No one knew when they actually fell asleep.
Somewhere between the third round of snacks, Takaba's fake courtroom drama, and Todo giving an emotional speech about pillow placement—
the lobby fort went quiet.
Then—
eyes opened.
One by one.
Takeru checked a clock on the wall.
Blink.
Looked again.
"…It's four."
Silence.
Then Panda sat upright.
"…Four A.M.?"
Yuji rubbed his face.
"…Why are we awake?"
Megumi, somehow already fully conscious, muttered:
"…Because none of you are normal."
Gojo popped up from a blanket pile.
Hair worse than usual.
"…Excellent. Prime hours."
Nanami, who had apparently slept sitting upright, stared into the distance.
"…I have not rested."
Higuruma adjusted a crooked tie.
"…Neither legally nor physically."
Hakari stretched.
"…So what now?"
Everyone looked toward the hallway leading to the girls' rooms.
Then back at each other.
Takeru raised a finger.
"…We do not disturb them."
Choso nodded solemnly.
"…Correct."
Panda placed a paw over his chest.
"…Respect."
Gojo gasped dramatically.
"…Growth."
Kirara's voice echoed from another room.
"…Be loud and die."
Everyone immediately nodded.
"…Understood."
So at four in the morning—
the boys began the quietest chaos possible.
Movie Time
Yuta set up an old TV.
Volume nearly muted.
Subtitles on.
Takaba kept reacting loudly anyway.
"…OH! Plot twist!"
Everyone hissed at him.
"…Sorry! Silent plot twist!"
Board Games
Nanami, Higuruma, and Geto ended up in a serious board game match somehow.
No smiles.
No mercy.
Higuruma moved one piece.
"…Check."
Nanami moved another.
"…Counterpoint."
Geto calmly took both.
"…Neither."
Young Gojo watched for thirty seconds.
"…This is boring."
He was banned from touching the board immediately.
Video Games
Yuji, Megumi, Panda, and Takeru sat around a console.
Megumi was annoyingly good.
Yuji was loud even while whispering.
Panda button-mashed proudly.
Takeru talked trash constantly.
"…Sea urchin camper."
"…Shut up."
Snacks
Ryu had organized snacks into categories:
Sweet.
Savory.
Balanced.
Emergency.
Hakari respected the system.
"…You're a genius."
Drinks
Then someone found coffee.
That was the turning point.
Gojo held up a mug.
"…Gentlemen."
Takeru raised one too.
"…Bad decisions."
Nanami, already drinking black coffee, didn't look up.
"…Too late."
Soon there were sodas cracking open quietly, coffee brewing, chips being passed around, and whispered laughter filling the fort.
Haibara, somehow wide awake again, whispered too loudly:
"…THIS IS AWESOME!"
"…Whisper!"
everyone replied.
At one point the girls' hallway door opened slightly.
Everyone froze.
Utahime's sleepy voice came out:
"…Why do I smell coffee and hear happiness."
The door closed again.
No one moved for ten seconds.
Then Gojo whispered:
"…We survived."
Takeru leaned back, controller in hand, soda beside coffee.
Looked around at everyone.
At peace.
At nonsense.d
At four in the morning.
"…Best reset ever."
And nobody disagreed.