Early Spring in Mitakihara was the same as anywhere else in Japan - that is, it was a beautiful time of year, with sakura petals falling through the air, skittering around on the ground, and generally getting everywhere.
Beautiful or not, she couldn't stand the season. Not that she complained much - complaining about the seasons was stupid, even for her. It wasn't like the Kure family had any connections to gods or anything.
Kirika sighed as another cherry blossom landed in her hair. For most girls, she thought it looked nice. But she knew she just looked ditzy when she had flower petals scattered in her mop of hair. She wasn't exactly Oriko Mikuni.
***
She couldn't run fast enough. Her breath came in ragged gasps as the mass of black ink roiled towards her. She'd tried screaming, but that only attracted more of the monsters. She turned and tried to sprint down an allleyway, but ran into a brick wall. No! Not now!
***
Kirika glanced up at the imposing front of Mitakihara Middle School. It was all glass and steel, a modern construction with little hallways running this way and that. It sort of reminded her of... But no. If normal people entered and were fine, then she could too.
Kirika started walking up the steps to school, shuffling another cherry blossom from her hair.
***
The pile of monster goop shuddered and twisted, becoming a walking nightmare. A butterfly acted as their legs. A stem of Cotton the body and head, but instead of a mouth was a handlebar mustache, and instead of eyes were a pair of gaping voids that were as black as the space between the stars. They brandished scissors - where had those come from - like knives as they approached, chittering in some alien language.
The woman fell to the ground in the middle of the street, black ooze flowing from her eyes. The onlookers turned in horror, but only saw a glimpse of the pained expression on her face before she collapsed into the middle of the street... and right into oncoming traffic.
"Mama?!" came the panicked voice of the little white-haired girl, seconds before the screeching of tires on asphalt ended.
***
"Now arriving at Churyu Station. Repeat. Arriving at Churyu Station on the left."
Nobody paid much attention to the foreign girl with the white hair as she glanced up at the roof of the train. Even if they had, it wasn't incredibly odd for her to have heard the announcement through whatever music she had playing in her earphones, and she had taken them out as she prepared to disembark the train anyway.
The Foreigner turned to watch the window, waiting for the train to stop moving. Eventually, it did, and she picked up what little meager belonging she had in her backpack and shoved her MP3 player into the back pocket of her jeans. She had to push through a small crowd separating her from the door, but eventually made it off the train and onto the platform.
Curiously, she glanced around. It was a bit of an enigma why, but her parents has set her up with lodging here - well, enigma was putting it kindly. She already knew they wanted her out of their life, it was just a wonder that they managed to sink this low.
A bitter spring wind sent her retreating into her blue jacket. Another "gift" from her parents, it was a fashionable coat, a bit long at the hem and trimmed with faux gold. An attempt to buy her affection no doubt.
The major problem was she didn't even know the name of the guy they were supposed to be sending her to. Some guy lower down the chain from their job, probably. It seemed to be the only people they knew. They didn't trust anyone, just like her, ironically.
"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be coming here from Hiroshima, would you?" Came a voice.
The Foreigner turned to look at a man in a nice suit, with hair almost as white as hers but just a hint of pink. The businessman ran his hand through his hair with a bit of nervousness. "It's just that, my boss told me the CEO of the company is sending someone to meet me, but I never got to hear their names."
The Foreigner nodded. "Yeah. I'm here from Hiroshima."
"Ah! That must be you then. I'm sorry for the rude introduction. My name is Momoe Shin, I'm branch manager for Intou Hansha Foods... I guess I'm supposed to be your guardian for the next year." He grinned uneasily, and glanced to the side. "Two kids in one month, huh? I'm a manager, not a daycare for Christs sake... At least this one is older." He mumbled under his breath.
Catching the Foreigner looking at him, Shin pulled on his collar before extending a hand. "Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to ask your name!"
"Sabrina."
"Sabrina, huh?" Shin looked a bit perplexed. "Well, I guess a foreign name for a foreign girl isn't that odd. We should get going, it'll be a long drive. Do you want me to carry your bags, miss?"
Sabrina shook her head and hefted her backpack, before starting up the escalator.
It didn't take either of the long to get to the car, a fancy model that no doubt was paid for in part by the company budget. "It'll be a bit of a trip back to the apartment," Shin said, "So you should probably take a catnap. It's a long way here from Hiroshima, after all." Sabrina didn't feel like arguing, so she simply nodded and laid back in the plush leather seat. It was hard to deny that she felt a bit drained from the trip, and soon enough she found herself dozing off.
***
When she opened her eyes, she found herself somewhere completely different. The low hum reminded her of an airplane... No, looking around, it was an airplane, and a luxury jet no less. The interior was lavishly decorated in blue velvet, and operata was being played at a low volume from... Somewhere. And oddest of all...
"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." Said a questionably human being at the fore of the aircraft, sitting behind what seemed to be a very small dining table and wearing a silk suit and gloves. His nose was cartoonishly long, and his grin inhumanly wide, and his eyes bulged out of his head as if he'd just seen something incredible.
"What." Said Sabrina flatly.
The being chuckled. "I understand your confusion. Many are confused upon awaking here for their first time. This is the Velvet Room. This realm exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. You are our guest, and that means to be afforded certain privileges... Assuming of course, you make a contract with me."
Sabrina's eyes narrowed.
"But where are my manners, I haven't introduced myself. I am Igor, and this, Miss Sabrina, is Charlotte." Igor guestured towards the side of the jet, where a young woman in blue was holding a tome with a calm look on her face. Her hair was tied back into a long blonde ponytail which was draped over her shoulder, and her legs were crossed and very still.
"Hello." She said elegantly. "I am Charlotte. I hope we get along well."
Igor chuckled again, adjusting the kerchief in his pocket. "I as well. And as I was saying, I have a contract for you. I do hope you read it over before making your decision. Trust in others can be hard to come by, you see. In the initial meetings, it may be wise to 'trust, but verify', as they say." Igor chuckled, lowering his nose in something approximating a bow, but with quite a bit more slyness to it. "Perhaps you will discover this for yourself as you continue on your journey."
Igor set a small clipboard on the table and pushed it forward. Hesitantly, Sabrina approached and looked it over.
"All it says is that you will take responsibility for your actions in the coming year. No more, no less. Any actions you take are made by your own hand, and with your own will."
Sure enough, that was precisely what was written on the paper. And then there was a little line with an X, the obvious place to put the signature.
But did she want to sign this contract? "What do you get out of this?"
Igor chuckled. "Astute. That's very good. As it stands, I gain little... But my Master is very interested in your success. The power you will soon find yourself awakening is both grown by the Velvet Room, and grows the power of the Velvet Room in turn. Unfortunately, I am not permitted to say anything more, only the fact that you will find our assistance very much mutually beneficial."
"What power are you talking about? Who is your Master?"
"Excuse me?" Said Charlotte. "I'm sorry, but please do not get aggressive. The Velvet Room is equipped with defenses that are very strong, and I do not wish for this to be the first time someone has died in here."
The way she said it was as calm and elegant as ever, a stark contrast to her words. Sabrina blinked and then winced, turning back to Igor. "Fine. But if you guys are planning on blackmailing me, I will get back at you."
Igor never stopped smiling. "I would expect no less from such a prominent daughter, nor from any of the Guests of this Room. Please." Igor handed Sabrina a pen, and she carefully drafted her name onto the paper, even as she was checking for any extra-fine print. But unless there was something printed in nanomachines, the paper was otherwise blank.
"Wonderful." Igor said, and he took back the clipboard. there was a slight noise from the side of the jet, and Sabrina's head whipped towards Charlotte, only to find she had merely opened the book that was on her lap. Charlotte raised and eyebrow, earning her a mix between a sneer and a pout.
At some point, the clipboard had vanished. Perhaps Igor had somewhere to store it under the table. "Well, now. It seems our time here is almost up. We shall meet again, soon."
"What's that supposed to mean? Aren't I supposed to get help for some sort of challenge?"
"Indeed. That will be the purpose of our next meeting, and any further visits you wish to partake in. But for now, you must settle into life at Mitakihara."
"That's pretty bullshit."
"Please refrain from cursing." Charlotte said primly. "As well, if you wish assistance now, then how about this: Mami Tomoe will guide you to the next stop on your journey. I can say little more."
Sabrina huffed. "Fine. What do I have to do to get out of here?"
Igor smiled and raised a hand. "Wake up." He said, snapping his fingers.