Eventually—
after an absurd amount of running—
Yuji finally managed to tag Takeru.
Barely.
Yuji collapsed dramatically onto the sand.
"…HOW ARE YOU THAT FAST."
Takeru just grinned.
Not even breathing hard.
Then—
he suddenly dropped into an athlete stance.
Low to the ground.
Focused.
Dangerous.
Everyone immediately felt concern.
Megumi pointed.
"…That posture means something bad."
Hakari backed up slowly.
"…Why does he look like a boss fight."
Takeru looked around at everyone.
Smiling.
"Everyone run."
A pause.
"You have a ten second head start."
Silence.
Nobara blinked.
"…What."
Then Takeru continued:
"We are playing…"
A grin spread across his face.
"…Freeze Tag."
Pure panic.
"RUN."
The entire island exploded into movement instantly.
Yuji screamed and sprinted.
Nobara grabbed Megumi and ran.
Hakari took off laughing.
Kirara immediately abandoned dignity for survival.
Gojo teleported away.
Even Nanami started speedwalking faster than usual.
Fred dove behind a beach chair.
Takeru calmly counted.
"…Eight."
"…Nine."
"…Ten."
Silence.
Then—
he vanished.
Sand exploded behind him.
Yuji looked back once.
Huge mistake.
"…OH MY GOD."
Takeru was MOVING.
Not running.
MOVING.
Like a predator locking onto targets.
And unfortunately—
the first people near him were the three girls.
Reina turned slightly—
and Takeru planted one hand lightly against the top of her head as he vaulted over her.
"Frozen."
Before she could even process it—
he touched Aika's head with his other hand mid-motion.
"Frozen."
Then—
while flipping past—
he lightly bonked Yorozu's head with his own.
"Frozen."
Three out instantly.
Silence.
All three girls froze completely.
Not because of the game.
Mentally.
Nobara stared in disbelief.
"…HE TOOK THEM OUT LIKE A CUTSCENE."
Hakari was losing his mind laughing.
"…HE USED ADVANCED TAG TECHNIQUES."
Kirara pointed.
"…AND HE STILL DOESN'T REALIZE THEY LIKE HIM."
Gojo covered his face dramatically.
"…THE LEVEL OF HOPELESSNESS IS HISTORIC."
Meanwhile—
Takeru was already gone again.
Yuji sprinted across the beach at top speed.
"…WHY IS HE HUNTING PEOPLE."
Megumi looked behind him once.
Immediately regretted it.
"…HE'S GAINING."
Takeru moved through the island like a cheetah chasing gazelles.
Fast turns.
Perfect acceleration.
Instant direction changes.
One cursed spirit got tagged immediately.
Another got frozen mid-volleyball serve.
Hakari got caught laughing.
Kirara got tagged trying to save Hakari.
Even Gojo got clipped once because he underestimated how absurd Takeru's movement was.
"…THAT SHOULDN'T COUNT."
"It counted."
Fred tried hiding underwater.
Takeru tagged him through the water somehow.
"NOOOOO."
Nanami calmly sipped coffee while walking away.
"…I'm too old for this."
Then Takeru appeared beside him instantly.
"…Frozen."
Nanami sighed.
"…Expected."
Higaruma got tagged next.
Then Geto.
Then Yuji after an absolutely insane chase sequence across the shoreline.
Finally—
everyone was frozen.
Takeru stood in the middle of the island breathing lightly.
Hands on hips.
Victorious.
"…Good game."
Everyone else looked exhausted.
Fred pointed dramatically.
"…Monster."
The entire island agreed.