The ward door slid open with a soft creak.
Cold air from the hallway slipped in first.
Then Takeru stepped out.
No hesitation this time.
No wobble.
Just movement.
He stopped briefly, glanced down at himself, and without ceremony ripped the remaining bandages off his upper body.
"…Done with that."
Older Shoko didn't even look up from her paperwork.
"…Don't tear those again if you want me to keep pretending I didn't see it."
Younger Shoko blinked.
"…You're supposed to rest longer."
Takeru was already pulling on a shirt from a nearby rack of spare uniforms.
Then pants.
Fast. Efficient.
Like recovery was just another task.
"…Resting's overrated."
He finished dressing, rolled his shoulders once, and headed for the exit.
Outside the medical wing—
the campus was alive again.
But it felt… layered.
Too many timelines stacked on top of each other.
Gojo spotted him immediately from across the courtyard.
"…Oh, he's mobile again."
Geto looked up.
"…That was quick."
Yuji stepped forward first.
"…You're okay?"
Takeru nodded once.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
Then his eyes shifted, scanning.
"…Where is Panda and Megumi?"
The question landed differently.
Yuji blinked.
"…Panda's not—"
He stopped.
Realization hitting at the same time as everyone else.
Megumi stiffened slightly.
"…They're not here yet."
Takeru frowned.
"…Not here how?"
Gojo leaned back on his heel.
"…Right."
A pause.
"…This timeline doesn't have everything aligned yet."
Geto added quietly:
"…Some people haven't re-entered this version of events."
Takeru exhaled.
Not frustrated.
Just processing.
"…So they're still displaced."
Yuta nodded.
"…Looks like it."
Hakari stretched.
"…Which means we go find them."
Kirara crossed her arms.
"…Or they find us."
Higuruma adjusted his collar.
"…Temporal inconsistency increases legal unpredictability."
Kashimo smirked.
"…Good. That means stronger opponents."
Uro muttered:
"…This is getting messier."
Takeru turned slightly, thinking.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
A pause.
"…Then that's next."
Yuji looked at him.
"…You're not resting more?"
Takeru shrugged.
"…I already did."
Gojo grinned.
"…That's the spirit."
Geto watched him for a moment.
Then spoke softly.
"…You recover fast."
Takeru looked back at him.
"…I don't really have a choice."
Silence followed that.
Not heavy.
Just understood.
And with that—
the group started moving again.
Because in this rewritten timeline—
nothing stayed still for long.