The room feels too bright now that everyone is here, crowded with warmth and meaning Ryoma can't quite reach. Smiles hang in the air, restrained out of respect for the hospital, but unmistakably real.
They look at him the way people look at someone who's crossed something dangerous and come back. And Ryoma doesn't know how to react inside that gaze.
The belt still sits at the foot of the bed. It feels unreal, like a prop that wandered into the wrong scene.
His throat tightens. "…Please," he says quietly, the word escaping before he can stop it. His face has gone pale, eyes searching each of them in turn. "Just… tell me I'm not dreaming."
Nakahara's expression softens at once. Sera's smile fades into something gentler. Even Kenta, who's been barely containing himself, reins it in. They all understand what this looks like from the inside.
"You're not," Nakahara says, voice calm, grounded. "And it's alright to be confused."
