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Masato barely registered that someone - Kogen, by the sound of it - had thrown themselves onto the monster before he was lifted up and tossed away. He bounced against the ground and after coming to a stop, he laid there with his eyes closed for more than a few seconds. He hadn't been able to escape on his own, despite his struggle. Still wasn't strong enough to get from under that weight. And of course it was Kogen that had been the one to save him this time. There was anger pooling in Masato's gut, but it was as muted as the rest of his senses at present.

The gentle touch on his face coaxed his eyes open, though focusing on the face hovering in front of him took longer than it should have.

[i]Sato...?[/i]

It was her. She was saying something to him. [i]Go?[/i] Surely she wasn't telling him to run. Upon glancing up he realized that wasn't it - everyone that had been ambushed at the bus managed to slip away from the chaos while the stronger students held the monsters' attentions. Injured or not, they were going to make a run for it.

As he sat there regaining his sense, he could imagine a host of futures playing out. In some he dove back into battle and the students overcame the beasts, in others the smell of Tsubaki's blood influenced his vision and every member of the class died no matter what they did. No matter what [i]he[/i] did. He felt the familiar ache of a decision weighing him down. He looked back at Sato.

[color=B1E4FC]"Okay,"[/color] he said, his voice so thick it nearly stuck in his throat.

If the other kids were going to escape into the woods, he would be there for them. The Changed students would have less to worry about with their friends out of the line of fire, and the Unchanged would need someone to protect them from anything else that was lurking in the night. The ones left to do battle would be alright. [i]They[/i] were strong. This was the right choice. 

He let Sato take his hand as he pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head a little to get his brain back into place. He ignored the coals churning in his core and moved to relieve Ohta of her burden. Stamped down the ire curled around them to focus on the task at hand.

[color=B1E4FC]"We'll get everyone somewhere safe,"[/color] he told the assembled students, letting Ryuugasaki take the lead to guide them through the trees. [i]Before coming back for the others,[/i] went unsaid.