The front door creaked open, and the faint smell of fried plantain and rice wafted into Kai's nose before he even stepped inside.
"Welcome back!" boomed a familiar voice from the kitchen.
That was Dad, Ade Phillips. Part-time warehouse supervisor, part-time taxi driver, part-time "do everything else to make sure the lights stay on." To say he worked a lot was underselling it. The man collected shifts like anime protagonists collected power-ups.
Kai slipped his shoes off with a sigh. Kenta darted past him like a squirrel on sugar, yelling, "Dad! I'm home!" before disappearing into the kitchen.
Kai followed slower, backpack dragging at his side. His hair was messy, his tie was half undone, and his expression screamed, "Yes, the world is pain."
"Ah, my boys," Ade grinned, wiping his hands on a towel as he stepped out. His Nigerian accent carried warmth and command in equal measure. "How was school?"
Kenta wasted no time. "It was fun! I scored a goal in PE! And Kai made a new friend, his name's Ethan!"
Kai froze. Betrayal. Absolute betrayal. He turned his head toward his little brother with the slow, mechanical precision of a horror movie villain.
"...Kenta." His voice was low, dangerous. "What did we say about classified information?"
Kenta blinked innocently. "That… I shouldn't tell strangers?"
"Exactly," Kai hissed, jabbing a finger at him. "And Dad doesn't count because…plot twist…Dad will weaponize this against me."
Ade raised an eyebrow. "Ethan? That's good, no? You're finally making friends."
Kai groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Dad, you don't understand. His name is Ethan Hunt."
Ade chuckled. "Like the Mission Impossible man?"
"EXACTLY." Kai threw his arms up. "Do you know how cursed it is to befriend someone whose name screams 'impossible stunts only'? I'm already socially awkward enough. Now I look like the sidekick in his action movie. Do you know what happens to sidekicks, Dad? THEY GET EXPLODED."
Ade laughed so hard he had to grip the counter. "Kai, my son, you watch too much anime."
"Correction," Kai muttered, collapsing into a chair. "I don't watch enough anime. If I had the full backlog, I would know how to avoid getting roped into the comedy relief role."
Kenta snickered. "Don't worry, Kai, you'd probably be the main character."
"Ha!" Kai jabbed his fork into his rice when Ade set plates down. "If this was an anime, I'd be the character who dies in episode one to give Ethan Hunt his tragic backstory."
Ade shook his head, still amused. "You should be glad. Friends are good for you. Better than staying in your room all day playing FIFA."
Kai stiffened. "Football slander. At my own dinner table."
Kenta giggled. "But Kai, FIFA is still football."
Kai slammed the table lightly. "Don't you start with me. Digital football is ART. It's strategy, precision, and glorious rage-quitting. Real football is sweat, grass stains, and being forced to run. Why would anyone downgrade?"
Ade let out a long sigh, the kind that said "My son is hopeless." "One day, you will understand."
"One day, I will move to a country where football means American football, and then I'll be safe," Kai muttered.
The rest of dinner played out in its usual chaotic harmony, Ade quizzing Kenta on his homework, Kenta happily oversharing every detail of his day, and Kai interjecting only to complain or deliver sarcastic commentary.
When the plates were cleared and Kenta went off to his room, Ade leaned back in his chair and eyed Kai carefully. "So. This Ethan. He seems important."
Kai groaned. "Dad, please don't make it weird."
"I won't," Ade said calmly. Then he smirked. "But I'll say this. Sometimes, life brings people to us for a reason. Maybe Ethan is one of them."
Kai rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.
Ade chuckled, standing to clear his own plate. "Just keep an open mind, Kai."
Later that night…
Kai lay sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Open mind, Dad said.
Be grateful, Dad said.
But all Kai could think about was Ethan popping up like some glitchy NPC at every corner. The guy was too nice. Too persistent. Too… Ethan.
"Nope," Kai muttered, rolling over and yanking his blanket up. "Tomorrow, Operation Avoid Ethan begins. Stealth mode activated. If anime taught me anything, it's that dodging the 'best friend archetype' only makes them stronger… but maybe I can break the cycle."
He fell asleep plotting, with visions of cartoonishly sneaking around hallways like a bargain bin ninja.
And so, a new week began