DUO – Episode 4: “Fire on the Tracks”

Theme: Growth meets danger. The first spark of real conflict.

Tone: Sharp, suspenseful, fast-moving with an undercurrent of ambition.

Visual Style: Darker colors, gritty alley lighting, blooming city neons at night

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[OPENING CREDITS]

Music: Urgent percussion, neon visuals of train stations, flashing markets, and faces in passing trains.

Title:

DUO – Episode 4: “Fire on the Tracks”

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Scene 1: Market Hustle

Location: Morning Flea Market – Open lot under highway

Yuji arranges items on their makeshift table—secondhand headphones, watches, a half-repaired game console. Kusabimaru paces nearby, calling out to customers.

Kusabimaru:

“Cheap tech! Guaranteed by this guy’s face!”

Yuji (deadpan):

“That’s not reassuring.”

Montage:

• Kusabimaru charming a teenage couple into buying cracked sunglasses.

• Yuji explaining technical details of an old laptop to a college student.

• Together, they count money behind the stall.

They’re building something, slowly but surely.

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Scene 2: A Threat Appears

Location: Alley behind the market

That evening, two older teens from a local gang confront them.

Gang Leader (Reiji):

“You’re taking space that’s not yours. This market’s ours.”

Kusabimaru (stepping forward):

“Didn’t see your name on the trash.”

Reiji pulls a knife—not attacking, just letting it glint.

Reiji:

“Leave, or we burn your little dream tomorrow.”

Yuji grabs Kusabimaru’s arm, pulling him back.

Yuji (whispering):

“Not like this. Not yet.”

The boys leave—but their pride is bruised.

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Scene 3: Divided by Pride

Location: Bridge near train yard – Late night

Music: Rain and ambient low strings

Yuji:

“We don’t fight rats in their sewers. We rise above them.”

Kusabimaru (agitated):

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re used to plans. I’m used to punches.”

Yuji (coldly):

“You’ll end up in jail if you keep thinking fists solve everything.”

Kusabimaru (yells):

“Maybe I’d rather that than feel powerless!”

He storms off into the shadows.

Yuji watches the dark water pass beneath the bridge.

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Scene 4: Fire and Resolve

Location: Market lot – next morning

Their stall has been torched.

Ashes. Melted plastic. The camera Yuji repaired. Gone.

Yuji arrives alone. Kneels quietly. His hands tremble—not from sadness, but from rage.

Reiji (in distance):

“Told you.”

Yuji says nothing. He walks away, gripping his notebook tightly.

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Scene 5: DUO is Reborn

Location: Abandoned train car near Shibuya – Dusk

Music: Slow build-up with lo-fi beats

Kusabimaru returns to their usual spot and finds Yuji waiting—with new inventory. Stolen? No. Found. Repaired. Bought from a pawn shop.

Yuji:

“I sold my watch. My last real thing from before. We start again. But smarter.”

Kusabimaru (quietly):

“I thought I messed it all up.”

Yuji:

“You did.”

Beat.

Yuji (softly):

“But so did I. That’s why we’re DUO.”

Kusabimaru smirks. They fist bump.

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Scene 6: Midnight Scheme

Location: Inside train car – Candlelit

Visuals: Blueprints, scavenged tech, price lists

They sit cross-legged on the floor. Making plans. Bigger ideas.

Kusabimaru:

“If we can’t sell in the market, we make our own. Mobile. Pop-up stalls.”

Yuji:

“Pop-up tech repairs. Installations. Branding.”

Kusabimaru (laughs):

“We’ll be like ghosts. Tokyo won’t see us coming.”

Narrator (V.O.):

“Pain didn’t stop them. Fire didn’t stop them. Only the city watched… waiting for the next spark.”

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[ENDING SCENE – TRAIN PASSING]

Location: Railway crossing – Early morning fog

The boys walk down the tracks, duffel bags slung over shoulders. A train screams past behind them.

Yuji (V.O.):

“You lose. You rise. You burn. You rebuild.”

Kusabimaru (V.O.):

“And we haven’t even started.”

The camera pans up into the grey Tokyo sky as the title “DUO” fades in quietly.

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[END CREDITS – Sketches of burned stalls, smirking gang members, and the boys designing logos on napkins.]