Kotori's realization

Over three years has passed since Shido had to take on the responsibility of sealing the power of the spirits, but his beloved foster sister Kotori has always had his back alongside her crew at Ratatoskr. She has had no problem with seeing her brother flirt with many girls much to his dismay at times with the choices he was given, but lately seeing him being so friendly with all the other spirits has caused her to feel a little jealous. On this day though she began to feel more jealous when she's realized something that may be the cause, so when Shido woke up Kotori was standing on top of his bed wearing her black ribbons.

"Shido"

Shido barely awake responds to his sisters' arrival.

"Kotori isn't a bit early to bother me with Ratatoskr stuff"

Kotori jumps on him with a serious look on her face, and he wakes up mad.

"Come on can't I sleep in on a weekend!?"

Kotori gets closer to his face making him feel uncomfortable.

"Uh Kotori you're getting a bit close"

"Shido when was the last time we did something just the two of us?"

"Come to think….we haven't done anything just us for a while, so do you want to do something then?"

Kotori smiles a little.

"Yeah how about we just one day together, and just us of course"

"Okay that sounds reasonable"

"Alright then…."

Kotori exits the room, but then peaks her head through the door now wearing her white ribbons with a bigger smile.

"Thank you so much bro!"

Shido falls back to sleep and wakes up about a half an hour later. By this time Kotori had a map on the table, she is still wearing her white ribbons and has circled four places on the map their home, a street festival, Danny's (her favorite diner), and the arcade.

"Uh Kotori what is this?"

"This is our roadmap for the day first we'll have nice breakfast here, then we'll go to the festival and play some games ,eat snacks, then we'll go have a tasty lunch at the diner, and finally we'll hit the arcade play some video games and maybe….take a photo together?"

Shido nods his head with a smile.

"Sure whatever you want Kotori today is about us"

"Hooray!"

The first thing was easy enough Shido made a nice breakfast for Kotori and himself which they both enjoyed very much.

"Yum, this is so good bro"

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself….so where is Tohka and Yoshino?"

Shido turns his head and looks at the living room where the TV was off and the other two were missing; when he turns around Kotori has her black ribbons on.

"Oh I sent out of town for the day on a hot spring trip for two, but it was hard to convince them to leave without you"

"When you said the two of us you really meant it huh"

"Well of course it wouldn't be just the two of us if Tohka and Yoshino were around"

"Well alright but only because you actually gave them something fun to do"

"Well duh I may want you to myself for the day but I'm not a jerk"

The two finish their breakfast, and as soon as Shido turns away Kotori puts her white ribbons on again before they make their way to the festival Kotori wanted to go to. It was a typical festival that was going on all day, and it had its fair share of games, souvenirs', and junk food.

"So what do you want to do first?"

Kotori stands there looking at the stands.

"….I know let's try and catch a goldfish first"

For the next fifteen minutes Kotori tries to catch a goldfish with Shido with no results. Elsewhere Tohka, Yoshino, and Reine were at a hot spring with spa treatments, and where currently taking a mud bath with cucumbers covering their eyes even Yoshinons', and Tohka was wondering something.

"Uh Reine if this was a trip for two then how did all three of us get in?"

"We only had two tickets, but I got in by buying one more on the spot since the two of you needed some help understanding what a spa treatment was"

"Oh so why isn't Shido here?"

"Because these rooms aren't co ed (and because the commander wanted him for a day)"

The three enjoy their treatments until Yoshino accidently dropped Yoshinon in the mud and freaked out causing all sorts of frozen hell to break loose. Meanwhile Shido and Kotori's day together was getting more fun after they got some masks to wear on the sides of their heads which looked like superheroes from a popular action show with Shido's being blue, and Kotori's being red. Then after some more games and even a snack of cotton candy, the two finally head over to the diner for some lunch, and Kotori orders her kids deluxe plate; she tries to enjoy her favorite dish but for some reason cannot.

"It tastes wrong"

"If it tastes wrong then send it back"

"No that's not it….bro are you interested in doing things with me anymore?"

"Why would ask that of course I am"

"Then why haven't we done anything like this in over a year?"

"Well because of Ratatoskr business"

"Shido we haven't had any business since last year….so why haven't we done anything just the two of us"

"Kotori…"

Kotori tears up a little.

"I know you have to spend time with Tohka and the others because of their happiness but what about me?"

Shido realizes that he hasn't spent much time with Kotori in a long time and feels guilt about it.

"I didn't mean to make you feel this way"

"I don't want you to abandon the others but I just want one day every once in a while to just be us"

"Kotori why are acting like this….don't tell me?"

"Shido I don't know why but….I don't want to just be your little sister anymore; I want to be more than that now"

Shido looks down at the table

"I don't know how to respond to that"

He raises his head and sees Kotori once again changed her ribbons.

"You try so, you always try to do the right thing, and so why is this so surprising to you?"

Shido stands up and goes to the bathroom to clear his head, and after he finishes his business he washes his hands and splashes water in his face. He then thinks of the times Kotori helped him out, the times her powers have saved his life, the time she stopped Kurumi, and the immeasurable times she's gone out her way to help him in a pinch. These memories help him come to a decision, while Kotori blushes back at the table.

"(Did I tell him I'm in love with him?)"

Shido sits back at the table and tells Kotori that he wants to talk with her in private after they finish their lunch, and while they walk to the arcade to finish their day together.

"Kotori I've always been grateful about the day when I was taken in by your family, and despite the fact we have no blood relation I've thought of you as my little sister and you're right I should have known that this could've happened so…"

"Shido what exactly are you saying?"

"Kotori I want us to start over, but this time as a man and a woman"

"Shido…are you sure?"

"But I want to take things slow at first, and with time we'll see how things take off does that sound alright?"

Kotori puts on the biggest smile all day while still wearing her black ribbons.

"That sounds great…okay let's start over with a fresh start br….I mean Shido"

After arriving at the arcade the first thing they do is go into a photo booth and take a picture to commemorate the day they start over as a man and woman, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Twenty years later aboard the Fraxinus the Ratatoskr crew was awaiting the arrival of their commander, and Kannazuki was crying while holding his plush of Kotori even though he was much older; entering the room was a teenage girl about sixteen with amber-brown eyes, neck-length red hair tied with a black ribbon and wearing Kotori's commander uniform but wearing the sleeves on her arms. The girl looks at Kannazuki with a disgruntled look.

"Kannazuki give me that right now"

"No I won't not even for you commander!"

"(Sigh) I told you to call me Akane remember, and I keep telling you it's creepy you have a plushie of my mom"

"But it's all I got to remember her by!"

"My mom's not dead idiot"

"I know I mean before she ….developed"

"Yeah that happens when women have kids"

After snagging the plush from Kannazuki the girl named Akane turns around revealing a ribbon tied around the inside of her collar, and looks at the plush of Kotori.

"(Mom you are so cool)"

Akane puts a lollipop in her mouth and tells the crew to start gathering resources for their next mission to save the new generations of spirits, but first they had to train their newest agent to talk with girls using their newest dating sim, Fall in love: My little Shido viii named after her father and after the failed titles before it