Aki Matsui

"Hel-"

- Aki Matsui begs Kouichi for help.

Aki Matsui was a student in 9th Grade Class 3 in 1998. In the classroom, she sits behind Megumi Tatara and in front of Kyouko Kaneki.

Personality
Aki is shown to be a shy and humble student. She is frequently seen with her best friend, Kyouko Kaneki. Aki is apparently prone to emotional outbursts, as can be seen during the fire at the inn, when Kyouko held her to keep her calm.

Appearance
She has short, dark brown hair with bangs, and also has dark brown eyes. She typically wears the standard female school uniform.

Plot
Aki wasn't a fixture of class 3-3 like many of her classmates, not taking an active role in events, instead preferring 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 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'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 come to the same conclusion as Takako, albeit with a much more bloodthirsty approach. Tomohiko stabbed Kyouko in the spine with a knife he'd stolen from the inn's kitchen, before attacking Aki, the knife still dripping with her friend's blood. Horrified for her life, Aki fled, encountering Kouichi. Sobbing and frightened out of her whits, Aki begged Kouichi to protect her, but before he could react, Tomohiko hurled his knife into the base of her neck. Aki died in Kouichi's arms, a look of agony on her face.

Removing the knife from his classmate's still warm body, Tomohiko nonchalantly asked Kouichi if he "remembered this girl." Furious, Kouichi replied that he did. Unperturbed and realizing neither girl was the extra, Tomohiko attacked Kouichi next, only to be killed in turn by a vengeful Izumi, who beat him to death with an iron bar. Izumi coldly taunted Tomohiko for his foolish belief in Kouichi being the extra student, before promising to help Tomohiko die, as he'd murdered two people and didn't deserve to live.

Gallery
Main article: Aki Matsui/Image Gallery

Trivia

 * She and Kyouko Kaneki are seen together in the introduction.
 * She is ranked A in Another characters ranking.
 * Her home address is 8-2 Asamida Yomiyama City.
 * Her last name, Matsui, means "pine tree community".