Welcome to the Diamond Tower

French perfume tickled Naoko’s nose. French vanilla to be exact. The white in the room wasn’t so violent as the cave before now. The mouse boy’s eyes adjusted to his new settings. A giant gold sun clock sat on the back wall not moving. A fireplace was roar underneath it. French pop songs about love floated softly through the air. There was a piano off to one side. Paintings on the walls made the lobby look that more inviting. The curtains covered the windows, adding the finishing touch.

“Take off your shoes,” the rabbit said. “It shows respect and the carpet feels really good.”

“Okay,” the mouse boy said. He knelt down and took off his shoes. Once he set them down, they instantly flew away.

“Hey!” he yelled. The rabbit giggled.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You won’t need them anymore since you are going to be saying with your beloved forever.”

“I am?” Naoko asked.

“Yes,” the rabbit said. “It’s been nice travelling with you.” The mouse boy looked at her with a blank stare on his face.

“What?!” he asked. “You’re leaving already?”

“Yes, my work here is done,” his guide said. “Midori asked me personally to bring you to her. Now that you made it to the lobby, I am done.”

“Wait… Midori asked you to pick me up?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the rabbit said. “You just go up to the front desk and give them your name. The lady behind the desk will do the rest. Excuse me.” She bowed and disappeared back into the cave. Naoko waved as she disappeared out of view.

“Thank you, I guess…” he said. The mouse boy turned back to the ivory and diamond desk ahead of him. He drew in a breath and walked up. The lady behind the desk had bright blonde hair that came down to her small shoulders.

“Welcome to the Diamond Tower,” she said. “Only about a fourth of this population can get into this special place. How can I help you today?”

“Um… I’m looking for a resident here,” Naoko said.

“Name?” she asked.

“Midori,” he said. The receptionist’s white and sparkled nails moved at lightning speeds as she typed on the keyboard.

“Surname?” she asked.

“Fujisawa,” Naoko said. The girl’s fingers moved in double time.

“Ah,” she said. “There is one at the very top. May I have your name?”

“Naoko Benson,” the mouse boy said. The receptionist looked at her computer screen before she looked up at the new arrival.

“Here you are,” she said. “Shall I ring her up?” Naoko’s heart jumped in her chest.

“Yes!” he was quick to say. The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed the Star Heaven Room. She waited as the other line rang.

“Hello?” the blonde woman asked. “Midori, are you up? Good, your lover is here. Sure, I’ll have him come up. No, no, thank you. Goodbye.” The receptionist hung up and turned back to a blushing Naoko. She reached into the drawer and pulled out the keycard to the Star Heaven Room.

“The elevator is over there,” the blonde girl said, pointing to the right. “Press the up button and you will see the buttons to get to your final destination.”

“Okay,” the mouse boy said.

“Good luck!” the receptionist said. She smiled and winked. Naoko bowed his head and took the key card. He turned and walked to the elevator. The mouse boy pressed the up button and waited. He could feel the receptionist’s eyes on his back. Naoko’s face turned red again as the door binged. He tried to relax and walked into the elevator. The mouse boy looked through the buttons until he found the one saying, “Star Heaven Room”. After he hit his button, the doors closed and let his mind relaxed along with the music as he rode away.