The knock at the door came sharp and casual at the same time.
Like it didn't belong to the weight of the moment.
Takeru turned his head slowly.
"…Yeah?"
The voice outside answered immediately.
"Hey. Open up."
Satoru Gojo
Takeru walked to the door and opened it.
Gojo stood there like nothing was wrong. Hands in pockets. Same relaxed posture.
But his eyes were a little sharper than usual.
"…You blacked out."
Takeru blinked once.
"…I slept."
Gojo shook his head slightly.
"No. You dropped. Like someone cut the frame out of the film."
Silence.
Takeru didn't respond right away.
Just stared at him.
Behind Gojo, the hallway was already full of movement.
People gathering.
Waiting.
Watching without saying much.
Megumi stood further back, arms crossed.
Yuji looked uncomfortable, like he was replaying the same question in his head over and over.
Megumi Fushiguro
Yuji Itadori
Gojo leaned slightly closer.
"…We checked. You weren't responding for a while."
A pause.
"…And it wasn't normal sleep."
Takeru's eyes shifted slightly.
"…How long."
Gojo didn't answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
Takeru exhaled once.
Quiet.
Then stepped back.
"…Alright."
No panic.
No surprise.
Just acceptance.
Later — Airport Terminal
Everything was moving again too fast.
Like someone pressed play after holding it for too long.
The group was already being pushed back into motion.
Luggage again.
Announcements again.
Movement again.
Yuji walked beside Takeru for a moment.
"…You good?"
Takeru didn't look at him.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…Just missing time."
Yuji frowned slightly.
"…That sounds worse when you say it like that."
Takeru didn't reply.
Behind them, Gojo glanced back once more.
Not joking now.
Just watching.
"…We're getting back on the plane."
Nobody argued.
On the Plane — Again
Seats. Engines. Cloud cover.
Same world as before.
But nobody treated it the same anymore.
Takeru sat by the window again.
Hands resting loosely.
Eyes forward.
Yuji sat a few seats away, quieter this time.
Megumi didn't sleep.
Hakari wasn't smiling as much as usual.
And this time—
no one mentioned dates.
Fred, somewhere in the aisle, quietly placed a small sign in the seat pocket:
"Continuity re-established… for now."
Takeru stared out at the clouds.
"…We're not done yet."
He said it softly.
Not to anyone.
But nobody missed it.