Yui found herself sleepless for completely different reasons. The free day had messed with her perception of time. Sitting cross-legged on her plush hotel bed, she squinted suspiciously at the glaring clock on her nightstand waiting for 7 AM so she could hit the ground running. 

There was no real point in sleeping when she had done nothing but try to meditate, and struggle not to touch her laptop all day. She was sure that if she did touch it, her father would know.  

Instead, she paced the room, climbed down by the pool, paced the pool edge, and retreated in distaste when they had the audacity to play music during a work day. She settled for reading one of her business books and listening to a few podcasts on her phone.

At some point, she became so desperate that she even cleaned the hotel room. Eventually, she chanced a trip to a small local supermarket to buy herself a bottle of wine. Instead, she got a mix of three mini champagnes which she enjoyed on her tiny balcony.

It was around 2:30 AM, and close to the bottom of her last small champagne bottle, when her phone rang, displaying Mina’s big, warm smile. Yui was in such a hurry to answer, she dropped her champagne bottle, spilling what was left. But the joy of a distraction, and seeing her best friend awake and looking like herself again, softened the blow.

"Mina, are you ok? I didn’t want to call and wake you up, you had to sleep those off!”

"I'm okay," Mina's voice rang out, her laughter now less of a high-pitched giggle and more of a jovial chuckle. "I probably should have checked the label myself. It’s poor Kesha who has PTSD. She thinks she could’ve killed me.”

Yui made sure her frown was visible on camera. “Well, she could have. But she did fly all the way to Tokyo to take care of you, so…”

“Actually, she came because she met someone online.”

“She’ll never change, will she? She’s been chasing boys since pre-school. But she gets bored of them the moment she catches them” Yui commented, her tone more amused than judgmental.

“Yup” her best friend confirmed “They already split up. But forget that, let’s talk about mister Head Engineer"

A brief silence fell over the conversation as Yui's thoughts veered towards Adam. The obnoxiously carefree engineer had been on her mind more often than she cared to admit. "That guy," she grumbled, a hint of frustration coloring her words, "Can you believe him? He keeps asking me to go to the beach like we’re here on vacation. He’s out all night and then complains when I set an alarm for him. Actually, I think I just heard him get to his room."

She turned to look towards Adam’s adjacent balcony and turned the phone with her, so that her friend could see.

Mina gasped as the light was turned on in the room. From that angle, the camera actually captured more than Yui herself could see.

“Yui… he’s not alone. He is with a… omg… they’re… oh he’s. Omg,” she was not very coherent, but Yui got enough of the idea to sit up abruptly from her comfy balcony chair and retreat to her room.

“I can’t believe him! It’s a work day tomorrow…”

She let her words trail off, an unmistakable blush creeping onto her cheeks. The noises from Adam's room started almost as soon as she sat back down on her bed. They reverberated through the hotel's thin walls, flooding her room with an atmosphere that was far too vivid for comfort. It was an experience she could have done without, but one that had also ignited a flurry of uninvited thoughts and feelings.

Her friend looked as flustered, her cute, round face reflecting Yui’s blush as they stared at each other through the camera.

"Anyway," Mina tried to transition smoothly to another subject. "What are we going to do about ROACH?" She managed to infuse a sense of comic despair into her voice, causing Yui to chuckle despite her previous embarrassment.

"Yeah, Adam's brilliant, but his idea of aesthetics is... troubling," Yui muttered, her tone growing contemplative.

"Troubling? It's like he asked himself, 'how can I make this robot as square and unappealing as possible?' and then took it as a personal challenge."

Taking a deep breath, Yui confessed, "I'm nervous about the presentation the day after tomorrow, Mina."

“It's only natural, Yui. Big things are happening." 

Indeed, big things were happening. Ishida Tech, the company Yui's father had nurtured from a small-time tech start-up to a leading innovator, was on the brink of launching its most ambitious project to date – ROACH. This wasn't just a flashy gadget; it was a pragmatic response to a real-world problem. A hulking, block-like robotic savior, aimed at navigating hazardous terrains and saving lives. A cube in a world of curvy and complex geometrical shapes. Not unlike Adam, Yui realized. He was the kind of man who preferred to keep it simple and straightforward in a world of corporate rules and nuances. And he was just as blockheaded as his robot.

“That’s just it, this is so big, so much bigger than my or even dad’s ambitions. This can save so many lives. What if I mess it up somehow? I wish dad did it himself, journalists always love his every word!”

Mina's face softened with understanding. "Yui, this is your moment. Your father believes in you, and so do I. ROACH is revolutionary, and you've poured your heart and soul into this presentation."

"Yes, it is brilliant! I loved it the moment father sent me the project documentation. Imagine a world where robots like ROACH can crawl into wreckage or scale hazardous terrains to save lives," Yui finally allowed her excitement to show at her friend’s encouragement. "It could revolutionize rescue operations as we know them."

There was a loud bang right against the wall where Yui’s bed was, making both young women fall silent again. The thud became rhythmical. Thud… thud… thudthudthudthudthud. 

“Oh… my god, does he run on batteries?!” Mina gasped.

“I have to go,” Yui said abruptly, cutting off the call just to cover her beet red face with both her hands as she laid on her back on the bed.

But the sounds didn’t stop, a female crescendo was added to the symphony and it matched the rhythm of the insane thuds. 

Even when silence was finally restored, she could not sleep, her ears still ringing, skin still burning from her overactive imagination. It was too easy to picture those sounds coming from her room instead of the one next to her. When she dozed off for the third time only to see Adam’s blue eyes in perfect detail, close to her face as his lips curled in a smirk and his hands… Yui decided enough was enough and got up, going straight for a cold shower. 

When she was sure her mind had been exorcized of unholy thoughts, she adorned her yoga pants and bralette and headed for the balcony, happy to see the sun was finally up. It was a work day, so she saw no problem turning up her Zen music. She placed her phone on the railing between her balcony and started with Downward Dog into Three-Legged Downward Dog after her warm up.

It only took 5 minutes for the balcony door of Adam’s room to open. It was not mister Romeo himself, but his conquest for the night. Even seeing her upside down, Yui had to agree the woman was nothing short of gorgeous. And also, very annoyed.

The woman said something that sounded demanding, throwing her hands up.

“English?” Yui requested calmly sitting up into a Tree pose.

“You stop that. I can’t sleep, puta!” the woman pointed to the phone, her hair ruffled and looking very… thoroughly disheveled. Yui had to look away, closing her eyes to stop her mind from wandering about the specifics of how the woman ended up in that state.

“Then maybe it’s time I called you an Uber,” it was Adam’s voice. Yui decided to move into Half-Moon pose. 

There was a short one-sided, heated argument, where the Moroccan dancer accused Adam of being a pig, to Yui’s secret satisfaction, after which she left in a whirlwind. 

When she straightened up, she found the engineer leaning against the railing, a freshly lit cigarette between his lips and his gaze fixed appreciatively on Yui.

"Hope you noticed the Indian cook eyeballing you," he winked and retreated to his room.

Left alone, Yui turned her head towards the inner courtyard ever so slowly. She was greeted by a toothless grin peering from behind the bushes and an enthusiastic wave. The universe was definitely punishing her for something.