On the opposite side, Ryoma doesn't sit. His face is burning red, his cheekbone a bit swelling where Sekino's hook landed.
"Sit down, kid!" Nakahara orders.
Ryoma shakes his head violently. "No… if I sit… I'll cool down… I can't cool down now…"
His voice is shredded, barely audible.
Hiroshi grabs him by the arm. "Your legs are gone! Sit for ten seconds… no, five seconds!"
Ryoma jerks away, still panting, still trembling from fatigue.
"I stand… until it's over…"
His stubbornness leaves Hiroshi speechless. Nakahara swears under his breath and gets to work anyway, wiping Ryoma's face, dumping water across his shoulders, massaging his arm to force life back into it.
Ryoma's eyes stare forward, unfocused yet burning. His Vision Grid still gives the same verdict. Sekino shouldn't be able to fight anymore.
A strained whisper escapes him, rough around the edges:
"…What's keeping him standing…? Are all veterans like that?"
