It seemed like there was a lot happening. The cacophony of battle raged around him, the sound of sizzling electricity and smouldering flames echoing in his ears. He heard his classmates too, shouting strange words or screaming in pain. He couldn’t really help, he was in his own little world. His eyes were clamped shut, as if not receiving the visual stimuli from the battle would make the pain go away. It didn’t work, obviously. So he kept listening, hoping for someone to save him and give him a reason to pull out of the foetal position he was still holding. He heard a girl cry in relief for her friend’s safety. He heard someone else shout profanities at the false Tomoda. And he heard Rena begging for someone to help him. 

Seemed like the heiress finally ate a few slices of humble pie. Actually it seemed like she ate a boatload, considering the desperation in her voice. Aki would have chuckled if it didn’t hurt his sides so much. It was about time she learnt a lesson about arrogance. Shame he had to be in the firing line though. God, she was so pitiful right now. It was nothing like what he was used to. It... damn, it made him feel bad. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, not fully. It wasn’t her fault they were stuck in this weird dimension with shadow monsters and fireball-flinging classmates. It wasn’t her fault that her kicks didn’t have any effect. It wasn’t her fault that he finally found the guts to stop feeling sorry for himself and actually do something.

[color=82ca9d]“Not…your…f-f-“[/color] he tried to pry the words through his grit teeth. But she left before she could hear.

Then suddenly, relief. His muscles relaxed and the cold sweat on the back of his neck finally stopped. His back stopped feeling like someone was beating on it with a branding iron. He opened his eyes and saw Senhime with her Persona.

[color=82ca9d]“Thank you. Thank you so much!”[/color] He shook her hand with gratitude. 

He stood up and wiped the rest of the tears from his eyes. Geez, that was certainly…something. But he couldn’t dwell on it now. He needed to help his classmates. As he ran to return to the fray, he felt a breeze on his bare back. Aw man, his uniform and his cardigan were completely trashed. How was he going to explain this away? His sister’s wrath was more terrifying than anything that monster could throw at him.

Akihito shouted with a new purpose. [color=82ca9d]“Metis, Cruel Attack!”[/color]