Kaito woke up to the smell of medicine.
His eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
White stone.
Cracks running across it.
A small window on the side letting in sunlight.
"…Where… am I…"
His voice felt dry.
His whole body felt heavy.
Like he had been asleep for days.
He tried to sit up.
Pain shot through his chest instantly.
"…Ow… okay… that's bad."
A chair moved beside the bed.
Tanaka's voice came calmly.
"You're awake."
Kaito blinked and turned his head.
"…Sensei…"
Tanaka sat beside the bed, arms crossed like always.
"You collapsed."
"I remember that part."
"You overused your energy."
"…I remember that too."
Kaito leaned back slowly.
His whole body still felt sore.
Not like before.
Not from getting hit.
From inside.
Like every muscle had been stretched too far.
He looked at his hand.
Slowly clenched his fist.
The vibration was still there.
But different.
Quieter.
Steady.
Not fighting him anymore.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…It's still there."
Tanaka nodded.
"Yes."
"…It feels… easier."
"Yes."
Kaito stared at his hand.
"…Did I actually break through?"
Tanaka didn't answer right away.
Then he said...
"You entered the first stage."
Kaito blinked.
"…First stage."
"Yes."
"…There are more stages."
"Yes."
Kaito groaned and dropped his head back on the pillow.
"Of course there are."
Tanaka almost smiled.
"You expected to be done?"
"I hoped."
"You just started."
Kaito sighed.
"…This place really never lets you relax."
"No."
He lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.
Then suddenly...
He sat up halfway.
"…My rank."
Tanaka looked at him.
"240."
Kaito froze.
"…Wait."
He blinked.
"…Two hundred forty?"
"Yes."
"I jumped like forty spots!"
"You skipped."
Kaito grinned.
"…Okay that was worth it."
Tanaka nodded.
"You forced a breakthrough during evaluation."
"…That sounds cool when you say it like that."
"It was reckless."
"…That sounds more accurate."
Tanaka stood up.
"You're not fighting today."
Kaito blinked.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
He smiled.
"…Best day ever."
Tanaka continued.
"You fight tomorrow."
Kaito dropped back onto the bed.
"…Worst day ever."
Tanaka ignored him.
"You need to get used to the new stage."
"…What does that mean."
Tanaka looked at him.
"You relearn everything again."
Kaito stared at the ceiling.
"…I hate this place."
Tanaka almost smiled again.
"Yes."
The door opened.
Kaito turned his head.
Hikari walked in, arms crossed.
She looked at him for a moment.
"…You're alive."
Kaito frowned.
"You sound disappointed."
"You collapsed."
"You noticed that too?"
She walked closer.
Her eyes moved to his hand.
"…You broke through."
"Yeah."
"You're loud again."
"I thought I fixed that."
"You made it worse."
"…Great."
She looked at Tanaka.
"He jumped to 240."
"Yes."
She nodded slowly.
"…That's fast."
Kaito smirked.
"I almost died for it."
She shrugged.
"Normal."
He groaned.
"I hate that word."
She turned to leave.
Then stopped at the door.
"…You fight tomorrow."
Kaito sighed loudly.
"I just heard that."
She glanced back.
"…Don't lose control again."
He blinked.
"…I won't."
She smirked slightly.
"…You will."
The door closed.
Kaito lay there in silence for a moment.
Then he looked at his hand again.
He clenched his fist slowly.
The air trembled slightly.
Not wild.
Not exploding.
Just power.
He smiled.
"…Okay…"
Tanaka looked at him.
"Yes."
Kaito sat up carefully.
His body still hurt.
But his chest felt lighter.
Stronger.
Clearer.
"…Next time… I'm not collapsing."
Tanaka crossed his arms.
"We'll see."
Kaito grinned.
"…Yeah."
He looked toward the window.
Toward the training grounds outside.
Toward the ranking board he couldn't see from here.
"…Two hundred forty…"
His smile widened.
"…I'm climbing."
Far outside, on the roof of the training hall, Ryo leaned against the railing, looking toward the medical building.
He smirked.
"…He finally did it."
The tall guy beside him nodded.
"Yeah."
The girl crossed her arms.
"…Still weak."
Ryo's smile didn't fade.
"…Yeah."
He looked toward the courtyard.
"…But not boring anymore."