Even if she usually acted so carefree, she was still a girl. There was no way she could go out wearing a skirt with a torn crotch, and Ash's house naturally did not have things like women's skirts—unless one counted whatever treasures he might have stashed in his inventory. So Nono Hana was currently wearing a pair of jeans Ash had lent her.
Wearing someone else's clothes felt really... strange.
She secretly glanced toward Ash. Even after everything that had happened, he still looked utterly uninterested, as if nothing could hold his attention. Seeing him like that, Nono Hana felt slightly relieved, yet also inexplicably sad.
It looked like Dr. Ash had not been disappointed by my terrible performance or anything, but he did not seem to react either... Rather, Dr. Ash had always been immersed in his own world, completely indifferent to everything outside it. That was... not very good, was it?
As the doctor who had saved her life, she naturally wanted to repay him.
And seeing Ash immersed in his own "boredom," she also wanted to help him from the bottom of her heart.
But was there any way someone like "Nono Hana" could help Dr. Ash, who seemed gentle toward her while quietly raising an invisible Heart's Wall?
At least, she could not find a feasible way yet. Thinking of that, Nono Hana could not help clenching her small fists.
Come to think of it, what was I to Dr. Ash now? What kind of relationship did we have?
"Click."
The sound of the door opening pulled Hana's increasingly wandering gaze back. She hurriedly looked inside.
Side Story Case File 30: Ash's Pride
"Auntie, this is a gift for you. Please accept it."
Maintaining proper traditional etiquette as she sat kneeling on the tatami, Hana presented the beautifully packaged fruit she had bought beforehand to the middle-aged woman across from her, earning a peaceful smile from the woman.
"Hana, it's already so kind of you to come visit Homare, but you even prepared a gift. I'm so sorry to make you spend money."
Homare's mother, Kagayaki Chihiro, was delighted that her daughter had made such sincere, wonderful friends. She genuinely welcomed Hana's visit, and when she brought over two cups of tea and saw the expensive fruit Hana had brought, a surprised smile appeared on her face.
There's even papaya in here, and that's exactly what Homare likes... Ah, no, no. It's already rare enough for her to visit as a friend. I can't accept this.
Seeing Chihiro trying to return the gift, Hana smiled slightly, picked it back up, and set it aside again as she jokingly said,
"No, no, it's only a tiny token of my feelings for Homare. Please accept it, Auntie Chihiro. This hardly counts as spending money!"
"But wasn't Miss Hana recently...?"
Chihiro had heard from her daughter about Hana's company going bankrupt not long ago, so she was somewhat hesitant about accepting the gift.
"Haha, that was all in the past!" Hana laughed awkwardly while fanning herself. "I'm different from before now. I'm totally fine!"
She was not putting on a brave face again. Hana was actually right. After all, whether it was the surgery or the subsequent treatments, that black-market doctor Ash had maintained his usual arrogantly independent style. He kept muttering, "Consider it part of the favor," and refused to take even a single cent from her. Even if she secretly left money behind, she would later discover that it had somehow returned to her bag. It truly made one wonder where he got the money to maintain his clinic.
When she tried to return the money to her parents, they gave it back again, saying that she needed it more now that she did not have a job. In the end, Hana could only reluctantly accept it and wait for a future chance to repay both Ash and her parents.
"Thank you so much. Then I'll accept it on Homare's behalf..."
The sharp sound of a wooden sliding door being pulled open interrupted Chihiro's polite words, and the figure entering drew both their attention.
The newcomer was Ash, who had apparently been delayed by something. After giving Hana a slight signal with his eyes, he swaggered over to her side, picked a comfortable spot, and sat down cross-legged. His posture was so casual, as though he were in his own home, that it showed not the slightest bit of manners, leaving Hana deeply embarrassed beside him.
Hana wanted to remind Ash to mind himself, since she had brought him here after all. Yet the words would not leave her mouth. Rather, facing Ash, who always acted entirely like himself, Hana had almost become accustomed to being influenced by him.
Ash-sensei is a good person, but he really does... have a unique personality, hahaha.
"This is Ash, Ash-sensei!" Before the other woman could ask, or Ash could say something else far too advanced for this world, Hana hurriedly introduced the calm-faced Ash. "Ash-sensei is a doctor, and an incredibly skilled one too!"
As if afraid her words would not be convincing enough, Hana hurriedly patted her soft, bun-sized chest. She patted herself until she nearly became breathless again before continuing in a rush.
"Auntie, you heard about my physical condition from Homare too, right? Look at me now—healthy as can be, with absolutely no problems whatsoever! That's all thanks to this doctor!"
"Then Dr. Ash really is remarkable!" Hearing Hana's introduction, Chihiro sighed in heartfelt admiration. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and without realizing it, she began using honorific language with Ash as well, despite him looking younger than she was.
"The wisdom of mortals." Naturally, Ash had no concept of humility whatsoever. The light reflecting off the glasses he pushed up with his index finger obscured his eyes, revealing only the man's mysterious smile.
Those with talent needed to have pride. Unless they were putting on an act, what was the point of endlessly pretending to be humble?
"Compared with my talent, this is merely the effort of moving a finger. Aside from the time it consumes, it is nothing... Let me make a prophecy: there is nothing in this world that can stump me."
He agreed without the slightest hesitation, with not even a trace of humility. That really did feel like Dr. Ash.
Yet it was precisely that creed of confidence that made his identity seem even more convincing in the eyes of the two women.
"That's right! Dr. Ash is so amazing, so I'm sure he can help Homare too!"
"If that's the case, then Homare... finally!" The hope Hana conveyed caused tears to bloom in the eyes of the middle-aged woman. Excited, she leaned forward and tightly grasped both of Ash's hands. "Homare is a good girl. She used to work so hard, and she could jump higher than anyone! But after she fell once, she never... So please, Doctor! Please save her this time!"
"Hmph." Ash snorted and pulled his hands free. Though his eyes narrowed slightly, the curve of his mouth showed that their earlier praise had pleased him greatly.
"What you're asking for is merely the inevitable result. Now, take me to see the patient."
Kagayaki Homare... That was her name, right? I thought she was just another boring ordinary person.
Well, since I was asked so earnestly, I'll pay her a little attention now~
"What is her condition right now?"
"Yes, Homare had been staring blankly at the sky and her own legs before, but she seems somewhat different after that recent brush with death."
"Different?" Ash blinked, seeming to sense something. "How is she different?"
Following them into the backyard, Ash saw that familiar yellow figure. Unlike the somewhat dispirited girl he had seen before, Homare was now using both hands to support the weight of her upper body in her wheelchair, lifting half of herself into the air. Sweat kept falling from her face as she seemed determined to stand again on her limp legs!
"Hah—" Unfortunately, she could not maintain it for long. She nearly rolled onto the ground, then fell back into her wheelchair. "Still no good—Hm? Mom and Hana! And this is..."
This is... Ah, I remember! He was the strange doctor who came with Hana that day and stared so blatantly at my legs!
As if recalling that terrifying gaze, Homare's entire body shuddered instinctively.
Side Story Case File 31: Ash Without Mercy
"Gulp."
Nono Hana stood behind the intensely focused Ash. Her hand, which she wanted to wave in encouragement, hovered before her chest. She did not even dare breathe loudly, and the sound of her swallowing was clearly audible.
There was only one reason she was so nervous. Ash was carefully examining Homare before her, and their Pretty Cure girl was afraid that making a sound would affect them.
The man crouched before the blonde woman, stretching out her full, slender legs. He held her delicate feet and freed them from her flat house slippers, tossing the removed black stockings casually aside.
Rarely this serious about his work, he had no mind for anything else. With a gaze even more fervent than usual, he stared intently at the pair of soft little feet in his hands. His contracting pupils focused to an almost transcendent degree. What ordinary eyes could not see—the blood vessels pulsing beneath healthy skin, the vivid red muscle tissue, and the sturdy bones—were all clearly visible to him.
"Mm, as expected."
"Um... ngh..." Unlike Ash, who remained composed throughout, the woman could not help clenching her right fist beneath her chin. Homare's face flushed slightly as she breathed softly while he "played with" her feet.
The examinations at hospitals had always been done with machines before. Even when other doctors examined her directly, there was nothing strange about it. Besides, her legs had no feeling at all now, so it could not be something like ticklishness.
So why was I so embarrassed when he kneaded my feet under such an intent gaze?
Was it because my good friend was watching? Why did I feel as though I had been completely seen through... Was that just an illusion?
"Mm."
His raised hand suddenly gripped the root of Homare's thigh, making her nearly cry out. Feeling the warm, tender texture beneath his fingertips, the man slid all ten fingers down along the muscles, repeatedly kneading the healthy, plump toes and arches of her feet. Yet the expression on his face grew increasingly furrowed.
"D-Doctor?" Enduring her embarrassment, Homare gathered her courage and asked, "What is it? Is it a serious problem?"
"No." Ash's shake of the head and his next words finally settled Homare's anxious heart. "Both externally and internally, your muscles, nerves, and bones are completely fine."
In his eyes, Homare's legs were so healthy they could not possibly be healthier—healthier even than his own. At most, there was a little excess flesh in her calves from her lack of exercise over a long period. It was exactly what he had concluded from sight alone before.
"The only problem lies with you." Ash released his hand, curled it into a fist, and tapped her knee with just the right amount of force. The nerves reacted, sending her foot springing upward. Just as it was about to kick the man in the chin, he tilted his head aside, allowing her toes to merely brush aside a few strands of hair near his ear.
"You think you can't stand, so this is what you've become!"
"But..." The doctor's warning was exactly the same as what Time Fire had said back then. Even though she had prepared herself, Homare's mouth still went dry. "I've been trying really hard to stand up, but I just can't!"
"Then stand up and show me."
Seeing Ash step back in front of her, Homare gritted her teeth and gathered her courage once more. Her arms began to tense continuously.
"I... ah—!"
Encouraged by Hana's gaze from across from her, her trembling hands gripped both armrests of the wheelchair and slowly pushed her upright. Yet halfway through, she lost her balance, and the wheelchair's wheels rolled backward first. Homare lost her support and fell uncontrollably forward.
"Yo~" Ash did not let Homare fall face-first. He reached out, caught her beneath the arms, and took the opportunity to rub both hands repeatedly over her head.
"I, I!" Her beautiful eyes, once shining like stars, slowly closed. Dew-like tears clung to her long lashes, and the woman's aggrieved tears had already filled her eyes. "I broke my leg once before too. Even after it healed, I could never jump again no matter how hard I tried!"
The frustration and grief she had accumulated over many years seemed to have finally found an outlet. Homare poured out her past and the painful secret that only her friends and family knew to Ash.
"But no matter how hard I tried, even if I forced myself to jump, I would always fear the moment I came back down, and without exception, I would fall!"
Ash held Homare up beneath her arms, watching with an indifferent expression as she clumsily explained her past.
I see. Another case where the shadow of the past causes errors in the present. That explained things reasonably enough.
"The friends who used to be with me shook their heads at how pathetic I was. In the end, with no one left, I gave up on jumping again... I gave up on my dream too..." Homare looked at him pleadingly, praying that he would give her the answer she wanted.
"Am I going to repeat this again, until I can never stand up anymore?"
"Well." But what Ash had to say was completely different from the answer she desired. "Your desire to work hard is not a bad thing, but effort does not always produce results. Sometimes, something simply cannot be done. Recognizing that is important too."
"How could you..." The strength supporting her entire body suddenly gave out, and Homare fell back into her wheelchair. The light in her eyes vanished rapidly.
"What you lack is courage, and what you cannot overcome is your own weakness." Without the slightest regard for her feelings, Ash delivered two more blows before lowering his head to sniff his hands. Frowning slightly, he placed them on that golden hair and stroked it, though he was really rubbing them clean.
Mm, and she still didn't react. What a good girl. Oh?
"Wait! Wait, wait, wait!"
Feeling himself being pulled from behind, Ash turned around and saw Nono Hana puffing up like a pufferfish, her displeasure written all over her face.
"What is this supposed to mean?!" Pulling Ash somewhere Homare could not hear, Hana immediately expressed her dissatisfaction. "I don't understand medicine, but even I understood that Homare can't stand because of psychological reasons, right?"
"So why are you putting her down instead, Dr. Ash?!"
"Forget it. She is already trapped in her own weakness. What can blindly encouraging her weakness accomplish?" Ash shook his head, voicing his disagreement. "Besides, I wasn't lying, was I?"
"Grrr..." Hana's cheeks puffed up even more at those words, giving Ash a strong urge to poke her flat. "But Dr. Ash is amazing, isn't he? You said you would cure her!"
"Yes, and I never said I wouldn't. So..."
From somewhere behind his back, Ash pulled out a blue chainsaw before Hana's horrified eyes.
"I'll just cut off her legs."
Side Story Case File 32: Treating a Headache by Treating the Head, Treating Leg Pain by Sawing Off the Leg
"I'll just cut off her legs."
"Just cut off her legs."
"Cut them off..."
It felt like the time she had been struck on the head by a Doomsday Monster during a battle. Hana's eyes went blank, and her brain, which had stopped functioning, made a buzzing noise like a hard drive freezing.
Ash's earth-shattering words, spoken in such a casual tone, had left her utterly stunned. Beneath those completely OvO eyes, she could no longer take in Ash's next string of proud explanations.
"GS-03 'Destroyer'—ha! Hikawa got severely scolded by that... that guy called Tachibana, right? Because he lost this thing. But actually, I took it while he wasn't looking~"
While showing off his "criminal history" without the slightest self-awareness, Ash slipped both hands into the blue steel guards. With an upward flick of his elbows, the chainsaw folded within them automatically unfolded, along with its silver-gray teeth that radiated murderous intent.
"By generating ultra-high frequencies, it makes the blade vibrate at extreme speed. In one minute, its rotational vibrations can produce two million ultra-high-frequency oscillations. Even hard substances can be cut in two with a single stroke." As Ash pressed the switch on the handle, an unseen vibration that ordinary ears could not hear began spreading outward from him, making bodies tremble uncontrollably. Ash casually performed several clean, sharp flourishes, as if even the surrounding wind would be sliced apart.
Um, wasn't this thing a little too overpowered?
"Although its excessive weight means it can barely hit agile enemies of the same level or above, its cutting ability alone surpasses even the Shining Saber! Ha, this is tokusatsu physics—in other words, you don't need to care too much about the laws of physics!"
Without noticing Hana's increasingly lifeless gaze beside him, Ash flicked his arm to retract the blade and began walking toward Homare.
"Alright, I'll use this chainsaw to cut off Homare's legs... Hm?"
After only two steps, Ash was blocked by a pink figure urgently standing in front of him. Nono Hana spread both arms before him with the air of, "If you want to get to Homare, step over my corpse first!" Her incredibly complicated expression and gaze showed just how speechless and unhappy she felt.
"Dr—Ash—!"
Hana enunciated his name with solemn, deliberate emphasis. Her rare seriousness and firmness forced Ash to stop. "What do you mean, use a chainsaw to cut off Homare's legs?! Those are—those are—those are her body, her legs!"
What kind of logic was that?! I might be a little dumb, but I'm definitely not stupid! Sawing off someone's legs because she can't stand... What kind of third-rate quackery is this, sawing off a hand when it hurts and sawing off a leg when it hurts?! This is beyond putting the cart before the horse. It's like a Russian rescue operation where kidnappers take hostages, so everyone gets taken out together!!!
Without waiting for any more of Ash's twisted nonsense, Hana strode forward, grabbed the man's arm, and shook it vigorously.
"Isn't Ash a doctor? Aren't doctors supposed to treat illnesses and save people? Is this really what Dr. Ash thinks is best?!"
"That's right." Ash nodded with an innocent expression. "How am I supposed to fit her with prosthetic legs if I don't remove her old ones?"
Huh? Wait, what did you say?
Hana opened her mouth wide and blinked, suddenly wondering whether she had heard him wrong.
Before you continue