Cheeky -trasgredire- -

Nina watches her grandfather flinch. He stands up. He apologizes to the ceiling.

He grabs Nina’s hand. They waltz past the recycling chute. They shimmy past the elevator that plays soothing nature sounds.

“It’s civility,” Elio replies, but his voice wavers. Cheeky -trasgredire-

“Grandpa,” Nina says, staring at the wall. “Why is your apartment the color of a headache?”

Not loud. Just… present. Cheeky.

Nina scrolls through the Civitas feed. A notification: Unit 4B, thank you for sorting your compost into 14 categories. Your Harmony Score is 98.4.

No one complains.

No music above 40 decibels after 8 PM. No cooking with garlic in the central ventilation. No walking barefoot in the hallways (acoustic disturbance). No unapproved plants on balconies.