At least, tonight Ryoma can sleep early, without doing any bargaining with his thoughts. His body sinks into rest as if it finally remembers how. There are no flashes of canvas now, no nightmare of fists freezing mid-air.
When morning comes, it comes quietly.
Before dawn, he's already up. Aramaki is surprised to see him tying his shoes by the door, hair still damp from a quick rinse.
"You're early," he says.
Ryoma just nods. "Couldn't stay in bed."
"Don't tell me you couldn't sleep again."
"Naah… got a lot of sleep."
They head out together when the city still half-asleep, air cool enough to sting the lungs. The roadwork is steady and familiar.
Ryoma's stride isn't perfect, but it's rhythmic. His breathing settles into something reliable. For the first time since arriving, his body doesn't feel like it's arguing with him.
At the gym later that morning, the restraints loosen. There's still monitoring, but Ryoma is allowed to work.
