Morning came quietly over Jujutsu High.
Too quietly.
The kind of quiet that usually meant someone had already done something they shouldn't have.
Yuji yawned as he walked out into the yard.
"…Why is it already loud outside?"
Hakari stretched beside him.
"…That's never a good sign."
Maki arrived next, immediately scanning the field.
"…He's already here."
Nobara squinted toward the training grounds.
"…Of course he is."
And there he was.
Takeru.
Moving.
Nonstop.
Punching training dummies.
Sprinting between targets.
Adjusting stance mid-motion like he was testing every possible version of himself.
Bandages still wrapped.
Clothes still intact.
But something was off.
Yuji frowned.
"…Has he slept?"
Hakari tilted his head.
"…Nope."
Gojo appeared behind them like he'd been there the whole time.
"…Oh, this is that kind of morning."
Maki narrowed her eyes.
"…He's been training all night."
Nobara pointed.
"…Why would he do that?!"
As they watched—
Takeru landed another strike.
Hard.
Clean.
Then immediately pivoted into another movement without pausing.
"…Again."
Yuji blinked.
"…Did he just say that to himself?"
Hakari grinned slightly.
"…Oh, he's in that mode."
Gojo nodded.
"…Sleep deprivation plus motivation spiral."
Maki crossed her arms.
"…That's not sustainable."
And then—
Takeru stopped suddenly.
Turned toward them.
Everyone froze.
Because his expression—
was different.
Too light.
Too loose.
Too… familiar.
He pointed at them.
"…Yo."
Silence.
Yuji blinked.
"…What?"
Takeru grinned.
Not his usual calm grin.
Something brighter.
Messier.
"…You guys just gonna watch or are we training or what?"
Hakari laughed immediately.
"…OH NO, he's doing the personality mashup."
Nobara frowned.
"…What does that mean?!"
Gojo raised a hand casually.
"…It means he didn't sleep and now he's running on pure chaos."
Takeru walked over, still bouncing slightly on his feet.
"…I feel GREAT."
Yuji stepped back slightly.
"…That's concerning."
Takeru pointed at Yuji.
"…You punch hard, right?"
Yuji paused.
"…Yeah?"
Takeru nodded.
"…Cool. Teach me how to punch harder."
Then immediately pointed at Hakari.
"…You gamble life, right? Teach that too."
Hakari burst out laughing.
"…HE'S COLLECTING TRAITS!"
Maki pinched the bridge of her nose.
"…He's not learning properly anymore."
Gojo smiled.
"…Actually, this might be peak performance."
Nobara crossed her arms.
"…That's not a real thing."
Takeru had already turned away again, heading back toward the dummies.
"…More reps."
Yuji watched him go.
"…He's gonna collapse."
Hakari shrugged.
"…Or evolve."
Maki didn't look convinced.
"…Or both."
And Takeru kept training.
Faster now.
Louder.
Less controlled, but more intense.
Like sleep deprivation had stripped away hesitation—
and left only motion.
Gojo watched him for a moment longer.
Then muttered:
"…Yeah. This is going to become a problem eventually."