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ゲームをやめるとグループから外されるんじゃないかといつも不安でした。不安になった日の翌朝は、友だちにすごく優しくするんです。 そうやって友だちに奉仕して、関係を無理矢理にでもうまくつなごうとしていました。いつの間にか友だちづきあいに疲れてしまっていましたね(source)

I don't understand why the past tense isn't used for 優しくする(=>優しくした)?

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That sentence in bold is an example of historical present, as the sentence describes his habitual behavior in the past. It's not to be confused with relative tense described here. It's hard to logically describe when historical present is employed, but in this specific case, the intention is clear; he used it to emphasize the sentence with vividness and emotion.

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