Noboru Yamamoto-Photo Finish Finale!
The vines were clamping down on Noboru and he could barely breathe. He was barely able to mutter a 'f..fuckin hell' and that was pushing the envelope on what he could do. He felt himself blacking out, not able to move. Was this where it ended? No. The vines were either shredded or retracting. They went in for an all out attack, taking it down. Noboru huffed and puffed, so tired. He felt weak, finding it hard to stand.
Chiaki stepped up to accept her shadow, and she started talking. The last part of her speech struck a chord with him. He had found himself in a similar situation, and the chord rung deep in him. He missed what the shadow had to say before it disappeared, too busy in his thought. When she started to fall, Noboru acted on instinct, catching her and holding her in an awkward hold, her body vertical to his. Noboru spoke to Rui.
"So uh, what now?"