Graveyard of the living

Whisper under the cherry blossom

October 21, 2050,

A café in Takachiho Gorge, Miyazaki. The place is bustling with tourists.

**Celine enters the café, scanning for a seat. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods fills the air. A waitress approaches her.**

**Waitress:** "Excuse me, ma'am. We're quite full today, but there's a seat available if you don't mind sharing a table."

**Celine hesitates, then nods.**

**Celine:** "That's fine. Thank you."

**The waitress leads Celine to a small table near the wall where a young man is writing in a pocket diary. Celine sits down and glances at him.**

**Celine:** "Is this seat taken?"

**The young man looks up, slightly startled, and then smiles.**

**Livio:** "No, go ahead. I'm just jotting down some thoughts."

**Celine smiles back and sits down. She orders a 'furattohowaito' and a sandwich. As she waits, she notices Livio's intense focus on his writing. She decides not to disturb him and instead looks around the café, observing the lively atmosphere. A nearby customer watches them with a curious smile.**

**Waitress (returning with the order):** "Here you go, miss. Enjoy your meal."

**As the waitress turns to leave, another customer whispers something to her, and she looks visibly worried. In her distraction, she trips, and the cup of hot coffee tilts precariously towards Livio.**

**Celine, reacting swiftly, tries to knock the cup away but ends up scalding her hand. The hot coffee splashes onto Livio's face. He gasps and looks up, his eyes meeting Celine's.**

**Livio:** "Are you okay?"

**Celine winces, holding her burnt hand under lukewarm water from a nearby dispenser.**

**Celine:** "I'm fine. Really, it's just a small burn. I'm a medical student—I can take care of it."

**Livio, looking concerned, offers her a napkin.**

**Livio:** "Thank you for trying to save me. That was very brave of you."

**Celine:** "It's nothing, really. Accidents happen."

**They both smile awkwardly. The manager approaches, apologizing profusely, but Celine waves it off.**

**Celine:** "No harm done. Honestly, it's okay."

**Livio:** "At least let me treat you to your meal as a thank you."

**Celine hesitates, then nods.**

**Celine:** "Alright, thank you. I appreciate it."

**They share a quiet moment, eating their food. As they finish, they start to chat.**

**Celine:** "By the way, I'm Celine. Thanks for the coffee."

**Livio:** "I'm Livio. Nice to meet you, Celine."

**Celine:** "Nice to meet you too, Livio. What were you writing, if you don't mind me asking?"

**Livio chuckles, tucking his diary away.**

**Livio:** "Just some thoughts. I like to write down anything interesting that happens."

**Celine:** "I can see why you'd write about today, then. It's not every day you get saved from hot coffee."

**They both laugh, easing the tension. As they leave the café together, Celine stumbles, nearly falling. She blushes, embarrassed, and quickly says goodbye before running off. Livio watches her disappear into the crowd, then notices a book on the ground. He picks it up: "Human Behavior."**

**Livio (to himself):** "She'll probably come back for this."

**Later, at home, Livio's younger brother sees the book.**

**Brother:** "What's that?"

**Livio:** "A friend's. Just reading a bit."

---

**Next Day, October 22:**

**Livio returns to the café, hoping to see Celine again. At 9:30 AM, she walks in, scanning the room. She spots Livio and approaches his table.**

**Celine:** "Livio, hi. Did you by any chance find a book titled 'Human Behavior'? I think I dropped it yesterday."

**Livio smiles and pulls the book from his bag.**

**Livio:** "Yes, I did. Here it is."

**Celine:** "Thank you so much! This book is really important to me."

**Livio:** "I'm just glad I could return it."

**Celine:** "By the way, I realized I didn't get your name yesterday. Can I ask now?"

**Livio:** "It's Livio. I'm 23 and a software engineer."

**Celine:** "Nice to meet you properly, Livio. Thanks again for the book."

**Livio:** "No problem. And thank you for your quick reaction yesterday. It could have been a lot worse."

**They exchange numbers, continuing their conversation.**

**Celine:** "Have you heard about the recent murder case of two Tenbu members?"

**Livio looks surprised.**

**Livio:** "Why do you ask?"

**Celine:** "It's just so tragic. They were trying to bring peace, and now this..."

**Livio:** "The world can be a harsh place. Sometimes, the enemy is closer than you think."

**Before Celine can respond, Livio's phone rings.**

**Livio:** "I have to take this. Can we meet again tomorrow?"

**Celine nods, smiling.**

**Celine:** "Sure."

**As Livio leaves, Celine notices that the utensils at their table are bent. She frowns, puzzled but brushes it off, thinking it's a trick. Later that night, they continue their conversation via text, leading to a late-night call where both feel a mix of excitement and nervousness.**

At 10 PM, after a lot of staring, Livio gathered the courage to text Celine. He sent the message and anxiously waited for a reply. Minutes turned into hours, and he grew increasingly despondent. Finally, at 1 AM, his phone buzzed.

**Celine:** I'm sorry, I was playing with my friends and left my phone in my room. Please forgive me. 
**Livio:** It's alright, I don't mind. 
**Celine:** Why are you awake? Do you usually stay up this late? 
**Livio:** Yes, I'm a bit of a night owl. (He lied.) 
**Celine:** Thanks for the gift, but I don't think I can accept it. It's too expensive. 
**Livio:** Please don't say that. You saved my face from getting burnt. It's the least I can do. Will you wear it tomorrow, please? 
**Celine:** Alright, yes. 
**Livio:** Can I call you?

**Celine called him immediately after that text. As they talked, both held their pillows tightly, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. Livio's door was slightly ajar, as was Celine's, who had forgotten to lock it after her friends left.**

**Celine glanced around her dimly lit room while chatting, her voice cheerful. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she noticed two shadowy figures peering at her from the doorway. She gasped, dropping her phone.**

**Celine:** "No, it's not like that, I promise!"

**Livio heard the panic in her voice and the clatter as the call abruptly ended. He sat up, heart pounding, staring at his phone in confusion and fear.**

**Livio:** "Celine? Are you alright?"

**He texted her frantically, waiting for a response. Just as he was about to call again, he felt a chill run down his spine. Looking up, he saw his mother standing in the doorway, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity.**

**Mom:** "Everything okay, Livio? You seem... tense."

**Note:** In this world, phones have advanced significantly. They can be worn like a bracelet, with the screen wrapping around your wrist, or float like a hologram when you want to use them hands-free.