Kamen Rider is Being the Villain in Pretty Cure

I'd brushed those off back then, after all... I'd genuinely forgotten.

His life of constant travel had made him forget many things that were natural for ordinary people long ago, including the time of his own "birthday."

"The last time I felt happy celebrating my birthday..."

When was that?

When he remembered, there was no one by his side to celebrate that joy with him. And when there was someone by his side, he had already forgotten long ago.

"Hana~"

Ash smiled, just saying her name made him smile with happiness and contentment.

Even though it was something he'd lost and didn't care about.

But seeing Hana's smiling face as she talked about it...

It made him so happy.

So, this was what it felt like to share feelings when going through thick and thin with the one you love? Truly, as long as she was by his side, he would be happy.

As long as she was by his side...

"Clatter."

The Beast Electric Gun fell to the ground with a clatter due to Ash's fumbling as he spun it between his fingers.

"Ah... This is bad."

Ash, who had suddenly come to his senses and clutched his head, showed an expression of infinite, painful struggle on his face for a moment.

"I've changed."

He had never thought he would be so emotional.

"I've... really started to not want to..."

"Not want to leave here... leave Hana's side."

He had never imagined he would regret... and feel so reluctant to part.

"What should I do?"

No one could give him a definitive answer.

"[...I'm sorry.]"

Even the "System," which had been with him from the beginning, couldn't provide an answer.

"Ash?"

Hana, who came in after hearing the noise, looked at him with concern.

"Are you feeling down right now? Is it because celebrating my birthday together was too strange? Or maybe not..."

"No, how could it be?" A smile replaced the original expression on Ash's face. "There's nothing more joyful than celebrating with you, Hana~"

"If you're truly happy," Hana pouted, looking directly at Ash's expression. "Then why do you have such an ugly smile?"

"Isn't it just because I'm too happy?"

Nono Hana stared silently at Ash, who was acting exaggeratedly, clearly hiding something, yet refusing to tell her.

She felt a bit angry, but mostly worried, and also...

A liar.

"Happy Birthday to You~ Happy Birthday to You~"

Not only as family members of the Nono household, but Homare, Saya, and others also naturally came to celebrate the two of them together. Saya, a former world-class actress, sang in a sweet, theatrical tone, bestowing a sacred radiance upon the two, now crowned as the leaders.

"Happy—Birthday—!" The intense rock guitar riff shattered that atmosphere. The "Happy Birthday" song, rearranged into a rock anthem, was strummed by Emiru, instantly hyping everyone up.

"Gao~ HOHOHO GAHOH—" Even V rex, transformed into the size of a DX toy, joined in with singing and dancing, offering a dinosaur version of the birthday song.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Hana, who had rejected Ash's offer to rent out the entire hotel for the celebration, had instead decorated her own home and invited all her friends. She sat before a cream cake with 23 candles, picked up V rex, and kissed its nose, giggling foolishly at the fact that she had gotten a year older.

Honestly, Ash~ Hana nudged his shoulder with her arm, noticing his unusual quietness and speaking in a deliberately coquettish tone. "You're also the star of today. How can you be unhappy?"

"What do you mean?" Ash, with his arms crossed and his feet tapping to the rhythm of the earth, quickly explained. "I just don't show my emotions easily. This is a manifestation of my reserved nature."

"If that's the case, then why didn't you even put any candles in?" Hana said with a laugh and took some candles from the side. "The number of candles... How old are you now, Ash?"

"Ummm..." This question was actually hard to answer, mainly because Ash didn't really know how old he was, and asking the System about it felt too embarrassing. "Just say I'm four."

"Okay~" Hana put five candles in front of Ash's cake and lit them one by one. "So our little Ash is already five years old!"

"..."

Listening to everyone's laughter and applause, Ash, with veins popping on his temples, couldn't help but smile.

Is this why people celebrate their birthdays? If someone was by your side... it would indeed be very happy.

"Come on, make a wish quickly!"

"Pop!"

The two clasped their hands together in front of them, took a deep breath, and closed their eyes, making a wish in their hearts.

'I hope we can continue to be happy with Ash after overcoming our difficulties~'

'...I don't have any wishes to make.'

Another voice echoed in Ash's mind.

'[You can make a wish for her.]'

'Then I hope Hana's wish comes true.'

Opening their eyes, the two blew out the flickering flames on the candles together.

[Extra]Case File 96 Losing More Than Winning

Cutting the cake, playing games, and sharing all sorts of surprising private topics with each other, Hana, with a smile on her face, always managed to spread her joy to others.

Except for Ash.

He didn't find them noisy; he just couldn't get used to it, and he was still troubled by another...

"Problem."

Gently swirling the champagne in his stemmed glass, Ash saw his own serious expression reflected in the liquid.

Not joining in their happiness, Ash, preoccupied with his thoughts, leaned against the wall alone.

"Even after defeating that monster, there's still a more serious problem."

Or perhaps, more than one problem.

The more he thought about it, the more concerned Ash became, inevitably slipping into a contemplative mode of searching his mental "library."

The miracle that occurred when his heart and Hana's finally reached an accord had even turned the entire V rex robo a golden "still water" color, twisting the world's darkness and sending it to the heavens... It seemed incredibly powerful, but that's precisely where the problem lay.

The current problem was indeed solved with "infinite love," but what about the future? It wasn't as if defeating all darkness with a single punch of "super invincible I love you!" solved everything, because Rampage Energy still existed.

"Tsk, even though a subjective miracle actually happened... If only it were this simple to resolve."

Based on Hana's observations and the descriptions of that old man named Traum, Ash finally understood the nature of "Rampage Energy" in this world.

In contrast to "Tomorrow Energy," which represented "aspirations for future development" and was used by Nono Hana, "Rampage Energy" symbolized "stagnation and despair." However, this "Rampage Energy" wasn't the existence of a specific person or object; it wasn't something that could be solved by giving it a couple of slashes with "Sarujira!" in the past.

Where there is light, there will be darkness; this is an immutable truth of the world.

This truth was even more pronounced in this world. As one side grew stronger, the other would secretly accumulate power. In an eternal cycle, the existence of the other could never be eliminated; this was the rule of balance between light and darkness in this world.

"Compared to some kind of dark energy, this thing is more like a natural disaster, similar to a torrential rain or a tornado... Ah."

Did I say this conclusion before?

According to the rules of this peculiar world, as long as people hesitated, their negative emotions would accumulate "Rampage Energy"... Well, I'm undoubtedly secretly aiding the enemy right now.

"Tsk, just as I thought!" Ash's lips curled into a wicked arc of irritation. "I should have properly [researched] that guy who left back then, to see if I could find Rampage Energy's weak point!"

Thinking of the skinny guy who claimed to be Nono Hana's future "husband" and seemed to have been recognized as a vessel and controlled by Rampage Energy, Ash became instantly furious.

But at the time, saving Hana was the top priority, so he didn't have even a Planck second to spare for him.

"You kept saying you were here to save Hana... Then why the hell didn't you save her?"

In the end, the only answer you came up with, besides being a riddle-spouting enigma and wallowing in self-pity, was to use Rampage Energy in reverse to make sentient beings lose their future, thus causing the entire world to stop?

Your method of saving her was by destroying the world she had been protecting? Even a priest wouldn't be this outrageous!

Look at you, what kind of human behavior is this?!

"If I go look for him now... Damn it, I heard he already ran back to the future."

Angrily Ash, holding a stemmed glass, moved silently, his thoughtful body instinctively navigating the shadows between people like a ninja, unnoticed by anyone. Despite being one of the protagonists of this party, he sat on a plastic stool in a corner like a transparent ghost.

"The fact that no Doomsday Monsters have appeared recently isn't a sign of a happy ending after everything is over; rather, it's proof that it's secretly accumulating strength in the darkness!"

When the time comes, the reappearing enemy will force Hana into battle again. If this continues, eventually the two of us... No, will I still be by Hana's side then?

So, the problem isn't how to solve it.

The problem is how I can ensure Hana lives better.

"Ash?"

It should be a happy time now, but the more Ash thought about it, the worse he felt, completely lacking the mood to enjoy this happiness. Even Hana, who had walked up to Ash and started calling his name, couldn't pull him out of his deep contemplation.

"My problem is..."

What I know now is that even though Dark Echo has been unusually stable and hasn't destroyed my body since that day, the shadows from the past will eventually catch up and take me away. Even I don't know if I'll have a chance to see Hana again by then.

"Hana's problem is..."

For her, this is simply a marathon where she runs while spitting blood. If she wants to protect the world, she must fight. Without rest and alone, she will inevitably collapse on this "path of justice" within seven or eight years, without needing another incident.

"This is the worst."

There's no almighty magic conch shell that can give me a perfect solution now. After all, the ones causing these problems are inescapable dark forces, all of them are darkness...

Darkness...

"That's right—!"

Hana, who had been observing Ash's frowning face from the side, was startled by his suddenly wide, staring eyes.

"Rampage Energy"... negative emotions symbolizing humanity's stagnation...

Those chosen by Rampage Energy can control it and exist as "spokespersons"...

My own "Dark Echo"... carrying the resentment of all the enemies I've ever defeated...

These things are not unrelated!

"My brain cells are boiling!"

These paths instantly appeared before Ash as a single road... a "road" that wasn't even much of a road.

Bubbles continuously rising from the bottom of the cup exploded on his reflection in the glass, the distorted, blurry other self seeming to question him.

'So, what are you going to do?'

'There's no "happy end" option available to us; we can only choose between "bad" and "too bad".'

'So, what's your choice?'

That's right.

Sometimes, the choices on life's path aren't about picking the correct answer, but about choosing how much you're willing to lose.

"My goal."

There has only ever been one.

"What goal?"

Nono Hana's face, leaning closer, was reflected alongside Ash's in the golden liquid, along with the rising bubbles in the champagne.