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he's the strongest of the RGB, always been a 'gorilla', the hero, the boy who brought bread to everyone because he's a bakery boy; but shuuta right now cannot move.
he cannot breathe.
asumi's voice echo in his mind. "lead the future, shuuta."
but how can he if he's drowning? is he drowning? he can't see either, he can't even open his eyes.
the last thing he remembers - ran's shocked face, kouki's outstretched hand - before he... did he fall? he can hear something, faint. like trying to hear underwater. bubble, bubble.
he can't breathe; he opens his mouth - but there's no air. there's no water either however.
where is he? whatever it is, he needs oxygen.
shuuta tries to inhale, take a gulp of air, anything. nothing.
there's nothing. his lungs constrict. they're on fire. his ears are ringing now; bells going off in his head telling him to breathe, asumi's whispers, that faint something, no longer faint, but loud and clanging.
"shuuta!!" "shuu-chan!!!"
ah, that's ran and kouki. they're nearby? maybe they could help him.
he tries to yell, but no voice comes out. he's already beginning to fade out though - he hasn't been breathing for an eternity already. or what felt like it.
oh well. might as well let go. - shuuta's body went slack, eyes closed.
as if sleeping.
but shuuta's an active sleeper; he'd once roundhouse-kicked both ran and kouki during one of their sleepovers.
so he can't be sleeping if he's so calm and quiet. it's unnerving. ran shakes in silence - kouki is dumbstruck.
'asumi' called them here. their choice : to destroy system kanae, 'asumi' along, or to see 24th ward implode because 'asumi's logic parts have worn out and cannot bear the strain of data anymore.
but dumbass shuuta - he's always angry for being provided only two choices. 'we can do better!' he says.
this time he proved himself; he carved a new choice not even kaldenia expected.
he took over 'asumi's job. he died.
aoi shuuta sacrificed himself... no. that's wrong.
it was ran and kouki who sacrificed him. they were too caught up in their feud for justice.
ran and kouki abandoned shuuta. but shuuta never abandoned them, not even once.
he still brought them fresh bread, kneaded with love and care. today too.
but they ignored him, pushed him aside because he wasn't the hero he was. he's normal. now he's dead.
it's their fault.
"shuuta, lead the future."