The Gunwomen
Madoka Magica and Sword Art Online
Chapter One

I walked through the front door of my apartment after another long day at work. I was exhausted and immediately laid down on the couch. I pulled out my phone and quickly checked my voicemail. I realized I had a new message from Madoka. I played the recording without much thought.

"Hey, Homura-chan. I know you won't get this since your phone is turned off at work, but I wanted to let you know that I'll be stopping by your apartment tonight. I'm not taking no as an answer this time. I should be there at six. See you then."

Madoka hung up and the message ended. I looked at the time on my phone and nearly had a panic attack. It was 5:59 right now. I had to clean up before Madoka got here. I got up from the couch as the clock stroke six. I then heard someone knock on my door. That had to be her. Part of me didn't want to answer the door, my apartment was a mess. What would she think? Madoka was Madoka though, I really wanted to see her anyway. I walked up to the door and took a deep breath as I turned the doorknob. The door opened, revealing Madoka's wonderful smile.

"Hi, Homura-chan. May I come in?"

How could I deny such a cheerful request from this girl? I smiled and moved aside to let her in. Madoka walked in and took a seat at my dining room table. She placed her bag on the table.

"Did you get my voicemail?" Madoka asked me. "Or did I surprise you?"

"I got your voicemail." I told her, happy with were together. "Do you need help with your homework or something?"

"No." Madoka said with a shake of the head. "I wanted to should you something really cool. You said you like guns, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Madoka reached into her pocket and pulled out an advertisement for a new video game. She unfolded it and handed it to me before explaining what this was.

"This is a VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online. It's a game where you fight monsters and other people with guns. I've seen some screenshots and I think you would really enjoy it. There's also a way to convert the in-game currency to real life money which might spark your interest."

I looked down at this poster as she spoke. It certainly looked interesting, but then I spotted what hardware this game required.

"That's nice Madoka, but don't you need a VR headset in order to play these games. They're a bit pricey right now. I'm not making that much money."

I was also aware of the Sword Art Online incident that occurred a few years ago, but I wasn't really afraid of that happening again. Besides, I didn't want to bring death into this right now and price was the main issue anyway. Madoka giggled as she replied to my comment.

"I know that, Homura-chan."

Madoka opened her bag and pulled out one of those very VR headsets. She gently placed it on the table and pushed it towards me.

"This an AmuSphere, I managed to borrow it from Hitomi." Madoka told me. "What do you say, Homura-chan? I think you could make a few friends in there."

"Friends?" I scoffed. "I don't need more friends. I have you, Madoka."

"You need friends other than me, Homura-chan." Madoka scolded me. "I know you don't have the time to meet up with our friends from high school, but you should at least try to reach out to other people."

I eventually gave up fighting her and accepted the AmuSphere. I didn't actually have any real intention of playing this game, but I'd do anything to make Madoka happy. Madoka and I finished our conversation and she left after about an hour. I headed to my bedroom to play a bit on the computer, but the AmuSphere made me stop. It was still sitting on the table, calling out to me. I hadn't held a gun in a while since Madoka was safe now. Even so, part of me was itching to give Gun Gale Online a shoot now that Madoka had introduced me to it. Did I really have the time for this though? I had work tomorrow. I sighed in defeat and grabbed the headset. I put it on in front of the bathroom mirror and instantly cringed at what I saw.

"I look so stupid in this. Who designed this thing? What were they thinking?"

I proceeded to calibrate the AmuSphere. It apparently needed to know information like my height and weight in order to work properly. It figured all this out using its sensors and I carefully confirmed everything. I connected to the GGO server and found out about the monthly 3000 yen connection fee, which I paid without much thought. I was then finally prompted to get into a comfortable position before entering the game. It also told me I was supposed to say "link start" once I was ready. I laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. I tried to prepare myself. I had no idea what to expect, I only ever saw screenshots of these games. They were apparently extremely realistic, though I'd be the judge of that. Once I was ready, I opened my eyes and said those two magic words.

"Link start."

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(Chapter Two: Out Now!)