Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

Chapter 122: Thoughts (Fifth Update)

"Tell me, what exactly do you want to know from me?"

How could Ash not understand that the two were trying to find out his intentions in a roundabout way? If that was the case, it would be better to just speak openly and honestly.

"We want to know Ash's story!" After bringing up the topic, the incredibly earnest Iona burped, barely able to eat any more. She didn't even bother wiping the stain from her lips as she continued to stare intently at Ash. "Ever since you showed up, I've been using the opportunity during training at the dojo to borrow Decade video discs from the boys, and even some from other special effects programs!"

Unexpectedly, I got addicted to it...I ended up having another interest besides YGO, and the amount of pocket money I could spend became more and more urgent.

"I want to know, is Ash, who is said to be the destroyer of another world, also someone who constantly travels between different worlds?"

Under Iona's serious and nervous gaze, Ash nodded after a moment of silence. As the background music gradually became more passionate, it immediately aroused the girls' curiosity.

"Wow! It's actually real—then why didn't Ash take a camera to take pictures?"

"I don't need to find my own world. I just need to go in the opposite direction... Besides, I just inherited the power. I'm not Wang Xiaoming MK2 or anything like that!"

Faced with the girl's wave after wave of questions, Ash even felt that he was almost overwhelmed.

"In that case, it turns out this isn't our first time, Ash. Has Ash also met other heroes?"

"Yeah, I've seen other Pretty Cure too."

"They're all just like you—impressive guys."

Since this world is destined to be Ash's last adventure according to what the system said, he decided not to hide it any longer and instead opened up and started talking as if he was venting the heavy secret that had been hidden in his heart for a long time.

"I wonder when I'll be able to see the Pretty Cures from other worlds—in that case, do you miss them, Ash?"

"think."

Ash, who had been cheerful all day, paused for a long time before slowly uttering this word when faced with this question.

"Ah, sorry." Even a blind man could see that Ash's mood had immediately soured, causing Iona to panic as she tried to figure out how to apologize. "I didn't expect to say something like this so suddenly—I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." Ash ruffled the other person's soft hair, and there was no regret in his tone as if he didn't see that the expression on her face was very similar to that of others.

"I haven't forgotten them, and they won't forget me, and that's enough.

I am already very, very satisfied."

As the conversation deepened, Ash unexpectedly discovered that this serious girl actually knew a lot about "special effects films". Although she was not a fan, she had at least seen quite a few.

"You're saying you've actually seen those famous heroes who only appear on TV? Like the Giant of Light from M78 and the heir of the martial arts master?!"

After hearing another secret from the past that Ash brought out, Iona opened her eyes wide with an expression of disbelief.

"They're all such amazing people... I'm curious what you learned from them?"

In that case, you should have experienced a lot, so how could you be like this... I can't explain it well. Should I say you are frivolous? Or at least you should learn to be humble?

Or... the Ash in front of me now is already a well-corrected being? Then the old Ash... The girl's expression turned a little grim when she thought of this possibility.

Chapter 123: The girl who is worried about Ash and her heartbeat

As for Iona's question, Ash did not agree with it, or rather, he had his own unique opinion.

"You got it the other way around. You shouldn't be asking me what I learned from them."

The orchestra behind him played a more soothing tune, his fingertips brushing against his bangs, Ash putting on an inscrutable expression. "The question should be how much they've learned from me."

In fact, everyone who knows me says they've benefited greatly from my work! Look at your seniors, especially Lei and the others. After my work... well, it's certainly a bit extreme, but their growth has been like rocket speed!

"Okay, I knew this would happen when I asked you something like this."

The girl, who was not surprised at all, finally slapped herself in the face with helplessness.

But despite appearing quite embarrassed, surprisingly, getting along with Ash wasn't as difficult as Iona had imagined. If one could keep up with Ash's thinking and cater to his preferences, Mr. Ash, who seemed unreasonable to outsiders, would seem less intrusive... maybe even a little cute?

At least now, Iona, who was chatting with him, felt a little happy when she saw the smiling face of this former "enemy" while he was talking.

Is it empathy? Well... even without mentioning that, the difficulty of the prerequisites alone is a bit excessive.

"Come to think of it, since you have that shining swordsman, there are many other knight forms." Iona, who had a brief battle with the "Ten Sacred Blades", gestured to a knight who impressed her that day.

"You possess such great power. Instead of constantly causing trouble for us just to watch Pretty Cure embarrass itself, how about using that energy to do good things?"

Didn't you say you liked us? But regardless of whether we're Pretty Cure or not, there's no way we'd fall for a "bad guy." So if you come over to the "good guys"...who knows, maybe we'll fall for you too!

The girl thought this logic was perfect and impeccable!

"Of course, Fuchun~" Ash continued to call the girl's nickname without restraint, seemingly taking her words as sincere praise. "Since I realized that the entire world couldn't keep up with my talent, and gained the power to travel through time and space, I've been constantly thinking about what's best for me."

Besides, if we're talking about results, haven't I been helping you the whole time? Look at how quickly Yuuko, who was once a novice, and Shirayuki, who didn't even have the concept of novice, have changed and grown stronger. And then look at you, who was able to resolve the misunderstanding and even get a new toy! You're treated much better than some of the people in the next room, aren't you?

Hmm, incomprehensible? Ultimately, it's just human wisdom... Alas, we can't agree on how to understand things, but as long as the result is good, isn't that all that matters?

“I call this efficient!”

"Sometimes, efficiency isn't always better. Consider our position!" Iona was exhausted by the fact that this was the nth time she had protested to him with the same sentiment. "When will you be more straightforward..."

"I have already considered it."

The "test" I'm putting on you now is of course the result of careful consideration of your feelings. Otherwise, do you want me to deal you a mental blow like I did to Lei and the others before?

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Kamen Rider, Ultraman... or Ultraman," Shirayuki, who had been listening in on the entire thing, whispered. As a legitimate princess raised in an ivory tower, Shirayuki was the type of girl who simply wasn't interested in the action-packed special effects. "I only understood that Ash was actually a very powerful traveler who constantly traveled between worlds."

"but."

Snow White left her seat with light steps, hopped behind Ash like a little rabbit, and asked with a worried smile something that had been hidden deep in her heart, which surprised Ash.

"After going through so many years, it must be difficult for Ash to maintain his condition."

The girl suddenly understood, and seemed to understand why this man always did things that they could not understand, and how he could seamlessly switch between seriousness and nonchalance.

Even though I haven't actually experienced it, and only heard about it indirectly, I'm still shocked and terrified by the scale of the story. To have been able to keep going until now, Ash must have experienced so many things that we can't understand, and even his "heart" must have been constantly worn down to become like this, right?

It must be very hard for Ash to be like this—"Ah!"

The girl, covering her bright red forehead after being flicked on the head by a finger, suddenly said aggrievedly: "Why did you flick my head all of a sudden!"

"Because you're overthinking things." Ash ignored the girl's protests and grabbed her head, ruffling her hair into a mess as if to vent his anger. "You think I'm having a hard time? I think it's a blessing to be able to go to other worlds, especially to meet you and them!"

"I'm Ash! I don't need a little guy like you to worry about whether I'm happy or worried. I'm not as fragile as you think."

"And no matter how many times I've received it, no matter what kind of story script I've received."

Ash let go of his hand and looked at Snow White who seemed to be a little confused. His mood did improve a lot under his cheerful expression.

“No matter how many times, no matter what kind of story I encounter, I will never let it get boring.”

“The excitement will continue.”

However, I never thought that you would say such words to me...

How should I put it? A little, a little happy.

"boom--!"

"What's wrong? Is there an earthquake?!"

The sudden, nearby explosion sent shockwaves through the restaurant's hangings, shaking the dining room's ornaments. The footsteps of guests and staff crisscrossing toward the emergency exits blended with the blast's impact. The violent commotion caused highball glasses on the table to fall, tumbling to the ground and shattering. Snow White, unsteady on her feet, screamed in fear, about to fall onto the shattered glass, when something warm and solid caught the back of her head.

"You've already lost your temper to this extent. What's the point of my training you?"

Snow White was stunned at first when she suddenly felt the "chest pillow" on the back of her head, until she found herself lying in the man's arms in a very intimate posture. The girl slowly raised her head, and her big eyes stained with misty aqua blue met the pair of dark eyes that revealed seriousness and majesty.

"!"

The girl felt her heartbeat stopped for a moment.

Chapter 124: The girl has awakened her love!

Snow White's little face, lying in Ash's arms, was already filled with a bright blush, which made Ash want to laugh at her. How could she not accept this little physical contact at her age?

However, the only person who knew the real reason behind this incident was Snow White herself. This was completely different from the previous incidents involving excessive proximity, Ash's childish jokes, and bizarre pranks! Remember, back then, she had cried and opened her heart to Ash in his arms. How could she be so embarrassed that she was speechless over something like this?

No, different, completely different!!!

"boom--!"

Another explosion, this is not an earthquake!

The girl was just recovering from her slow shyness and looking around to find the source of the explosion when the spreading shock wave instantly shattered the glass ceiling above her head. The falling glass fragments covered their location like knives from the sky.

"Xiaoji, Ash, come here quickly!" Iona, who had hidden under the table during the first explosion, anxiously stretched out her hand to the two of them. Although Snow White also wanted to grab her hand, she seemed to be a step too late compared to the glass knife falling faster than her head.

Transform... Too late...

Is this the end? Just a moment ago, I was still feeling that strange feeling... I couldn't find the answer to this question!

When Snow White was daydreaming and a kaleidoscope of things was about to pass by her eyes, Ash, who she was leaning against, had already opened his black coat, which was like a pair of wings covering her head.

The man who had been complained about by the two of them before, now becomes the person she wants to rely on behind her when the crisis comes.

"Swish!" Ash's fingers slid across the knight card album on his waist, and the two knight cards were spun rapidly by his fingertips at a speed that defied the first law. The two cards that spun like gyroscopes in the wind were like two shields in Ash's hands. With a series of crisp and neat "ding ding dang dang", all the falling glass was knocked away!

"As expected." Ash narrowed his eyes at the evil beast that was walking around outside the store and making trouble, and showed an expression of "as expected". "Spoiling the fun is a passive skill that all villains have."

"Ash, Ash!"

The girl, who had almost broken out in a cold sweat after seeing the ending of "Thousands of Arrows Piercing the Heart", slapped her chest, which was gasping for breath. "You, you saved me, thank you - ah!"

"I told you, this is the result of your lack of exercise." Frustrated, Ash released his finger from the girl's head and, without hesitation, pulled her up from the ground, brushing the dust off her. "You're much faster now, aren't you hurt?"

"Yes..." The girl didn't know why, but she felt so weak that she couldn't muster any energy under Ash's gaze.

"You don't have to worry." Taking Snow White's complicated gaze as a sign of fear, Ash couldn't help but laugh. He took off his jacket, which had several holes in it, and tossed it casually to the ground. "After all, since you've accepted my training, you're my student."

"So, as your teacher, helping you, who is useless, becomes part of my redundant responsibility."

"!"

Gazing at that smile that lacked tenderness but was filled with sincerity, Snow White understood.

Now she finally understood why she hadn't felt anything before, but now her heart would beat fast just by hearing his voice! Not only that, it was a little uncomfortable but also a little happy at the same time, sour on the outside and sweet on the inside...

My heart is pounding and I'm in excruciating pain...this feeling.

This feeling...

This feeling! Isn't it just——

"Could it be, me?!"

The teachings from the former Blue God, "Pretty Cure can't fall in love!", came to her mind again. With both confusion and joy lingering on her indescribable expression, Snow White finally came to a conclusion that she thought was most likely.

"I... really fell in love with Ash?!"

"Phantom Empire, you've arrived just in time!" Uncooperative and completely oblivious to the inner torment of her companions, Iona focused her furious attention on the evil beast that was turning its surroundings into a cake. "You were even planning on packing some high-end dishes for Hui and the others, look at what you've done!"

"Well, I was planning to completely renovate it after buying it."

The girls who entered the combat state would no longer be confused by Ash's words. After all, seriously speaking, Ash was still on the opposite side. Just when the two girls who had transformed into Pretty Cure were about to continue their journey, they were suddenly stopped by Ash.

"You guys, are you just going to leave like this?" His scrutinizing gaze flickered between the two of them. Based on his past experience, he saw something that made him less optimistic, so he shook his head. "Iona, didn't I tell you? The power of Pretty Cure is greater than the sum of its parts."

"And if you want to fully realize this result instead of one plus one less than one, you should still have something to say to each other, right?"

Whether it was a temporary collaboration with gaps or a tacit coordination between two or three teams, Ash, with his previous experience in the team world, could tell the truth at a glance.

"I..." Though still filled with hesitation, Iona gritted her teeth and opened her bridal chamber to Shirayuki after hearing Ash's words. "Actually... ever since I realized I wasn't the only one who had lost someone important, and that you, who opened Axia, had also lost a lot and suffered the same 'misfortune', I've been wanting to apologize to you."

In the past, you also wanted me to explain, but I never gave you that chance.

"It's just that I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am..."

"Me too!" After hearing Iona's confession, Snow White, deeply moved by her previous emotions, once again chose courage. "Actually, I've always been the one to mess with you, including when I was being unreasonable with Iona's shopping plans. I wondered if this might have disappointed you again, so I wanted to apologize."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize—"

"Alright, alright." Pointing at the huge evil beast that had already walked outside, Ash said there was no extra time for them to play a scene of mutual refusal. "In that case, let me skip!"

Having said that, he immediately pulled the two people over, and in front of these two people who originally didn't get along with each other, asked them to hold each other's hands, and shook them up and down like friends who hadn't seen each other for many years.

"Look, you two have both lost someone important. This means you're both suffering the same kind of misfortune. Doesn't that make you feel closer?"

Ash first pointed at the two parties who were suddenly confused by this move.

"Look, now that both of us have the same annoying character, do you feel the chemistry and friendship?"