Panda Suit

10 | Birthday

"MUHAHAHA! I WIN AGAIN!"

Cackling like a cartoon villain who'd just swiped the last cookie, Kazue sprang up to celebrate his third victory. They'd been locked in a heated Morio Kart Deluxe session for a while now, though things were far from stellar on Riu's side. Kazue's relentless and exaggerated villainy only added salt to the wound.

Riu couldn't believe he could keep up the ridiculous act for this long, but somehow, his over-the-top antics were strangely motivating in a "There's no way I'm losing to this guy" kind of way.

"A-Another round! I'm definitely winning this time!" She declared, her eyes alight with determination.

"Oh? Still itching for a fight, are we?" A devious grin spread across his face, strands of red hair falling to the side as he cocked his head almost tauntingly. "Well, I'll happily accept your declaration of war, till ya cry in defeat!"

And so began her journey towards a fourth loss.

Riu had finally grasped the basics of the controls, but translating that into actual gameplay was another story. Her car seemed to have a magnetic attraction to chaos — constantly getting attacked, spinning in circles, and at one point, she even managed to drive it in reverse.

"Wow, you really are a rookie, huh?" Izuru scoffed, his tone dripping with mock sympathy. "Poor Neinei doesn't deserve this kind of abuse."

He gestured toward the screen just as Riu's little pink-and-black cat character was blindsided by another car, leaving her spinning in a dazed, cartoonish stupor. Riu clenched her teeth, her eyes fixed on the screen as she fought to regain control and push forward.

But alas, her attempts were futile.

Almost an hour later, the score remained 12-0.

She had lost every single round, and it reached the point where even Kazue, ever the enthusiastic villain, was starting to feel a twinge of guilt.

"Uhh... How about we try playing something else now, Fukue?"

"It's Furuse! And no, we're going again!" Riu snapped back, her eyes blazing with determination as she shot him a glare that could melt steel.

Kazue, true to his nature, couldn't help but grin. "You really don't like losing, huh? I like that!"

But just as he was about to start a new round, a smiling elderly woman popped out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "Kazue, dear, stop torturing your poor friend and get ready to eat. Everything is ready, kids!"

Kazue perked up, his eyes practically twinkling as he leapt to his feet. "Yes, food time!" he declared with the enthusiasm of someone who'd just been told they won the lottery. Before Riu could react, he flashed her a grin and ruffled her sleek hair with a playful hand. "Let's finish playing later, okay?" he added, flashing a toothy grin.

Riu froze, her entire system momentarily short-circuiting.

As Kazue sauntered over to help his grandmother with the table, the lingering sensation of his hand on her hair seemed to echo in her mind.

W-What was that...?

Suddenly, her fiery determination to beat him at the game evaporated, replaced by a strange, fluttery feeling in her chest. Her cheeks warmed with a hint of red.

Did he just... give me a head pat?

Riu found herself drifting into a quiet daze, her mind reeling from the unexpected gesture. Izuru, noticing her spaced-out expression and the sudden flush in her cheeks, raised an eyebrow as he switched off the TV.