Manfred Harris, a wealthy second-generation Californian, cruised in his vibrant red sports car along the road.
Numerous onlookers marveled at his vehicle, but Manfred remained indifferent. He pulled over in front of a portly man on the sidewalk, and Manfred exclaimed, "Get in, you imbecile."
The chubby man happened to be his younger brother, Rupert Harris. Rupert retorted, "There's no need to use that tone, you brute."
Manfred stared at Rupert with wide eyes and said, "What did you just call me, fatso?"
Rupert refused to back down, saying, "An ignorant brute who's always chasing after women-"
Manfred interrupted, "Shut up, or I'll give you a black eye!"
Rupert quickly fell silent, glaring at Manfred with anger, and muttered, "You're the one who asked for my help, and you're treating me like this?"
Manfred fell into a momentary silence before resuming his drive and inquiring, "You mentioned that Lyla enjoys playing video games?"
Rupert nodded apathetically, "Yeah, she used to be into video games. So, what's the deal?"
Manfred furrowed his brow and remarked, "Come on, little bro, didn't we discuss this already?"
Rupert snorted, "The way you're talking to me makes me reconsider helping you..."
Manfred sighed and conceded, "I'm sorry, okay?" He gazed at Rupert in silence as he parked the car in front of Target mall. He then implored, "Please assist me in choosing a great video game to win her heart."
Rupert remained silent for a while before he sighed and commented, "You know, big bro, Lyla isn't just any girl; she has class. She's all about academics and her passion for video games, especially those produced by Japanese companies..."
Manfred nodded, listening attentively.
Rupert continued, "In addition to video games, she's also a music enthusiast..."
Manfred took note of this information.
Rupert then added, "And when Lyla listens to a particular song and loves it, she also becomes interested in..." Rupert paused.
Manfred, with a puzzled expression, hurriedly asked, "Interested in what!?"
Rupert remained silent but extended his right hand toward Manfred.
Manfred furrowed his brow and questioned, "Do you need money?" When he saw Rupert nod, Manfred inquired, "How much?"
Rupert replied indifferently, "Ten grand."
Manfred shook his head and said with a frown, "That's impossible..."
Rupert chuckled and remarked, "Then you'll never find out what Lyla wants..."
Manfred bit his lower lip and grumbled, "You're fortunate to be Lyla's close friend, or I'd..." Manfred stopped speaking when he saw Rupert looking at him, so he retrieved the money from the storage compartment in the center console of his sports car, situated between the driver and passenger seats.
Rupert's eyes brightened as he observed the stack of money from Manfred and watched him count it before receiving the bundle of cash.
Manfred, his voice tinged with discomfort, stated, "That's it. 10 grand." His monthly allowance was now depleted.
Rupert smirked after receiving the money and counting it to confirm it was 10 grand. "Lyla is interested in the new Japanese company that recently entered the USA market! It's called KiShin."
Manfred's expression became serious as he muttered, "KiShin, huh?" He then glanced at his remaining $500.
"Is this enough to buy their video games?" Manfred asked Rupert, who nodded eagerly.
Observing this, Manfred swiftly parked his sports car and, with Rupert in tow, entered the Target store. They arrived at the video games section and saw the Tora and Suzuki sections. After some searching, they stumbled upon the KiShin section, where several people were already browsing.
People were engaged in conversations like, "Will this be any good?"
"I'm not sure..."
"The Zapper Light Gun seems like a Suzuki knockoff somehow..."
"Yeah, and Tora copied Suzuki too..."
"What can you expect? Suzuki is a major company, and even smaller companies take inspiration from them..."
While people chatted, Manfred looked at Rupert and asked, "So... What should I buy?"
Rupert chuckled and said, "You really know nothing about video games, do you?"
Manfred snorted and remarked, "Do you even know who I am? I'm a sports player... If my woman, Lyla, didn't have an interest in video games, I wouldn't be wasting my time here." As he spoke, many of the players hanging around the store turned their attention toward him.
Noticing their curious looks, Manfred questioned, "What?" This prompted the video game enthusiasts to quickly avert their gazes.
In unison, most of them thought, 'A guy trying to impress a girl with video games, what a simp!'
Rupert, feeling embarrassed by his elder brother's comment, whispered, "Let's start by getting the console and then the video games."
Manfred nodded, and Rupert guided him to purchase the KES 8-bit system and the video games, including 'Super Mario Bros.,' 'The Legend of Zelda,' 'Donkey Kong,' and 'Duck Hunt,' complete with the Zapper Light Gun.
Rupert then concluded, "I believe that's everything..."
Manfred nodded, though he was now left with little money after this shopping spree. He believed it would all be worthwhile once he won Lyla's heart and puss-, but he caught himself before finishing a potentially inappropriate thoughts. Manfred said, "Let me try playing this video game to see if it's really good, and if it's not..." He then fixed a cold stare on Rupert. "I'll expect to get my 10 grand back, understood?"
Rupert, who observed his elder brother's intense gaze, hastily nodded and reassured Manfred. Deep down, he was actually quite concerned. He hadn't tried KiShin's video games before, and like many Americans, he also considered KiShin to be a knockoff of Tora and Suzuki consoles and video games.
Once they returned to the sports car and headed home, they entered the mansion and made their way to the living room.
Manfred had no idea how to set up a video game console, so he asked Rupert to handle it.
Rupert started the KiShin console and inserted the 'Super Mario Bros.' cartridge into the slot.
"Let's find out if it's any good," Manfred grinned at a nervous Rupert.
Super Mario Bros. booted up as Manfred grasped the controller. Rupert silently prayed that KiShin's video games would impress, or else he'd lose his 10 grand.
The iconic Super Mario Bros. music theme played in the background as Manfred assumed control with the controller.
As the game began, Manfred guided the dwarf character with curiosity, and it felt incredibly smooth as he unintentionally jumped on an enemy's head, causing it to plummet.
"Oh?" Manfred grew more intrigued as he manipulated his character, making Mario jump, but he inadvertently led his character to it's demise.
"I died?" Manfred muttered with a furrowed brow. Meanwhile, Rupert's anxiety increased, but Manfred persisted in playing.
This time, his curiosity was piqued by a floating box. He made his character jump and headbutt the box, causing a mushroom to pop out.
Manfred deftly steered his character, collecting the mushroom and watching as his dwarf character grew to a larger size.
Manfred became completely absorbed in the video game Super Mario Bros., nearly forgetting about Rupert beside him.
Rupert grew increasingly relieved as it seemed that Manfred was enjoying the game.
Then, he noticed that Manfred's Super Mario Bros. game ended, and Manfred paused the game, turning to look at Rupert.
Rupert's anxiety returned, and he saw Manfred extend his open palm, which made him sigh helplessly, assuming that Manfred wanted his 10 grand.
However, as he thought that, Manfred surprised him by saying, "Give me a thousand dollars."
Rupert was pleasantly surprised and exclaimed, "You want a thousand dollars?"
Manfred nodded, gesturing for the money.
Rupert quickly retrieved the one thousand dollars and, before handing it to Manfred, asked, "Why do you want only a thousand dollars? Didn't you dislike the game?"
Manfred shook his head and replied, "No, I quite like it, and I think it suits Lyla... But..."
"But?" Rupert gazed at Manfred, filled with curiosity.
Manfred continued, "Even though I don't know much about video games, I really enjoyed this one, Super Mario Bros." He paused before adding, "So, I plan to buy a new KES for Lyla..."
Rupert looked at Manfred in astonishment and asked, "Didn't you already buy her this one?" He gestured toward the console connected to the TV.
Manfred shook his head and stated, "No, that one's for me. I'll purchase a new one for her, so you better act quickly before I take the entire 10 grand from you." Manfred delivered the threat with a cold tone.
Rupert promptly nodded and handed over the one thousand dollars.
Manfred quickly counted the money and hastily left the mansion.
Rupert sighed in relief.
...
Meanwhile, much like Manfred, many people in the United States who were previously unfamiliar with video games but had now played Super Mario Bros. found themselves captivated by the video games released by KiShin.
From hundreds of sales on the first day, KiShin's sales soared to thousands of units sold per day. However, it was still a long way from matching the established presence of Tora and Suzuki in the USA market.
Tora and Suzuki were growing vigilant of KiShin's console, anticipating a gradual establishment of its presence in the USA market. To their surprise, KiShin suddenly released new video games in the USA market, alongside the Japanese market.
These new video games included Contra and one of Shin's previous life's most famous and successful franchises, Street Fighter. These releases promised to create a storm in both the Japanese and US markets.
[We reached top 1! Thank you, everyone. While I had a faint expectation, it still surprises me. I genuinely appreciate your support.😊😘🙏]