Dai couldn’t help but sigh in relief as Shinku somehow sent a powerful lightening strike on Gruffydd’s ass. Yet, all at the same time, he pitied the guy for all the pain he had to endure. It mustn’t had been easy to be possessed by awful shadow monsters. Yet as the battle between the possessed and sane calmed, the tension in the air was still evident – to him at least. It was… tiring. He wasn’t sure how the others could find the energy to keep going.
Naïve. Stupid. Those were the words that were hurled at him when he tried to calm both Haruto and Gruffydd. Well, of course he was naïve and stupid. He didn’t dare comprehend the pain they were going through – well, he did try but only ended up getting himself and the others hurt. Even when they tried to explain through a bit of exposition, most of their words flew over his head. Looks like he misunderstood. Again. Oh how great…
Names and insults did nothing to pierce his thick skin. Dai could care less about that, but it was the idea behind the name calling that got under his skin. It was almost as if there was a wall building up. Could he really make it pass…?
“…Sorry…” Dai muttered mostly to himself; the bow and arrow shook in his hands. He grimaced as the bruises all over his body throbbed and his arms shook from left over adrenaline and pain. Honestly, next time he aims a sharp pointy weapon at someone, it’s going to have to be at those creepy shadows things or for purely self-defense. No matter how well that situation ended, the very idea of hurting your friends felt almost taboo. He breathed deeply and reached into the bag that was slung over his shoulders. An iced coffee was pulled out despite how much his hands shook from shot nerves. It was still cold, and it felt great as the cool condensation dripped down its sides and against his pressed forehead.
No, if the others could keep going, then he could too. He has to keep trying. Again, and again, and again. No matter how much the air flared his lungs or how much his brain ached, he couldn’t afford to stop. Not now, not ever. Because… Because… If he were to stop now…
The chatter from his classmates became a simple noise within the background as Dai closed his eyes. He could only remembered a few of his memories – a simple collection of words and fond moments. It was a bittersweet reminisce as tears started to slowly build up. He has to honor those memories. He can’t just….
It wasn’t until he suddenly heard something similar to chimes when Dai finally opened his eyes. There, hovering in the air with a strange aura surrounding, it was a mouse dressed with a simple blue cape. Despite being small, it somehow looked tall as it stood on its hind legs and its gray fur dusted light with each movement. A paw reached out to him as a small yet surprisingly deep voice echoes in his mind.
“I am thou, and thou art I. Dry those tears for the world is our oyster to take into our hands. For I am Stuart Little, your companion and friend.” With a single finger, Dai reached out. The paw felt warm to the touch as the image of the mouse shattered like glass and the shards dissolved into brilliance.
For a moment, Dai stared into space – confused yet awed all at the same time. It wasn’t long before he was brought back to the crazy reality when he heard a ruckus coming about from his fellow classmates followed by an intense heat of... fire? His gaze flickered over to the cause of the chaos only to see a…. Shadow Kazuo!? And then a man in a rabbit mask?! Holy crap, how much did he missed out?!
As the masked man talked and warned about Sasaki’s demise, Dai listened to the voices of his teammates. A good many of them were reasonable and logical. The benefits outweighed the cost if he were to sum up the idea of their current choice. He was pretty sure that trusting strangers was something one shouldn’t do, but in a situation like this, they couldn’t afford to linger around lost. If those shadow monstrosities attacked just like they did to the group, just imagine the horrors Sasaki must be experiencing alone.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Dai grinned in delight as the bruises on his body faded away when Bride somehow managed to use some kind of magical light to heal them all. He could practically feel his pain melt away. He wasn’t going to question the magic thing or anything else since this whole world was crazy with nonsense and shadows. There was an endless amount of questions and panic that kept popping out that are bound to drive anyone insane. What the heck are those shadow monsters? Why the heck is this guy here? How many people died here? So many questions yet no answers. For the sake of survival, he pushed reality into the back of his mind for later panic attacks at a more convenient time. Just don’t think about it, just don’t think about it, just don't think about it.
“I’m going with the majority’s vote on this. Let’s follow this dude.“ Dai then turned to masked stranger and offered a small friendly yet tired smile. “Well, just lead us to Sasaki-sensei and we’ll see if we trust you. Got any name you would like to be called? ‘Creepy masked man’ is a mouthful.”