The tension didn't disappear.
It just… shifted.
Hana lowered herself to sit across from Takeru.
Careful.
Not aggressive.
Not relaxed either.
Just present.
Megumi stayed standing nearby, watching both of them closely.
Angel's presence lingered subtly through Hana's expression, like a second layer behind her eyes.
Takeru sat down as well.
Straight posture.
Controlled breathing.
The Sukuna mouth on his cheek had gone quiet—for now.
Hana spoke first.
"…Okay. Let's do this properly."
Takeru nodded once.
"…Agreed."
A brief silence.
Then Hana continued.
"…The Culling Games is basically a forced survival system."
Takeru replied immediately.
"…Confirmed. 100-point rule. Player elimination for resources."
Hana blinked slightly.
"…Yeah. That."
A pause.
"…You already figured a lot out."
Takeru's tone stayed flat.
"…Observed pattern consistency."
Megumi leaned slightly forward.
"…What about Kenjaku's goal?"
Hana hesitated.
Angel's voice slipped through her expression.
"…Evolution."
Silence.
Takeru tilted his head slightly.
"…Clarify."
Hana exhaled.
"…He's turning Japan into a massive cursed energy reactor. All of this—colony structure, rules, killing—feeds something bigger."
Megumi's eyes narrowed.
"…Tengen?"
Angel responded immediately.
"…Integration. Merger. Collapse of separation between humans and cursed energy systems."
Takeru processed that quietly.
"…System convergence."
Hana nodded.
"…Basically, yeah."
Another pause.
Takeru looked down slightly.
"…Sukuna mentioned observation."
Hana glanced at his cheek briefly.
"…He talks a lot, huh."
The Sukuna mouth remained silent.
For once.
Megumi spoke again.
"…What do you want from us?"
Hana looked at him.
Then back to Takeru.
"…Information. Coordination. And… maybe allies."
Takeru responded calmly.
"…Conditional cooperation possible."
Hana leaned forward slightly.
"…You don't trust us."
Takeru answered without hesitation.
"…Correct."
That made Hana pause.
Then she gave a small, tired exhale.
"…Fair."
Angel's voice softened slightly.
"…But we are not your enemies."
Megumi muttered under his breath.
"…Everyone says that."
A faint silence followed.
Then Hana shifted slightly.
"…There's something else."
Takeru's eyes lifted.
"…State it."
Hana looked directly at him now.
"…There are players in this game who aren't just fighting to survive."
A pause.
"…They're trying to change the rules entirely."
Megumi frowned.
"…Like adding new rules?"
Angel confirmed.
"…Yes. Rule modification requires 100 points."
Takeru nodded slightly.
"…Already aware."
Hana continued.
"…But some players are already close. And once someone starts changing rules at scale… the game itself starts breaking."
Silence.
Takeru spoke quietly.
"…System instability increases."
Hana nodded.
"…Exactly."
Megumi exhaled slowly.
"…So it gets worse."
Hana didn't deny it.
"…Yes."
A long pause followed.
Then Takeru stood again.
Slowly.
Controlled.
"…Information acquired."
Hana looked up at him.
"…So what now?"
Takeru answered simply.
"…We continue."
Megumi straightened as well.
"…Find Yuji. Find Higuruma. Keep moving."
Hana watched them for a moment.
Then spoke softly.
"…Be careful."
Angel added:
"…This game does not reward consistency."
Takeru paused at the door.
Then replied flatly.
"…Understood."
And they left the room—
carrying more knowledge.
But no less danger.