Kamen Rider is playing the villain in Pretty Cure

"Even though they're all Pretty Cure, the only one who's actually useful is Kei." While being treated like a hero is nice, it's a little frustrating when the spotlight isn't coming from them. "We're just riding on the coattails, it's so embarrassing..."

"At a time like this, let's not dwell on it." Yuko, who cheerfully returned the gifts to the cute dolls, didn't have the same worries. "We're all friends fighting side by side, so let's not dwell on it. Or does Hime-chan not like this atmosphere?"

"How could that be? It's just..."

Lying on the railing of the pumpkin carriage, looking at the puppet citizens around them greeting them, the familiar scene made Snow White recall her life in the Blue Sky Kingdom and felt a little nostalgic.

I miss home.

Come to think of it, Ash is actually a member of the Phantom Empire now, right? In that case, could you please ask him to take me back so I can see my parents again? I really miss them...

As Snow White was feeling homesick and melancholy, a figure on a white horse coming towards her caught her attention.

"There are actually people who can ride white horses!"

"This is the prince of our puppet kingdom." Tsumugi beside her enthusiastically introduced the handsome blond man with bangs covering one eye. "He's our prince, Prince Sieg!"

"It's a great honor to meet you ladies who are saving the world."

Following the girls' introduction, the prince, who exuded a certain "inhuman" charm, also politely bowed to them.

"Look, little Ji, this really is the prince you've been dreaming of!"

To Hui's surprise, Snow White, who had seen the real prince, was not as excited as she had expected, to the point of jumping up and down. Instead, she remained calm.

"Oh, it's true."

What's wrong?

"?" Even Iona, standing beside her, tilted her head in confusion at her indifference. Was it really Snow White herself who was acting so indifferent? Could she have eaten something wrong?

"Don't look at me like that! It's rude!" Snow White, noticing her friends' focus on her, protested angrily. "You guessed it right. The one I like is indeed the handsome and elegant prince."

"Yeah." Hui looked at Prince Sieg on his white horse. He looked like he had walked out of a fairy tale. "Isn't that very fitting?"

Is there something wrong?

"That's true of me, but I've already said it before... I, I already have someone I like!!!"

Although I don't know why I was so blind to fall for Ash, and was rejected anyway - but! Since it was my own choice, I won't give up so easily!

I like someone because I like him! How can I betray my own love?

"I didn't expect Hime-chan to be such a pure lover." Yuuko, somewhat surprised, gently tugged at her friend's soft cheek and shook it. "So this time it's pure love, I'm so relieved!"

"Pure love... this isn't funny."

Although I haven't actually verified it, various evidence and my light and beauty senses are telling me that Ash definitely has other fickle objects! It's really the worst!

"But! I'm not someone as fickle as him who would choose just anyone!"

I don’t know where that Ash has gone, so you better listen carefully!

"I heard it."

Ash walked out from the shadows in the corner with his hands in his pockets and stood behind the thief who was prying the lock of the Omori house.

"Mr. Thief, you've made quite a commotion by prying into a girl's house."

Unlike Hui and the others, there is no need to travel across the barriers between worlds through the legendary gates of gods or the transfer magic opened by puppets. For Ash, who has the Aurora Curtain through the Decade dial, he has truly achieved freedom and can go wherever he wants.

Having no interest in participating in the welcome ceremony, and after confirming the temporary safety of the girls, Ash, who had transformed into a master of time planning, was ready to take advantage of this time to look for someone. As soon as he arrived, he saw a certain Haidong tree who was picking a lock.

"What? It's Ash." Haidong pulled his baseball cap down a little and continued to pick the lock as if he didn't exist. Ash, who originally wanted to laugh at him, got a little angry.

"Heh, haven't you always stolen valuables like gems and transformation devices? Now you've even resorted to picking the lock of a restaurant. That former treasure-stealing knight has truly fallen!"

But to be honest, he was the one who dared to "commit suicide" to protect important treasures, he was the one who casually destroyed treasures that he could not get, he was the one who thought friendship was a treasure, and he was the one who sold his friends casually... To be honest, this personality that is more changeable than his own makes Ash not sure whether he can be considered OOC.

Or are these actually things done by different people in Haidong in different parallel worlds? If so, it would explain everything.

"I'm not going to look for you this time. It has nothing to do with you." He pried the door open with a click and peered inside. Sure enough, no one else was there. "I just didn't expect that I'd be deceived by a little girl's gentle and kind appearance one day!"

As a treasure thief, I've never suffered such an injustice before. I must get back at her! I'm not interested in valuables, but I must steal all her treasures!

Ash knew without a doubt that he was probably thinking about treasure or something. But her treasure? The only way to find treasure from Yuuko was probably to find rice. Okay, next time, I'll have Yuuko make some rice balls with sea cucumbers in them. It'll be a fishing expedition.

"Ahem! Well, I was the one who fell in love with her first. If you want to find someone else, go find another Precure."

In response to Haidong's disregard, Ash coughed twice as a reminder, and then pointed at the "Drive" knight card in his hand in front of him.

"If you keep going, I wouldn't mind playing a cameo as both a Kamen Rider and a police officer, okay?"

"Tsk, are you meddling in other people's business here just because you like her?" Faced with Ash's menacing gaze, he had no choice but to give up after his transformation device was confiscated four times, even though he was somewhat used to it.

I didn't realize you were interested in a girl who's been so fat since she was little? You have such poor taste, Ash.

"When did I say I like her? Besides, it's my freedom whether I care or not!"

"Is this what they call a tsundere in anime? If it were a man, I'd respectfully decline."

"My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is just! A thief like you doesn't know anything."

Bu Li seemed to have accepted the fact and started to wink at him as if to say, "He's anxious, he's anxious!" Sure enough, Ash took out the "water gun" he had been thinking about from behind.

"Oh, thank you so much for helping me get it back." Just as Haidong was about to reach out to take it, Yaxiu deliberately took it away. "This is not free."

"Megumi and the others said you stole a treasure belonging to Pretty Cure from them. Isn't it time to return it now?"

"Ha, are you kidding me? Now that the treasure is in my hands, how can I give it to you so easily?"

I get it! You're trying to rip it off from me like you did with the taxi driver before. No kidding, am I such a fool that I could be fooled twice?

"But, you know what?" Ash said, confident in his decision despite Haidong's resistance. "Compared to something that's just pretty now, there's a much more valuable treasure behind it—"

"Don't you want to see it?"

what.

Looking at the empty treasure box in his hand, Ash could clearly see the curiosity and anticipation in the thief's eyes and muttered to himself.

"Isn't this an easy trick?"

"I'm a man, so I'm not interested in little girls' toys." Haidong, who didn't hear Ash's whisper, just emphasized it again and again. "But, after all, that's a god's thing. Is there anything more valuable than it?"

"Of course I do. I have great faith in the Pretty Cure's abilities and spirit!"

"I think you have been bewitched by them?" Suspicious eyes kept scanning Ash who was showing off inexplicably. Why didn't I see you behaving like this in the knight world before?

You often say that our characters are inconsistent. I think you are the one who has changed the most, and the one with the most differences between different characters!

"Speaking of the God of this world, even though I don't like him, it would be quite troublesome if he just disappeared. I guess you must have some clues about him, right?"

"It was Minglong. He worked with the Phantom Queen to beat the god to his knees and drag him away."

Of course, the other party actually took advantage of my treasure-stealing action... As a grudge, I made a note of it!

"That's exactly what happened." Kaito's intelligence didn't go far beyond Ash's expectations. "This is really troubling. The only Pretty Cure capable of fighting right now is Kei. Tsk, after all, is the role of a god really just a god?"

What a troublesome god! Why doesn't he become more powerful like the Earth Guardian next door, instead of putting all the blame on little girls around the world? I just hate his weakness.

"Ash, do you like those Pretty Cure girls so much?"

Haidong, who temporarily gave up the idea of ​​invading the Omori family, asked a question to Ash behind him as if nothing had happened when he closed the door he had pried open.

"Is that so? What's the matter?"

"You actually admitted it?" Haidong was somewhat surprised that Ash didn't hide anything or make a fuss about this question. After calming down a little, he asked him seriously and earnestly not as a thief, but as a friend.

"The purpose of my journey is to continuously search for the best treasures. The purpose of Shi is to find his own world, but he died before that."

"Honestly, the photo studio is a place that attracts people with similar 'lonely' hearts. Shi is, Yusuke is, and so are the others, including you who ended up traveling with them."

"Now that you've found a world and a person you like."

Why do you continue on this journey of suffering?

Why didn't you stop?

“…”

Ash didn't answer him directly, but turned around and opened the aurora curtain leading to the Puppet Kingdom again.

The amazing thing is that when people know that their death is approaching and they can no longer do what they want, many things that they have never considered in the past will now appear clearly before their eyes again.

At least at the end of my time with them, that's always the case.

"I already have no place to return to safely."

They have a soul that is broader than the universe and beautiful enough to accommodate my heart.

I only think about asking for more, but I don’t have any.

"For someone like me, even if it's evil that I enjoy, there's a limit to it."

Just a brief contact to satisfy your desires is the limit.

For me, who loves them, it is a shame to tarnish their beauty.

I can not do it.

----------

"Please pass this flower to Pretty Cure!"

"Thank you!"

Seeing the flowers being handed to her along with the dolls and cute toy dolls, Hui's heart blossomed at the same time. She moved closer to them and took a deep breath of the fragrance intoxicatedly.

That's awesome! To be honest, it would be great if Ash could give me one too.

"But... isn't it about time for him to show up? He's the one who's making us so worried right now..."

And Tsumugi, I always feel that she is a little weird for some reason. Is it my illusion?

"Everyone, thank you for coming!"

Standing on the stage in the center of the castle, Tsumugi smiled genuinely in front of the puppets. Seeing this brilliant smile, Kei finally felt relieved.

As expected, someone who can smile so happily at everyone can't be a bad person. The strange feeling I had before was just my illusion, right?

"Well, I believe her!"

Chapter 161: How easy is it for Guangmei to teach you how to make friends?

“A red carpet for celebration!”

"Fireworks, honor guard!"

"Hahaha, even the ones playing the music are puppets—Hime-chan, everyone! The Puppet Kingdom is really interesting~! It's such a pity that Ash isn't here!"

Sure enough, I still like simple and cute things like this!

"Really..." Seeing Kei, who was so agile and frolicking around like a mountain dog, now even spinning around with a teddy bear in her arms, Iona, feeling a little ashamed for her companion, couldn't help but raise her hands to cover her face. "Don't be so careless, Kei. Don't forget why we're here."

But it looks like he is completely enjoying it, as if he has been holding it in for a long time and wants to release it?

"What's the big deal, Iona? Megumi just defeated the Evil Beast and saved everyone. This is the reward she deserves." Yuuko, who always managed to maintain a proper demeanor beneath her carefree exterior, slowly cast her gaze on Snow White beside her. "After all, she hasn't been very happy until recently. It's rare for her to be happy for a while now... But you don't look surprised, do you?"

"Don't forget, I'm a princess too~"

If she keeps her mouth shut and doesn't make exaggerated facial expressions, Snow White, who is quite talented in her appearance and dressing, is actually a static beauty.

"But, if I'm going to the ball next time, I'll definitely need clothes...!"

Oh, and now the Light Transformation Mirror is unusable, and Iona has given all the Light Cards to make wishes—Ahhh, why is it that only Ash keeps getting new forms, but we don't get new clothes! This isn't fair!

"Everyone in the Puppet Kingdom!"

Tsumugi, the kingdom's darling, drew the attention of all the puppets as soon as she spoke. "To thank the Pretty Cures who lent a hand in fighting the evil beasts!"

"I will dedicate my dance here to them and to all the people I love here!"

Of course, this wasn't because I wanted to jump, I just did it to let them relax their guard.

"?~~~"

As the puppet musician's strings rang out, and the girls' carefully crafted dance steps began to lighten up, both the cautious Iona and the boisterous Kei, now calmed down and focused all their attention on the elegant dance music.

On the palace stage, decorated to resemble a theater, the entire light from the ornate chandeliers focused on the young girl at the center of the stage. Now transformed into a ballerina, Tsumugi lifted her white silk tutu, her posture held high and her head raised gracefully. She danced to the rhythm of the music, her movements radiating a gentle rhythm for all to see.

"?~~~"

Tsumugi's movements unfold like a swan's, her arms floating and held horizontally like willow branches in the wind. Her fully integrated movements seem to be in dialogue with the notes in the air. When the girl's toes gently touch the ground, each step is a mimic of poetic flow.