"You can hear me, right... No, you can definitely hear me. Even if you can't, it's fine. You'll definitely understand what I mean. After all, you're the world's greatest hero."
"There's something I need to tell you... Your father, Nono-sensei, was injured while saving people. He's lying in the hospital with serious injuries right now. I don't know if he'll wake up."
Tears moistened Hana's hollow eyes again and slid down her face.
"But I promise you, your mother, your little sister, and your friends are all still okay. As long as I can make it back, I can heal injuries like that too. So, Hana, listen to me."
"I know too... Whether it was your hope or your despair, all of it was my fault. I used the will of the game world to trample on your true feelings. It's fine if you blame every problem on me. If that can make you feel better—"
Seeing the monster restrained before him begin to stir restlessly again, Ash gave a faint laugh. "But if that happened, you'd only feel worse, wouldn't you... So none of that matters. What happened in the past, whether it was yours or mine, none of it matters anymore..."
"Actually, I kind of wanted to blame you too... If you'd been honest about it, maybe it wouldn't have come to this... But whether something was wrong or right, I think that if we could share it together, we wouldn't keep blaming each other because we failed to understand."
Right now, whether the result was your victory or my defeat, if we lost our humanity, it would be a tragedy so terrible even God would have to close His eyes.
"Hey, Hana, this month I spent with you... I was really happy."
"Our month together wasn't just a final flash before everything was destroyed, right?"
"Neither you nor this world has to be destroyed. In a world where miracles are allowed, you can still have a better ending, right?"
"If I promised to save you, then if it doesn't end happily, none of this means anything, does it?"
Removing his helmet, Ash opened his mouth with a bitter expression of sincerity so deep it almost seemed unreal.
"I..."
The V-Rex Robot stepped forward, bringing Ash in its chest to Hana and allowing his hand to reach out and touch her cold cheek.
"I'm an arrogant fool who understands nothing except the thrill of battle and dazzling light."
I want to spend the next month with you, the next year with you. I want to be with you forever.
"So someone as clumsy with words as me really doesn't know how to comfort you."
Before Ash, the darkness formed from Rampage Energy began to tremble violently. The core wriggled as though it meant to swallow Nono Hana back up, but before it could, her hand, already covered in cocoon-like skin, was firmly grasped by another broad hand.
"So, I—"
Rather than accepting all the Tomorrow Energy from the entire world, the man hurled the Mirai Crystal into the sky above them and raised his hand to shoot it apart!
"Y-you..."
Together with the Tomorrow Energy accumulated within Ash's body, it all became dazzling golden light that draped itself over the girl whose "wings" had been bound.
At that moment, it was as though a beam of sunlight had fallen solely upon her. Restored by Tomorrow Energy, beyond her familiar pink battle outfit, a bridal veil, a thin skirt, and transparent wings behind her appeared upon Hana at last, years overdue.
Under the overflowing light of tomorrow, even the darkness within him that had nearly taken what remained of his life vanished without a trace!
"I love you!!!"
Their fingers interlocked, and Ash gripped Nono Hana's hand with strength he would never loosen.
"I want you!"
As tears fell straight down the man's face, beneath light descending like the sun, he clenched his beloved tightly and tore her free from the rotten core that had bound her amid the crackling explosions of darkness!
"Hana—!"
He believed in miracles.
"Ash..."
"Ash..."
"Ash."
"Waaah..." Lying in the man's arms, no longer able to suppress her feelings, she cried out at last as she murmured her beloved's name like a prayer in a dream.
"You don't need to say you're sorry." Before Nono Hana could speak, Ash said it for her. "And you don't need to blame yourself. This isn't your fault. Look, this world that has continued until now, and that rainbow."
After the pitch-black energy vanished, everything in this world still remained.
The reason this world had retained a future until now was because her hope and the rainbow that reached toward dreams had connected it from Kanata.
"The hands you reached out to convey these feelings to someone."
The man raised the hand linked with the woman's.
"Now, I'm holding them for real."
In the sky, at the border between the light behind them and the darkness before them, beneath the gaze of the sun and the entire world, Ash tightly embraced his beloved clad like a bride and, without a shred of hesitation, kissed the lips that held the light of the future.
"—"
She returned the kiss willingly, slipping her arms beneath Ash's and wrapping them around his scarred back.
So sweet.
"I definitely..." Holding those broad hands, the emptiness in the girl's eyes and heart was filled once more by his hope and love. "I definitely won't leave you again."
"Let's bear this future together."
Their matching resolve was sworn in the words they spoke together.
"A future where, even when we're lost, we can find someone to lean on; where, when we cry, someone can embrace our sorrow. A future where we're no longer alone."
"But a future for two!"
Until the flame of this life burned out—
"Ohhhhhhhh—"
Though they still had no idea what had happened, when they saw the two kiss, pull apart, and gaze at each other with deep affection, people everywhere on Earth erupted in emotional celebration for this scene, embracing their families and kissing their lovers.
Tomorrow Energy overflowed through the world once more after many years.
Several people watching the scene could not help wiping away the tears streaming from their eyes.
"You've grown up, Kotori—"
"▇▇—"
With Hana's departure, the Doomsday Monster's beautiful goddess form could no longer be maintained and collapsed. Sharp fangs, ugly bat wings, disgusting writhing eyes filled with grotesque heads—the darkness born from despair and decadence continued to mutate, twisting into a shadowy, screaming, writhing thing beyond description that should never have existed in the real world!
The physical manifestation of Rampage Energy released a roar no earthly creature could make and charged toward the two of them, determined to devour them again.
"Big sis—!"
Kotori, covering her mouth alongside her mother before the television, stared wide-eyed in terror at the horrifying sight, watching the monster charge toward the golden super robot standing upon the earth.
Some people clasped their hands, shut their eyes, and began to pray.
But their worries were entirely unnecessary. What had to be done now existed clearly in both their hearts.
"Come on, Hana." Taking his beloved's hand again, Ash opened his other hand toward the hideous enemy before them. "It's time for our trump card to take the stage. This is the final farewell."
"Yeah!" She too tightened her hold on her beloved's hand. Hope, vitality, courage—the feelings with which she had once cheered for others returned to Nono Hana's eyes.
"Go, go! Ash!"
"Go, go! Me!"
Reciting her long-unused signature line, Nono Hana even smiled with nostalgia.
How long had it been since she had given her all to cheer someone else on?
"Let's go, Ash!"
Standing atop the V-Rex Robot's chest, the two moved like dancers, interlocking their fingers and aiming their clasped fists at the monster.
"To hold tightly to this prayed-for happiness." Ash raised his clenched left hand.
A resounding flash of light rang out from the steel giant god behind them, already gleaming with golden radiance. Facing the charging enemy, the enormous body beneath them slowly raised both hands as countless newborn streams of Tomorrow Energy flowed from the energy units in its shoulders into the machine's core.
[Tomorrow Energy Output, 5,670,000,000%]
A faintly flashing heart-shaped crest gradually overlapped with the Time Rangers emblem on its chest.
"To embrace this shining future!" Nono Hana raised her radiant right hand.
All energy, all tomorrows, and all love converged upon a single point, reaching the utmost pinnacle.
With all power gathered in the left iron fist of the V-Rex Robot, the color flashing from its hand had surpassed anything that could be described as "gold."
Then it raised its iron fist at the charging monster.
""Tomorrow Punch!!""
The iron fist of light that symbolized the opening of the future spun, shone, and flew forth, illuminating everything.
What kind of sight would it be when infinite light collided with absolute darkness?
Ash and Hana leaned against each other, watching the sunrise beyond the horizon.
The enormous darkness, the enormous monster, stopped halfway through its charge. A huge heart-shaped hole had pierced through its chest, and through it they could see the super robot holding its smoking left hand level, along with the two standing atop it as the same gentle breeze brushed across their cheeks.
Aiming at the despairing darkness that had once bound her, Hana drew a deep breath and spoke two words.
"Sublimate!"
Infinite "tomorrow" effortlessly shattered despair toward the "past," and the energy that shot inside burst and collapsed like an avalanche within the darkness.
Within the darkness enveloped by light, there were no longer cries of agony, only a happy sigh that released everything.
"Yell for you." With a sacred expression, Hana crossed her hands before her chest toward the dark world.
"The End." Looking completely cool, Ash swept his fingers through the bangs before his forehead.
"Tomorrow."
Looking toward the girl beside him, returned to being that ordinary, familiar girl named "Nono Hana," who could only ever be "Nono Hana," he saw her open her arms to him with a face full of happiness.
"Will surely be a wonderful tomorrow."
Looking at the scarred man before her, still a warrior, she saw him smile with utter happiness as he lifted her forcefully into his arms.
"I understand now, Ash."
Resting against the man's shoulder, the slightly sleepy Hana looked with him toward the horizon, where the true sunset was quietly drawing to a close, and whispered.
"The fact that the world gave me tomorrow and hope for the future must have been..."
Closing her eyes, the woman raised her head without shyness and kissed the man's dry lips once more.
"Chu~"
"I love you too."
Side Story Case File 79: Happiness
The world had been saved.
More precisely, the world had been saved by love. There was no doubt about that.
But ordinary people living in this world where heroes existed would never understand such things. Now, as the darkness dispersed, they shouted toward the tomorrow they had finally reached, celebrating the arrival of the future.
After all, the people swallowed by the dark world had merely been frozen, not killed. Even the apocalyptic battle between the two giant gods that had nearly flattened all of Nursery City into hills had been repaired by the omnipotent Tomorrow Energy. With all that destruction restored, what reason did they have not to celebrate this happy ending?
But for Ash and Nono Hana, who stood at the center of the incident, none of that really mattered much.
"So beautiful... When the sun rises again, it means another tomorrow."
Having just completed the final brain surgery on Nono Hana's father and ensured there were no more problems, Ash had changed back into his white coat and sat beside Hana, who wore a simple pink dress, on the hospital rooftop.
Without saying a word, the two leaned against each other. Half-red, half-yellow light pierced the night and fell upon their squinting faces. With their fingers intertwined in quiet clasp, they watched the rising sun slowly emerge over the horizon, a beautiful sight bringing life to everything.
Just as Ash had said, he had brought the future back and made the sun rise once again.
"Yeah." The other hand wrapped around Hana's shoulders from behind her back tightened toward himself, and Hana naturally leaned more of her weight against his chest. "This is the tomorrow we protected together."
"Mm." Hana rubbed her head against him with deep affection, her hair lightly brushing his collarbone and bringing a sweet scent that made his heart itch.
"When I'm with you, it's the most beautiful."
"You really do love acting spoiled." No matter how strong and carefree she usually acted, she was still a woman... No, a girl, wasn't she?
"Is that not okay?"
"No." The man quietly left a kiss in her hair. "Right now, I have room for that."
Feeling the warmth coming from his chest, Hana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as though she wanted to draw in every bit of air carrying Ash's scent.
Before you continue