"... do you even still want to stay with me?"

  Everything feels cold as those words echo out, as... as Kuroiwa utters those words. As she, once again, tries to cut out this part of her life. That's what Kuroiwa is, to Chouko. A way to silence that part of her, to make all of this... easier.

  Chouko's thoughts have been inconsistent, after all, running helplessly rampant when it comes to- everything. The more she thinks, the more she repeats, the more she understands how Shortcake acts... the one truth that Chouko needs to know is that she will never, ever be able to take the same mantle as Charles Ashford.

  "Chouko" died in the rain that day. As she stood in that cloudy, night sky of New York City, left with naught but grief in her heart and hatred on her mind... it was easy to die with her father, and - subsequently after that - come back as Kuroiwa. Come back as the mercenary that consumed her life.

  And ultimately, Chouko cannot handle a second her. As much as Chouko feels... conflicted about it, Kuroiwa needs to get rid of Shortcake. So the question comes out of Kuroiwa's mouth, her red gaze solemn in the dark early morning. Needing to take care of this last thread, to pull it out, to give the android an out.

  It was easy to do this the first time. But it isn't so easy this time around. A question, rather than a demand, to put it as lightly as she could to Shortcake.

  Shortcake's eyes- widen, staring at Chouko. "W-What?"

  "Do you still want to stay with me? Be honest, Shortcake," Kuroiwa asks again. "If your answer is no, then I'll take you somewhere safe. You'll be escorted to that caring family you want, and you'll be safe from all of this."

  "..."

  ... and when those words come out, the difficulties continue.

  Shortcake- seems so distressed at this question. She processes those words, takes the time to understand what Chouko just said to her, her fidgeting and shaking only intensifying in that moment. Eyebrows furrowing, with pure worry and sadness in her pink eyes. Unaware of anything going on in Chouko's head, uncertain what Chouko (Kuroiwa) was doing, the android just... panics. "W-What exactly do you- h-have I not been h-helpful enough? Or-"

  "It's not that, no, you've been very helpful," Kuroiwa tells the android, feigning a smile.

  "W-Well, then, w-why would I say no to that...?" Shortcake asks, questioning this conflicting information. "I-If I'm helpful, then there's no reason for you to- ask such a thing..."

  "..."

  "... d-do you not want me to stay...?" Shortcake nervously asks.

  Kuroiwa looks away, and lets out a sigh. "It's... complicated."

  "C-Complicated...?" Shortcake exclaims, her- her voice raising, with a faint sob in her throat. "W-Why is it complicated?! I-Is it not just a single yes or n-no question? Is that not what you were asking me just a moment ago...?"

  "... it's because," Kuroiwa begins to explain, being as sincere as she can, "I told you in that truck, I'm not a good person. You have seen me do horrible things... and I will only do worse things. Things that you should not be around for, things that will defy your morals. You would feel nothing but suffering, and would inherently be putting yourself in severe danger if you stay with me. So, say that you want to leave, and I'll bring you somewhere. Somewhere safe."

  Shortcake blinks at this, and... well... Chouko isn't lying. There is truth in the fact that Shortcake will be put in danger. The facts all run through her head, processed repeatedly, over and over again, and - with a 94.58% prediction accuracy in her AI - Shortcake would inherently be hurting herself if she continued to go with...

  ...

  Shortcake... pauses, and tilts her head at this. In order to make sense, Chouko's explanation is missing something.

  "E-Even so, I... I don't- understand. Y-You... you would simply say no if that is all to it. If you just wanted to keep me safe, you'd just say that you didn't want me around..."

  Kuroiwa goes silent, looking back at Shortcake. Her mouth parted, she was trying to deny that claim and muster a single word to object that desperation.

  But not a word comes out.

  "So that means you... do... want to keep me around," Shortcake continues, smiling warmly. Chouko's silence is a good indication that she's on the right track. "Is it because I'm helpful? If I'm helpful, then- while you're in danger, in bad condition, I- I should stay with you, to help and-"

  "Shortcake," Kuroiwa interrupts, as she leans in to gaze at Shortcake's hair, staring at it and examining it closely. "The hair needs time to dry, but... other than that, it's in good enough condition. Your new family won't notice the scent."

  Shortcake's eyes widen in distress at this. She immediately knows that Chouko's trying to change the topic, to stray away from this reasoning. "C-Chouko, I can help- I can-"

  "It will require some additional air freshener, maybe a mint smell," Kuroiwa interrupts. "The only issue now is to find a store that sells it..."

  "C-Chouko-"

  "A can of the stuff should do. It's possible we could get away with a small perfume bottle..."

  "Chouko, please-"

  "Lavender might be a better scent. Then again, maybe roses. Rose scented perfume is pink, so it would-"

  "I- I don't want to go!" Shortcake shouts, raising her voice. "I want to stay with you... I- I don't want to leave you alone and in danger, and-!"

  Kuroiwa sharply bites down on nothing, clenching her teeth with a repulsed look on her face. "You're NOT staying with me!" she growls out. "I already told you, it's dangerous to stay with me, and-!"

  "I don't care!" Shortcake exclaims. "I'll say it again, I- I want to stay with you, and I don't want to leave you alone and in danger! You- you said it was my choice, you asked me if I wanted to, and I'm saying yes!"

  "Why?!" Kuroiwa shouts, leaning into Shortcake and glaring straight into the android's eyes. "What reason do you have to-?!"

  Shortcake immediately interrupts Chouko with: "You're the only person that can treat me like a person!"

  Kuroiwa- Kuroiwa blinks at this, backing away- almost caught off guard and confused by this claim. "... what? What exactly do you mean by that? Treat you like a-"

  "Statistically, I won't even care for a loving family!" Shortcake- exclaims, shaking. "You said so yourself, I'm only worth something by being in that box! U-Used androids don't... they- they don't go to safe families, they go everywhere else!"

  Kuroiwa blinks at this, just- in disbelief. "That's preposterous, you're-"

  "I- I didn't want to say it, b-because it would be guilt-tripping..." Shortcake admits. "B-But your argument is made under the assumption that anyone and everyone in the world is capable of treating me with- care...! But I'm not oblivious to the controversy, they don't- they don't care about me, Chouko! I'm an android, and- and half of the population hates me, hates me for being an android. The other half- they're either going to make me do worse things anyway, or they'll scrap me for parts..."

  Shortcake- Shortcake visibly grimaces, shakes in utter discomfort. Wincing in pain at the thought, programmed to feel the pain that comes with all of that. Her innocent demeanor put aside as she proclaims all of this.

  "You- you took care of me," Shortcake continues. "You comforted me in the truck, you promised that we would eat cake together... I- I helped you and we came up with a way to save you, and- and I was kept safe as we were leaving the building! You took me with you, you- you didn't just leave me there... I want to stay, I want to help and make it up to you... I'm a lot safer with you than I am anywhere else."

  "..."

  The soft pink clashes with the bloody red, their eyes locked onto each other. Shortcake just helplessly stares at the woman before her, awaiting her response, wishing that Chouko would see reason. A faint smile of hope, that Chouko would still- still accept her.

  The fact that Chouko went silent is a good sign, Shortcake hopes.

  "... get out."

  ... and Kuroiwa bashes that hope into the ground with a demand. A harsh demand that stabs into Shortcake's hope with only two words.

  "W... What?" Shortcake asks, dismay and distress on her face. "C-Chouko-?"

  "Get out of this car. I don't want you," Kuroiwa tells the android, her glare as solid as stone and gaze as cold as ice.

  It has come to Kuroiwa's attention that Shortcake is, inherently, a burden. A hinderance, an emotional one. The longer she keeps Shortcake around... the more torment that Chouko will suffer, a pitiful distraction from everything- EVERYTHING that she's worked her whole life for... and she can't have that.

  Time to discard her.

  "I never wanted to keep you in the first place. I asked you, only because I wanted to spare you the harsh reality that I do not care about you, and never have. So I'm telling you nicely... get out."

  "That... but... you- you brought me with you, you wanted-"

  "I took you because I couldn't have any witnesses," Kuroiwa explains to Shortcake, the cold gaze in her eyes freezing. "I brought you along to dispose of you. That's all."

  "No, no you didn't, Chouko-" Shortcake reasons, hugging her knees tighter. "That's not all... you- you held my hand and escorted me down. You- you even called out to me to come to the car. You- you care about me, if you didn't want me-"

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  "The best I felt was self-preservation," Kuroiwa explains, "and you just happened to be the only thing in that truck, the only thing in that office. That's it. That's all it was, and you're simply making assumptions. So I implore you to leave-"

  "B-But isn't it just easy to- just, I don't know, take your gun and- kill me? The man you shot was about to, you could have just let him shoot me and break me instead of-"

  "... get out," Kuroiwa demands, a violent growl in her voice.

  "You- you didn't let him, Chouko, you took the time to keep me safe! If you were the monster you claimed to be, you wouldn't have-"

  "Get. Out."

  "N-No," Shortcake objects, standing her ground. "I'm not-"

  "GET OUT OF THIS CAR!" Kuroiwa sharply and suddenly shouts at the top of her lungs, screaming and roaring at Shortcake. Facing Shortcake with the face of a rabid dog that was about to tear apart the thing in front of her, pure rage emerging from her eyes. "I'M NOT ASKING YOU, I'M TELLING YOU! OUT!"

  "Absolutely not!" Shortcake defensively screams. "I don't want to leave, please don't-!"

  Kuroiwa forcibly opens the door right behind Shortcake, hands on Shortcake and pushing her out. "OUT! OUT- GET OUT!"

  Shortcake, powerless to do anything against Chouko, is being pushed out. She starts to tear up again, her voice sent into sadness. "D-Don't- don't l-leave me! Please-! I'm sorry, I don't-!"

  "I... SAID... GET THE HELL OUT OF-!" Kuroiwa screams and shouts, forcibly shoving Shortcake out of the car. "HERE!"

  Shortcake is sent out of the door, wailing and crying as she falls to the ground. Her body hitting against the ground, starting to whine and cry.

  Kuroiwa reaches for the open door handle, gripping it tightly. About to pull the door shut, to keep Shortcake out of the car, preparing to just leave the android behind and drive off. It had its chance for safety, now Kuroiwa's leaving it behind. Leaving everything behind.

  Kuroiwa doesn't want Shortcake... Kuroiwa doesn't want the bastard it came from... Kuroiwa doesn't want or need Charon anymore. Kuroiwa doesn't need anyone else. She's fine on her own and she'll die on her own.

  So she pulls the door, looking at Shortcake, the door halfway closed...

  ... and it was in that moment that Kuroiwa freezes up, hand on the handle and about to pull- her deranged eyes starting to widen and twitch. Her gaze going red, the rage boiling and burning in her eyes once again.

  "Ghhkk-!"

  Once again- the pain floods Kuroiwa's body, aching and burning at her, leaving her immobile as her blood boils. Kuroiwa wasn't using the butterflies- there should be no reason for her to be experiencing this, and yet- once again, her eyes start to flare...

  Shortcake- sits up, watching Chouko as she remains on the ground... "C-Chouko...?! A-Are you okay-?!"

  And in that next moment... Kuroiwa starts to scream again, to loudly scream at the top of her lungs. Her eyes twitching, her vision going completely red, flaring and burning up. Screaming in pure distress, in absolute agony as every- every single moment starts to forcibly flash right before her eyes.

  Kuroiwa hyperventilates, Kuroiwa screams and shouts, all surroundings around her starting to fade away again. Choking on her own saliva, rage becoming uncontainable, uncontrollable.

  This perplexes her. If overusing the butterfly isn't the cause, then what exactly was the trigger for this...?!

  "A-AAAAAAAH-!"

  Kuroiwa... screams louder and louder, feeling helpless and weak as she feels blood boiling in her eyes, brought to a state of panic. One that she's experienced again- and again... and again... a pain that takes her completely, stabbing at her entire being.

  Unable to move, unable to stop this, subjected to this feeling once again- the one that took her eyes several times now...

  She wants it to stop, she wants it to stop...!

  Watching in horror as Chouko screams her lungs out, Shortcake... immediately rushes forward and tackles Kuroiwa. Throwing her body into the woman, causing Kuroiwa's hand to let go of the handle as they're forced back against the car seats.

  Kuroiwa screams and roars. "UNHAND ME-! LET ME GO!" she barks out, trying to force herself out from Shortcake's.

  "No!" Shortcake calls out, desperately clinging to Chouko. Shortcake doesn't know what to do, Shortcake doesn't know how to help, and for all she knew- Shortcake doesn't know how to stop Chouko from dying. So as the blood leaks from Chouko's eyes, the android clings to Chouko for dear life. "I- I won't let you suffer alone, I- I'm not going! I'm not abandoning you-!"

  "LET GO-! YOU SHOULD BE GONE-!" Kuroiwa barks out, trying- trying to force Shortcake's arms apart, trying to get the android off of her. "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ALIVE-!"

  "But I am-!" Shortcake calls out. "I- I am alive, and it's because of you! I'm never letting go, Chouko-!"

  "I... I DID NOTHING!" Kuroiwa screams. "I DIDN'T..."

  Those words come out, as - slowly - Kuroiwa's voice lessens to a... a sob.

  "... I did- nothing-!"

  Letting those words in, Kuroiwa... starts to crumble. Blood starts to trail from the woman's eyes, a deep crimson horrifyingly leaking out in trickling rivers. Oozing out in that moment, as the life bleeds from her face.

  But Shortcake sees otherwise. Rather than blood, the android sees... tears.

  Tears belonging to a crying woman, one covered in blood.

  "I didn't do- anything..." the black haired woman calls out, crying as the pain eases, as the water flows from her eyes. "I couldn't save you... I couldn't protect you..."

  "W... what...?" Shortcake calls out... as- as her eyes dim, as her eyes shut off.

  Immediately, as Shortcake loses sight, a... a glitch happens. Her visual sensors start to distort, the data corrupting in her gaze as... as all she could see was Chouko.

  A crying Chouko... and... after a few seconds, a visual. A visual appears after, Shortcake seeing an image of... something, something that flashes before her eyes- something that flashes before Chouko's eyes.

  The two of them remain... lying down in Shortcake's hug, as the car changes to a... hotel room. A hotel room with a view of the New York skyline. A familiar place for Chouko, and a loosely new sight for Shortcake.

  "I saw you... you're supposed to be dead, you- you're dead, that's- that's what all of this is for... you died, and... and... all I did was hide..."

  Shortcake watches as she suddenly sees a dead body, the... the body of...

  ...

  "I told you... again and again, get out... get out," Chouko cries out, cracks in her mask as the tears run down her face. "Get out of my head... get out of my life... you're gone, and you should be gone..."

  ... the man's face is crossed out. Blacked out and censored, a deep fog clouding and covering his face with an X. No eyes, no nose- covered by the massive markings.

  Shortcake could only stare, watch as she- watch as her visual sensors are receiving direct data from Chouko's memories. Something she pieces together from their talk on the truck, something that Chouko's screamed and shouted about...

  "F-Father, they're- they're gone. You... you don't need to..."

  Shortcake... feels Chouko starting to weaken, the struggle lessening. Blankly staring as the sound of sobbing fills the car. The voice of a little girl long dead, crying out for a father she'll never see again.

  "L- Let go of me! Let me go!" the young Chouko's voice screams... shouting and screaming, a harrowing- hollow feeling spreading throughout Shortcake's body. The android feels aggressive kicking and thrashing as Chouko fights against this, as Chouko tries to break free.

  But Shortcake- clings to Chouko, refusing to let go, forcing herself against the miserable woman. Her dimly lit eyes emitting a flashing yellow in warning- before a deep red begins to beam from them.

  You're gone... otherwise... what did I do any of this for...?

  A fatal error has occurred in Shortcake... with a suspected malware, a potential virus starting to attack at her head.

  ...

  And Shortcake lets it... in.

  In that moment, knowing that the malware- was, for some strange reason, coming from Chouko... the android lets it in.

  And in that very moment, everything Chouko felt is transferred to Shortcake.

  The cracks form on Shortcake's face, and knives stab into Shortcake's heart- each sensation translated to a form perceivable by Shortcake. Everything around Shortcake trembles and quakes, with a pouring rain barraging her back, screams echoing out in her ears, the loud sounds of passing Manhattan traffic.

  Shortcake- begins to cry, begins to sob at this, and... over and over again, Shortcake hears the gunshot. The gunshot that rings throughout her ears, the repeated shot that echoes out blood splatter...

  "Hahahahahahaha- ahahahahahahaha...! Ahahahahahahaha!"

  And the android hears- that laugh, that deranged- echoing laugh ringing in her ears...

  As the android clings to Chouko and subjects herself to this conceptual malware- Shortcake holds on for dear life. Her breath hyperventilating as her ethical programming clashes with these sights, witnessing each horror over- and over, and over again.

  The screams... the voices that surround from all sides- they never change one bit. It's the same voice screaming out in pain, the same echoing voice shouting out in utter turmoil. Calling out for mercy, calling out for the laughter to stop.

  Shortcake can't figure out who the voice belongs to... the only identifying feature being that it's utterly constant, contrasting against the obsessive laughter. The unhinged, crazed laughter that plagues and echoes in her head, completely overwhelming her...

  "A-Ahahaha... AHAHAHAHA...! H-HAHAHAHA- HAHAHAHAHA...!"

  And it all ultimately culminates to Shortcake... staring forward, seeing- the man, the blonde man that was about to shoot her. The blonde man that Chouko killed... he stood over Chouko's father, gun aimed at his face. Finger on the trigger, pulling it back hard- the bullet sent flying down and halting in the middle of the air.

  Everything freezes as the bullet remains two inches away from his forehead. Charles's body remains with its crossed out face, remaining completely still and- and distorting, over and over again. His body morphing and shaping into unrecognizable people. Faces and bodies changed to countless people that Shortcake did not recognize.

  The killer's body changes as well. It alternates heavily between the blonde man, a completely dark figure with not a face to identify, and... and Chouko. The image warps and shifts over and over again. The scene shaping and shifting aimlessly.

  "A- AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

  Shortcake continues to cling to Chouko, to keep her grasp on the woman's body throughout the whole experience. Experiencing each and every sensation, enduring the countless errors that flare up, pushing and persevering through each excruciating moment.

  All surroundings warped, with a constantly hectic and erratic change each passing second, unholy demons echo out... the voices only growing louder and softer, varying from left to right, surrounding and flying and swirling around Shortcake.

  "Chouko... I... love..."

  And... and after this voice weakly calls out... Shortcake- begins to hear something else in this utter madness...

  "Don't..."

  Shortcake's eyes widen, her body jolting once Chouko's voice echoes out... drawn to stare in that direction.

  Currently, Shortcake saw the child clinging to her father's hand, holding it tightly, looking down upon his body with a soulless, blank gaze.

  That crimson gaze staring down at Charles... a grown, mature face staring at him in sorrow, the child morphing into the adult. Holding onto his hand as Charles's body decays and burns away, leaving behind a skeleton in a casket...

  Chouko stares at this skeleton with tears in her eyes, shaking... trembling... blood soaked all over her body, with the shadows of herself standing over her. Dark, corrupted remnants of her soul tightly holding onto chains. Chaining the woman up by her wrists and ankles, and several around her neck...

  "Don't go... please... don't... you're... you're not dead..." Chouko's voice calls out... weakly clinging to the arm, holding the bones and hugging the completely decayed arm. Whimpering and sobbing, crying into the hand...

  "Ch..." Shortcake noises, hesitating before she could call out to her... reaching her hand out, her artificial hand shaking as she tries to reach out to Chouko, as she- as she...

  ... as she feels herself launched in a direction.

  Thrown- out from under the... bed?

  Shortcake is- astonished, acknowledging this surreal moment as she's thrown out of the car again- but came out from under a bed. Her body tumbling against the floor, feeling each sensation as if she was in that hotel room.

  In that very moment, Chouko's body freezes- and everything freezes. This moment is forced completely still, isolating this moment completely. Everything going quiet, not a sound of agony left.

  Shortcake- Shortcake gets up. Shortcake stands up, blinking as- as her processors faced this anomaly... feeling herself simultaneously unable and able to- move around the hotel room. Looking around, staring around, able to see all of it despite not feeling her own body move...

  She reaches a hand out, but doesn't feel it raise- doesn't feel it reach out to Chouko. The hand rests atop Chouko's shoulder, and Shortcake does not register it happening. Shortcake pokes at Chouko's cheek, rubs Chouko's forehead- but nothing. She's not actually doing it, despite seeing it for herself.

  The android blinks a couple of times, supposedly "walking" around now, confused beyond belief. Everything feels soulless and dry, and- and she doesn't understand this complete disconnect.

  Shortcake... takes a moment to- walk to the door of the hotel room, hand resting gently on the handle and- opening the door.

  Right on the other side, Shortcake steps out into the hallway, and walks around... raising an eyebrow at this sight. Wandering down the halls, the carpeted halls with multiple rooms on every side... a surreal feeling as she passes by marble pillars.

  Marble pillars?

  This... doesn't line up with a hotel, Shortcake thought...?

  Shortcake just walks around, clueless as to where this was... before stepping into- some kind of foyer... some kind of...

  ... mansion... foyer...?

  Wait...

  Wait, Chouko said she came from a rich family, Shortcake remembered...

  ... Shortcake realizes that the- the hotel room leads into a... a mansion...

  ...

  Chouko's... home?