Chapter 154: A Second Bloom After Tenderness
Perhaps driven by an impulse even Ash himself did not understand, an emotion no longer suppressible by ordinary reason made his body move and embrace the girl he should not have reached for. Even so, he now wanted even less to let go.
What am I doing?
It was as if, if he let go now, the two of them would lose something incredibly important together...
What am I doing...
"Ash..."
As she gently stroked the arms wrapped around her from behind, the fingers resting on the back of his hand shyly slipped into his palm, until their fingers interlocked and their palms met.
"Ash, I am a Pretty Cure. I am Cure Lovely."
"To me, everyone's smiles are my happiness, and everyone's smiles are my strength. Even if I get hurt, I still want to work hard for everyone."
She could feel it in the breeze faintly blowing from behind them.
"That effort, that happiness—it made me want to do something for you, who had always been avoiding me."
That warmth belonged only to Ash, awkward yet carrying a faint trace of bitterness.
"These feelings aren't strange for a Pretty Cure at all, are they?"
"..."
The girl was very happy right now.
She was happy that he had finally stopped denying her, and happy that he had not let go of the arms holding her.
In her heart, she wanted to keep enjoying this tranquil, gentle protection. If possible, she truly wished this warmth could last a little longer...
"Boom—!"
The explosion in the distance rang out clearly, scattering the last remnants of tenderness.
"Mm, mmmmmmm—!!"
The girl's peaceful, beautiful expression collapsed in a second. Her cheeks puffed up, her eyes even turning slightly red with grievance, but no matter how