DUO – Episode 5: “A Glitch in the Signal”

Theme: Intrigue, unspoken tension, the first emotional fracture

Tone: Soft, poetic, then slowly charged

Visual Style: Golden-hour glow, muted neons, subtle lens flares

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[OPENING CREDITS]

Music: Lo-fi beats mixed with ambient piano.

Visuals: The boys running a small pop-up repair booth in side streets, laughing, making sales, hiding from authorities. Cut to flickering security cameras in alleys—glitches. One always at the same spot.

Title Appears:

DUO – Episode 5: “A Glitch in the Signal”

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Scene 1: Rooftop Reflections

Location: Rooftop of an abandoned building – Late afternoon

Kusabimaru and Yuji are resting after another long day, sitting on a rusty ledge overlooking the Tokyo skyline. A billboard flickers below.

Yuji:

“That camera’s glitched again.”

Kusabimaru:

“Yeah. Feels like we’re being watched by a blind eye.”

Voice (offscreen, calmly):

“Or maybe it’s just Tokyo blinking.”

They turn. A girl—Ito Hima, age 15—stands behind them, backlit by sunlight, holding a vintage camera.

Ito (soft smile):

“You two always sit up here?”

Kusabimaru (casual):

“Not a private spot. You stalking us?”

Ito:

“Just following the light.”

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Scene 2: Introductions

Location: Rooftop, continued

Ito sits beside them, uninvited but somehow welcome. She shows them a photo of them from earlier in the week—laughing, unaware.

Yuji (surprised):

“You took this?”

Ito:

“I document the unnoticed. You guys are… interesting.”

Kusabimaru (raises eyebrow):

“Interesting like rats or rebels?”

Ito (smiling slightly):

“Both.”

Yuji blushes slightly, staring at her, captivated by her presence. Kusabimaru remains indifferent, but curious.

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Scene 3: A Shared Evening

Location: Ramen stall by the station – Night

The trio shares a single meal, steam rising. Ito fits in strangely well. She talks about light, shadows, and people.

Ito:

“I used to go to a rich prep school. Left. Wasn’t real.”

Kusabimaru (mocking):

“Let me guess. Parents still send you money?”

Ito:

“No. I sell street photos. People’s truths are worth more than fake smiles.”

Yuji (quietly):

“She’s not like anyone I’ve met.”

He watches her. A soft smile tugs at his lips. She doesn’t notice—but Kusabimaru does.

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Scene 4: The Spark Begins

Location: Train tunnel entrance – Later that night

Ito walks with them partway home. As the train passes, the tunnel lights flicker.

She turns to Kusabimaru suddenly.

Ito:

“You have a different kind of energy. Like the world annoys you.”

Kusabimaru:

“It does.”

Ito:

“I like that.”

She walks off into the night without another word.

Yuji stares after her, slightly stunned. Kusabimaru shrugs, but something shifts in his eyes.

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Scene 5: The Beginning of Distance

Location: Inside the train car where the boys sleep

Yuji sketches something quietly in his notebook—her eyes, unintentionally. Kusabimaru lies on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

Yuji (quiet):

“She’s… different.”

Kusabimaru (coldly):

“So what?”

Yuji (looking up):

“You don’t think she’s interesting?”

Kusabimaru:

“I think she’s a distraction.”

Silence. The first pause. The first uncomfortable silence between them.

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Scene 6: Glitch in the Signal

Location: Same rooftop – Next morning

The security cam flickers again. The boys sit in silence. She doesn’t show up today.

Yuji (softly):

“I think… I like her.”

Kusabimaru says nothing, watching the blinking red light of the glitching camera.

Narrator (V.O.):

“Some glitches warn you. Others mark the moment everything changes.”

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[ENDING SCENE]

Visuals: Ito walking through crowds with her camera, snapping silent moments: a child smiling, a couple fighting, a broken phone booth. Then, she pauses—looking back, straight at the lens. At us.

Fade to black.

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[END CREDITS – Theme: Quiet acoustic guitar with light wind and shutter clicks]

Post-Credits Tease: A torn paper on the market wall. “Photo contest: Prize ¥500,000”

Ito pins one of her photos: Yuji and Kusabimaru, back to back, laughing.