He was not surprised at all by the appearance of the two elves. The old man touched their heads as if he were seeing friends he hadn't seen for a long time, and treated them to the elves' favorite nectar drink.
"Why, that's it..."
From time to time, her eyes turned to Yuri and Ash beside her, as well as Erika, who had a metaphorical look on her face. Lei lowered her head and felt embarrassed. The little girl's heart was hurt so much that she wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl in right now.
Why did Yuri-nee and the store manager choose this place too!
No, if you think about it carefully, Yuri-nee is the Pretty Cure of your senior. It's not strange to know that grandma is here.
"Are you the young man named Ash that Yuri and Lei talked about?" The kind-faced old man in front of Ash is the director of this botanical garden and Lei's grandmother. She has long known about the existence of this young man from her juniors. "I want to thank you for your support of Lei and the others. They are truly talented people who are better off than seeing them."
Just like Kuniko who was observing himself, Ash was also observing this botanical garden. He was surprised that this botanical garden was really a crouching tiger, hidden dragon, and all the plants were in good condition. There was not a single diseased seedling in the huge botanical garden, and there were many plants that he had never seen before. He was a little lost, and he didn't react until the other person mentioned him.
Kengo and Daigo would have jumped with joy when they saw this - ah, it's hard to get distracted!
"No, what I did is nothing compared to Pretty Cure's contribution to the world." Although he was not an enemy, Ash rarely felt an oppressive force.
"But what you did to them is no small matter in terms of significance." Kuniko turned to Yuri with a gentle expression on his face. "Especially for little Yuri."
I know, little Yuri often said, how important it is to her to extend a helping hand to "save" her people from the abyss.
Kuniko was very happy, but Ash, who felt inexplicably bored, was very unhappy. He just wants to complain about this scheming elder type character again - it's really troublesome!
However, Ash looked at her and guessed that the other party was also aware of Pretty Cure's matter.
If that's the case, is there another supporter? Hoo~ It's interesting, Kamen Rider is the old man, and Pretty Cure is the grandma? It's quite compatible.
Ash I don't plan to say too much, otherwise I will always feel like I'm being seen through.
"Are you all ready to come to enjoy the flowers?" Taking a sip of the warm tea in his hand, Kuniko was not surprised by the awkward atmosphere between the few of them. "After all, it's the rare Maiden Lily."
"That's right." Lei and Erika originally just wanted to come to enjoy the flowers, but now they bumped into two other people who thought they were going on a date, which made Lei still unable to recover from the embarrassment.
"Yeah." Yuri's answer was much simpler. "Grandma Kuniko, you have said several times that you want to meet Ash, so I invited him over."
However, it would not be bad if you can enjoy the rare Maiden Lily with the store manager later.
Lei, who can't read minds, was originally in a depressed mood, but because of Yuri's words, it turned into a sunny day in a second.
Hey, does that mean it's not a date?!
What an opportunity! I really still have a chance!
"Your name is Ash, right?" With a kind smile, Kuniko recalled the past events of his junior generation like other elderly people. "Did you know? In the past, little Yuri and Lei would come to the botanical garden to enjoy the flowers and relax whenever they encountered troubles. But recently, they rarely come. I, an old woman, am very lonely."
"Milk... grandma!"
"Oh, no." As if she didn't hear her granddaughter's embarrassed voice, the grandma said something completely unrelated to this. "The refreshments have been eaten."
"I'll go buy it!"
"Ah, Yuri-nee I'm going too!"
"Then I -" Ash, who was about to follow everyone's actions, felt resistance on his arm and stopped.
"Little Ash, come and chat with me, an old lady." As if a grandma was reluctant to leave as a guest, Kuniko gently pulled Ash's sleeve. "Let those of us who also support Pretty Cure have a good chat."
Chapter 40 The unrecognized soul of Pretty Cure
Hanasaki Kaoruko can be seen.
When this person looked at the newly born Pretty Cure, in addition to actual kindness, there was also an emptiness of pursuing something, which made her unable to let it go.
"Why do older people always put a baby in front of others?" Ash sighed, but still sat down obediently as the other party said.
Of course he could see that the other party wanted to say something to him alone.
"The refreshments here are indeed finished." Ash did not immediately start "torture" himself as he said, Hanasaki Kaoruko casually pulled Ash to chat about home affairs. "Little Ash, if you are lucky, you should be able to eat freshly baked daifuku. Let me tell you, the daifuku here is famous far and wide!"
"Well, well, ah." Ash, who couldn't find the topic, could only agree stupidly. Ash really wasn't interested in this kind of useless chat, but since the other party was Lei's grandma, he couldn't mess around, so he could only sit there in a daze.
"There are only two of us here. Tell grandma that I can satisfy my curiosity." Looking at the backs of the three people walking away, the old man who was holding an elf and masturbating with Ash had a gossipy heart that was inconsistent with his age. "Who do you like best among the three? The energetic little daughter of the Laihai family? The iceberg-beautiful little Yuri? And grandma, my granddaughter who is still a little short of blooming?"
"Emmm——" Ash thought for a while and then slowly gave an answer. "It's not just three people. Can I like them all?"
"Hahahaha——!"
Kuniko laughed out loud when he heard this answer, wiping tears of joy while laughing. "If young people are too greedy, they will suffer such losses that they can't bear it."
Hanasaki Kaoruko shook her head. This was the first time she had seen such a "frank" person, although the results of this frankness were somewhat bad.
"I know." Ash shrugged. He had done the same thing in other worlds before. It was not the first time that he provoked too many opponents at once and ended up being more than he could handle and was counterattacked. "But I just can't change it."
But this is also part of the fun he pursues. What's wrong with this?
"You told me, grandma, let me tell you something too." Seeing Ash who was not interested in what he said, Kuniko pretended to be mysterious and said.
"Grandma, I used to be Pretty Cure."
"Eh——!?"
Ash's wide eyes were full of disbelief as he looked at the old man in front of him who was over seventy years old. It was as if I got to know her all over again.
Well, this was indeed something he didn't expect, and he became interested.
There was a bit of silence among the three people walking together on the street. Lei couldn't help but look at Yuri, who still looked calm next to her, and then met Erika's eyes again.
I don't know if it's an illusion, but since Yuri's last emotional outburst revealed her identity as Pretty Cure, her communication with them has become less and less, as if the other party is deliberately avoiding contact with them. Except for work necessities, there seems to be a sad film between them.
"Lei~~ (flat tone)" came the whisper of a close friend in my ear.
"You couldn't be like this because you became a love rival with Yuri-nee, right? (lower tone)"
"What's the love rival?" Lei, whose face turned red for a moment, almost shouted out. She quickly covered her mouth to make sure she wasn't heard before she started communicating with Erika in a low voice.
"What kind of love rival are you? You haven't even figured out your horoscope yet!"
"But, aren't you pursuing the store manager?" Erika's eyes turned a little contemptuous for no reason. "But the one closest to the store manager has always been Yuri-nee, so isn't it normal for them to turn into love rivals?"
"That's not the case!" Lei almost shouted out in response to the off-line conversation with her friend. "I just want to have a good relationship with the store manager and repay him. I don't (lower tone) want to date. Yuri-nee didn't do that either. Erika, your misunderstanding is too outrageous."
"Hey, that's it. How about I join in on such a fun thing?"
"Okay, whatever Erika you want." Don't you still know about this funny-looking best friend Lei? What she knows best is all kinds of oral pleasure. If she really wanted to do it, she would probably be less courageous than her Hanasaki Rei.
"But since nothing happened, now is the best time to take advantage of the absence of the store manager Yuri-nee cares about, Lei!"
The chance is... ah!
Lei understood the meaning of Erika in a blink of an eye, and now it was time to ask this senior for various questions as Pretty Cure.
"Yuri-nee, can you give us some advice?"
"Suggestion?"
Yuri turned his head and looked at the Pretty Cure duo who had been whispering behind their backs.
"That's right! For example, as Pretty Cure's key, Desert Apostles's weakness can be anything, please!"
"Please!"
The two girls bowed deeply to Tsukikage Yuri together. They were so nervous that they didn't know how long it took, maybe 10 seconds, maybe a minute, before Tsukikage Yuri finally gave them a reply.
"I don't have any advice to give you."
"Eh?"
"You may not realize it yourself, but after continuous training in battle, you have become very strong." And it is self-evident who this training came from. Although it was unclear why the other party helped him when they last met, it did not affect Yuri's teeth itching for him.
"However, the battle with Desert Apostles will be more and more exciting in the future." Yuri turned his back and stopped looking at the two people who had not yet recovered their breath. "I have been defeated by Desert Apostles. There is no future for you to seek advice from me, a loser who has been robbed of his glory."
Tsukikage Yuri's heart is not as peaceful as she shows. In the past, except for her only elf partner, she has been fighting alone. In order to protect the world, she has endured it alone no matter how painful it is.
However, things are different now. Whether they are Pretty Cure's companions or the pillars that can support him, these juniors are different from him.
After that day, Yuri, who understood this matter, had an unexplainable feeling in her heart, which made her reluctant to meet these two juniors head-on.
"But, Yuri-nee——"
Yuri-nee, who fought hard, is not the loser!
"I am no longer Pretty Cure."
Yuri interrupted the topic forcefully and continued to go to the place to buy refreshments.
"I'm tired of fighting until now, and I don't want to have anything to do with it anymore."
Facing Yuri's leaving figure, Erika pouted in dissatisfaction.
"We only wanted to become Pretty Cure after seeing Moonlight Angel fighting in our dreams. How could she say that?"
"Aren't we recognized by Yuri-nee?"
At this time, neither Pretty Cure nor Ash noticed it.
On the edge of the sky, an unusual twisted light flashed.
Chapter 41 Hanasaki Kaoruko's Test
"Young man, can you hang out with this old guy like me for a while?"
"I don't have any patience at all."
Ash didn't cause any awkwardness or trouble this time. When he confirmed that the old man in front of him was also a hero in the past, Ash's attitude changed to a much more respectful one, at least he no longer seemed distracted when the other party was talking.
But to put it this way, grandma Kuniko turned out to be Pretty Cure from the Showa era, which is a bit interesting.
Ash and Kuniko walked through the lush and vibrant botanical garden. As the curator, the old man spent countless time and energy to take care of the collection in the botanical garden, which really feasted Ash's eyes. He couldn't help but pick up the camera mode of Build Phone and take a lot of photos.
"The collection has increased again."
Ash nodded very happily when he saw that there was another otherworldly scenery added to the photo album collection, so that he could find a chance to show off to them... ah... ah.
I almost forgot that unless there were special circumstances, I would probably never see my old friends again.
Ash shook his head. The fact that he kept traveling through the world was very special in itself, and returning to a world where he had left traces in the past was something that had never happened before.
Even if we often encounter a lineup like the All-Star Leather Fighter that gathers everyone, most of the familiar faces we encounter are just the most familiar strangers under the mask.
Ash shook his head to get rid of the thoughts, no longer thinking about these things that made him feel bad.
After all, that's how he kept abandoning the past, so he had the courage to live in the present and face Mirai people.
He just needs to live in the present, that's enough...
"This is it?"
Standing in front of a huge light green plush doll that is two to three meters tall and has a single horn, Ash has to look up to see his whole body.
"This is the legendary fairy, Kopé-sama desu!"
The elves held in their hands almost immediately jumped towards each other with joy. The small ones were even able to play hide-and-seek by burrowing in and out of the furry fur on each other's bodies.
"Super handsome desu!"
Ash couldn't help but take a step back.
'Oh my god! Boss, this thing is alive! Looking at its pair of seemingly soft claws, I can guarantee that it can push my demon ancestor Bell to the ground and beat him even more! '
'You don't need to tell me, I'm not blind. '
After a few words of argument with Kain, who had a horrified inner voice, Ash could clearly see the other party's dull eyeballs moving with Shiffre and the others.
At the same time, Ash's intuition told him that Kain was right. This weird-looking large doll-like thing might not have the same combat power as Little Dark.
"He is my former elf partner, Kopp."
Speaking of this partner, Grandma Kuniko's voice seemed to go back to the vibrant past, and it was clear that she was quite proud of her partner.
"Is it an elf?"
If you didn't tell me, I would have thought it was the same as the robot from the team next door, some kind of Pretty Cure's secret weapon.
Ash looked at the two little ones who were really playing hide and seek in the fluff on Kopu's body, and then took a good look at Kopu, who looked dull, from beginning to end.
Wait, are these really the same race? It turns out that such a small thing can grow to this extent.
"I always feel like the store manager is thinking of something rude desu~"
Ignoring the subtle glances from the two elves, Ash turned his gaze to Kepu's face, and the other person's seemingly dull eyes were also looking at him.