Summer Sojourn

As the shower handle turned, water began filling the space, running through the grooves of the aged emerald green tiles on the floor. "Damn, it's freezing!" Evan complained, feeling the cold water on his sweaty body.

“Don't complain. You need to wash off that pigsty smell, man,” replied Madden, who was showering right next to him in the communal showers of the capsule hotel in Japan where their group of friends was staying during their summer vacation.

Madden grabbed the plastic bottle of soap he had left on the wall shelf behind them, along with the towels, and pressed the dispenser to squirt soap onto his hands. His once curly, blonde hair now hung down his back, straightened by the water. Meanwhile, Evan's short black hair swirled around his forehead as he closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the cold water caressing his features.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Evan asked, shivering under the icy stream.

"I heard there's a karaoke bar nearby," Madden replied, lathering up his hair. "Could be fun."

Evan cracked an eye open, smirking at his friend. "Oh, yeah? Can't wait to hear you butcher some J-pop songs."

Suddenly, soap began oozing from the bottom of the bottle, making the floor slippery, like a sticky gel. Madden held the bottle as the soap flowed toward Evan, who still had his eyes closed and started to notice something slippery beneath his feet, causing him to lose his balance and nearly fall. Evan's eyes shot open, searching for something to grab onto to avoid falling, but there was nothing. A potentially dangerous slip seemed imminent. But at the last moment, he managed to shift his weight forward and regain his balance.

"Nice save! You looked like an ice skater there," Madden laughed.

"Very funny," Evan said, breathing a sigh of relief. "What were you trying to do, make me fall?"

"What are you talking about, man? The bottle was broken, I had no idea. Why would I do that?" Madden said in an exaggeratedly offended tone.

"Why? I don't know, maybe you're still upset that your girlfriend left you for me," Evan speculated.

"That's water under the bridge," Madden dismissed.

"It was just a week ago," Evan pointed out.

"Yeah, and what's your point? It's worse for you, you ended up with someone who can't be faithful," Madden argued, but Evan just laughed.

"Come on, if you go by this logic, nobody would change partners if we couldn't upgrade to a better partner when we see one," Evan reasoned.

"Are you implying you're better than me?" Madden said, now getting angry, as he grabbed both towels from the ledge and stormed out of the showers.

"I meant that I'm better for her... hey, you took my towel! Damn it!" Evan shouted, only to be met with the sound of the door slamming. Just then, a hand holding a grey towel appeared in front of him.

"Here, take this, and let's go. The girls are waiting for us," a voice said.

Evan took the towel, recognizing the slender silhouette of Jonah. His hair was tied in a not-so-neat ponytail. The geek rarely cared about his appearance, unlike Evan and Madden, who were always at the gym perfecting their bodies.

"Thanks, man. It's that idiot Madden's fault," Evan grumbled as he dried himself off.

"I figured as much," Jonah replied with a shrug. "You two are always bickering like an old married couple."

Evan couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, well, that's what friends are for, right?"

"I suppose so," Jonah said with a smile. "Now, hurry up. We don't want to keep the ladies waiting."

Jonah might not have been as outgoing or athletic as Evan and Madden, but he brought a sense of balance to their group. His intellect and calm demeanour often acted as a counterpoint to the more impulsive and competitive nature of Evan and Madden's friendship.

"Does this top look good on me? I don't want to overdo it either," Leah said, smoothing out the wrinkles on her newly purchased piece of clothing.

"What are you telling me? If you're trying to impress Madden with that, forget it. Ever since he and Mia broke up, he doesn't seem interested in relationships," Remi replied, not taking her eyes off the horizontal screen of her mobile, frantically moving her fingers.

"You haven't even looked at me! Can't you take your eyes off your Summer Hunting Event for a minute and tell me if this color suits me?" Leah insisted.

"Besides, I didn't say I came on this trip to try and hook up with Madden. I know it's still fresh, but he'll have to get over it eventually. We're too young to be suffering for love," Leah continued.

"Just because we're not 40 doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to be dumped. Besides, don't you think it's weird wanting to hook up with Madden? I mean, we've been friends since we were little, in that beach town where we used to vacation.

It's almost like hitting on your brother," Remi said, still focused on her favourite game's hunting event, "Run & Hunt."

Leah sighed. "Look, I'm not saying I want to jump his bones right away. I just think maybe there could be something there. We have a history together, and we get along well."

Remi paused her game and finally looked up at Leah. "I get it, but be careful, okay? You know how guys can be, and Madden's always been a bit of a wild card. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll tread carefully. For now, let's just focus on having a good time on this trip. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to test the waters with Madden," Leah said with a hopeful smile.

Remi nodded, returning her attention to her game. "Sounds good. Just promise me you won't let this whole thing with Madden ruin our vacation, alright?"

"Cross my heart," Leah promised, making a crossing gesture over her chest.

"Now tell me, doesn't my blonde hair perfectly match this pink tank top?" Leah insisted.

"Yeah, I suppose it does. I guess us brunettes can't pull off pink," Remi teased.

"If you ever let your hair down, I'd know whether you're actually a brunette, but you always keep it in that bun. Don't you want to attract someone?" Leah asked.

"I want to attract this zombie, kill it, and move on to the next stage in my game. That's all I want," Remi said, sticking her tongue out in concentration.

Just then, Leah's phone beeped with a message notification. "Where are you guys? I'm looking for you, and Remi's not replying to my messages," the message from Madden read.

"Remi, did Madden send you a message?" Leah asked.

"No idea, I have notifications turned off. I'm in an important event, you know? I can't exit the app to check chats," Remi explained.

Leah sighed. "So he only messaged me because you weren't answering him?" she thought out loud, glancing out the window of the beach clothing store they were in.

Leah typed a quick reply to Madden, letting him know they were almost done shopping and would meet up with him soon.

Just as Leah hit send on the message, a beach ball came flying through the open window at full speed. Leah managed to dodge it just in time, leaving Remi exposed on a sofa behind her, which would cause the ball to hit her directly on the head. Upon seeing this, Remi instinctively raised her hand holding her mobile phone and stopped the ball with the device.

"Damn ball, a zombie got away because of you," Remi grumbled.

Leah looked out the window at the Okinawa beach, which was bustling with tourists playing ball, volleyball, and swimming. "Someone must have lost their ball. Sorry for moving away, honey. It was just a reflex," Leah apologized.

But Remi didn't pay attention, she was too busy trying to fix her mistake and catch the escaped zombie on her game. "For the record, I would've caught that zombie if it weren't for the beach ball attack. Wait, someone stole the loot of cartridges I had while I was distracted for a moment?! Who the hell is this player Dolly?" Remi complained.

"That wouldn't happen if the game wasn't cooperative and you could pause whenever you want to continue later. This would keep you more grounded," Leah said, rolling her eyes.

"This character has come straight to steal from me. They had to know my ID, or else..." Remi trailed off when Madden walked in triumphantly, holding up his mobile and a bag of clothes, whistling.

"Dolly beat you, little one!" he said gleefully.

"It was you? Damn you, dude!" Remi complained.

"It was too easy," Madden chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.

"Ugh, I can't believe I fell for that," Remi grumbled.

"Where's Evan? Wasn't he with you in the showers?" Leah asked, closing the distance between them.

"Uh, yeah, he should be coming soon," Madden replied, eager to change the subject.

"Anyway, I need Jonah to tell me how to reprogram my bot. I can't leave the game unattended while we're diving. I'll lose all my loot," Remi said, still focused on her gaming dilemma.

"You know, sometimes I think your love for virtual reality outweighs your appreciation for the real world," Madden teased.

"Oh, please. The real world is just one big game with less-predictable rules. At least in a game, you can level up and have fun doing it," Remi quipped back.

Remi's expression turned somber, as if remembering something painful. "Well, we can go eat now. No need to wait for fools like Evan," Madden said. "Who's in?"

Leah smiled, secretly happy about the idea of having more of Madden's attention to herself. She had always found him attractive, but lately, with his regular gym workouts, his physique had become even more alluring in her eyes.

"I'm in. If Evan doesn't come, nobody will notice anyway," Remi said.

"Well, well, someone hasn't gotten over the incident," Madden said, emphasizing the word 'incident' in a dramatic tone.

"Still bothers you, huh?" Leah asked, looking at Remi's foot.

Remi glanced down at her foot. "Sometimes, but it's nothing," she said.

A few years ago, during a rugby game, Evan had made an illegal tackle from behind on Remi, applying excessive force on her foot and twisting it into an abnormal position. The physical contact resulted in a severe ligament injury, forcing Remi to quit rugby and other high-risk sports. Since then, she had turned to video games as her new hobby.

"He didn't do it on purpose, Remi. He didn't even realize it was you," Leah said, knowing that everyone was thinking about that incident.

"I know, I know," Remi sighed. "It's just hard not to think about it sometimes. But let's not dwell on the past. I'm starving.”

Madden put a hand on Remi's shoulder. "You're a champ, Remi. And Leah's right, it was an accident. I'm sorry it happened."

Remi gave him a faint smile.

The shop assistant at the souvenir store finally emerged from the back room and, in broken English, tried to tell them that this wasn't a bar and they either had to buy something or leave. The shopkeeper's continuous and nervous shuffling seemed to activate the creaking they heard above their heads, and a strip of flag ceiling gave way. Leah, who was holding onto the clothes rack she was trying on, stood right below. Leah didn't even see the sudden attack coming. When suddenly, a pair of arms pushed her away from danger. The wooden board fell loudly beside her, as if dividing the area between them. Leah found herself on the floor but safe and sound.

"You weigh a little too much for these things," Jonah complained from beneath her. Leah blushed slightly and quickly got up, helping Jonah to his feet.

"Thanks for the save," Leah said gratefully, brushing off her clothes. "Talk about a way to kick us out of his shop! Seems like he’s not fan of Americans."

Madden and Remi joined them, looking equally shocked and amused. "Let's find a proper bar where the ceiling doesn't try to attack us,” Madden laughed.

As if on cue, Evan burst through the door, slightly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late, guys. Madden and I got into a bit of a towel fight in the showers. Don't ask," he explained, chuckling sheepishly.

"Well, we're all here now," Madden said, giving Evan a slightly unfriendly look. Jonah was smiling at Leah, and she turned away, somewhat embarrassed, while Remi kicked the wooden board that the shopkeeper was now picking up.

"Let's get going to the karaoke bar then," Evan suggested, breaking the tension. "We don't want to miss out on a night of terrible singing and some repulsive uncooked food."

Everyone laughed, and they made their way down the bustling street.

"Hey, just wanted to make sure you're okay after that close call. Jonah's pretty quick on his feet, huh?" Madden approached Leah.

"Yeah, he saved me from a potential concussion. Thanks for checking in. You ready to show off your karaoke skills?"

"Born ready! Though I doubt I can compete with Jonah's heroics."

Leah smiled, though she felt it wasn't entirely genuine. She had thought that if Madden paid attention to her, she would be happy. But now, seeing him seemingly jealous of Jonah, for some reason, she didn't feel that way. Perhaps deep down she knew that Madden wouldn't have been the one to risk saving her, maybe he wasn't the strong and brave man she had romanticized. Maybe Remi was right and she should forget about Madden, perhaps focus on someone else? Her gaze shifted towards Jonah who was enthusiastically talking with Remi about programming a bot for gaming. Evan was walking on the other side of Remi, observing everything around them.

They entered a karaoke bar called "VocaPunk." Inside, the place was filled with panels simulating holographic robots, one for each table, that acted as servers. The panels could record orders and even give the private capsule number for singing on the floor above. The Japanese waiters were busy at the bar and attending to other tables.

Leah was immediately drawn to the futuristic ambiance and watched as a holographic robot greeted them in a mechanical voice, "Welcome to VocaPunk. May I take your drink orders?"

"This place is wild," Madden commented, glancing around in awe.

"Agreed," Remi chimed in. "I wonder if they have a gaming section. Imagine playing VR games while eating!"

Evan, who had been taking in the sights, nudged Jonah and gestured towards the stage where a group was singing a lively Japanese pop song. "Looks like the competition is fierce up there."

The group sat down at a small but cozy table, where the napkins were made of transparent plastic with a very cyberpunk style, and lit up when they were lifted. Together, they ordered several typical dishes, including tempura, prawn crackers, ramen, and yakisoba chicken.

"No soy sauce for me, please," Remi said in strained Japanese. "Shoyu nashi de onegai shimasu, allergy ga aru desukara."

"We've come to a great place for a summer vacation, considering someone with so many allergies," Madden teased. "You're easily poisoned."

"Shut up, I'll poison you with this knife," Remi said, raising her utensil while the waiter looked at her fearfully, but then smiled, pretending to catch on to the joke. The waiter, having regained his composure, took their orders and left the table.

The group that was singing on stage came down and approached their table, handing the microphone to Jonah. "Oh no, I can't sing," he protested.

"Come on, Jonah, don't be shy!" Madden exclaimed. "We all know you have a hidden talent."

"Yeah, Jonah, don't chicken out on us now," Remi added.

Leah watched as Jonah's face turned a bit red. He hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Alright, fine. But you all better sing with me."

They cheered as Jonah reluctantly made his way to the stage. The group huddled together, browsing through the song selection on the tablet provided by the bar.

"How about something classic?" Evan suggested. "Maybe 'Don't Stop Believing' by Journey?"

"Ooh, that's a good one!" Leah agreed, and the rest nodded in approval.

Jonah took a deep breath and started singing. Much to everyone's surprise, he had a great voice, hitting all the notes perfectly.

Leah's eyes sparkled. "He's an avid hacker. I'm sure he's activated the auto-tune on his phone,” Remi whispered to her. The group started eating while Jonah continued singing, as their food had already been served. Suddenly, Remi began to turn blue and her throat started to swell. Leah's eyes widened in horror, frozen and unsure of what to do.

Jonah, with his eyes closed and fully immersed in his singing, belted out the song at the top of his lungs, unknowingly performing a deathly symphony. Madden began to shake Remi as if trying to dislodge something stuck in her throat. "Remi, Remi! Don't leave us!"

"She's not choking, it's anaphylaxis. She must have eaten soy!" Evan exclaimed, rummaging through Remi's backpack until he found an epinephrine auto-injector and forcefully injected it into her thigh.

The bar fell silent as everyone's attention turned to Remi, who started to breathe more easily as the medication took effect.

Jonah opened his eyes, confused as to why the cheers and applause had ceased. He looked around, only to see the worried faces of his friends and the still-pale Remi in Leah's arms.

"What happened?" Jonah asked, rushing over to them.

"It's Remi," Leah replied, her voice trembling. "She had an allergic reaction. Evan just gave her an epinephrine shot."

Jonah's face drained of color as he realized the gravity of the situation. "I... I didn't know," he stammered, guilt and worry written all over his face.

"It's not your fault, Jonah," Evan reassured him. "You were focused on singing, and we didn't notice anything until it was too late. But she's going to be okay now."

Jonah nodded, approaching her with shaking hands. He knelt beside Remi, gently taking her other hand. "I'm sorry, Remi. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Remi managed a weak smile. "It's not your fault, Jonah. But hey, you were great up there. But be honest, did you use auto-tune?"

"Yes, yes, I activated it with my phone," Jonah admitted in a strained voice, as if it was forced out, with hypochondria taking over.

"Hey, waiter!" Madden exclaimed, banging his fist on the table. "Tell your boss we're going to sue! We told you no soy, and this girl almost died!"

A Japanese man in a suit emerged from a door and approached them with his hands clasped behind his back, bowing respectfully. "We not add soy, as asked. Probably girl eat plate not for her," he said, attempting to speak English.

Leah's face reddened with embarrassment. "Madden, stop it. It's not their fault. Remi could have accidentally eaten something from our plates with soy in them. We should just focus on getting her to the hospital."

The Japanese man nodded, relieved that Leah was calming the situation. "I call already. Ambulance on way. Please wait."

The group fell silent, anxiously waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Remi's breathing had stabilized, but her skin was still pale and clammy.

Jonah excused himself and headed to the bathroom. As he walked away, Leah watched him. She wondered if he was okay, knowing how shaken up he was about Remi's allergic reaction. Evan followed him with his gaze, then turned to Leah and Madden. "I think we should cut the night short. It's not right to continue partying when Remi's in this condition."

Madden sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. "Yeah, you're right. It wouldn't feel right without her."

Leah nodded in agreement, her mind still on Jonah. "Do you think we should check on him? He seemed pretty upset."

Evan stood up. "I'll go. He might need some space, but it can't hurt to make sure he's okay."

As Evan walked towards the bathroom, Leah hoped he would be able to provide some comfort to Jonah, who clearly needed it. Back at the table, Madden leaned over to Remi, whispering something that elicited a weak smile from her, while Leah watched them closely with a serious and scrutinizing expression.

Jonah locked himself in a stall in the men's restroom, trembling. He pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialled a number, sweat trickling down the sides of his shaved face. The person on the other end answered promptly, though they didn't say anything initially.

"This has gone too far, I can't do this anymore," Jonah said, his voice shaky with nerves. "The stuff with the showers and beach ball was one thing, but this is too much."

The person finally spoke, their voice calm and collected. "Relax, Jonah. Only two have passed the test so far, the others don't qualify. You're doing well."