"..."

  Shortcake aimlessly walks around this- mansion, processing the sights before her... wandering down a hallway and peeking into various doors. Each footstep echoes out as she treads along, refraining from walking on the carpet...

  Behind every door, large and massive rooms to behold. She doesn't see any- furniture, though. Most of the rooms were completely empty, with only the walls and the floor left behind. Rather, there were only signs that furniture used to be there... some small marks in the carpet, some places where cobwebs and dust didn't stick to the walls and floor, some holes in the wall that used to hang things like- paintings and shelves... that's all that remains in these vibrantly colored rooms.

  If... this was real, then Shortcake is- now trying to understand it all. So, she started in a hotel room, and- she is now walking through an empty mansion.

  The android aimlessly walks... as she processes what she just- what she just heard, what she heard throughout that entry...

  Those harrowing, utterly harrowing screams... the deranged laughter that laughed through Chouko's desperate shouting... that dark and dreary sight of Manhattan, with completely and utterly erratic flashes before her eyes of dead people...?

  Is there some sort of symbolism to derive from this? A reason for why the mansion is connected to the hotel room? Maybe there is, there is some sort of reason why all of the rooms are empty, why all of this is happening.

  But Shortcake isn't designed to handle such ideas.

  Shortcake doesn't understand what she's seeing, why she's seeing all of this, why she's suddenly gone from the car. What she does understand, is that she's here... that only Chouko can help her understand any of this, and that Chouko is... or was... in pain. Shortcake needed to check up on her... so she just walks around, nervously, walking down the halls and hoping she can understand, keeping an eye out for wherever Chouko is, and...

  ...

  Piano...?

  Is that- the sound of a piano?

  For the entire walk, Shortcake has just been walking in silence, with only her own footsteps to listen to. But now, she hears a piano, music coming out of nowhere and growing stronger as she walks.

  Shortcake isn't designed with a musical database, so she has no reference as to what this song is. But the sound resonates in her processors, generating the words... somber, melancholy, slow and graceful. Shortcake detected a pattern of multiple keys being held down at once. Pauses in between, the keys held for a whole second or so- a sort of slow tune, a slow melody.

  The android continues to walk, trying to discern which room the piano is in- walking down a near endless, winding hallway even. Turning left and right, wandering in a sort of zig-zag for a while. Confusion on her face as the sound fluctuates and shifts, growing quiet one moment and loud the next.

  Shortcake's eyes flash yellow every so often, feeling- unease, the longer this walk lasts. Detecting warning signs as her pink gaze is glazed with cautious gold, shivering and holding onto her arms as she walks...

  ... until, eventually, Shortcake ends up- falling.

  Shortcake takes another step forward and turns right, only to- fall through the carpet, all of a sudden. One specific spot ended up making her trip, and her body phases through the floor itself. Falling into a dark abyss, falling for several minutes- before, thud. Her body hits against the floor.

  The floor is completely unilluminated, a pitch black nothingness. Something that Shortcake could only- feel, as she gets up and looks around. Her processors saw nothing around her for- miles, and she... she continues to walk. Cluelessly and aimlessly walking.

  The sound of the piano echoes loudly as she walks a certain direction, though... and Shortcake found herself drawn to the sound. The confined path of the hallway gone, Shortcake simply walks straight...

  ... and finds the piano, occupied by a little girl. A girl with black hair, just like Chouko's.

  In fact- this is Chouko. It has to be Chouko, as- it doesn't make sense for this girl to be anyone else.

  Shortcake- walks up to the piano and smiles, warmly smiling at Chouko. "Hello...?"

  The piano stops.

  "...?"

  Shortcake watches as the little girl takes her hands off of the piano, and turns around. Looking at Shortcake with her- ... with her...?

  ...

  This is a little girl with no face.

  Shortcake feels unsettled as she faces a child with literally no face. No eyes, no mouth- not even a nose. It's a purely smooth face with no identifying features. The clothes on the little girl are ragged and torn, and... well, that's all.

  Shortcake still safely assumes that this is Chouko from the black hair, but- this brings an error to her facial recognition software. By having no face, this little girl is... is a mystery to Shortcake, an error.

  "I- I'm sorry," Shortcake apologizes, her eyes- looking away, trying to avert her gaze from the missing face. "I didn't mean to bother you..."

  A long pause of silence as the faceless girl stares at Shortcake...

  ... before eventually saying something.

  "If you did not mean to bother me, then... why are you here?"

  Shortcake- is startled at the faceless girl suddenly speaking. "O-Oh! Uhm-" Shortcake then looks left and right, trying to formulate a response.

  Why was she here? Why is she here...?

  Shortcake, herself, still didn't have the answer. She doesn't understand why she's in Chouko's memories like this... and- and she couldn't muster an acceptable answer for the little girl. "I- I don't know... I- I just somehow ended up here. I came from- up above, and I found you here, so..."

  "... I see. Then, would you like to join me?"

  The little girl pats the seat next to her, offering and welcoming Shortcake to sit on the piano bench next to her.

  Shortcake, with no other option available to her, nods lightly. "I- I would like that, yes. I-If it's okay?"

  "It is why I asked, yes..."

  The sarcasm is not lost on Shortcake, as the little girl turns back to the piano.

  "W-Well- okay!" Shortcake noises, before- sitting down next to the faceless Chouko... deciding to reintroduce herself. "I'm, uhm... I'm Shortcake. It's nice to meet you."

  "... Shortcake? But... you're not a food..."

  "No, I'm an android...!" Shortcake responds.

  "Oh... well... it is nice to meet you too, Shortcake. Now, where was I...?"

  ... the little girl readjusts her hands on the piano keys, and begins playing again. Starting from the beginning, her fingers stretched out and pushing down onto the keys. The same melody played the exact same way, to a near perfect replication. Filling the void with a resonating song that reflects that somber feeling, that melancholy feeling.

  Shortcake- folds her hands on her lap, staring at the little girl playing this. "... this sounds- beautiful... what- what are you playing?" Shortcake asks.

  "This is... Piano Sonata No. 2, by Frédéric Chopin."

  Shortcake blinks at this, having- no idea what this means. "I... I see." Left to just listen to the song, trying to understand what the song is... why it sounded like a lot of melancholy.

  "... do- do you not like it?"

  As the faceless Chouko asks this, Shortcake is snapped out of her idleness and immediately shakes her head. "O-Oh! N-No, no, it's just- I think it's a little sad... don't- don't you think? I'm not- I'm not used to sad songs, I guess...?"

  Once again, the little girl stops playing, and turns to face Shortcake. Her faceless features drawn to the android, brought to- look at the visitor.

  "I see... well, what songs do you like? I may be able to play something more to your tastes..."

  "... I... I think I like... Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?" Shortcake answers, putting on a smile. The only song that came to mind, a cheerful children's song. "I don't know a lot about music, but- I know that, at least... it's a happy song, so..."

  "I see... I know it as the nursery rhyme. I believe it goes like...?"

  The little girl faces forward, and- begins playing. A straightforward rendition of the song, aligned with the basic notes... as well as some complexity added to the song.

  The way Chouko plays it is... sophisticated, making use of extra things. Three part harmonies, additional notes in between, gracefully and elegantly experimenting with the song as a whole. Something she's adopted from other classical works, meshing them together into some actively grand piece that her small hands could play.

  Shortcake listens to the song in astonishment, all of this- extra work, slightly lost on her. She can still appreciate the playing for the work put into it, sure, but she's simply not designed to understand any of it.

  But... that, in turn, leads to a realization: she can understand it, for some reason. It's not completely lost on her. The music resonates in her processors, the android realizing she could pick up the- the feelings from the piano. She could feel how complex it was, how emotional the work is, how- how all of it should sound, and how it does sound... how it feels, even.

  "Y... You're really good..." Shortcake compliments, very much enjoying this take on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

  "T... Thank you..."

  The faceless little girl continues to play for a while, sent off into her own world as the song flows from her fingertips. Without a face to show it, her emotion comes out.

  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is a cheerful, simple piece... and Chouko plays it in the most melancholy, miserable, complicated way possible.

  "..." And Shortcake realizes this after- five minutes? Five minutes of the same song on repeat, the same one that the little girl plays over and over again.

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  Shortcake regains focus and... and looks to Chouko, a little- tongue tied, debating on if she should say something, if she should ask the girl anything while the song plays.

  Chouko shows no signs of- stopping, unaware of Shortcake looking to her.

  Shortcake... eventually... just speaks up again, wanting to ask something. "Uhm... can I ask-?"

  And then the piano abruptly stops, again.

  "... you may."

  The little girl looks back to Shortcake, nodding lightly. She listens and waits for the question...

  "Ah- uhm..." It takes Shortcake some time, but eventually... she gets the words out. "... why- why are you, uhm... hiding in the floor?"

  The little girl tilts her head at this...

  "... hiding in the floor?"

  "Well-" Shortcake noises, blinking a couple of times. "S-See, I- I came here when I fell through the floor of the mansion up there, and- I suppose I'd like to know, why are you playing in this void, instead of in the mansion...?"

  This question- this information causes the little girl to pause in silence, to blankly face Shortcake as if preparing herself to answer. Her tone feeling weaker, more nervous, more- uneasy.

  "Oh... w-well, simple... it's b... because I don't belong up there anymore."

  This gives Shortcake- something to think about, something to work with... and she- she tries to politely ask more. "... you- you don't belong up there? Why?"

  "Well... I... I feel alone up there... it's scary when I'm alone, a-and I don't- I don't belong up there anymore..."

  Shortcake dwells on that answer for a moment. Alone...

  ... alone.

  O... Oh. Oh. Wait. Past tense. Had. S-So- he- he's-?

  ... gone, yes.

  ...

  Shortcake... blinks for a moment, staring at Chouko. An uneasy smile on her face as this rings through her head. It's plenty clear to her now what's going on...

  ... and- and she wants to help Chouko out, to... to help her out of this black, empty void. To bring her back up to that mansion... at- at least, that's all she can think to do. "Well... I'm here, now... if- if you'd like to come back up there?"

  This causes the little girl to... hesitate, to look away from Shortcake and face the keys once more.

  "... I don't want to. I feel safe here, at this piano..."

  "Do you...?" Shortcake asks, tilting her head at this...

  "Yes... it... it's the only place I still feel safe. Apologies."

  "But... the piano sounds so sad," Shortcake brings up... "Is... is it worth staying safe, if you feel so sad about it...?"

  "..."

  The little girl sniffles for a moment as she leans forward, looking down at the piano. Tears drip down from her jawline, landing on top of her hands and the keys.

  Shortcake- visibly saddens at this, holding a hand out- gently- resting it on top of the keys, next to Chouko's hand. "I-I'm sorry... I just wish to know if I can do anything to help you feel happy."

  "But I don't deserve to be happy..."

  "Yes, you do..." Shortcake responds. "E-Everyone deserves to be happy..."

  "Well, I don't... I can't be happy... I don't belong up there, and I cannot be happy... not yet... not until it's all over..."

  Shortcake is left- speechless at this, her hand lightly shaking against the keys... watching the little girl cry through her blank face. A harrowing

  The android... eventually... slowly slides her hand away from Chouko's. Giving a warmer smile, her eyes flickering and fluttering lightly...

  "Then... I'll stay here, and keep you company until you're ready to come with me."

  "..."

  The two sit on that piano bench for a while... utter silence as they sit, for who knows how long.

  Not a single note is pressed... no music is played. The two simply sit in complete, utter silence.

  "..."

  "..."

  Both of them stare forward, as if

  ...

  Then, Chouko begins playing again...

  ... and instead of the miserable, melancholy melody from before... she plays something- calming. Something peaceful, something tranquil.

  A song her hands know well, a song she plays for a while.

  Shortcake listens as the song plays, blinking for a bit and being unsure what the song is... well, until Chouko's played it for about 42 seconds, and...

  ... and she remembers.

  ... g-GHK- CHANGE IT, CHANGE IT!

  As Chouko plays- the void suddenly shakes and trembles. Cracks forming in the void, peering in an eerie white light.

  Shortcake's eyes widen as- all around Shortcake, people scream... and bodies fall from the sky, dropping to the ground around the piano. Her pink eyes watch as she sees the very moments of their death before her eyes, seeing- one after another, people begging for mercy, people crying out for dear life.

  Everything that Chouko said she did, amplified and enhanced... each horrifying moment ringing out helplessly, each dangerous and immoral moment just...

  "I- I- I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-!"

  Quickly- Shortcake quickly looks to Chouko, watching the little girl holding onto her hands and clenching the sides of her head. The little girl hyperventilating as everything shouts in a resounding volume- something overwhelmingly familiar to the android, a near identical response to before.

  The android quickly- lunges forward, rushing forward to wrap her arms around the little girl. "It's okay-! It's okay...! I'm here-!"

  "M-Make the voices stop, please make the voices stop-"

  "I'll keep you safe... I'll keep you safe-!" Shortcake cries out, holding onto Chouko as tightly as she could. "Just close your eyes, and- and-"

  Suddenly... a hand grabs the back of Shortcake's throat, forcibly pulling the android away. Yanking her away from the piano, pulling her away from Chouko.

  The faceless Chouko turns back to Shortcake, reaching a hand out- crying out, screaming out.

  "S-Shortcake-!"

  Shortcake trembles in this grasp as she's pulled back, yanked away. "C-Chouko!!!" Screaming out for the girl, crying out as the girl disappears and-

  ... and Shortcake is forced awake.

  Back into the car, recovering from those visuals that she just witnessed, her artificial body trembling and shaking. "C-Chouko?! Chouko-!"

  And as she feels the hand on her neck fading away...

  ... she realizes she's still hugging Chouko.

  Arms still clinging to the adult, the adult Chouko that stared up with a shaky breath of her own... having... having the pain in her eyes fading away. The temporary pain she felt before, gone once again... subdued.

  Though, rather than being a temporary and short moment... Chouko- realizes that it feels like it's been hours. Several hours, in fact- and that immediately sends her into an urgent panic. Whatever that was, it's possibly costed them too much time, time that they were utterly sitting in place for any mercenaries to find and catch up with them-!

  But- her fear is alleviated, when she sits up and stares at the car clock. Checking what day and time it was, and only seeing that it's only been two minutes.

  Hours sandwiched into a measly couple of minutes. A breath- sighed out as she calms herself, as she...

  ... as she tensely- tensely looks around, feeling the urgent panic again.

  Quickly- quickly, she reaches for the car door with her foot, and pulls it shut, closing the door. Realizing that it's been two whole minutes that she's lost consciousness, Chouko was back on alert. Even if it was far less than a few hours, it's still some time that she remained defenseless, that she remained inactive for such a time. The last time this happened, she was cornered and about to die to a pathetic group of...

  ...

  Tch... Chouko just... no, Kuroiwa just- no, she... her hand- her hand just raises up to feel her cheek, wiping off the... the tears. She doesn't know what face to put on, now. Everything flashed before her eyes, and it feels- overwhelmingly different, for some reason.

  It was different for a reason the woman didn't understand, until she looks down to see the android in her arms.

  Staring at her in concern, realizing her arms are holding onto the android and pulling her close into an almost protective embrace. The woman stares for a while, eyes fluttering as she... as she...

  ... she remembers everything.

  "..."

  A...

  And... Chouko doesn't know how to handle this.

  All of that was... it had to be a hallucination, a dream-like delusion. Whatever it was that Shortcake was doing, it- it couldn't have been real. Chouko just had some sort of- some sort of nightmare...

  Chouko felt... well, still feels the need to get rid of the android. For its own good. By no means should this android still be associated with her. So she tries to break free of Shortcake's embrace, to make the android get off and away from her, and...

  ...

  ... and Shortcake hugs tighter.

  Shortcake holds onto Chouko, making good on her words to not let go. Burying her face against Chouko and just holding onto her after- all of that.

  For some reason, Chouko... couldn't... bring herself to pry the android off, to tear its arms away. Her arms feel weak, and she- she lacked the strength to do a single thing.

  "Shortcake... I'm going to say this again, I don't want-"

  But the android interrupts.

  "E-Even you... deserve to be happy..."

  Chouko freezes as Shortcake says this, staring down at the android in- in complete unease, feeling- overwhelmingly uneasy at this. Having that being quoted is... it... it proceed to- she... Chouko is... Chouko just... Chouko just understood that- that the whole piano conversation she dreamed up, the entirety of that nightmare...

  All... all of it was real...

  "S... So you... you were-"

  "I know... I know," Shortcake weakly tells Chouko.

  "..."

  "We don't- need to talk about it, if you don't want to..." Shortcake noises. "But like... like I told you... I'm never letting go... n-not again. I'll keep you safe, and I'll you company until you're ready to come with-"

  "Stop... just... stop talking," Chouko demands.

  "Okay..." Shortcake responds... going silent.

  "..."

  "..."

  ...

  Keep me safe...

  A foolish sentiment.

  No one could ever replace him.

  No one should ever replace him.

  Chouko just... thought to herself, quietly thought to herself... he is dead. Even if he shouldn't be dead, he is. Never again will Chouko feel the warmth of his arms. Never again will Chouko feel safe in his arms. He has been long since buried, his fate lost to time.

  Not only is Shortcake becoming a copy of the girl Chouko used to be... the android dare claims to do the same things that Charles Ashford did for her.

  The father that kept her safe, kept her company, did everything he could to make her happy.

  And that's utterly foolish.

  Chouko... collects her thoughts and narrows her eyes, faintly shaking in Shortcake's embrace. The little girl's words remain the same, that she doesn't deserve happiness. She didn't- not for a single moment, while Chouko's mind hides that little girl away from this.

  Nothing has changed, and it all remains the same. Chouko's soul remains ever so tainted. A murderer that feels remorse is still a murderer, no matter how much she justifies her actions... and nothing can change these last nine years of hers.

  ...

  But...

  ... even so... Chouko takes a moment... to rest, to give in to this feeling. Letting out a sigh as Shortcake hugs her, as the android holds onto her. If Shortcake's words are to be trusted, if Chouko could trust those claims that the android made about wanting to stay- even if Chouko still pushes through with her thirst for vengeance...

  ...

  "... Shortcake. Do you really... want to stay with me?" Chouko asks again.

  "... y... yes..." Shortcake weakly noises.

  "... are you absolutely sure...?"

  "Yes... I'm sure..."

  "Even if that means being with an immortal-?"

  "Of course... I... I still want to stay..."

  "..."

  ... then her mind is made up.

  Chouko- now, with a newfounded strength, takes a moment to... pull Shortcake's arms off of her. "Ex... excuse me," she says, slipping past Shortcake and exiting the car.

  Shortcake watches as Chouko leaves, and- and the door closes.

  The android is left alone in the car with the knapsack... and- and her attention is brought back to the phone in the cup holder. Staring at it, watching as- as it stopped ringing. As no other calls came in.

  Shortcake still thinks about that sight, her arms trying to hug at nothing... her body trembling and shaking, as she couldn't see the little girl she wanted to protect. Even now, Shortcake still processed those screams and... and...

  ... and then, the door opens again.

  And Kuroiwa, back in control, places the first aid kit down in the car. "Alright, Shortcake- come, now, I need you in the passenger side seat."

  Shortcake- widens her eyes at this, looking at the first-aid kit. This snaps her out of her distress, and she- she looks to Chouko in shock. "W-Wha- you- you got the first aid kit? H-How?"

  "..." Kuroiwa holds up the flip phone, showing it to Shortcake. Showing that she used one of Charon's programs to unlock the door. "This."

  Shortcake's eyes widen at this. "Y-You used the phone? But isn't that dangerous? What if-"

  "Yes, my former employer now knows where I am," Kuroiwa tells Shortcake, flipping the phone shut and backing away from the door. "It's good that you're aware of that. Therefore, we need to go, now. No time to patch me up, I'll manage- we need to get ready to leave."

  "W-We need to-?"

  Shortcake's eyes widen at this, and- with the energy behind Chouko's voice, it- it fills the android with a sudden hope, a relief and a joy at this. By saying that they- both of them, both of them needed to leave, that means that Chouko... does want Shortcake to stay around!

  Shortcake feels delighted by this, a smile on her face, happy and overjoyed that Chouko's- Chouko's going to take the android with her! She's stunned and ecstatic, and- and she just sits there, processing this excitedly.

  "Unless you're having second thoughts about staying with me?" Kuroiwa impatiently speaks up, glaring at Shortcake... already starting to regret this.

  "... ah-! Sorry, I'll- I'm getting up right now!" Shortcake beams and smiles, as she leaves the car.

  Kuroiwa then runs to the driver's seat, as Shortcake closes the car door. The two take their places in the driver's and passenger's seats respectively, and Kuroiwa starts the car.

  "I- I just realized!" Shortcake exclaims, still smiling at- at Kuroiwa. "S-Since I'm clean, a-and you were- you were planning on taking me somewhere safe, does that mean I'm in good enough condition to walk up to- uhm- uh- the receptionist's desk at a hotel or motel?"

  Kuroiwa- nods in response, pulling the car into drive and starting to move. "Yes, but money is an issue. Payment can also be traced, so..."

  "W-We'll cross that road when we get there, right?" Shortcake exclaims, smiling warmly.

  "... indeed," Kuroiwa responds, driving out of the gas station's lot and merging onto the road. "Good to hear you being... so enthusiastic about this."

  Shortcake nods as the car- as the car fills with country music, still changed to that specific radio station. There was something that brought a wide smile to Shortcake's face, a smile that doesn't go away even as she cautiously looks around. The android has been given reason to take a more- optimistic view of this moment, and is left overwhelmingly happy to help.

  Kuroiwa stares forward, glaring forward at the road as the car moves. The pain in her eyes was enough to wake her up again, but- for how long, she has no idea. Her eyes lock forward and drive, foot on the gas and almost speeding away.

  Shortcake- takes the spot next to her, taking a more- optimistic view of this moment. The smile on her face doesn't go away, even as she keeps a cautious eye out.

  Like before, they... still had no idea where they're going. They're just driving out of Indianapolis, and now driving away from the gas station. The two of them simply headed- west. Just heading west, looking around for any place to take cover for the night.