Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

"Lihua!" His legs exploded with the speed of a sprinter across the green field, and he rushed in front of Lihua, his hands unconsciously clasping her shoulders. "Wait a minute, Lihua, you'll never forget me, right? We've been friends since we were little!"

"Let go, you're too rough, it hurts!"

"Ah!" Seeing Lihua frowning, Zhi quickly let go. "I'm sorry, I was too strong, wow——"

As soon as he let go of his hand, he fell to the ground because Lihua suddenly pulled her hand away.

"It started when we were kids, so that's what happened when we were kids, right? Why should I be friends with a rude person like you?"

Aoki Reika, who always treats everyone with courtesy and is annoyed by Ash's serious lectures, uttered such harsh words to her friend for the first time. The girl, who was lying on the ground and didn't even notice that her hand was scratched, opened her mouth blankly, looking up at the face that was looking down at her, and the contempt and disdain in the gloomy expression on her pretty face was visible to the naked eye.

"You're so annoying, Miss Midorikawa."

Miss Midorikawa...what's the use of this name?

"Ah, it's Mr. Ash!"

Miyuki's sudden voice made the other girls turn their heads as well. Seeing the man coming back from the direction where the clown disappeared, the others changed their expressions and replaced their annoyance with laughter like turning pages of a book. This change in attitude was like a heavy hammer hitting Zhi's heart.

Do you really hate me so much?

"Are you okay, Brother? I'm glad you're not hurt!"

"Yeah, that damn clown monster actually attacked us this time. We must not let it go next time!"

"Speaking of which, it's about time we go find the fifth Pretty Cure, right?"

Miyuki's sudden proposal shocked Zhi.

"Hey, aren't we all here?" Standing behind them, he reached out to them uncomfortably. "Tangtang said there were only five Smile makeup boxes, so..."

Could it be...me?!

"Yayoi and Akane both recovered their transformation abilities very quickly, but Midorikawa-san is still the same." They completely ignored the girl's words behind them, but it seemed as if every sentence they spoke was about the girl.

"Midorikawa-san, without the ability to transform, is just a drag." His words were quickly praised by the others. "And he can't give us power-up items like Tangtang can. He's really useless."

"No!" Regardless of whether they were listening or not, he kept defending himself loudly and anxiously. "Wait a moment, I will definitely be able to restore my transformation ability! I will definitely do it, please don't abandon me!"

"Even if Nao could transform, it wouldn't work." However, the small group that had deliberately excluded Nao continued to ignore her and talk to herself. "Miss Midorikawa isn't as smart as Reika, and she's overlapping with the powerful Akane. Akane's power is even greater now than when she transformed. She's not as inspiring as Sachi, and she's not as lovable as Yayoi."

Midorikawa opened his mouth wide, his trembling tongue wanting to say something, but he couldn't utter a word of defense.

The way Miyuki and the other two girls were happily chatting was naturally pleasing to the eye and cute to outsiders, but in Zhi's eyes at this moment, the long shadows behind them extended all the way to the wall, casting terrifying shadows on it as they moved.

A malice he had never felt before simply flowed out in reality, and his eyes widened as if he was recognizing them for the first time.

"Crunch..." The girl's silver teeth were almost broken by herself.

His fists looked pale from being clenched too tightly, and from the depths of his tightly closed throat came bursts of animal-like roars. He lowered his head, trying desperately to hold back his tears, but his face was so clenched in pain that the tears still fell to the ground like a broken pearl necklace.

"Why... do you say such things..."

Even if I'm really useless and really unqualified to be a Pretty Cure, I... still want to be friends with everyone. Isn't that too much?!

No one except Ash saw the girl's shoulders shaking and she was crying alone.

"So we should hurry up and find the fifth Guangmei. I think Mr. Ash is very good."

"Really...!" Ash, who had been watching the whole thing without saying a word, hit Miyuki's little head with a heavy punch. His mood, which was already complicated by Joker's words, became even more complicated now.

"Aren't you Pretty Cure? The enemy hasn't gone far yet, aren't you going to chase them?"

"Ah, that's right! We'll be leaving first then. Please be sure to contact us if anything happens!"

Walking up to Naoki, who was left alone and still kneeling on the ground, Ash half-knelt until he was at the same level as her, but did not seem to reach out to pull him up.

"Can't you bear it anymore?"

Ash looked at the back of the head that was still trembling. His expression was calm as water, but his emotions were surging in waves as he thought about something.

"That's why I said, don't be a Pretty Cure."

Otherwise, why do you think I care so much about the so-called prophecy of the Dark Sword?

That way, I might be able to relax a little.

Chapter 78 Ash's Villain's Heart

"No, please!" Two small hands stretched out and grabbed Ash's collar. The man stood up straight from the ground, and the owner of his hands was also dragged up from the ground, allowing him to see the embarrassed look on the originally heroic face after crying.

"You're the one who chased the clown monster. Please, tell me what happened to me!"

"Since you've been treated so harshly, why not just give up?"

"Who would give up here?" Nakagawa stared at Ash stubbornly with his tear-stained emerald eyes. "It's precisely because of something this extreme that I can't give up. You sound like it's a given, but do you really know?!"

"Miyuki and the others are kinder than anyone else. They wouldn't be like that!"

My friends, I believe in them more than anyone else, even more than you!

"Don't underestimate Precure!"

"Huh... Is there really no one who wants to be smart?" Ash sighed slightly. "Well, if I'm not mistaken, the clown monster's ability should be like the arrow on its head, a [reversal] ability."

"Inversion?"

She stopped crying and kept repeating the word without understanding it.

"Indeed, it's probably reversed Miyuki and the others' feelings towards you. Their friendship with you was once so pure and beautiful, but now it's all been transformed into disgust and malice. The closer the relationship, the darker the disgust, right?"

There are actually quite a few abilities that can reverse one's personality. When affected, even a saintly person can become the evil DIO. Otherwise, how do you think a "little animal" like Miyuki, whose IQ is less than 9, can say such spicy lines?

No, it's better to say that they just treat you as a transparent person and use words to treat you, but don't hit you directly. This is the result of their kind DNA being engraved in their bones.

"But, what should we do next?!"

"What else can we do? In situations like this, generally speaking, wouldn't it be better to wait until the source is resolved?"

Is there nothing we can do but wait?! However, with Miyuki and the others in this state right now——

"But—" Even after getting Ash's explanation, he still couldn't accept the fact that the others had been so straightforward. "Please, take me with you!"

If it were you, you would definitely be able to help me, right?

"Let go." Ash's expression quickly turned cold.

"Eh?"

"I'm telling you - let go." She felt a strong wind blowing in her face and sat down on the ground. When she raised her head, Ash was already several meters away from her.

"Why do you think I'd take you?" Ash's gaze grew colder. "It was the same last time, wasn't it? You and Akane didn't listen to what I said to you?"

"But, but!" Nao, suddenly flustered by the resurrection of the past, tried to explain. "But, didn't Akane recover her abilities just by being with you? I also helped everyone find the actual location of Wolfren and the others. Isn't that very—"

"You think this is some simple, fun, harmless, elementary school outing?!" Ash's sudden, loud voice startled her. She didn't know why he was so angry, and it felt like she was right there with Ash, the enemy, feeling the pressure. "Have you ever considered what would happen if something went wrong and you couldn't transform to protect yourself?!"

"—!"

"Looks like I gave you too much freedom... Hmph, is my gentleness such a cheap thing?" The more he spoke, the more his previous thoughts surfaced, and Ash grew angrier. "Hmph, actively using so-called gentleness to restrain myself is just like that. Things that go against my nature are really not okay, right?"

What Joker said was indeed outdated information, and he didn't want to pay attention to its content. But precisely because it was outdated, Ash had the rare opportunity to think about some things alone.

No matter how great things you have done in the world you have visited or how famous the legends you have left behind, you must eventually leave early.

This doesn't mean that Ash has to die, but it's a promise he made with the system to cleanse the increasingly serious impact of the "Dark Echo" on him.

If that were the case, how many times would they, I, and I, have to go through this kind of separation? How painful would that be?

Now, Zhi, who was kneeling in front of him, showed this pain to Ash, making his heart even more complicated.

Yes, losing important bonds and friendships, even things that are more than friendship... is such a painful thing, it's really too much for a girl like this to bear.

It would be fine if I was still the "villain" who was in the most empty stage of soul when I just left the knight world. In that case, I only need to think about what to eat every day and who to fight today. At most, I can think about how to make the righteous hero more angry, and I can live happily every day.

Living a free life where you can have intense sex with someone every day is so refreshing!

But, now I...I really don't know when I was put in shackles and dancing on three eggs. When did I become so gentle that even I feel unfamiliar with it?

[But, Ash, I think...isn't it good for you to be like this? .jpg]

"Shut up!" Looking at the virtual panel with a Rikka emoticon added after the string of text, Ash was so angry that he crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can on the side with the posture of a pitcher.

Really, wouldn't it be fine if he just mechanically urged me to find the Dark Echo like before? That way I wouldn't have to worry about me changing. When did he become so annoying... so humane?

"I'm not your babysitter." With a thousand thoughts in his mind, Ash had no change in expression except for his cold face after throwing away the garbage.

"Eh...what?" He was stunned for a moment, not understanding what it meant.

"This is your problem. Is there any reason why I should help you?"

"We're just enemies of the Kingdom of Tragedy together. We're not friends at all, are we?"

"Snapped!"

Ash simply shook off the hand that had grabbed him again without him noticing.

There was one thing the clown said that was true. Perhaps it was my previous experience that gave me the wrong impression. Even if a dragon disguised itself, it would be impossible for it to play house with the little animals in the forest. That was a fairy tale, not my story.

However, the Pretty Cure was turned into such a horrible appearance... Let's find it and deal with it later.

He was still standing there, with a stunned look on his face, as if he was still shocked by Ash's sudden outburst.

"But, eh...w-why?!"

"Even after all this, do you still have any more questions, Green?" The incredulous girl saw Ash give him a playful look. "If it's really unbearable, just hide away."

Is it because I am addicted to the land of gentleness that I unconsciously want to be around them?

In that case, there's no need for me to... No, it's better to say that I should keep a distance from them, otherwise... someone will cry in front of me again.

Keep your distance. Since it will be painful, it is better not to let the source of pain arise in the first place.

For the dark echo.

So that I can enjoy the exciting battle without worrying about too many trivial matters.

I'd better continue to be an unreasonable villain.

"do not want!"

The girl's crying voice was heard, and she had to stop because she felt the weight and heat of another person on her body.

Suddenly, I was hugged.

"Let go."

"I won't let go!"

She is looking at me.

Even the light in the depths of those emerald eyes that seemed to be filled with tears and looked pitiful, yet seemed to be able to draw people in, began to gradually dissipate.

"We just got together - so don't say such cruel words at such a crucial moment!"

For some reason, Ash felt a sudden shock in his heart.

He wanted to pull her away, but he couldn't let go.

Chapter 79: I won’t help you. The next sentence is...

The current situation is what we call a deadlock.

The gradually shifting and changing will in Ash's heart made him feel as if the road ahead of him was standing on the edge of a dangerous cliff, and a single thought would lead him to heaven, or more likely, hell.

But whether it's heaven or hell, one thing is certain: only by becoming more like "myself" can I live a relaxed life again. Being someone else's babysitter is really exhausting. Besides, he is a person who needs to save face after all. He can't always play tricks on Pretty Cure like a child, right?

But the problem is, his decision had just begun and he was only halfway determined when he was held tightly by the Pretty Cure... I mean, he was stopped.

To be honest, every time I decide to do something, the decent people will naturally come to stop me. I am mentally prepared for this, but this time, isn’t it too fast?!

"Not long ago, you were considered someone who hated me, right?"

so...

"We're not that familiar, are we?"

Well, since it must be a "dead end" in the end, Ash believed without a doubt that the current coldness that was more biting than ice was also a "help" to them, but they just couldn't see it yet.

If we want to avoid repeating the same mistakes again and again and keep our distance, we must undoubtedly start from here.