It's the feeling of something soft and wet being dragged across your cheek that starts to wake you up. You're still so tired but the sensation is quite insistent. It doesn't help matters when you hear the irritated clicking of high-heels echoing down the corridor.
"Get back here you little menace to paperwork- Oh, what in the world?"
"Fou! Fou fou fou!"
"Hey you! Get up! I'm not paying anyone to sleep on the floor."
With all the noise, you definitely aren't going to be able to finish your nice, restful nap on the floor. Rolling over, you wince as the pure, bright corridor lights nearly blind you. Something moves to block them, giving you a bit of relief, and you blink with gratitude up at the white and orange blur that's looking down at you now.
Rubbing your eyes, the blur quickly resolves into a young woman, about your age you think, with absolutely silken-looking white hair cascading down her back, the most piercing of amber eyes and an elegant, noble styled outfit that looked like someone had taken some stuffy old ball gown from the 1800's Europe or whatever and modernized it without losing any of the flair or status. There's really only one way you can respond. "So pretty…"
The girl blushes hard, expression shifting from annoyance to stunned mortification. "Wha- You- You just- Ugh!" She stamps her foot in adorable frustration and snaps her expression back to being annoyed. "And you look utterly terrible. Who are you and why are you sleeping in the middle of my base?"
"Sorry, sorry." You sit up with a yawn and a wince. You're still exhausted and you've got that headache throbbing in the back of your head but you can push through it for now. You're used to going sleepless in pursuit of your idol dream after all. You can do the same in the name of politeness.
You probably would have been more insulted when she said you looked terrible if A) you weren't too tired to care, and B) it wasn't true. You must look horrendous right now, you just know it. So rather than get in a catfight with this girl (which you probably wouldn't do anyway even if you had the energy. She's so pretty, it would be a shame to ruin that,) you tiredly begin to complain about how horrible your day has been. Maybe the past two days, you have no idea how long you were asleep on the floor.
Ugh, now that you're awake, you can't believe you actually did that. Real idol-like behavior right there, truly.
The other girl continues to frown through your story. Once you're done, she asks "You said your name was Yamagata Sakiko, right?" You nod and she begins to tap at her watch which… produces a small hologram above her wrist? Damnit, you really did fall face first into a sci-fi story. "This recruiter, did they really not explain what you were being hired for?"
"They just said they wanted my 'unique talents'." You repeat. "I thought they just wanted me for a charity concert or something, you know? A UN relief effort, that sort of thing."
"Mm." The woman says non-committedly, more focused at whatever she's reading on her wrist-hologram. As she reads, you watch her face and there's apparently some sort of internal struggle going on.
Eventually, she sighs in disgust and dismisses the hologram. She looks at you, internal struggle still playing across her face. It's honestly very awkward and you consider saying something, anything, to break the silence. But just as you open her mouth, she speaks first.
"Sorry!" Her sudden shout makes you snap your jaws shut, which grants her a second to compose herself. "What I mean to say is, as the Director of Chaldea Organization, I must apologize for your treatment. It seems that my agents took my instructions to recruit another candidate before the time limit 'by any means necessary' as an excuse to be-"
She pauses, trying to find the right word and you can't help but provide one. "Jackasses?"
She snorts in laughter, before catching herself and forcing herself back into acting dignified. "Uh, yes, well… I'm Olga Marie Animusphere, although you may refer to me as Director Animusphere. I'm in charge of Chaldea and you now answer to me."
"Wait, you're the boss?" Your eyes widen and your jaw drops as you actually register what she said. You jump to your feet and start bouncing in excitement. "That's so cool! Like, really? Are you a genius or something? Oh my god, I can't believe that someone my age is in charge of some super spy UN organization thing, it's like something from a movie!"
The girl, or you guess you should start thinking of her as the Director, seems taken by your enthusiasm, blushing hard while trying to keep her cool. "Well I- That is-"
You keep going with the questions and the compliments, not just because you think she's badass for being the boss, but because you get to see all her cute reactions. You probably shouldn't be teasing your new boss like this but honestly, this is the most normal thing you've done since you got here. You kinda need this.
But then a question occurs to you. "Wait, if you're in charge, can… can you send me home?"
"Eh?" The Director stops trying to hide her embarrassment and looks up at you with a curious expression. (Huh, you're actually a bit taller than her. Even cuter!)
You blush and wave your hands back and forth. "Sorry, sorry! I'm sure what you're doing here is really important and I don't mean to, like, dismiss what's going on here or anything! It's just… I'm an idol. Or at least, I want to be! I don't think I can help with whatever super spy mission or whatever Chaldea has going on. So-"
"We're going to save the world."
"Eh?" This time it's your turn to stop and stare blankly at her.
"We're going to save the world." The director repeats.
"Like… the whole world? Everybody? Everywhere?" You ask for clarification.
The Director nods, completely serious. "Yes."
"...Oh." You think you can feel your soul leave your body a little. The whole world? That's just… That's too big. What the hell did you agree to?
Director Animusphere (What sort of name is that? Even for a Westerner, that sounds way too fancy.) sighs. "Listen, you'll get a full briefing tomorrow but for now… I'm sorry, but I can't let you go. I hope you understand but with such a huge, important undertaking, we need literally every person we can get. No matter how unprepared you are, you do possess an extremely rare quality that Chaldea vitally needs. Plus, there are security concerns to take into consideration. I hope you understand."
"Yeah, no, sure. I get it. Just… I might need a moment." Everything she said made sense. You're not a huge otaku but you've watched magical girl anime growing up. Magic exists, which means that magical threats must also exist, which means that the entire world may very well be in danger. And if it is, yeah, every little bit will help. Your least favorite part of those old shows was when the protagonist would bitch and complain about how their normal lives were disrupted. Like, bitch, people's lives are at stake, you're the only one who can help, so woman up and stop complaining. You always said you wouldn't be like that if you were in a similar situation.
Turns out it's a lot harder to think that way when it's actually happening to you.
Luckily, Director Animusphere takes some pity on you. "Look, you're the forty-eighth Master candidate. That means that you're the reserves of the reserves. The likelihood of you actually needing to do literally anything is minuscule. Once the upcoming crisis is resolved, then we can-"
"Ah, Director, there you are!" A new voice reaches you from down the corridor and the Director's sympathetic expression disappears as a mask of professionalism slams into place.
You turn to face the newcomer and- "Oh that's just unfair."
Coming down the corridor towards you is another Westerner, reminding you of the Director but even
more. Just…
more. Her blue dress is even more fancy than the Director's classical/modern hybrid outfit. She's taller, more confident and practically struts down the corridor, high on self confidence. Her long blonde hair is even done up in oujo-sama ringlets. She looks like she stepped right out of one of those Otome games you played as a guilty pleasure in middle school.
However, that's not what you consider unfair, no matter how beautiful she is. No, what has you feeling a burning jealousy is her chest. You knew that westerners were…
bigger on average, but this is ridiculous. You were fine with the Director, she's got a reasonable bust size, but this new girl… She's
literally bouncing as she walks towards you, what the shit. You can't help but glance down at your sad, pathetically flat chest. Yes, yes, a small chest makes you cuter and more marketable, but c'mon! You're a quarter-American, where are
your ginormous tatas? Your genetics are
failing you.
Unaware of your internal envious ranting, the Director greets the newcomer with a stiff nod. "Miss Edelfelt. What have I told you about wearing your official uniform while on duty?"
"And I've said before, Director, that the dress uniforms are far too plain. They lack elegance! And besides, I wear the combat uniform in the simulator, don't I?" The new girl brushes off the Director with practiced ease before turning to face you.
"And who's this? She looks…" She doesn't finish her sentence, but the implication was there. And the way she's looking down on you… You know what, maybe you'll rethink that catfight option.
Luckily, Director Animusphere speaks before you can act unwise. "This is Yamagata Sakiko. Sakiko, this is Luviagelita Edelfelt, Chaldea's combat instructor."
Luviage- Nope, fuck it, that name is ridiculous. You're just gonna call her Luvia in your head. No one can stop you.
"Oh?" Luvia makes a curious sound and takes a closer look at you. After a moment, she leans back and laughs. "Ohohoho! I didn't see it at first, but I can see the features now. I didn't realize Chaldea was hiring from such a magical backwater like Japan. Ohohoho!"
Wow, she really did just step right out of an otome game, didn't she.
At least you're not the only one annoyed. You catch the Director rolling her eyes at Luvia's behavior. "Did you have something actually important you wanted, Edelfelt?"
"Ah, right. I wanted to discuss a few new training scenarios for the simulator with you."
"For the last time, I'm not granting permission for a simulation where you have to fight an ancient aztec god in a wrestling match. It's utterly ridiculous." The Director answers calmly, although you can see a vein on her forehead start to pop out. You sympathize, you've known Luvia for just under two minutes and you already find her annoying. You can't imagine having to actually work with her.
Luvia shakes her head, like what the Director just said wasn't absolutely insane. "That's not it actually. Perhaps we can discuss it in your office?"
"Fine." Director Animusphere nods, then takes her fancy watch off and hands it to you. "Here, take this. It works as a communicator and has a map of Chaldea's facilities so you can find your way around."
"Director? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Luvia asks as you take the watch and try to attach it to your wrist. You always struggled with putting on wrist watches, working the clasp with only one hand sucks.
The Director crosses her arms. "I'm not going to leave my employees under-equipped, Edelfelt. Communicators are standard issue. And besides, it's better than her wandering around with no idea where anything is, trying to find the quartermaster so she can get her own."
"Yes, that's true. But since that one is yours, doesn't it have administrator access to, well, everything?"
"Eep!" With a massive blush, the Director snatches the communicator back from you just as you were about to get it on properly. She fiddles with holograms for a minute, before angrily shoving it back into your hands and marching off. Luvia follows close behind, a smug smirk on her face.
"Fou! Fou fou!"
You look down and squee. At your feet is the single most fluffy creature you've ever seen. It's some sort of cat or maybe a dog? Actually, you think the face looks a bit like a squirrel maybe? You don't know, all you care about is that it's adorable. Unable to help yourself, you scoop the creature up into your arms and start to cuddle it.
After a bit of therapeutic snuggles with your new best friend, you let him sit on your shoulder and ask him a question. "Alright, any idea what I should do now?"
"Fou!"
You have one day to fill before Chaldea starts operations and everything goes to shit. Each day in Chaldea is divided into Morning, Afternoon and Evening time slots. In the future, your options will be more structured, but for now, you can just chose three areas to explore.
[ ] Morning:
[ ] Afternoon:
[ ] Evening:
Options:
-Get some food at the Cafeteria
-Take a nap in your room
-See if the Director has time to see you
-Head to the combat simulators
-Chaldea has a library apparently
-Waste time in a break room
-There's got to be somewhere you can practice your magecraft
-There's a uniform apparently? You should probably pick that up.
AN: That got away from me a bit. I don't think this needed to be that long at all. Hopefully it makes all you guy happy though. 
