[center][color=#FF0000]"[/color][color=#FF1000]I[/color] [color=#FF3100]j[/color][color=#FF4100]u[/color][color=#FF5200]s[/color][color=#FF6200]t[/color] [color=#FF8300]w[/color][color=#FF9400]r[/color][color=#FFA400]o[/color][color=#FFB400]t[/color][color=#FFC500]e[/color] [color=#FFE600]a[/color] [color=#F6FF00]l[/color][color=#E6FF00]e[/color][color=#D5FF00]t[/color][color=#C5FF00]t[/color][color=#B4FF00]e[/color][color=#A4FF00]r[/color][color=#94FF00],[/color] [color=#73FF00]I[/color] [color=#52FF00]j[/color][color=#41FF00]u[/color][color=#31FF00]s[/color][color=#20FF00]t[/color] [color=#00FF00]w[/color][color=#00FF10]r[/color][color=#00FF20]o[/color][color=#00FF31]t[/color][color=#00FF41]e[/color] [color=#00FF62]a[/color] [color=#00FF83]l[/color][color=#00FF94]e[/color][color=#00FFA4]t[/color][color=#00FFB4]t[/color][color=#00FFC5]e[/color][color=#00FFD5]r[/color][color=#00FFE6],[/color] [color=#00F6FF]I[/color] [color=#00D5FF]j[/color][color=#00C5FF]u[/color][color=#00B4FF]s[/color][color=#00A4FF]t[/color] [color=#0083FF]w[/color][color=#0073FF]r[/color][color=#0062FF]o[/color][color=#0052FF]t[/color][color=#0041FF]e[/color] [color=#0020FF]a[/color] [color=#0000FF]l[/color][color=#1000FF]e[/color][color=#2000FF]t[/color][color=#3100FF]t[/color][color=#4100FF]e[/color][color=#5200FF]r[/color][color=#6200FF],[/color] [color=#8300FF]I[/color] [color=#A400FF]w[/color][color=#B400FF]o[/color][color=#C500FF]n[/color][color=#D500FF]d[/color][color=#E600FF]e[/color][color=#F600FF]r[/color] [color=#FF00E6]w[/color][color=#FF00D5]h[/color][color=#FF00C5]o[/color] [color=#FF00A4]i[/color][color=#FF0094]t[/color][color=#FF0083]'[/color][color=#FF0073]s[/color] [color=#FF0052]f[/color][color=#FF0041]o[/color][color=#FF0031]r[/color][color=#FF0020].[/color][color=#FF0010]"[/color] [url=https://youtu.be/NVU8S4NlwKY][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/01978fe7-cfea-76fc-8e2a-e03460e0c2cd.webp[/img][/url] [color=#FF0000]B[/color][color=#FF2E00]r[/color][color=#FF5C00]o[/color][color=#FF8B00]u[/color][color=#FFB900]g[/color][color=#FFE700]h[/color][color=#E7FF00]t[/color] [color=#8BFF00]t[/color][color=#5CFF00]o[/color] [color=#00FF00]y[/color][color=#00FF2E]o[/color][color=#00FF5C]u[/color] [color=#00FFB9]b[/color][color=#00FFE7]y[/color] [color=#00B9FF]t[/color][color=#008BFF]h[/color][color=#005CFF]e[/color] [color=#0000FF]l[/color][color=#2E00FF]e[/color][color=#5C00FF]t[/color][color=#8B00FF]t[/color][color=#B900FF]e[/color][color=#E700FF]r[/color] [color=#FF00B9]'[/color][color=#FF008B]W[/color][color=#FF005C].[/color][color=#FF002E]'[/color][/center][hr] To Zassou, one of the best parts of the existence of written language was that it could transmit ideas that take a long time to form all at once. She could think as slowly as she'd like and still have something meaningful at the end. Even so, it was a little strange, though only to an outside observer. One would think that with as long as it took her, Tsubomi's handwriting would be beautiful. In reality, it was as bad a mess as Suki's cooking. But on she pressed, pen to paper, the hours ticking by. And by midnight, she'd finished something that could charitably be called: [hider=a letter.] Inside the envelope was a folded piece of paper. Unfolding it would reveal words written in a horribly messy style, and an even more folded piece of paper. [hider=The Outer Page] Don't read this until I'm gone okay? Especially the other one. [/hider] [hider=The Inner Page] Suki, Sorry that I couldn't stay here. Maybe Tsubomi will be nice to you. If she's not don't be too hard on her. She's had to live with me a long time. Even if she didn't remember who she was. Even though she didn't know who I was until later on. She could only do her best. It's better than mine was after all. It would have been nice to stick around. I don't know what the next few years would be like. I doubt I'd graduate. I don't think I'd get to stay in school either way. I never studied and class did nothing. Sleeping passed the time badly. But the club always passed the time in a good way. Tsubomi thinks I liked it. I don't know if I did or not. But thank you for always being there. On the school roof I could see the scenery of hibusa town. I could see the night stars better than from the ground. Even if I'm gone it might be like then. If Tsubomi keeps her clothes there will still be rust on the sleeves for a long time. Maybe that'll be true for me too. I would be a rust stain on the club's white sleeves. A thing to look at in the star light. Something that reminds you that there are small things in life. Things that get in the way. Things that come from bad events. Things that stay when you don't want them to. Things that leave when you don't want them to. We only met because we had wishes come true one day. Tsubomi's wish. Your wish. The rest of the club's wishes. They made you like this. They gave you the magic you have. They gave you the experiences that made you who you all are now. They made me. I guess that the butterflies flapped their wings a long time ago. And now that the butterflies have died we still flap our own arms. If life is a play then this is a story that's supposed to be sad I think. A story of passing by one another. A kishōtenketsu about passing butterflies. Maybe they already died before the first act. Maybe they'll come back some day. Maybe they'll cause rust with their falling blood. Then I could be there again. I could be a bloody stain on everyone's arms when they crushed a bug. Maybe I could be a dead butterfly. A dead butterfly that flapped its wings. One that made a gust somewhere else. I don't know that I can do that. I don't think that I could do that. I think that someday I'll be forgotten. By Tsubomi. By the club. By you. By the stuffed cat that I was given. I think that my wish would be to stay. Maybe we're not meant to have our wishes granted. I can only hope that parting won't be lonely. Please keep smiling. - Zassou [/hider] [/hider] It was folded slowly and carefully, one page inside another, and sealed away in its paper tomb. She'd just have to put the envelope in Suki's locker the next morning. --- The rays of sunlight broke through the blinds on the window and straight into Zassou's closed eyes. She tried to bat it away like an aggravated cat to a hyperactive dog, but the life bringing star won like it usually did. And so she found herself sitting up and resting her back against the wall her bed sat against. She yawned and looked around, but stopped soon after. Something was wrong. [hider=Gasp! A new banner?] [center][color=#FF0000]"[/color][color=#FF5F00]W[/color][color=#FFBF00]h[/color][color=#DFFF00]a[/color][color=#7FFF00]t[/color] [color=#00FF3F]h[/color][color=#00FF9F]a[/color][color=#00FEFF]p[/color][color=#009FFF]p[/color][color=#003FFF]e[/color][color=#1F00FF]n[/color][color=#7F00FF]e[/color][color=#DF00FF]d[/color][color=#FF00BF]?[/color][color=#FF005F]"[/color] [url=https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxmsUzQNPJAEYBaGdT_x0520u1HBIygBzJ?si=xS_rH5jLabRSbyZ_][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019b2f36-b799-72d6-8778-17c1f9c80bdf.webp[/img][/url] [color=#FF0000]M[/color][color=#FF1C00]i[/color][color=#FF3800]t[/color][color=#FF5500]o[/color][color=#FF7100]s[/color][color=#FF8D00]i[/color][color=#FFAA00]s[/color][color=#FFC600].[/color] [color=#FFFF00]D[/color][color=#E2FF00]i[/color][color=#C6FF00]d[/color][color=#AAFF00]n[/color][color=#8DFF00]'[/color][color=#71FF00]t[/color] [color=#38FF00]r[/color][color=#1CFF00]e[/color][color=#00FF00]a[/color][color=#00FF1C]l[/color][color=#00FF38]i[/color][color=#00FF55]z[/color][color=#00FF71]e[/color] [color=#00FFAA]t[/color][color=#00FFC6]h[/color][color=#00FFE2]a[/color][color=#00FEFF]t[/color] [color=#00C6FF]N[/color][color=#00A9FF]o[/color][color=#008DFF]c[/color] [color=#0054FF]i[/color][color=#0038FF]s[/color] [color=#0000FF]a[/color] [color=#3800FF]s[/color][color=#5500FF]c[/color][color=#7100FF]i[/color][color=#8D00FF]e[/color][color=#AA00FF]n[/color][color=#C600FF]c[/color][color=#E200FF]e[/color] [color=#FF00E2]t[/color][color=#FF00C6]e[/color][color=#FF00AA]a[/color][color=#FF008D]c[/color][color=#FF0071]h[/color][color=#FF0054]e[/color][color=#FF0038]r[/color][color=#FF001C].[/color][/center] [/hider] To her right lay herself. Was she having an out of body experience? There was only one way to find out. She poked her sleeping body on the cheek only for it to bolt awake at the contact. [color=0072bc]"What the hell!?"[/color] her other self asked as she felt something for the first time in years. The now awake Tsubomi glanced around the room in shock. After looking at everything else, her gaze fell on her own hands. She stared at them as the fingers flexed, following her commands exactly as they were told. Then she began to laugh. [color=0072bc]"Hehehe... hahaha!"[/color] Her laughter was loud, perhaps not loud enough to be heard downstairs, and tinged with lunacy. [color=0072bc]"Hahaha... ahh. Geez, what am I, a manga villain?"[/color] It wasn't until Zassou poked Tsubomi on the cheek once again that she noticed the weed was still there. More than that, she was [i]there[/i], right beside her. Not an illusory image like she had been until now, but a separate body entirely. [color=0072bc]"... Huh. I guess I didn't give that advisor of yours enough credit. She works fast, doesn't she?"[/color] Zassou simply stared at her former host. After a few seconds, she spoke. [color=00aeef]"Maybe."[/color] [color=0072bc]"Well,"[/color] Tsubomi began as she jumped to a standing position, [color=0072bc]"it'd be weird for me to show up downstairs, so I'll leave [i]that[/i] to you."[/color] She walked to the closet and began rummaging through it. After throwing a few outfits onto the floor, she spoke up. [color=0072bc]"Why do you only have, like, five outfits?"[/color] Zassou didn't reply, but she didn't need to. It seemed that Tsubomi decided on a simple hoodie and skirt, which she was holding out triumphantly. By the time Zassou processed what she was seeing, she decided to turn her head away to give the girl privacy. Did having the same body make that weird? She didn't have enough time to think of an answer before a copy of the pajamas she was wearing smacked her in the side of the head, making her turn back to the now-dressed Tsubomi. [color=0072bc]"Well. [i]I'm[/i] going to go see what I can find to eat. Feels like it's been years since I've eaten anything."[/color] The girl's finally physical face twisted in annoyance. [color=0072bc]"Oh, wait. It [i]has[/i]. See ya."[/color] Her jab at Zassou complete, Tsubomi bolted past her and over the bed to jump out the open window, landing on the same sturdy tree branch that Oros had used to bring Zassou back after the beach. Fortunately, that one hadn't been broken by her exit... By the time Zassou's head followed her and she could see out the window, Tsubomi was out of sight. She turned back to the room and began to stand and get ready for herself. At least they had both survived. Was that something she could take for granted? Her eyes drifted to the envelope on her desk, the white paper bearing an almost illegible ink stain in the shape of Suki's name. After a moment, she decided to follow through with her plan anyway, just to be safe. --- Zassou found herself, as usual, late to class. Though this was worsened today by her detour to Suki's locker, dropping her message inside much less aimlessly than an SOS in a bottle, but almost as desperate in its meaning. Not that Zassou felt that desperation. The walking weed made its slow way over to her seat, sitting down and shortly thereafter resting her forehead on her folded arms. It probably wasn't wise to let Tsubomi wander around town by herself, but wisdom was never Zassou's strong suit, at least outside of her Acid Drop persona. The thought wormed its way into the hamster wheel in her mind, spinning around and around alongside her consciousness until everything fell fully into the drain of sleep. Did this mean the theater would be empty? And if one of them was just magic, would they be stuck in their normal forms? Did dandelions dream of emotionless sheep? --- For her part, Tsubomi was elated to be free. This was quickly followed by satisfaction as the currently rainbow-haired girl took another bite of her other self's leftover breakfast. The slow girl's appetite was almost as pathetic as its bearer, and that meant plenty was left for her original self. Sure, Tsubomi had to wait until Zassou left before sneaking back in and raiding the fridge, but after a few laps around the house she'd already decided that getting back inside was the best idea. After all, stealing from a shop had too high a chance of being food she didn't even like! Once she'd finished the last bite, Tsubomi began the walk to Hibusa High. There was no rush in her pace, since the woman was probably busy during the school day anyway, but the least she could do was thank that instructor.