeling of her head being pressed against wood. As she wakes up, she finds herself resting her head on a familiar-looking, small wooden desk
(Igor) Welcome to the Velvet Room.
In front of her is the same old man from her prior dream, sat at his long wooden desk. Masuyo looks to her right to find the same young man dressed in blue as before, sat at the same desk type as her
(Masuyo)
This dream again?
Igor and Marco, right?
Igor chuckles to himself
(Igor) I assure you, while you may be asleep in the real world, this no dream. Now then, do you believe in fortune telling?
Masuyo notices a large deck of cards on Igor's desk, despite being sure it hadn't been there before
(Masuyo)
Not really...
Sure do!
I wouldn't pay for it
(Marco) The master is quite skilled.
Igor waves his right hand, and the deck of cards arrange themselves on Masuyo's desk
(Igor) Each reading is done with the same deck of cards, yet the result is always different. Now then, let's look into your future...
One of the cards flips over, revealing the number 0
(Igor) The Fool, in the upright position. This symbolises the immediate future. And for the long term?
Another card flips over, revealing the Roman numeral for fifteen
(Igor) The Devil, in the upright position.
In a flash of light, all but the flipped cards disappear and reappear in a pile on Igor's desk
(Igor) Together, these cards show your future. It seems that you will soon embark on a journey, on which you will make a large number of new acquaintances, but discerning between those who wish to befriend you and those who wish to use you will be of utmost importance.
(Masuyo)
What's that supposed to mean?
I...think I get it...kinda?
(Marco) You needn't try to understand it all at once. The meaning of the fortune telling will become more apparent with time. As will our role as residents of this place.
(Igor) Only those who have signed a contract can return to this place.
With another wave of his hand, the two remaining cards disappear from her desk, and are replaced by a pen and a sheet of paper that reads "I am willing to face the dangers that come with freedom" followed by a space to write a name
(Masuyo)
Sign the contract
Decline
Masuyo signs her full name "Masuyo Maita" on the paper, and it and the pen then disappear in a flash of light
(Igor) Excellent. Now that a contract has been signed, we can explain our roles as residents of the Velvet Room, as well as your duty as our guest.
(Masuyo)
Your role?
My duty?
(Marco) You have been brought here because you have a special power. It is our job as residents of the Velvet Room to help nurture this power.
(Masuyo)
I'm just a sheltered high schooler...
I have a special power?
(Igor) All will be explained...in due time.
Igor chuckled to himself again
(Igor) I look forward to when next we meet.
With those words, Masuyo's vision fades as she feels her head drop onto the desk in front of her
—
Masuyo awakens when she hears her grandfather calling up to her
(Grandfather) Masuyo, wake up. You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?
Masuyo quickly springs out of bed and tosses her suit from the day before into a pile on the floor. She hadn't been given a uniform yet, so she decided to just wear something casual. She puts on a pink, short-sleeved shirt with a single white flower. She puts on loose fitting jeans, white socks and black trainers. Once she's done changing, she heads downstairs to see her grandfather wearing his usual black robe
(Grandfather) Do you want me to drive you to school, Masuyo?
(Masuyo)
No thanks
I can find the school on my own
I want some fresh air
(Grandfather) If you say so. Stay safe.
Masuyo exits the building and pulls out her phone from her pocket. She checks her GPS app, and it tells her the school is to her left, so she walks in that direction. Eventually, after several twisting streets and alleyways, she reaches her destination. The building is large and made out of white-painted stone. There is a large number of windows scattered across the wall. Some show empty class rooms, while others show bustling halls, and others teachers' lounges. At the top is a large arc and inside it is a large metal bell. Over the front doors is a wooden sign that reads "Gakushū Academy" in both Japanese and English. As she's nearing the entrance, a boy with dark purple hair crashes into her from behind, knocking both of them to the floor
(Purple-Haired Boy) Oh shit! Sorry about that! I wasn't looking where I was going.
The boy helps Masuyo to her feet and introduces himself
(Terada) My name is Juro Terada. I'm a second year here. I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new?
(Masuyo)
Yeah, starting today
No, I've been here my whole life
(Terada) Cool. Well, welcome to Gakushū Academy. What's your name?
Masuyo introduces herself
(Terada) Masuyo Maita, huh? ...Wait, do you mean Maita as in the Maita COMPANY?!
(Masuyo)
That's right
Not so loud, please
Nope, coincidence
(Terada) Huh? Why? Eh, whatever. So, I guess I'll see you in class Ms Maita-san.
(Masuyo)
"Ms Maita-san?"
You will address me as "Sir!"
Just Masuyo is fine
(Juro) You sure? I don't think that's fitting for someone of your status. Anyway, you can just call me Juro!
Just then, the bell sounds
(Juro) Oh crap! Lessons are startin'! See you around, Ms Maita-san!
Juro runs into the building, waving back at her as he does. Masuyo enters the building, and is greeted by a lady with dark brown hair that falls to her shoulders, bright green eyes and silver-rimmed glasses. She is wearing a black, woolly shirt, blue jeans and dark grey boots. She has a label in a plastic container attached to a piece of fabric that holds it around her neck. The label reads "Setsuko Okane. Headmaster"
(Mrs Okane) You must be Maita-kun.
(Masuyo)
That's me
Nope
(Mrs Okane) Your parent's informed me that you decided to study here, instead of at a private school. We're homered to have you here.
(Masuyo)
Damn right you are
I'm really nothing special
(Mrs Okane) Most of the faculty disagree. Having someone as reputed as you attending our classes is an honour.
Masuyo blushes from embarrassment
(Mrs Okane) We've arranged for one of our third years to show you around for your first day. Regular lessons will begin for you tomorrow.
Just then, a tall girl with short, dark brown hair (not even reaching the bottom of her neck), dark blue eyes, tanned skin and wearing the school uniform of a black blazer over a orange and white plaid button up shirt, and skirt with same pattern, but swaps the white for black runs up to the two of them. As she reaches them, she bends over and places her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Once she looks up, she speaks
(Exhausted Student) Sorry if I'm late, Mrs Okane.
(Mrs Okane) Not at all. I was just explaining to Maita-kun about the arrangement. Well, I'll leave you to it.
(Exhausted Student) You can leave it to, Mrs Okane!
Mrs Okane walks off further into the building, leaving Masuyo alone with the third year
(Jun) Well, let's get introductions out of the way, shall we? I'm Jun Taira, a third year and a member of the sports team. You can just call me Jun. Of course, I already know who you are. C'mon, I'll show you around.
Without even letting Masuyo get a word in, the girl quickly runs off down the hall, leaving Masuyo to chase after her. Jun leads Masuyo, first, to the school library. There are various students inside, some reading quietly, others going over work together.
(Jun) This is the school library, although I'm sure you already know what a library is.
(Masuyo)
This school has an entire library?
We didn't have these at my private schools
(Jun) Really? Where did you get your books?
(Masuyo)
We were just given whatever work books we needed
They handed them out to us
(Jun) Oh, well, this library is more than just work books. There's also books that you can read for, y'know, fun. I know you're sheltered, but fun IS, right?
(Masuyo)
Can you define it?
I moved here to learn
Never heard of it
(Jun) Well, there's no tutor for the course on fun, so you'll have to learn from your peers.
The girl giggles to herself
(Jun) Well, if you're ready, let's move on. You don't have a student card yet, so it's not like you can take out any books.
(Masuyo)
Look around
Move on
(Jun) Alright, I'll wait here. Come talk to me when you're ready to leave.
As Masuyo browses the shelves of the library she finds a title that catches her eye: "Bellona, the War Goddess". She takes the book off of the shelf and looks at it
(Male voice) It's the story of the goddess, Bellona.
Masuyo nearly drops the book in surprise. She turns around to see a boy, slightly shorter than herself, with messy dark green hair, dark brown eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, and pale skin. Unlike the other students, he wasn't wearing the normal uniform. He had a beige button-up shirt, with the bottom tucked into his neat black trousers, which are held in place by a brown leather belt. He has ankle high black socks and black leather shoes
(Takeda) Sorry if startled you. I'm the librarian here, Nori Takeda. I'm also a first year. You must be the new girl I've heard about.
(Masuyo)
How'd you know?
Librarian?
I almost had a heart attack!
(Takeda) Are you serious?! Or...are you just joking? I'm sorry, I'm not too good with recognising vocal cues.
Masuyo giggles and places the book back on the shelf while introducing herself
(Takeda) Masuyo Maita? Yeah, that name sounds familiar. Well, sorry for scaring you, I've gotta get back to work.
With that, Takeda leaves. Masuyo returns to Jun and tells her she's ready to move on
(Jun) Alright, follow me!
And with that, the girl once again runs off, leaving Masuyo to run after her