[i][color=82ca9d]She’s doing it because of me. Because I was stupid enough to get hurt.[/color][/i]

Aki turned to Rena with a sense of dread as the girl announced her resolve. All his other classmates had displayed the same determination. When the hell did they get so strong? Even Sakura, even [i]Senhime[/i] of all people, had more courage than Aki could ever dream of.

He grit his teeth. He already knew how pathetic he really was. That was nothing new. What made the ordeal so much worse was how he saw how everyone else had changed. How they’d become so much better than whatever the hell he was. If they could do it, surely an ass like him could do the same, right?

Oh, please.

[color=82ca9d]“I don’t want to repeat myself, Yamamoto-kun,”[/color] Aki responded coldly, [color=82ca9d]“You’ve already got a team of five, including yourself. I don’t see any reason to throw my life on the line again.”[/color]

Aki paused. Fucking coward.

[color=82ca9d]“The answer’s still no.”[/color]