The wooden door opens.
The little bell rings.
Uta enters.
He stops for just a second.
Inhales.
Eyes half-closed.
— …it smells so good in here.
That sincere tone, almost childlike.
At the counter are Kimi and Tadaaki.
They turn.
They freeze.
They recognize the face.
The dark green hair.
The braid.
The presence.
— I-it’s…
— It’s Uta Dragunov…
Both make a small, nervous bow.
— Thank you for… for what you did for the village…
Uta turns red instantly.
He scratches his cheek.
— Uh… it’s not necessary… really…
He looks more closely at Tadaaki.
Points at him.
— Hey… you’ve grown.
Pause.
He smiles.
— And that scar… it suits you.
Tadaaki goes stiff.
He blushes.
Looks at the floor.
— T-thank you…
From the kitchen comes noise.
Hidetaka comes out, wiping her hands with a cloth.
She sees Uta.
Freezes.
Makes a deep bow.
Uta almost jumps.
— H-hey, hey! Don’t do that!
— Treat me normal, please…
Naoko interrupts:
— CHIAKI!
From upstairs:
— DON’T YELL, BRAT!
Footsteps.
Chiaki comes down the stairs grumbling… until he sees Uta.
He stops.
Eyebrow raised.
— …What do you want, Dragunov?
Uta smiles calmly.
Hands in his pockets.
— Dinner.
Pause.
— And to talk to an old friend.
Chiaki narrows his eyes.
— Friend?
Before he can continue—
— I’LL MAKE MY FAMOUS CHEESE SOUP!
Naoko is already running.
Jumps over the counter.
Disappears into the kitchen.
Chiaki looks at the ceiling.
— This kid’s going to get himself killed…
Tadaaki composes himself.
Approaches Uta.
More relaxed.
— Sit… make yourself comfortable.
— The restaurant opens in a bit.
— Today’s barbecue day… it gets pretty crowded.
Uta nods.
Sits as if he were at home.
Looks around.
The wood.
The smoke.
The voices.
Simple people.
Real life.
No councils.
No mafias.
Just food.
For a moment…
Uta Dragunov looks exactly like what he never got to be.
A guy in a restaurant…
waiting for dinner.
Naoko appears from the kitchen, almost slipping.
He’s carrying a steaming bowl.
Thick tomato sauce.
Stretching melted cheese.
Sautéed meat.
A green spice sprinkled on top.
He sets it carefully in front of Uta.
— Try it…
Uta blinks.
Smells it.
Takes a bite.
Freezes.
Then chews faster.
— …This is incredible.
Naoko turns red up to his ears.
Looks away.
Crosses his arms.
— Pff… I’m amazing.
But a small smile escapes him.
Chiaki appears with a jug of Fangdrift alcohol.
Sets it down with a clonk on the table.
— Talk now. Then I have to cook for half the village.
Uta nods.
Gets serious for the first time since entering.
— I’m going to dissolve the Krov as a mafia.
— We’re going to protect people. Real jobs. Schools. Security. Food.
— No terror. No extortion.
Silence.
Naoko looks at him like he’s seeing a storybook hero.
— That’s… incredible…
Tadaaki doesn’t smile.
But he nods.
Firm.
— It makes sense.
Chiaki lets out a nasal laugh.
Drinks.
— No thanks.
Naoko turns.
— Huh?
Tadaaki frowns.
Uta was about to speak—
— No.
Chiaki raises a hand.
— Look at me.
Uta really looks at him.
The stained cook’s clothes.
The hands with old burns.
The smell of smoke, grease, and spices.
Dark circles under the eyes.
Honest exhaustion.
A normal man.
A cook.
Not a warrior.
Not a symbol.
Chiaki speaks without mockery now.
— I already fought.
— I already buried people.
— I already saw “great plans” that were supposed to save the world.
He pours himself more.
— This —he hits the table—
is my war now.
The food.
The warmth.
People laughing.
— If you fail… it’ll be another tragedy.
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— If I fail… someone eats cold.
He lifts his gaze.
— And I don’t want to lose anymore.
Uta doesn’t insist.
Not because he can’t.
Because he understands.
Uta stays silent for a few seconds.
Nods slowly.
— Alright… I understand.
He stands up from the chair.
Not upset.
Not disappointed.
Just… respecting it.
But—
— Uta-san…
The voice is soft.
Hidetaka.
She’s standing by the kitchen, hands clasped in front of her apron.
Her eyes aren’t sad.
They’re sincere.
— Please… stay for dinner.
— For what happened two years ago… it’s the only way I can thank you.
Naoko appears behind her, arms raised.
— Yes! You’re staying! Official restaurant order!
Tadaaki, more discreet, rests a hand on the table.
— Stay.
It doesn’t sound like a request.
It sounds like he already belongs there.
Uta looks at Chiaki.
The man has his back turned, cleaning a cutting board.
He doesn’t turn around.
Doesn’t speak.
But he doesn’t say no either.
That silence…
is permission.
Uta exhales through his nose.
Scratches the back of his neck.
— …Well, okay.
Naoko jumps.
— YES!
He almost knocks over a chair.
Hidetaka smiles with relief.
Tadaaki shakes his head, but there’s a hint of a smile.
And Chiaki…
without looking…
mutters:
— Then wash dishes afterward.
Uta freezes.
— What?
Naoko laughs.
Tadaaki too.
Hidetaka covers her mouth.
Barbecue Night – Kohaku no Hana Restaurant
The wooden sign creaks in the night wind.
The warm lights of the restaurant turn on one by one.
Outside, the smell of grilling meat floods the street.
Laughter.
Glasses clinking.
People from Nokoribi-mura come in wearing work clothes, rough hands, tired faces… but today they smile.
They don’t look at Chiaki with fear.
They don’t look at Naoko as a street kid.
They come here to eat.
To rest.
To feel human.
Inside
Kimi runs between tables, inventing fake stories about customers.
— That man over there is definitely a spy from Continent 2!
The man chokes.
Tadaaki hands him a napkin without looking.
— Don’t mind her.
Hidetaka serves dishes calmly, remembering who can’t drink alcohol, who needs less salt.
Chiaki at the grill.
High fire.
Precise movement.
Silent… but present.
And in a corner—
Uta.
Sitting at a wooden table.
With an apron badly put on.
Washing dishes.
Badly.
Very badly.
— Hey… that’s not how you wash that —Naoko says, passing with a tray.
Uta gets startled and accidentally breaks the plate.
Naoko huffs… but smiles.
Uta looks up.
Observes.
A little girl laughing with her mouth full.
An old man toasting with Chiaki.
Kimi sitting on the counter eating something stolen from the kitchen.
Tadaaki leaning against the wall, watching without looking like he’s watching.
Hidetaka fixing an old man’s collar before he sits.
No one yells.
No one is afraid.
No one obeys out of fear.
No hierarchies.
No blood.
No orders.
Just…
life.
Normal.
Simple.
Real.
Uta stays still.
The noise grows distant.
His hands are still under the water, but he doesn’t move.
His eyes soften.
He’s not the leader.
He’s not the Dragunov heir.
He’s not a weapon.
He’s not a symbol.
He’s a guy washing dishes after dinner.
And no one is asking anything of him.
Chiaki approaches without looking at him.
Sets a glass of Fangdrift alcohol beside him.
— Don’t think so much. It gets cold.
Uta blinks.
Looks at him.
Chiaki is already gone.
Uta takes the glass.
Drinks.
Looks at the grill fire reflected in the window.
And murmurs, barely audible:
— …Mom, you would’ve liked this.
He doesn’t cry.
But his smile…
isn’t a joke this time.
From the back:
— UTA! YOU BROKE A PLATE!
— IT COMMITTED SUICIDE ON ITS OWN!
Laughter.
Noise.
Life.
And for the first time in a long while…
Uta Dragunov
isn’t surviving.
He’s living.
The air is cold.
The barbecue is already ash.
The lights of Kohaku no Hana turn off one by one.
Uta slings his coat over his shoulder.
— Well… I’ve abused your hospitality enough.
Kimi waves with both hands.
Hidetaka makes a small bow.
Tadaaki raises two fingers without saying anything.
Chiaki doesn’t appear.
Uta takes a step toward the street.
And then—
Naoko and Tadaaki stand in the doorway.
Blocking his path.
Uta looks at them.
— Mugging?
Silence.
Tadaaki speaks first.
Calm voice.
— We’re going to fight with you.
Uta blinks.
— No.
Flat.
No humor.
— What you have here is worth more than any war.
He points at the restaurant.
— This is what I want to build. Not destroy.
Tadaaki doesn’t step back.
— Exactly.
Uta looks at him.
And Tadaaki continues, serious.
— If you dismantle the Krov… power is left empty.
— Others will want it.
He looks at the restaurant.
— They’ll come here.
Silence.
Uta doesn’t answer.
But his expression changes.
He hadn’t said that out loud.
Tadaaki did.
Naoko steps forward.
Punches his fist into his palm.
— And we’re fighting with you because you saved our lives!
Uta tries to interrupt.
— Naoko—
But the kid keeps going.
And his voice isn’t childish anymore.
— I’ve spent two years taking Chiaki’s beatings.
— For what?
— To protect just this restaurant?
He clenches his teeth.
— If the strong only protect their own house…
— and look away while others suffer…
He lifts his gaze.
— That’s not strength.
— That’s a coward with excuses.
Absolute silence.
Kimi stands there with her mouth open.
Tadaaki blinks.
Chiaki freezes.
Naoko breathes hard.
— Giichi died.
— We almost died.
He looks at Uta.
— And now that we can do something…
— are we just going to sit down and eat meat?
His eyes don’t waver.
— I don’t want to live hiding.
— I want to live knowing that if I could help… I did.
Silence.
Chiaki tightens the trash bag in his hand.
Throws it to the ground.
— Do whatever the hell you want.
He doesn’t turn around.
— You never listen to me anyway.
And he leaves.
Through the back.
But he didn’t say no.
Uta stands still.
Looking at the two boys.
He doesn’t know what to say.
That almost never happens to him.
Tadaaki breaks the moment.
— I’ll get my things.
Naoko is already running upstairs.
— I’VE HAD MY BACKPACK READY FOR TWO YEARS!
Kimi shouts from inside.
— WHAT?!
Uta takes a step toward the alley.
— I’ll talk to him.
But a hand rests on his shoulder.
Hidetaka.
Her voice is soft.
— Let me.
Uta looks at her… and nods.
He knows it’s not his place.
Outside.
Chiaki is leaning against the wall.
Cigarette lit.
Looking at the sky.
He doesn’t look angry.
He looks tired.
Hidetaka stands beside him.
Silence first.
Then—
— Naoko is right.
Chiaki exhales smoke.
— That’s not why I’m angry.
Pause.
— I’m angry because that brat…
He clenches his teeth.
— Reminds me of an old friend.
He closes his eyes for a second.
— And that makes me act like an idiot.
Hidetaka smiles.
— No. That makes you human.
Chiaki doesn’t answer.
Hidetaka continues.
— You’re afraid of losing them.
— You won’t admit you’ve grown attached.
Chiaki looks away.
Voice lower.
— I already lost a son.
Silence.
The cigarette trembles slightly.
— I don’t want to lose two more.
Hidetaka takes his hand.
Firm.
— I know.
She looks him in the eyes.
— But you, more than anyone…
— know what those two are capable of.
Chiaki doesn’t respond.
But he doesn’t pull his hand away.
Street in front of the restaurant
Uta walks ahead.
Naoko and Tadaaki behind.
The restaurant lights grow distant.
Soft footsteps.
Quiet night.
And then—
THE DOOR FLIES OPEN!!
— UTAAAAAA!
The three turn.
Chiaki in the doorway.
Door wide open.
Voice trembling… but yelling anyway.
— TAKE GOOD CARE OF THOSE TWO BRATS!
He points.
— THEY’RE STUPID!
— BUT THEY’RE DANGEROUS!
He swallows.
— AND IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO THEM…!
He clenches his fists.
— I SWEAR, DRAGUNOV… I’LL KILL YOU!
Silence.
Naoko freezes.
Tadaaki too.
Chiaki yells louder.
— DO YOU HEAR ME?!
— I’LL KILL YOU!
Uta looks at them.
At the boys.
He remembers:
Two years.
Chiaki’s training.
Discipline.
Pain.
Survival.
They’re not normal kids.
They’re survivors.
They’re future monsters.
And Uta smiles.
Raises his hand.
— OKAY, CHIAKI!
Thumb up.
— I’LL TAKE CARE OF THEM!
Naoko covers his face.
Starts crying.
Tadaaki wipes his eyes with his sleeve.
— WE’LL COME BACK!
— WE LOVE YOU, IDIOT!
Chiaki turns away.
— GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I REGRET IT!
But he doesn’t close the door.
He stays there.
Watching them walk away.
Until they disappear.
