Scene 1 — Morning Steam
The shop opened like any other day.
Kaiya stirred broth, humming softly. Mika prepped noodles.
Kenta wiped the counter, trying to look busy.
Teo was out front, standing under the awning with his tea, watching the street.
He hadn't said a word since the night Kenta came home from the station.
The silence felt heavy, but not angry — like everyone was pretending the air was normal.
Kaiya: "You slept?"
Kenta: "Tried."
Kaiya: "Dreams?"
Kenta: "No. Just traffic."
She smiled faintly.
Kaiya: "That's better than memory."
Teo stepped back in, towel over his shoulder.
Teo: "Rain again tonight."
No one answered.
Scene 2 — Ryo's Visit
By noon, Ryo showed up — hands deep in his jacket, expression uneven.
He didn't order food, just leaned on the counter.
Ryo: "You okay?"
Kenta: "Yeah."
Ryo: "They really let you go?"
Kenta: "Guess someone vouched."
Ryo: "You know who?"
Kenta: "No."
Ryo's eyes flicked toward the street.
Ryo: "Don't dig. If they helped, it wasn't charity."
Kenta frowned.
Kenta: "You think I owe them?"
Ryo: "Everyone owes someone in this city. You just don't know the invoice yet."
He left without eating.
Outside, a car idled too long before pulling away.
Scene 3 — The Polite Strangers
That evening, two men came in for ramen — quiet, well-dressed, polite.
They ate slow, didn't talk much.
When they left, they bowed slightly to Teo — not to Kaiya, not to Kenta.
Kaiya noticed.
Kaiya: "Regulars?"
Teo: "No."
Kaiya: "They knew you."
Teo: "They knew someone who used to live here."
She didn't ask more.
Something in his tone said don't.
Scene 4 — Mika's Discovery
Later that night, Mika stood outside, checking her drone's feed.
Two black cars had circled the block three times.
She showed Kenta the screen.
Mika: "They're not customers."
Kenta: "Police?"
Mika: "Too quiet for cops."
He watched the cars park under the streetlight, engines still running.
Something in his chest tightened.
The same fear from the jail — not danger, just recognition.
Scene 5 — The Name Returns
The next day, Ryo met him behind the shop.
He looked worse — unshaven, jittery.
Ryo: "You hear what they're calling you now?"
Kenta: "No."
Ryo: "Kurage Ghost, sure. But some of the old guys… they're whispering another name."
Kenta: "What name?"
Ryo: "Doesn't matter. Just don't drive that car for a while."
Kenta didn't answer.
The GR86 sat in the shade, rain spots drying on the hood.
The impound tag still hung from the mirror.
He ran a thumb over the cracked headlight.
The car didn't feel like his anymore — like it remembered something before him.
Scene 6 — The Note
Night fell quiet again.
The shop lights dimmed one by one.
Teo locked the front door, Kaiya washed the last bowl.
Kenta stepped outside for air.
The street was empty — no cars, no voices.
Only the sound of waves.
Something flapped under the GR86's wiper.
A note, folded in half, rain curling its corners.
He unfolded it.
No signature, just five words written in clean brushstroke ink:
"Every road leads back home."
He stood there for a long time, staring at it until the rain blurred the ink.
Behind him, through the window, Teo watched quietly — one hand on the counter, still as stone.
End of Episode 9 — "The Debt That Breathes."