Kamen Rider is the Villain in Pretty Cure

When she closed her eyes now, the pain and nightmares no longer attacked... No, in reality, the nightmares wouldn't let her go so quickly, but as long as he was by her side, she could endure it all.

Because she knew she was no longer alone, forcing herself to hold on as she had in the past. Whether it was happiness or hardship, joy or sorrow, she now had someone by her side to share it with.

What she felt was an infinite sense of peace and happiness.

However, this happiness also stirred another part of her heart, one that was gentler, more fragile, and filled with self-reproach.

"But, Ash? Is it really okay for me to be this happy now?" Calling out her lover's name, the woman's voice was filled with sorrow as she softly blamed herself. "Do I... do I really have the right?"

After all, Hana herself had been the one to collapse after enduring pain on her own, ultimately triggering this world-ending crisis. The former hero had become the worst enemy. Did she, who had caused so much suffering to countless people, truly have the right to feel this happiness now?

"I..."

"No need to say more. That time has passed, hasn't it?"

This wasn't the first time Ash had heard her say such things. Hana, the energetic and strong Precure... no, Nono Hana, was simply too kind. Of course, she couldn't just brush aside her actions as if they were nothing, even though she was the primary victim.

"Listen, Hana."

Now that they were in love, Ash, who displayed infinitely more gentleness and patience than before, quietly brushed a strand of hair from her ear and leaned in, his breath warm against her.

"If you're not worthy, then neither am I."

After all, this is my problem too, isn't it?

Whenever she blamed herself, Ash could only deny such thoughts countless times. If she were to feel pain a thousand times, he would have to affirm her a thousand and one times.

"But..."

"No one is an undefeated hero. It's sad to fail, and even sadder to cause mistakes because of it, but don't deny your past because of it. After all, didn't you protect this world well before I came along?"

"If you're not worthy, then no one else is."

"Or perhaps..." Ash, with a sly grin as if he'd thought of something, moved closer, almost pressing his lips to her flushed earlobe. He then abruptly blew into it, causing Hana to let out a shy gasp.

As their relationship had rapidly heated up during their time together, Ash had learned many of her weaknesses, such as her overly sensitive ears.

"Do you really need me to say 'I love you' 3,000 times? Ha~ What a greedy woman."

"Th-that's not it at all!"

Finally covering her ears, Hana jumped off him, her face flushed crimson as she ran to the side. Ash laughed heartily and followed her.

Is liking someone really this joyful?

Then I really must thank you.

After returning home, Ash was treated with the utmost care by the Nono family.

Although it wasn't the first time he had been a guest at their home, now that everyone understood the situation, the other family members acted as if they were meeting them for the first time.

"It's good that you're back."

This was the simple response from Hana's gentle mother, Nono Sumire. A touching reunion didn't necessarily require touching scenes; she simply gave them an encouraging look across the dining table, as she always did.

Next, Nono Kotori, who had temporarily "borrowed" Hana, returned. Whenever Ash glanced her way, he could see Hana's blushing face. He wondered what her sister had said to her.

Then there was Hana's father, Nono Moritaro, who had just returned from the brink of death. He chatted amiably with Ash, first thanking him for his help with Hana and himself. Upon learning the truth about the twisted and painful relationship between Time Fire and Cure Yell, he unhesitatingly punched his daughter on his behalf.

"But since she's still a patient, I won't hold it against her... Ow, that stings a bit."

Sitting by the bedside in Nono Hana's room, Ash held his cheek, looking confused. Hana had come to his room earlier with a flushed face, telling him to wait for her. Why was he the one waiting for her now?

"I'm coming in."

Come on, come on! Nono Hana! Don't falter here!

The girl cheered herself on in her heart.

"This is your room, you don't need to be so polite, do you?"

The door, illuminated only by a dim light, slowly opened. Seeing Cure Yell enter with hesitant and reserved movements, Ash raised an eyebrow.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet, dim room. In the vast darkness, there were only the two of them.

Without a word, their distance rapidly closed. Before they knew it, she was sitting on Ash's lap, her hands reaching under his arms and pressing down on the bed. Both could hear each other's breathing intimately.

"You must be tired after a long day, Ash." Hana deliberately adopted a casual tone, but Ash could hear a forced maturity in her voice. "How about I help you relax today, Hana? Hya—"

Even after transforming, Hana's wrist was caught by Ash, and she was flipped onto the bed beneath him.

"That's not relaxing, that's you wanting me to try harder, isn't it?"

Nono Hana lifted her face, gazing deeply into Ash's dark eyes. In the depths of their gazes, they saw the same emotion reflected in each other.

"I thought you were jealous of Cure Yell?"

"But... I don't know what looks good." Facing the face so close to hers, Hana no longer seemed shy. "This is the most beautiful outfit I can think of..."

"Hana, the fact that you are the most beautiful right now needs no further explanation."

As a faint glow dissipated, she, still in her Yell costume, had only her hair and face returned to Nono Hana's appearance. Her wine-red hair naturally cascaded onto the soft bed, with bangs covering one eye exuding a peculiar charm.

"I truly love you now, Hana."

The mischievous Ash lifted her chin, which was tilted in a pitiful yet inescapable manner, and pulled it towards him. Their faces drew closer and closer.

"Ash... do you think I can be this happy?"

She asked herself this question again.

"Who knows? But..."

After a small groan, two warm dampnesses overlapped.

Gentle love stealthily swam in, licking everything around.

The lingering love reached its peak at this moment, as if drunk and crazy. Between the dimly lit, drooping lamp threads, overlapping figures danced gracefully.

"Um, Mr. Ash..."

Nono Hana's voice, impossibly soft, came through.

"Aren't you... going to turn off the light?"

"Oh, my apologies. I almost shamed the lady."

And so, even the last bit of dimness disappeared.

[Extra] Case File 80 Hana: Newborn!

A night passed, and both of them had grown quite a bit.

One of them had clearly grown more than the other.

Similarly, Nono Kotori hadn't slept all night. If you ask why, her room was only separated by a wall from her sister's room.

Now she finally understood why her parents had suddenly said late last night that they were going to a friend's house to play and even stay overnight. She hated it now. Last night, let alone through the wall, she had wrapped herself in her blanket and shivered uncontrollably. Even though she had no intention of eavesdropping, she had still heard everything she should and shouldn't have heard.

Her brother-in-law had been so gentle in the first half, but by the second half, his voice had completely transformed into that of a demon. Her poor sister, just by making "music," sounded... Little Kotori now only regretted having such a good imagination.

"Now, it should have stopped... right?"

Although the sounds from next door had stopped for a while after sunrise, Kotori still wasn't 100% sure.

Even though she was a useless sister, she was still her sister, so it was better to confirm, right?

Kotori, standing outside the door, hesitated. She raised her finger, unsure whether to knock, when the door suddenly opened. A living hormone dispenser, as solid as a city wall, stood there, completely blocking the doorway.

Ash, with his upper body bare, was gulping down the mineral water in his hand. The man, having shed his clothes, perfectly demonstrated the meaning of "muscular when clothed," his fit and slender physique like an ancient Greek sculpture, showcasing perfect streamlined curves. The sweat trickling down his body, along with the rise and fall of his bulging muscles, reflected the sunlight behind him.

But the more imposing his physique, the more worried Kotori became about her useless sister... Was her sister's "barren" body, which could be described as malnourished, really not "ruined" by this guy?

"Is... my sister okay?"

"I already told you, she wasn't relaxing, she was telling me to keep going." The man, crushing the water bottle into a flat disc with one hand, flicked it, and it landed in the trash can in the living room downstairs following simple geometry. Then, acting as if he owned the place, he continued towards the kitchen downstairs. "But your sister isn't as fragile as you think. Let her rest a bit longer."

However, the more he said this, the more uneasy Kotori became. Mustering her courage, she opened the bedroom door, which seemed to lead to a "demon cave." The girl, unable to hold on for even half a second, quickly closed the door again, her face flushed to the point of explosion.

"Cream... cream puff!"

After taking several exaggerated deep breaths to calm herself, the girl pinched her nose and opened the door again, shouting inside in a muffled voice.

"Sister, are you still alive?"

"..."

"Sister?"

"I'm still alive... let me lie down a bit longer..." Hearing the muffled and weak voice from inside, Kotori finally felt relieved. "I almost died..."

"Then... brother-in-law last night..."

"He's not human!"

Alright, no more questions. Asking further would be rude.

"Surprise, the whole world drives~" Ash, wearing an apron and looking like a house husband, hummed a tune while flipping a fried egg in a pan. He glanced curiously at Hana, who was being helped towards the bathroom, and then smugly boasted to the virtual panel beside him.

"Am I amazing, your Ash?"

[If Pretty Cure's Tomorrow Energy hadn't subtly strengthened her body over these eight years, you'd be calling for an ambulance right now.] After exposing Ash's past, the system screen displayed a slightly heavy line after a moment of silence: [Do you intend to continue like this forever?]

"Is that not allowed? Perhaps it's because of that previous Tomorrow Energy outburst, but I feel completely at ease now."

[But you know, those darknesses don't just disappear. There will come a day when your past catches up to you.]

The sound of the spatula flipping came from the hot oil frying the egg to a golden brown on both sides.

"If fate cannot be avoided, then I will face it." Ash's expression didn't change at all. Rather, he had been prepared since the moment he made his decision. "Until then, I want to give her happiness. After all, if she's been waiting for me, I can't disappoint her, right?"

[Because you love her?]

"Because I love her."

[I'm sorry.]

After leaving those last three words, Ash, who was taking the fried egg out of the pan, watched the system panel disappear.

"Don't worry about it. After all, people like us, when we're with you, there's no turning back once we've taken that step... Didn't we agree on this long ago?"

Hana, you asked me before if I was worthy of happiness. For me... it's the same.

"Phew... I'm alive."

Hana, emerging from the bathroom steaming and rubbing her fluffy, damp hair, frowned deeply as her eyes fell on Ash's back.

Pouting, Hana, wearing Ash's discarded green shirt, limped with her aching ankle to his back. She took a deep breath, then extended her slender, jade-green fingers, her raised fingertip delivering a fierce surprise attack to his lower back.

"Hiss—" Ash gasped in pain from the sudden action. "What are you doing, all of a sudden?"

"First birth!"

"?"

"Haha."

Sitting at the other end, Kotori, who had no idea what to say, could only let out a dry, emotionless laugh, pretending to accompany their flashbang.

Hana, who had made her way to her seat, slumped onto the table, listlessly poking at the fried egg in front of her, but she couldn't seem to get it to cooperate. After a while, Ash, unable to watch any longer, grabbed her by the collar and set her upright, then fed her half of his own fried egg.

"Mmm-hmm, delicious!" Hana's eyes lit up as she tasted the indescribable deliciousness, and she immediately perked up, puffing out her cheeks and tackling the fried egg in front of her.

"Ha, who do you think I learned my cooking skills from? I wouldn't dare claim to be the best in the universe, but I'm definitely second best!"

"Everything Ash makes is delicious! Nom nom nom—"

It's so nice…

Gazing at the two at the other end of the table, seeing her sister's relaxed smile for the first time in a while, this ordinary yet heartwarming scene between the two made Kotori, who was watching it, also reveal a sister-in-law's smile.

If it's like this, then my useless sister can finally be put at ease.

She took out her phone to snap a picture of the two continuing to stuff fried eggs into Hana's mouth. Just as she was about to put it away, a message notification caught her eye, making her eyes widen and almost spray the delicious food she was eating.

"Sister, Brother-in-law, something's wrong! This is big news, you're on the news!"