"Wow!" Xuan looked around with wide eyes, her black twin tails swaying as she did. "To think that Uncle Titor created such a room purely for our usage! He is amazing!"
Meggie crossed her arms and frowned. "Yeah. That guy is... something, alright."
A secret basement level filled to the brim with gaming equipment. Arcade machines, dance machines, VR headset, AR gear, and then every console released along with a full library of every game out there.
It was the ultimate gaming center or arcade, complete with a prize corner to exchange tickets and an automated vending machine area to get food and drinks.
Meggie's frown deepened and she said, "Who the heck is that guy for Dad to let him do this anyway...?"
A man that looked the same physical age as her father, but one who acted even more childish than his father did. Not only that, but a man whose powers felt like her father's but also didn't. And then there was that weird woman with him that had crimson hair and looked like she could be Yue's sister...
Wu followed after her sister, tucking a strand of her white hair behind her ear. Staring at the flashing lights and the prize corner, she clenched her fist and said, "Sister! We must win a lot to earn prizes!"
Xuan turned to her sister and nodded. "Yes! Then we can give some as gifts to Mother Yue!"
"Oh!" Wu smiled and said, "You are smart, Sister! We have yet to give gifts for the baby, so this is perfect!"
"Indeed!" Xuan grabbed her sister and said, "Now come! Let us test our luck at the spinning wheel over there! Ah!" She turned to Meggie and said, "Big sister! Is it okay for us to play by ourselves?"
"A-Ah." Meggie nodded and said, "Yeah. Just try not to break anything?"
"Understood!"
Like that, the twin sisters ran off into the distance.
Meggie watched them leave and then tucked her hands into the pocket of her hoodie. "...Was Mom just that emotional before?" She remembered her mother calling those two stalkers for calling themselves her father's daughters... but they were really cute and sweet. And then they even called her big sister too...
A soft chime echoed. The elevator. After that, light footsteps approached.
Meggie blinked and then turned around.
Tsuki walked out from the elevator. Like Meggie, she was wearing a hoodie. Though, unlike Meggie's, Tsuki's hoodie was an expensive namebrand.
Meggie's eyes brightened and then she pulled her hands out and waved. "Tsuki!" She dashed over and said, "Is it okay for you to stay over?!"
Tsuki grinned and stuck up her thumb. "Yes! Daddy said I can play as long as I want!"
"Yes!"
"Hi-five!" Tsuki held up her right hand.
Meggie grinned back and hi-fived her.
"Oh!" Tsuki looked around and said, "Where did your little sisters go?"
Meggie blinked. "Little sisters?"
"Mmhm? Xuan and Wu?"
"Oh. Right..." Meggie frowned. "It's still weird hearing that I have little sisters..."
"Well get used to being a big sister, Meggie! You've got a baby brother or sister coming, remember?"
"I know. Still weird though..."
"Come on." Tsuki grabbed Meggie's hand and said, "Let's go find Xuan and Wu and play some games together! It looks like Mister Titor has a lot of cool things to play here!"
Meggie nodded. "Alright... But I get to pick first!"
"Only if you beat me in roshambo!"
"But you always win!"
"Because you keep picking rock!"
"A sturdy rock can destroy both steel and paper!"
"And I keep telling you, that's not how the game works."
"And I keep telling *you*, it's a dumb one!"
Tsuki rolled her eyes. "Silly Meggie."
"Hmph." Meggie looked away.
Tsuki looked around and said, "Anyway, I'm really surprised! Daddy makes a lot of money, but I don't think he can afford to buy all of this!" She looked at Meggie and said, "You're really lucky, Meggie!"
"...I'm not that lucky." Meggie grumbled and said, "Titor just made all of this in his spare time anyway."
Knowing that crazy guy, he probably didn't buy anything here and just copied it or built it from scratch.
"But that's so cool!" Tsuki's eyes brightened and she said, "I bet Mister Titor would even play games with you if you asked!"
"Heh." Meggie smirked and said, "He could try. But I wouldn't lose to someone like that."
Tsuki laughed and then said, "That's because you're super competitive! It's not all about winning, Meggie."
"Says you. Don't you have all your characters in Smash Brawl at the Elite bracket?"
"That's just because everybody else is bad."
"Uh-huh."
Tsuki laughed again... and then she sighed. "I wish Daddy would spend more time with me though. I want to play some games with him too."'
Meggie frowned. "Your dad is still being a deadbeat?"
Tsuki bristled. "He's not that bad!"
Meggie hummed. "...I guess so. At least he didn't promise to take you with him and then leave you behind while taking your big sisters instead."
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence filled the air, broken only by the sounds of the arcade machines echoing around them.
Meggie sighed. "Our dads are really bad, huh?"
"...They're not that bad." Tsuki mumbled. "And at least you have a beautiful and kind mom."
Meggie winced. "Tsuki-"
Tsuki put on a bright smile and said, "It's fine! I have you to play with. And you won't leave me behind, right?"
Meggie gave Tsuki a soft smile and said, "Never."
Tsuki let go of Meggie's hand and then stuck out her pinky finger. "Pinky promise?"
Meggie nodded. "Pinky promise." She wrapped her pinky around Tsuki's.
Tsuki beamed and then hugged Meggie. "Thank you, Meggie! We'll be best friends forever, okay?"
Meggie hugged her back and said, "Always. And you'll be my only best friend forever."
Tsuki trembled and then hugged Meggie tighter. But then she let go.
For a moment, her blue eyes glimmered, like she was about to cry. At the same time, she opened her mouth to say something.
And then an alarm went off. Sirens, blaring along with ringing bells.
Meggie jumped and looked around. "What's happening? An attack? An emergency?!" She quickly held her arms out in a combat stance, spinning around the room.
"Wawawa!" Xuan's panicked voice echoed in the distance.
"S-Sister! W-W-What do we do!? It is not stopping!" Wu's voice echoed right after.
Tsuki laughed and then grabbed Meggie's hand. "Let's get going. It looks like your little sisters need some help." She pointed off to the distance.
Meggie relaxed and then looked at where Tsuki was pointing.
A machine with a giant spinning wheel. On that wheel, there were colorful segments, each with a different number inside of it. And then there was a tiny sliver with flashy rainbow coloring and a single word written in gold.
Jackpot.
And the wheel had stopped on that tiny sliver.
As a result...
Meggie sighed. "...Okay. Maybe I can accept those two as my little sisters."
Xuan knelt to the ground, frantically trying to scoop up the tickets that kept spitting out of the machine.
At the same time, Wu had somehow managed to get wrapped up in a long string of tickets, eyes wide and tearing up. She noticed Meggie coming closer and then called out. "B-Big Sister! Help! It is trying to eat me!"
Xuan spun around and then dropped the tickets. "Big Sister! Miss Tsuki!" Her eyes widened and she let out a watery smile. "You have come to rescue us!"
Tsuki laughed and walked over to Xuan. "You're supposed to let the tickets come out by themselves, Xuan."
Meggie shook her head and walked over to Wu. She immediately ripped off the string of tickets and then frowned. "You dummy. Why didn't you just rip them apart?"
Wu brushed off the ripped tickets and then started to cry. "B-Big Sister told us not to break anything... A-And now the tickets... T-The gifts...!"
Meggie sighed and pulled Wu into a hug. Lightly brushing her white bangs, she said, "Dummy. Learn some commonsense already... Geez."
Wu sniffed and then leaned into Meggie's chest.
Meggie shook her head and looked over at Xuan and Tsuki.
The black-haired young girl was sniffing as well, carrying a bundle of ripped tickets.
Tsuki patted her head and said, "Don't worry. We'll work together and earn more tickets, okay? Don't cry!"
"O-Okay, Miss Tsuki..." Xuan looked up at Meggie and then lowered her head. "...Sorry for the trouble, Big Sister."
Wu sniffed one more time and then stepped back. Rubbing her eyes, she said, "Y-Yes. S-Sorry for the trouble, B-Big Sister. I did not mean to bring misfortune again..."
Meggie let out a deep sigh and grabbed Wu's hand. "Don't worry about it." She let out a smile and said, "We're here to play, so cheer up. And I changed my mind."
"B-Big Sister?" Wu blinked, looking up at Meggie with wide violet eyes.
Meggie grinned and looked at Tsuki. "Hey, Tsuki."
"Yes, Meggie?"
Meggie's eyes shifted to the prize corner and then to the rest of the machines. "Let's go break some machines."
Tsuki blinked, confused. But then she gasped and let out a wide grin. "Yeah! Let's punish Mister Titor for making the girls cry by clearing out the prize corner! Come on, Xuan!"
"Yeah. Let's go, Wu. Big Sister will show you how we play these stupid games and win..."