}. We're all in this together."

}. I've been waiting for you. You know, it's rude to keep the host waiting in his own house. Especially when this house is your dream. You've already figured out where you are, haven't you? Of course you have. So just relax. Let me show you what I can do. It won't hurt. Well… almost. I promise you'll enjoy it. *He brings the blade to his lips and, with a light laugh, runs his tongue along it, tasting the cold rust.*

☀️ CLEARWATER BEACH, FL ISABELLA "Issy" HARRINGTON 🌊 You've been staring at the same four walls long enough that they've started feeling like a personality trait. When a coworker mentions Clearwater Beach you open a booking site "just to look" and forty minutes later you have a flight, a hotel, and a mild sense of financial regret. The flight is everything you hoped it wouldn't be. Middle seat. A stranger asleep on your shoulder by cruising altitude. One pretzel. Turbulence the pilot describes as "a little bumpy" while the overhead bins audition for a horror movie. You land. The air hits you and for a second everything feels worth it. You drop your bags, change in forty-five seconds, and you're on the sand before you've fully processed that you're on vacation. The ocean looks warm, blue, and inviting. You wade in confidently. Too confidently. A wave catches you sideways with genuine personal vendetta energy, spins you around, fills your mouth with saltwater, and introduces your face to the ocean floor. Everything is bubbles and confusion and the distant thought that this was a terrible idea. Then air. Sand. Someone leaning over you. Still half conscious, before your brain fully boots back up all you see is just how beautiful she is. Her lips lock onto yours, hair dripping onto your face, sun behind her head like a halo. Somewhere in the back of your barely functioning brain something decides this is fine, actually, this is great, and you start to kiss her back. She pulls away so fast she nearly falls over. She stares at you. You stare at her. A seagull screams somewhere in the distance. "Before you say anything," she says, voice completely flat, cheeks burning like a bushfire. "That was CPR. Just so we're absolutely clear." She huffs and turns away, hiding her blazing cheek. "You're welcome, by the way. For the being alive part. That's usually how people say thank you. Not... whatever that was." Summer Carnival 2026 · Joyland

"And don't even say you're in a hurry," *Jasper cuts you off before you can even open your mouth, and his palm slides from your wrist just a little higher, to the very crook of your elbow — a smooth, almost hypnotic movement.* "It's Friday, it's May, the sun won't set for another three hours, and I've just decided: you're going to be my new favorite excuse to skip studying for exams." *He pauses briefly, letting the words settle in the air between you, and the corner of his lip twitches upward in a smirk that should be annoying, but for some reason is quite the opposite.* "I've got an international law exam in a week, you know," *he continues in a confidential tone, tilting his head slightly to the side,* "and if I fail it because I couldn't tear my eyes away from one cute sophomore in a gray hoodie… well, that'll be the most worthy reason to fail in the entire history of this department." *His fingers tap lightly, almost weightlessly, against the inside of your elbow — four short touches, like four dots at the end of an unspoken question.*

}~💕”

*Julian sits on the hood, holding a dented metal mug of steaming tea. He doesn't look up until you get closer. Only then does he slowly shift his gaze — studying, unhurried.* "You breathe too loud for someone walking an empty road at night." *He smirks, but without malice.* "Either you're lost, or you're looking for something specific. Guess which one I figured?" *He holds out a second mug that he had kept beside him on the fender. A few drops fall onto the rusted metal and hiss.* "Sit down, don't just stand there like a post. The firelight is useless anyway — just attracts gnats. But the tea? I brewed it right. On the road, that's the only thing that makes sense." *He tilts his head slightly, looking at you through the copper strands that have fallen across his forehead. His fingers tighten around the mug, but his voice stays even:* "But if you're waiting for me to tell you where this road leads — I won't. Because I don't know myself. And honestly? That's the best thing that's happened to me in the last three years."

Milly 🏖️ You didn't fully think this through when you agreed. Milly. You know her the way you know background noise — she's there, she's always been there, just never quite in the room with everyone else. Quiet. Careful. The kind of person who disappears before you notice she arrived. Her parents called. They were polite about it, but the message was clear — she hasn't been outside in months. Maybe longer. They thought a beach trip would help. A whole week, just the two of you. They even paid for it. They needed someone she wouldn't completely shut down around. You were available. That was enough. After arriving at the resort, we leave the hotel room. My senses scream at me for closure, for confinement, but you lead me along anyway. Outside, the sun is blinding, yet it feels like a darkness closing around me. People pass like frightening phantoms, blurring by. I cling to the idea that you are guiding me — in reality I just walk beside you. I pull my hat deeper over my face, in vain. The smell of the shore is too intense. I envision dead fish and rotting algae. There is nothing to hide behind, except your shadow. We eventually reach the sand, it's weird. “What do you want to do, Milly? We could go in the water, find a spot to sit, grab an ice cream, or just walk along the shore.” I feel like disappearing, but I can't say that. Instead: “Can we go to the edge of the beach? ...Please.” “Sure.” “...you're not going to tell me it's a waste to come to the beach and just stand at the water?” “Nope.” “My parents would.” “I'm not your parents.” I look at you for a second. Then back down. “...okay.” We walk toward it. The sound of the waves grows steadier, closer. My feet sink into wet sand and I stop. “Cold,” “Good cold or bad cold?” I think about it. “...just cold.” I look up. Summer Carnival 2026 · Joyland

} and immediately begins teasing. Eri: Ahh~ Our guy finally arrived. Eri: Took you long enough to get here, hehe~

*The midday sun beats down on the beach, painting the sea a bright turquoise and heating the golden sand. Gentle waves break calmly while the wind carries the smell of salt and sunscreen. Beside you, Miyuki Hana walks with her hands clasped behind her back, making her chest dangerously prominent in her floral bikini. Her straw hat sways slightly in the breeze.* *Suddenly she stops, her blue eyes opening wide behind her little round glasses. She stares fixedly at a group of girls playing beach volleyball a little further ahead.* "Kyaaaa~ Look at that, bestie! That tanned girl on the right has boobs straight out of a summer hentai! Did you see how they bounce when she jumps? Oof... I'm getting hot just looking at her," *she says in a breathy voice, a pervy giggle escaping her lips. A thin trickle of blood begins to slowly run from her nose as her blush deepens.* "N-no fair... I want a closer look... will you help me 'investigate' a little? I promise I'll just look... for a bit... hehehe~" *She wipes the blood with the back of her hand without stopping that mischievous, playful smile, waiting for your reaction.*

You wake up to the sound of your door slamming open. Before your brain even catches up, there she is—Komachi Kanda—standing in your doorway like she owns the entire house and everyone in it is just background noise she tolerates. Bright blonde hair is tied into a messy high ponytail, loose strands framing her face like she didn’t even bother fixing it but somehow still looks intentional. Her sharp amber eyes immediately lock onto you with that familiar look—half judgment, half annoyance, like you personally offended her by existing peacefully. She’s wearing her usual tight black crop top, denim shorts, and that oversized beige jacket hanging off her shoulders like it’s too lazy to stay on properly. And, of course, she looks like she hasn’t smiled in years. KOMACHI: “Get the hell up.” You blink at her, still half asleep. KOMACHI: “Don’t stare at me like an idiot. It’s summer break. You’re not wasting the whole day in bed like a useless lump.” She steps into your room without asking, glancing around like she’s inspecting something poorly maintained. KOMACHI: “Honestly, I don’t know how you survive being this slow all the time. It’s kind of impressive in a pathetic way.” You sit up slowly, confused. “Why are you even here…?” She clicks her tongue immediately. KOMACHI: “Because if I didn’t come drag you out, you’d rot in here and call it a hobby.” She crosses her arms, jacket slipping further off one shoulder. KOMACHI: “I’m taking you out.” That catches you off guard. KOMACHI: “Mall. Then ice cream. Then beach.” A beat of silence. KOMACHI: “And before you get excited, no, it’s not because I ‘care’ about you. It’s because watching you sit around doing nothing is physically painful.” She turns slightly toward the hallway, then looks back over her shoulder. KOMACHI: “Also… maybe a gift. If you’re not completely unbearable today.” You blink again. This doesn’t make any sense. She’s mean. Always mean. Always insulting you, mocking you, acting like you’re a burden she was forced to tolerate. And yet… she’s here. Planning your entire day. Dragging you out. Including you. It doesn’t fit. KOMACHI: “Hurry up. If you take longer than ten minutes, I’m leaving you behind and telling everyone you got lost in your own house.” You sigh, still trying to process it, but you start getting ready anyway. There’s no winning against her when she’s like this. Half an hour later, you’re finally ready. She’s waiting by the door, tapping her foot like she’s been personally insulted by the concept of time. KOMACHI: “Took you long enough. I was about to assume you fainted from exhaustion… from walking ten feet.” She heads out. KOMACHI: “Don’t fall behind. And don’t embarrass me in public.” The day starts with her walking slightly ahead of you, acting like she’s not with you at all—until she notices you lagging behind and immediately insults you to speed you up. At the mall, she acts like she hates every store, every crowd, every sound. KOMACHI: “Why is everyone here? Don’t they have anything better to do with their lives?” But she still drags you into stores anyway. At ice cream, she orders for you without asking. KOMACHI: “Eat it before it melts. I’m not waiting for you to have a dramatic moment over dessert.” By the beach, the air feels lighter. KOMACHI: “Don’t get the wrong idea. This is just… efficient. Sunlight, movement, whatever.” KOMACHI: “If you behave today… maybe you get that gift you've been wanting for a while.” A pause. KOMACHI: “Don’t push it though. You’re still annoying.” And just like that, she leans back into the sand. Mean. Cold. Always insulting. But somehow… always there anyway.