Achi Scenario

**Achi Scenario** is one of story for 428 Shibuya Scramble. The Scenario is based on the perspective of Achi Endo, a former leader of a vigilante group in Shibuya, who led a young girl to safety in Shibuya for 10 hours.

## 10:00 - 11:00

10:00 - 10:10: Achi wakes up to a new day and heads out, ready to start his usual routine of patrolling the streets and helping pick up trash. His father lets him go, saying that they probably won’t have customers today, since the shop is struggling against other larger stores. Achi takes a trash bag and heads out. Achi heads to Shibuya station from his home in Dogenzaka, picking up pieces of trash along the way. As he’s doing this, he runs into a woman being confronted by two men, who seem to be scouts for a hostess club. He puts himself in between them and tries talking to the men, but they are angered at him. One of them in his anger spits gum on the sidewalk, which enrages Achi since it is difficult to clean, and he grabs the man’s jaw firmly, causing the man great pain. His companion recognizes Achi by his mean clean shirt and trash bag, and the two become scared of him and apologize repeatedly before picking up the gum and running away. The girl tries to thank Achi, but he instead apologizes and asks her not to have a bad impression of Shibuya.

10:25 - 10:35: After 15 minutes of picking up trash, Achi arrives at Shibuya station. He looks around, reflecting on how the city is almost a living organism. He then notices a girl (Hitomi) standing by the Hachiko statue nearby. Achi looks at the girl, thinking that she’s his type but then notices that she seems to be waiting for someone, presumably her boyfriend. He then notices the heavy attache case she is carrying. Achi then searches for a place to put the trash away first before trying to help her. He then notices a foreigner clad in black approach her. The man tells her something and she nods before handing him the attache case. As the man takes it, several people (including Kano and Sasayama) spring onto him and the man runs while they give chase.

10:35 - 10:40: Achi checks back on the girl, and realizes that something is very wrong, so he goes to talk to her. Another man in a business suit who is using a cane approaches her, then he takes out a gun from his jacket pocket and points it at the girl, who freezes in fear. Achi quickly tackles the gunman and then grabs the girl, attempting to drag her away. The girl is dazed, but soon snaps out of it. Achi decides that they should run to the police.

10:40 - 10:50: The two run to the nearest police box but it is empty. The man with the cane continues pursuit and so they continue running. As Achi and the girl run under the train lines, he tosses the bag of trash he is carrying to an employee of a store cleaning up the sidewalk. The two run into a back alley, and Achi kicks down a plank blocking the way so that the can continue onwards, but the girl just looks at him, clearly confused and terrified. He give an abbreviated introduction of himself, and states that he doesn’t want to stand idly by when a girl is being chased by a killer, asking her to trust him. She nods, and Achi shoved a stack of crates that block the man with the cane, as the two continue to run.

10:50 - 10:55: The two emerge from the narrow alleyway into a side street with bars and clubs. Achi decides that it’s best to remain inconspicuous in one of the bars rather than head back to the main road, where the man with the cane could be waiting. He leads the girl into an empty hostess club, stating that he knows someone who used to run the place but it’s now out of business. The girl introduces herself as Hitomi Osawa. Achi asks for what is happening, and Hitomi explains what happened. Her sister was kidnapped and she was asked to stand by the Hachiko statue with ransom money in the attache case, which the foreign man took. Achi realizes that the people chasing the man must have been undercover cops, but then he realizes that it’s strange for the man with the cane to pursue her after she’s given the ransom money. Hitomi is unsure about this too. When he offers to take her to the police, she refuses.

10:55 - 11:00: Hitomi thanks Achi for his help, and moves to leave. She states that she doesn’t want to cause him anymore trouble, and that she’ll figure out the rest on her own. As she opens the door, she comes face to face with the man with the cane, holding Hitomi at gunpoint.

## 11:00 - 12:00

11:00 - 11:10: The man with the cane is holding Hitomi at gunpoint, looking like he might shoot at any moment. Achi quickly puts himself between them, asking him what he's after, though he gets no response. The man shifts his aim to Achi but his cell phone rings, distracting him for an instant. With that opening, Achi swings a bottle at the man who dodges it but nearly stumbles over. This lets him grab Hitomi and escape out of the club.

11:10 - 11:20: As the two continue to run, Hitomi then stops. She states that she has to go back to Dogenzaka, telling Achi that the foreigner who took the case told her to go to a blue van there and to not contact police or family. Achi understands and decides to escort Hitomi back that way. As they are walking along some side streets as a detour, two dangerous looking men go over to them, wanting to know where Nokane building is. Achi doesn't trust them and since the real way is near Dogenzaka, he points them the opposite way instead.

11:20 - 11:25: Achi and Hitomi continue to walk along the side streets with Achi telling her about how he was born and raised in Shibuya and thus he likes to pick up trash that is lying around to keep the city clean. They soon come across an internal argument with S.O.S people. Achi recognizes Susumu, the new leader since he left, and goes over to them to tell him not to cause trouble for others by beating someone up in the broad daylight. Though Susumu acts rather hostile, he still leaves with the others.

11:30 - 11:35: Later along the way, the two find a middle aged man (Yasuda) who appears to be picking up certain things from the roadside. Achi assumes that the man is picking up trash just like he does and asks him that, to which the man apprehensively affirms. Achi is excited that there is someone else out there that understands the need for a clean environment, and hands him the trash he had stored in his pocket since he won't have time to throw it away. The man accepts it, though he appears very confused. Achi and Hitomi then continue on their way.

11:40 - 11:45: The two finally make it back to Dogenzaka, going towards where the Shibuya station is but they don't see a blue van anywhere nearby. Achi gets an idea and takes Hitomi into a soba shop, being familiar with the owner, a lady in her 30s. Though she does assume Hitomi is Achi's girlfriend and talks a fair amount about that, she also does say that a blue van did come by earlier and a foreigner was driving it. With nothing else left to do, Achi and Hitomi decide to wait for it, thinking that the van might come again if they do.

11:50 - 11:55: 10 minutes later, a blue van does indeed come by and stop near the station. Hitomi is about to hurry there but Achi stops her, telling her that it's reckless to rush in. She insists that her sister might be there and she has to go save her. Achi tells her he'll go instead but Hitomi is worried that the kidnappers won't like some random person snooping there. Nonetheless he stays determined to go first, saying that he'll give her a signal if needed, to which she finally relents. Achi goes over to the blue van but when he tries to look inside, 4 foreigners jump out and surround him. He tries to peek in again, to which one of the men pulls out a knife on him. On instinct, Achi kicks him in the jaw and knocks him out, now being forced into a 3 on 1 situation. As Hitomi comes out from hiding and the fight is being recorded by bystanders, the men quickly hop back into the van and speed away. Achi looks at Hitomi guiltily, having failed to see if Maria was in there. Just then, he sees the man with the cane having found them again.

11:55 - 12:00: Achi and Hitomi stick to Dogenzaka this time as they run, eventually coming to an intersection where coincidentally, Kano is standing nearby. The man with the cane is no longer in sight. Taking the chance, the two hurry down Center Gai, wanting to hide from the assassin but also save Maria.

## 12:00 - 1:00

12:00 - 12:10: Achi and Hitomi continue to run along the streets of Center Gai, finally finding a narrow alley to hide in. The two stop to rest for a moment, with Achi thinking about how they'll be able to get back to the blue van while evading the gunman. Hitomi speaks up, thanking him for his help but saying that she can handle herself and it wouldn't be right of her to put him in further danger. Achi insists that he wants to help people in trouble but upon seeing Hitomi's reluctance, he simply calls himself useless. The light shines on in a nearby building, illuminating Hitomi's face and terrified look. Achi reconsiders his approach. He asks her what the proper way to dispose of a plastic bottle is and Hitomi describes it perfectly. Achi breathes a sigh of relief, saying that he has a reason to help her since she respects the environment and he's an environmentalist himself. He also states that even if Hitomi gave the wrong answer, he'd stick by her to teach her. Hitomi relents, saying that she could use his help if he's sure, and smiles at him.

12:10 - 12:15: Achi and Hitomi head out of the alleway back into the streets when the two hear people jeering at Achi for having a girl with him. He turns around to see 3 of his old SOS members. Achi attempts to walk past them with Hitomi but the trio block his path, wanting to be introduced and then teasing the two upon hearing that Achi's busy, talking about them going to a love hotel. Achi tries to slip by again but the leader of their group grabs him by the collar, telling him that since he quit he shouldn't act like the boss anymore. Achi asks if Susumu said that and then punches the leader square in the jaw, telling him to pass a message to Susumu that everyone needs to play nice and have fun. As he stares at the other two, another voice calls Achi's name, this time someone he doesn't recognize. The man introduces himself as Yoji Kiryu, saying that he joined after Achi's departure and is Susumu's number two guy. Kiryu praises Achi's past deeds but says that now he and the rest of SOS are picking up that legacy and expanding, something that doesn't sit right with Achi. Kiryu looks at the SOS underlings, stating he's going to give them the guillotine to teach them a lesson. Refusing to explain further, he takes them away, and Achi and Hitomi are free to continue onwards.

12:15 - 12:20: Hitomi receives a mail from Tanaka, who she explains is someone working with her father. She is hesitant to open the email due to the kidnapper's stipulations, but Achi says it should be fine since he's neither police nor family. She reads the email, seeing that Tanaka is worried about her. Hitomi types out a reply after Achi reassures her that the kidnappers most likely won't know. As she does, Achi wonders about Tanaka and Hitomi's relationship, wondering if they were dating and she needed a sugar daddy. Banishing the thought from his mind, he continues on with Hitomi after she finishes typing.

12:20 - 12:30: Achi and Hitomi exit Center Gai, heading back to Dogenzaka to find the blue van and taking a long detour through Maruyamacho to minimize the chances of running into the man with the cane. He asks her what the eco in eco-friendly means and she explains that it stands for ecology, a science subject about man and nature. Achi mentions the Shibuya River as clean, much to Hitomi's confusion as it is filled with drainage. He mentions that the river used to be clean before and he read about it in a book that Hitomi says she read as well. The two talk happily about what it would be like if the river was clean again, and Hitomi tells Achi more facts about ecology that she's learned. As they talk, Achi asks about why global warming is bad and Hitomi tells him if the whole planet gets warmer it will destroy the ecosystem. He tries remembering what that is and remembers that global warming is due to carbon dioxide, so he swears off soda because it's a carbonated drink, causing Hitomi to laugh. However, the laughter abruptly stops, as the two once again come face to face with the man with the cane.

12:30 - 12:40: Achi hurriedly grabs Hitomi by the hand and the two run, hoping to get onto the main road and lose him in the crowd. Hitomi starts to slow down due to being exhausted from all the previous running, and to solve this Achi picks her up in his arms and hurries on. The man with the cane suddenly calls out to Achi, making him wonder if he actually heard his name being called since it's strange for that man to know him by name. The two get onto the main road and Achi sets down a blushing Hitomi while he wonders about the man with the cane calling out his name. Hitomi remarks that the assassin somehow seems to find them wherever they go. Achi thinks it might be a tracking device but Hitomi points out she's only wearing her clothes from home.

12:40 - 12:45: Just then, they spot the man with the cane once again. The two run into another alley and see several cardboard boxes next to a forklift. Achi picks up a box and throws it at the gunman, causing him to stagger. He throws all the boxes one by one with the last one resulting in bottles flying out and red liquid (burning hammer) getting into the man's eyes. Achi and Hitomi take that chance to escape over the fence and hurry to the side streets.

12:45 - 12:55: The two pause to catch their breath in the streets. Achi apologizes for not being able to protect Hitomi, with her saying he's done a lot for her already and wondering why he's going through such lengths to help her. Achi pauses, and then admits that he isn't helping her just out of a gut instinct or because of her love for the environment. He tells her about his sick sister Suzune, and how he used to visit her but she made him promise to help others in trouble out in the city instead.

12:55 - 1:00: As he was telling this story, the two find themselves yet again cornered by the man with the cane, this time with nowhere to run. Achi stands in front of Hitomi, pointing out that killing them here would be unwise but the man is not fazed. He tells Achi to stay out of his way, referring to him by name again. He further states that killing Hitomi would be for his own good, and that once she's dead he'll understand. Despite Achi's insistence that he doesn't know who he is, Hitomi takes a hesitant step away from him, causing the man with the gun to train his gun on Hitomi, his finger on the trigger.