From Foes To Soulmates

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and Zenkichi was sprawled on the couch in his living room, fully immersed in an episode of Slam Dunk. A bowl of popcorn rested on his chest, his eyes glued to the screen. This is the life, he thought. No school, no deadlines—just him, his favorite anime, and a whole day to himself.

He was in the middle of cheering as the main character scored a slam dunk when the doorbell rang. Zenkichi groaned, pausing the episode. Who's showing up unannounced on a Sunday? He got up reluctantly, stuffing a handful of popcorn in his mouth as he went to open the door.

To his surprise, standing there on his doorstep was none other than Akane.

"What… What are you doing here?" Zenkichi stammered, still chewing his popcorn.

Akane looked mildly annoyed, as if he was the one intruding. "I came to work on the Obon project. You know, the one we're supposed to present tomorrow?" She held up her notebook and some research papers as if that explained everything.

"But… it's Sunday," Zenkichi said, still processing her presence.

She raised an eyebrow. "You didn't forget, did you?"

"Forget? No, of course not!" he said quickly, stepping aside to let her in. "I just, uh… didn't expect you to show up at my house."

Akane walked past him, glancing around his living room. It was exactly what she'd imagined—snack wrappers strewn about, stacks of manga on the coffee table, and anime posters on the walls.

"Oh, so this is what you do on weekends. Watching Slam Dunk?" she asked, eyeing the paused scene on the TV.

Zenkichi crossed his arms defensively. "Hey, it's research! I'm the basketball star of our school, remember?"

Akane rolled her eyes, setting her books down on the coffee table. "Sure, sure. So, where should we start? I went through some new material about Obon rituals, and I think we should add more detail to the section about lanterns and their symbolism."

Zenkichi sighed and flopped down on the couch beside her. "Do we really have to work on this now?"

"Yes, Zenkichi, we do," she said sternly, flipping open her notebook. "If we wait any longer, we won't have time to practice."

He grumbled but leaned over to look at her notes. They sat there in silence for a while, going over the information. Akane pointed out the parts she thought needed more detail, and Zenkichi gave his input here and there—though his mind kept wandering back to his paused anime episode.

After about fifteen minutes of serious discussion, Zenkichi noticed Akane's eyelids drooping. She stifled a yawn, trying to shake off the drowsiness.

"Hey, do you need some coffee or something?" Zenkichi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Akane blinked, slightly embarrassed. "Maybe… Just one cup."

Zenkichi smirked. "I make a mean coffee, you know. Just wait here." He disappeared into the kitchen, and a few minutes later, he returned with two steaming mugs. He handed one to her with a smug smile.

Akane took a cautious sip, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Wow, this is… really good! Didn't think you'd be capable of making coffee this nice."

He grinned. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

They continued working, with Akane feeling much more alert thanks to the coffee. Every so often, she'd glance at Zenkichi with mild curiosity, surprised at the unexpected gesture. Despite all their banter and bickering, he'd gone out of his way to help her stay awake—and she couldn't help but feel a bit grateful.

A little while later, Zenkichi's mom walked in, surprised to see them both sitting there.

"Oh! Akane, it's nice to see you! I didn't know you were coming over," his mom said warmly, setting down a tray of snacks on the table.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nakamura," Akane said politely, nodding as she reached for a rice cracker.

His mom turned to Zenkichi, raising an eyebrow. "And look at you, actually studying on a Sunday. Who knew this day would come?"

Zenkichi rolled his eyes. "We're working on a school project, Mom. And yes, I'm totally serious about it."

Akane stifled a laugh, and his mom gave them both an approving nod before leaving the room.

With the coffee and snacks keeping them fueled, they wrapped up the final details of their presentation. As the afternoon sun filtered through the windows, they found themselves laughing over small things, exchanging stories about their past, and enjoying an unexpectedly comfortable rhythm together.

When they finally finished, Akane stretched with a satisfied sigh. "We did it. Our project's officially ready."

"See? I told you we could handle it," Zenkichi said, smiling.

Akane gathered her things, standing up to leave. "Well, thanks for letting me crash your Sunday. I'll see you tomorrow."

As she walked out, Zenkichi watched her go, a small smile lingering on his face. This Sunday hadn't gone at all like he'd planned—but he wouldn't have changed a thing.