Episode 3: "The Man in White"
[Scene: Morning. Bookstore is peaceful. A kettle steams softly in the background. Rei sits at the counter, quietly writing inventory notes. Yui dusts the action manga shelf.]
Yui(poking a figurine):You ever think about naming the store?
Rei(writing):No one comes for the name. They come for the quiet.
Yui:Nah, some of them come to stab you.
[Toma, still limping from the last fight, wheels in a new box of books.]
Toma(grunting):Delivery's here… Still don't get how she dislocated my jaw and my dignity.
Yui(smirks):You had dignity?
[Door swings open. A man enters — crisp white suit, white gloves, polished shoes. Blond, clean-cut, charming smile. The bell above the door doesn't ring.]
Man(softly):What a pleasant little shop.
[Everyone freezes.]
Toma(whispers):Uh. Is it me or is this guy... too clean?
Rei(without moving):He's not here for books.
Yui(watching closely):No creases on his suit. No dust on his shoes. No soul in his eyes.
Man in White(approaching the counter):Rei. Or should I say... Specter.It's been a long time.
Rei(eyes narrowing):I don't remember you. Which means you're either nobody — or a cleanup agent.
Man in White(smiling):I'm both. They call me Blank. Because after I show up… nothing remains.
[Blank suddenly leaps across the counter — gloved hand swinging low. Rei dodges, grabs a clipboard, blocks the strike with the backboard. Papers explode like shuriken.]
Yui(already ducking):Not again—!
Toma(diving behind a shelf):DO WE HAVE A PANIC ROOM?!
[Rei slides backward, snatches a metal bookmark, flicks it — it slices through Blank's coat sleeve, nicking his arm.]
Blank(still smiling):You're rusty. That used to be a throat shot.
Rei(steady):You used to be less talkative.
[They clash again — smooth, clean hits. Blank's style is precise, surgical. Rei counters with minimal, efficient blocks. Book shelves tremble.]
[Yui grabs a hardcover from the counter and throws it.]
Yui:Limited Editions! Don't knock 'em over again!
[The book slams into Blank's shoulder. He spins mid-air, lands gracefully, but his smile fades.]
Blank(calmly):The girl has teeth.
Yui(grinning):And a box cutter.
[Blank leaps toward Yui — but Rei grabs a mop, yanks it up, and slams the stick into Blank's gut mid-air. Blank crashes into a display of cookbooks.]
[Silence.]
Toma(peeking from behind a shelf):...Did we win?
[Blank rises slowly. Bleeding. Still smiling.]
Blank(quietly):You've gone soft, Specter. But I'm not here to kill you.
Rei(ready to move):Convincing way of saying hello.
Blank:I'm here to warn you.
[Everyone stares.]
Blank(wiping blood from his lip):They're sending Her.The top of the board. No code name. Just a silence that kills.
Rei(voice flat):I thought she was a rumor.
Blank(heading toward the door):Then you've got about 72 hours to remember how to be a ghost…Or this bookstore's getting a new body count.
[Blank steps out into the sunlight and vanishes into a passing crowd.]
Yui(slowly):Okay. That guy was terrifying in a perfume commercial kind of way.
Toma(sweating):Did he say 72 hours?
Rei(reaching for his tea, calm again):Plenty of time. Unless she's early.
[On a rooftop across town]
[A woman sits silently. Black coat. Eyes closed. Wind blowing her hair. Her fingers rest on the hilt of a short blade. A phone buzzes beside her.]
"Target confirmed. Location: Bookstore."
[She opens her eyes.]
Next Episode: "The One With No Name"