Chapter 128

The Twenty-Third Target is the Purple Pretty Cure.

For such extravagant spending, Ash had once asked Regina where she got so many negative thoughts to indulge in, and the answer he received was that her father, the Selfish King, gave them to her, which was why she spent so lavishly without any remorse.

After learning this, Ash’s behavior of exploiting became even more severe and justified. This time, he took advantage of her to charge the Dark Gear.

Although Ash could use the Dark Echo to charge those gears himself, the consumption would be disproportionately high, making it too unprofitable.

So now, with the rare chance to get something for free, why not take advantage of it?

If successful, Ash’s combat power and convenience in handling various matters would greatly improve.

“My Princess, you truly have had a hard time.”

Therefore, Ash sincerely thanked her at this moment after taking advantage of her.

Originally, when Ash shoved the gears towards Regina, he specifically said that she should just do her best, and the easily swayed young girl patted her non-existent chest repeatedly, claiming that these tiny gears were no trouble at all for her to fix.

However, when Regina tried pouring negative energy into the gears, she was immediately thwarted; the negative energy seemed to vanish like a stone sinking into the sea, leaving her regretting her overconfidence.

Struggling fiercely against the gears, Regina was further spurred by Ash’s concerned gaze, pushing herself to pour what felt like nearly exhausting amounts of energy into the gears.

Finally, after collapsing from exhaustion, she managed to repair several of the forty-four gears for Ash.

“Gh… What is this thing…?” With tired eyes and a drooping face, Regina stretched out her weak hand towards Ash. “What are you doing, you useless knight? Can’t you see I’m tired?”

“Yes, My Princess.”

Contentedly, Ash naturally obliged her request. He bent down, allowing the young girl to loop her soft arms around his neck and then lifted her by reaching under her armpit and behind her knees, holding her securely with one arm.

Cradling the princess in his arms was fitting.

After removing Regina’s circular toe shoes and placing her on the bed, covering her with a blanket, Ash, somewhat unable to contain his excitement and eager to test the new toy, was interrupted when a small hand reached out from under the covers and grabbed onto the back of his clothes.

“Did you really think you could leave after doing something so outrageous?”

Princess, saying such things can lead to misunderstandings; although, even if the FBI cannot beat me, it wouldn’t change anything.

Of course, he wouldn’t blurt out his true thoughts, so he turned around to look at Regina, whose eyelids were starting to fight the drowsiness, ready to say something.

“So, Princess, what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to do…. Hmm…. Let me think…. Ah, that purple….!”

With her eyelids already heavy from lying on the bed, Regina’s voice was muddled, almost as if she were talking in her sleep. However, Ash caught the essential detail; it was purple.

In this world, when thinking about purple, he immediately thought of the teenage girl named Kanzaki.

Sword – Black Spades – Sword Name – this made her seem familiar indeed.

“That purple thing was happening while Makoto and Mana were talking…. Yawn—Talking nonsense…. How daring.”

“Ash, go teach her a lesson…. Phew….”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Unable to hear Ash’s response, “drained” Regina emitted a light snore, already drifting off into a childlike slumber.

Speaking of which, did Regina just refer to Mana as Aida Ai?

Feeling his plans had become unexpectedly complex, Ash recalculated. There were three other Pretty Cures who orbited around Ai; especially Rikka, who had an unusual bond beyond friendship. And now, it turns out that Regina is also involved.

Reflecting on the past, during his daily routine with Regina in the Selfish Organization, she mentioned meeting an interesting friend upon returning. Thinking about it, Ash realized there might be a connection.

That CureHeart is way too powerful! If she were a man… Ash found it hard to imagine.

No longer dwelling on those musings, Ash set his sights on another Pretty Cure, Kanzaki Makoto.

“Since I’ve taken their favor, I might as well do something in return.”

Picking up one gear, facing away from the dim overhead lights, he observed its surface to see the clear records of great power within the gears.

“Exactly, let’s give this a try.”

On the other side, having declined Aida’s invitation to join her and the others for dinner, Kanzaki Makoto walked home alone.

Besides being a refugee from “Poker Kingdom” and a Pretty Cure, Makoto also had another identity – a highly popular idol who peaked right at the start of her career.

Idols receive admiration and millions of followers, yet despite their seemingly enviable status, only Makoto knew the hardships that came with the role.

As a top idol, every expression or gesture in public needed to be perfect. She often had to attend various events at the request of her agency, dedicating her leisure time to honing her vocal skills.

Moreover, with a commitment exceeding industry standards to her role, she pushed herself even harder.

Aiming to bring smiles to everyone through her voice and presence, Makoto endured extraordinary effort.

This dedication, however, led to profound fatigue deep within her soul.

Recently, due to the demands of her agency, she starred in a movie themed around Snow White, where she played the lead, but was instantly humiliated by veteran actors portraying the wicked queen due to her amateur skills.

If this were any other idol, they might resign themselves to their inexperience or leverage their popularity to manipulate the cast. But always diligent, Makoto only increased her own efforts, hitting a frustrating plateau no matter how hard she tried.

Even her Pretty Cure comrades were growing anxious, let alone herself.

On top of the setback in her career, Makoto’s life as part of Earth’s companion world, Poker Kingdom, wasn’t going smoothly either. Loyal to the kingdom’s princess, she had been sent to Earth with fairies and spirits when the selfish organization invaded, setting the stage for the Pretty Cure story.

坚信公主安全的真琴急切地想要找到那位大人，因此她经常趁着夜色搜寻公主的消息，其在月下飞舞的身影也替大贝市人民留下了神秘女英雄的传说。

在大贝市的高楼之间，今天化身为剑天使的Kanzaki Makoto不停地穿梭，寻找任何与公主相关的信息。

只是今晚也没有收获，似乎无论去哪里都看不到公主的踪影。

“Not anywhere… nowhere,” she murmured.

The dual setbacks in her career and belief struck this young girl hard, overwhelming physical fatigue from late-night rehearsals occasionally surged from deep within her body. Her numb feet stumbled, nearly causing her to fall off the roof before grabbing onto the railing out of desperation.

“Princess, where are you…”

“True, you’re already very tired, Makoto. It’s time to rest, Dabi.”

Dabi timely reminded her partner, but Makoto shook her head, reassuring him that she could continue.

“I’m fine, just find the Princess as soon as possible, then all my efforts will have been worth it!”

But observing True’s unwavering diligence, Dabi realized Makoto had gone beyond simply pushing herself. To achieve her goal, meticulous and overzealous as she was, she appeared to be self-exploiting.

“The Princess surely wouldn’t want you to torture yourself!”

Finally enduring no longer, Dabi invoked the name of his most significant figure in True’s heart: the Princess. With the mention of her, Makoto finally halted her movements.

In True’s memory, the compassionate Princess, rather than a queen figure, had always kindly advised her not to overexert herself.

“You’re right, Dabi… Let’s stop here today—Huh?”

Losing her grip momentarily, True sighed deeply, preparing to give up today’s search when she unexpectedly encountered a familiar yet peculiar figure.

A black-clothed man strolled under the streetlights, seemingly calm but with an intense gaze, searching for something, only to find it was never quite what he desired.

She remembered—it was him! The one who could turn into a Kamen Rider. That man, named Ash, who inexplicably attacked the Pretty Cures and almost used a dragon to eat her!

Why suddenly appear? Is it just coincidence?

“Could it be targeting Pretty Cures… and Mana and the others?”

Thinking of her friends possibly in danger, Makoto couldn’t remain still, imitating a sneaky thief’s move from TV as she secretly followed him.

Elsewhere, in the streets, Ash collided with a little girl rushing out from a corner. Feeling a jolt, the brown-haired girl sat directly on the ground before him.

“Ouch ouch… Ah!”

Just rubbing her bottom, Ash grabbed her collar, lifting her like a kitten. Their gazes met directly.

Unafraid, the girl dared to return his stare, challenging him with her gaze.

After some time, Ash finally released her, deciding it was only a regular student passing by, no need to fuss over someone like that.

After all, being neither a hero nor a villain, Ash didn’t find amusement in ordinary people’s actions.

“I hope you’re heading home quickly, or else your mom will spank your bottom.”

With that, the girl darted away, turning around before escaping to make a silly face, leaving him in her wake.

“What a brat,” he muttered, picking up the student card left behind as he walked down an empty alley.

Akuri Ryuu…. a fourth-grader named this.

Recalling his days as a fourth-grader, arguing with the next class over the superiority of Ultraman or Godzilla, Ash couldn’t help but smile.

Jotting down her name, tucking away the student card, Ash called loudly:

“What’s wrong, enjoying the view?”

“Since you’ve seen it, shouldn’t it be your turn to step into the spotlight?”

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