The infirmary was quieter this time.
Not peaceful—
controlled.
Shoko stood by the bed with the kind of patience that didn't feel kind at all.
Arms crossed.
Eyes sharp.
Watching.
Takeru lay back under the sheets, staring at the ceiling.
One shoulder properly fixed.
The other… reconstructed as best as reality allowed.
Shoko spoke without looking away.
"…If you move without permission again, I'm locking the bed to the floor."
Takeru blinked.
"…Noted."
Yuji, sitting nearby, leaned toward Nobara.
"…She's way stricter now."
Nobara nodded immediately.
"…Good."
Megumi stood at the window, arms crossed.
"…He escaped twice."
Hakari grinned from the corner.
"…He's got spirit."
Shoko added calmly:
"…He has trauma responses and poor impulse control."
Silence.
Takeru shifted slightly.
Immediately—
Shoko looked over.
He stopped.
"…I am stationary."
"…Good."
A pause.
Yuji leaned forward.
"…So uh… about the poster…"
Megumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…We investigated it."
Hakari nodded.
"…Nothing."
Nobara crossed her arms.
"…Like, literally nothing."
Yuji frowned.
"…That doesn't make sense…"
Megumi continued.
"…No cursed residue. No tracking technique. No embedded spell."
Hakari shrugged.
"…It's like someone just… printed it and left it there."
Nobara groaned.
"…That's worse."
Shoko glanced over briefly.
"…Or intentional."
Silence.
Takeru spoke quietly from the bed.
"…It was targeted."
Everyone turned.
Yuji blinked.
"…What makes you say that?"
Takeru stared at the ceiling.
Thinking.
"…Too specific."
A pause.
"…Too many erased connections."
Megumi's expression tightened.
"…So it's not just Mahito."
Hakari leaned forward slightly.
"…Yeah. That was my read too."
Nobara frowned.
"…Then who builds something like that?"
Silence again.
No one answered.
Because none of them liked the possibilities.
Shoko walked over to Takeru.
Checked his bandages.
Slight adjustment.
No reaction.
"…You are not leaving this room again without me."
Takeru nodded.
"…Understood."
Yuji exhaled slowly.
"…So what now?"
Megumi looked out the window again.
"…We wait for the next move."
Hakari smirked slightly.
"…Or it comes to us."
Nobara sighed.
"…I hate that both options sound likely."
Takeru finally sat up slightly—
slowly.
Carefully.
Shoko immediately looked over.
He stopped mid-motion.
"…I am compliant."
"…Good."
But even in the stillness—
his eyes weren't relaxed.
Because somewhere in all that erased ink on that poster—
something had been trying to tell them a story.
And they still didn't know the ending.