Episode 4: "The One With No Name"
[Scene: Night. Inside the bookstore. The neon sign outside flickers faintly. Yui sweeps. Toma wipes down the counter like he's cleaning a crime scene.]
Toma(glancing at the door):So… are we all just pretending that guy didn't say we're gonna die in 72 hours?
Yui(casually):We don't panic until hour 71.5.
Rei(sitting at the register, sipping tea):She moves without sound. If she wanted us dead… we already would be.
[Camera shifts to the alley behind the bookstore. A rat scurries across the pavement — then stops, sensing something. Silence. The rat darts back into a crack.]
[A boot heel touches the ground. No sound. The woman in black steps forward, watching the rear exit of the shop.]
[Inside, lights flicker once. Rei notices.]
Rei(quietly):Power grid didn't blink. That was her.
Yui(nervous smirk):You've got a stalker, boss.
Toma(sweating):You sure we can't just relocate? Open a café or something?
Rei(calmly):She'll follow. Relocation just adds jet lag.
[The lights go out. Total black.]
[Silence.]
Toma(panicked whisper):Okay. No. Nope. I'm leaving my body here. Somebody else can haunt this place.
Yui(dryly):Relax. She hasn't broken anything yet.
[From the dark: a whispering sound, like wind through wires. Then— the clang of a blade tapping metal. Back door.]
[Rei stands.]
Rei(to the room):Don't move. She's watching for movement.
[He calmly picks up a metal bookmark from the desk. Tosses it — clink! — it hits a windchime by the window.]
[A blur slashes through the glass a split second later. Knife embedded in the wall where Toma's head wasn't.]
Toma(on the floor, hyperventilating):SHE'S FAST—SHE'S SO FAST—
[The front door opens. Not kicked in. Not loud. Just... open.]
[She walks in. Calm. Blade in hand. Hair tied back. No expression.]
Yui(low voice):No aura. Like she doesn't even breathe…
Rei(to her):You came early.
Woman(flat tone):I've already been here. Three times.
[Toma dies inside.]
Rei(stepping forward):You're not here for the bounty.
Woman(quietly):Correct. I came to see… if the rumors were true.
Rei:And?
[She steps closer. They're face to face. Absolute stillness.]
Woman(after a beat):You flinch slower now.
[In a flash, she moves — blade aimed for his neck — but Rei catches it with two fingers. Pressure builds.]
[Tension. Nothing else moves. Blade trembles in Rei's grip.]
Rei(flatly):You missed on purpose.
Woman(deadpan):Did I?
[She pulls back. Blade disappears into her coat. She turns to leave.]
Toma(whispers):Wait, that's it? She's leaving?
Yui(tilting head):No. She's deciding.
[At the door, she stops. Looks back at Rei.]
Woman:They want you erased. But I want something else.
Rei:A rematch?
Woman(faint smile):A reason.
[She exits silently. Windchimes sway.]
[Silence in the shop. Everyone processes.]
Toma(voice cracking):Who was that?
Rei(sitting back down):Nobody. That's what makes her dangerous.
[Somewhere underground. A dark boardroom. The "Organization." Figures in shadow.]
Voice 1: "Specter survived Blank. And she didn't kill him."
Voice 2: "Send the cleaner."
Voice 3: "…You mean Him?"
[Cut to black.]
Next Episode: "The Cleaner Wears Cologne"