From that day on, I actively started trying various approaches to get closer to Suzuna.
Whenever we happened to bump into each other in the house, I’d strike up a conversation, invite her to go to the convenience store, suggest watching TV together, challenge her to a game, or offer to help with her homework.
Honestly, I knew I must be coming off as pretty annoying. Normally, you’d want a bit of peace and quiet in your own home. But here I was, the persistent “big brother” (unofficial), always trying to get close every time we crossed paths.
If I were in Suzuna’s shoes, I’d probably think I was a bother, too.
But, as a former coworker from my past life who worked in sales once said:
“Even if you’re turned down or treated coldly, the key in sales is to keep that connection going no matter what. In fact, that’s when the real work begins. Just wait it out patiently until they eventually cave and accept.”
So, following the advice of that coworker who’d taught me these words with a bit of a vacant look, I decided to keep making efforts, knowing things wouldn’t work out right away.
In my many attempts, playing games together seemed to have the most positive response.
Suzuna seemed to like Makio, a popular character from the game company Tankudo—a gardener character. Games like Makio Tennis and Makio Party… When Suzuna seemed to have free time and was in a good mood, I’d invite her, and surprisingly, she’d join in. I had to save up my New Year’s money to get the gaming system, which left my wallet pretty thin, but it was worth it.
(Come to think of it… I remember playing games with Suzuna at a family gathering once.)
As I reviewed my progress so far and made future plans, I found myself recalling those times.
Back then, I was in elementary school, and Suzuna was still in kindergarten.
“What are you doing, big brother?”
When I was playing on my brand-new handheld console, a bored Suzuna approached me.
“Oh, this is called Makio Land. Wanna try it?”
“Hmm… but it looks hard.”
“It’s easy! See, you just move like this, jump, and dodge the enemies. Got it?”
I wasn’t really a gamer even back then. But, with my cute cousin watching, I tried to show off and explained it confidently.
…It had been a few years since we last met, and I was shocked to see how much Suzuna had grown into a beautiful young woman. But even back then, she was already quite adorable.
“Oh no, I fell…”
“Haha, that happens all the time.”
“Ugh… Big brother, can you do it?”
“Huh, you’re done already?”
“I want to watch you play, big brother!”
“Alright then. I’ll take care of this for you.”
“Yay!”
Suzuna clung to my back, peering over my shoulder at the screen as I continued the game.
“Here we go, jump, jump!”
“You’re so good, big brother!”
“Right?”
Again, I wasn’t very good at games. But even though I made a lot of mistakes, Suzuna seemed to enjoy watching me play, cheering me on.
“Suzuna, are you okay just watching?”
“Yeah. I like watching you play, big brother.”
She laughed with that innocent smile only kids her age have, and it warmed my heart.
“Hey, big brother, what’s this character called?”
“Oh, that’s Makio. He’s pretty famous, you know.”
“Hmm, I see…”
She tilted her head.
“He’s so cool!”
“Cool…?”
“Yeah!”
It was an unexpected response. I’d expected her to say something like “weird” or “cute.” But seeing her smile and lean her face toward me made any doubt fade away.
“Suzuna, it’s time to go!”
“Aw!”
When her dad called out, Suzuna puffed her cheeks in a pout.
“I want to play with big brother more!”
“Come on now, Eiji would get tired, don’t you think?”
“No, he wouldn’t! Right, big brother?”
“I’m totally fine with it…”
I glanced over at her dad, wondering if it’d be a problem, but he just gave a small smile and didn’t seem bothered.
“Well, Mom, you mentioned we could pick up groceries on the way back, right? Since Suzuna wants to play a bit more, we could go ahead first.”
“Good idea.”
Suzuna’s mom nodded, a playful smile on her face.
“But Suzuna, are you sure? You won’t get any treats if we go without you…”
“Huh?!”
Suzuna jumped in surprise, looking between me and her mom, genuinely torn on what to choose.
“Just kidding. I’ll pick something out for you, so don’t worry.”
Her mom stroked her head, calming her down.
“Alright, Eiji. Could you keep an eye on Suzuna a bit longer?”
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“Oh, no, I enjoy spending time with Suzuna too,” I replied sincerely, watching them leave as Suzuna clung to me.
“Aren’t you tired from clinging on like that?”
“I’m fine.”
“You can sit in front of me, if you’d like.”
“Really?!”
She happily sat down on my lap, leaning back against me, humming a tune.
“Oh, that song…”
“Hehe, I memorized it!”
She proudly sang along with the game’s BGM, and seeing how much she enjoyed it, enough to even consider it alongside her favorite treats, made me really happy.
“Big brother, keep playing!”
“Sure thing.”
With Suzuna using me as a human seat, I continued playing Makio Land at her urging. And so, we cleared the game together…
(…Did I finish it back then? Or couldn’t I?)
I couldn’t remember that far, but… I knew for sure that there were days like this.
It was back when Suzuna was still in kindergarten, so she’s probably forgotten by now. But maybe the reason she likes Makio now is because that experience left some kind of mark in her subconscious… Though, I might be romanticizing it too much.
Either way, even though we’ve both changed since then, it was nice to spend time together through games again. And it brought back memories of the time I spent with Suzuna.
