Episode 5: "The Saints' Favor"
(Spring → Summer, Year 2074 - Sendai Coastline)
Scene 1 - Noon Delivery
The sun hit the harbor like a spotlight. Gulls coasted between neon signs, and every puddle looked like a mirror for a different era.
Kenta Yamaguchi-Alvarado wiped sweat from his neck as he balanced a delivery tray on one arm. His van, the Bento Box, hummed quietly in idle.
The delivery slip read:
"Chrome Saints Motor Garage - 3 Bento Specials, extra broth."
Kenta sighed. "Of course it's them again."
He'd been trying to stay out of attention since the "Tofu Ghost" incident two weeks ago. But lately, everything he did-turn signals, noodle speed, even parking angles-ended up online with captions like 'The Legend Resurfaces!'
Scene 2 - The Garage
Ryo Tanaka greeted him with the same smirk as before. His silver hair caught the light like chrome itself.
Ryo: "You showed. Thought the ghost would vanish after one race."
Kenta: "I'm not a ghost. I'm a guy who delivers noodles."
Ryo: "Same thing in this town."
He handed over the food, ready to leave, but Ryo stopped him.
Ryo: "I need a favor. Simple run. No races. Just drop this off on your way home."
He held up a small metal case, about the size of a lunchbox. Smooth, no labels, sealed tight.
Kenta: "What's inside?"
Ryo: "A carburetor. Probably."
Kenta: "Probably?"
Ryo: "Relax, kid. You've got the cleanest rep in Sendai. No one will stop you."
Kenta hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine. But if it leaks or explodes, I'm charging extra."
Scene 3 - The Mix-Up
Ten minutes later, the Bento Box rolled through downtown Sendai-soft jazz playing, noodles cooling.
Rain clouds gathered overhead.
At an intersection, a patrol car pulled up beside him.
Two officers peeked through the window.
Officer 1: "Hey... isn't that the van from the Kurage footage?"
Officer 2: "You mean the ghost van?"
Officer 1: "Yeah. Think it's street-related?"
They followed him.
Kenta didn't notice. He just hummed along to the cassette tape-something slow, something happy.
He turned left into an alley to drop off the box.
Two men in suits stepped out of the shadows.
Man 1: "Delivery?"
Kenta: "Uh... yeah. Saints' order."
He handed them the case. They nodded, handed him an envelope.
He got back in the van, thinking, weird, but okay.
As he drove off, the patrol car watched from the next block.
Officer 2: "Case exchange. No receipts. Write that down."
Officer 1: "Suspected smuggling, possible gang ties."
Scene 4 - The Rumor Begins
By sundown, half of Sendai's underground message boards were talking about it.
"The Ghost delivers again."
"Oni Titan's heir moves product."
"Even the cops won't touch him."
Screens flickered with grainy street footage-Kenta handing off a silver case, face half-hidden by rain.
Someone added dramatic music.
At Harbor Noodles, Kaiya was adjusting a simmer pot when Mika burst in, waving her tablet.
Mika: "Onii-chan, you're trending again."
Kenta: "Please tell me it's for the food this time."
Mika: "Nope. Crime lord chic."
Teo didn't look up from the counter. He just said quietly:
Teo: "Storm starts with steam."
Kaiya sighed.
Kaiya: "You've been poetic since breakfast."
Teo: "Poetry's cheaper than damage control."
Kenta slumped onto a stool.
Kenta: "I just dropped off a carburetor."
Mika: "You dropped off a myth."
Scene 5 - Evening: The Watchers
Outside, on the street, the two patrol officers parked across from the shop.
Steam from the ramen vent fogged their windshield.
Officer 1: "They look normal."
Officer 2: "That's what the legends always say before Act Two."
They wrote notes, not realizing Teo could see their reflections in the shop's glass.
He didn't say anything-just cleaned the counter, eyes unreadable.
Kaiya called after him:
Kaiya: "What's wrong?"
Teo: "Nothing yet."
He looked out toward the city lights.
Teo (quietly): "Just the tempo changing again."
Scene 6 - Night
Kenta sat in his room, scrolling headlines until the words blurred.
Every video, every photo - a different version of him he didn't recognize.
One clip replayed in a loop: his van pulling away in the rain.
Comment section filled with theories:
"That's how the Oni Titan returned."
"Like father, like son."
He shut the screen, lay back, and stared at the ceiling.
Downstairs, Teo brewed tea.
He didn't go up. Didn't lecture.
He just waited - because that's what quiet men do when they've seen storms before.
End of Episode 5 - "The Saints' Favor"