Takeru vanished.
Not a blur.
Not a jump.
Just—gone.
Megumi's eyes snapped immediately.
"…Where did he—"
Hana turned sharply.
"…I didn't even feel cursed energy move…"
Angel's voice followed, tighter than usual.
"…Movement signature is discontinuous."
Then—
Takeru reappeared.
Standing across the room.
Hand already touching a broken pillar.
A second passed.
Gone again.
Yuji blinked.
"…Okay, that's definitely not normal movement."
He reappeared on the edge of the stage.
Touching the ground.
Gone.
Then—
on a collapsed chair.
Touch.
Gone.
Each time—
a new position.
A new contact point.
Like he was mapping the entire space through touch.
Megumi narrowed his eyes.
"…He's marking everything…"
Hana stepped forward slightly.
"…What is he doing?"
Angel responded:
"…Pattern-based spatial traversal. Possibly technique acquisition."
Then—
Takeru reappeared again.
This time—
he didn't move immediately.
Hand resting on Higuruma's former gavel mark in the floor.
A pause.
Then—
something shifted.
The air tightened.
The space clicked into understanding.
And then—
the narrator returned.
"…Projection Sorcery."
Everyone froze.
The voice wasn't loud.
It wasn't coming from anywhere.
But it was clear.
Structured.
Explaining.
"…Used by Naobito Zenin and his son Naoya Zenin."
Megumi stiffened.
"…Zenin technique…"
Hana whispered:
"…That clan again…"
Angel stayed silent.
Listening.
"…Projection Sorcery is an inherited cursed technique exclusive to the prestigious Zenin Clan."
Takeru stood still as the narration continued.
Hand still on the surface.
"…It essentially treats one second of reality like a piece of animation, allowing the user to achieve speeds second only to Satoru Gojo."
Yuji blinked slowly.
"…That's insane."
The narration continued.
"…The technique is based on a '24 frames per second' rule."
The space subtly changed.
Even without activation—
the logic of it hung in the air.
"…Framing Reality: The user perceives one second as 24 individual frames. They must plot out a predetermined set of movements across those 24 frames."
Takeru's fingers tightened slightly on the surface.
"…Unnatural Speed: Once the path is set, the user 'plays' through those movements in real-time, resulting in movement so fast it appears as if they are teleporting."
Megumi's eyes narrowed further.
"…So that's what he's been doing…"
Hana looked between the movements.
"…He's testing the frames…"
Angel confirmed:
"…Environmental interaction suggests technique assimilation in progress."
The narration continued.
"…The Penalty: If the user—or anyone they touch—fails to follow the plotted movements or violates the laws of physics, they are 'penalized' and frozen inside a paper-thin animation frame for one second, leaving them completely vulnerable."
A pause.
Yuji frowned.
"…That's a brutal drawback."
Then—
Takeru moved.
And for a moment—
he was everywhere at once.
Not teleporting.
Not vanishing.
Folding through frames.
Touch.
Step.
Shift.
Touch.
Each contact point stabilizing his understanding.
Megumi's eyes widened slightly.
"…He's reading it…"
Hana stepped back instinctively.
"…That speed—"
Angel interrupted:
"…He is mapping frame transitions."
Then—
Takeru stopped.
Dead center.
Hand resting lightly on air.
A pause.
The narration returned one final time.
"…While extremely powerful, the technique's rigid rules make it predictable to opponents with high enough reflexes—such as Maki Zenin and Takeru Gojo, who was eventually able to 'read' the frames and counter the movement."
Silence.
Yuji stared.
"…Wait."
"…That said his name like it was already known."
Megumi slowly turned his head.
"…Yeah."
Hana whispered:
"…So this wasn't new to him…"
Angel concluded quietly:
"…He already has prior mastery."
Takeru exhaled once.
"…Confirmed."
And then—
the frames stopped shifting.
But the implication didn't.
Because now—
they all knew.
Whatever Takeru just did—
wasn't learning.
It was remembering.