Takaru

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Following her words, a brief silence fell between the two students - though the same could not be said for everyone around them as such a large number of people in one spot inevitably made for a lot of noise. Still, when Katsuro didn't reply immediately, Kotori began to faintly hope that he finally realised that there really wasn't anything she could do to help him - but that hope vanished just a moment later when he spoke up again; albeit only to excuse himself for a moment. "Eh?" Kotori went, bringing her eyes briefly up from the ground to blink in confusion - focused as she was on her own troubles, she hadn't quite caught the slight shift in tone and was left to wonder exactly what he was doing as he slowly looked around. It was only when the first few of the previously whispering students slowly backed away or started moving that she realised that he wasn't looking for someone but instead seemed to glaring at them, if only with one uncovered eye given his asymmetrical hairstyle.

Kotori couldn't help but feel a slight bit nervous when his focus turned back to her - and the relief at hearing him finally agree that there was nothing for her to do easily outweighed the cold hint in his voice as he stopped practically waving the money around in front of her. But just as she was about to silently sigh - not having noticed that she'd been holding her breath quite a few times - Katsuro spoke up yet again; this time though asking to instead accompany her and to continue talks on the topic as he did and leaving Kotori rather conflicted. On one hand, she was only too glad to get away from the school after what felt like every single student having witnessed the embarassing scene first hand and he even seemed to have given up on the whole tutoring idea - yet he still seemed quite persistent on somehow trying to get something out of her that she didn't know how to give.

In her discomfort, Kotori was more than a little thankful when a familiar voice made itself heard. "Eh?" she went once again as she looked over to see Rui coming closer, praising their test results and questioning the need for any improvements. Though she couldn't quite suppress further embarassment at the words, she was still glad that he was here - as she would have been for anything which might somehow get everyone's attention focused on anything but herself, even as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Ah, th-thank you, Shinichi-san," she said - though she couldn't help but add "Keeping up studies is important, even during breaks. A-at least, I think..." Her voice trailed off toward the end as she realised, a moment too late, that his had been a rhetorical question.

Still, with Rui's timely arrival, she had yet to answer Katsuro's question - which just left her back in the most unfortunate situation of wishing to decline yet having no way to do so without being rude when all he did was ask nicely. That is, until she realised that perhaps there was no need to: "Ah, uhm, m-maybe Sh-Shinichi-san might know a... better way? I-I mean, there's really nothing special about m-me, so... Her quiet voice had an almost apologetic tone to it as, once more, her gaze was fixed firmly on the ground and her fingers were playing along her skirt's hem; her guilty conscience returning almost immediately in full effect when she realised that it was sounding rather much like she was trying to just push Katsuro's problem onto Rui just because she didn't know what to do about it.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Kotori was still trying to find the right words to somehow convince her classmate that she was the wrong person to put his request forth to - until he spoke up again, more quietly this time. She felt no small measure of relief when he seemed to understand and thus withdraw his question - though she couldn't quite help but feel her guilty conscience creep into her thoughts at not helping someone who was asking something of her. Still, she did prefer this outcome, even if it unfortunately meant that she had to decline her probably dejected classmate's request, as it at least meant that they wouldn't be continuing to undoubtedly draw any more attention to themselves.

Yet just as Kotori was about to thank Katsuro for his understanding and apologise for not being able to help, the boy spoke up once more - with a cheer to his voice that was quite the turn from his previous brief muttering. As it turned out, he hadn't understood what she was trying to say at all - though Kotori couldn't really blame him, considering her attempt at conveying her point hadn't exactly been a shining example of conviction - and instead seemed to be redoubling his effort to get her to somehow teach him when she had no idea how to do so; even going so far as to increase the amount of money he was offering - which only served to further Kotori's embarassment as she was fairly certain, though she daredn't lift her gaze to confirm, that at this point, half the school was either throwing them strange looks or whispering among themselves about the whole scene.

She felt a small pang of guilt when he added a final please to his words - even if his methods seemed a little odd, he still seemed to genuinely want to better himself and was asking her to help him. "N-no, I-, uhm, it's..." she tried, her voice even quieter than usual - only to realise that rather than denying his request, it sounded more like she was answering his question of whether his price was enough. "Ah, ehm, I-I mean i-it's not about that," she quickly added, shaking her head as she did, "A-all I do is, uhm, in class I-I take notes a-and review things at home, s-so, uhm, t-there's really nothing special..." Kotori's ever-growing embarassment and discomfort, which was not exactly hard to see at this point, did not help either the volume of her voice nor the smoothness of her speech in the slightest - in fact, at this point she was already starting to glance around to see if there was perhaps someone else around who might be able to help Katsuro in a way that didn't require her presence or, failing that, just how far exactly they were from the main entrance.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Between the fact that most students were trying to get to the noticeboard and thus had their backs turned and that those returning seemed far more interested in talking with their friends or else just heading straight out, Kotori didn't immediately see anyone she recognised before she turned to leave. As she did, a voice called out in her direction, causing her to glance back to see that the assumption she'd just made turned out to be wrong when she saw that the person calling was in fact a classmate and recent kidnappee in the form of Katsuro. Seeing as they'd not spoken very much either before or after said kidnapping, Kotori assumed that he was calling out to one of the other students around him and started to turn back around - at least she noticed that he was both heading towards her and looking straight at her.

"Eh?" she went, blinking in surprise as he reached her in short time given his rather brisk pace. As it turned out, she really was the one being called out to as he then spoke up, introducing himself formally and then asking if he could pose a question. Unsure of what exactly he was going to say, Kotori just gave a small nod; the quizzical look upon her face easily giving away her confusion. This confusion immediately turned into embarassment when he mentioned the test results - enough that she barely noticed the calm of his voice and face becoming a little strained.

"Ah, n-no, I..." she weakly started when he mentioend her study methods - but before she could respond that all she did was take notes during school and study at home, he already went on to pull out his wallet to Kotori's further confusion before he explained himself whilst thumbing through a substantially larger number of notes than would be expected of an average highschooler.

Kotori's immediate reaction, besides giving a rather confused look from behind her glasses was a moment of silence followed by another "Eh?" It was a rather strange situation after all - whilst she'd grown somewhat used to requests for studying help, it was the first time someone had offered to pay for them - which was not exactly helped by the fact that they were standing near the main entrance, Katsuro holding out a small stack of notes in her direction much to the murmurs of other passing students; leading Kotori to realise how many eyes were on her.

"N-no, I-, uhm, that is..." she started, quickly waving her hands in front of her to try and deny the request; embarassment evident both in her voice and face. "I-it's not anything special, really, s-so..." she said, trying to find a way to explain. All the while, she kept her eyes firmly locked on the ground before her in an attempt not to notice the other students passing by whilst her unconscious habit of playing with the hem of her skirts made itself known once more.

"I... I don't really know how to... uhm, teach someone, so..." she said, her voice trailing off towards the end - and wishing very dearly that she could be just about anywhere but here at this very moment.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Monday, July 20 2015 - After School

With both the finals and the last real school day already in the past, there was really only one reason for every student to be at the school - which was also why there was a rather large gathering just beyond the main entrance, centered around the noticeboard. Kotori could already see the crowd before she entered the building - and the prospect of having to navigate it just to see the results of the finals didn't exactly appeal too much, causing her to slow her pace. Even before this, she hadn't been looking forward to this day - with the constant distractions, worries and mirror world excursions courtesy of the Junsei Sekai Tensei, Kotori hadn't felt too confident going into the exams. Besides that, she was somewhat torn between wanting to somehow keep up the results form the mid-terms yet also not drawing as much attention as she'd done - which, all told, had left her somewhat nervous throughout the exam period and thus now even more worried that she may have made some avoidable mistakes.

Reaching the main entrance and stepping inside, Kotori suppressed a yawn before rubbing her eyes behind her glasses - the uncertainties hadn't allowed for very good sleep. Still, she was here now and with good reason - even if that meant trying to somehow make her way through the constantly moving sea of fellow students all with the same goal in mind. It took more than a few minutes and several more whispered "Excuse me" and "Sorry" before she somehow managed to make it all the way to the front. On the way, the students she passed seemed to be in quite a wide range of states - whilst some seemed quite proud of their achievements, most seemed to just be happy to have passed; quite unlike those few whose dejected faces immediately let anyone know that they were bound for remedial classes - a fate that Kotori very much hoped to avoid.

Once at the board, Kotori quickly looked over the list to locate the second year rankings and scanned it for her name - this time starting at the passing grades and slowly working her way up. As she worked her way up, she grew ever more nervous as her own name didn't show up - but just as she was starting to fear that she would have to find herself in the failing section, it turned out that quite the opposite was the case. The surprise at finding herself at 99 points was quite plain to see as Kotori blinked several times just to make sure that she was seeing right - but when nothing changed even after re-adjusting her glasses, a sigh of relief finally came over her lips as she made her way back out of the crowd.

Though she did feel a little guilty for scoring lower than during the mid-terms, Kotori was mostly just relieved to see that not only had she passed but also that she could finally lay to rest all the concerns about her studies throughout the year. It was only when she stepped out of the crowd that she realised that in her search she had neglected to see how either any of her classmates or the other members of the investigation team had done, much to her immediate guilty conscience. However, glancing back at the ever-present crowd, Kotori decided against trying to make her way through it a second time and instead headed for the main entrance to get some fresh air before deciding what to do with the rest of the day; though she did spare a glance over the crowd to see if she might recognise a familiar face therein - though that was a tall order considering the sheer size thereof.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Saturday, July 11 2015 - After School

As the bell rang, the usual hectic hustle and bustle broke out - even if everyone seemed a little more apprehensive given that it was the last day of regular school before the finals began in earnest next week. Whilst some had already given up hope of avoiding the remedial classes, others seemed to have taken a particularly keen interest in their studies - some had adopted meticulous note-keeping, much like Kotori had been doing all year round, whilst others seemed to be rushing off to the library or other study group - at least, that's how Kotori interpreted the odd change in habits of some of her classmates including Mako.

As for herself, she mostly kept up her usual routine - including today, as she finished her notes from the last class and began packing her things in the by now noticeably emptier classroom; albeit whilst glancing about to see if any more of her classmates or even students from other classes happened to be approaching - with the exams drawing ever nearer, not one day went by without someone asking her for help in their studies. Much to Kotori's chagrin, she'd had to apologise and explain that that was unfortunately - mostly citing things like club activities or helping out at home.

Though these weren't untrue, in truth she also felt far too nervous at the prospect of actually trying to teach someone else - which only served to give her more of a guilty conscience every time she declined such a request. It was a times likes these that she really wished that the results from the mid-terms hadn't been announced for everyone to see - perhaps then she might have been able to stay unnoticed more easily. A small sigh escaped her lips as she headed out of the classroom - thinking on all this wasn't exactly going to help her in any way, she realised and tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, limited success though she may have with it.

As she made her way to the school entrance, Kotori passed by several other students who were still hanging about. Though she didn't mean to eavesdrop, it was difficult not to hear the occasional words of ongoing conversations - but unlike at the start of the week, it seemed that the kidnappings had been dropped out of the pool of topics in favour of the upcoming exams or the summer break thereafter. Pushing open the main door, Kotori slowed after just a few steps as she thought on what to do with the rest of the day - besides having set aside some time later in the evening to keep up with her regular studies, she realised that she didn't have anything planned.

Thus Kotori found herself standing not far from the school entrance, internally debating whether to pop into the local library or to head home and hopefully finish the novel she'd been reading for the past few days.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

The bell signalled the end of the lesson and beginning of the usual commotion as many of the students practically fled the classroom; eager to meet up with their friends, clubs or just getting home after a Monday. And, much as usual, Kotori was still in her seat finishing her notes for the day as most everyone filed past her; occasionally looking up and giving a passing greeting if anyone happened to speak to her as they went by but mostly focused on her writing. The classroom was mostly empty by the time she was finished and finally packed her things too - though not with near as much enthusiasm as those before her as a sigh escaped her lips, and not for the first time that day.

Exiting the classroom, she glanced up at the clock and, seeing as there was still a little time before she'd have to head out, decided to at least pay the Agriculture Club a visit - whilst she wouldn't be able to stay for long today, she might at least be able to help with checking up on the by now dozens upon dozens of different flowers and plants that were growing in the clubroom alone. That thought at least brought a small smile to her face as she headed down the hallway - only to abruptly halt in midstep when she heard a familiar voice. In particular, it was Matthew's - and it came in the form of a yell that could be heard down the hall even as she was only approaching the clubroom.

Her pace slowed, Kotori dithered on whether to draw closer to inspect - but after a few moments of deliberation, bit her lip and slowly turned back around. Between having been reassured that letting whatever it was that was happening between her two fellow club members best be left for them to work out between themselves and not knowing what to do or say even if she were asked, Kotori saw this as for the best - even if it didn't feel like it. As she passed through the main entrance, Kotori saw the other half of this predicament, Shizuka, currently preoccupied with the outside garden in the school courtyard - but for much the same reasons, Kotori continued on with but a small wave; unsure whether the other girl would actually see her as she did.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | After School

"Take care," the receptionist said cheerfully with a smile as Kotori gave a quick bow and hurried back outside whilst trying not to look too rushed doing so. It was only once outside and taken a seat on one of the benches along the path leading up to the hospital that she took a deep breath and started to feel her inner tension slowly loosening up again. No matter how many times she went, she just never could get used to hospitals - they always gave her an strange feeling of unease, even though she knew rationally that there was no reason for it. Still, at least the check-up had shown no sign of a worsening condition and indeed been mostly positive - but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a ill at ease knowing that this meant that her forthcoming operation was getting ever closer.

Kotori's malaise was not helped either by the face that she also knew that the two most recent kidnappees were currently in the hospital - and that she hadn't visited them despite having every opportunity to do so. She felt no small measure of guilt at that, but she really didn't want to spend more time inside than she had to. Looking back up at the hospital, she gave a small bow of her head and whispered an apology - it seemed like the least she could do.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

In the opening wrought by Akane's assault, Sato managed to deliver the decisive blow - his arrow loosened the large Shadow's grip on its sword further yet and the follow-up wind blast finally struck it clean out of its hand. With the knights stunned from the heavy bombardement, everyone was quick to realise that this was their opportunity - and thus all attention was focused on the main opponent. Momentarily unable to strike back, the attacks poured in from all sides - magical and physical, the Shadow came under heavy fire until it was reeling. It attempted to fight back even as its princess was slain, a certain distress audible even through its twisted voice - until a choice arrow fired by Sato finally breaking its desperate defense - and making the fatal opening which allowed him get a clean hit with Chronos' wind magic. He seized the opportunity to lay down a final follow-up together with his Persona to put the Shadow down for good.

Kotori, meanwhile, kept an eye out throughout it all - ever wary for any would-be surprises from either the Shadow or its knights - but also doing what she could to aid the assault with her Kikuri-Hime's help, lending her lightning strikes to the assault. It was only when the Shadow finally began to flicker and disperse that Kotori gave a sigh of relief - and the fatigue of the fight made itself known in full, even as the armour surrounding the knights began to dissolve in flakes and gave way to the unconscious prisoners therein. Kotori took a moment to catch her breath - even as she felt the almost familiar uncomfortable feeling as the shadow, now in its original form, began to speak.

As ever, it unashamedly spoke of the feelings that had been suppressed and locked away - a look at another person's inner thought which was no doubt embarassing for them, but also for Kotori who still didn't know how to balance wanting to help the conflicted kidnapees and also respecting their privacy in such moments. As such, there was little choice but to listen though - even as Jun stepped out from the protective circle that had been formed around her by the party and confronted her shadow. Kotori didn't recognise the girl - at best, she was vaguely familiar much in the vein of other schoolmates whom she might have seen but never talked to before.

Much like the times before, she couldn't help but feel some measure of worry about what might happen if Jun didn't accept this turn of events and denied her other side - but much to Kotori's relief, this did not come to pass. Instead, Jun acknowledged that, though she may not like it, she was acting in a manner that she herself no longer knew the real reason for - and instead chose to live her life according to her own choices and on her own merits. A small smile came across Kotori's face at those words - which in turn marked the transformation of the shadow; a bright light cast across the entire room as a new figure took its place: Mordred, Jun's persona.

The girl turned to face the group, evidently full of questions about what had just happened - but those would have to be answered at a later time as the tell-tale signs of fatigue made themselves known; forcing Jun to sit herself down lest she fall - which immediately preceded the loss of consciousness. Though she'd seen this pattern repeat several times now, Kotori still couldn't help but worry that everything was alright; even as everyone else started to get ready to leave the mirror world behind with Jun being carried and headed for the hospital. Having used the brief exchange as an opportunity to catch her breath, Kotori accompanied the others - at least until everyone went their separate ways from the warehouse that marked their entrance to the mirror realm.

It would be with no small amount of relief that Kotori arrived arrive at home - both knowing that another kidnapping victim was safe but also to be able to lay down to rest; even if it didn't last too long before she recalled that the finals were coming up soon and she still had some studying to do for the day.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Classroom 2-2 | Monday, July 6 2015 - Morning

This time around, it seemed that the usual rumour mill surrounding the kidnappings was quite a bit quieter - which didn't come as too much of a surprise, seeing as the events had occured over the weekend and thus couldn't cause quite as much of a commotion as some of the previous incidents when the victims didn't show up for class. Still, Kotori still heard her fair share of stories being murmured on her way to her classroom - and not few of them were quite clearly being told as second-hand accounts or worse, seeing as there would have to have been at least a dozen kidnappings all over town for all the things she heard to be true.

Stymying the usual spread too were the not upcoming finals which hung over the whole school - some seemed to have already given up hope, others were just putting things off until whilst Kotori couldn't help but feel the usual pre-exam worries, even before the immediate tests began. In fact, she felt even more thereof as she had to regretfully decline multiple requests from other students that she helped them study - between her own studying, helping out at home, occasional forays into the mirror world and club meetings, she wouldn't have much of a reliable schedule; not even taking into account the fact that just imagining herself somehow trying to teach others made her nervous at the prospect.

Taking her seat in the classroom toward the front, Kotori gave a small sigh - but this time because she had inadvertantly reminded herself of the Agriculture Club meeting that was to take place later today. Whilst the colourful sight of the many flowers was always welcome, the same could not be said for the strange mood that hung between her fellow members, Shizuka and Matthew. Both seeing them as they were and also not knowing whether or how to help would do ittle to raise her mood for the rest of the day - which she already wasn't looking forward to, as she'd have to be paying a visit to the hospital later.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

With the preparations complete, it was time to spring into action - Sato had managed to evade notice from the large Shadow and thus position himself for a sneaky attack upon the sword hand. Akane and Rui charged forth to engage it before Akane unleashed a Kill Rush upon the foe - which was met with a veritable barrage of blows in turn. Kotori winced at the sight as not all blows could be entirely averted whilst keeping up the assault - but luckily, Sato was ready to back up the frontal assault with a decisive strike to disarm the Shadow. Kotori meanwhile was far more preoccupied with the immediate aftermath of the assault; calling Kikuri-Hime to her side before using her to cast a healing spell on Akane: "Diarama," she said, her persona following suit as the wounds and fatigue sustained from the Shadow's counter-attack quickly began to fade.

Still, this was little relief for the bespectacled girl as she quickly looked around to see if anyone else was sustaining any attacks whilst she was focused on healing just a single person - but just as she did, a series of explosions tore through the knights and scattered their menacing assault in unison; Zeke's cry ringing out as the briefly stunned knights were easy targets for the other half of the group.

For the moment, they had the upper hand it seemed - if they could press their advantage now, they might just be able to use the momentum to carry themselves to victory. At least, Kotori hoped that was the case as she was starting to feel the strain of a prolonged tense battle setting in once more. With a quick shake of her head she tried to clear herself of it - succeeding only partly - before focusing on the others who might be in need of her healing.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

Everyone seemed to be reeling under the effects of the princess' scream - but luckily, others were more capable of at least mitigating some of the effects. Sato and Akane both raised everyone's defensive and offensive abilities; somewhat offsetting the previous setback. In further good news, Ayano had managed to complete a scan of the shadow - but that good news quickly turned sour when it turned out that this particular shadow had no apparent weakness to exploit; instead being equally resistant to all elemental spells and physical attacks. On the other hand though, Ryan managed to help out with healing duties - albeit leaving Kotori feeling a little bit guilty for not doing as much on that front as the knight-fighting half was evidently hoping - whilst Kaminari was leading the charge against the knights quite capably it appeared.

Even as further information - apparently the Shadow prince and princess were separate entities - poured in from the ongoing detailed scans, the large Shadow went on the offensive and swang its blade at Akane - only for an arcing wave to follow the wide strike that seemed to miss her by far. Keeping an eye on her classmate, Kotori was prepared to cast a more powerful, albeit single-target, healing spell in the form of Diarama should she get hit or else continue with keeping everyone at peak performance with a wide-spread Media heal.

However, this particular exchange of blows proved to be exactly what Megumi needed to pick up on a small detail that they'd noticed earlier - specificially, the fact that the Shadow's grip was weak on its sword and thus provided an opportunity for disarmament if they managed to strike a well-timed blow. Needing to devote her full attention to ensuring everyone's well-being through healing - which kept Kotori on her toes and nervously looking out to see if anyone get seriously hurt whenever an enemy shadow made a move - she was a poor choice to make the strike. Meanwhile, Rui was providing and receiving cover for and from Akane - the two giving each other openings and stopping would-be hits as much as they could - which left Sato to go for the disarming shot, receiving the order from Rui to that effect.

As he moved out of line of sight from the large Shadow, Kotori hoped that it didn't have some additional trick up its sleeve that would endanger the current plan - taking away the Shadow's sword, even for just a few moments, would after all seriously reduce its offensive abilities and open up the chance for a hopefully decisive blow. And that was something which would be very welcome at this point, Kotori thought as she felt the by now familiar mental fatigue of the constant spell casting starting to creep up on her once again.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

It seemed that the inital strikes were being successful - no one took any immediate retaliation and some hits could be landed on both the knights and the larger Shadow, albeit none decisive enough to take any of them down. Furthermore, their support was still analysing their foe, which meant that they still had to be weary of any surprises it might have up its sleeve. Unfortunately, the Shadow decided to reveal one such surprise as the princess in its grasp suddenly shrieked oxymoronically; a sound which carried all throughout the room and shook everyone. Not only that, but Kotori could feel her strength being sapped by the noise; much the opposite of the feeling whenever another persona-user cast a fortifying spell on the group. Unfortunately, though Rui called for anyone who could to dispel the effects of the scream, Kotori could do little against such magic; limited only to healing direct damage or ailments rather than debilitating effects.

Still, at least with her current role as the group's healer she was little affected by the actual weakening and thus could still continue on as before. Though she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous at the sight of the knights drawing ever closer, her worries were quickly done away when the knights came under a barrage of hits from the other half the the large group. One in particular went down hard after a devastating blow by Kaminari that followed Mako's debilitating spell; Ryan following up with a wide slash to drive the knights back for the moment whilst Matthew's flames kept them further at bay.

With Rui, Akane and Sato focusing on the large Shadow, they had all managed to avoid taking any direct hits for the moment - which Kotori was rather thankful for, seeing as that not only meant that no one got too hurt but also that she could instead once more cast "Media"; her word quickly followed by action as Kikuri-Hime once more recovered some of the strength of everyone fighting - and hopefully allowing them to continue the fight with exhausting techniques and avoiding any small scrapes from accumulating too much over time. Once more, the increased strain of the more widely-cast spell became noticeable for a moment - but Kotori bore with it as she made sure to keep her eyes on both the team, ensuring that she'd be able to intervene with a healing spell if anyone took a hit, and the enemies, hoping that she might avoid any sudden spells or other surprise threats being thrown her way - whilst hoping that someone else could deal with the weakening effects of the princess' scream, even though she felt a small measure of guilt at not being able to help with them.

Even so, things weren't looking too bad for the moment - they were keeping the shadows at bay whilst not taking much in return. If they could keep this up until they knew what the deal was with the larger Shadow, they might stand a chance of getting through this relatively unscathed despite the number of unpleasantly powerful foes. At least, Kotori started to hope so.