The towering event hall in central Tokyo had been transformed into a matchmaking labyrinth—a shimmering maze of silk-draped booths, glowing lanterns, and winding partitions that turned the space into something between a romance-themed escape room and a speed dating battlefield.
Ava stood at the heart of it all, blinking up at the twenty floors of open balconies above. Each balcony level, each booth, each table, was filled with singles from across Japan, ready for their shot at love. The challenge? Match one hundred compatible couples by the end of the night.
One hundred.
Ava exhaled slowly, her fingers gripping the edge of her clipboard. "This is insane."
Ryan, beside her in a sharp navy blazer and open-collared white shirt, glanced up at the chaos with a crooked smile. "It's not that bad."
Ava shot him a look. "You say that because you're not the one coordinating a hundred people and their emotional baggage in less than six hours."
