"In every fatal accident, there are at least 30,000 potential hazards laying the groundwork, like the massive part of an iceberg hidden beneath the sea."
"If small problems aren't dealt with, they'll eventually turn into major accidents. You got lucky this time—I was here to save you. If it happens again and you're even two minutes later, you'll probably end up as ZX Unit 2."
Speechless, Hana lowered her head deeply, putting on an appearance of humbly accepting Ash's instruction.
I know. I know all that. It's just that, for various reasons, sometimes I can't choose the most correct answer. Or rather, this world doesn't leave me any choice either. But...
"Thank you, Dr. Ash. I don't know what to say."
She did not know what to say. A thousand words reached her lips, yet only two came out: thank you. Nono Hana slowly climbed down from the operating table, enduring the dull pain returning to her waist, and bowed deeply to Ash.
"This..."
The moment Nono Hana took out money from her coat, Ash pushed it back.
"No need. I already explained why, and I'm not short on money. I only opened this clinic to treat people and prevent certain things from happening a second time." Ash waved a hand and had Hana sit back down.
"Wait a bit. Once the full examination report comes out, I'll prescribe some medicine depending on the results and check whether there's anything else wrong with your body. Don't worry, it's all free."
He's such a good person, Ash-sensei!
Although Dr. Ash's temperament and tone were a little strange, Nono Hana still felt sincerely grateful for how he had treated her. Her heart felt warm. After all, such a good person had voluntarily saved her and was even giving her a complete examination for free...
An examination!!
Nono Hana suddenly raised her head, realizing something terrible.
"Dr. Ash! You just said..."
"Oh, it's coming out." Ash watched the progress bar on the operating table fill up and reached toward where the report was being printed.
"----"
Before he could, a hand snatched the report away even faster than Ash. As she looked over the detailed report, the woman's face grew darker and darker.
Traces of healed third-degree burns, penetrating wounds, large-scale lacerations, slight disorder in the limbs and internal organs caused by healed contusions and comminuted fractures, abnormal proliferation of excess tissue, and complete necrosis of certain bodily structures.
There was only silence. It was as though Nono Hana had received fate's final judgment. The joy of surviving was replaced by terror and worry that her secret might be exposed.
Unknown mixed harmful substances had accumulated inside her body. Her white blood cell count per microliter was around 119,278, roughly ten times that of an ordinary person... Well, a normal person could not possibly still be alive and talking in such a condition. This was practically throwing the fact that "there's something abnormal about this girl, Nono Hana" right in someone else's face.
"Miss Nono Hana?" Ash's voice pulled Nono Hana's wandering consciousness back.
"W-what is it?"
"Oh, don't be surprised." Thinking she was asking how he knew her name, Ash nodded toward the wallet on the table. "I looked at your ID. That's normal."
"So, Miss Nono Hana..."
"Ah, a UFO!"
Originally acting on the desperate hope that a dead horse could be treated like a live one, Hana pointed at the window behind her and shouted. To her surprise, Ash immediately turned to look.
Sorry, Ash-sensei. I really didn't want to do this!
The shining energy that represented the future quietly altered the future written on the report.
Ash, looking out the window, met the gaze of a haggard man holding a book.
"..."
"What the hell are you looking at?" For no apparent reason, Ash snapped at him.
"What the hell..."
After frightening off the peeping stranger who knew what he was up to with a vicious glare, Ash turned around and began lecturing the panting Nono Hana.
"Miss Nono Hana, I understand you were trying to liven up the atmosphere, but don't do that again next time."
Having only just come from Kyuranger's world and not yet fully adjusted his mindset, Ash had thought the Space Shogunate was coming after him when Nono Hana mentioned a UFO. He had nearly called V-REX over to transform into robot mode and fight to the death.
"Let me see..."
"Let's see..."
"See..."
Ash's brow furrowed. Not because the problem was too serious, but because there was barely any problem at all. And no major problems was the biggest problem of all.
But this report was displaying normally. Could it be that Doctor Shinigami had gotten carried away drinking beer in the past, operated while drunk, and messed up part of the examination module? The more Ash thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"Miss Nono Hana."
"..."
"Miss Nono Hana?" Ash asked again when he received no answer. When he turned around, he saw Nono Hana curled up on the operating table.
"F▇▇K!" Sensing something was wrong, Ash had no time to worry about the examination. He flung the paper aside, crossed the distance in three quick strides, and held a finger beneath Nono Hana's nose. Only after feeling her steady, peaceful breathing did he finally relax.
She fell asleep? Damn it, false alarm.
He wiped away the sweat left over from the operation. Shocker's high-tech operating table was good in every way except that it lacked a mechanical arm to wipe away sweat. Still, considering that its previous user, Doctor Shinigami, had removed all his sweat glands and replaced them with coolant, it was perfectly reasonable that it lacked such a useless function.
The operating room swiftly returned to normal. Those devices that looked like they would trigger an alarm reverted to their harmless-looking appearances, and a pillow was even slipped beneath Nono Hana's head as she slept.
"V-REX." He softly spoke the voice command. The Shocker emblem on his tablet interface changed into the Timeranger insignia.
Thanks to the blueprint for the "Conscience Circuit" provided by Jiro, as well as the intelligence models generously provided by Ken Ryusei and Stronger Parson as reference samples, Ash had replaced V-REX's original intelligent chip with a "Super AI" chip circuit designed by his own hand.
At this moment, even if every technological product on Earth were tied together, they still would not match V-REX's intelligence.
"Did you find anything?" Before performing the operation, Ash had considered Nono Hana's condition and ordered V-REX to review every traffic camera in Nursery City over the previous few hours before she arrived.
Leaving aside those old injuries for the moment, the seemingly fresh ruptured internal organs were no minor wound. For an injured person to endure such damage and make it to the clinic alone was an immense trial of both body and willpower. If Nono Hana's internal rupture had been caused by being hit in a traffic accident, and the driver had fled the scene, forcing her to come here alone, Ash would not mind doing a little "cleanup work" for his lifesaver.
Side Story Case File 9: Take Your Medicine on Time
"My apologies. Based on the estimated time frame for internal organ rupture in the database, the system searched the period before Miss Nono Hana's arrival. During that time, there were no traffic accidents in Nursery City, nor were there any other accidents capable of causing such injuries."
"None?" V-REX's search result left Ash feeling somewhat incredulous.
"Play it all back, V-REX."
"The nearest potentially relevant footage is from one hour ago."
The standby interface switched to surveillance footage from Nursery City. In the recording, Nono Hana was slowly walking step by step, her left hand covering the area of her ruptured internal organs.
She walked slowly, her body swaying. Many passersby approached to ask whether she needed help, but every time, she forced out a smile and refused their kindness.
"Idiot." Ash shook his head and continued the playback.
As soon as the footage from one area ended, it jumped to the next. From the moment Nono Hana left her home until she reached the clinic, a total of one hour had passed.
Nono Hana slept soundly on the operating table, a sweet smile on her face. Drool ran from the corner of her upturned lips, as though she were having the most wonderful dream.
Perhaps she was dreaming of world peace, finding her other half, or fulfilling her dreams. But Ash had no time to watch her. He only stared fixedly at the surveillance footage without even blinking.
"Additionally, based on the injuries, the specific time of Miss Nono Hana's internal rupture was likely between midnight and eight this morning."
"In short, she should have endured for some time after her internal organs ruptured before seeking treatment."
"If that's the case, then the timing doesn't match."
With injuries like these, Ash naturally associated her with the true identity of that Pretty Cure. More accurately, it was the first thing that came to mind.
Although Ash was less interested in the real people behind the heroes' masks than when they wore them, he still felt that, as opponents for the coming period, he ought to "look after" the other side.
But now Ash reached a conclusion: [Nono Hana could not possibly be Cure Yell.]
"Although they feel somewhat similar, their appearance, voices, and figures don't match at all. And most importantly..."
Time.
That was right. The timing did not match.
Although he had not examined her like this, Ash had sensed it during his brief clash with that Cure Yell. She had suffered serious injuries. He figured that if she had not sought treatment immediately afterward, she would probably be lying dead on a slab by now. There was no way she could have held on until now.
Besides, yesterday's battle had taken place during the day. Even if she had been injured then, it did not match Nono Hana's condition.
Ash continued thinking, still unaware of the existence and wondrous effects of this world's unique Tomorrow Energy.
"Master Ash?"
"I'm listening." Ash, who had been talking to himself, closed his eyes to ease the dryness and pain brought on by the past hour. The shock of that hour had given him a headache.
He opened his uncomfortable eyes, put in some eye drops, rose from the sofa, and stretched his somewhat stiff limbs.
Then he walked to the operating table, slid his arms beneath Nono Hana's armpits and knees, and lifted her up while she was still asleep.
"So light..."
Her body, carrying a faint scent of disinfectant, was light, soft, and small.
This time, Ash carefully felt what he had overlooked during his race against death.
Nono Hana was as light as a sheet of paper in his arms. She was also very petite, nothing like an adult woman. No matter how he looked at her, she seemed fragile.
Yet this very body had endured until now through the agony of ruptured internal organs.
Ash's experience told him that even among heroes, few possessed such formidable willpower and vitality.
"Sleep. You'll feel better if you sleep a little longer... Sigh, idiot."
He gently placed Nono Hana on the sofa as though handling some sacred relic. V-REX's main body, now reduced to DX toy size after being fitted with a mass-conversion device, came over carrying a blanket in its mouth for Ash to drape over her.
"Chinese medicine or Western medicine?"
"This unit recommends both."
Nono Hana had a dream.
In the dream, she wore a pure white wedding dress as a bride and walked down the aisle with her arm linked through her husband's.
In the front seats on the left sat her tearful parents and excited younger sister. Homare, Saya, Emiru, and the others sat in the second row, applauding and congratulating her.
A young priest stood before them, holding a Bible.
It was time for them to exchange vows.
"Sir, as long as you live, you must always care for your wife with tenderness and fulfill your duty as a husband until the end of your life. Do you wish to enter into marriage with this lady?"
"I do."
The man's voice sounded solemn and familiar.
"Madam, do you believe that this marriage has been ordained by Heaven, and are you willing to recognize this man as your husband?"
"I-I do!!"
The bells rang, and everyone cheered. Countless flower petals appeared from nowhere, rising into the sky before slowly drifting down.
Shy, Nono Hana turned to face the groom with him. Hana wanted to see just what kind of handsome man had married her.
Then she came face-to-face with Time Fire's crimson visor, and in those flame-shaped lenses, she saw her own utterly bewildered reflection.
Nono Hana's expression swiftly changed from bashfulness and happiness to shock and panic. She wanted to break free, but without transforming, the other party's hand gripped hers as firmly as a vise.
W-wait, I don't want this anymore!
"Now, the groom may kiss his bride."
"Mmph, mmmmmmgh—"
The man's hands gently held the woman's small head as she shook it from side to side. As Nono Hana's face grew redder and redder, Time Fire's silver metallic lips drew closer to the woman's soft, thin ones.
Beneath the gorgeous rain of flowers, their lips met.
"Waaaaah!!"
That was my first kiss! No—
Nono Hana opened her eyes wide, mouth agape. The wedding venue from her dream had turned back into the clinic, while the operating table had become a soft sofa and blanket.
"S-so close..."
The embarrassment and anger brought by the dream wedding with Time Fire added even more color to her flushed face after waking.
"Creak." The tightly shut door to the operating room opened.
"You're awake?"
"Dr. Ash, I'm sorry, I was just too tired—"
She stood up, bowed, and apologized in one smooth motion. Then Nono Hana raised her head and saw Ash and the—bowl?—in his hand.
Before you continue