A/N: This was supposed to be crack... so I hoped it did turn out funny. And not just in my head. A bit of a side trip while I'm trying to finish writing Home. This can either be set post ep 39 or post Home.
"Ne... Tsumuri-san..."
Tsumuri turned her attention towards Keiwa before cocking her head at him. "What is it?"
Keiwa heaved a long sigh as he tried to collect his thought. He shrugged. "I mean, it's not really my business to get involved with this but... is there any specific reason why you refused to treat Ace as your brother?"
Tsumuri blinked at him in confusion. "What did you mean?"
He shrugged again. "I mean, I know that you cared about him a lot—" Keiwa hastily raised his arms at her in defence, "—not saying that you don't care as much about other players in the DesiGra or me or Neon or Miichi. But in a way, since you kinda err—created or born from Mitsume-san in order to recreate her powers to reshape the world—doesn't that mean that you and Ace were more or less siblings in some way?"
Tsumuri opened her mouth to protest but then changed her mind and started shaking her head. "That's... different. And in the first place, the reason why Ace started to call me his sister was because of that wish he made. And even that wish was made because Ace had wanted to investigate the DGP management up close to try to find out any information about Mitsume-san."
Keiwa let out a soft sigh. "But you know, Tsumuri-san... what if him trying to find his mother was just ONE excuse for Ace to make that wish? Perhaps even earlier on, Ace felt a certain bond with you so he decided to make that wish in order to become family with you."
"That—!" Tsumuri exclaimed suddenly, feeling flustered. "Regardless, it still didn't feel right! I mean, as Game Navigator... I shouldn't be in any close relationship with any of the players. And since Ace wished himself to be a family member to me and former Game Master Girori, if there was any special treatment or issues in maintaining impartiality... it wouldn't be fair to other players in the DGP!"
She sighed. "Besides, if given a choice... I wouldn't want Ace as a brother." Tsumuri turned around to face Keiwa. "Instead of Ace, I rather have you as my little brother."
Whoa! This was certainly not the answer he had Keiwa expected to hear from Tsumuri!
"Eh!" exclaimed Keiwa while pointing a finger at himself. "Why me? Why would you want me as your little brother?"
Before Tsumuri could explain himself, Ace suddenly appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Keiwa in the arms to pull him to his side. "What is this, Big Sister? You didn't like me calling you my big sister, but you didn't mind having KEIWA as your brother? This is unfair!"
"Eh, Ace..." Keiwa gasped as he tried to break free from Ace's hold on his arm. "Can't you let me go? I'm sure we could talk this out calmly..." he tried to reason, but that only made Ace hold his arm tighter.
Tsumuri made a face at Ace. "Of course, I'd prefer Keiwa better than you... it's so uncomfortable hearing you call me 'big sis, 'big sis' all the time! It's so cringy!"
"Tsu... Tsumuri-san?" gasped Keiwa as Ace frowned.
'What's so cringy about wanting you to be my big sister!" exclaimed Ace loudly. And for some reason, Keiwa found the outburst to be so... cute. I mean, not always can you see Ace acting so childish. Or maybe he used to... with Mitsume-san, his mother. But such things... it's not something anyone would ever get to see, right?
"It IS!", Tsumuri insisted. "I mean, circumstances with Mitsume-san aside, can you really consider me as your BIG sister? Before you came into existence, Mitsume-san didn't even know that she could awaken a power to remake the world. So Suel wouldn't have considered trying to recreate that power within me. Then by rights, I wouldn't come into existence before you!"
A lightbulb popped out inside Keiwa's mind as he turned towards Tsumuri. "So Tsumuri-san. let me get this straight. The main thing about this whole sibling thing was that you're bothered about Ace calling you his big sister, so would you like it better if Ace become your BIG brother?"
"THAT'S even worse! Also, come over here... Keiwa-san, you don't have to keep being with Ace if you didn't want to—", cried Tsumuri as she pulled on Keiwa's other arm.
"Eh? For real?" Keiwa gasped again as Ace also started pulling at him as well. So now Keiwa was practically in a tug-of-war between the two 'siblings'.
"Don't listen to her, Keiwa. You'll always be mine!" said Ace as Tsumuri snarled at the fox.
"Who are you to claim that Keiwa-san is yours, Ace?"
"You're BOTH wrong!"
Before Keiwa could make sense of it, someone had forced both Ace and Tsumuri to let go of his arm before he was dragged away to the other side. The next thing he knows, Sara was standing in front of him as if defending him against Ace and Tsumuri.
"Keiwa-chan is MY baby brother, I'm the one who can claim him as mine!" exclaimed his own sister as Keiwa let out a sigh of relief. He's finally safe from these two squabbling siblings...
.
Or so Keiwa thought.
Just as Tsumuri started to apologise to his sister for her childish behaviour and Sara dropped her guard on Ace, Keiwa suddenly felt himself being lifted up onto Ace's shoulders!
"A-a-Ace?" Keiwa almost shrieked as Ace turned around to face Tsumuri and Sara.
"I win," said Ace simply, before Keiwa felt Ace's hand slapping his butt so casually. Keiwa could almost see in his mind how Ace could've done it while smiling as well. "I'm taking Keiwa for myself whether you like it or not! No one else can have Keiwa besides me!"
And with that, Ace ran off with Keiwa still on his shoulders like some huge prize that has been won from a carnival stall. Keiwa barely noticed how dumbfounded Tsumuri-san and his sister had looked before Ace spirited him away.
.
How did things end up this way?