Kamen Rider Plays the Villain in Pretty Cure

"I really am—"

"Growing fonder of you by the second!"

"!"

Sweat involuntarily trickled down the woman's temple.

What was going on? Such provocative words, yet she actually... couldn't sense any malice?

This person... could it be, he was serious?!

Out of sight, Hana's wounds, which had originally been stitched up, had begun bleeding internally again because of the battle. She raised an arm so pale it seemed about to lose strength, and the Melody Sword pointed at Ash's nose trembled ever more violently.

"Just who are you?! And what are you fighting for?"

"Allow me to introduce myself once more: Time Fire." Ash twirled the DV Defender in front of him before smoothly returning it to its holster. He quietly bowed, drawing one hand to his chest in an impeccably proper gentleman's salute. "A man utterly bewitched by your incomparably beautiful form."

"The reason I fight."

Facing Nono Hana, whose formerly serious face had instantly flushed red, Ash raised the index and middle fingers of both hands and swept them down toward her together.

"Is, of course, you, my love!"

Case File 25: The Shining Nono Hana

"What... do you mean?"

"To you, and to the beautiful lady behind that invisible 'mask' of yours, as well as that beautiful heart—my salute!"

She had heard similar words of gratitude countless times, even overly passionate ones. But whether it was reverence or appreciation, Nono Hana had always regarded it as people paying respect to what Pretty Cure represented. She had never thought it was anything particularly remarkable, so there had been no reason to take it to heart.

But today, someone had directly called her by name and expressed sincere feelings toward her without any falsehood.

Something like this had never...

Never, ever happened before!

She had been a Pretty Cure since she was twelve. Even after becoming a twenty-two-year-old Pretty Cure "adult," she had never once been in love—the lonely legend of Nursery City.

Guardian of the world, legendary warrior, defeating countless Doomsday Monsters with one person and one sword, protecting Earth tirelessly for eight long years!

Our hero, the world's savior, the Messiah! Cure Yell—Nono Hana!

At that moment, her brain had completely crashed and stopped functioning.

Meanwhile, Ash completely failed to notice that Nono Hana was on the verge of overloading. The worries he had accumulated earlier were swept away during their battle, leaving him feeling nothing but immense exhilaration!

Because he had seen it—the noble state of mind he wished to pursue, a dazzlingly radiant existence, standing right before him!

He did not know who Cure Yell truly was, nor what sorrow she carried, but those were only minor matters. Just as the lunatics of Arkham Asylum never cared who the lunatic beneath the bat suit was, he naturally would not commit such discourtesy toward a lady as prying into her private affairs... probably.

To him, the fact that she was unquestionably a heroic Pretty Cure was already enough reason to get him "standing at attention"!

"I never imagined I would meet someone like you here." Ash grew more excited as he spoke. "Perhaps I came to this world precisely so that I could meet you!"

To think I actually found someone who shone so brightly—I truly couldn't escape the pull of sentimentality!

Ash's bizarre declaration caused the surrounding crowd to temporarily stop cheering and arguing as fans. Like Hana, everyone wore bewildered expressions as they looked from one another to the next.

Even Emiru and the others hiding nearby sprang out of the bushes. Everyone's gaze fell upon the red man at the center, utterly unaware—or perhaps utterly unconcerned.

"Wait, wait, wait!" The serious expression on her face gradually collapsed, and a tender, apple-red blush, tempting enough to bite, began spreading across the girl's cheeks. The heat rising from her head even released visible wisps of steam.

What is this, what is this?! This is definitely a confession, right?! Such an unbelievably cheesy confession... This is so weird, so weird! My heart's beating so fast!

I'm not some middle school girl anymore! I know what this means!

Saying something like that at a time like this... what kind of development is this?!

Blazing heat, gale-force wind.

Romance, flowers in bloom.

What fitting words for a warrior—well, at least, that was what Ash thought.

After all, he was presently dancing in sheer delight with this beautiful lady, growing ever more dazzling amid a cluster of flowers. How could he not be excited?

"You're just making fun of me too, aren't you?!" Recovering what little calm she had left in an emergency, Hana hurriedly pointed toward Ash's earlier victims. "Before you say such weird things, apologize to the people you fooled!"

"Before that, the truth will eventually reveal whether what I said was right or wrong."

Ash's gaze seemed to casually sweep over them, yet Homare, who was being supported by someone, shuddered all over. There was not much fear in her eyes, however—more than anything, there was resilient determination.

Ash had naturally noticed that change in the woman's gaze, which was why he concluded—

"What exactly are you trying to say...?"

"This was only a chance encounter, after all. For the sake of a more surprising scene later, let us leave it at that for now." Ash abruptly changed his tone and seriously offered Yell another bow. "Next time, I shall convey my will to you properly, sparkling Yell~"

Having said that, before Yell could react as her cheeks reddened again, Ash drew his gun and fired fiercely at the ground, kicking up a vast cloud of dust. By the time the girl rushed through the dust obscuring her sight, the red figure had already vanished, leaving behind only one final word: "Adieu."

"Honestly!" Yell stomped furiously, crushing the paving tile beneath her foot. "What the heck was that guy talking about?!"

After venting her dissatisfaction for quite a while, Hana finally remembered that she was not alone. Noticing the surrounding crowd's gazes gradually converging on her, her embarrassment multiplied exponentially. She hurriedly raised a hand and used her Tomorrow Energy to repair all the damage around her, then left the scene without looking back.

This is too weird—being "confessed to" by an enemy... or someone I don't know whether to call an enemy or a friend, the second time we met—ah, my stomach hurts so much... I should go back and ask Dr. Ash to prescribe me some medicine.

Aside from Ash, the instigator, not only Nono Hana but the other bystanders also looked at one another in confusion. Still, a few people's eyes gleamed with a strange light.

As for how, after today, the already heated topic of [Is the New Warrior: Time Fire an Enemy or a Friend?] gained an additional fan-creation faction called [cure yell x time fire]... that was another matter entirely.

No matter what, the hero had once again defeated vile evil. Whatever story might have occurred in between had nothing to do with most people's lives, because ordinary people still had to live their ordinary lives.

Of course, what had happened not long ago was still fresh in the minds of the onlookers at the scene. They would tirelessly recount the story they had witnessed to others, but once a matter began spreading among different people, it would gradually stray from its original course. After all, there were considerable differences between every objective and subjective viewpoint...

"I'm telling you, this time Yell totally crushed that red guy! That's why he said those things, to confuse Lady Yell!" One fellow surrounded by a crowd as he preached smugly recounted the tale. "And calling it a confession is way too arrogant! If Lady Yell really liked him, she would've beaten him to his knees and forced him to come home with her to—"

"Whoa—so amazing!" An uninformed passerby immediately leaped backward, looking thoroughly frightened.

Naturally, quite a few people voiced objections as well.

"No, no, no, that wouldn't be good... Time Fire did defeat a Doomsday Monster, after all. He should count as a hero, right?"

"If he fights Cure Yell or something, that would be terrible! It would be completely playing into the Doomsday Monster's hands!"

Listening to the rumors drifting from the bystanders, Hana, her face slightly red, hurriedly swept aside the bangs before her forehead and quickened her pace toward Ash's clinic.

Case File 26: Could Ash Be a Fan?

What troubled Nono Hana now was that rumors of this sort had been flying everywhere lately. Even if she wanted to ignore them, she could not. After all, as a hero who had protected the entire world for eight years, there was probably no more famous "celebrity" anywhere on Earth than her.

No matter how much she personally denied it, she was simply the kind of person with overwhelming presence. Then an opposite-sex figure who was both enemy and friend suddenly appeared by her side... If anyone said people would not overthink that, they would be underestimating the fan creators and artists out there!

Caught completely in the eye of the storm, she could not escape the ocean of information even if she wanted to ignore it. In less than a week, novels, fan comics, and even bizarre edited videos had begun spreading wildly online. Anything related to Cure Yell would never lack attention in this world.

Some creators were even as fast as if they had super-speed powers, producing that kind of fan work on websites children were not allowed to visit... Whenever Nono Hana recalled the blush-inducing scenes she had seen online, her face heated up.

This is so annoying. It obviously isn't like that, so why are their imaginations so good?

As one of the people involved, it would be a lie to say Nono Hana did not care at all about Time Fire's utterly unreasonable remarks... All right, she did care. After he said something like that and acted as though he would be bothering her again in the future, of course she cared.

What the heck? Saying things that could so easily be misunderstood for no reason—everyone's looks toward me have become weird.

Even if those really were your confession, then confess sincerely and openly! Don't use those strange little tricks! Love and romance aren't something that simple!

"Even if I've been single for twenty-two years... that doesn't mean just anyone will do!"

For some reason, she began making a slightly self-conscious vow. Nono Hana thought that if someone were to become her partner, then beneath that helmet should at least be a somewhat weathered, world-weary handsome man... Wait, that helmet seemed to have a mouth section... Could it be that wasn't a helmet at all, but his actual face?!

Her own fantasy gave her an inexplicable shiver. A wave of chills ran through her body, and the girl hurriedly hugged her arms, pushing open the doors of TOMORROW RESEARCH without even looking at the [Closed for Break] sign hanging beside them.

"Dr. Ash, are you here?"

In any case, although what he said really did stir something in my heart, it is nowhere near enough to cancel out the negative impression he has left on me, so no—dame desu!

As for someone I liked, if I had the right to choose... if I absolutely had to choose someone outside the family members I knew.

I'd choose Dr. Ash.

"Dr. Ash—huh?"

Following her memory through several swaying screens, Nono Hana successfully found Ash. However, the scene differed greatly from what she had imagined. Ash had his feet propped on the desk, a Crossbone Gundam manga covering his face as he snored away, looking completely like someone whose life had gone to ruin.

Huh... No wonder he didn't respond. Ash-sensei was asleep. His sleeping posture is so ugly. But if he's taking a nap... it's almost dinnertime already!

As Hana, reluctant to wake him, pondered what to do, her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the various decorations in the office.

The office's decor was exceedingly simple, with no unnecessary equipment. Yet all kinds of toys were displayed on the desk and the file cabinet behind it, drawing the romantically inclined Hana's attention. They included robot toys she had never seen before, Kamen Rider figures, and...

Huh? That figure looks like me... On the left is Cure Yell's SHF, and on the right is the FRS model kit series of me at fourteen? In the middle is a Figma with effect parts and the pom-pom mode I haven't used in years! Wait, the one displayed at the very top is the Cure Yell eighth-anniversary premium articulated Hottoys series? Even I couldn't bear to buy that one!

As a world-class "celebrity," Cure Yell's merchandise naturally sold at an unimaginably explosive rate. People in charge of toy production had once approached her and offered her an astronomical licensing fee, but she had generously asked for all of it to be donated to others who needed the money.

Although she had not received the wealth that rightfully belonged to her, whenever Nono Hana thought about how it could help people who needed it more, she felt sincerely happy.

But he bought so much of my merchandise... Could Dr. Ash actually be a Pretty Cure fan of mine?! Oh no... I'm a little, just a little happy about that~

"Honestly, barging in while I'm sleeping. If you weren't my patient, I would've long since—"

A muffled male voice suddenly came from beneath the manga covering his face. Nono Hana, who had been curiously looking around Ash's office, let out a startled cry like a thief caught in the act, jumping up in fright like a rabbit and nearly hitting her head on the ceiling.

"I hung a sign by the entrance. Didn't you see it?"

"Dr-Dr. Ash!? I really didn't see it..."

What the heck, he wasn't asleep... He wasn't asleep, yet he still scared me.

"I could hear you hopping around again from eight hundred miles away the moment your body got a little better. Even if I were asleep, you could've woken me up with all that noise." As though he could hear Nono Hana's thoughts, Ash's calm voice reached her ears, making her feel awkward.

"All right, tell me. What is it this time?"

Looking as though his mood had burned out, Ash removed the Crossbone Gundam manga from his face. He gestured with his mouth toward the chair across the desk, indicating that the restrained and uneasy Hana should sit down first.

"Th-thank you..."

She hurriedly tugged at her pencil skirt. This was the first time Nono Hana had worn such a skirt, and it was honestly a little difficult for her. Unlike loose pants or the long skirts she liked, it prevented her from taking large strides, and several times on the way over she had nearly torn it open.

"Well, how should I put it?" She nervously searched for the right words, but when she saw the dead-fish stare Ash gave her, she inexplicably calmed down. "My body hurts a little... So, Dr. Ash, could you prescribe me some medicine or something, like before?"

"So."

At that moment, Ash displayed a professionalism utterly at odds with his usual temperament. His pitch-black eyes swept mechanically over the woman before him, who looked far more energetic than when they first met and she had seemed half-dead. The way he stared made goosebumps rise across her body.

"It hurts? Where does it hurt? Be more specific."

Ash's gaze sharpened.

He could clearly sense that this little girl was hiding something from him.

But what exactly could she be hiding... Forget it. I have no interest in digging into ordinary people's affairs.

Ash shook his head and dismissed the thought.

Case File 27: Yell Being "Played With"

"Um..."

"Hmm?"

Seeing her constantly scratch the back of her head and laugh awkwardly, looking exactly like a certain space twin-tail girl caught by her master after doing something bad, Ash interlaced his hands beneath his chin. A strange gleam reflected in his eyes, and the words "Confess and be treated leniently; resist and be punished severely" seemed to appear behind him.

At the sight, sweat involuntarily ran down Nono Hana's forehead.

Whoa, I feel like some criminal in a cop movie. Next he'll shine one of those lion-head lamps in my face, or pull out a bowl of pork cutlet rice and offer it to me... Dr. Ash is putting so much pressure on me right now...

But sorry, I can't tell him the truth, because it would make people worry and trouble them. Ugh, I feel more and more guilty about lying to Ash-sensei...

"If it hurts~ hahaha, it's mainly..." Still laughing awkwardly, Nono Hana lowered her hand from the back of her head. Her fingers slid helplessly up and down her body, and beneath Ash's scrutinizing gaze, she finally "honestly" confessed.

"Anyway, my whole body hurts..."

"..."

"Um..."

[Ash's gaze was full of disapproval and suspicion.]

"Sorry!"

Nono Hana decisively lowered her head in apology to the doctor, who radiated pressure and post-waking low air pressure.

"Hmm..."