Kazu points to her face: "You had the same look I get. The 'oh no, another romantic approach' face. It's like a survival instinct." They end up sitting on a park bench, eating the sushi Sakuko bought (which is now slightly warm). Kazu explains himself bluntly: "I don't fall in love. I never have. I don't get crushes, I don't want to kiss anyone, and the idea of 'romantic destiny' feels like a script I never learned. I've been told I'm 'cold,' 'immature,' or 'just scared.' But I'm not scared. I just... don't feel it." Sakuko's eyes widen. For the first time in her life, someone is describing exactly how she feels.
She admits: "I thought something was wrong with me. Like I was a defective woman."
Original Japanese Title: 恋せぬふたり English Subtitle Source: Various fansubs / Official streaming (e.g., Viki, NHK World) Genre: Slice of Life, Social Drama, Aromantic/Asexual Representation Air Date: January 2022 Opening Hook: The Sushi Counter Confession The episode opens in a bustling supermarket. Sakuko Kodachi (played by Mai Fukagawa), a woman in her late 20s, is staring at a package of sushi. A male coworker, Kameda , approaches her. Their conversation is painfully mundane until he suddenly blurts out: "Kodachi-san... I like you. Please go out with me." Sakuko freezes. She doesn't feel joy, excitement, or even nervousness. She feels blank . Her internal monologue reveals the core conflict: "Why can't I feel anything? Everyone else gets butterflies. I just feel... pressured." koisenu futari eng sub ep 1
Sakuko is stunned. "How did you...?"
Sakuko hangs up. She doesn't cry. Instead, she opens her laptop and searches: "Aromantic" – "Asexual" – "No romantic attraction" – "Koisenu futari" (the two who can't fall in love). Kazu points to her face: "You had the same look I get
Kazu: "I want you to help me build it. Not as a couple. As partners. In life. Without romance. Just... two people who understand."
Her mother dismisses it as "just a phase" or "not meeting the right man yet." The final straw: her mother shows her a brochure for a matchmaking party (konkatsu). "Just try it," she pleads. Sakuko, exhausted, agrees only to stop the argument. But inside, she feels invisible and invalidated. While buying groceries for a solo dinner, Sakuko overhears a conversation in the next aisle. A man, Kazu Takahashi (played by Yuya Yagira), is talking to a female store clerk who has just given him a free sample of a new dessert. The clerk, blushing, says: "It's my homemade recipe. Maybe you could come over sometime, and I'll make it fresh for you?" Kazu, completely missing the romantic subtext, replies cheerfully: "Oh, that's okay. I'll just buy the mix. Thanks!" He then turns to Sakuko, who has been awkwardly frozen while pretending to examine canned tomatoes. Kazu explains himself bluntly: "I don't fall in love
Sakuko looks at the package of sushi in her hand, then at Kazu's earnest, non-romantic smile. She nods. "Okay. Let's do it." The two of them walking side by side out of the supermarket, not holding hands, not making heart eyes. Just walking. Equal. Free.
He then reveals his dream: to create a – a shared living space for people who don't want romantic relationships, where they can support each other without pressure, jealousy, or the expectation to pair up.