Mitsuru never understood what people meant when they said they ran out of time to do things. The number of commitments she had dedicated herself to was enough to make any other student instantly collapse under the burden, and it always puzzled her at how others could not complete even the simplest of tasks. Surely if they put some effort in they would get somewhere. It had always worked for her. But alas, she was the Kirijo heiress who also happened to be the Student Council President. By definition she was supposed to be the embodiment of perfection, unrivaled in both beauty and intellect.
She sighed and leaned back into the sofa in her room, wondering if applying to be the leader of the student body was the right decision. Her term as President had only lasted a couple of days and she was already beginning to see that the privilege was not really worth it at all. It was not the number of responsibilities the role entailed. She could handle those fine. Rather, it was the way other students behaved whenever she interacted with them. It seemed that everyone felt obliged to treat her with the utmost respect. And while she didn't mind it in small doses, the fact that it happened all the time made being President a living nightmare. Couldn't they see her as a regular student like everyone else? Nothing more and nothing less?
She wondered what it would be like to live as someone who was not shackled by a family name. It would certainly make for an intriguing experience.
As would the cup of tea she was brewing. She decided to skip her usual Darjeeling today and instead try out a different blend. Chamomile. The one she had despised of as a little girl. She remembered when she was younger how she could never get past that flowery scent. But tea isn't supposed to taste like flowers father she had said. Mitsuru smiled at the memory. Oh how naive and inexperienced she was. She still considered herself so but it was a part of her that she could not afford to show anyone.
Perhaps being President isn't so bad she thought.
Mitsuru cast her memories aside for now and focused on that flowery scent. It seemed much more tolerable this time round. In fact, it had a beautiful, refreshing aroma. She could not believe she hadn't noticed it until now and brought the cup to her lips to take a sip.
Then there was a knock on her door.
"Kirijo-senpai?" It was Yukari's voice. "The Chairman wants to speak with you. He's downstairs."
"Alright, I'll be there in a minute," she replied, placing the cup down onto the glass table in front of her.
Looks like that's the end of this free session.
Straightening her skirt and adjusting the curls in her hair, she exited the room and proceeded down the hallway. The Chairman had taken a surprising interest in Minato which she found odd. And suspicious.
When she arrived at the lobby, she saw the Chairman seated on the arrangement of sofas and conversing with Yukari. As she had expected, he was wearing the same plain tan suit he always wore.
"Ah Mitsuru, there you are. I'm sorry if I had disturbed you but I just wanted to check with you on how our new guest is going," he said, pushing his glasses up as she approached. "Were there any issues?"
"Mr Chairman," Mitsuru greeted, taking a seat. "There were no problems regarding his transfer here. From our observations, he's behaving exactly how his profile described him."
"Well that's good to hear."
"You'd also be happy to know that we have some confirmation on his 'potential'. He arrived here during the Dark Hour and wasn't transmogrified into a coffin."
The Chairman opened his mouth to reply but at that moment, the front door opened and Minato strode in, inclining his head in greeting.
"Welcome back Arisato," Mitsuru said. "I trust your first day went well?" She saw his face light up momentarily when he met her gaze. Or, she thought she did.
"Let's just say it could have been worse," he replied, glancing at Yukari who returned him a stern look. He then crossed over to where the Chairman was sitting and introduced himself.
The Chairman shook his hand. "My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. We didn't receive your schedule due to technical issues so your arrival here last night caught everyone off guard. Is there anything you'd like to ask?"
"No, I'm quite alright," Minato said. "Mitsuru-senpai and the others have already explained most of what I need to know."
"Well then, I hope you have a successful school year," Ikutsuki said as he stood up. He didn't move for a few moments, his eyes still inspecting Minato. "Hmm, you look tired. You should go to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm!'"
A cloud of awkward silence formed as he left his joke hanging and even though Mitsuru had heard far worse from him before, it was still hard not to cringe. Perhaps I should have told him about this. Mitsuru glanced at Minato, ignoring Yukari's sigh of exasperation, and was surprised to see him indifferent.
Minato then turned to address them after Ikutsuki left. "So, he has an interesting sense of humor."
"Interesting? More like lame," Yukari said, leaning into the cushion, clearly relieved at Ikutsuki's absence.
"Don't worry about it," Mitsuru said, causing Minato to look at her. "It's something you'll get used to over time."
Minato nodded in response and suppressing a yawn, he walked off to his room. Once they heard the faint sound of his door closing, Mitsuru stood up. It was time to see whether or not he had the potential.
"Is this really necessary senpai?" Yukari asked, watching Mitsuru flip a switch which loaded up the monitor in front of her.
A few hours had passed and it was almost midnight. Yukari was with both Mitsuru and Akihiko in the command room on the dorm's highest floor. The room itself resembled the lobby somewhat, with an arrangement of sofas around a wooden coffee table and old fashioned red drapes covering the windows, but that was where the similarities ended. On the left side from the entrance was a large monitor, capable of displaying recordings from each of the security cameras installed in every room of the dorm. Currently, it was showing Minato's room and he was sound asleep.
"Even though he arrived during the Dark Hour and wasn't a coffin, I need visual confirmation as to whether he would transmogrify into one," Mitsuru answered, looking at the screen intently.
Yukari turned to Akihiko, who was standing by the sofas.
"For Mitsuru, having solid evidence is a must. You could tell her everything she needed to know but she won't believe any of it till she sees it for real," Akihiko said, smiling.
Mitsuru shot a quick glance at Akihiko that would have made any other person want to eat their words. He just kept on smiling.
Yukari shifted her eyes towards the monitor, feeling ashamed. It felt wrong to spy on him like this. Even if it were to confirm a certain fact that she had a feeling was correct. This was intrusion without consent. She wondered if Mitsuru and Akihiko had done the same to her upon her arrival when the door opened.
"So, how's he doing?" Ikutsuki asked, closing the door behind him.
"He went to bed a little while ago," Mitsuru replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. "Mr Chairman, do you think he's...?"
"Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour is approaching."
Seconds after he spoke, Yukari felt the temperature drop. The warmth of the spring evening disappeared and the chills of winter took its place. The ceiling lights and monitor flickered before stabilizing themselves. Although they were safe in the dorm, Yukari could never shake off the uneasiness that came over her when the Dark Hour arrived. She knew that both Mitsuru and Akihiko had been at this for quite some time but it still amazed her at how easily they ignored the shift. Didn't it feel wrong for them too?
They waited a few minutes, silently observing the screen to see if anything would happen. Nothing did.
"Hmm. He's asleep but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour," Ikutsuki said. "He's managed to retain his human form so now the only question remains is whether or not he has the potential. Although, he must. If he didn't, they would've preyed on him by now."
Yukari shuddered at the thought. She had heard what could happen to those who failed to turn into coffins.
"In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days," Ikutsuki continued.
Everyone nodded in compliance and turned their attention back to the monitor as he left.
"Well, I'm going out for a bit," Akihiko said, causing Mitsuru and Yukari to look at him curiously. He leaned off the sofa and strode to the exit. "Didn't you see the newspaper? There's a lot going on."
"I know," Mitsuru replied with a troubled look. "People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome. They say it's due to stress but–"
"Yeah right. It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it's not worth my time."
"You have a one-track mind. Will you be okay on your own?"
"Don't worry," Akihiko said, punching his fists together. "I'm just getting a little practice."
Watching him leave, Yukari turned her attention to Mitsuru. "He does know that this isn't a game right?"
"To Akihiko, everything is a game," Mitsuru said, turning off the monitor.
Although she did not show it, Yukari could see that Mitsuru was worried. Akihiko's display of confidence made her think about when she would have to fight them. Glancing at her holstered gun reminded her of the many attempts she had tried to use it. Her senpai said it was simple. All she had to do was point it to her head and pull the trigger. So why was it so difficult?
The color of deep blue. It was the only thing Minato could see as he surveyed his surroundings. It covered the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. But not the back wall, surprisingly enough. That was a chain-linked fence with a large clock engraved in the center. The way it gave off the illusion of an upward motion reminded him of being in an elevator. Peeling his eyes away from the fence, he looked around again and realized he really was in an elevator of some kind. How in the world did he get here? He only remembered returning to his room early after the tiring day and then falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Was this a dream?
His eyes then fell onto the old man who was seated in front of him across a clothed table. The man was hunched over and rested his chin on his clasped white gloved hands. His attire wasn't anything remarkable, a typical black suit, but his unusually long nose most certainly was.
Standing beside him was a young woman with short white hair holding onto a large encyclopedia of some sort. Her features were not cute like Yukari, or exceptionally striking as Mitsuru, but she was still beautiful, albeit in a different way. Perhaps it was the fact that she looked like a stewardess, with her elaborate blue dress. She returned his gaze with a blank stare of her own.
Who are these people?
"Where am I?" Minato asked.
The man then opened his eyes and Minato flinched. He had never seen eyes of this kind before. Bulging and bloodshot, he could feel them staring through his skull.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young man," the old man said. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance." He then gestured towards the young woman. "This is Elizabeth. She's a resident here, like me."
"Pleased to meet you," Elizabeth said, bowing gracefully.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It's been years since we've had a guest," Igor said. He waved a hand and a notebook appeared, floating down like a feather onto the table in front of him.
It was the same notebook that the young boy at the reception desk had produced.
"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcome here. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return, that you abide by the contract and assume responsibility for the choices you make."
My unique ability? What is he talking about?
"Is this a dream?" Minato asked.
"Indeed it is. You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later," Igor answered. He gestured to Elizabeth, who walked over to Minato and handed him a blue key.
As soon as he took it, he was blinded by a white light. His consciousness returned to his body and he awoke with a start, feeling something in his hand. Sitting up in his bed, he opened his hand to reveal a key. So this Igor was telling the truth and it was not some dream gone wild. He did not know whether to feel relieved or anxious at that. Probably the latter. Knowing he would not get any more sleep, he stored the key in one of his blazer's chest pockets and decided to prepare for school. At least that was still one aspect of his new life that was not strange.