Chapter 369

The Twelfth Chapter: Ash’s Embarrassing Moment

“So, Rei and Erika really made up?”

“Mm-hm, even though neither of them seems willing to give up, at least they can be considered to have started a fair competition. It’s quite rare to see both of them putting in so much effort.”

“Also, with that saying ‘the two are Pretty Cures,’ there’s no way they wouldn’t make up. Of course, personally, I believe three Pretty Cures make more sense.”

“That’s great, hahaha—ouch!”

Ash winced from the pain as his laughter pulled at the wound on his face.

Seeing Ash, the unwitting culprit of all this, squirm in discomfort, Wuki felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction.

“Knowing that Nasta’s shop has reopened, those two should be on their way here now… If it hurts, I’ll help you out.”

Dipping a cotton swab in the medicine bottle, Wuki gently dabbed the wound on Ash’s grimacing face.

“Be careful… As an adult, Manager Ash behaves like he’s still a primary or middle school student.”

“Seriously, at least say I’m carefree?”

Initially, Ash was used to treating his own wounds, but once Wuki came over and took over, things were different.

Ahh… Though it still hurt, seeing Wuki being serious somehow made it less painful. He couldn’t comprehend why.

“But…that damn guy.” Just as Ash was distracted, Wuki abruptly changed her tone, bitterness seeping through.

“Hateful Timons, attacking ordinary people! He injured our manager like this!” Wuki clenched her teeth, but continued applying the medicines to Ash’s injuries.

Yes, once Ash had determined that Timons would become a villain, he didn’t hesitate to create another identity for himself. The sudden cuts and bruises did not need excuses; he just said Timons, looking very unhappy, beat him up randomly. No one doubted him, everyone was worried about him instead.

Hehehe, this is what having multiple identities is good for!

“Wuki, you hate him very much right now?”

But indeed, something was still bothering him.

“Of course, I absolutely detest him! That guy is just a big cheat! Saying such untrustworthy things, then attacking a defenseless manager. Unforgivable—”

“But…” The man watched the cotton swab moving in front of him, lifting his finger towards the girl whose eyes shimmered with tears.

“If that’s the case, why does Wuki’s expression look so sorrowful?”

“I…”

Wuki’s movements paused instantly as her expression froze in sorrow.

“Sorry, I—I’m going back!”

After leaving behind her sorrowful retreat, Ash lay weakly in his chair.

“Did I miss my mark? Overdid it?”

Honestly, why do things go wrong whenever he encounters them?

Not dwelling too long on it, since being gloomy wasn’t his style, Ash began rummaging in his inventory, hoping to find something useful… Ah, found it!

“What is this?!”

Looking at a ring quietly lying among a pile of items in his inventory, Ash was momentarily stunned.

He tried the ring on each finger; no fit except his—

“Ring finger… and it fits so perfectly! How come?”

Ash stared at the ring on his hand as if it was custom-made, and upon closer inspection, it looked pretty cool. He didn’t want to take it off.

“Not appropriate!”

Realizing his thoughts, Ash shook his head, not to show off.

Originally planning to find something useful, he only discovered this forgotten ring along with a few discounted memory cards from the library and some pudding.

For sure, no recollection at all. Although he often needed to clear memories due to Dark Echoes, he usually still had some recognition of collected things, at least a feeling of déjà vu.

“But this ring… where did I get it?”

Thinking hard, rubbing his temples, still, Ash didn’t remember.

“Hey, are you here? Is there a system on this channel?”

[?]

With a quirky call, a transparent panel showed a large riddle symbol appeared before Ash.

“What’s this?”

[Obviously, it’s a ring. Made entirely of wood with an electroplated gold finish, it could be an engagement ring someone gave you or you meant to give someone.]

“I already know it’s a ring, but are you joking? Who’d propose with a wooden ring?”

Besides, how come I don’t remember getting married?

[Someone did.]

“Who?”

[You do.]

Ash slapped his forehead. Though absurd, thinking about it, maybe he’d actually do something like that… Not!

“I mean, which world did I get this ring from? You’re a system, right? Shouldn’t you record when items are added to the inventory?”

[…]

Facing this sequence of ellipses, Ash’s原先的文本似乎没有完整地翻译到英文。为了完成翻译，我将根据先前的内容继续翻译剩余部分：

“Come on, you don’t really know where this ring comes from, do you?”

Just as Ash spoke, the panel vanished with a snap, responding to no further calls from him.

“What’s going on? Even Schuck’s system isn’t this unhelpful… Never mind.”

Raising his palm towards the warm light above, Ash’s golden ring on the ring finger reflected beautifully under the glow.

“Whatever. It’s mine now!”

“A close look, and it appears to be my favorite color, the design is also cool. The size is perfect! Indeed, it could pass as an engagement ring!”

Well, if used to scare others into believing I’m married, who knows, it might work. Haha!

Seeing the store empty, Ash smiled, raising his right hand sideways while extending his left palm to his face, ring gleaming.

“Good morning, manager.”

“I am the last hope!”

At this moment, standing with a pose, a mysterious vibe leaking despite the immense pain oozing from his body, Tsukikage Lily stepped back, her expression unchanged, closing the recently opened door.