Kamen Rider as the Villain in Pretty Cure Chapter 31

He hadn't spoken a single word to her from beginning to end.

"Ding—"

This was at the top of Nursery City's iconic skyscraper, further behind them, a bell specifically designed to chime and remind citizens of the hour.

But, when this bell chime reached his and her ears, it carried a different meaning.

"Dong—"

The solemn bell chimed, echoing continuously.

It was the sound of regret...

It was the sound of sorrow...

Perhaps this bell chime was truly heralding someone's future.

[Extra] Case File 65 Two Injured People, Two Wounded Hearts

Spraying a coagulant spray marked with a certain organization's symbol onto his chest, the man finally stopped his bloody trail as he walked, a pain so intense it made even Ash's lips twitch.

He could no longer hear Nono Hana's voice behind him, nor the unsettling chime of the bell. He had even left the sirens of ambulances and the gasps of onlookers behind him.

He had finally obtained the quiet he desired.

"Let's go," he said, patting V REX beneath him, his voice softer than his own. "Let me go back and recover. Today was too much."

The system didn't appear this time, likely busy with other matters. The only response he received was the low growl of V REX as he sat down.

'Don't you need to rescue Ms. Nono Hana?' V REX seemed to ask, its mind as gentle as the one who provided this Super AI template.

"No, she's currently... she... she..."

He uttered "she" countless times, but Ash never finished saying what happened to her.

Finally, he closed his mouth and lay back on the special metal that chilled him from his heels to the back of his neck. Only the sun, shining down from above like a divine proxy, warmed everyone equally, including Ash.

Right now, I just want to sleep.

The accident that happened that day was at a movie premiere, the kind of place where reporters who valued news over their lives were never in short supply.

A Raging Ender far more powerful than ever before, a Precure who had completely abandoned their usual gentleness and gone berserk, Time Fire with his ultimate perverted remarks, and the unknown ending of the pink and red clad fighters clashing swords, which had captured the world's attention.

Any one of these alone would have been explosive headlines that could have set the internet ablaze for months. Yet, they all culminated and were released within the same event, making the Yakushiji family's domestic disputes seem like mere gossip in comparison.

Some worried, some questioned Precure. Some attacked, some admired Time Fire. Meanwhile, a large number of "Cure Yell x Time Fire" cult CP fans appeared on certain websites that were neither child-friendly nor girl-friendly. A wave of unspeakable fanfiction, even second and third-generation works, sprouted like mushrooms after a rain.

Of course, these were all trivial matters to Ash.

Flipping over the sign at the door and performing a few self-operations, Ash, his chest wrapped in thick bandages, lay down on his office chair and fell asleep.

When Ash woke up again, it was already dusk the next day.

The man opened his eyes, clarity and chaos divided equally within them. The setting sun shining through the window illuminated his bare upper body, revealing a physique as chiseled and robust as an American superhero. Coupled with the pure white bandages on his chest stained crimson, it exuded a sense of inexplicable decadence beneath his mature and domineering presence.

Crushing two energy blocks and throwing them into his mouth, Ash cracked his joints. His body, which he never neglected to train, had recovered well, which was good news.

As for the other matter, V REX, holding his transformed cellphone, showed him the red notification with "99+". The source of these missed calls was only one: Nono Hana's sister, Nono Kotori.

This was something Ash had to handle himself.

Ash signaled V REX to answer the call for him. His own hands were still in casts, and he didn't feel like moving them.

"Hello—Ash! You bastard, where are you right now!!"

The roar of the college student, suppressing her anger, exploded like firecrackers in the quiet clinic.

Ash dug in his ear. He could understand. After all, if she saw her sister's condition... the fact that she hadn't unleashed her full torrent of abuse on him was probably due to everyone in this world having a moral standard close to that of the Land of Light.

"I'm hospitalized... it's inconvenient right now. What happened on your end?"

"My sister was carried back by doctors covered in injuries just now! Mom and Dad are terrified! What happened to you guys to end up like this?!"

"Why... why is my sister the only one there..."

The anger subsided slightly, and Kotori's originally bell-like voice was mixed with a muffled sob.

"Check the news," Ash replied weakly, not answering her second question. The other side fell silent for five minutes, then a more subdued voice came through.

"Um... I'm sorry, Mr. Ash, my sister is currently..."

"Not doing well?"

Ash perked up his ears.

"She's locked herself away..."

"Huh?"

"In her room. Not just the door, but even the windows—Dad, Mom, and I have called her many times, but she just won't open the door."

"She hasn't eaten anything all day, so... please, please!"

"I understand... you want me to go and persuade her?"

Without waiting for the other side to reply, Ash waved his hand, signaling V REX to end the call. He then directed V REX to retrieve a pile of strange metal materials from the clinic's storage. After some tinkering, an electric wheelchair appeared beneath Ash's backside.

To go see a woman by transforming into OTTO instead of riding a motorcycle or a sports car... if his old friends knew about this, they would probably die laughing on the spot.

About fifteen minutes later, Ash, who had struggled his way over, rang the Nono family's doorbell with his cast. The one who opened the door was Hana's sister, whom he'd met before, the woman who had almost unleashed her power on him over the phone – Nono Kotori.

"Let me in, I need to see her."

The remaining members of the Nono family seemed flustered by Ash's arrival. The main reason was likely the visually striking casts and dark red bandages all over Ash, which afforded him a level of attention he didn't usually receive.

"Um, let me help you—"

"No need."

Ash stopped Nono Kotori from trying to lift his wheelchair. She and her parents, looking like they wanted to say something but couldn't, watched as Ash limped upstairs by himself.

Turning back, he could see the three of them peeking around the corner with pleading expressions. They only left after Ash made a gesture to reassure them.

Honestly, Ash felt envious.

Snapping back to the present, only two people were on the second floor now.

"Hana, it's me, Ash."

"..."

"I know you don't want anyone else to know, so it's just the two of us here now."

Ash knocked, or rather, poked, at Nono Hana's bedroom door.

"..."

As expected, there was no response.

"What, don't you want to chat with your dear doctor?"

"..."

"Don't want to..."

[Side Story] Case File 66 Back to Back, No Hugs

Beneath the crimson flame that covered his face, the man playfully pulled the trigger. The shining muzzle flash was solely for his own amusement. Half a month ago, the warrior piloting the V-REX mechanical dinosaur, the man known as "Time Fire."

Beneath a relaxed smile, the man extended a hand of desperate assistance to me. Only he, I, and the sunlight filtering into the small clinic felt uplifted, even my stagnant heart. The doctor who appeared in Nursery City half a month ago to save me, the man known as "Ash."

Indeed, Ash and Time Fire, how could they be the same person? It's like saying Cure Yell could possibly be related to Nono Hana; it's truly... not funny at all.

A day later, Nono Hana still hadn't figured things out, still hadn't come out.

After being carried home by the doctor, Nono Hana had locked her room door, pulled the curtains tight, sealing off any possibility of sunlight entering. The unlit room contained nothing but darkness.

Hana, who was originally afraid of the dark, now hid in the depths of the darkness, as if only there could she find a sense of security and refused to show herself.

Her stomach, or what could still be called a stomach, rumbled futilely for a long time. Emptiness, pain, pain, and then it turned into a stone in her belly, motionless.

No eating, no drinking, no sleeping, no resting.

How long had it been in this room?

Nono Hana couldn't remember.

Had these past two weeks brought her hope or regret?

Cure Yell didn't know either.

She didn't want to see anything, didn't want to think about anything. Her body was suppressed to the minimum necessary activity, her breathing slow, her heartbeat weak, as if even her body temperature was dropping. Essential human physiological activities had been forgotten, only breathing stubbornly persisted. A stubborn survival instinct forcefully regained control every time Hana was about to hold her breath and suffocate.

So Nono Hana was still alive, living meaninglessly in this darkness.

Hana had removed the battery from the clock, rendering it inoperable. Besides, in this darkness, the hands were invisible anyway.

Time had lost its meaning, the future had lost its meaning, and then dreams also...

Why was she tormenting herself like this? Just because her confession was rejected once, was it necessary to make such a big deal out of it?

If a person's existence had completely lost its meaning, then dying was something that must be done out of consideration for others.

As Nono Hana, she was useless in this world, a complete failure. As a friend, she couldn't hold a candle to the brilliance of Homare and the others. As family, she could only be a burden to her parents and Kotori.

Although as Cure Yell she had achieved success, being seen as a savior and a beautiful older sister by everyone, that was in the past.

Cure Yell had failed. She had almost gone berserk, disregarding damage and destroying the city. Instead of helping others, she had focused solely on destruction. She had nearly killed her best friend Saya's daughter in front of her mother, and also... Time Fire.

In the darkness, hugging her knees, on the floor beside her lay the "Light Heart" transformation device and a "Mirai Crystal" stained with black on one half. As the last straw that broke the camel's back, they no longer responded to Hana at all, becoming nothing more than children's toys.

The hero everyone expected, Cure Yell (Yell Angel), was no longer who she was. Unable to transform, she could no longer shine, nor could she cheer for anyone.

Talking about inspiring people, talking about thinking about the future... in the end, it was all self-deception.

Perhaps this was the world's "punishment" for what she had done that day... but none of that mattered anymore.

Let it be.

Let it be until she lost consciousness, until she stopped breathing, until she died completely. Although she felt very sorry for her dad, mom, and Kotori, having to deal with her rotting corpse, but...

Dr. Ash, you must be very disappointed in me, right?

Ah, is Kotori trying to persuade me to come out again?

Sorry, little sister, but if your big sister, who is so useless, comes out, she'll only cause you more trouble, right?

"Hana, it's me, Ash."

"..."

"I know you don't want anyone else to know, so now it's just the two of us here."

Bang bang bang!

Another sound of the door, and Hana closed her eyes, covering her ears with her hands.

"What, you don't want to talk to your dear doctor?"

"No..."

"Not Time Fire, it's Dr. Ash."

"Go away..."

What else is there to talk about?

Taking two steps back, Ash estimated that just as he was about to pull out a fire axe with one hand to break down the door, his hand, suddenly inspired, gently pressed against the door. As expected, he felt Nono Hana leaning against it, her weight far too slight.

Leaning against the door like this... you really don't want me to come in?

"Fine."

If this is your insistence.

The noise outside the door quieted down. Just as Hana thought Ash was giving up on her, she suddenly felt a jolt from behind, sensing a familiar presence leaning against her back.

"If you really don't want to see me, then let's talk like this."