[center][color=#FF0000]"[/color][color=#FF2F00]D[/color][color=#FF5F00]o[/color][color=#FF8F00]e[/color][color=#FFBF00]s[/color] [color=#DFFF00]t[/color][color=#AFFF00]h[/color][color=#7FFF00]i[/color][color=#4FFF00]s[/color] [color=#00FF0F]m[/color][color=#00FF3F]a[/color][color=#00FF6F]k[/color][color=#00FF9F]e[/color] [color=#00FEFF]m[/color][color=#00CFFF]e[/color] [color=#006FFF]a[/color] [color=#000FFF]M[/color][color=#1F00FF]a[/color][color=#4F00FF]c[/color][color=#7F00FF]G[/color][color=#AF00FF]u[/color][color=#DF00FF]f[/color][color=#FF00EF]f[/color][color=#FF00BF]i[/color][color=#FF008F]n[/color][color=#FF005F]?[/color][color=#FF002F]"[/color]

[url=https://youtu.be/igayb2sNCYM?si=nZ8EgppmBizdsuBT][img]https://s14.gifyu.com/images/bNV87.gif[/img][/url]

[color=#FF0000]T[/color][color=#FF1A00]h[/color][color=#FF3400]e[/color] [color=#FF6900]'[/color][color=#FF8300]R[/color][color=#FF9E00]e[/color][color=#FFB800]s[/color][color=#FFD300]c[/color][color=#FFED00]u[/color][color=#F6FF00]e[/color] [color=#C1FF00]T[/color][color=#A7FF00]s[/color][color=#8CFF00]u[/color][color=#72FF00]b[/color][color=#57FF00]o[/color][color=#3DFF00]m[/color][color=#23FF00]i[/color][color=#08FF00]'[/color] [color=#00FF2B]a[/color][color=#00FF46]r[/color][color=#00FF60]c[/color] [color=#00FF95]b[/color][color=#00FFAF]e[/color][color=#00FFCA]i[/color][color=#00FFE4]n[/color][color=#00FEFF]g[/color] [color=#00CAFF]h[/color][color=#00AFFF]e[/color][color=#0095FF]r[/color][color=#007BFF]e[/color][color=#0060FF].[/color][color=#0046FF].[/color][color=#002BFF].[/color] [color=#0800FF]a[/color][color=#2300FF]r[/color][color=#3D00FF]e[/color] [color=#7200FF]w[/color][color=#8C00FF]e[/color] [color=#C100FF]j[/color][color=#DB00FF]u[/color][color=#F600FF]s[/color][color=#FF00ED]t[/color] [color=#FF00B8]B[/color][color=#FF009E]l[/color][color=#FF0083]e[/color][color=#FF0069]a[/color][color=#FF004F]c[/color][color=#FF0034]h[/color][color=#FF001A]?[/color][/center][hr]
Tsubomi's head lolled to the side. [color=00aeef]"But I'm Tsubomi."[/color]

[color=0072bc]"Incorrect, as usual. [i]I'm[/i] Tsubomi. [i]You[/i] are nothing but a parasite. At best, you're a false emulation of 'Tsubomi Kana'; a fake imitation of mine."[/color] Acid Drop stood from her leaning position. [color=0072bc]"An unfeeling homunculus that decided to burrow into my body and brain like a tapeworm."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"I'm... a tapeworm...?"[/color]

Acid Drop's grin grew wider. [color=0072bc]"That's right. This damn brain of mine is damaged, badly. I only just started to get my memories back after you feel face-first over that dog."[/color] She shrugged. [color=0072bc]"I guess the physical trauma was enough to reconnect some synapses for me."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"But you said before that you're helping me."[/color] Tsubomi replied as she straightened her neck.

Another shrug. [color=0072bc]"I was. But I've since decided to stop acting as a guardian angel for the demon that's possessing my body."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"How do you know you're not the fake Tsubomi?"[/color]

[color=0072bc]"I'll answer your question with a question: Do you remember a single thing from before the day you showed up, when I saw that dead Mascot?"[/color]

Tsubomi paused in thought. She did her best, but she couldn't remember anything from much later than that event, let alone before it. [color=00aeef]"Mm. I don't remember anything from before coming to Hibusa Town."[/color]

Acid Drop began walking in circles around Tsubomi. [color=0072bc]"[i]Exactly.[/i] Because you don't [i]have[/i] any memories before a certain point, before the day you took control of me. I'm not sure what exactly you are, but it's not a human. Not a real one, anyway."[/color] 

When she came to a stop, it was behind Tsubomi's back. The apathetic girl in front of her craned her neck to look back at her. [color=0072bc]"Humans [i]feel[/i] things. Emotions are an integral part of being human. Alexithymia aside, we feel things, because we're alive. You, on the other hand, are nothing. Nothing real, nothing human. And don't go thinking that you're some facet of me that I just don't understand, some trauma response to 'protect' me."[/color]

The rainbow-haired girl walked forward to put her right arm around Tsubomi's shoulders. [color=0072bc]"If you were, you wouldn't have all the unsightly traits you do. Complete lack of emotion, no ability to understand others even when you know exactly what they're feeling, no memories beyond a few months ago... You don't even remember the train ride to this town, do you?"[/color]

Just as Tsubomi turned her head to face the other actor, Acid Drop leaned closer to speak directly into her ear. [color=0072bc]"If you were even a part of a person, you'd remember [i]something[/i] before you do. You wouldn't have just thrown me out of my body and trapped me in some dark corner of my own mind where I couldn't even remember who or what I was. I wouldn't have needed blunt force trauma via a concussion to realize that I'm me."[/color]

[color=00aeef]"Mm. Doesn't that mean you might be a fake?"[/color]

Acid Drop let go of her co-actor, and moved to be in front of her. [color=0072bc]"Even if I were a fake, I'd still have an infinitely stronger claim to my mind, body, brain, and life than [i]you.[/i] And just so we're clear?"[/color]

A step forward, and her hands were to the sides of the other girl's head. Her hands worked Tsubomi's skull like clay into a figurine as she spoke. [color=0072bc]"I'm going to be taking my life back. Soon. I've figured out how to stop my magic from listening to you in just a handful of weeks. I learned how to force my body to obey me instead of you, albeit in short bursts. Do you think it'll take much longer before I can expunge you from my being?"[/color] 

A genuine but deeply dark smile graced Acid Drop's lips. [color=0072bc]"It won't. I give it about... two months, if that, before you're dead and gone. Better make the most of it, you fucking parasite bitch."[/color] Her hands fell away from the other girl's face. As if she had given the final line of the grand finale, she turned and walked offstage as the audience full of Miseria clapped and cheered their lungs out, if they had them.

With the end of the denouement seemingly achieved, the audience began to throw roses onto the stage where Acid Drop had been, an equal amount of tomatoes and- ... rocks? Tsubomi felt a hard object collide with her face between the strikes of red fruit, knocking her onto the floor of the stage. It seemed that was the cue for the other actors to come back onstage and give a final bow. As they did, Tsubomi couldn't help but notice that Acid Drop did not return to the stage.

Her eyes closed, and when they reopened a moment later, she was no longer laying in the theater. Instead, she was laying on the ground, covered in confection and butter with a strange girl above her. The girl brandished an arrow, but she seemed to have pulled back. Did she already stab her? And more importantly...

Did it matter?