Target Audience

At KiShin Electronics, or rather, in what looked more like an old apartment, a few days had passed, and Shin had already recovered from his sickness.

On the floor, six video game consoles were neatly lined up, bearing the name Seikatsu. Their design resembled that of Nintendo's first console, featuring a red and white casing.

Mira gazed at the setup, noticing the twelve controllers, which were small, red, and white, reminiscent of the NES controllers from Shin's previous life.

"Now that we've finished it, what's next?" Mira inquired, her thoughtful gaze shifting to Shin. "Do you already have a plan in mind?"

With confidence, Shin smiled and replied, "Of course. I've already planned everything out. I've even put it in writing."

Curious, Mira pressed, "So, what's the plan? I'm quite interested to know more about your ideas, Shin."

Shin simply smiled and approached the game consoles. Kneeling down, he gently touched the console's casing.

Mira observed the scene with keen interest.

"Do you remember what we used to do most when we were children?" Shin asked Mira with a warm smile.

Mira furrowed her brow in thought and then replied, "I don't recall all the details, but... I remember playing a lot when I was a child." After a moment, her eyes widened as realization dawned. "Are you thinking..."

Shin nodded, confirming her suspicion. "Exactly. Children will be our first target audience."

Mira wasn't entirely surprised by this revelation, considering that the Super Mario game she had just played was clearly suitable for children. However, she was puzzled why Shin referred to them as an "audience" rather than "customers."

"Why call them an audience and not customers?" Mira inquired, assuming that children would be the first to purchase their product. While she didn't know the exact price of the game console, as Shin would be the one to determined it's price, she believed Shin would keep it affordable for children, knowing that parents had to approve.

Shin held one of the game console controllers in his hand, deep in thought. "They're not just customers. With their help, they can spread the word about our Seikatsu game console to their parents."

Mira nodded in understanding and asked, "How do we go about doing that?"

Shin grinned and explained, "The children will be the first to play our Seikatsu, aside from us. We'll set up near the kindergarten school and install our television and Seikatsu there."

Mira sighed, expressing her slight annoyance. "It sounds like quite the hassle, Shin."

"Hold on for a bit. There's a nearby park just near to a kindergarten, and we'll attract children to come and play," Shin reassured her. He then retrieved a stack of stickers he had prepared the day before. "These are KiShin Star Stickers! The one who completes the most Super Mario stages will be awarded a rare golden sticker, while the others who do well will receive a consolation sticker." He handed a sticker to Mira.

Mira examined the stickers, which were red and white. She couldn't help but think that they might not be very tempting to children. Nevertheless, she decided to go along with Shin's plan.

...

They hoisted the TV and the single game console - the product they intended for the children to sample.

Shin and Mira were catching their breaths. Fortunately, despite the age of the apartment building, the elevator was functional; otherwise, their task would have been much more cumbersome.

Shin then fetched a hand truck and placed the TV on it, eliciting a sigh of relief from Mira.

As they walked a bit further, Mira couldn't help but complain, "I thought it was closer..."

"Be patient. We're almost there," Shin reassured her, and then, he pointed with excitement, "There!" He gestured toward the children playing at the nearby park, situated conveniently close to the kindergarten and elementary school.

This was it – Minami-Ikebukuro Park in Toshima Ward.

Shin and Mira transported the TV and game console to an unoccupied chair, then set up their power generator to run the TV and the game console.

"Hey, look!" Other children finally noticed and pointed in their direction.

"They have a television!"

"Wow! Maybe they're going to play a movie! Yay!"

"Big brother and big sister, what movie are you playing?"

Mira felt somewhat helpless, but she replied, "No, we're not starting a movie."

"Eh... Boring..." Disappointed sighs filled the air, and Mira's annoyance grew. She thought to herself resentfully, 'These kids have no idea how much trouble Shin and I went through just to entertain them!'

"It's not a movie, but it's even more interesting than a movie," Shin chimed in quickly, noticing the children's disappointment.

"Eh? Really!? More interesting than a movie!?"

"I want to see! I want to see!" The group of children grew curious and excited, cheering their interest.

Shin smiled and declared, "Alright, kids. Big brother will show you." He inserted the Super Mario cartridge into the console, and the KiShin logo appeared.

Then, Super Mario officially graced the public.

The Super Mario theme song filled the air. The children stared at the TV with wide, shining eyes.

"Wow! A cartoon!" They exclaimed, seeing the colorful Super Mario. They initially thought the surprise might be a simple cartoon show, but Shin had something more in store.

Shin controlled the game using the controller, and the game began.

After several minutes, the children realized that the cartoon character on the TV screen was under Shin's control, guided by the movements of the controller.

A few adults who had been exercising in the park noticed the commotion of children gathering around something and approached curiously.

They saw a young man staring at a TV displaying a colorful cartoon. They didn't think it was anything special and considered the cartoon rather dull, especially for it to capture the attention of the children.

One of the adults asked some of the children, "Why are all of you so focused on that cartoon with a dwarf character jumping around and running? Isn't it boring?"

The children shook their heads and replied, "You're wrong! It's not boring!"

The man playfully teased, "Really? This cartoon... It looks so boring!"

Another child chimed in, retorting, "You're wrong, mister. It's not a cartoon!"

The man and the other adults were taken aback. "Not a cartoon?"

The child shook his head and explained, "It's a game! Look! Big brother is controlling the dwarf character!"

The adults finally noticed the controller in Shin's hands.

"Is that so? It's similar to ping pong or Tetris... But this looks more interesting," a woman thoughtfully commented, and the other adults around her nodded in agreement.

Shin intentionally lost the game and was about to reveal his purpose to the children, but he noticed that some adults were watching with interest.

"Kids, you have a chance to play our company's video game console, Seikatsu, if you line up properly," Shin announced, making sure to mention that it was their company's product for the benefit of the listening adults.

The children cheered and formed a line, though some chaos ensued. Shin and Mira managed to calm them down.

The first player, a child named Hiro, eagerly took the controller and began playing with excitement. His Mario character faced setbacks and occasional defeats, but he learned and improved. Eventually, he faced a game over.

Hiro felt a moment of sadness, but Shin comforted him, saying, "Wow! You've done well! What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Hiro," he introduced himself.

"Alright, Hiro, since you're the first player and you played well, even reaching the 2nd stage, you'll receive this sticker!" Shin handed Hiro a sticker, one with the design of "KiShin First Gamer," and the other with a Mario hat logo and the words, "Wow! You've reached the 2nd stage! Good job!"

Although Hiro was initially frustrated and on the verge of tears, the stickers were like badges of recognition, and they managed to cheer him up a bit.

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