Chapter 383

The One Hundred Eighteenth Chapter Please Don’t Make Me Cry Anymore

“Kuron——”

As Lili instinctively shouted out the name of the fairy descending from the sky, her heart was deeply conflicted.

Having not seen this partner for a long time, who sacrificed herself for her own sake, she naturally felt a great longing. Recalling every detail with Kuron made her heartache uncontrollably, wishing to embrace him as she always did, sharing her inner turmoil.

Yet, she thought about the moment Kuron died, and a demon identical to the one from Timons’ seal named Kayin appeared. She wanted to reach out to hug, but other emotions prevented her from doing so.

“What’s wrong, miss? Do we know each other?”

Kuron was very puzzled when Lili called out his name. After all, he didn’t remember ever meeting her… No, though that might be true, there was still a sense that they were not strangers.

“No… we don’t, at least not yet…”

Shaking her head to suppress her overwhelming sadness, Lily stepped back a bit.

“Oh, I apologize for making you wait. I am an elf from the Heart Tree, thus I wish to ask you to become a Pretty Cure!”

Watching on the side, Ash scratched his head. Seeing Kuron’s earnest request, Ash grabbed him and aimed at Lily.

“You have the wrong person; if someone else is looking for a Pretty Cure, it should be her, right?”

Indeed, as Ash said, Kuron noticed LiLi first because her characteristics matched his definition of a Pretty Cure perfectly. But upon closer inspection, he found issues in her heart and turned to seek help from Ash, who strangely fit too.

“No, I came specifically for you. Although this lady has admirable qualities, her heart… Wait, are you male?”

Kuron stared at Ash for a considerable moment before reacting with shock.

“So you didn’t notice, eh? Hey, Lili, do you understand what he means? Shouldn’t things normally be different?”

“The source of Pretty Cure is a girl’s beautiful soul and the Heart Flower blooming in everyone’s hearts,” she mumbled, turning away. “My Heart Flower had already withered on that rainy night.”

“So that’s how it is…?” Hearing this, Ash had a notion and patted her shoulder as if comforting her, but secretly used Kuron to throw another demon identical to Kuron, named Kayin, into her body to test her.

After all, demons that can’t lie are the best to probe the true heart.

Kayin’s response matched her words; he saw a withered lily in her heart but noticed something different…

“Are you saying that a withered flower could bloom again?” Upon hearing this, Ash showed interest immediately.

“Yes, and as for reasons, given the circumstances, you should be able to guess by now.”

So that’s it. The clues connected. Thus, Ash’s eyes quickly turned into those of complete understanding.

His braincells were ablaze!

“So that’s it…”

“Heart Flower is a manifestation of essence and soul. So… this means Lili actually desires our marriage immensely? That’s why she was being unreasonable before.”

“To think she would want to be my bride… Heh, quite daring. You really caught me off guard.”

Ash chuckled, not meaning any mischief, just remembering his past when he frequently engaged in fake wedding operations with pink or yellow female teammates, often resulting in their abduction. Thinking here made Ash laugh.

“Hey, man, how can you say such things in front of others!” The Kayin hiding inside Lili was surprised to see his leader openly discuss this matter.

“! It’s not like that. No, I… I just… don’t know how to explain this… I’m not Lei or Erika…”

Ash’s words had an effect, causing Lili’s face to instantly flush deep red, displaying mixed emotions of embarrassment, anger, and sorrow, as she desperately tried to deny and shake her head. Given her previous actions, her denial lacked credibility.

“Do you like me?” Seeing her confusion, Ash took advantage to ask.

“Like… —mmph…”

Lili looked as if her shyness might overwhelm her, causing even Ash to smile.

Unable to bear Ash’s teasing, she finally let down her defenses and confessed loudly about her feelings.

“I… I only don’t want you to leave me. As the manager, you’re important to us. I can’t accept having you taken away from us or anyone else through marriage!”

“Lili’s possessive strength is truly unexpected… Still, even if I were to marry, it wouldn’t affect my work at the coffee shop, right?”

“That’s not true!” Despite blushing, Lili grew increasingly agitated. “Isn’t that creating distance between us?!”

“Just like dad, who claimed to study the Heart Tree and left like that forever… I don’t want that anymore!”

Though she never showed it to others, Lili harbored resentment towards the man who abandoned his family. When another person reminded her of his back, she expressed her frustration profoundly.

“It seems I’ve been blamed,” holding the incomprehensible Kuron in his hand, Ash reminisced about his past experiences at the Desert Apostle base, which made him somewhat narrow his eyes. “But Lili, I’m not a substitute; I can’t be your father.”

“… Sorry.”

Kuron knew what Ash meant, but even she struggled to control her intense feelings. Now, despite knowing Ash spoke rightly, she still felt disappointed. If possible, she wished Ash would hold her… Eh?

Just then, warmth spread over her body. Stirred emotionally, Lili’s unstable posture was quickly pulled into Ash’s arms, leaning back against his firm chest.

An invisible energy seemed to pour into Lili’s heart, giving her the courage she needed to face reality as well as Ash did.

“But if you need me, regardless of who else might be around, I want to support you solely as Ash.”

“After all, I look forward to seeing you become a hero. I’d gladly act as your shoulder to cry on anytime.”

“Not… needed…” Pulling lightly at his collar, Lili’s cheeks, which had turned red due to their close contact, suddenly relaxed into a relieved smile.

“Today, I’ve shed enough tears for you. Ash, please, try not to make me cry anymore?”

“Hahaha, I can’t guarantee that.”

Laughing heartily, Ash held Lili close. Yet, with closed eyes nestled against his chest, Lili failed to notice that Ash’s face held no laughter at all.