The two of us make it back down to ground level, the lobby visibly more busy than we got here and the two of us exchange glances, letting out a small laugh. We probably had the same relief we got to our hotel when we did. He grabs my hand, softly interlocking our fingers as we make our way outside, quickly analyzing our surroundings. 

"Where should we go first?" I take out the map the driver gave us. "There's a lot we should check out."

"Hmm the shopping district? We can walk around and check out the shops and there are plenty of food places there too" 

"Hm good idea" I eagerly pull him down the street, my eyes widening at the bustling city. Sure, as a pro-hero in training I've had my fair share of the crowded city, but the atmosphere here is different. I realize that we're here on business and because we need to make sure the citizens are safe, but maybe Hawks is right. It's not every day that I get to be in a completely different city than the one I grew up in, I should try to enjoy this trip and all of its glory.

"Please I'm begging you!" A desperate voice catches my attention and I stop, taking out the map and pretending to read it.

"What-"

"Shush, just listen"

"We're doing everything we can ma'am. Unfortunately none of the pro heroes have any status on your husband and daughter" another says

"It's been three weeks!" She screams, gaining the attention of a lot of people. "They've been missing for three weeks and you people have done nothing! Where is my family?!"

'so much for taking a break...we should try to find out as much as we can about this situation'

"Come on let's get going" Hawks begins to pull me away from the scene, making me try to let go of his grip

"Why? This is a situation that calls for us" 

"I already knew about this, I was going to fill you in later but it seems I don't need to"

I furrow my eyebrows, but follow him, not wanting to draw attention to the two of us. The rest of the walk to the shopping district is quiet, the two of us simply letting noises of the streets overtake us. 

One thing I've learned since interning with Hawks is that he's very observant. I can never tell what he's thinking about when it comes to work, and it's almost like he's on another level. He always has a blank expression, as if he has some kind of wall to protect his mind, no matter what his heart set on letting no one in. I let out a sigh as hours pass, the two of us had already eaten, and nothing really seeming overly out of the ordinary, that is until I, being the absolute genius that I am, accidentally walk into someone and fall straight on my ass. 

"Oww....sorry I wasn't looking where I was going" I fix my hat, looking up to see a man in probably his late 30's with a panicked expression on his face, reaching his hand to help me out

"I'm so sorry miss! Are you okay?"I take his hand and he helps me to my feet. "My sincerest apologies"

"It's no problem really" I nervously laugh as I scan around for Hawks. "It was my fault for not looking where I was going"

"Baby there you are I've been looking everywhere for you" Hawks' pet name makes my face flush as I feel his arm wrap around my waste. "Who are you?"

"Ah Kei....I accidentally bumped into him while looking for you and he helped me up"

"I see...thank you for helping my wife, she can be kind of clumsy at times"

'oh lord give me strength because I'm about to beat him for making me look bad'

"Oh you're married! How wonderful! Here take this" He hands me a white envelope with a fancy emblem on it. "Consider it an apology for the way we met. I'm Eiji Nakamura, I host a banquet for married couples every year. It would make me happy to see you too attend"   

"Oh...thank you so much" I bow to him. "You didn't have to do this though, I was the one at fault"

"Even so" He smiles. "You're a married couple and deserve to have a nice night to enjoy each other's company. Please show this to the bodyguards and they'll let you in right away. It's a personal invitation from me after all"

"I see...thank you for your kindness Mr Nakamura. We'll see you at the banquet then" Hawks smiles, taking my hand and walking with me away from the man. He waves goodbye to us, and I do the same not wanting to be rude and match Hawks' walking speed

"What happened?" He suddenly asks once we get further away. "I take my eyes off you once and you're gone"

"I was looking for you...I guess I got distracted by everything. Anyways when I realized I had lost you, I started looking around and I accidentally bumped into him. We simply exchanged apologies before you came"

I lets out a relieved sigh, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Don't do that again kid you almost gave me a heart attack. I can't lose you on this trip."

I feel my cheeks begin to flush again, but shake my head, trying to snap myself out of it. He's probably just talking like that because I'm his intern and doesn't want to lose his job if he loses me. 

We decide to make our way back to the hotel after dinner and the sun begins to set. After the room door opens, I throw myself on one of the beds, pulling the covers over my body, gazing at the envelope we got. Hawks is first to jump in the shower, leaving me to myself and my work. I sigh, getting up and making my way to the desk and take out more of my schoolwork to get it finished, only for my gaze to return to the unopened envelope. Letting out a sigh I take and open it, only for it to have the signature of the man we met. Hawks comes out of the bathroom, a towel around his shoulders, without his shirt on.

"H-Hawks!"

"What? My hair is wet"

"Ugh nevermind" I look back at the envelope. "More importantly, don't you think it was weird that he just handed us this?"

"yeah...from what I know no one has ever gotten a personal invitation outside his family"

"That just makes me think that he was fully prepared to meet us today" I place my hand under my chin. "But that's impossible unless he works for the hero agency."

Hawks moves the towel to his hair, moving it around to dry it and puts a shirt on. "We need to have our guard up higher from here on out. Someone knows we're here and that puts both of our lives at risk." He throws a dry towel at me, which I catch with ease and crosses his arms. "Go jump in the shower and get to bed, we have a long two weeks ahead of us."

"Got it"