acdrop

Did they say why?

They... all thought it'd be nice to do graffiti legally.

But I don't want to be told what to do by some association, and I don't want to boss anyone else around either! Who knows what that Cooper guy is up to with these associations—

Excuse me, but are the two of you Miss Alba and Miss Aciddrop?

And what if we are?!

I'm just here to remind you that the competition is about to start. Please head to your respective preparation areas as soon as possible.

Hmph. Alright then.

One last thing, Alba—

Excuse me, Miss Aciddrop, but we're short on time. Please head to the prep area ASAP.

(Whispers) So you came after all.

Sure did.

(Whispers) Can I take that as you having changed your mind?

Well, I must admit, after you left yesterday, I mulled it over and had a change of heart.

(Whispers) Excellent, I'm glad to hear that.

...The closer we are to the home stretch, the more these finals are heating up!

Let's take a look at this contestant's creative process—hopefully we don't disturb her!

Absolutely astounding! She's using Yanese, uh, ink to create graffiti!

(Stifles laughter)

How refined! It evokes Yan's classical ink figure paintings!

Excuse me, but I see you've written Mr. Cooper's name along with some Yanese characters beneath your work. Can you tell us what it says?

Hmm, how do I put this... It means something to the effect of... eff you.

What?

It's a classical Yanese swear. Haven't you ever watched any kung fu movies?

Cut the camera! Cut the camera!

Now, let's take a look at this contestant—My, oh my! This is stunning!

Those sagacious eyes, those firm lips, that resolute jawline...

This is, without a doubt, Mr. Cooper! A perfect portrait, no less! It's hard to imagine that this work of art was created by a simple can of spray paint!

Aciddrop, don't tell me you—

Let go of me!

Ladies and gentlemen, as our final contestant finishes their work, we'll soon find out who'll be heading home with our generous prize—and be crowned the King of Graffiti!

First up is this cheerful young lady's work! Your ratings, please!

Final score, 7.5!

Next up is this, uh... ink thing...

And to the right are some illegible scribbles... the artist signing her name?

Final score, 1.0!

Anyone with sharp eyes would have noticed that the Yanese characters Alba wrote are missing.

But amidst the turmoil, even Alba, who was thrown out of the venue and snuck her way back in, did not realize this.

And next up is this portrait...

Let us congratulate Miss Aciddrop, who convincingly won the graffiti contest with a perfect 10 points!

Here's your check for becoming the champion. You've earned it.

And now, you're welcome to give your acceptance speech!

Miss Aciddrop?

(Sighs)

You gave up one of City Hall's pristine white walls for graffiti, and in the old days, I would've said that's pretty damn cool of you.

But, this so-called contest...

(Weighs the huge novelty check in her hands)

All I can say, folks, is that this is not cool.

Aciddrop suddenly tosses the check high up into the sky.

Then, while everyone is watching the huge sum of money spinning through the air, she grabs the mineral water she'd opened in advance and pours it all over the sagacious, firm, and resolute face on the wall.

Splash.

The face, like her random doodles the night before, turns into a puddle of muddy water.

The staff member in the audience immediately springs up and tries to rush onto the stage, but is tripped by a police officer in the crowd holding a rag and faceplants right into the mud.

Alright, Cooper. You won't have to wait 'til the election is over. Let me show everyone how this brand new coating works—

Before anyone else can react, something comes flying towards the stage from the crowd, and Aciddrop jumps up to catch it firmly in her hands.

It is a tattered rag, stained by all sorts of messy colors.

She takes the rag and wipes it across the wall, suddenly revealing the original off-white color underneath.

Just a little water and a rag is enough to make anything on the wall disappear without a trace. A miracle of modern science.

No lie, throwing a culture festival to bring in the youth vote was a pretty cool idea, Cooper. That is, if you'd really meant it.

Too bad that 'free speech' you were selling was just a fancy whiteboard, and you're more interested in using these 'legal associations' to shut us up.

This is slander!

For now you're just playing games with this little wall, but soon you'll have an entire association under your thumb.

And do you really need me to spell out what you, or some Columbian congressman, are gonna do with that?

Seize her! She's sabotaging the competition! She's inciting civil unrest! She's a domestic terrorist!

Several security guards step forward stiffly, clearly not expecting any of these dark undercurrents that were brewing beneath the competition.

If you'd called me a vandal, I might've even felt a little ashamed. Terrorist though? I'm down with it.

But whatever, later y'all.

A skateboard?!

Stop her this instant—

The security guards take a few symbolic steps, but in the end, nobody wants to run after something on wheels.

They can only pray that the flight of stairs in front of Aciddrop would scare her off, or at least trip her up.

But the skateboard follows her up into the air as if glued to her feet, and lands on the railing.

She then effortlessly slides down the handrails, makes a sharp turn, and disappears into the dense concrete jungle.