From Foes To Soulmates

Akane tapped her fingers nervously on her notebook, glancing at the clock. Zenkichi was late. They were supposed to meet in the library to work on the festival preparations, but there was still no sign of him. She gritted her teeth. Of course, he's late, she thought, rolling her eyes.

Just as she was about to give up and start working on her own, Zenkichi strolled in, looking as carefree as ever, with a bag of chips in one hand and a soda in the other.

"Finally decided to show up, huh?" she said, crossing her arms.

Zenkichi grinned. "Hey, don't be so serious. I brought snacks! Here, want one?" He held out the bag of chips, but Akane pushed it away, unimpressed.

"We're supposed to be working on festival stuff, not stuffing our faces," she said, exasperated.

"Whoa, calm down, Miss Perfectionist. Snacks help me think." He tossed a chip in the air and tried to catch it in his mouth, missing completely as the chip hit his nose and fell to the floor.

Akane snickered, unable to help herself. "Nice catch, genius."

Zenkichi shot her a playful glare. "Hey, I don't see you trying it."

"Oh, please. Some of us have actual work to do," she replied, turning back to her notebook. But Zenkichi leaned over, smirking as he nudged her with his elbow.

"What, you don't think you could do it?" he taunted.

Akane sighed dramatically. "Fine. Just one." She picked up a chip, tossed it into the air, and effortlessly caught it in her mouth.

Zenkichi's jaw dropped. "Whoa. Where did that come from?"

Akane shrugged nonchalantly. "Just natural talent, I guess." She gave him a smug smile, but the next moment, Zenkichi tossed a chip her way, aiming to catch her off guard. She dodged it easily, laughing as the chip sailed over her shoulder.

"See? You have no aim!" she teased.

Zenkichi chuckled. "Oh, it's on now!" He grabbed a handful of chips and threw them in her direction, sending crumbs everywhere. Akane squealed and tried to dodge, but a few chips landed in her hair.

"Stop it! You're making a mess!" she cried, swatting at him, but she couldn't stop laughing. The librarian shot them both a stern look, and they quickly stifled their laughter, attempting to look innocent.

"Sorry, ma'am," Zenkichi said, barely managing to keep a straight face. The librarian narrowed her eyes, then returned to her desk, muttering under her breath about "rowdy students."

When the coast was clear, Akane glared at Zenkichi. "See? This is why we never get anything done when you're around."

"Oh, come on. You were laughing too," he pointed out, looking way too pleased with himself.

"Yeah, well, now we're covered in chip crumbs, thanks to you." She brushed a few crumbs off her notebook with a sigh. "Let's just focus, okay?"

Zenkichi mock-saluted. "Yes, ma'am! Festival business, here we go!"

As they finally settled down, Zenkichi surprised her by actually getting serious about the plans for the upcoming school festival. They spent a few minutes discussing booth ideas, decoration themes, and a few festival games. Akane was about to praise him for his focus when, naturally, Zenkichi couldn't help himself.

"Hey, for the haunted house, I was thinking we could add a twist," he said, eyes twinkling. "Imagine this—you're guiding people through, right? And then… BAM! I jump out dressed as an evil ghost, scaring everyone, including you." He waggled his eyebrows, clearly imagining her screaming in terror.

Akane rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You wouldn't even scare a five-year-old, Zenkichi."

He pretended to be wounded. "Ouch! I'll have you know that I have the most terrifying ghost impression." He put on a ridiculous face, crossing his eyes and puffing his cheeks, looking more like a dizzy fish than a ghost.

Akane laughed so hard that she nearly fell out of her chair. "You look like you're trying to sneeze, not haunt someone!"

Zenkichi huffed, crossing his arms. "Fine, but you'll be the first one screaming when I actually do it." He grinned slyly. "In fact, I could just show up out of nowhere and—BOO!"

Akane let out a little shriek as he shouted, drawing more annoyed looks from the library patrons. Zenkichi burst out laughing, holding his sides as he tried to stifle the noise.

"Zenkichi!" she hissed, trying to stay composed, but a smile tugged at her lips. Despite herself, she couldn't stay mad at him. His infectious laugh had her grinning too.

"Alright, alright, let's focus," she said, shaking her head as she fought to stay serious. "We still have so much left to figure out for the festival."

Zenkichi wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning. "Alright, I promise, no more ghost impressions. But you know, this might be the most fun study session I've ever had."

Akane felt a surprising warmth fill her chest at his words. "Yeah, well… don't get used to it," she said, trying to sound annoyed. But even she couldn't deny that, in a strange way, she was actually having a good time.

As they continued to work, Zenkichi occasionally snuck a chip from the bag, earning a few more glares from Akane. They argued over booth designs, swapped ideas on decorations, and even debated who should play which role in the haunted house. The whole time, there was a lightness in the air that neither of them wanted to disrupt.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, Zenkichi stretched and leaned back in his chair. "Well, that was surprisingly productive. Not bad, Akane."

Akane couldn't help a small smile. "Yeah… not bad." She paused, then quickly added, "But next time, maybe you could actually come prepared instead of bringing snacks and making a mess."

Zenkichi smirked, giving her a mock bow. "Of course, my liege. Next time, I'll bring something more sophisticated. Like donuts."

Akane rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hold back her laughter. "You're impossible, you know that?"

Zenkichi just shrugged, tossing her one last grin as he headed for the door. "Guess you'll just have to get used to me."

As she watched him go, Akane shook her head, feeling a strange mixture of exasperation and amusement. Zenkichi was, without a doubt, the most infuriating person she'd ever mer... but somehow, she was starting to look forward to there ridiculous moment with him.