The colony settled back into motion.
Not calm—just moving again.
Takeru walked at a steady pace.
Back in his original body.
Clothes slightly torn from earlier.
Stability restored—for now.
Megumi stayed ahead, scanning rooftops.
Nothing new.
Nothing urgent.
Hana walked just behind Takeru.
Angel's presence quiet—but aware.
For a while, no one spoke.
Then—
it happened again.
A glance.
Takeru noticed it immediately.
But this time—
it wasn't toward his face.
Lower.
His chest.
His stomach.
He paused slightly.
Not stopping—just enough to register it.
"…Observation shift detected."
Megumi didn't even turn around.
"…Ignore it."
Hana froze for a split second.
"…I wasn't—"
Angel's voice followed, calm as ever.
"…Visual tracking confirmed."
Hana's face tightened.
"…Angel."
Takeru glanced down briefly.
Then back forward.
"…Cause identified."
Megumi sighed.
"…You worked out. Congratulations."
Takeru nodded once.
"…Correct."
A short silence followed.
Hana tried to look anywhere else.
Walls.
Ground.
Sky.
But her eyes flicked back again.
Just for a second.
Takeru noticed.
Again.
"…Pattern repetition continues."
Hana exhaled sharply.
"…I said it's nothing."
Angel added, unhelpfully:
"…It is not nothing."
Megumi muttered:
"…Can we not do this again."
Takeru spoke calmly.
"…No interference required."
That made Hana pause.
"…You're just… okay with it?"
Takeru responded without hesitation.
"…It does not affect mission parameters."
A beat.
Then, slightly quieter:
"…However, it has been acknowledged."
Hana blinked.
Megumi shook his head slightly.
"…That's the most normal thing you've said all day."
Takeru didn't respond.
They kept walking.
Hana adjusted her pace again.
Trying to stay focused.
Trying not to look.
She failed.
Once.
Twice.
Angel noted it silently this time.
Takeru didn't call it out again.
Didn't comment.
Just kept moving forward.
But now—
both of them were aware of it.
And that made it different.