Chapter 7 - Final Hurdle
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And so, Lisa launched a lengthy charade of facts as to why the GBA was one of the most playable and underrated portable consoles of all time. Consuela looked at the rapidly chattering Lisa with admiration in her gaze, not knowing that the chattering girl was a closet gamer who had finally found an outlet for his knowledge.
Although Consuela was just starting to get into gaming with the 3DS, she hadn't yet gained a deep knowledge of the genres or the Top Gamesets of each console.
Lisa kept on going until she became thirsty and drank some water. Soon, Consuela recalled the charger that came along with the GBA SP and brought it to Lisa, who gratefully accepted the offering.
Lisa looked at Consuela, finding her a lot more pleasant to look at than before as she patted Consuela's shoulder approvingly and proclaimed,
"Alright, to reward your selfless contribution to a great cause, I am willing to be your good friend. You can call me Big Sister Lisa, and I shall call you Little Consuela, alright?"
Consuela's brain froze for a second before she hastily grasped Lisa's offered hand, her little head bobbing up and down rapidly as she responded,
"Y-Yes! Big Sis Lisa! I-I want to be your friend!"
Lisa nodded in satisfaction as she took out some snacks from her school bag, gifted to her by her Aunt that morning, and offered them to Consuela. Of course, she had already eaten a few, and the leftover ones weren't her favourites.
Consuela hesitated in taking them before they were unceremoniously shoved into her hands. She went back to store them for later as she planned to share them with her Mother.
She was completely oblivious to the red-haired girl sitting behind her, who was mentally dancing in excitement, as her little toes wriggled continuously.
As someone trapped in the body of a little girl, the GBA was the best thing that could let her retro game her favourite as much as she wanted, anytime, anywhere. Even secretly between her school lessons.
The gratefulness within her heart towards Consuela couldn't be expressed in words. As if suddenly catching a branch when drowning in water, Lisa felt more alive than ever, as she could finally experience a sense of self in her new life and settled her anxious heart to enjoy her days fully.
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After a while, Lisa bade Consula goodbye for the day as she left downstairs to find her Uncle. Little Consuela had already become somewhat attached to her new friend and felt reluctant to see her go, but reminded herself with the thought of getting to see her again tomorrow in school.
Meanwhile, Lisa soon found her Uncle and grabbed his sleeve as she pitifully requested,
"Uncle, can you buy something for me? But, don't tell Mom or Dad about it."
Her Uncle was inherently playful and was intrigued by her words and actions that day. She had never behaved like that ever before, and that got him extremely curious regarding Lisa's request.
"Ohh? And what is it that our dear Lisa wants to buy?"
"T-That's... a small electronic component. We can buy it cheaply at any garage sale. Pretty please~?"
Uncle Rupert patted his wallet with pain as he recalled that there was only some money left from the limited monthly allowance given by his Mother. However, his love for Lisa was no less than for his daughter Madison. As a daughter slave, he couldn't outright refuse at all.
He gritted his teeth with determination and made a tough decision.
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On the way back home, having completed gathering all the tools she needed, there was only one last step left for Lisa to fulfill her desires.
"Uncle, can we go to your shop first? I need to use your PC for a bit."
"Ohh? Do you need my help?"
"No, no, it's fine. I can easily do it myself."
"Then, let's do it! I am also excited to see what Lisa is planning to do."
And so, Uncle Rupert took Lisa to his store, being temporarily overseen by his bored-looking daughter, Madison. Already in high school, supervising the store was an easy task for her as she kept at it while keeping her eyes glued to her phone most of the time.
Lisa sneaked over to the secondary PC in the back and booted it up. After finishing the final requirement, Lisa's excitement went through the roof.
'Alright! All set now. Hehehe... although it's not the most honest way to do it, but for an ancient console, nobody cares anymore. Right, desperate times call for desperate measures!!'
Feeling very justified with herself, Lisa waved to her Uncle and left the shop, eager to try out her newest gadget to her heart's content.
Her cousin, Madison, quickly followed her from behind at her Father's signal. While still busy with her phone, Madison kept an eye out for her little cousin, somewhat worried, but too prideful to acknowledge. She continued her act of being an aloof gal.
Her family had no idea that she was already a fashion leader amongst her group of friends, as she constantly armed herself with the latest trends in the fashion industry.
She had dreamt of pursuing a career in the fashion industry, yet was somewhat hesitant about declaring the same to her parents, not wanting to wuarrel with them over her career choices. She hoped to find a good time in the future to reveal it after she had gained some concrete results from her efforts and knowledge.
Although her parents might now oppose it all that much, her strict Uncle and Aunt were another story altogether. Hence, she chose to secretly practice her skills at home, selling her craft online to earn some money.
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