Kamen Rider is the Villain in Pretty Cure

It's precisely because of this that if I can make things a little easier for you, I want to, I want to be able to bear at least a portion of your sadness.

I truly thank you. Although you're a very strange person, you really did save me, and you cared a lot about me. You're such an outstanding person, yet you never looked down on me.

If it were Ash, he'd surely understand me, right?

"Dr. Ash, Ash, I have something I want to tell you."

"Actually... actually!"

Finally, Nono Hana, mustering all her courage, whether it was her junior high self who was severely bullied, or her current 22-year-old self who still hadn't achieved anything as an adult.

Becoming a legendary warrior, receiving her mission, after eight years, she was finally confiding this secret, which she thought she'd hide forever until she took it to her grave, to someone else for the first time.

"I am..."

Still holding the photo frame, even Ash's attention was captured by Hana's incredibly serious demeanor.

"Actually, I am Cure Yell, Precure!"

"————"

As if the playback on a player had been paused, with Hana raising her fists, mustering her courage, and shouting loudly with her mouth open, both she and Ash froze, stuck in that moment because of this single, information-packed sentence.

"..."

"..."

Silence—

Finally, the crisp sound of Ash putting down the photo frame broke the standoff that was about to continue indefinitely. The man, completely unfazed, patted Hana's shoulder, who was just anticipating the only answer.

"Nice joke, keep practicing."

[Extra]Case File 51: Nono Hana's Tragic Day

Today is the day of the movie premiere for my best friend, Yakushiji Saaya's latest film, "New Metal Hero."

Mom and Dad couldn't attend because they had work that day. Kotori, who should have been fine, looked at the invitation in Ash and my hands with a strange expression for some reason, and suddenly said she also had something she couldn't attend. When I asked why, for some reason, my sister's gaze felt so piercing...

However, among the people I know, besides us who were invited and Homare and Emiru, who had gotten back on their feet, it's said that a large number of industry insiders would also be there. I hadn't heard of any of them, but in any case, I absolutely couldn't embarrass my good friend! As it's an important day for an important friend, I absolutely couldn't be late!

Nono Hana went to sleep with these thoughts, and it wasn't until the sun shone on her face, and she wiped away the drool that had leaked onto her mouth, that she realized.

She had indeed overslept magnificently.

"Waaah—"

Splashing water from the faucet on her face was enough for washing up. She grabbed bread and stuffed it into her mouth haphazardly, almost choking to the point where her eyes bulged out.

After finally fumbling to put on the red dress she had prepared, she stepped on the skirt due to her haste and hit her head. As she got up, holding her head, she kicked the edge of the table again. Holding her head with one hand and hopping on one foot towards the entrance, she put on the high heels she hadn't worn in a long time, only to twist her ankle after taking two steps.

"Ooh—that hurts!"

"What is this woman doing?"

Ash must have been out of his mind to fall for her... With that face, she'd never get married, right?

Nono Tori watched everything that happened with disdain from the side.

Finally, the embarrassed older sister scrambled out of the door in a most ungraceful manner.

"You said you'd wait for me, but to dare keep me waiting for so long, you have some nerve. Miss Nono Hana, you're the first. You can be proud of that."

The moment she stepped out of the house, a voice calling her full name from the front made Hana's entire body tremble.

"Hmph, who was it that said they absolutely couldn't be late?"

"S-sorry!" Sensing the pressure descending upon her, she immediately straightened up and gave a big 90° bow in that direction. Peeking up slightly, she saw the man whose upper face was covered by the shadow of his black bangs, leaving only a terrifying shadow and cold eyes for her.

"I was too nervous yesterday... I accidentally overslept..."

"Is that an excuse? You overslept, why didn't you hurry? Too slow!" Ash, wearing a well-tailored suit, stood in front of Nono Hana, his expression as cold as ever as he reprimanded her performance without mercy. "Think about those special forces teams in Ultraman. If they were as lazy as you, wouldn't they wait until the Earth was plowed over twice by monsters before slowly flying out? In that case, they might as well outsource national defense to the Land of Light!"

"Comparing me to Ultraman—what is that? Besides, if there really were any monsters, I..." Hana, who had wanted to retort, also lost her confidence, her voice growing lower and lower.

After all, no matter when, if a monster appeared, Tomorrow Energy would remind me... I haven't been late once in eight years, though...

"You'd do what?"

"Nothing, I'm really sorry!" Facing Ash's increasingly cold gaze, Hana finally caved and apologized sincerely.

"But, Dr. Ash, why didn't you wake me up if you arrived so early?"

"What are you talking about?" Ash's eyes emitted a strange glow. "You're a woman, and I'm a man. There's a distinction between men and women. How could I casually enter a woman's room?"

"..."

Hmph, you've done so many outrageous things to me before, not treating me like a woman, and now you're telling me this?

Expecting Ash to scold her further, she saw him sigh lightly, pat her slightly curly pink hair that was covering her bangs, and then, supporting her half-numb leg from the ankle sprain, he walked towards the back seat of the car.

"Really... you didn't even comb your hair after you woke up, did you." Ash, with a helpless expression, pointed a thumb behind him towards the lightly yellow-painted small car, which seemed to have some incredible symbols printed on it. "I originally wanted to take you for a motorcycle ride... but forget it. You go to Sherlock's car first and fix your hair. It's become a bird's nest after sleeping."

"B-bird's nest?!" Panicked, Hana ran to the car's rearview mirror. Seeing her messy hair in the mirror, Hana, revealing her right eye, let out a "Waaah!" and quickly ran into the back seat.

"Ash, please, hurry up a bit!" Tying her hair into a beautiful ponytail behind her, Nono Hana looked at the time after Ash got into the driver's seat, her voice filled with extreme nervousness. "We're running out of time, if we don't hurry!"

"Hurry up? Then buckle up your seatbelt. It's been a long time since anyone asked me to hurry up."

Ash flashed a brilliant smile at Hana behind him, a smile that made her feel a sense of foreboding.

"Of course, taking a shortcut, right?"

"If it's a shortcut... can we make it in time?"

"You know, back in the day, I was known as the King of Cars in TPC! Even Shincheng couldn't beat me, so leave it all to me!"

With dazzling skill, he shifted gears, started the engine, and revved the accelerator with a roar. Amidst Hana's screams from the back as she fumbled with her seatbelt, the Sherlock car spun its tires twice on the ground, then "soared" forward in a near-wild fashion.

"Ash, stop spouting your delusional fantasies—Ahhh! What are you doing?!"

No, my ponytail—why is it standing up?!

"Didn't you want to take a shortcut? I'm driving on the wall?"

"No—don't—!"

--- Ash's Driving Skills ---

"Is that... is that Ash and Hana?"

Looking at the car that whizzed past them like a tornado, they saw a man laughing wildly and a pink-haired woman with teary eyes pressed against the window. Homare and Emiru, riding in a taxi, stared with their mouths agape.

"Besides them, who else could it be?"

"Y-yes..."

"We're here. What the—we still have time?" Ash glanced at his watch, nodded with great satisfaction, and then said to the woman behind him, "Ah, if you're going to throw up, press the button to open the window. Don't dirty the car."

"Ugh—"

Finally granted permission by Ash, Hana pushed open the door with all her might and got out, eventually finding a small corner to spew a rainbow.

So embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing...

"Such a blow..."

[Extra]Case File 52: Beautiful Person, Sad Heart

A yellow Sherlock car stopped in front of the convention center, the venue for a movie press conference. The passengers didn't get out immediately, drawing frequent stops from passersby.

"Hey, isn't this the venue for the new Kamen Rider movie?" Someone even looked up at the sign on the convention center as they passed, repeatedly checking if they had mistakenly thought it was a remake of Ultraman Tiga.

Those in the know were all curious about who would bring such a high-fidelity prop car here.

"This Sherlock car is so accurate!"

Of course, it's accurate. Back then, Daigo and Nori both rode in this car... If Ash could hear their thoughts, he would probably proudly introduce it like that.

Switching the car window glass to opaque mode, they were separated from the outside noise by just a pane of glass. A man was getting handsy with the woman sitting behind him, even rubbing and kneading her face, his hands moving all over!

"You! You said you forgot your makeup and asked me to touch it up, so don't move around!"

Hearing Ash's slightly annoyed voice, Nono Hana, who was struggling, could only endure her shyness and stop her actions, allowing his large hands to continue kneading her increasingly flushed cheeks.

"But~ Gulp!" Hana, whose cheeks were being squeezed, was so embarrassed she didn't know what to do, her voice even distorted by his hands. "How can you put on makeup like this! Gulp! Huhu, Boshi! Stop pinching, it tickles~ It tickles desu!"

"Just trust my skills. This is my unique secret technique, learned from that chiropractor and freelance makeup artist. I guarantee I'll give you a complete makeover, you country bumpkin. Just trust me!"

With a powder puff in his left hand and an eyebrow pencil in his right, Ash freely used Nono Hana's face, which, when stretched open by his kneading, was surprisingly delicate and cute, as a canvas for his "artistic creation"!

Ash, dressed in his signature suit, emerged from the front of the Sherlock car, opened the rear door, and extended an inviting hand to the beautiful lady inside.

"Give me your hand, my lady."

"Mr. Ash, Hana—over here!"

Homare and Emiru, who had been waiting at the reception desk in the lobby for a long time, waved enthusiastically at the two arrivals from afar. But when Ash took her right hand, and her slightly shy, exquisite face came into their view, their raised hands froze in mid-air, and they were stunned into silence.

As if to respond to their greeting, Hana, whose face bloomed like a lotus, smiled like a flower. Her carefully styled pink hair revealed her right eye, which was usually hidden. Her skin, enhanced by subtle makeup, was fair and delicately rosy, and her exquisite light pink lips exuded a mysterious and sexy allure she had never possessed before.

The exquisite red evening gown borrowed from her mother perfectly complemented her petite and cute figure like a red rose. Her slender, fair legs could be glimpsed through the parted skirt. The heels she wore, which she held onto Ash's arm to avoid falling, clicked crisply on the ground.

"Emiru! Homare!"

Who... who is this beautiful woman?

It wasn't until the familiar voice from her mouth that they reacted. Emiru, whose mouth twitched uncontrollably, couldn't help but want to step forward and ask that question. The transformation of Nono Hana from an ugly duckling to a swan was simply too shocking compared to their usual impression of her.

In this state, how could she be the clumsy, country bumpkin they were used to?

"Ah, Hana... Little Hana." As the differently styled Hana approached, Homare felt a sense of inferiority and inadequacy, her prepared words stumbling out. "You look so beautiful today."

"Really? If you both think I'm beautiful, that's wonderful!" Hana had also noticed the gazes cast upon her from all directions. The thought that she could attract attention with her feminine charm made her feel both shy and incredibly delighted.

"Mr. Ash, Ash!" Hana shook the arm of the person acting as her crutch, her eyes full of anticipation. "How do I look now? This is your masterpiece!"

"Hmm..." Hearing Hana's slightly proud voice, Ash, unconcerned by the gazes of others, tilted her chin up and examined her carefully with his intensely dark eyes. Finally, he unexpectedly concluded.

"You are quite pretty, indeed." Hearing Ash's words, Hana's lips curved into a satisfied smile. "You really do look alike."

Upon closer inspection, Nono Hana, with her light makeup and lipstick, did indeed resemble Cure Yell.

"Huh?"

Hana blinked, her smile quickly fading into a look of complete confusion.

Does he think I just look like someone else...?

"Ah, it really does look similar..." Ash, lost in his own thoughts, looked closer and closer. Just as he was about to discern something from her increasingly dejected face, Emiru, with her blonde twin tails, burst in.

"Stop—St—op!" Emiru barged in, wildly waving her hands in front of Ash's eyes and interrupting his train of thought. Her expression was one of clear displeasure.

"Wait, what do you mean by that? How could you say something like that to Hana-senpai?"

You idiot, are you really a light novel protagonist who can't see Hana's feelings? Saying something so selfish is too much!

"What are you talking about?" Ash, suddenly being berated, naturally wasn't pleased. He had no idea what he'd done to provoke her. "What did I say?"

"I'm talking about you, Hana-senpai—"

"Emiru..."

"Ah, finally found you!" Another voice chimed in at the perfect moment. "I've been waiting for you guys."

"Saya!"

Saya, who was playing the heroine "Mimi," the assistant to the Space Detective, in this movie, was naturally one of the most anticipated members of the press conference. She walked forward now, drawing the spotlight's attention with her.

"What's wrong? The mood doesn't seem too good." Saya, seeing Hana looking dejected behind Ash, couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise. "Oh my, Hana looks so beautiful today, I can't even look away."

"Ha, how could that be~" Hana's cheeks flushed slightly as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt, the teasing from her friend dispelling the awkward atmosphere. "Compared to a big star like you, Saya, I'm still far behind."

"It's no use flattering me like that, Hana, because we're friends~"

Chatting easily with her friends brought a genuine smile to Saya's face, as she had been deeply immersed in the film crew and entertainment industry events lately.

"Alright, let's not just stand here and watch. Let's head inside."

[Extra Chapter]Case File 53: The Intruding Disruptor

Thanks to Saya's connections, Nono Hana, who had secured seats in the front rows of the press conference with her friends, was in much better spirits. She was now happily swinging her slender legs, while Saya quietly chatted with her good friend Homare beside her.