Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

"That joker actually made me take such a long detour. Damn it! Can't it be simpler?"

At this time, another cadre of the Tragedy Kingdom, a big red-skinned man wearing a tiger-skin apron and holding a thick gold stick, looked exactly like the evil ghost in a neon fairy tale. He was standing in a processing factory full of various metal pipes, which was engraved in the DNA of Toei special effects fans, with his big stick on his shoulder, looking quite bored.

Around him, a deep purple "tragic ending" barrier unfolded, but this barrier did not expand to the entire world as usual. Instead, it only covered the factory, causing the workers inside to fall into despair.

"Tsk, no one comes to stop me, this is so boring!"

The reason why the previous F2A strategy was not used was due to the special plan proposed by Joker this time. First, Wolfren released the clown monsters outside to attract the attention of the Pretty Cure and fight with them. In fact, he secretly let the Red Oni start another tragic ending in this secret place with a large population, absorbing people's tragic energy.

The Red Devil, who has always been careless and whose mind is full of how to attack in person, certainly doesn't like such conspiracies. If it weren't for the joker bringing out the name of Emperor Piero, he wouldn't bother with any battle plan.

"This is what humans call a sneak attack. If we don't know the basics, Mr. Wang Jian won't be able to stop us, right?"

Thinking of the joker's smirk as he explained things to him, the very unhappy red ghost waved the ghost gold stick and smashed it on the big jar beside him as if to vent his anger.

"Whether it's Wolfren or that Joker guy, they're probably doing this because they're scared of that Masked...Massive Rider, right? Humph, then hurry up and let Red Devil have a good fight with you!"

What he didn't notice in his venting was that visible cracks began to spread from the surface of the large jar next to him.

As his destruction caused cracks on the surface of the tank, the value on the valve dial at the top of the tank, which represented the pressure reading, broke through the value of the safety limit valve originally set.

Chapter 38: Precious Memories of Yayoi

Yayoi gradually remembered that when the teacher assigned them homework in the classroom today, everyone had different reactions.

Lihua remained calm and confident, while Zhi and Akane were worried that it was too difficult to ask their parents such questions when they were already so old. Miyuki, on the other hand, was discussing the matter enthusiastically, hoping to get some "super happy" answer.

Only Yayoi... At that time, in order not to disturb everyone's happiness, I deliberately lowered my head as if I didn't see it and didn't interrupt.

Regarding my name: I once asked my mother how the name "Yayoi" came about. My mother said that in fact, my grandparents had given me many alternative names, but it was my father who went against everyone's opinions and made "Yayoi" the first gift given to me when I came into the world.

As for why Dad did what he did, and why the name had to be Yayoi...even if we wanted to get the answer, Dad had already gone to heaven.

"What should I do? Let Dad tell me?"

Yayoi recalled carefully, trying to recall every detail of her time with her father, whose face had become blurred, before she was five years old. However, after the previous quarrel, Yayoi's mind was in a mess and she could not remember the name clearly no matter what.

Gradually, memories of another incident began to become clearer.

My dad is always busy with work and can't come home often, so I am more attached to him than to my mom.

If my father was at home, I, who was probably only five years old at the time, would run back home and cry in my father's arms no matter what kind of grievances I encountered outside.

At that time, after comforting me, my father would always let me sit in his arms and watch the popular special dramas on TV with him, but he would often scare me, which would result in my mother lecturing my father.

"Dad, why do you like these so much? Yayoi is so scared when she sees the monsters on them!"

At that time, I was not interested in special effects and could only secretly watch the pictures on TV through the cracks between my fingers.

'Oh, I'm sorry, Yayoi. You're a girl, but I let you watch this with your dad. It scared you. I'm so sorry!' At that time, my father would always apologize and stroke my head with his rough but warm hands. In that warmth, I could forget the things I was afraid of.

"If I were with Dad... Yayoi wouldn't be so scared~"

"Yayoi is really strong. I hope she will become a child as gentle as her mother in the future."

Although my mother often lectured my father about this matter, what she didn’t know was that there was a little secret between my father and me.

When I was a child, I took it for granted that my mother told me that my father was a Kamen Rider because my father had said something similar.

'Dad, why do you always have to be out and can't you always be at home with me?'

At that time, I didn't understand the concept of making money to support the family. In response to my simple question, my father at that time pointed at the Kamen Rider on TV with bright red light flowing all over his body, and laughed like a child.

"Yayoi, do you know?"

"Actually, the reason why Dad can't come back to see Yayoi often is because he is actually a Kamen Rider too!"

"Eh?!"

"The Kamen Rider of Justice is a righteous partner who protects children! So in order to protect good children like Yayoi, Dad must go out and fight the evil monsters and can't always be with Yayoi."

"Dad, are you going to fight such a terrifying monster?!" Little Yayoi, not daring to look at the white centaur-like monster on TV, curled up in her father's arms and started crying excitedly. "If we have to fight such a terrifying monster, Dad will get hurt! Yayoi, I don't want Dad to be a hero anymore. I just want Dad to be my dad!"

What was originally just a joke caused such a big reaction from his daughter. The man, who was a little flustered, quickly comforted his poor daughter, and then whispered in her ear with a serious face and a gentle tone.

"Don't worry, Daddy won't leave. As long as there's something to protect, a hero won't lose. And Yayoi is waiting for Daddy, right?"

"As long as Yayoi can listen to her mother when her father is not at home, her father will be motivated to defeat the bad guys and come home to see Yayoi!"

"Then, Yayoi will be a good child!"

The calm and powerful tone from her father calmed Yayoi down, and the strength of conviction in his words made her believe it.

"But mom doesn't know about this yet, Yayoi, please keep it a secret from her."

"Okay, hehe, now it's Yayoi and dad's secret!"

In front of the TV in the cozy living room, a middle-aged man, whose face has become blurred in his memory, and his daughter, who has turned from crying to laughing, hooked their little fingers together.

"I don't know which kid is so lucky! But daddy promises that until Yayoi wears a wedding dress and becomes a beautiful bride!"

In her childhood memories, her father's face has become blurred, but even now, Yayoi can still remember the sense of security when his rough yet extremely broad and gentle hands stroked her hair.

"Until I marry a man my father approves of and is trustworthy."

"Dad will definitely always protect Yayoi like the hero on TV!"

Tears flowed down uncontrollably.

Dad...he clearly said that he would stay with me until I wear my wedding dress and get married.

Why, why did you leave Yayoi so early?

Why isn’t Dad the real Kamen Rider? Why are the heroes I like only fictional characters in comics and not real people?

Not wanting to think about Ash, that annoying exception, Yayoi instinctively walked in a certain direction, covering her ugly expression and shaking her head vigorously.

"Is it because it's a false dream that it always looks beautiful?"

In real life, you get hurt in combat, and getting hurt is painful. If the pain gets too severe, you might even die...

Originally, even if Yayoi saw a story about someone dying in a manga, she would not dare to read it and would just turn the page. Even after knowing that her father went to heaven, she did not feel the reality of death.

But now that she thought about it, she began to understand a little bit what the so-called horror of death was, and what it meant when Ash told her not to fight.

Being able to achieve a happy ending as a matter of course without having to put in any effort is a beautiful thing that only exists in dreams.

"So for me, I want to get rid of cowardice and gain the same courage as a hero."

"Even this short experience of becoming a Pretty Cure..."

Is it just a "dream" like flowers in the mirror and moon in the water?

Even if there is a flash of light occasionally, it is just a spark that disappears in the wind, just my unrealistic yearning. Am I just a timid student who can only express my feelings in paintings?

Completely confused, Yayoi dug her fingers even harder on her face and tangled them into her hair, ruffling her smooth, short hair into a mess.

No one can tell her the answer, no one will tell her the answer. The only answer that can solve her own problems is her own answer.

Now she couldn't figure out the answer no matter how hard she tried.

"Um...?"

When Yayoi came to her senses with her schoolbag in hand, she realized that while she was in a daze, she had walked in a certain direction and arrived in front of an urban factory full of steel pipes that she often saw on TV.

Why did I come here...ah, it seems like I remembered it.

"This is... where Dad used to work."

Chapter 39: What are the qualifications to become a hero?

Yayoi walked into a workshop built with various steel structures. Above her head were scattered pipe structures. To some extent, the work composed of such a complex situation was a complex environment that was born to carry out "battles".

Yayoi walked uneasily on the only path in the overly quiet factory, passed a white control box with rust on it, passed a red iron box with the words "fire fighting equipment" written on it, and looked at the factory warehouse in front of her, and Yayoi stopped.

This place really looks familiar...and that's not all.

"This is... where Dad used to work."

No matter how well-intentioned a lie is, it cannot deceive a grown-up child. When Yayoi grew up, she learned from her mother that her father was just an ordinary factory worker who died in an accident. He was not a good friend "Kamen Rider" who protected children.

But, my mother told me everything about my father’s work. I have never been here before, so why am I walking towards this side? Ah!

Even without transforming, the power hidden in the Pretty Cure's body actually "collided" with the surrounding air, causing a sense of discomfort. This sensitivity allowed her to "hear" a hint of discordant chords.

"This feeling is... could it be?"

Thinking of what would happen if she had such a feeling in the past, Yayoi stood still with trembling legs, and her face began to turn slightly blue under her sweaty forehead.

She felt a little conflicted, but it didn't last long. Yayoi shook her head, slapped her face, picked up her schoolbag, and rushed into the warehouse!

"This is the barrier of the Kingdom of Tragedy!"

Following the disgusting dark aura, Yayoi pushed open the half-closed gate in front of the warehouse. As soon as she entered, she was shocked by the environment inside and was speechless.

A rich, dark purple atmosphere enveloped the entire factory. Workers who were supposed to be on duty were now lying on the ground, muttering negative words like "This work is so tiring..." and "What's the point of going to work...", completely unconcerned about the machinery around them that was about to malfunction due to being unmanned for so long.

What's going on?! Didn't Miyuki and the others just defeat Wolfren's clown monster? Could it be that someone from the Kingdom of Tragedy has appeared twice in the same day? And this time, the barrier isn't covering the entire world, but rather confined to this factory, draining the workers' tragic energy. What's going on? Is this some kind of plan?

Yayoi couldn't figure out what was going on. Just when she wanted to escape from here and find a chance to inform Miyuki and the others, a very unfortunate gust of cold wind blew and closed the gate that had just been opened a little.

"Ah!" Yayoi, who almost screamed, quickly covered her mouth with both hands. Looking at the door lock that locked automatically, the girl's amber eyes began to tremble violently.

Even the retreat route has been cut off. This kind of thing - Yayoi is so unlucky today!

There was no way to retreat, only to move forward. The girl continued to grope forward cautiously and climbed all the way to the control room at the top of the warehouse. Yayoi saw more workers who fell into despair because of the tragic ending.

At the deepest point, she saw her old enemy, the Tragedy Kingdom cadre "Red Devil"! Fortunately, Red Devil was leaning against a huge industrial tank, bored at the moment. Judging from the bubbles on the tip of his nose, he was actually snoring, so he was completely unaware of Yayoi's prying and approaching distance.

Just as Yayoi was secretly congratulating herself on not being discovered, she noticed spider-web-like cracks on the surface of the huge tank with her sharp eyes. What was even more terrifying was that as steam continued to leak out of the valve on the top of the tank, the instrument panel pointer that Yayoi could not understand began to spin rapidly like a helicopter propeller.

"Ah wow wow wow - what should I do, what should I do!" Yayoi wanted to stop the rampage in the factory, but she had no idea how to operate it, so she could only pace around the control console anxiously.

If that tank explodes, I don't know what will happen to the red ghost, but the workers near the tank will definitely be in trouble! Well, at this point, we can only use the power of the Pretty Cure to save people!

"Precure! Smile——" Yayoi took out the smiling makeup box from her pocket and was about to transform when she realized that her makeup box was still sealed. To her now, the transformation device was just a plastic toy that couldn't even make a sound.

Yes, I am no longer [cure peace], but just a little girl without any power, Kise Yayoi.

The makeup box was pinched in the girl's palm, making a creaking sound. This time, Yayoi did not cry like before, but raised her head again and looked at the workers lying on the ground, unaware of the danger. Her eyes, which were originally empty except for confusion, became firm.

Throwing her schoolbag on the ground, Yayoi ran back to the work area under the warehouse and helped up a desperate worker with great difficulty. Her small body had to use almost all her strength to support an adult who was much bigger than herself. Supporting the adult's body, she moved step by step as far away from the tank as possible.

I admit that I was influenced by my father who liked Kamen Rider, so I gradually fell in love with that kind of hero. This simple admiration made me want to be a person with courage like a hero.

But what Ash said was right, I am not qualified to be a "hero". Compared with the powerful Lihua and the others, even after transforming, I am still a crybaby coward.

"As someone like me, I don't know what it would take to become a hero. I don't know if I'm even qualified to be a hero. I don't know anything!"

After placing the worker on his back behind a barrier specially set up in the corner of the warehouse to avoid danger, Yayoi, whose clothes were beginning to get wet, continued to run towards the place where those desperate people were, panting.

"But... even though I'm a coward, I know what I have to do now!"

She went back and forth again and again, as if a miracle really happened to her. The thin Yayoi actually dragged many workers who were much bigger than herself away from that place. Regardless of her lungs that were in great pain and gasping like a broken bellows, the girl kept going back and forth on this dangerous distance.

I, like the heroes on TV, want to do something for the innocent people who can't protect themselves, within my ability...

"Haa ...

When she could no longer even feel the pain in her body, Yayoi, who was still planning to save one more person, discovered that the workers lying near the tank had actually been dragged away by her.

However, what Yayoi worried about finally happened.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the girl who was standing there sweating profusely fell to the ground. The huge tank began to explode continuously from the top, and the flames of the explosion first engulfed the red ghost who was sleeping on it.

Although the surrounding workers were dragged away by Yayoi under the nose of Akagi, the turmoil caused by the explosion caused a huge piece of steel bar to fall from the top of his head and hit Yayoi.

Yayoi, who had already exhausted all her strength, lay on the ground, unable to move even a finger.

"I remember that my father died in an accident in this factory."

So this is also my bad end?

"dad.."

I'm so scared...

Yayoi closed her eyes and shed the saddest tears of her life today, which was filled with sadness.