Chapter 568

The Eightieth Pretty Cure is not a cheap thing!

Ash has his own plans.

Naoko has her own plans as well.

Even when faced with difficulties, she has decided not to give up but face them head-on, but Naoko also knows the truth: If she cannot transform, she is just an unnecessary child to the tragic kingdom; if she truly wants to turn things around, she can only rely on this “Kamen Rider.”

Furthermore, if she can build a relationship here and learn more about him…could that make him feel easier about hiding something?

After all, isn’t everyone doing the same?

“Come to think of it, Mr. Ash seemed to know quite a lot about us during our first meeting?”

During the wait for Miyuki and the others, Naoko asked the question about their initial encounter with her own purpose.

“Of course, I endured not jumping into the fray just to observe your level as a group of Pretty Cure. I followed you secretly for nearly a week.”

How terrible!

At the moment the thought appeared, Naoko’s eyes turned cold with disdain toward Ash’s last words, but she quickly suppressed her subtle emotions and caught onto the key word in his sentence.

“You said, our group… Are there other Pretty Cure as well?”

Considering such a possibility made Naoko’s heart stir with excitement.

“In other worlds, there should be ten or nine of them…. Mmm.”

Should Xia’an and Regina be classified as extra-battle warriors or special warriors? Sigh, there’s no O-Eiga website for me to check here.

“…”

Excitement was plastered across Naoko’s face. The cabin fell into a delicate silence, only the “sucking” sound of Sugar licking ice cream echoed.

“Eh—there are so many Precures?!” This shocking intelligence made Naoko stretch out her response with a trailing voice, only realizing afterward and covering her mouth.

“Oh, as long as the toys sell, it’s fine. There will always be more Precures like there are more riders, Ultra Men, and teams.”

“What a harsh way of putting it!”

Isn’t it like saying everyone here is just selling toys, appearing like radishes popping out from the ground! Even someone like him should have some dignity!

“So, in short—” Ash’s silent bombshell left Naoko dazed, but she managed to comprehend what he meant. “So, Mr. Ash has seen the world of the Precures? Then did he also do the same things to them as we did?”

“No.” Ash looked at her with a strange gaze. “Of course not. How boring would that be? Why do you ask like that?”

So, does this mean we were the only ones affected? Feeling discriminated against, Naoko’s frustration resurfaced.

“What I did to them is undoubtedly much worse than what I did to you! Hahaha~”

That’s even more outrageous!

“For what reason have you been doing this?”

“To Dark Echo.” Ash spoke indifferently about things she didn’t understand. “Of course, most importantly, to make myself happy.”

Seeing the self-satisfied Ash now, Naoko finally understood where the sense of discord came from when they kept a certain distance.

This person is always saying bizarre things and performing incomprehensible actions. Touting himself as our enemy claiming it’s for our good, and then mysteriously helping us. Despite his intimidating stance, the bottom line results…

“Saying villain stuff…” Holding a pimpled eye with a very “disdainful” gaze, Naoko looked at Ash with a very “cheap” expression.

“Just because he likes to show off by bullying girls to look impressive, right?”

And he enjoys teasing us, finding joy in seeing girls panicked…how cheap can a villain be!

“…”

Now it was Ash who felt uneasy under Naoko’s scrutinizing gaze.

You really hit the nail on the head there; these beautiful words are burning away my spirit as a “villain,” pride, and dignity at once.

Wanting to hit her, huh? Well, might as well get darkened via some “dark force” again. Yeah, now’s not too late; let’s become darkened right now.

“Aaah—aren’t you already hitting me? It hurts!”

Rubbing the back of a green-haired girl’s head, Ash finally let go after watching her struggle to hold her red forehead teary-eyed.

While your verbal skills are sharp, what decisions do you make in practice?

“Are you called Naoko Mikutagawa?” For the first time, Ash didn’t abbreviate her name as “Green.” “Naoko, there’s actually no need for you to insist on fighting this situation.”

“Eh?”

With a mischievous intent, Ash deliberately guided a distracted Naoko.

“After all, haven’t you lost your transformation ability and can’t fight the Clown Monster anymore? Of course, I understand your current frustration.”

Facing the gradually silent Naoko, Ash continued to speak.

“But you just need to return to sleep. Once everyone defeats the Clown Monster and everything returns to normal, you’ll return to being friends. You won’t keep suffering such malice. Wouldn’t that be better?”

So, are you going to give up for the best decision?

“But this won’t work!” Surprisingly, Naoko shook her head firmly. “Indeed, this might be the best method… But is the best method always the correct one?!”

“?”

No longer avoiding Ash’s gaze, Naoko clenched her teeth and emitted a “crunch” sound.

“Acting like nothing happened, letting Miyuki deal with your injuries, and if you judge based on the results, then why not avoid the whole situation altogether? Better to be a completely oblivious turtle!”

“And besides, if you back down here, I think I will lose my qualification as a Pretty Cure forever!”

Being a Pretty Cure is not a cheap qualification!

“Is that so?”

Is this your choice?

Though verbally expressing doubt, even Ash himself hadn’t noticed that he was nodding unconsciously.

In terms of attitude, after all, aren’t you the big sister to five younger siblings? Quite fitting, isn’t it?

Ash began to admire her unique “beauty”.