From Foes To Soulmates

The days leading up to the festival were filled with more arguments than actual work. Despite the looming deadline, Zenkichi and Akane's project meetings felt less like collaboration and more like a battleground of wits.

It was another Monday afternoon in the library, and Akane was already sitting at their usual table, her eyes glued to the pile of supplies she'd gathered for their booth. She'd managed to find some old board games and quiz cards, along with a few fun decorations. All it needed was a little extra polish, which she was certain Zenkichi would somehow ruin.

Zenkichi arrived late, as usual, strolling in with a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Am I interrupting something, Princess?" he asked, leaning against the back of her chair.

Akane didn't even look up. "I was hoping you were busy with something else, like anything that didn't involve being a distraction."

Zenkichi chuckled, unphased. "You know, you really should try to relax. You're so tightly wound, it's kind of impressive."

Akane finally lifted her gaze, narrowing her eyes. "And you're so laid-back, it's borderline lazy. Can you try, just once, to take something seriously?"

"Relax, Akane. I'm serious about not being serious." He dropped into the chair across from her, pushing aside a pile of papers she'd neatly organized.

"I swear, if you mess with my things one more time—"

"Oh, I'm just making sure your perfection doesn't get too boring." He smirked. "It's way too clean over here. You need to spice it up."

Akane's eye twitched, but she forced herself to stay calm. "We have a festival to plan, not a comedy show. Let's focus, alright?"

Zenkichi leaned back in his chair, stretching as though he had all the time in the world. "Fine, fine. But only because you're making me do all the work."

Akane stared at him for a long moment, not sure if he was joking or serious. "You've done, what? Two things for this booth?"

"I picked up the sports equipment, remember? You're welcome," he said, a little too smugly.

"Oh right, the hoop," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "Because that's the most important part. Never mind the actual theme or structure of the booth."

Zenkichi grinned, clearly unfazed by her sarcasm. "Exactly. A basketball hoop will draw in the crowds. Trust me."

Akane groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You really think people will just come to see you show off your basketball skills?"

"I mean, have you seen me play?" He winked at her. "But hey, if that's your idea of a reliable plan, I'll go with it."

"I don't even know why I bother with you," she muttered under her breath, but Zenkichi only laughed in response.

---

Wednesday – A Bit of Chaos

By Wednesday, their project was in full swing, though it seemed like nothing was going right. Akane had managed to track down a stack of trivia questions for their "mental challenge" section, but when she showed them to Zenkichi, his response was, unsurprisingly, less than helpful.

"Trivia questions? What, like those serious ones?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in mock disbelief. "You know, I was hoping for something a little more fun. People are gonna want something exciting—not a pop quiz."

"Exciting? You're lucky I'm not putting 'Guess how many basketballs Zenkichi can shoot in one minute,'" she retorted sarcastically.

"Well, that would definitely be a crowd-pleaser," he said, glancing at her with a smirk. "But if you're not down for the idea, we can just do a game of 'How many ways can Akane get mad at Zenkichi?'"

Akane opened her mouth to retort, but stopped herself. She was too tired for this. "Just pick a question, Zenkichi. I've been working on this for hours."

Zenkichi leaned back in his chair, picking a question at random, and pretended to read it seriously. "Alright, let's see. 'What's the capital of Australia?'"

Akane froze. "Are you seriously asking that?"

"Wait, that's not right? You tell me then." He tossed the trivia card to her with a grin.

"Can you just… try not to make this harder than it already is?" she said, trying her best not to snap. "The whole point of this is that we have a professional booth. You know, like something that actually looks like we put in effort?"

"Professional?" Zenkichi snorted. "Please, this is a school festival. No one cares about being 'professional.' They just want to have fun. That's what we're giving them."

Akane took a deep breath, reminding herself that this was the same frustrating, infuriating Zenkichi who had somehow become the least predictable—and possibly the most annoying—part of her school year.

---

Friday – The Game

As the week ended, Akane found herself standing in the school courtyard, staring at the basketball court where Zenkichi was practicing his shots with a group of friends. She had to admit, he was good. He had a natural ease with the game that made it look effortless.

And yet, all she could think about was how much of a show-off he was. He was exactly the type to bask in the attention of his teammates, laughing and joking around. A few of his friends were talking to her, but they were all more interested in the basketball game than in talking to her.

Zenkichi noticed her standing at the edge of the court. He waved with exaggerated enthusiasm, and one of his friends elbowed him.

"Hey, Akane!" Zenkichi called, giving her a smirk. "Come see how it's done!"

Akane rolled her eyes. "I'll pass."

"Oh come on, Ice Queen, don't be shy," he teased, shooting the ball and sinking it effortlessly through the hoop.

Akane folded her arms, unimpressed. "I'm sure you're the best thing since sliced bread. But no thanks."

Zenkichi chuckled at her response, clearly not offended. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She shook her head. "If you want to pretend you're the king of the court, go ahead. But you're still the most arrogant person I've ever met."

He shot her a look, still smiling. "And yet, you keep hanging around me. You must like it."

Akane opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, one of his friends shouted out, "Hey, Zenkichi, time to get back to the game!"

"Alright, alright. You're lucky I've got important things to do," he said, waving at her one more time. "Maybe next time, you'll actually watch me make some magic happen."

Akane didn't reply, but she felt a small, frustrated sigh escape her lips as she turned away.

She wasn't sure what was more irritating—the fact that he was so good at basketball or the fact that he was so good at getting under her skin.

---

Zenkichi and Akane might be working together on the project, but nothing between them has changed—not yet. They still make fun of each other, clash over ideas, and bicker like old rivals. But something tells Akane that their little rivalry might be far from over. And, despite herself, she's beginning to wonder just how far it will go.