Ryan slept hard after the simulation. The kind of sleep that is deep because the body is empty and the mind finally loosens its grip. When morning came he felt a slow, steady heat in his limbs, the kind that says the body has been used in the right way.

He sat up, swung his legs to the floor, and moved toward the small bathroom without rush. The apartment was quiet. The city noise had not yet risen. The early light through the window was thin and gray, not bright, and it made the mirror look softer than it really was.

He looked into the mirror at his own face. He saw the same lines that had been there yesterday. He saw the same hair that refused to lie down.

He saw the same eyes that sometimes went quiet when he thought too much. This time, as he stared, he did not let the thoughts drift. He spoke aloud, the words simple and firm.

"Ryan West, now you are a leader of one crew," he said. He said it to name what had changed. He wanted the change to feel solid in his mouth and not only float as a thought. "You are not a nobody anymore,"

he added because he needed to remind himself where he stood. The sentence was not meant to puff him up. It was meant to set the record straight so his actions matched his role.

He breathed, feeling the air fill his chest. "Think about your team and your responsibility," he told himself. He said it slowly so the meaning would sink. "Time to work harder and be as strong as possible so my team does not get hurt because of my weaknesses."

The words made a small knot inside his chest. That knot was responsibility. It did not feel light. It did not feel like a reward. It felt like a steady weight that would sit on him until he learned how to carry it.

He slapped his cheeks once, hard enough to wake the skin and the feeling in his head. The action was not dramatic. It was ritual, a quick reset. He favored a short, tight mouth smile, not one of joy. The smile meant, I will do it.

He dressed in plain clothes. Neutral colors, a jacket that did not draw attention, shoes that fit his feet. The plan had asked for low profile. He followed that. He checked himself once more in the mirror, squared his shoulders, and left the apartment.

Walking to school he moved with purpose. The streets were familiar and the steps routine. But his mind was not on the street. It was on the meeting ahead and on the small improvements from the night before.

He reviewed the combos in his head. He thought about his breathing. He thought about balance. Each step felt like a small rehearsal for staying steady later.

When he reached the gate of the school he went inside and walked toward his classroom. The building smelled like chalk and old polish. The corridors had students moving in groups with their own small worlds and their own small dramas.

Ryan stepped into the classroom and saw Arthur already sitting in his seat. Arthur sat the same way he always did. He faced forward, his posture even, his expression unreadable the way it often was. His eyes closed just a little as if he was resting them between thoughts.

Ryan took his place beside Arthur and sat down. He greeted him as always. "Morning," he said simply.

Arthur lifted his head by a fraction and answered with a single word. "Morning."

Arthur closed his eyes again. The small exchange was the kind of thing that mattered because it made the morning normal. The normalcy was necessary. It helped calm Ryan. In small human ways he felt like he belonged to a routine, and that steadied him.

The class passed in its usual way. The teacher spoke, students copied notes, the sound of pens and pages filled the room. Ryan listened but his attention drifted a few times. He watched the clock more than usual.

He tried to eat small steady bits of energy in his head: slow breathing, counting to five between thoughts, repeating one line that kept him focused. The cells in his legs remembered the night's work. They held a low ache that told him he had practiced something real.

When the bell finally rang for the day's end Ryan and Arthur stood and left together. They walked to the front gate where Maya, Kai, and Daniel were waiting. The morning light had grown a little sharper. The air smelled faintly of gasoline and baked pavement. The group looked as different as always when they met like this: some faces were easy to read, others not.

Kai stood with his arms crossed and his eyes hard to read. He did not speak when Ryan and Arthur reached them. He gave a small nod.

The nod was not warm. It was not unfriendly. It said, I am here and I am aware. That alone could carry a warning to other people who might test boundaries. His stance hinted that he expected trouble but would not show surprise if it came.

Daniel was the opposite. He had that bright, easy smile that opened out like the sun through a small hole. His hands were in his pockets and he said, "Yoo captain and Arthur, took you both long enoughhhh.

I was about to pass away because of the boredom." The joke was loud. It was not serious. The humor eased the tension in a way that mattered because laughter could lessen the tightness before a serious event. It reminded everyone that they were still young enough to make jokes, even if the stakes were heavy.

Maya was there too. She looked ready and sharp. She had the map of the meeting in her head and in the small set of instructions she had given them.

Seeing her now made Ryan feel the weight of duty again. Maya did not smile. She said, "Now it is time to go." Her voice was calm and steady. It had no fear in it. It had only the readiness that comes from thinking things through and taking responsibility.

Ryan nodded and they all started walking. The group moved in a line with small spacing between them so they could talk if needed and also keep a low profile. The route took them through streets the crew knew well, streets that had small shops and crates stacked against walls.

They passed a few people who glanced at them, not enough to make any trouble. The neighborhood felt watchful and familiar. The direction they were heading aimed toward a small building under construction. The building was inside land claimed by the West High crew.

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