The walk back from the Zen'in estate should've been quiet.
It wasn't.
Takeru suddenly stopped mid-step.
Everyone paused.
Yuji blinked.
"…What now?"
Takeru reached into his pocket.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"…I found something."
Hakari leaned in.
"…If this is another cursed object, I'm leaving."
Takeru pulled it out.
A small speaker.
Worn. Slightly scratched.
But intact.
A grin spread across his face.
Not the serious kind.
Not the controlled one.
Something lighter.
"…Perfect."
Yuji squinted.
"…Where did you even get that?"
Takeru didn't answer.
He just turned it on.
A beat of silence—
Then music blasted out.
Way too loud.
Way too confident.
Hakari immediately lit up.
"…OH THIS IS MY KIND OF ENERGY!"
Gojo, who had been casually walking behind them, appeared instantly at Takeru's side.
"…You have taste."
Yuji blinked.
"…Wait, what is happening—"
Takeru was already moving.
Bad rhythm.
Zero shame.
Full commitment.
He started dancing.
Hakari joined immediately.
Not good.
Not even trying to be good.
Just pure enthusiasm.
Gojo slid into the rhythm like it was natural.
Way too smooth.
Annoyingly good at being bad on purpose.
Yuji hesitated.
Then sighed.
"…This is stupid…"
And joined anyway.
Instant regret.
Zero coordination.
Full effort.
Hakari pointed mid-dance.
"…YOU'RE GETTING BETTER!"
Yuji snapped back.
"…I AM NOT!"
Gojo laughed.
"…That's the spirit!"
Takeru, still dancing badly, bumped shoulders with Yuji.
"…This is efficient stress relief."
Yuji nearly tripped.
"…That is NOT a thing!"
Hakari was now spinning like it was a competition.
Gojo clapped off-beat.
Takeru did some absurd arm motion that looked like a cursed technique but absolutely wasn't.
Even Yuji started laughing despite himself.
"…We look ridiculous…"
Hakari grinned.
"…Best kind of mission recovery!"
Gojo pointed forward mid-step.
"…We should do this after every fight."
Yuji shouted immediately:
"…NO!"
Takeru didn't stop dancing.
Just glanced ahead down the road.
For once—
no tension.
No cursed spirits.
No erased names.
No watching eyes.
Just noise.
Movement.
Bad rhythm.
And something that almost felt normal.
Eventually, the song faded.
The speaker clicked off.
Silence returned slowly.
But it didn't feel heavy this time.
Hakari stretched.
"…I needed that."
Yuji exhaled.
"…Yeah… actually…"
Gojo ruffled Yuji's hair as he passed.
"…See? Healing."
Yuji groaned.
"…That's not healing."
Takeru tucked the speaker back into his pocket.
Grinning a little again.
Smaller now.
Quieter.
"…We should do that again."
Hakari pointed at him.
"…Absolutely."
Yuji sighed.
"…Unfortunately, yes."
And for the rest of the walk—
even with everything still unresolved—
they didn't feel like they were being followed.
Just for a moment.