Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

“Ahem——!”

The man on the other side howled in pain, attracting the attention of Hua, who was already unable to think.

"Damn it, this is the end of such a terrible story..."

The V-command device on his arm burst into a burst of smoke and sparks, and the combat suit on his body was automatically removed. The man who was slumped on the ground put his hands on his knees and struggled to sit up, looking towards the place where precure fell.

At the same time, Nonoka also shifted her attention to Ash.

At this moment, they saw without any obstruction the other's face covered in dust and blood, in a state of disarray and panting.

At this moment, there are no more unexpected misunderstandings and obstructions.

It's not a disguise, nor is it false.

In their hearts, they had already told themselves the answer represented by that extremely familiar face.

"..."

"..."

"flower?"

The girl's figure stained with blood was reflected in Ash's dark pupils, and his mouth was wide open in disbelief and couldn't close for a long time.

"Ash?"

The sight of the man covered in dust with a sword stuck in his chest in Hua Liangfen's eyes made her want to arrange her white teeth like shells, shaking them continuously and making a sound of ups and downs collision with the trembling.

Love.

Believe it.

Someone who will never hurt himself.

Thinking of it is like the aroma of coffee and the peace of mind of white moonlight.

But this is...

"why?"

【Bonus】Case File 63: Men's Exhaustion

What would you think if one day you found out that the hero you have been "paying attention to" for a long time is actually the most insignificant little fool around you?

Suddenly you feel like your ideals are shattered and the sky is falling, right?

No, the difference between the image before and after the transformation is so huge that it is difficult to recognize such a situation. There are also situations where people cannot recognize people through the mask. This is not a boast, but I am not saying that I have never experienced it.

But, my insignificant, worthless patient "Nonohana"? And the incredibly resilient and powerful superhero "Cure Yell" who single-handedly shouldered the entire world for eight years? You said they were the same person. If someone had said that to Ash before today, he would have simply decided it was time to perform a craniotomy.

It's not just a minor issue like the voice, face, or body shape not matching, but the feeling given is simply too different! ?

Even though I have sufficient psychological preparation for the fact that the hero's true identity is likely not consistent with my ideal, but to be honest, when I see the light on Yell fade away, leaving only Nonoka standing there.

Even Ash, who is known for his big heart and fun-loving nature.

He did feel his heart stop beating for a few seconds, but it had nothing to do with the sword stuck in his chest.

The bigger question now is, what kind of emotion is lingering in my heart?

Shock, anger, annoyance, sadness, depression, discomfort, enlightenment, his mouth opened and closed, but no other sound came out except the blood spurting out with the movement. However, what came out the most at this moment was probably the unbearable sense of shame.

At the same time, he recalled not only Nonoka's surprise that what she had said to him before was not a joke but the truth, but for some reason, besides the "favor" in Ash's heart, he also felt a little admiration for this seemingly soft guy.

It's not only respect for a soldier who fought alone for eight years, but also appreciation for Nonoka herself. When thinking about Nonoka's completely abnormal condition and strange reactions in the clinic and the result report, this appreciation and respect became even stronger.

This is really... well done.

This wasn't a compliment, but the highest compliment Ash could give her for being able to be so persistent and yet deceive herself.

The cold hands and feet regained some temperature, and the wounds that were serious enough to tear an ordinary person apart were no longer so painful. At least he didn't have to worry about being found dead on the spot for no apparent reason, leaving Hua with the regret of the blood debt for the rest of his life.

This was also due to the Dark Echoes. In fact, until he collected this darkness to the limit and it began to erode his soul and memory, the increase in Dark Echoes would only make his power stronger.

Humph, giving sweet benefits first and then taking away the price that has already been marked in the end, this is really a dark style.

She didn't know who she was mocking in her heart, maybe it was herself. Ash used this self-deceiving way to divert her attention, supporting her body with a sword stuck in her chest, and walked step by step towards the ruins where she was.

However, the closer he got to that person, the more Ash, with his wandering eyes, dared not look her in the eye.

Seriously, Ash, when did you become such a coward? It's gotten this far, and there's no cover left. It's too late to try to escape now, right?!

What are you doing!? Weren't you having so much fun playing the "you poke me, I poke you" game with her earlier? Where's your manly spirit gone? You're just a mere Nonoka—

Isn't it just...flowers...

The more he thought about topics to build up his confidence, the more complicated his heart became, making it more difficult for Ash to focus on her miserable condition.

Maybe, I really don't want to see her current expression. No matter what, I don't want to see her now.

Really, can a man’s psychology be so complicated?

The faint gasp of pain beside him attracted Ash's attention. Standing next to the blue-haired woman who was radiating a deep dark light, as this part of the "violent energy" transformed into dark echoes and was drawn into Ash's body like a whirlpool of water, the expressions of both of them visibly improved.

If you want to divert your attention, doing something is always the best way. Moreover, if she can't do it now, then it will be my turn to deal with this farce that she and I have performed together.

With this thought in mind, he lifted the board and kicked away the debris, and the Sleeping Beauty half-buried under the rubble appeared in front of Ash. However, this Sleeping Beauty did not look beautiful at all. Her tattered clothes, wounds all over her body, and face covered with dust made Saaya look more like a little match girl.

“Still alive.”

She turned into such a huge monster, took a heavy beating, and was used as a battlefield, yet she managed to survive... But, was she able to escape being transformed into a Terminator Monster in such a state of mind after seeing that her friend was actually a Pretty Cure? If this is a miracle, then...

Some thoughts flowed through Ash's mind, but he shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He was not in the mood to think about such things now.

He bent down and picked up the semi-stranger woman. Her body, which was not heavy to begin with, was actually a big burden for Ash at this moment. Forcing himself to take heavy and slow steps, Ash walked towards the woman who was still kneeling on the ground in the distance while holding Saya.

Fortunately, the woman who should be Sa-ryan's mother saw Ash. Her action of running over shortened Ash's journey a lot. Ash watched her bowing to him repeatedly, opening and closing her mouth and saying countless tragic "I'm sorry", and then she cried to Sa-ryan in his arms.

For some reason, even though he had done a good thing, seeing her sad face towards his daughter, Ash felt only annoyance.

"Take her away, and..." Ash took a breath and calmed the burning pain in his lungs, using his last bit of strength to maintain his scarred body.

With a sword stuck in his chest, Ash couldn't really be a demon. Every time he spoke, his lungs, which were "burning", felt like they were being torn apart.

"Don't tell anyone,"

Normally, Ash would have used both soft and hard tactics to threaten her to shut up, but now the condescending Ash just left with this hoarse voice and turned away.

Both physically and mentally, it was a feeling I had never experienced before, even when I first came into this world and almost drowned in the water.

He is too tired.

【Bonus】Case File 64: The Unbearable Pain of Women

Ash didn't say anything. If he opened his mouth again, blood would spurt out of his throat again, so he could only stare at the exquisitely dressed middle-aged woman.

At the same time, he could feel that iconic earth-shaking feeling coming from afar, and it must be coming soon.

"I won't tell anyone, Mr. Fire. I guarantee it on my reputation." Fortunately, Yakushiji Rira is worthy of being a veteran who has been in the entertainment industry for a long time. She nodded and made a guarantee without hesitation against the weak threat of the man in front of her.

As long as my daughter, Saaya, can be saved, everything else is fine.

Then she carried her unconscious daughter on her back and walked away - she had just called an ambulance.

After receiving the promise, Ash's body, which had been holding on tightly, finally couldn't hold on any longer. He staggered two steps and fell backwards softly until he touched the cold metal.

V-rex has arrived. It came here on its own, taking the best route without being called. Equipped with a super AI circuit, even if it cannot express its will directly through language, it has the ability to think for itself beyond that of ordinary machines.

The huge mechanical dinosaur exhaled two puffs of cooling air from its nostrils and wanted to grab Ash's clothes and throw him into the prepared groove on its back, but the man patted its nose and stopped it.

His sword did pierce her in the end, but it did not hit the vital part. If he had the energy of tomorrow, which was as magical as Ultraman's power of light, his life would not be in danger.

But...what happened to her?

When Ash thought of this, he felt as if his chest was being gnawed by ants, even the weakness and entanglement deep in his heart were being gnawed away.

Ash finally turned his head and looked at Nonoka, who was still kneeling on the ground in a mess.

Unbelievable and unacceptable, her pale face showed how miserable Nonoka's heart and soul were.

"Why...."

Looking into the man's eyes filled with fatigue and confusion, his pupils, as beautiful as pink diamonds but without any luster, were covered by closed eyelids, and the tears that kept falling fell straight down. Hua covered her forehead without caring about the dirt on her hands, and shook her head wildly as if trying to escape. The crazy action might be an attempt to deny the whole world.

Why, why did it have to be this kind of thing!

Why must I kill my best friend whom I least want to give up?

Why must my dear Mr. Ash, whom I love deeply and who has caused me pain, have to be that incomprehensible flame of time?

Why...I must be the one to bear this pain!

Why! Why, why, why!? Why can’t anyone give me an answer!

If the one who decides all this and determines the direction of fate can only be the so-called "God"... then why did they give me the energy of tomorrow that is said to represent the power of the "future", why must I become the Pretty Cure, and why have I continued to fight until now?

If the result of all this is just like this... just to make me suffer more, isn't that really too much?!

If this is the future... I'd rather not have a so-called painful tomorrow...

The no longer active tomorrow energy in Nonoka's body gradually became covered with a layer of black shell.

Ash wanted to get closer, even if it was just to comfort her, but right now, Ash really couldn't take another step closer, either physically or mentally.

"tread."

But he still took that step.

"Woo..."

Hua, noticing Ash's approach, gloomy expression on her face, let out a whimper like a small animal.

Her feelings at the moment were similar to Ash's... No, as a woman, her feelings were several times more complicated than Ash's! But one thing was certain...

The same goes for Nonoka, who has been fighting as Cure Yell until now. She doesn't know how to face Ash, who has been fighting as Time Fire until now.

This is not a matter of making things clear and then both sides hugging each other and laughing happily. The hearts of her who has grown up and Ash who seems to have never grown up are both too complicated.

"tread."

Ash took staggering steps, step by step, approaching this side, making Hua's trembling back even more violent.

"Don't come near me!" Hua's voice was filled with trembling tears. "Please, don't come near me anymore!"

"tread."

The man's steps continued to move closer and closer without any pause.

"Don't—" Hua almost covered her face with her hands, looking down at the broken concrete floor. "Don't look at me like that!"

"—"

A little dust mixed with the smell of blood blew past, and Ash finally stopped.

“Swish!”

That was the bone-chilling sound made by a sharp blade cutting flesh. Hua finally raised her head and saw Ash pulling out the Holy Sword of Melody that was inserted into her chest as the blood fountain that was about to dry up. The sword was pulled out along with a shrill cry and blood splashing on Hua's face, but Ash still didn't say a word.

"Crack!"

Ash inserted the weapon belonging to Pretty Cure in front of Nonoka.

Then, he supported his chest, which was about to be split in half, passed by Hua and left here even more limpingly.

"Ash..."

Hua, who realized it belatedly, wiped the blood off her face and quickly turned around, but could only see Ash's back.

"Ash!"

She stretched out her hand and wanted to follow, but as soon as she stood up, she tripped over the rubble at her feet and fell heavily again.

All she could hear was the sound of an ambulance, but that was no longer something Hua cared about.

"Ash—!"

She roared, almost cried, and stretched out her hands desperately, weakly but loudly, trying to catch even a little bit of the remaining glow of the flame.

However, Ash didn't even look back and disappeared into the distant horizon under the sun.