Another stretch of time passed.
Not peaceful.
Not productive.
Just… ongoing.
Takeru was still in the bed.
Still wrapped.
Still absolutely not allowed to exist outside of it.
Shoko hadn't moved much.
Which somehow made it worse.
Silence.
"…Can I at least get my su—"
"No."
A pause.
Yuji blinked.
"…You didn't even let him finish that one."
Nobara smirked.
"…She's evolving."
Megumi nodded slightly.
"…Pattern recognition."
Takeru stared at the ceiling.
Processing.
"…Request denied prior to full query."
Shoko flipped a page.
"…Correct."
"…Can I leave."
"No."
A few seconds passed.
Takeru shifted slightly on the bed.
Bandages tightened immediately.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
Another shift.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
Yuji tilted his head.
"…Why does it feel like he's… moving more?"
Megumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…He is."
Nobara straightened.
"…Wait."
Takeru shifted again.
Slightly more this time.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
The bandages pulsed.
But this time—
they didn't tighten as much.
Megumi noticed instantly.
"…He's testing movement tolerance."
Yuji blinked.
"…While asking to leave?"
Megumi nodded.
"…Yes."
Nobara groaned.
"…He's multitasking recovery with rebellion…"
Takeru adjusted again.
A little more range.
A little more angle.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
Shoko didn't look up.
But her voice sharpened slightly.
"…If you dislocate something again, I'm adding restraints."
A pause.
Takeru froze.
"…Noted."
Silence.
Five seconds.
Ten.
Then—
very slightly—
he shifted again.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
Yuji whispered.
"…He's still doing it…"
Megumi responded quietly.
"…He's learning how much he can move without triggering full restriction."
Nobara crossed her arms.
"…So he's basically… escaping in slow motion?"
Megumi shook his head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…He's optimizing within confinement."
Takeru's fingers twitched slightly under the bandages.
"…Can I leave."
"No."
Shoko finally looked up.
Just slightly.
"…I can see you."
Takeru paused.
"…Observation acknowledged."
Nobara laughed.
"…He talks like a machine!"
Yuji grinned.
"…A very stubborn machine…"
Takeru shifted again—
this time sitting up a fraction more than before.
Bandages pulsed.
But held.
Megumi's eyes sharpened.
"…He's increasing range."
Shoko sighed.
"…You're not getting out."
Takeru paused.
Looked forward slightly now instead of straight up.
"…Understood."
A beat.
"…Can I leave."
"…No."
Silence.
Then—
very quietly—
"…Progress acceptable."
Yuji blinked.
"…Did he just—"
Nobara pointed.
"…HE'S TRAINING."
Megumi nodded.
"…Yes."
Shoko closed her file slowly.
"…You're unbelievable."
Takeru didn't respond.
Just adjusted again.
Tiny.
Controlled.
Incremental.
"…Can I leave."
"…No."
But this time—
he was sitting up just a little more than before.
And for Takeru—
that was enough to count as improvement.