diff --git a/includes/engine/class-tmdo-hook-bus.php b/includes/engine/class-tmdo-hook-bus.php
index ce6be65..46f001a 100644
--- a/includes/engine/class-tmdo-hook-bus.php
+++ b/includes/engine/class-tmdo-hook-bus.php
@@ -951,8 +951,20 @@ final class TMDO_Hook_Bus {
 		if ( null !== $field_def && 'post' === $type ) {
 			$field_def = TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_field( $type, $meta_key, (string) get_post_type( $object_id ) );
 		}
-		// A group whose table upgrade waits for WP-CLI / WP-Cron stays native.
-		return null !== $field_def && TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( $type, (string) $field_def['group'] ) ? null : $field_def;
+		// A group whose table upgrade waits for WP-CLI / WP-Cron stays native
+		// (not in aeav_only, where native is stale; the router agrees).
+		return null !== $field_def && self::deferred( $type, (string) $field_def['group'] ) ? null : $field_def;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Whether a group is deferred and so read and written natively.
+	 *
+	 * @param string $type  Entity type.
+	 * @param string $group Group name.
+	 * @return bool
+	 */
+	private static function deferred( string $type, string $group ): bool {
+		return TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( $type, $group ) && TMDO_Mode_Manager::MODE_AEAV_ONLY !== TMDO_Mode_Manager::get( $type );
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -970,10 +982,13 @@ final class TMDO_Hook_Bus {
 			// 回傳所有群組的所有欄位
 			$result = array();
 			foreach ( TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_groups_for_type( $type ) as $group ) {
-				$row = self::get_or_load_row( $type, $entity_id, $group );
+				$deferred = self::deferred( $type, $group );
+				$row      = $deferred ? array() : self::get_or_load_row( $type, $entity_id, $group );
 				foreach ( TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( $type, $group ) as $field ) {
 					$col                     = TMDO_Schema_Manager::sanitize_column_name( $field['key'] );
-					$result[ $field['key'] ] = TMDO_Type_Caster::from_db( $row[ $col ] ?? null, $field );
+					$result[ $field['key'] ] = $deferred
+						? get_metadata( $type, $entity_id, $field['key'], true )
+						: TMDO_Type_Caster::from_db( $row[ $col ] ?? null, $field );
 				}
 			}
 			return $result;
@@ -981,7 +996,8 @@ final class TMDO_Hook_Bus {
 
 		$field_def = self::field_for( $type, $entity_id, $key );
 		if ( ! $field_def ) {
-			return null;
+			// A deferred group's value is the native one.
+			return null !== TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_field( $type, $key ) ? get_metadata( $type, $entity_id, $key, true ) : null;
 		}
 
 		$row = self::get_or_load_row( $type, $entity_id, $field_def['group'] );
diff --git a/includes/engine/class-tmdo-schema-manager.php b/includes/engine/class-tmdo-schema-manager.php
index c6d5ca8..004c267 100644
--- a/includes/engine/class-tmdo-schema-manager.php
+++ b/includes/engine/class-tmdo-schema-manager.php
@@ -88,6 +88,8 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 		$stored_hash = self::get_stored_schema_hash( $entity_type, $group_name );
 
 		if ( $stored_hash === $schema_hash ) {
+			// Upgraded meanwhile, or the definition went back to the stored one.
+			self::end_deferral( $entity_type, $group_name );
 			return true;
 		}
 
@@ -102,7 +104,16 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 			return false;
 		}
 		if ( ! self::table_exists( $table ) ) {
-			return self::write_table( $entity_type, $group_name, $field_definitions, $adapter, $table, $schema_hash );
+			if ( ! self::write_table( $entity_type, $group_name, $field_definitions, $adapter, $table, $schema_hash ) ) {
+				return false;
+			}
+			// A new table starts empty while native meta may already hold the
+			// group's values: native until the drift fix has filled it in.
+			if ( TMDO_Mode_Manager::writes_to_flat( $entity_type ) && TMDO_Mode_Manager::MODE_AEAV_ONLY !== TMDO_Mode_Manager::get( $entity_type ) ) {
+				self::record_deferred( "{$entity_type}/{$group_name}" );
+				self::end_deferral( $entity_type, $group_name );
+			}
+			return true;
 		}
 
 		// An existing table is altered by one process at a time (anonymous
@@ -134,6 +145,7 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 	 */
 	private static function write_table( string $entity_type, string $group_name, array $field_definitions, TMDO_Entity_Adapter_Interface $adapter, string $table, string $schema_hash ): bool {
 		global $wpdb;
+		$existed = self::table_exists( $table );
 
 		$charset = $wpdb->get_charset_collate();
 		$id_col  = $adapter->get_entity_id_column();
@@ -204,9 +216,27 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 		// Bust the request-scoped table_exists cache so subsequent calls see the new table.
 		self::$table_exists_cache[ $table ] = true;
 
+		// dbDelta reports no failure: record the definition only when every column is there.
+		$columns = (array) $wpdb->get_col( "SHOW COLUMNS FROM `{$table}`" );
+		$missing = array_diff( array_map( static fn( $field ) => self::sanitize_column_name( (string) $field['key'] ), $field_definitions ), $columns );
+		if ( $missing ) {
+			unset( self::$table_exists_cache[ $table ] );
+			TMDO_Logger::warning(
+				'schema.upgrade_failed',
+				array(
+					'table'   => $table,
+					'missing' => array_values( $missing ),
+					'error'   => $wpdb->last_error,
+				)
+			);
+			return false;
+		}
+
 		// 記錄 Schema 版本與定義
 		self::store_schema_metadata( $entity_type, $group_name, $schema_hash, $field_definitions );
-		self::end_deferral( $entity_type, $group_name );
+		if ( $existed ) {
+			self::end_deferral( $entity_type, $group_name );
+		}
 
 		/**
 		 * Action: 表建立／升級完成
@@ -294,11 +324,20 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * INDEXES_HOOK handler: add the indexes a visitor request could not.
+	 * INDEXES_HOOK handler: the table upgrades and indexes a web request left.
+	 * The cron request's init usually did them already; not with
+	 * ALTERNATE_WP_CRON, where the event runs inside a visitor's request.
 	 *
 	 * @return void
 	 */
 	public static function ensure_pending_indexes(): void {
+		foreach ( array_keys( (array) get_option( self::DEFERRED_OPTION, array() ) ) as $id ) {
+			list( $entity_type, $group_name ) = array_pad( explode( '/', (string) $id, 2 ), 2, '' );
+			$fields                           = TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( $entity_type, $group_name );
+			if ( $fields ) {
+				self::create_or_upgrade_table( $entity_type, $group_name, $fields );
+			}
+		}
 		foreach ( self::pending_indexes() as $id ) {
 			list( $entity_type, $group_name ) = explode( '/', $id, 2 );
 			self::ensure_group_indexes( $entity_type, $group_name );
@@ -341,15 +380,25 @@ final class TMDO_Schema_Manager {
 	 * @return void
 	 */
 	private static function defer_upgrade( string $id ): void {
+		self::record_deferred( $id );
+		if ( ! wp_next_scheduled( self::INDEXES_HOOK ) ) {
+			wp_schedule_single_event( time(), self::INDEXES_HOOK ); // Its request's init runs the upgrade.
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Record a group as deferred (native until resynced()).
+	 *
+	 * @param string $id "entity/group".
+	 * @return void
+	 */
+	private static function record_deferred( string $id ): void {
 		$deferred = get_option( self::DEFERRED_OPTION, array() );
 		$deferred = is_array( $deferred ) ? $deferred : array();
 		if ( ! isset( $deferred[ $id ] ) ) {
 			$deferred[ $id ] = time();
 			update_option( self::DEFERRED_OPTION, $deferred, true );
 		}
-		if ( ! wp_next_scheduled( self::INDEXES_HOOK ) ) {
-			wp_schedule_single_event( time(), self::INDEXES_HOOK ); // Its request's init runs the upgrade.
-		}
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/tests/integration/HookBusIntegrationTest.php b/tests/integration/HookBusIntegrationTest.php
index 5d60c23..e10c28f 100644
--- a/tests/integration/HookBusIntegrationTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/HookBusIntegrationTest.php
@@ -243,6 +243,7 @@ class HookBusIntegrationTest extends TestCase {
 					WPDO_Hook_Bus::sync_from_native( 'user', 4, 'first_name', 'Dora', 'update' );
 
 					$this->assertNull( $this->read_flat_first_name( 4 ) );
+					$this->assertSame( 'Dora', WPDO_Hook_Bus::direct_read( 'user', 4, 'first_name' ), 'direct reads return the native value' );
 				}
 			);
 		} finally {
diff --git a/tests/integration/SchemaUpgradeDeferralTest.php b/tests/integration/SchemaUpgradeDeferralTest.php
index 4891d91..be9ee4f 100644
--- a/tests/integration/SchemaUpgradeDeferralTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/SchemaUpgradeDeferralTest.php
@@ -139,4 +139,39 @@ class SchemaUpgradeDeferralTest extends TestCase {
 		$this->assertTrue( TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( 'user', 'sd_later' ) );
 		$this->assertTrue( TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( 'post', 'sd_core' ) );
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * The definition went back to the stored one (or another process upgraded
+	 * the table) while the group was deferred (correctness review F2).
+	 */
+	public function test_a_deferred_group_whose_definition_matches_again_is_resynced_then_released(): void {
+		global $wpdb;
+		$current = TMDO_Schema_Manager::calculate_schema_hash( WPDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( 'user', 'sd_core' ) );
+		$wpdb->update( $wpdb->prefix . 'wpdo_registry_meta', array( 'schema_hash' => $current ), array( 'entity_type' => 'user', 'group_name' => 'sd_core' ) );
+		update_option( TMDO_Schema_Manager::DEFERRED_OPTION, array( 'user/sd_core' => 1 ) );
+
+		$this->assertTrue( $this->upgrade() );
+
+		$this->assertTrue( TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( 'user', 'sd_core' ), 'dual_write: native until the drift fix' );
+		$this->assertContains( TMDO_Drift_Check::RESYNC_HOOK, $GLOBALS['_wp_scheduled_single'] );
+
+		self::set_user_mode( 'disabled' );
+		$this->upgrade();
+		$this->assertFalse( TMDO_Schema_Manager::is_deferred( 'user', 'sd_core' ), 'no flat writes: nothing to rebuild' );
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * The cron event upgrades deferred groups itself: with ALTERNATE_WP_CRON
+	 * it runs inside a visitor's request, after init (correctness review F3).
+	 */
+	public function test_the_cron_event_handles_deferred_groups(): void {
+		global $wpdb;
+		$current = TMDO_Schema_Manager::calculate_schema_hash( WPDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( 'user', 'sd_core' ) );
+		$wpdb->update( $wpdb->prefix . 'wpdo_registry_meta', array( 'schema_hash' => $current ), array( 'entity_type' => 'user', 'group_name' => 'sd_core' ) );
+		update_option( TMDO_Schema_Manager::DEFERRED_OPTION, array( 'user/sd_core' => 1 ) );
+
+		TMDO_Schema_Manager::ensure_pending_indexes();
+
+		$this->assertContains( TMDO_Drift_Check::RESYNC_HOOK, $GLOBALS['_wp_scheduled_single'] );
+	}
 }
diff --git a/tests/integration/bootstrap.php b/tests/integration/bootstrap.php
index 1c9cbcc..99679d6 100644
--- a/tests/integration/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/integration/bootstrap.php
@@ -299,6 +299,19 @@ if ( ! function_exists( 'do_action_ref_array' ) ) {
 if ( ! function_exists( 'is_admin' ) )       { function is_admin(): bool { return ! empty( $GLOBALS['_wp_is_admin'] ); } }
 if ( ! function_exists( 'is_singular' ) )    { function is_singular( $t = '' ): bool { return false; } }
 if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_doing_ajax' ) )  { function wp_doing_ajax(): bool { return false; } }
+if ( ! function_exists( 'get_metadata' ) ) {
+	// Like get_metadata(): the first stored value of a key (single), read from the real meta table.
+	function get_metadata( string $type, $object_id, string $key = '', bool $single = false ) {
+		global $wpdb;
+		$table = $wpdb->{$type . 'meta'};
+		$id    = 'user' === $type ? 'umeta_id' : 'meta_id';
+		$value = $wpdb->get_var( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT meta_value FROM `{$table}` WHERE `{$type}_id` = %d AND meta_key = %s ORDER BY `{$id}` LIMIT 1", $object_id, $key ) );
+		if ( $single ) {
+			return null === $value ? '' : maybe_unserialize( $value );
+		}
+		return null === $value ? array() : array( maybe_unserialize( $value ) );
+	}
+}
 if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_next_scheduled' ) ) { function wp_next_scheduled( string $hook ): int|false { return false; } }
 if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_schedule_event' ) ) { function wp_schedule_event( int $t, string $r, string $h ): bool { return true; } }
 if ( ! function_exists( 'wp_schedule_single_event' ) ) { function wp_schedule_single_event( int $ts, string $hook ): bool { $GLOBALS['_wp_scheduled_single'][] = $hook; return true; } }