Ann's got no breaths to spare for talking. She just runs, flat-out. 

Ryuji pulls out his phone as he runs, looking up a cab company and calling one.

"I'm coming with you! I want to know what's going on, and I need Ann to be okay."

She keeps running, pulling Ann along. If they've got to get off campus, she'll make sure Ann gets off campus.

 "Alright. All together then!"

Ann's breath is getting more laboured but she's still going as fast as she can. 

She's just got to find somewhere safe to collapse. Not much farther. Not much farther...

They step off campus, dash across the street, duck into the same alley they entered the Metaverse from originally. It's not perfect, but no one's watching them, they could wait for a cab there.

Ryuji's just a few paces behind them, explaining where they are and where they're going to the cab dispatcher.

Then he hangs up. "Ten minutes."

Ann drops like a stone into Shiho's arms. She's out cold.

Akira does her best to help lower Ann gently to the ground.

This is going to be extremely awkward, but they're safe... ish... for the moment. 

Morgana pulls all the money they collected from the shadows out of thin air. "Here," they call out to Ryuji, "to pay for the cab."

"Ann..."

She helps Akira settle her into place, then looks up just in time to see what appears to be a cat conjuring money. 

"What."

"Real magic. There's another dimension in the school where it's a castle and Kamoshida's king. He threatened you there, so we came to warn you. The fatigue is magic. So's Morgana."

Akira settles Ann against the alley wall so she looks more like she's sleeping and less like she's unconscious. 

"Magic?"

It shouldn't be possible, she shouldn't believe her, but she just saw a cat conjure money.

She shakes her head. "I'll take your word for it for now, but we need to talk more about this once we get Ann home."

"Yeah, absolutely."

Akira sits down next to Ann. "Ann's fought hard for this chance, I'm not going to waste it."

Shiho sits down as well. "I can't believe she..."

She shakes her head.

"She really has been protecting you all along. Just like you have been for her. That's how he gets people."

She manages a small smile. "As for her loving you... Probably for the best if she explains that herself. But I believe it."

A faint smile crosses her lips for a moment.

"Yeah."

"Shouldn't be long now."

"We're going to need a good story for the cab driver. Any thoughts, anyone?"

"Tired herself out preparing for a test?"

"Exhausted from practice?"

"Stayed up too late last night?"

"Let's go with 'exhausted from practice.' It fits the time and place. The rumor mill is going to have a field day with this regardless of what we do, better to pick the one that's most plausible to a random cab driver and not worry if it gets back to the school."

Shiho nods.

And that's when a cab pulls up outside the alley.