Episode 1
The Rose Café, Easthaven, August 17, 1900 hours
A young man walks quickly towards a table occupied by three young women.
One of the women is watching the evening news on the café's TV-screen.
Brett Whitney
Hey guys, sorry I'm late.
Aimi Hata
Brett-san, where have you been?!
Brett Whitney
Traffic jam.
Courtney Carr
Traffic jam in a small town like Easthaven?
Courtney Carr
Most unlikely.
Brett Whitney
It's true! I promise you!
Brett Whitney
If it weren't for the accident, I'd have...
Mizuki Kuba
Wait... What accident?
Mizuki Kuba
Are you talking about the traffic accident we're seeing right now on the news?
Mizuki Kuba points at the café's TV-screen behind Brett at the far end of the room.
Aimi Hata
Not us, Mizuki-chan.
Aimi Hata
Only YOU were watching the news.
Brett Whitney
Quiet! I want to hear.
Brett sits down next to Mizuki.
Male newsanchor
...The traffic accident involved two cars and a lorry, which rammed into the smaller cars.
Male newsanchor
So far there's one person declared dead and three other people heavily injured.
Male newsanchor
Can you tell us more about the situation, Sally?
Female reporter
Of course Jim.
Female reporter
Apparently the lorry's breaks were malfunctioning so the driver lost the control of the vehicle.
Female reporter
The lorry came over to the lane of the approaching cars which couldn't avoid the collision with the vehicle.
Male newsanchor
How horrible.
Male newsanchor
Can you tell us more about the victims?
Female reporter
Well, the police have identified the death victim of the tragic accident.
Female reporter
It's Larieke Owens, a 25 year old female from Georgia, USA...
Everyone at the table freezes as soon as they hear the victim's name.
Mizuki Kuba
No... No, no, no!!!
Courtney Carr
She was on her way here...
Brett Whitney
Man... we were both on the same road...
Aimi Hata
*Tears begin to flow from her eyes*
Everyone is silent for a long time.
Courtney Carr
*Clears her throat*
Brett Whitney
What, Courtney-san?
Courtney Carr
I don't know if it's a good idea to bring it up now...
Aimi Hata
Just say what you want.
Aimi takes out a handkerchief, wipes the tears away from her face and blows her nose.
Aimi Hata
Don't beat around the bush, Courtney-chan.
Courtney Carr
Okay then...
Courtney Carr
Guys, do you know of the rumour about young people like us getting strange and weird phone calls?
Brett Whitney
You mean like when you get a call from your future self which predicts your future death?
Brett receives an elbow towards his chest by an enraged Mizuki.
Mizuki Kuba
It's not funny, Brett-san.
Courtney Carr
I'm not thinking about that horror movie series, Brett-san.
Courtney Carr
*Looks sternly at Brett*
Courtney Carr
Anyway, it's been like this in Easthaven in the last two weeks.
Courtney Carr
Several young people have received mysterious phone calls with strange messages.
Courtney Carr
Even I don't understand it either.
Courtney Carr
It seems the recipients receive a prediction about their luck or their... Demise.
Brett Whitney
What kind of luck could the recipients get?
Courtney Carr
"Luck" is perhaps not the correct way of describing it.
Courtney Carr
It's more like, getting your desires fulfilled.
Aimi Hata
What, like me "desiring" to become a famous model in video games?
Mizuki Kuba
Or to manage to get a significant other?
Brett Whitney
Or to win the lottery?
Courtney Carr
Yes, yes AND yes.
Courtney Carr
Something like that.
Mizuki Kuba
But then you also said...
Courtney Carr
...That the call could predict one's death?
Courtney Carr
It's a 50% chance to either get a good or a bad prediction.
Courtney Carr
And once you've gotten the call, there's no way to stop it from happening.
Mizuki Kuba
Which kind of people do get those calls?
Mizuki Kuba
Apart from young people, I mean?
Brett Whitney
Why are we even sitting here and talking about a two week old rumour?
Brett Whitney
Shouldn't we talk about what to do for Larieke-san's family instead?
Aimi Hata
Brett-san, why are you even trying to change the subject?
Brett Whitney
I wasn't...!!!
Mizuki Kuba
Let Courtney-chan continue!
Courtney pauses for a long time before she takes a deep breath and continues talking.
Courtney Carr
Because Larieke-san is apparently a victim of those calls!
Again, everyone becomes silent.
Brett Whitney
*Shakes his head*
Brett Whitney
You can't be serious, Courtney-san.
Brett Whitney
Courtney-san, do you even hear yourself?!
Aimi Hata
*Shakes her head and becomes annoyed*
Aimi Hata
Brett-san, please...
Brett Whitney
This is getting more and more ridiculous.
Brett Whitney
Stop interrupting me, Mizuki-san!
Brett Whitney
Aren't you all realising this sounds like a plot for a bad B-horror movie?!
Brett Whitney
I think this is an insult to Larieke-san's memory to talk about anything else...!
Aimi Hata
Everything is about you, isn't it?
Brett Whitney
*Becomes annoyed*
Brett Whitney
What the...?!
Mizuki Kuba
Brett-san, I understand that you're in shock...
Brett Whitney
Oh, playing the good old doctor, eh?
Aimi Hata
HEY! What has Mizuki-chan ever done to you to treat her like that?!
Brett Whitney
And YOU just have to play her knight in shining armour...
Courtney had slammed on the table with both of her clenched fists.
Courtney Carr
Brett-san, I think you're being rude now.
Courtney Carr
Do you honestly believe that I talked about the rumour just to distract ourselves from the serious situation?
Brett Whitney
You know what?
Brett Whitney
I actually DO!
Brett Whitney
I have been in a traffic jam for 2 hours because of that accident which took Larieke-san away from us.
Brett Whitney
For. 2. HOURS!!!
Aimi Hata
Were you actually close to the accident at all?
Aimi Hata
You weren't in danger during those two hours.
Aimi Hata
But Larieke-san was.
Aimi Hata
And now she's dead.
Aimi Hata
Can you imagine how Larieke-san must have felt during the last seconds of her life?
Brett Whitney
*Shakes his head angrily*
Mizuki Kuba
Do you think Larieke-san would be happy to see all of us quarrel with each other right now?
Mizuki Kuba
I'd like to understand why Larieke-san apparently was another "phone victim".
Brett Whitney
But I don't.
Brett Whitney
Because I think it's irrelevant.
Brett Whitney
Larieke-san was a victim of a traffic accident.
Brett Whitney
No supernatural forces here.
Brett Whitney
Case. Closed.
Aimi Hata
Then you know what?
Aimi Hata
I think you should leave.
Aimi Hata
If Brett-san doesn't want to listen anymore...
Aimi Hata
If Brett-san wants all of us to do things HIS way...
Aimi Hata
Then I think he should LEAVE.
Brett Whitney
I think I'm with a bad company anyway.
Courtney Carr
*Fighting against her upcoming tears*
Courtney Carr
You're such an idiot...
Brett Whitney rises up from the table and goes angrily in the direction of the exit.
Mizuki Kuba can only helplessly look at him leave.
Five university students had planned to spend their evening together in The Rose Café before the start of the autumn semester.
But now, one has died and one has left the group angrily.
Is their friendship in danger?
But the worst is yet to come...
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