(Inspired by a post by hikkotaku )
"Link start" Hajime said. The game booted up and he was whisked away to the virtual world of aincrad. After a few minutes of awing over the ultra real graphics and beautiful scenery, Hajime started to explore his surroundings. Slowly he adjusted to the games realistic sense system. Then he checked his menu. He scrolled past the instructions and tips until he noticed something strange. The place where the log out screen was supposed to be wasn't there. Just as he realized it he was teleported to the central square along with everyone else in the game.
In the square people were starting to panic. Suddenly the sky was lit up by monotone pixels as a pink liquid descended and formed into a cloaked figure. "Hello and welcome to aincrad" the cloak figure announced" now if you've noticed your logout option has been uninstalled. That is because you are all trapped in aincrad". The crowd screamed in horror. "Relax when the first person reaches the 100th floor you will be free" the cloaked figure said" however if you die in the game your vr headset will administer a shock to your brain that will kill you". At that moment everyone was truly terrified Hajime included. "Oh and one last thing" the cloaked figure said "I've arranged a new feature". Suddenly everyone was transformed to look just like they were in real life. "Have fun upupupu" the figure said before disappearing.
An hour after the announcement and Hajime was still broken. He was about to loose all hope when he heard a familiar voice. "Hajime is that you?" She asked. Hajime looked up to see a girl with cat ears and a tail. "Chiaki?" Hajime stuttered. "Yep" Chiaki smiled her tail swaying side to side. "What's with the tail" Hajime laughed a bit. "Oh it's just an item I got" Chiaki said "with it my speed increases and I can see in the dark". "Of course you'd wear it for the stats" Hajime said. "Hey since we need to get to the 100th floor will you wanna form a guild" Chiaki asked. "Are you sure?" Hajime asked. "Yeah it'll be fun" Chiaki smiled while her ears perked up. "Okay but what should we name our guild" Hajime asked. "Gala omega" Chiaki announced with pride making Hajime crack a smile.
After a trip to the market for some items, Chiaki and Hajime went to the fields for practice. In the fields, Chiaki showed Hajime how to use a crossbow and othe mechanics. "You're really good at this" Hajime complemented. "Well I did get to beta test so I know the mechanics more than most" Chiaki said. "Of course you would" Hajime said as he tried to aim his crossbow. "Oh if you kill that boar it might drop some meat" Chiaki pointed out. "What does it heal you?" Hajime asked. "Actually if you cook it it's really yummy" Chiaki said. "Okay than let's get some meat" Hajime said before shooting an arrow at the boar.
After training the two went back to the village. Since neither of them had a stove they had to pay a fellow player to cook the meat. Once the meat was ready they prepared a spot under a tree to eat. While Chiaki slowly gobbled hers down Hajime wasn't to sure how to eat his. "Just eat it like you would anything else" Chiaki advised. So Hajime took one big bite and surprisingly enjoyed it. As the two ate their food chiakis cat ears perked up and honed in on a conversation. "What is it Chiaki?" Hajime asked. "Someone defeated the floor boss" Chiaki said. "Should we advance to the second floor then?" Hajime asked. "Maybe we should level up some more" Chiaki said. "Okay you're the expert" Hajime said.
Soon the sun began to set. Chiaki let out a yawn signaling for some well deserved rest. "If we go to an inn we can sleep" Chiaki advised. Before Hajime could say anything Chiaki fell asleep. Hajime tried to wake her up but to no avail. After one final failed attempt Hajime had no choice but to carry her to the inn. By the time he reached it, the inn only had one room left. Fortunately it was a two bedroom. Once Hajime reached the room he carefully laid Chiaki in her own bed and pulled the sheets over her. A little while after he fell asleep in his bed.