DUO – Episode 2: “Beneath the Tracks”

Theme: Struggle, trust, and the first flickers of ambition

Tone: Quietly intense, tender with unspoken brotherhood

Visual Style: Gritty textures, wet streets, neon haze in shadows

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[OPENING SCENE — CREDITS]

Music: Minimalist piano with distant subway sounds

Montage:

• Morning dew on concrete.

• Vending machines flickering.

• A cat steps between two sleeping boys under a bridge.

• The city pulses, but they lie still—unmoved by the world above.

Title fades in:

DUO — Episode 2: “Beneath the Tracks”

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Scene 1: The World Below

Location: Underpass shelter – Early morning

Music: Distant traffic hum, soft cello

Yuji wakes first. He watches Kusabimaru sleep—mouth slightly open, hoodie pulled over his eyes.

Yuji (V.O.):

“He talked in his sleep. About winning. About being someone.”

Yuji reaches into his coat pocket—an old photograph of his parents, torn at the corner.

Footsteps nearby. A drunk businessman stumbles past. Yuji pulls the blanket tighter around them both.

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Scene 2: Hunger Games

Location: Streets near Tokyo Station

Music: Fast, anxious beat

Kusabimaru scans the crowd like a predator. His eyes lock onto a salaryman buying coffee.

Kusabimaru:

“Big wallet. Weak grip.”

Yuji:

“No.”

Kusabimaru (grins):

“You wanna starve and stay noble?”

Yuji watches a kid his age walk by with headphones and expensive shoes.

He sighs.

Yuji:

“…I’ll distract him.”

The boys run the play. Smooth. Clean. A little thrill in the escape. They vanish into the alley with enough yen for food.

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Scene 3: Rain Ramen

Location: Convenience store steps – Rainy afternoon

Music: Lo-fi with light rain

They sit with steaming cups of ramen, hoods up, legs stretched.

Kusabimaru:

“Ever think about just… leaving Tokyo?”

Yuji:

“No. I have to find the one who did it.”

Kusabimaru (nods):

“Revenge, huh? Better than no reason at all.”

A beat.

Yuji:

“What about you?”

Kusabimaru:

“I wanna build something that makes the world regret giving up on me.”

They slurp silently.

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Scene 4: Shelter and Smoke

Location: Abandoned construction site – Evening

Music: Sparse synth, building tension

They discover an old scaffolding structure—hidden, dry, and with half a roof. It becomes home.

Kusabimaru lights a cigarette. Yuji stares.

Yuji:

“You think that makes you tougher?”

Kusabimaru (laughs):

“No. Just makes the hunger shut up.”

He offers one. Yuji declines.

Kusabimaru tosses it.

Kusabimaru (after a pause):

“You really gonna chase revenge in rags?”

Yuji:

“I’ll start with survival.”

They hang tarps. Lay down cardboard. The city below glows in red and gold.

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Scene 5: The First Spark

Location: Rooftop above their shelter – Night

Music: Hopeful chords slowly rising

Yuji scribbles in a notebook—rough blueprints, sketches of a building with the words: “Hatayo Corp – 2.0”

Kusabimaru (looking over):

“You’re serious.”

Yuji:

“One day, I’ll buy the land under the people who took everything from me.”

Kusabimaru:

“Let me in. We’ll build it together.”

Yuji hesitates. Then slowly passes him a pencil.

Narrator (V.O.):

“The foundation was laid that night. Not of concrete—but of trust.”

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[ENDING SCENE — THE GRIND BEGINS]

Montage (2 mins):

• Kusabimaru running errands for yakuza thugs in return for coins.

• Yuji shining shoes for businessmen while keeping his notebook hidden.

• Counting every yen. Saving. Scraping.

• Side glances at each other—tired, but burning with quiet fire.

Final shot:

The two boys asleep under a flickering streetlamp. One pencil lies between them.

Narrator (V.O.):

“To rebuild the world… you start in its shadows.”

[END CREDITS — soft string piece, manga-style sketches of their days flash by in monochrome.]