Chapter 390

Chapter 125 Wanting to Help His World

“Heart Tree… hm, it has appeared?”

Regarding the matter of Heart Tree, Ash naturally analyzed the information leaked here and there by both CureFlower and Dark Pretty Cure to come up with an overall picture. In short, it was a combination of Earth’s life essence and the consciousness of all humans, similar to “Gaia” and “Alaya.”

In other worlds, Ash had also seen similar world-consciousness crystallizations, such as the King’s Crest in the Beast King world or selecting messengers to protect the Earth in the Ultraman world.

In the Super Sentai world, the Earth’s consciousness was particularly active. Humans and their teams were virtually the Earth’s own children. Ash could hardly keep track of how many teams had their powers granted directly by the Earth, or the times Earth acted as a deus ex machina to give them an advantage at critical moments… cough, getting off-topic.

Anyway, different worlds had different ways of dealing with similar entities, but their attitudes towards “demons from beyond the boundaries of the world” were surprisingly consistent. At the very least, they wouldn’t tolerate trespassers with warmth. Ash had witnessed plenty of these encounters himself. So, why would Heart Tree welcome him?

“I know of another towering tree just like you… companions of the light power warriors and dark power users together… tsk.”

Unable to ease his body condition, Ash simply lay in the soft embrace of CureFlower, twirling his fingers idly. Thinking about the situation made it nearly impossible not to make the connection.

If that tree were even one-tenth as “considerate” as this one, it wouldn’t have been cut down and burned by itself.

But enough jesting. Ash naturally couldn’t relax around the top leader of the benevolent side.

“But first, why are things like this?”

I remember Flora was the Pretty Cure that Doon had always been interested in – wasn’t she also Lei’s grandmother?

Yet, despite her wrinkles, she remained youthful and beautiful after transformation. Agh, Pretty Cures’ transformations seemed to hold a rejuvenating effect. Many likely envied her.

“Do you really like the Pretty Cures?”

Supporting Ash from behind, allowing him to sit properly, Heart Tree revealed a motherly smile. Her delicate fingers applied just the right pressure to massage away his fatigue, while he fully leaned against her simulated soft chest.

“Do as you please…”

Grabbing the offered wrist, Ash sniffed closely, catching a gentle flower fragrance which, despite his dulled senses, was quite distinct. It was this comforting essence that triggered his recognition.

“This feeling… is like the ring.”

Comparing it to the ring he had given Lily, he realized this unknown ring must share an origin.

“So, it makes sense the ring would be wooden.”

“When I flipped through my space, the future Heart Tree dropped this ring when I took something out, so it landed just right,” Heart Tree paused her hands, allowing Ash to hold her grass-scented palm. “Afterward, a sprite named Kuron touched it, completing a circuit that sent present-day information to the past.”

Ash instantly recalled the first time he saw Heart Tree; she had already imbued him with kindness. Naturally, she had seen him much earlier than he had encountered her.

Time formed a loop. The past Heart Tree received data from the future Heart Tree, thus she knew precisely when to drop the ring, ensuring it landed perfectly in his inventory.

The time correction’s magic was just that mysterious.

“I apologize for acting on my own, leading to misunderstandings between you and Lily.”

“No, I don’t hold that against you,” Ash’s voice didn’t reflect the anger simmering within him. He was furious, but not at Heart Tree, rather at himself.

“I couldn’t even notice such a thing, let alone use age as an excuse… If that weren’t a beautiful ring but a weapon, I’d be dead now.”

“No… don’t take it too far…” Seeing Ash’s stern expression, she felt a bit worried despite recognizing his nature.

“Therefore, I can’t blame your craftiness, only my own slackness led to this misunderstanding.” Summoning a virtual screen, Ash forcefully pounded it. “But it’s not all your fault; after all, managing the inventory is your function. Not noticing anything? Can you still call yourself a system?!”

[……] The screen, slightly cracked from being pounded, displayed three dots.

[I’m not constantly monitoring everything; stop putting all problems on me.]

“But you’re the system, a system for a traveler from another time. Is this level of carelessness acceptable?”

The virtual screen simply compressed into a beam of light and vanished.

“Tsk, we’ll discuss this later.” Restored to some strength, Ash turned to Heart Tree’s perpetually kind face. “So, you’ve known my story for a long time, right?”

“Joining the Desert Apostles, recklessly becoming enemies with your Pretty Cures… freely behaving… no need to elaborate, I know I’ve been a nuisance… but I understand.”

Whether looking from any angle, Heart Tree, holding the upper ground with information, should have chosen an early elimination, not this affectionate posture. What puzzled was why she kept showing kindness to him.

“Why didn’t you defeat me?”

“Because, I want to help you.”

“Why, and even want me to thank you?”

“Because, you’ve helped me.”