As strange as it now seems, Asuka had been close with Judai at one point. In fact, there had been a time where she naively believed that she knew him best. This was untrue, of course, even in simplest meaning.

In recollection, they hadn't really spoken that often. Judai's faith had always extended furthest to Sho, and then second to Kenzan, after he came. It puzzles Asuka how she ever could have believed she was the first person in his life. It wasn't even as if she confided in him all that much, Ryo was the one who knew her secrets.

Yet somehow, she'd believed that they would end up together. Maybe it was just cocky assumption, because she was the only girl in the group, but that's what she'd thought. And then Rei came.

While it was not as if Judai and she were so close, either, Asuka could feel herself slipping away from him. He was the anchor that held their group together, and she was headed towards the bottom of the rope. The only place to go from there was out, and Asuka knew that's where she'd be if this kept up. It was just too hard to make the effort anymore.

Johan. He had seductively slid towards Judai, passing Rei and Sho and all the rest. It had been sudden and had disturbed their fragile balance, and Asuka had known that it was the beginning of trouble. No one liked to be obsolete.

But then Yubel… For them, she had been irony, with a few complications. She had usurped all hopes of claiming to be Judai's closest. She had taken their anchor away, leaving them without much hope of being saved in such waters. She had made their quest for his friendship insignificant, at least for a little while.

It was that that had knocked Asuka off, more quickly and painfully than she'd expected. It was over, although not really. Only the attempts at being Judai's closest were over. Not the drama, not the pain… they would stay for a while, she knew.

Judai, he was not claimable; at least not by human standards. None of them could truly be his number one, not even Sho and Johan who deserved to be. And Asuka… she gave up. She was nowhere near to knowing him any longer, and she found that she would not, could not care.

It was too hard, and so she stepped back. She let the others fight over the possession of Judai, and she allowed herself to calmly slip off of the rope. Without the anchor, there was really no point in hanging on.