Aki Matsui

""Help me!""

- Aki Matsui begs Kouichi Sakakibara for help before she dies.

Aki Matsui (松井 亜紀, Matsui Aki) was a student in 9th Grade Class 3 in 1998 and later one of the "Deaths of August".

Appearance
Aki was a pale skinned girl of average height with a delicate face. She had dark brown hair which reached her chin, with bangs covering her forehead, and dark brown eyes.

She was only seen wearing the standard female school uniform.

Personality
Aki was very shy and reserved. It's shown that Aki is prone to moments of anguish and anxiety, so when this happens Kyouko Kaneki, her best friend, takes it upon herself to comfort Aki and ensure her peace of mind. It is also shown that she is passionate about practicing sports, and more in the company of her friend.

Plot
Aki did not have much appearance in general like several of her classmates, so on each occasion she was seen in the company of her best friend, Kyouko. The two's first chronological appearance is in "The Other," spending the day at the same amusement park as Mei Misaki and her sister.

Aki was among the students who went on the class trip to the shrine, where she shared a room with Kyouko. In "Makeup" she and Kyouko heard Takako Sugiura's broadcast, but unlike most of her peers, she did not actively seek Mei out, instead preferring to flee the now burning inn with Kyouko.

At some point in "Stand By Oneself", Aki suffered a breakdown, as when she and Kyouko are shown, Kyouko can be seen protectively wrapping her arms around Aki, apparently in an attempt to calm her. Unfortunately, the two encountered Tomohiko Kazami, who had gone insane and was killing anyone he came across. Tomohiko stabbed Kyouko in the back with a knife she had stolen from the inn's kitchen, before attacking Aki, the knife was still dripping with her friend's blood. Horrified for her life, Aki fled and encountered Kouichi Sakakibara. Sobbing and scared, Aki begged Kouichi to help her, but before she could react, Tomohiko threw her knife at the base of her neck. Aki died in Kouichi's arms, an expression of agony on her face.

Removing the knife from the still warm body of his classmate, Tomohiko nonchalantly asked Kouichi if he "remembered this girl". Furious, Kouichi replied yes. Undaunted and realizing that neither of them was the extra, after this he prepared to attack Kouichi, leaving Aki in a pool of her own blood.

Etymology

 * The name Aki means "second, Asia" (亜) (a) and "hope" (紀) (ki).
 * Aki's surname Matsui means "pine tree, fir tree" (松) (matsu) and "well, mine shaft, pit" (井) (i).

Trivia

 * Aki and Kyouko Kaneki are seen together in the introduction.
 * Aki is ranked A in Another characters ranking.
 * Aki's home address is 8-2 Asamida Yomiyama City.
 * In the Japanese dub, Aki is half cut when she asks for help from Kouichi Sakakibara.
 * But in the English dub, she fully says Help me! to Kouichi before she gets killed by Tomohiko Kazami.


 * Aki, alongside Kyouko, makes a brief appearance in Episode 0 at the amusement park.

Gallery
Main article: Aki Matsui/Image Gallery