finally, after a week-long of sleepless nights and coffee-scented mornings- the night of the banquet has arrived.

the soft jazz coming from the rented performers surely did their job on livening up the venue despite being in the presence of bonten- japan's most dangerous criminal organization out there.

other than them, only the top board executives from the bouncing ball corporation were invited to attend the welcoming ceremony.

the venue was magnificent, to say the least, guests albeit shocked that all of this was only planned for an entire week by the young manager- l/n y/n.

satin table cloths with the finest china above them, the most expensive wine filling up their cups as all of them chattered at the open area of the place.

the strong smell coming from the floral bouquets and the mixture of the men's strong colognes wafted all over the place- thank god that the place was connected to an open garden to mellow down their scents.

as everyone chattered to pass the time, a table located on the side was being fully occupied by bonten executives who were having their own small conversation.

"should've left me to be in my apartment." sanzu haruchiyo groaned, downing his nth cup of wine of the night.

"this entire banquet was held for us, so at least show some common courtesy by attending." akashi takeomi scolded, taking the glass from the strawberry-haired man and putting it away to prevent him from collapsing before the event could even start.

the night was still young yet many were already there, not even the manager nor her father were there- talk about promptness.

as the bonten's number two kept on whining his ass out towards the haitani brother's- dark eyes scanned the ballroom, trying to find that familiar (h/c) hair that he was used to seeing all week.

kokonoi hajime had an arm draped on his chair, legs crossed together as he sat beside mochizuki kanji who was busy glaring at everyone who dared to pass their table.

hitto kakucho seemed to notice how antsy the man was being and decided to slide him a glass of wine.

"lighten up and enjoy the party that you've worked all week for." the silver-haired man nodded at him in silent gratitude, taking the glass from him and gulping it down in one go.

the bittersweet taste of the alcohol invaded his senses as it left a hot trail on his neck- though nothing that he had once felt before.

it is quite true and fair that he should enjoy the night while it lasted- he didn't wake up early and leave the company always at dawn to just treat this event as nothing.

he could still remember the times where he had to support the young manager on her feet because she had way too many cups of coffee to drink- even tried to mix alcohol in it in the belief that she'll be more lively than ever.

ah yes, l/n y/n, the woman that always plagued his mind 24/7.

kokonoi didn't know how it started to be honest, but ever since the two had their little milkshake run a week ago- he felt some sort of connection towards the (h/c) haired woman that he hadn't felt since he came to her office.

was it the way that she dresses? or how elegant she is in everything that she does that even her speech matched her beauty?

or was it the fact that he once tried kissing her when she was taking her nap on her desk?

surely any normal man wouldn't just fall for someone just because they tried kissing a woman- but to him, it felt different, like he was drawn to plant his lips on her soft-looking ones.

the thought of someone made him stop his actions that day, half-lidded eyes looking down on her with unreadable emotions swirling in them- it was as if he had his own storm to handle.

"you should only kiss the person that you like."

could it be that he likes her now? enough to finally man up and kiss her? he didn't know.

to him, l/n y/n was nothing but his boss- a woman who carries a title on her back yet somehow manages to walk gracefully on a floor of broken glass.

she was everything that any man would've wanted, would've killed to have her by their side throughout their lifetime.

was kokonoi part of that crowd that swarmed her and praised even the ground that she walks at? possibly yet not quite.

the silver-haired man was snapped out of his thoughts when mochizuki nudged him, every one from his table standing up as the guests piped their chatter down.

eyes all trained at the open doors- the sight of the (h/c) haired manager and her father greeting them as the two walked in with their heads held high.

l/n f/n left his daughter's side as he greeted the guests, giving them a semi-forced smile whilst apologizing for the wait. he wasn't really sorry for making them wait though, the man could care less.

sano manjiro left the table and approached the businessman, shaking hands with him and thanked him for throwing such an event for their partnership.

"i'm sorry for the wait gentlemen." y/n approached the table with a smile on her face, hair cascading down her shoulders as her dress added to the flair of dramatics.

the gorgeous (f/c) long, body tight gown hugged her figure- it was the first time anyone has seen her dress up so sophisticatedly for such an occasion.

sanzu haruchiyo, being bonten's number two stepped up as sano's representative who was busy with the woman's father.

"it's quite alright. you look beautiful as always miss manager." kokonoi swore that he felt like he was just about to gag when those words left his lips.

y/n chuckled, bowing at him as she looked at the other seated executives with the same smile on her face.

"i take it that you all are enjoying yourselves?" she asked, eyes training at a certain man who was trying to busy himself with his empty wine glass.

"absolutely. we're all quite surprised when staff told us that this was all planned in just a week- with only you and kokonoi planning for it."

"i'm glad you men like it."

the woman gave them one last smile before bowing- turning back towards her father who was getting ready for the introductions along with sano at his side.

dark eyes stayed trained on her figure as he sat there on his seat with his mind in a daze; flying him up to cloud nine as everyone walked back to their tables and left the manager, the owner, and the sponsor there on the open floor.

their words entered his ear and left on the other, unable to process what was really happening as the claps from the guests merely served as his white noise.

the silver-haired man was snapped out of his trance when the applause ended, conveniently looking up just as y/n walked past him.

the smell of vanilla and (f/scent) plagued his senses, head turning to see the woman leave the venue and into the open garden with soft strides.

before he could even register what was happening, his body acted on its own and stood up from his chair that caused his co-workers to look at him in confusion and wonder.

"you good?" rindou asked, receiving a nod as a reply.

the executives all watched as one of their own walked past those doors and into the starry night with wonder hovering all over their heads.

though they knew that if they were to ask the man himself, he'll just lie his way out of the situation like always and they'd get nothing out of him.

this was kokonoi hajime they were talking about- one of the most secretive man in their group that not even sanzu nor kakucho could crack open.

the dewy grass left soft crunches under her heels as y/n walked through the small garden to calm her senses- albeit overwhelmed by the strong scent of masculinity inside of the venue. if she knew that they would all wear their strongest colognes then she should've booked an open venue.

(e/c) eyes kept themselves busy looking at the moonless night sky, enjoying the way that the night was illuminated by the small glowing rocks above her head.

the sight gave her an unwanted feeling of deja vu, sighing to herself as she sat on one of the wooden benches provided by the hotel- trying to busy herself from her fucked up mind that wanted to bring back the past.

it wasn't her fault that she wanted to get a little breather before going back in, an innocent little stroll that turned into a trip to memory lane.

to the way on how the leaves would dance with the wind and the starry night sky above her made her remember that time when she confessed her love to someone that she held close to her.

she was really foolish- l/n y/n, lowering herself just because of some man that her father and friend labeled as the promise-breaker.

the young manager was doing just fine the past few days without even having a single thought about him- and it all ended when her eyes stared above her.

it was better when she was with kokonoi hajime, the man successfully taking her mind off of him without even knowing what he was doing- a gift sent from the heavens if you'll ask her.

to her, he was nothing but her assistant- a man who carries the same characteristics that made her fall in love with the man who broke her heart.

she was truly dumb, childish even.

though, the way his dark eyes would always meet hers in unsuspecting times would always cause her heart to skip a beat.

y/n groaned, closing her eyes with a small scowl on her face.

"gosh, i just wanted to have a stroll god damnit."

"woah there."

the (h/c) haired woman straightened her back and looked to her side, kokonoi hajime standing there with an amused grin on his face. she felt her cheeks heating up- albeit embarrassed that someone had caught her talking to herself.

"kokonoi, what are you doing here?" she asked, the man simply shrugging and walking up to her.

"i just wanted to have a stroll, 'god damnit'"

kokonoi snickered when he heard her groan again, looking down at her distressed figure who had a visible frown that tainted her beautiful face.

he can tell that she had something running across her mind, desperately trying to forget about it just when he came by and saw her.

"well, let's take that stroll together, shall we?" (e/c) eyes looked up at his soft features- although there wasn't a smile on his face and he did seem to not genuinely smile at all, there was still emotions on his features that made her heart melt.

the silver-haired man had a hand outstretched towards her, brows raising in question as he waited for her to take it and proceed on their needed walk.

"oh- alright."

no one uttered anything from there on, simply listening to the distant chatter coming from the party inside and the crunches that the grass was making under their feet.

they followed an imaginary path along the garden, handy ground lamps serving as their guide that took them to a separate garden that's albeit bigger than the other.

a big wisteria tree stood tall and proud in the middle, beautiful purple flowers cascading down like how rain would all over their city.

"i never knew such place existed." y/n muttered in awe, leaving his side and walked closer to the illuminated tree in wonder.

kokonoi watched her roam around the place as the faint, sweet smell of the wisteria's blossoms clouded his mind to avoid him from ever thinking straight.

he admired her from where he was, walking along the edges of the garden as the woman stood on the base of the tree with a hand on its trunk- kind of reminds him of a kid who just saw a tree for the first time.

"'kashi, doesn't this look like something out of a dream to you?" y/n turned with a smile on her face that made the silver-haired man's heart thump on his chest- even though he knew that her sentence and happiness wasn't directed to him.

(e/c) eyes widened in realization, walking up to him with an apologetic look on her face as she continuously apologized.

"i'm so sorry, i wasn't aware that i-"

"god stop rambling and shut up."

someone once told him that you should only kiss the person that you like, and under no circumstance should you kiss them if you only view them as another.

kokonoi hajime had his eyes closed, head tilted just right to fit his lips right on her soft ones.

l/n y/n had her eyes widened in surprise, unable to process what was currently happening- yet made no efforts on breaking contact with him.

the stars from above watched as the two stood there with their lips interlocked and eyes closed, savoring the moment that should've been lovely and sweet; if only it wasn't for the fact that the both of them viewed each other as their first love.

in their eyes, l/n y/n saw mitsuya takashi- and kokonoi hajime saw inui akane.

to hallucinate is a way to break the heart, yours is not exempted.