Progress is slow.
Feet barely moving and hands still grasped, the further they continue to walk, the more Madoka is starting to notice just how crowded the game center really is.
Homura's trying her best, leading them in between empty gaps and openings, but no matter how hard they try to avoid it, they're still continuously jostled, and bumped.
But, more than the increasingly uncomfortable amount of people surrounding them, more than those indistinguishable murmurs whispering loudly into their ears, the one thing that Madoka is even more aware of, is the feeling of Homura's hand holding hers.
How that slender hand, that usually seems so strong, suddenly seems so fragile at the same time.
Madoka unconsciously tightens her grip, her own fingers pressing against thinner ones. Right on cue, Homura turns back, a silent question asked in those lavender eyes.
It's only really a quick glance, because they can't stop in the middle of this moving crowd, but Madoka smiles, shaking her head, and it's enough that Homura turns away, continuing to push her way forward.
A seemingly barricade of people all around, but they finally reach their destination: the racing games. Homura drags her towards the wall, where they take refuge in a small space wide enough for them to stand in peace amongst the heavy roar of engines.
Madoka watches Homura peer around, eyes obviously searching for someone in the sea of heads and nameless faces.
And suddenly, she leans in close.
"I don't see Miki Sayaka anywhere," Homura murmurs. "This is supposed to be our meeting point. Did she message you, Madoka? Madoka...?"
Still watching, Madoka jumps when she realizes that Homura is talking to her. She stumbles over her feet in her surprise.
Like always, Homura is there, always quick to react. Hand lightly touching her waist, enough pressure to keep her from falling, and then she's pulling away.
"Are you alright?" Homura glances at her, brow furrowed in worry. "Is the crowd too much? Did you need to take a breather outside?"
Her voice remains quiet, and she remains close to be heard.
Madoka shakes her head, cheeks dusted with pink; after that amazing confrontation, Homura also seems even more dashing today.
Though, if she thinks about it, that's just the usual Homura, every day.
"...Madoka?"
"A-Ah," she shakes her head again. "R-Right. Let me check."
She fights down the disappointment when Homura moves her hand away, and instead reaches into her pockets for her phone.
Six messages.
One from Homura, and five from Sayaka; each one slightly more panicked than the previous.
A reply sent, before she turns to Homura, finding her still searching the crowds, eyes no doubt on the lookout for that familiar shade of blue.
Madoka reaches over, fingers grasping the sleeve of her jacket as she tugs lightly, prompting Homura to turn back.
Once again, leaning close.
Fighting down her blush, Madoka informs her where Sayaka has gone. "Sayaka-chan heard about something happening with the security guards. She went to the office to check since I didn't answer."
Homura sighs; she doesn't want to head in that direction any time soon.
As if mocking her, loud cheers erupt from further back.
"There's some... strange contest going on," Homura explains when she sees Madoka looking around in curiosity. "It's a complete bottleneck over there...It's why it took so long to find you."
The phone buzzes in response.
Madoka glances down to check. "...Uhm, Sayaka-chan wants us to meet her by dance games..."
Homura stares. "Let me guess... these dance games are over there?"
More cheers.
Madoka nods, fingers scrolling through the message. "'It's where the loud crowd is, you can't miss it.'"
"I don't understand her reasoning. There's less people in this area. Isn't it easier for her to head in this direction?"
"'And before Homura can ask, they're the reason I wanted to come to the game center in the first place,'" Madoka answers, eyes still reading the screen.
"Maybe we should just leave without her..." Homura mutters.
Madoka finally looks up, catching that small bit of worry in Homura's eyes, before lavender turns away. Madoka watches her closely, and after a moment, she realizes that it's the crowd that Homura's worried about.
Madoka grabs her sleeve again, tugging it to gain her attention.
"I'll go," Madoka tells her when she turns back. "You can wait here, Homura-chan. I'll drop off the tokens, and come back."
Homura frowns. "You already went off on your own once. It's better if we stick together."
"But—"
Homura cuts her off. "It's fine."
They're both now staring at one another.
Madoka looks down to her phone. "...I'll tell Sayaka-chan to come back—"
A hand on her wrist, stopping her.
"It's fine," Homura insists. "Let's just go meet her."
That tone in her voice, tells Madoka that Homura is now completely dead set on the idea.
Madoka remembers those few times they have argued, and knows that Homura is even more stubborn than she is.
"Fine," she sighs out in exasperation, quickly sending out her reply to Sayaka, before tucking her phone away.
Homura nods, withdrawing her hand, but Madoka reaches out, grabbing it.
"There's a lot of people, we might get separated," she explains at Homura's curious gaze.
Another nod.
Homura starts moving, but suddenly turns back.
Madoka watches as her eyes dart to the side, before meeting her stare straight on.
"Make sure not to let go," Homura tells her as Madoka's eyes widen in surprise. "...You might get lost in the crowd, since you're so small."
There's a pause as Madoka processes her words.
Before she punches her hard on the shoulder. "You, are so bad today! You know, if I wore high heels, I could be as tall as you!"
Homura doesn't say anything, but that small smile on her lips tells Madoka exactly what she's thinking.
She punches her again.
"...Ow."
Madoka sticks out her tongue. "You deserved that."
Hand rubbing her shoulder, Homura nods in acceptance. "Alright, let's go find airplane girl."
She starts leading the way through the crowd.
Madoka shakes her head even as her lips tug into a fond smile. She intertwines their fingers, smiling wider when Homura tightens her hold.
/
If the path to the racing machines was considered hectic, further into the game center is utter chaos.
Apparently, a good amount of people knew of this contest, and Sayaka had chosen the perfect weekend to visit.
Madoka is now clutching onto Homura tightly, both of them trying not to get swept away by the ongoing tide of people.
As they slowly follow the crowd, there's a rise in volume to the cheers and music the closer they get to the main attraction. The bass in particular thumps around them, and that constant rhythm is starting to throw Homura off; it feels like her own heart is beating loudly in her chest.
She concentrates on Madoka's hand to keep her own breaths steady.
Somehow, even amongst the flashing lights, and the increasing roar of voices, Homura manages to spot Sayaka.
She's off to the side, leaning against a wall that's across the stage set up for this large contest. Her eyes are concentrated on the giant screen that sits at the back, the display wide enough that even from this distance, Homura has a clear view of the footage shown. It doesn't mean she cares though, and she focuses on more important things: like trying to keep calm to keep her blood pressure in check.
It's an uphill battle. Her annoyance continues to grow with how they can't seem to reach Sayaka despite how close she is. She ignores the gasps of pain when she deliberately throws a few elbows, using unnecessary force after people start stepping on her.
Finally, they manage to join Sayaka in her spot.
Homura struggles to catch her breath as Madoka slips an arm around her waist in worry. She knows Homura won't appreciate nagging words in her ear, and instead turns to Sayaka.
She leans in. "Sayaka-chan!"
Sayaka jumps at her voice. "Hey! Madoka! Are you alright?" She yells to be heard over the crowd. "I saw those punks in the back office, and the security officers told me what happened!"
She quickly checks Madoka over, twisting her around even though Madoka is trying her best to keep her arm around Homura.
"Y-Yeah, I'm okay, Sayaka-chan," Madoka responds, her voice raised for the same reason. "Homura-chan stepped in before anything could happen."
Sayaka nods in approval. She reaches over, suddenly placing her hand atop Homura's head.
Ignoring the narrowed eyes and her hunched posture, Sayaka pats her. "Good girl! You did a good job!"
The first time Sayaka had done this, Homura had slapped her.
This time, she is very lucky Madoka is in the way.
Homura moves, trying to shrug her hand off. "Stop that." She takes a deep breath. "You and that idiot really are alike in the most annoying ways."
Her voice remains quiet, and only Madoka can hear her because she's close enough.
Her annoyed expression though, already tells Sayaka what she said.
Sayaka grins, finally removing her hand. "Hey, I would've been the one saving Madoka, but somehow my 'Madoka senses' aren't as strong as yours!"
Another annoyed sigh, released in a shallow breath. "For the last time, I don't have these ridiculous 'Madoka senses,' you always speak of."
Sayaka looks at Madoka, ignoring Homura. "So we're about to race, right? And then, Homura, suddenly whips out her phone, like she got this second sense that you were in trouble!"
A little calmer now, Homura straightens up. "...the alerts on my phone are set to 5 minutes intervals; I missed the first time Madoka sent her message, but I heard the alert after."
Madoka hugs her close, and lavender flickers to her briefly.
Sayaka suddenly throws a glare over her shoulder at someone who's pushing against her, before turning back. "I have no idea what you're saying, but your 'Madoka senses' were definitely tingling!"
Homura's reply is drowned out by more cheers, and she and Madoka wince at the sound.
When the roars lower, Homura turns to Sayaka.
"Regardless, Madoka is safe, and we have found you. Can we please leave now?" Homura asks, obviously not enjoying the atmosphere at all. "There's no possible way you'll be able to 'dance' with this crowd."
Sayaka stares.
"Homura-chan wants to leave!" Madoka yells out.
Sayaka turns to her. "Madoka, did you manage to get any tokens?"
"Huh?" Madoka blinks. "Y-Yeah. I got like 25 of them, since we burned through them so quickly."
Sayaka nods. "Can I have like, 10?"
One arm still around Homura's waist, Madoka reaches into her pocket, counting off the amount before holding out her hand to give them to her. She nearly loses them when the crowd behind them surges forward. Sayaka barely manages to keep the both of them upright.
Once steadied, and coins accepted, Sayaka grins. "Thanks! I'm going to try and join this contest; there's a regular, free for all, being held alongside the pros, but you need to at least pay the normal amount it takes to play! I just gotta queue up!"
Homura stares. "...With this crowd? Do you know how long that will take?"
Sayaka waves her off, almost smacking some random person in the process. "Whoops! Sorry!"
She turns back to Homura.
"Seriously, I can't hear a word you're saying! Don't you know how to project your voice? Whatever, your face already tells me what you're saying! No worries! I don't need you two to line up with me!" She suddenly leans in close to Madoka, mouth next to her ear, hand cupped in front. "This is the perfect opportunity for you to turn this into a date. Impress her with your amazing UFO catcher skills!"
Madoka flushes as Sayaka pulls away. "W-What?!"
Sayaka points to Homura. "I'm gonna be here, so I expect you to take care of Madoka! You have a set amount of tokens, so at least use them before you decide to leave! I'll join you when I'm done!"
Homura is ready to protest, but she glances to Madoka, and sighs. "...Fine, as long as we aren't anywhere near here."
At Sayaka's expectant look, Homura nods, making sure to at least show her annoyance by rolling her eyes.
Sayaka winks at Madoka, giving her a thumbs up. "Go get 'em, baby koala!"
"S-Sayaka-chan!"
\
"Are you feeling better now, Homura-chan?" Madoka asks, hands now wrapped around Homura's arm.
A brief break after another horrendous trek through the gauntlet of people, they're now in a quieter, and thankfully, emptier part of the arcade.
Absently fidgeting with the water bottle in her hands, Homura nods. "Yes, I am fine now, Madoka."
Madoka guiltily looks down. "I'm sorry, Homura-chan. I know... you didn't really want to come here in the first place...And then there ends up being some kind of contest..."
Homura sighs, shaking her head. "No, it's alright, Madoka. It's fine, and," she gestures around, "it's nicer, here, at least. Seems like everyone is over on the other side."
"I guess everyone knew about it, but us?" Madoka glances around. "You would think there would've been posters or something along the way though..."
Homura blinks. "Ah... That, must have been what that sign was about..."
Madoka turns to her. "Sign?"
"Uhm. On the stairs. Something about, semi-finals, for the Tokyo circuit."
Madoka stares. "...You saw one?"
"...It didn't seem important."
"Homura-chan..."
"...In my defense, there were plenty of strange acronyms that meant nothing to me. And they didn't actually mention the word 'contest.'"
Madoka sighs, tightening her hold on Homura's arm. "You..." she shakes her head, smile on her lips. "Homura-chan, sometimes... you are hopelessly adorable."
Homura's suddenly concentrated on something to the side, and Madoka knows she's embarrassed.
She decides to let her recover, turning to the nearby machines.
Her high pitched squeal startles Homura into almost dropping the bottle, but she's too distracted to notice.
"Oh, they have new Honey Bears!" Madoka gushes, moving quickly, dragging Homura with her to one of the UFO catchers.
"'Honey Bear?'" Homura asks, watching with amusement as Madoka presses her hands to the glass, eyes staring at the prizes.
"Look, Homura-chan!" she points to a rotund bear, yellow in colour, except for the black tipped ears and black stomach. "They stopped making new ones years ago, but I guess they're bringing them back! That one's a new design! They're usually one colour toned!"
A small smile. "...I assume this means you're going to try to win it?"
"Of course! Come on, let's go find someone who works here!" Madoka tells her, hands once against clasping Homura's arm as she drags her away from the machine.
Surprised at her eagerness, Homura merely increases her pace to avoid being pulled along.
"Uhm, why, Madoka?"
Eyes searching, Madoka continues to move around the game floor, steps now filled with purpose. "It's not in a good position. Most of the time, if you ask, they'll help move it so you have a better chance at winning."
Homura blinks. "That's... surprisingly kind of them. Aren't the objectives of those games to trick customers of their money?"
"Mm," Madoka finally spots someone wearing a black and white checkered shirt: the uniform for the staff at this game center. "It still takes some practice and luck to win some of the prizes," she answers, footsteps hurried to snag the worker before someone else.
"I see."
Madoka approaches the worker with a smile on her face. With only a few sentences exchanged, they're making their way back to the machine, Madoka, grinning in obvious anticipation, Homura, trailing after them with a lot less enthusiasm.
It's a quick process, and the bear is easily moved closer to the opening.
As soon as he is done, he's snagged by another couple, but Madoka is already scanning her phone against the machine.
"It doesn't take tokens?" Homura asks, curious.
There's strange music playing, and Madoka now has her hands on the controls. "Nope, it's easier for people to just scan credits, especially considering how much someone can spend on one machine."
The music stops, and the crane hand starts moving as Madoka maneuvers it.
Homura watches closely; she's never really seen one in action before. "I wonder why they don't do the same for the other games. Would save the trouble of having to exchange for tokens."
Madoka tiptoes, turning her head and body, eyes trying to match the position of the claw to the bear.
"Mm, the games use tokens for some sort of retro effect. Kind of like how the coffee shop uses those chalk boards instead of screens. Old game centers used to accept 100yen coins, but since they got rid of the old currency and introduced credits, they switched the machines to tokens instead."
Homura glances at her. "You... know quite a bit about this."
Satisfied with what she sees, Madoka hits the button.
"I did a bit of research in high school," she murmurs. "I was curious too," she gives Homura a quick smile, before turning back to the catcher.
They both watch as the claw slowly lowers, clasps opening at the same time.
It lands directly on top, but when it closes, the hooks are too weak. The bear is nudged slightly, before the catcher returns to its original position.
More music.
Homura gives her a nervous glance. "Uhm. That was close, Madoka..."
Madoka turns to her, smile still on her lips. "That was just a test run, Homura-chan. All the machines, the claws have different strengths, and sometimes they set it weaker or stronger, depending on the time of day. I wanted to see how easy it would be to win."
Homura can only blankly stare.
"This is the real one," Madoka tells her, hands expertly shifting the controls once more.
The click as the button is pressed, and they both watch as the claw lowers, opening right above the bear, before it dives down.
It closes, and as it starts moving back up, to Homura's surprise, one of the hooks snags onto the small tag sewn on one of the bear's legs.
She watches as the claw brings the bear up, still hanging on only by that piece of cloth. There's music playing as the claw returns, and then the prize is dropped into the chute.
Madoka quickly retrieves it.
"It's so cute," she gushes, hugging it tightly. "The eyes, especially!"
She turns it around, showing Homura how they're slanted.
Homura's lips twitch.
/
"Here you go." There's a sticker held out, and Sayaka hastily accepts it. "All signed up. Good luck!"
"Thanks!" She grins, and quickly hops out of the way.
It takes her a moment, after she's once again engulfed by the crowd, to find a spot to stand. She peels back her sticker and with a strong slap, it's placed on her right shoulder.
A glance down: #267.
A confirmation at the score board: #120.
Plenty of time until her turn, but she doesn't mind watching the competition.
Her shoes tap to the beat as she watches the screen.
\
One arm holding Homura's, the other looped around her new prize, Madoka grins as they continue their way through the game center.
"Is there anything you want, Homura-chan?" Madoka asks, watching as Homura peers at all the machines in clear disinterest.
"Not really," she murmurs.
"We could get Tora-kun a friend," Madoka teases.
Homura glances at her, before quickly looking away.
Madoka bumps her leg with her hip. "Come on, you tease me all the time. And I think it's cute you still have your childhood toy with you."
Homura sighs. "I regret ever showing him to you."
"You didn't exactly 'show' him to me," Madoka tells her. "More like I woke up before you could hide him under your pillow."
Homura doesn't respond, and Madoka knows her enough to know that's her equivalent of pouting.
"Fine," Madoka sighs out. "Is there anything you want to play then? We still have our tokens."
"Hm..." Homura glances around, eyes moving past the UFO catchers, when something catches her attention.
Quick to spot Homura's reaction, Madoka turns to her. "Did you find something?"
"Ah," Homura blinks, and shakes her head. "No."
Madoka stares at her, and turns to where she had last seen Homura looking. "Did you see something over there you wanted?"
Without waiting for her to reply, Madoka moves, dragging her over, until they're in front of another UFO catcher.
She gives her an expectant look. "Homura-chan?"
Homura sighs, raising her hand reluctantly to point at one of the prizes. "Doesn't this remind you of Amy?"
"Hm?" Madoka looks over, and it doesn't take long until she finds exactly what Homura is referring to.
It's a small, black cat plush, complete with a pink collar around its neck.
Homura had met Madoka's cat, Amy, over Spring Break, and that was when Madoka had found out that Homura adored cats.
Madoka smiles, pushing the round bear into Homura's hands. "Here, hold this for a bit, Homura-chan."
She does as told, watching as Madoka pulls out her phone to scan it against the machine. "Madoka?"
Madoka turns to her with a wink. "I don't even need to have them move it for me. These machines are easier to win from, since the prizes are smaller."
One quick catch later, Madoka crouches, hands slipping through the chute opening to retrieve her new prize.
"Here you go, Homura-chan," she says, holding the cat out.
"Uhm," Homura stares.
"It's, a thank you," Madoka tells her, "for saving me, earlier."
Homura hesitantly accepts it, handing her back the bear in the process. "You... didn't have to."
Madoka grins. "I didn't, but I wanted to." Her grin softens into a smile. "Thank you, for coming to my rescue, Homura-chan."
Lavender stares down at the small cat doll now cradled in her hand, before she glances back to Madoka. "It's...Uhm. Y-You're welcome..."
"Mmhmm," Madoka reaches for her arm once more. "Now, let's go play something. Those tokens are worth their weight in gold; we better use them."
"...Alright."
Madoka smiles to herself when she sees Homura tighten her hold on the cat.
/
The more she watches, the more she feels the blood pumping through her veins; it can't be helped, she has always thrived in loud, competitive settings.
Her number isn't getting closer, but she really doesn't mind.
The loud cheers from the crowd fuels her excitement, and there's no way she's bored when some of the players are really flashy, throwing in their own stylized dancing, while still managing to hit those arrows perfectly.
It's been a while since she has last played, but the thought of adaptation, of freestyle, is also exciting.
Her lips move, joining the crowd as they sing to one of the most well known, and popular songs for this game.
"Hey."
The voice in her ear has her screaming. Luckily for her, the crowd is loud enough to drown out her embarrassment.
Though a few observers nearby throw her confused looks.
She turns her head, insult ready at a moment's notice.
"What?" she snaps; this person is completely in her personal space, but they don't seem to care.
"You by yourself?"
She narrows her eyes, taking in the hooded figure, and already knows they mean trouble.
She holds up a fist. "Nope. And you better back off unless you want to meet one of my best friends."
"Hey," hands held out in appeasement, before one hand sweeps back their black hood, revealing a feminine face, sharp eyes, and a devious grin. "I'm not hitting on you, if that's what you're asking."
She straightens out her ponytail of red hair, throwing another grin.
Sayaka stares. "What do you want then?"
Crimson eyes flicker to her shoulder, and the stranger points to the sticker. "267? Most people will be going home by the time you even get your turn."
Sayaka shrugs. "So? This stuff is for fun; it's not like I'm a part of the real circuit."
"That's true," the stranger grins. "But," she leans in close, "you wanna be?"
Sayaka bites down the urge to step back; she won't be intimidated. "What?"
"I need someone for doubles," she tells her, pointing over to the board. "My partner bailed on me."
"...Shouldn't you ask someone else that, I don't know, isn't a random stranger?"
"Nah," she says, hands gesturing as she talks. "You'd be surprised how many people get cold feet with the thought of all those people watching them."
Sayaka sighs. "You don't even know me. What—"
A hand points to the boards. "You see that name there, 'Crimson Devil?'"
Sayaka glances over, eyes completely glossing over the names. "Yeah?"
"No, seriously. Look."
Sayaka sighs, turning her attention to the board. Her eyes widen. "No way is that you."
"Seriously. I just need someone there, standing with me. I'm already a shoe in for finals, but rules state you need two people on the platform, otherwise it's instant disqualification."
Sayaka stares at her.
She leans in close. "Come on, I'll totally make it worth your while."
Something about her voice, has Sayaka gulping nervously.
\
Out of UFO catcher territory, they're now far away from the loud cheers.
They have already tried a rhythm game, one with controls set up to mimic a DJ turntable. Homura had taken over the scratching discs, while Madoka volunteered to be in charge of the buttons.
They had failed horribly after Homura had accidentally hit the randomize switch, and the song had been a five star out of six.
It had ended though, with Homura smiling in amusement, and a flustered Madoka who had been their reason of failure: most of the song required button mashing.
Madoka had punched her arm when she had seen how easy Homura's job had been. "You cheater! You knew!"
Homura had merely turned away, still smiling to herself.
Another rhythm game, this time with a guitar, for revenge.
But to Madoka's frustration, Homura had passed with flying colours.
"Grrr, fine. I get it. You're amazing at music games, while I'm a complete klutz," Madoka grumbles, burying her face into the soft plush.
Homura retrieves her water bottle atop the game station; the cat is tucked safely in her jacket pocket.
"Guess those piano lessons I took when I was younger were good for something," Homura tells her.
Madoka lifts her head. "You took piano?"
"Mmhmm. Until I became too sick."
Madoka drops into silence, once again looping their arms together and clutching the bear close.
Homura senses the mood change, and sighs softly. She quickly glances around, searching for a distraction.
And spots it, across the far wall.
"That looks interesting, Madoka," she says, feet moving and pulling Madoka along with her.
"Eh?"
Homura drags her over, until they stop in front of a row of arcade games that all have one thing in common: plastic guns tucked into metal holsters.
"Shooting games?" Madoka questions, a bit surprised at Homura's interest.
Homura nods, eyes evaluating the screens to determine what kind of settings are in each game.
Madoka tugs at Homura's arm, pulling her away from the next machine. "C-Can we not play that one, Homura-chan?"
There's a sudden growl from the preview, and Madoka jumps in fear.
Homura steers her around, avoiding the next two machines as well. "Zombies aren't real, Madoka."
"I know... but..." She glances back, eyes nervous. "They're still really scary."
"Hm," Homura looks at her, before turning away. "How many tokens do we have left, Madoka?"
Unwilling to let go, Madoka somehow manages to dig through her pockets, squishing the bear against her in the process.
"Uhm," she pulls them out, holding the coins in her open palm.
"10? We only used 5?" Homura asks.
"I think there's still one in my pocket."
Homura stares at the tokens, eyes narrowing. "Alright. I think, I have the perfect strategy."
"Huh?"
Homura nods. "We will find the most expensive shooting game here. And play that one. Do you have any objections, Madoka?"
Madoka blinks, before she sighs.
So much for their date.
But—it's definitely something that Homura would do.
"No. That's... that's fine," she replies, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Homura is already turning away to find her objective. "I saw an ad, for this ice cream parlour on the 5th floor. Let's go there after we're done. My treat, since you paid for the tokens."
Madoka brightens immediately. "Sure!"
/
"Okay," Sayaka takes a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "I'm good. I'm fine. This is fine."
Eyes peer at her, eyebrow raised. "You're not gonna chicken out on me, are you?"
Without answering, Sayaka stares at the new sticker now pasted over her old one: Semi-Finals. Team Devil.
They're now backstage, where the higher platform gives her a clear view of the crowd. So many faces.
Playing for fun is one thing; subbing in for someone for semi-finals is crazy.
Exhilarating, but crazy.
Oh so crazy.
Her face warps into a grin, and she faces her new partner.
This, is exactly what she needed. Something careless, yet not too much.
She holds up her hand, giving her a thumbs up. "I'm good."
A fanged grin. "Awesome."
\
To Madoka's relief, the most expensive shooting game is not horror based; she doesn't have to worry about screaming every time a zombie pops up.
Instead, they find it at the very end of the row. Madoka had at first confused the game with a photo booth but the label '3d Hunter' and the sounds from within, seemed to state otherwise. When they had lifted the curtain to step inside, they had found out that it was definitely not a photo booth.
It turned out to be a small square shaped room, lined with projection screens on all sides of the walls that extended from floor to ceiling.
They completely enter, and one of the screens is showing the demo.
"It's... almost like a full immersion," Homura murmurs, eyes scanning around.
"Uhm, i-it seems kind of difficult, Homura-chan..." Madoka gulps nervously, watching the instructions.
"But, it's exactly 5 coins per player, Madoka," Homura tells her, pointing to the wall where there's a coin slot.
Madoka glances at the screen, and then back to Homura. "...Are you sure you want to try this one?"
Homura nods.
"...Uhm... Alright. I-I guess, I could try it..."
"We'll have ice cream after, too," Homura reminds her.
The thought of ice cream does at least sound nice.
Her face flushes lightly, when she remembers that Homura tends to split desserts since she can never finish them.
Shared ice cream.
"Ice cream," Madoka repeats, moving to deposit the tokens.
/
The roar of the crowd is near deafening when they step onto the stage.
And all for that one person.
Sayaka glances over, watching as the 'Crimson Devil' waves at her audience, wide grin on her face, eyes almost radiant.
She's definitely enjoying the attention.
She catches Sayaka's gaze, and winks.
It's definitely too loud to hear what she's saying, but Sayaka's pretty sure her lips read, 'Good luck.'
She turns away, face suddenly warm.
Because she did not just think what she did, about this 'Crimson Devil.'
\
They're still stuck at the weapon screen, held back because Madoka continues to waver between her choices.
"Uhm... I'm... I don't know which one I should choose, Homura-chan..." She looks over to Homura's screen, and sees that she has chosen dual pistols. "Should I choose the same...?"
Homura is concentrated on another screen, reading the individual descriptions for each weapon as there is nothing else to do until Madoka finally decides.
"Anything should be fine, Madoka," she murmurs. She points to the screen, "Look, they say machine guns are good for beginners, since it has automatic firing, and the amount of ammunition makes it so that you don't need to reload as often."
Madoka stares, and Homura already knows she's not going to choose it.
"Mm... let's see," Homura says instead, continuing to thumb through the selection. She pauses, noticing another tab for 'Additional Weapons' that she hadn't noticed the first run through.
Curious, she pushes it, and another screen opens, this time with archaic looking weapons.
"How about these, Madoka?" she asks, gesturing to the new selection.
Madoka looks, but none of them catch her attention. Swords, spears, and even a very old styled musket.
Homura continues browsing, when Madoka holds out her hand.
"Go back!"
Homura toggles to the previous, and Madoka points.
"Maybe that...?"
Homura nods. "It's the first weapon that actually caught your attention. And as there's," she looks to another screen, "two minutes left to decide, I believe you should go with that, Madoka."
Madoka suddenly glances down, to the bear still held in her hands. She had refused to place it on the floor next to the bottle since it would get dirty, but there's no way she's going to be able to play, while holding onto this thing.
Homura turns, and sees Madoka biting her lip, staring down at that ridiculously round bear in her arms.
"Madoka."
She looks up. "Hm?"
Homura pulls out the cat plush from her jacket, and holds it out. "Here, we'll trade." She gestures to the cat. "You can hold Amy—"
"Amy?" Madoka asks, smiling.
Homura quickly glances away, cheeks suddenly stained with light pink. "I-It's a temporary name. You... You can hold this cat—"
"I can hold Amy," Madoka teases, still smiling.
"...You can hold this, and I'll take that bear of yours. You'll have more trouble using your weapon while holding that, than I will."
Madoka glances down, and then back to the screen; she'll need her arms free for the pull back, according to the instructions.
Another beep.
One minute left.
She nods. "Alright, I'll hold Amy," Homura bites back a sigh at this, "and you can hold... Homu-chan."
Homura blinks. "...What?"
This time it's Madoka's turn to blush, eyes shy, arms holding the bear close. "H-Her name is Homu-chan. She looks... like a Homu-chan."
There's only silence between them, and suddenly a voice from the game interrupts.
"45 seconds until we begin! All players, please ready your selection!"
Homura turns back to her, and gestures to the cat. "Alright. You can hold Amy, and I'll hold... Homu-chan."
Madoka nods, grinning, and they exchange their plushies.
The screen is starting the count down now, and Madoka glances over, resisting the urge to take out her phone.
Because Homura, holding that bear, looks absolutely adorable.
AN: Kyouko would have to be introduced in a game center. But, this story is mainly Mado/Homu, as are most(ALL) of my stories. :)
Thanks again for reading/reviewing! And I don't dislike when people point out errors or give criticisms, as long as they describe it in detail so I know exactly what you mean, whatever it is. It gives me food for thought on how I can improve. Thanks again!