Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Nobody had moved for a long while.
Some sat silently.
Some stared at the floor.
Some just stared at Takeru.
Waiting for something they knew probably wouldn't come.
The room smelled faintly of medicine and rainwater.
Older Gojo still sat beside the bed.
Head lowered.
One hand resting near Takeru's arm.
Yuji had cried himself quiet.
Choso stood behind him silently.
Megumi leaned against the wall with his eyes shut.
Even Takaba had stopped trying to joke.
And Takeru—
still didn't move.
Then—
"…h—"
Tiny.
Barely there.
Everyone froze.
Older Shoko's head snapped upward instantly.
"…Quiet."
Nobody breathed.
Nobody moved.
Then—
a single sound.
A small—
weak—
ragged—
breath.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Yuji's eyes widened violently.
"…WAIT."
Another tiny inhale.
Shallow.
Fragile.
But real.
Older Gojo froze completely.
Like his brain stopped functioning for a second.
Then his hand trembled.
"…Takeru?"
Young Shoko rushed forward immediately.
Checking pulse.
Breathing.
Eyes.
Anything.
"…He's breathing."
Nobody reacted for half a second.
Because nobody processed it.
Then the room exploded.
"HE'S ALIVE!?"
Yuji nearly fell over.
Choso grabbed Panda in excitement by accident.
Hakari shouted loud enough to shake the hallway.
Takaba started crying instantly.
"…THAT'S MY GOAT…"
Young Gojo stared.
Then burst out laughing in pure disbelief.
"…HE ACTUALLY CAME BACK!"
Older Geto exhaled so sharply it almost sounded painful.
Even Megumi's tense shoulders loosened.
Just slightly.
Older Gojo leaned closer immediately.
Eyes wide behind the blindfold.
"…Hey."
His voice shook.
"…Hey, little brother."
Takeru didn't answer.
Didn't wake up.
But another weak breath escaped him.
And that alone—
felt like a miracle.
In the corner—
even Sukuna smirked faintly.
"…Persistent brat."
Rain continued outside.
Soft.
Steady.
But inside Jujutsu High—
hope returned in the smallest sound imaginable.
A single breath.