The news has reached the airwaves of Indiana's southwestern neighbor, Missouri. Missouri is one of the states that has publicly, ACTIVELY protested the entire country being spontaneously forced to report on the news of one single person. All stations in Missouri have come together to specifically make a stand against this media wave.

  "... and we folks here at Target News Missouri, we done seen enough of Gardner, and we're too plumb tired of the latest mass media spread of this youin! Whoever this lil' lady is, ain't none of our business, I reckin! So whatever kinda missy she is, we ain't gonna give her any of this shinin' attention, if I got a half-squirrely sum(BLEEP) to say about it!"

  "... ah, Everett, keeping your accent strong as ever..."

  At a roadside motel near Greenville, a receptionist attentively watches a holographic television broadcast of the news, eagerly anticipating the developments while sorting through motel keys.

  For the last two hours, this specific channel has gone through an extensive catalog of Missouri's news stations, and the last stand was Target News. News anchor, "Everett", is the face of the state's "anti-Gardner" stance on the news, and his face on the TV is enough to carry Missouri through this wave of unnecessary media...

  ... which leads to its subsequent disappearance in exchange for—and this is a strange pick—reruns of "Aggressive Sex Baseball", a satirical TV show that received 2 out of 10 ratings from critics.

  It is a dark day for all of Missouri, forced to watch Aggressive Sex Baseball. Missouri's news stations have lost this protest as the most trashy and vulgar modern-day sitcom hijacks the channel's airwaves. In essence, as the news channels of Missouri told the country that it didn't want this news on their airwaves, all news has been replaced with utter television slop.

  The receptionist sighs and completely turns off the television. "... sorry, there," he speaks, returning to the front desk with a room key. "Here you go. How would you like to pay?"

  With key on the counter, the receptionist politely smiles at the white-haired girl on the other side of the desk, who stares up at him through a pair of white sunglasses. The girl then stares down at the key, checking what room number it is. "Uhm... if- if you don't mind, is there a different room I could take?"

  The receptionist raises an eyebrow at this. "A different room? Anything wrong with 202, there?"

  "Well..."

  At that very moment, in the parking lot, a Mercedes-Benz was parked in the far corner. Through its windshield, an attentive set of red eyes gazed at the outside of the two-story motel itself.

  Chouko Ashford, the black-haired woman who was still currently enduring an agonizing gunshot wound to her shoulder, is relaying information to Shortcake. This motel is possibly the one place that could offer the two of them sanctuary, as this motel in Kentucky is modest and discreet. A place that not even Chouko is aware of. The lack of parked cars at this hour indicates high vacancy.

  With a focus in her hand, she closes her eyes and returns her focus to Shortcake. Then, she whispers a few words into her hand, giving her words to recite...

  "Well..." Shortcake responds, able to hear Chouko's whispers from this distance. "I was hoping for a room on the ground floor... one of your '100' level rooms? I'm a little nervous around stairs, don't want to fall and all, so..."

  "Ah, I see. Stair troubles," the receptionist speaks, pulling the key back. "No worries. Let's see if there's a ground-floor room ready!"

  "Sounds good!" Shortcake cheerfully and politely exclaims, smiling warmly at the receptionist.

  The receptionist turns away and begins rummaging through keys once again, as well as subsequent bookings.

  Chouko is just left to sit in the car, sighing. In the time it takes the receptionist to find a new key, she has enough time to thoroughly ponder this newfound ability. There's a lot that Chouko found useful about it, especially as she uses Shortcake to get a motel room key and to test the further limits of the ability.

  Even if it's an android, Chouko has access to her sight and hearing, able to use Shortcake's senses by employing the use of an illusory effect vital to her fight with Griffin. With this hearing at her disposal, she's been guiding Shortcake through the conversation with the receptionist from across the entire motel, whispering carefully thought-out words to Shortcake.

  "... and here you go. Room 105," the receptionist calls out, finally finding an available room.

  "Ah, yes, thank you..." Shortcake speaks, holding out a phone—Chouko's flip phone—and presenting it to the receptionist. "I'd like to pay electronically. Is that okay?"

  "Certainly, just..." the receptionist responds, as he looks at the phone. A curious squint of his eyes with a smile. "... oh, wow. First time I've seen one of these things."

  Chouko lets out a faint sigh and whispers into her hand: "Yes, I know. Now, I won't bore you with the story..."

  "... but, uhm, it's a personal gift," Shortcake relays, as she holds the phone up to the scanner. "I'm kind of stuck with one of these until I get a new way to pay for things... haha..."

  "Don't get me wrong, it's pretty cool," the receptionist responds, smiling. "Seen too many folks with their bloated smartphones. It's nice to see one of these."

  "Right—"

  "—right," Shortcake responds, sounding less exasperated than Chouko, smiling politely at the receptionist. Keeping up a good face.

  The scanner lights up green, and the payment goes through. "Alright! You're good to go, miss...?"

  "Anderson," Shortcake repeats, picking up the key and pocketing the phone. "Clover Anderson."

  "Well, enjoy your stay, Miss Anderson."

  With that, Shortcake leaves the lobby, and heads to 105. Feeling herself gulp quietly as she continues to feel a butterfly's fluttering wings against the back of her neck. She holds the key up to the door handle and then opens the door.

  Chouko is slightly meticulous in this. Charon now knows the motel she's checked into, so they have only a short time to properly stay. The question now is if anyone ELSE knows the room she's checked into, so Shortcake is instructed to sweep through the room for anyone in particular before Chouko enters.

  Chouko is also using this time to test the duration of her ability further. A caveat of this ability is the immense pain that comes from using it, as her senses suffer immense strain for one reason or another. To master this ability and utilize it efficiently, Chouko needs to detail what triggers the pain in question, what exactly leads to her suffering and agony.

  So far, there are two possibilities.

  One is that the butterfly inflicts pain upon receiving too many stimuli.

  The first time she used this ability, a mercenary loudly screamed and shouted in warning and the pain flooded her eyes. Following this, her eyes burned when the butterfly was out for too long, and her eyes burned in the crucial moment that allowed Kuroiwa's mercenaries to corner her. Most recently, the same pain was inflicted on her when the Executioner's phone rang, which provided more proof of the "loud and blaring stimulus" theory.

  Fundamentally, this would mean that Chouko has a definite time limit for using her abilities before the strain interferes with her focus. At the office, she was capable of holding it for minutes on several occasions.

  The other possibility, however, is that the trigger is... stress. Stress and trauma.

  The incidents that add to this theory are mostly connected to Shortcake in particular. The times that the pain came to light involved Chouko staring at Shortcake after a murder, and then Chouko trying to abandon and get rid of Shortcake at the gas station.

  Minutes became mere seconds at the gas station, as well as many cases where her pain came before a time threshold was reached. Her mind becomes erratic, and her senses tear Chouko apart whenever this happens. This could be a self-inflicted form of torment, where she must remain calm to maintain the ability to its full extent.

  ... then again, it could be the bullet lodged into her shoulder.

  Chouko must remember that, in the current situation, her arm has yet to be properly patched. It is fully possible that this ability virtually has no limits, apart from mere exhaustion whenever exceeding time or composure limits, and that the pain is simply due to damage in her arm transferring to her eyes.

  If this innate ability has lain dormant for her entire life, the awakening was a combination of her critical shoulder injury and the near-death experience when she believed herself ready to blow her own brains out. Further practice with this ability may stretch it past its conceivable limits. A fantasy that may prove to her benefit rather nicely.

  Two immediate concerns arise from this, however. First and foremost, they have no means to properly treat the wound. Chouko took the first aid kit from the gas station as a mere precaution, a last resort. Her lack of connections, especially with her at odds with Charon, will not bring her a surgeon who may extract the bullet and improve her odds of recovery.

  Even if her arm recovers, the second concern is that there must be a conceivable limit. It would be hubris and overconfidence if she were to assume her ability to be indefinite. There must be a specified time. There must be a scale for Chouko to follow in measuring her own capabilities.

  No, Chouko must assume that the first and second ideas are her limitations... and...

  "The room's all clear, I think..."

  ... Chouko blinks for a moment as Shortcake says this.

  Instead of looking through Shortcake's eyes, she had completely spaced out. Lost in her thoughts about her supernatural ability. Fortunately for her and Shortcake, there was not a soul and not a sight in that room. The fact that neither saw anything of note is a good sign.

  "If the room is clear, then... follow my exact instructions," Chouko tells Shortcake.

  A few moments are spent guiding Shortcake to press a few specific keys on the phone. Given that Chouko has already used the phone to hack into the convenience store lock and pay for the motel room stay, no additional harm could come from using the phone's mechanics further. In fact, keeping in mind her ability's limits, having this phone at her disposal is crucial.

  Chouko instructs Shortcake on two programs in particular: one to remotely infiltrate the cameras in a specific building, and the other to have the cameras loop footage for up to thirty seconds. Using these programs in sequence gives Chouko a brief window of time to sneak past a building's cameras and remain unseen. These are some of the many techniques she's memorized.

  Once Shortcake presses the key to activate the camera loop, Chouko forces the driver's door open. She makes a light-footed stride towards the door of 105, clenching her shoulder tightly as she sprints through the door.

  Shortcake is at the door and—once Chouko enters—closes it shut. Locking the door ever so contently and peeking out the windows, looking around the outside.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "Okay... okay. I don't think anyone saw you, " Shortcake says, her eyes flickering repeatedly. Alright... I'll get the first aid kit and..."

  Shortcake's voice trails off as she looks at Chouko, who remains on the floor.

  The exhaustion has caught up to Chouko, and she's lying flat against the room carpet. Her entire body went limp when running in, tripping on nothing and

  "A... Ah! Chouko!" Shortcake exclaims, crouching down to shake Chouko's body. The android doesn't have a proper way to check how alive Chouko is, but—

  "I'm fine, I'm fine... I am alright," Chouko calls out, still awake. Albeit, the weights in her eyes try to state otherwise. "I'm just tired..."

  "O-Okay... okay. L-Let's get you into the bed," Shortcake responds, trying to lift Chouko into the bed and... nope.

  Okay. No. Chouko's weight is greater than Shortcake's carrying capacity. The android can't drag Chouko one inch from where she was, let alone lift her. No matter what the android does, she can't carry Chouko into the bed, and it is a fruitless effort to do so. Even so, Shortcake puts all of her nonexistent might into it, each agonizing groan sounding out as her machinery whirrs and rumbles, as her feet dig into the floor and she hoists aggressively for the next minute.

  "... Shortcake, just..." Chouko says, pushing herself up from the ground to spare the android some pity. "Just remember what we're here for... we need to clean my face and these clothes."

  "O-Okay...!" Shortcake responds, pulling her hands away from Chouko and—

  "And take off my jacket..." Chouko immediately instructs.

  "Your jacket?" Shortcake asks.

  "Yes. I'll be covering myself up with it once I take off these clothes of yours," Chouko tells the android. "It would be inefficient to do laundry with me still in these clothes."

  "O... Oh, right. Okay!"

  With that, Shortcake goes to check the water. Nice and clean, and nice to clean with. Now it's a matter of figuring out how to use it, as this motel in particular didn't have a proper drain plug to fill the sink...

  Chouko, meanwhile, lies in the bed with her own leather jacket on, covering most of her body with the blanket. Her shoulders are exposed, with the wound still deep in her shoulder. The bloodied clothes are discarded at the foot of the bed.

  As Chouko makes herself nice and comfortable against the mattress, she just... begins feeling her eyes closing shut, a weight forcing them closed. The exhaustion finally kicks in, and she's finally forced to get a wink of sleep.

  It was just her and Shortcake. At any point, the android will probably wake her up if something happens, but...

  ...

  "... wh... why are you... washing my shoulder with cold water...?!"

  Chouko immediately found herself forced awake as a wet cloth was rubbed against her shoulder. Specifically, the shoulder that has a gunshot wound in it. The towel feels freezing cold and wakes Chouko up right away, the woman just wincing in utter pain. Cold water is the equivalent of being slapped awake, jolting her nerves and stinging her entire arm with contact. One would use warm, room-temperature water to clean a sleeping person...

  "A-Ah. Sorry, I- I thought that I should at least clean the wound a little, to prevent it from... uhm... I'm—" Shortcake begins to apologize, visibly worried as she pulls the wet towel away from Chouko's arm.

  "It's fine, it is best I stay awake anyway..." Chouko responds, sighing as she stares up at the ceiling. "Carry on..."

  "... s... sorry..." Shortcake quietly mumbles, going back to wiping Chouko's arm. She's tending to the shoulder first with the clean towel before anything else, taking special care with Chouko's arm before she moves on to her face and clothes.

  A slow, meticulous process, with only the light of the bathroom left to illuminate the room. The bedside lamp is off, the television remains off, and the sunlight is off... well, blocked. Blocked by the curtains. Weary red eyes stare off, with a pair of worried pink concerned for her, the cleaning happens in a drearily lit room.

  Once again, the two are put in a situation of silence, a faint awkwardness between them. A solid minute passes before Shortcake shows signs of discomfort, of unease.

  The silence seems to upset Shortcake.

  And Chouko takes notice. "... you seem like you have something to say."

  "Huh?"

  "Am I wrong?" Chouko asks, staring at Shortcake's uneasy face. A face she's been trying to read for the last few hours, a face of distress and fear that still has a story hiding underneath. "I'm mostly making," assumptions, Chouko initially thought, "conversation."

  "Uhm... well... I'm just..." Shortcake responds, taking a while to formulate a response. "... I think we should talk about what to do after this motel room, moving forward...?"

  "... I see," Chouko responds. "At a minimum, a two to three–hour nap here. It should be enough to rejuvenate me. Afterwards, we depart before anyone discovers we're here. We head west, far from Indianapolis."

  There's no clear plan as to what happens as they go west. Chouko no longer has the resources to know for sure. Either that or she simply didn't want to think about it right now, as the details eluded her thoughts. A plan may be concocted after some proper bed rest.

  "Ah, I... I see, I see..." Shortcake responds. "I'll... I'll prepare to wake you up at that time, then?"

  Chouko nods. "Preferably. Thank you."

  "O... okay."

  ... more silence.

  The android still seems uneasy. It has more to talk about, and yet it doesn't.

  "... once we're on the road," Chouko speaks up, taking the initiative in making another assumption. They were speaking about sweets in the truck, so Shortcake may be satisfied if they go through with the promise of indulging in cookies and cake. "I will need to eat after we move again. We could find a bakery or a supermarket. Possibly have a proper breakfast alongside it, but... especially the sweets."

  "O-okay... sounds good..." Shortcake responds, still concerned and upset.

  That's still not it.

  ...

  Eventually, Chouko deduces a better conversation topic. One that involves a recent event. "Clair de Lune."

  "... C... Claire de... h-huh?"

  "The song," Chouko explains. "The one that played on the radio."

  "O... Oh. I... Is that what it's called?" Shortcake asks in turn, a faint smile on her face.

  That's it, that's the hook Chouko's looking for. "Indeed. I... happen to know how to play it. It's a song familiar to me."

  "I see... uhm..." the android responds, pulling the towel away and rinsing it, readying it to now clean off the blood on Chouko's face, maybe her hair. She seems to be withdrawing from the conversation.

  "..."

  Shortcake comes back with a warmer towel, starting to dab Chouko's face with it. A gentle pat-pat of her face, before gently rubbing.

  "... it was Father's favorite song."

  "Right..."

  "..." Chouko sighs. She's not going to get anywhere with this line of discussion. Her face is wiped clean, and now Shortcake's wiping her hair. Best to just let the android work, and...

  "So... w... why does the song make you scream, when it plays?" Shortcake asks.

  Chouko finds her eyes looking off to the side as the android asks this. At this point, what else does she have to lose, discussing this with Shortcake. "Because... it hurts to think about. Everything about it serves as a reminder that—"

  "That your father was killed..." Shortcake finishes the sentence.

  "Right," Chouko responds with gritted teeth. "Right..."

  "But is that a bad thing?"

  "... is... is he being dead a bad thing?" Chouko asks, growing increasingly hostile.

  "No! No... I mean... is being reminded about it bad...?" Shortcake elaborates, correcting herself. "I've mentioned this before, but... with most people, letting it out is better than carrying the grief with you. Allowing yourself to face this... this trauma, it's the first step to—"

  "Do you think I haven't tried? Do you think I haven't employed such methods?!" Chouko defensively asks, raising her voice.

  "I- I'm not saying that. I'm sure you did... I was just saying that most people will—"

  Chouko interrupts Shortcake, immediately, as she... begins to defend herself. "I'm not... I'm not most people, I'm not supposed to be most people. Most people will disregard his life, move on, spit on everything he's ever worked for, and leave him in the world of the dead. I'm his heir, I'm his daughter, I was... I was supposed to make him proud," Chouko further explains, clenching her hands into fists. "Nothing, nothing in this world will bring me safety until my vengeance is fulfilled, until I take down my father's killer, exterminate everyone the killer ever worked with, and... and..."

  Shortcake stares in silence, her eyes looking off to the side. Averting her gaze from Chouko as she reiterates her... motivations.

  And it's blatantly clear that the android is doing this. Chouko found her voice trailing off at this silence, and... sighs. "You... you know it by now. I don't have to repeat myself."

  Shortcake stares at Chouko for a while, her processors accepting this data. The data swirls in her head, and she's continuing to look away as a response generates. "I... I want to ask..." Shortcake begins to speak, the response running as a background task. "Do you... do you think that you will move on once it's over?"

  "... I suppose so," Chouko answers. "I will have no reason to harbor any regrets once Kuroiwa is dead."

  "So what will you be, after that?" Shortcake asks.

  "Well, I'll be done. I—" Chouko begins to answer, before... her eyes squint, staring at Shortcake. The word choice catches her attention. "... what will I be?"

  "Yes, what will you be after... y... you know...?" Shortcake fidgets as she asks this, staring at Chouko with a nervously uncomfortable look on her face.

  "..." Chouko sighs. "Dead."

  "Dead?"

  "Dead," Chouko bluntly tells the android. "I'll have nothing left. Father is dead. The company is gone. I would have slain every single adversary connected to the death. The world will have no use for Chouko Ashford after that."

  "I... I don't..." Shortcake mumbles, her voice going quiet at the end. Her eyes dim as she feels her voice fade, becoming inaudible.

  "... what?" Chouko asks. "Speak up."

  "... I don't want to say it," Shortcake tells Chouko. "M... My processors are instructing me to not share my thoughts. I... I don't want to... I don't want to be..."

  Chouko sits up, her teeth clenched as she stares straight at Shortcake. "Don't what to be... what? What is it? Speak up, you incessant—"

  "S-Screamed at."

  "Scr... screamed..."

  Chouko stares at Shortcake for a while, and... some self-awareness sets in. She forces herself to calm down, to ease up. The pain in her shoulder becomes noticeable, but... not agonizingly awful. The source of the distress becomes evident, The woman stares at the android for a while, easing away from her... annoyance. Her eyes narrow in shame, and she takes this as calmly as she can.

  "... I see. Has this been what was upsetting you? Telling me what you believe is the truth? Sharing your thoughts with me?" Chouko asks.

  "Yes... I... I don't want you to be upset with me, and what I say might be wrong," Shortcake explains. "I... I don't want to annoy you with cupcakes, or my thoughts, or... or... w... well, I- I'll just be quiet now... I won't bring it up again, I'll leave you be and all. You know best..."

  I just really like cakes... I'm- I'm sorry- I didn't- I... I'll shut up, I'm sorry... I...

  ... Chouko lets out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes and lying back down. She pulls the blanket over herself, and just tells Shortcake: "Say it."

  "H-Huh?"

  "Say it. Sure, I will be upset," Chouko begins to explain, "but I swear that I will not be upset at you. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, and..." A long pause in between her words, as Chouko takes a deep breath. A slow, careful, deep breath, one to prime her for whatever hard truth Shortcake may have. "I shall brace myself for whatever you have to say."

  Shortcake noticeably frowns, and... and keeps her eyes off Chouko completely, staring at a lamp instead. Keeping her eyes on the lamp, focusing on the lamp to keep her artificial nerves steady. What she has to say is heavy and devastating, with a high value of emotional distress. The words are formed, the words are queued, and the words are forced...

  ... and she says it. "I... I don't think it's... healthy... to... live the way you've been living."

  "I am aware," Chouko remarks. "One would not be healthy if they were to do the work I've done. Only a mentally deranged soul would—"

  "Not... not that," Shortcake objects. "I'm not referring to your... mercenary... work."

  "...?" Chouko raises an eyebrow. "What... do you mean, then?"

  "I mean... how you're treating the child..." Shortcake explains, referring to the Chouko she hallucinated. "... the Chouko at that mental piano. The one who sits in that empty void, underneath that mansion. I saw her, and she was playing... a song called Funeral March, as if something told her she needed to march to her funeral, to die away inside of you. I don't think it's healthy to do that."

  Chouko tensely glares at Shortcake, before... looking elsewhere. "I see. Allow me to... inquire you about something. Your train of thought insinuates that I should be healthy. That I should do something to change, that I would do something to... be something, 'after that'."

  Shortcake hesitantly nods. "T-That's right."

  "So then... in your eyes, what does that make me now?" Chouko asks, decisively staring at Shortcake. A sharp look in her gaze, demanding this answer.

  Shortcake truly processes this inquiry through her mind, and her eyes flicker yellow. A sign of warning, of caution, that her processors demand her to be careful.

  "Ignore the warning, Shortcake..." Chouko instructs, resting her hands on the bed. Keeping them flat against the sheets, relaxing them as she stares at Shortcake. "... you can tell me. What am I?"

  "I... I think... you're..." Shortcake begins to answer, folding her hands together and fiddling with her thumbs.

  It takes an agonizingly long time for Shortcake to finally get the words out. By no means was this an easy task for the android. Her voice stutters and stammers, bypassing each warning in her system. It has her standing at the side of the bed for the longest while, with Chouko anticipating the android's worst.

  And when it finally comes out... Shortcake's eyes lose the yellow warning lights, and she bluntly tells Chouko:

  "... someone who never understood her life to begin with."

  "..."

  This causes Chouko to go speechless. Her eyes widen, and she's caught off guard by this, processing this the best she can.

  Shortcake gulps lightly. "... I... I just... it's the fact that you've sent yourself on this vengeance, driven to it completely that you've lost sight of what to do in between. So far, after you... after the office, there hasn't been a clear objective other than leaving the building and driving. We don't know where we're going, and I think we don't have anywhere to go now..."

  "..."

  "..." Shortcake goes quiet. "Sorry. If I'm wrong, then—"

  "No. No no, don't apologize, you're..." Chouko responds to reassure the android... before... the weight of those words sinks in.

  A long pause of silence occurs as Chouko looks away from Shortcake. The red-eyed woman is brought to face away from the android's gaze, to avert her eyes from the android.

  Those words settle and sink, giving Chouko over a decade to consider. Giving her a decade's worth of doubt and focus, over a decade to test Shortcake's claim. Chouko Ashford's life flashes right before her eyes, searching for one single moment that the statement doesn't ring true, that she ever understood what life is.

  Every moment where she reminded herself of her father. Every moment where she directed her efforts into Charon's orders. Every single moment that Chouko walked this earth, each and every second of her existence.

  And when she finds her answer... or a lack of answer... her eyes begin to water.

  Chouko is brought to tears. Chouko is compelled to cry. Chouko searched through years upon years of her life and concluded...

  "... you're right."