The infirmary light was too bright for how early it felt.
Takeru blinked awake slowly, staring at the ceiling like he was checking if it had changed overnight.
It hadn't.
Unfortunately.
Shoko stood nearby, already reading a chart without looking at him.
Calm.
Prepared.
Like she'd already accepted how this conversation would go.
Takeru sat up slightly.
"…Can I lea—"
Shoko didn't even look up.
"…No."
Silence.
Takeru nodded once like that was a normal answer in a normal world.
"…Understood."
And then—
he moved.
Fast.
Not injured-fast.
Not careful-fast.
Just gone.
The sheets shifted.
The chair squeaked.
And the door—
was already open.
Yuji, outside in the hallway, barely had time to react.
"…Huh—WAIT—"
Hakari turned his head.
"…Oh, he's gone."
Maki sighed.
"…Again."
Shoko didn't react immediately.
Just lowered her chart slightly.
"…Of course."
She walked over to the bed.
Where Takeru had been.
The seals were still active.
Holding everything in place.
Keeping structure stable.
Keeping the bandages properly secured.
Shoko raised a hand.
"…This is the part where he regrets leaving."
She deactivated them.
Instantly—
the bandages loosened.
Yuji's eyes widened.
"…WAIT, THAT MEANS—"
Hakari pointed.
"…OH NO—"
From somewhere down the hall—
Takeru's voice echoed faintly.
"…I anticipated this."
Maki narrowed her eyes.
"…He did not sound worried."
And then—
back outside.
Takeru was already standing in the courtyard.
Wind hitting him slightly differently now.
Bandages shifting.
Looser.
Unstable.
Yuji and the others had just caught up.
"…HOW ARE YOU OUTSIDE ALREADY?!"
Hakari leaned forward.
"…Bro teleported with bad intentions."
Takeru didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
he exhaled.
Slowly.
Like he was preparing for something simple.
Then—
his cursed energy flared.
Not explosive.
Controlled.
Precise.
Yuji blinked.
"…Wait…"
Maki's eyes sharpened.
"…He's stabilizing himself."
Hakari muttered.
"…No way he learned that."
The lower half of Takeru's bandages—now fully loose—started to shift dangerously.
But—
he held it.
With cursed energy.
Just enough.
Yuji's face twisted.
"…Why is he casually doing that like it's normal—"
Takeru looked down briefly.
"…Temporary adjustment."
Hakari pointed.
"…He's actively refusing medical physics right now."
Maki stepped forward slightly.
"…That won't hold long."
Takeru nodded.
"…Correct."
And then—
he raised one hand toward the upper bandages.
The part still loosely tied.
Still unstable.
Yuji froze.
"…Wait—don't—"
Hakari leaned in.
"…Oh this is about to get worse."
Maki muttered.
"…He's not thinking about consequences."
Takeru exhaled.
"…Next step: optimization."
And he started to adjust the upper seals—
slowly—
while holding the lower half together with cursed energy.
The system was already unstable.
Balancing on pure control and timing.
One wrong shift—
and everything would collapse.
Yuji stepped forward urgently.
"…HEY, STOP—"
Hakari shouted.
"…DON'T DO THE TOP TOO—"
Maki reached out—
"…Takeru!"
Shoko's voice cut in from behind them, calm but sharper now.
"…Don't break my work."
Takeru paused mid-motion.
His hands hovering near the upper bandages.
Cursed energy still holding the lower half in place.
Barely.
Silence.
Wind shifted.