In the blink of an eye, four weeks had passed since you first stepped foot into Gourmet Fortune, but you couldn't even begin to think of what your life would have been like without being here. You heavily considered moving here once all was said and done, but that could have just been the allure of the town and the fact of being somewhere new for a while.

You had lost count on how many hours you and Coco had spent with each other, learning as much about him as he was willing to disclose to you. You noticed that as the days progressed, he appeared to be a little more relaxed around you, and you even began to convince yourself that you two were old friends. You knew this couldn't be, but whatever doubt you had felt prior to accepting this job was dismissed. Sure, there were days that you didn't see him, but it gave you the opportunity to sight-see a lot more and experience some of the different restaurants and tourism traps that were on offer.

You came to realise that Coco's House of Fortune was definitely the calling card of the town, and you would watch from your hotel window the long line of patrons develop in front of the store from the wee hours of the morning until late in the day, regardless of weather. Some days, you could catch a glimpse of the poor soothsayer struggling to plaster on another smile before the next customer. Sometimes you would catch his eye and give a tiny wave his way, noticing the way his eyes would perk up from then on. There were days where you wouldn't see him at all; only then his small metal sign sitting in the doorway of his shop would stop the queue forming for the day. That was when you noticed that the disposition of the general public was always slightly depressed.

They really did adore him.

Which is where problems began to arise for you. Some eagle-eyed citizens had noticed your presence around the town; to the point where even a few of them witnessed you alongside the Heavenly King more than once. Neither of you had displayed any sort of public display of affection towards each other, but the simple act of being next to him had riled up a few of the women. One of them had even refused to serve you at a café because she recognised you and became irrationally irritated at your existence. It was a little shocking, but you had dealt with worse before. On the positive side, it did lead you to scout out a cosy little bookstore café combination, and you spent quite a few days there enjoying the atmosphere. Their coffee menu was just as large as their book selection.

The other problem you were facing was that, unavoidably so, you felt yourself becoming too attached to your client. Despite all of your beliefs that work relationships and personal relationships should be kept separate at all times, there was an ever-growing attachment that you had failed to get under control. The butterflies in your stomach, the skips of your heartbeat and even the semi-erotic dreams were a distraction that you had to quash, and quickly. There was no chance of a budding romance between the both of you; a fact only further evidenced by Coco's belief in how much he saw himself as a threat to others if he got too close to them.

So why did you keep wishing that something was going to happen?

Just do your job.

With one last hairpin, you had successfully turned your (h/c) locks into a French braid and tucked the rest into an elegant bun. All you knew was that the banquet tonight required you to be in formal attire; nothing less than the height of sophistication. You refused to be less anyhow, especially on the arm of someone as high-profile as a Heavenly King. At the same time, you had to take into account for the blustery ride on Kiss on the way there, and you wouldn't have the tools or the time to redo everything when you got there, so you felt confident in your choice. The dress was something else though.

Coming across it felt like the fates had dealt you a winning hand; blends of white lace and soft chiffon came together into what you could only describe as ethereal, topped off with a sweetheart cut and lace overlay. When you first looked at it, you believed it was a wedding dress, that was until you saw the hemline turned into an ombre finished with a peppermint green. That was what sealed the deal for you, and you strolled out of the boutique with all smiles. With a final twirl in the mirror, you were ready to take on tonight, even if you were a ball of nerves.

"Okay." You whispered to yourself, trying to psyche yourself up. "You have a job to do, so don't let yourself get distracted."

You made eye contact with yourself in the mirror.

"Under no circumstances are you to allowed to act on any of your impulses. Understood?"

Your reflection simply stared back.

"I'll take that as a yes."

A soft tapping on your window caught your attention and you pulled it up to look out, suddenly face to face with a pair of hazel eyes you knew all too well.

"Hey there." You grinned at Coco, watching as he was already comfortably perched on Kiss as the Emperor Crow came in to land. You were only on the second floor, so the mighty avian beast was tall enough to land and still let his master talk to you.

"Are you ready?" Coco smiled; his eyes taking in all of you with a quick flash of movement.

"Just have to grab my things, hang on!" you said, dashing off to collect your clutch and a pair of shoes you hadn't bothered to put on yet. Trying to amble your way onto Kiss would have been too difficult and you'd rather not risk hurting him either. With Coco's help, you were once again seated behind him on Kiss's soft plumage, and he pulled your window shut with one hand somehow before the three of you took flight.

You were more accustomed to flying at this point. Even though you were used to the sensation, you still wrapped your arms around Coco's waist; a habit you had developed that he hadn't corrected you on. You took care to not dirty the white tuxedo he was wearing tonight with your makeup. You had also noticed that he had changed from his standard green turban to a spearmint coloured bandana covering his hair, but his fuchsia jewellery remained the same.

"Hey Coco, I've been meaning to ask you something." You queried, poking your chin over his shoulder so he could hear you better over the wind.

"What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you about your jewellery." You said, tracing a finger down the chain clipped to his ear.

"What about it?"

"What's it for? Is it some kind of weird fashion statement?"

"Auriculotherapy."

"Huh?"

"Auriculotherapy." Coco laughed. "Reflexology of the ears?"

"You've lost me."

"Different ear piercings give different effects on the human body… Mine help me with insomnia."

"You can't sleep?"

"I used to have trouble with it when I was younger. Not so much these days."

"Oh. Why's that?"

"Some things happened. It's not important right now."

"Does the chain do anything?"

"A lot actually. It's basically a constant stimulus for me, so when it moves, it tugs at my ear and it helps to keep the sensation of massaging it. It's highly susceptible to my surroundings, so before you ask, yes, I felt every vibration when you touched it."

"Oh… did it hurt when I touched it?"

"No, it's fine."

"Okay. Sorry if I do though."

"I don't think you can hurt me, (y/n)." Coco chuckled. "Try not to stress. Just focus on what we might get to eat tonight."

"Oh, I've been thinking about it for hours. I'm starving."

As if on cue, your stomach let out a rumble, which the Heavenly King felt on his back where your stomach was pressed up against him.

"Knowing what kind of people the hosts are, I'm sure we'll get our fill. We're not far anyhow."

"Where are we headed, anyways?"

"Gourmet Town."

"That's funny, I live there."

"You do?"

"Yeah, nothing special. Just a little patch of heaven I call home. It's an apartment."

"I might have to drop by sometime. Here we go!"

Coco pointed ahead and you could make out the familiar shapes of some of the more-famous buildings in Gourmet Town. Compared to Gourmet Fortune, this place was nearly triple the size of the little seaside township. Kiss flew over the skyscrapers and buildings, casting a shadow over the burning lights radiating from all different factors of sources. The Emperor Crow glided between the cloud cover until Coco directed him to begin his descent in front of a building that you weren't familiar with. It was still just as bright as every other construct you had passed, except you could see the glow and flashes of paparazzi dotted about in front of the entrance. Flash bulbs and camera crews were out in droves tonight.

"I expected them to be out tonight, but not nearly as many as this." Coco said quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Are you going to be alright with them?" You questioned.

"I'll be fine. I've dealt with the press many times. It's you I'm worried about."

"Eh? Why should I be worried?"

"I don't want people getting the wrong impression of you, is all. Besides, there could be some people that recognise you."

You swallowed down a lump in your throat at that comment. This wasn't something you had taken into consideration at all.

"What should we do?"

"It's alright, I have a plan. Just follow my lead. Put your shoes on, too."

"Okay…"

Since beginning as an escort, you had had a lot of practice getting different types of clothes on before which gave you an advantage. By the time you had slipped the last strap over the back of your heel, Kiss had descended into the throng of reporters, causing a lot of them to scatter as he let out a large cry. He stretched his wings out proudly, but kept them outstretched instead of folding them inwards like he would normally do. Coco slid off on the far side and called you to follow. You were hesitant but let yourself drop, surprised at how Coco didn't hesitate to catch you safely and steadied you on your feet.

"I'll go out the other side and you sneak into the building behind Kiss's wing. Quickly!"

"So that's why he still had his wings out. Clever!" you thought as your nodded and followed suit. You could hear the hubbub between the press as you scampered inside as quick as you could.

"Another guest has just arrived on the scene here, folks!" a young lady's voice called out as she reported to her camera man. "Let's go and see who the next high-profile guest eating at Hotel Elune tonight!"

"Hello again, Tina." Coco said calmly, as cameras flashed at his entrance. The reporter, Tina, blinked at the sound of her name and turned around.

"Ahh, it's Heavenly King Coco! This is one mega-sized scoop of a news story here-"

Tina suddenly balked and gestured for her camera man to focus his lens in the opposite direction.

"Oh fudge, I'm so sorry Coco!": Tina said, hiding her microphone behind her back as well. "I promise, I won't show even one gram of you when the story airs!"

"Thank you, I appreciate that." Coco smiled softly, patting Kiss on his beak and signalling for him to leave. "I do wish these cameras weren't in my face though."

"Oh, let me take care of that for you!" She said, waving her hand before barking a bunch of commands at the photographers to delete all the images they had of him. One of them protested, saying she had an award-winning shot, but Tina had made her demands. A lot of them weren't even from her network, but she had attained a lot of clout over her working career, so they listened; mostly out of fear.

While Tina was on the verge of a conniption, Coco snuck away from the limelight and into the safety of the Hotel's foyer. His eyes scanned over the hall filled with guests until he picked out a familiar set of electromagnetic wavelengths he recognised all too easily. You were gazing around in awe at the room; velvet red curtains draped from every inch on the walls, the pristine chandeliers as they scattered droplets of rainbow light over the room, all the way down to the plush carpet beneath your feet.

"I'm punching above my weight here." You whispered to yourself before an airy chuckle reached your ears.

"Oh really?"

You jumped in fright over Coco's sudden appearance at your side.

"Don't scare me like that!" you complained, shoving his arm lightly. "How could you even see me so easily?"

"I told you, good eyes."

"Oh, come on, not this again. Just how good can they be?!"

"It's because I can see-"

"I thought I saw you, Coco!"

A deep voice cut through his sentence, and you looked to see the muscular build of a blue-haired man. He had three deep scars etched under his left eye, like the claws of an animal had left them there. He, too, was dressed to the nines in a white tuxedo, but he opted for an all-white ensemble broken by a bright yellow tie across his chest. Hanging off of his arm was a smaller girl with navy hair and a single scratch under her right eye. The girl was simply radiating happiness in her sweet red dress.

"I didn't think you would show up!" the azure-haired man grinned. "Especially since you, you know-"

"I'm well aware." Coco interjected. "It's good to see you too, Toriko."

"Wait…" you murmured to yourself, not trying to draw attention to yourself.

"Coco!" The girl squealed. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!"

You could feel your cheeks burning crimson by this point.

"I don't." Coco said bluntly. "But I do happen to have a friend who happens to be a girl."

"With you, Coco, that's basically the same thing!" the girl continued, grinning from ear-to-ear at everything.

"No it isn't-"

"Hi there!" her hand was shoved in front of you. "I'm Rin! What's your name?"

"(Y/n)." You stuttered, taken aback by the whole ordeal.

"Pleased to meet you! So, tell me, how did you two meet?"

"Oh, well," you began, giving a sideways glance at Coco. "We met a few years ago, when I was passing through Gourmet Fortune. I'm a travelling bookseller, and well, I guess I just happened to keep popping up at the right times. Coco was one of my regulars."

The story flowed from your lips so easily; spinning a complete falsehood in front of the two strangers before you. It was yet another skill you had developed through your years of escorting, so it came naturally to you. Even Coco was surprised at how easily the whole story was spun. He had had no input whatsoever into the backstory you needed; clearly, he didn't need to get involved in your cover up.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Rin cooed. "That sounds just like you, Coco!"

"Well, I'd hope so." He said simply. While you and Rin were getting better acquainted, Toriko was eyeing off your partner, still smiling, like they were having their own telepathic conversation.

"Anyways," you said, trying to bring the others into the conversation. "Are you and Toriko a thing?"

"Yes!"

"Huh? No, we're not," Toriko said confusedly. "Rin's basically the only girl I know and I just really want to eat some food."

You winced at the brutally honest way Toriko said those lines. It even caused Rin' to deflate a little.

"Come on Toriko, that can't be all that it was."

"Well, yeah?"

You and Coco swapped looks of exasperation, and you couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the poor girl.

"Ahhh, Toriko! Coco!" another voice called out to your group, this time a much higher, brighter tone. The four of you looked around to see a small man making a beeline towards you all. He had on a brown suit jacket and dark slacks, grinning like a banshee.

"I'm so happy to see you both! Even if I am a little surprised."

"Hello Komatsu." Coco greeted the small man warmly. "It's been a while. I hope you've been well."

"Aye, I have been. I hope you have been too. Oh, I'm sorry Rin, I didn't see you before!"

"What's up, Komatsu?" Toriko said, patting him on his head. "Are you ready for some good eats? It smells pretty dang good in there." He jerked his thumb behind him, gesturing towards the dining room.

"You can smell that?" You asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ahh, Toriko has the most amazing sense of smell." Komatsu said before double taking. "Oh, I'm so sorry. We haven't met before. My name's Komatsu."

"Hello. My name is (y/n)." You responded, but something was gnawing at the back of your mind. "Are you sure we haven't met before?"

Komatsu blinked at you owlishly.

"No? I don't think so?"

Then it suddenly hit you.

Just like you had almost hit him over a month ago.

"Ah! I'm so sorry again!" You burst out, clapping your hands together in a prayer form.

Everyone stared at you blankly.

"I almost ran into him a little while ago. Literally." You said embarrassed. It was then it finally clicked to Komatsu.

"Oh, that?!" he said, scratching the back of his head. "I told you, don't worry about it!"

"I know, but still."

"Somehow I figured it would be you all making such a huge ruckus. So un-beautiful!"

Yet another voice cut through, this time belonging to a rainbow-haired figure strutting over to your ever-growing group. His long locks were pulled back into a sleek pony-tail, and he, too, was garbed in a similar white suit like his counterparts. He was being tailed by a tall woman in a white pantsuit, with hair the spitting image of your new group member.

"Sunny!" Komatsu exclaimed, his smile growing wider somehow. "Ahh, this is so nice, all of us being together again!"

"Hmph, if you say so." The man named Sunny griped. "It's a shame that such an elegant event is going to be tainted by such gross people like Toriko."

"Hey, that's a little uncalled for, Sunny." Toriko pouted.

'Why do you have to be so mean, big bro?" Rin whined, her temper suddenly flaring.

"Eh? How are you here, Rin?!" Sunny turned his nose up.

"Toriko invited me here, so there! Who's this hag you've brought with you?!"

Sunny scoffed, bringing his hand to his chest in an overly-dramatic fashion. "Hag?! The only hag I see is the gaudy face of my little sister!"

"Whatever, girly-boy!"

"To answer your obvious question, this fine woman is none other than my hairdresser: Stella!"

The woman waved a hand with a hello.

"Your hairdresser?" Toriko asked.

"Stella is the only person that I would trust with such beaut'ful hair like mine." Sunny said snobbishly. "As A matter of fact, she liked it so much, I was the inspiration for her hairstyle."

"Sunny, darling. I can speak for myself." Stella said coolly, giving him a smirk.

'Well, I think it's lovely to have so many people here." Komatsu said, trying to ease the tension.

"Oi, 'Matsu, where's your date?" Sunny said.

"Oh, I wouldn't call it a date," Komatsu said with a blush. "Melk said she'll be here shortly, she's just using the bathroom."

Toriko let out a hearty laugh.

"I knew you had a thing for her!" he laughed, slapping Komatsu on his back.

"No, I don't!" Komatsu shrieked, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Why would you want to be seen with someone so unrefined?" Sunny said harshly.

"Sunny, that's a horrible thing to say!" Komatsu said, giving him a scowl. "Melk is lovely! And how could someone so unrefined make such beautiful knives?"

"Whatever." Sunny finished shortly. "Well, it looks like at least someone else here took the initiative to at least match their partner."

Sunny locked his cerulean eyes with yours, his gaze making you feel a little intimidated.

"It was a coincidence." You replied.

"Who would have thought that someone like Coco would know someone with some fashion sense?" Sunny gave a back-handed compliment to you, eyeing the way your dress seemed to be the reverse of Coco's ensemble.

"Stop touching her." Coco said flatly, giving his cohort an intense glare.

"Touching me?" You said, confused.

"Sunny's hair isn't like that for decoration." Coco said, his tone still just as flat. "He's able to manipulate invisible strands with ease. Frankly, he has far too many on you right now."

This sent a cold shiver running down your spine. The fact you couldn't see, let alone really feel yourself being touched still made you feel extremely exposed.

"You can see them?"

"Coco has incredible eyesight." Toriko answered quickly. "Not only can he see perfectly in dark spaces clear as day, but he can also see electromagnetic waves on people and things. So much so, he can see Sunny's 'Touches'."

"So that's what you meant by 'good eyes'?"

"I was getting there." Coco mused.

"Melk!" Komatsu piped up, waving over to a long-haired girl in a navy pantsuit. Her eyes brightened as she joined your party. You observed a deep cross-like scar on her face too. Just what kind of lives did these people have? It also made Sunny's throwaway comment before make a lot more sense. In reality, her face was quite soft behind her unfortunate scarring.

"Ah, I'm glad I found you, Komatsu." Melk said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm not used to being around so many people I don't know."

"That's okay. It looks like we're all here now." Komatsu said happily. "Is Zebra coming?"

Sunny, Coco and Toriko all tittered at this question.

"Nah, this really isn't his sort of thing." Toriko said simply, and Komatsu looked a little downtrodden.

"That's a shame."

"Anyways, everyone, this is (y/n)." Coco said, introducing you to everyone on your behalf. You gave a small wave and greeted everyone that was new to the group. "I expect we'll be going in soon."

"I hope so! I can't wait to chow down!" Toriko said eagerly.

"Always a glutton." Sunny murmured.

A soft ringing circulated around the foyer as a small, squat man with a large curly moustache clanged a golden spoon on a crystal glass. The buzz and murmuring came to a stop.

"Thank you, thank you everyone for coming!" the man said, his deep voice not entirely matching with his looks. "As manager of Hotel Elune, would like to welcome you to this years' banquet feast."

Soft applauding rumbled throughout the crowd.

"My name is Juzo, and I will be overseeing the festivities for tonight. It's wonderful to see so many happy faces, and so many lovely couples before me."

You blushed at the term again, and Coco's eyes flicked over you before looking back up at the speaker.

"Now, we have kept you all waiting long enough." Juzo said, spreading his arms out wide. "Hotel Elune, welcomes you, to celebrate the theme for this year, which is…"

The sound of drum rolling rumbled out as everyone waited with bated breath. With a final crack on the cymbals, Juzo smiled wider than ever.

"Romance!"

Confetti hearts began to rain down from large poppers in the ceiling, covering all of the guests in the foyer. Everyone else in the room began to give a larger applause, except for your group. Everyone was avoiding making eye contact with their respective partners. Well, everyone except for Rin. She was ecstatic beyond belief and was clapping along with the rest of the hall, positively beaming.