A/N: Been a very long time since I last worked on any Rider fics, and what luck was it for Ace to get me to write something XD

"As expected of my sister. It's great to be a family."

When she saw the wish that Ukiyo Ace had written on his Desire card for the first time, there was no denying that she hated the thought that the wish could be granted. Why was that wish even allowed to be entered into the game? That was the question that she used to want to ask.

Ace was such a cheeky and mischievous fox. Every time a new game of DGP begins he would always write in some silly wishes that would later inevitably be granted due to him winning the game and becoming the Desaity. Usually, she wouldn't mind seeing all those wishes be granted... but why did Ace wish for the DGP staff to become his family? The former Game Master Girori and her had been made to take the role of a father and an older sister to Ace and with Girori being replaced by the new Game Master, she was the only one left remaining of Ace's 'family'.

Yet right now, she's unsure whether or not to think of the situation as either bad or good.

.

"Tsumuri-san!"

When everyone returned from the last JGP game with Keiwa carrying the unconscious Ace on his back, Tsumuri wasn't sure how to react to this. Ace had never once fallen ill or passed out suddenly during a game in the past... so it was strange to see him like this now.

"Bring him over here..."

She immediately told the others to take Ace to one of the rooms that use to have served as accommodations for the previous players in the past DGP, which nowadays is mostly used as a makeshift infirmary for injured players to rest and recover. They also checked whether or not Ace have received any battle damage from the last battle, but it didn't look as if Ace had been hurt anywhere on his body... at least physically. So with nothing else to do, they just decided to just put Ace on the bed to rest.

"Is he only just unwell?"

Tsumuri just kept eyeing the person lying asleep on the bed as Ace still had not woken up. It intrigued her to see that even Ace could be in this situation. Lying on the bed unmoving, looking so fragile and vulnerable. While it shouldn't be strange to see anyone falling asleep after the day has ended, Ace usually was not the kind of person who would ever allow anyone to see him lowering his guard and sleeping openly. So for him to pass out suddenly like this without meaning to was certainly a rarity. It didn't really fit Ace's character anyway.

Tsumuri reached out a hand as she idly ran her fingers over Ace's hair to straighten out some of the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of place. Looking at Ace like this, he really seemed to invoke the appearance of purity and innocence. Totally not the kind of image you'd associate with the fox whose mischievous antics can sometimes be so cringy and annoying.

Suppose even Ace was not exempt from that kind of assumption.

.

She ran a finger over the cheek that once had been covered with scrapes and bruises during the last 'foxhunt'. The injury was all healed completely now, which include all the other injuries that Ace had received at that time. She sighed.

It felt as if it had been a very long time since the last proper game before this recent one got hijacked and replaced with the new JGP.

xxx

"Huh? Protect Ace from the Jamato?" exclaimed Keiwa as Tsumuri asked Neon and him to meet up at the cafe. She nodded.

"Yes. Even though I shouldn't say this as the game's Navigator, Ace was one of our strongest players right now. If anything was to happen to him now, I couldn't imagine what would happen to the game as well as this world. Instead of the Desaity, this world may end up remade anew by the next Jamaity."

Neon just shook her head as she waved her hands at Tsumuri. "You don't need to explain yourself, Tsumuri-san," The young heiress just shrugged. "I understood what you're trying to say. Normally there shouldn't be anything to worry about since Ace was so strong as a Kamen Rider, but since the appearance of that red fox Ace didn't seem to be acting like he usually does. And these bouts of him losing consciousness without warning. If this starts to happen frequently, the enemy might use it to their advantage—"

"They may also try to use this chance to kill Ace to get to the Producer!" Keiwa's eyes immediately gain a slight gleam as he said it. "Don't worry, we definitely wouldn't let anything like that happen to Ace."

Hearing that from both Neon and Keiwa, Tsumuri couldn't help feeling at ease as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Tsumuri-san, you really are starting to be like an actual sister to Ace, aren't you?" Suddenly Keiwa spoke out to her without warning. "It made me think of my own older sister, the way you try to look out for Ace's wellbeing."

"It wasn't like that—!"

She immediately tried to deny that Keiwa's word was in no way close to the truth but she stopped herself as she pondered more about it in her mind. Was it because of Ace's previous wish that she kept being concerned about him? Or was it because she had known him for so long due to the many games Ace had played and won?

Should that be in any way good or bad?

xxx

It was the right decision for her to inform both Keiwa and Neon about the possibility of Ace being targeted. Because soon enough, those two had returned carrying both the unconscious Ace as well as the heavily wounded Ziin. Goodness knows what could've happened if Keiwa and Neon hadn't arrived in time to save Ace.

Tsumuri heard faint movements from behind her as she turned around to see Ace finally woke up from his 'nap'. She hurriedly rushed to his side to check on him.

"How are you feeling?"

Ace seemed to be so surprised to find out that he had passed out and inadvertently brought back to this place.

"What happened?"

She immediately told him about the attempt by the Jamato to kill him while he was unconscious and unprotected. And she also told him how Ziin and later Keiwa and Neon had rushed over to save him and fight off the enemy. When she informed him how Ziin had ended up heavily hurt in the process, Ace immediately got up from the couch to check on his supporter...

.

As soon as Ace's appearance was changed into that of a Sengoku-period warrior, she knew that the Jamato games had resumed again. Keiwa and Neon had already run off to see Producer Niram as Ace also prepared himself for the next battle. Tsumuri gritted her teeth out of worry.

For now, Ace had looked as if he has already recovered from his earlier unexplained fatigue. But she knew the moment Ace use again the modified Boost buckle in his battle that red fox form would continue sapping on his remaining strengths and drained Ace of his energy. So far Geats had been able to fight using that form without much issue, but soon he should reach his limit and collapse during battle. And that could prove dangerous in their attempt to recover the Vision Driver.

Ace could really die this time... and the thought of it somehow alarmed her. Yet as the game navigator for DGP, she wasn't supposed to be interfering with anything while the games were in commence.

What a troublesome dilemma...

Just as Ace was about to leave, Tsumuri stopped him by grabbing his arm. Ace cocked his head at her, confused over her unexpected behaviour.

"Be careful over there. Stay safe... and I hope you win this round."

Ace gave her a look of surprise before smiling widely. "Of course, I'll win this round... as I usually do. Don't worry about me too much... older sis. I'll come back soon with victory in my hands."

Ace made his usual fox sign with his hand before running off to battle. It was the same old mannerism that Ace used to show to her before starting a new game. Yet instead of feeling cringy at the overt display of familiarity, Tsumuri found Ace's mannerisms this time to be endearing and reassuring.

Perhaps becoming siblings with that guy wasn't really as cringy as she used to think.