Chapter 403

Chapter 138 “Welcome Back”

The once-cerulean sky outside the door gradually darkened as rain clouds rolled by, but no one paid any mind to such small details. The sign outside Nasta Café had been turned to indicate closure.

With Ash’s grill set quickly moved out, the café’s interior naturally transformed into a festive barbecue atmosphere.

“Grilled chicken wings, I love them so much~~”

Despite being ousted shortly for failing to utilize the performance of the dragon sword properly and getting eliminated by the Dark Pretty Cure, Eddie shamelessly began enjoying the barbecue feast with gusto.

“Sizzle~~~!”

Doused in golden cooking oil and brushed with juicy barbecue sauce, slices of plump and tender pork belly sizzled on the charcoal griddle, eliciting a mouth-watering sound. After giving the half-raw meat eater next to her a white eye, Momoka, who had already donned an apron, took up the role of chief grill master.

“At least I have a sister; let me show you my superb culinary skills!”

“Hurray! Long live Momoka-senpai—wait, Lei, that piece is mine!” With both Lei and she snagging the same well-done piece of meat, Erika immediately tried to snatch it.

“No way, I got there first!” Lei didn’t back down, her beet-red face gripping the chopsticks tightly. “Erika ate so much earlier, this one is mine!”

“Alright, alright. Cut it out.” Watching the pair’s chopsticks clamping desperately at the leaking juice from the pitiful beef cutlet between them, and the lightning glares they exchanged, Nagisa powerless placed the grilled meats in their bowls. “It’s really hard to hate your close bond.”

“Phew, if Wuqui keeps being this considerate, he might end up taken advantage of.” Lily put a leafy green vegetable with her bacon onto Nagisa’s plate with a smirk.

“Now now, everyone eat what they have. Passing it around will lead nowhere.”

“How can you say that!” All eyes turned to Ash, whose plate was brimming with a hill of meat. “You’ve eaten the most!”

The group joyfully sampled the hearty barbecue. Lily quietly sat beside Ash, meal tray and teacup in hand.

“Even though you weren’t around often before, lately, you’ve been leaving the shop more frequently,” Lily tried to pick up tofu with chopsticks, only for it to slip each time.

“So what? I’m consistently protecting the café and all of you too.”

“But it’s just that there are no customers coming; maybe we should just shut it down.”

“That can’t be true, right?” Ash raised a green leaf to his face under the pale yellow light, its bright luster glowing. “If I close, how would I ever see the Pretty Cure anytime I wanted?”

“Hmm, you truly do like us.” The tofu slipped from Lily’s chopsticks again. “That day you found me, when I had lost my vital partner and couldn’t see my future, you said, ‘There must be something I can achieve,’ adopted me without permission…. Ha ha, this was just kidnapping, wasn’t it?”

Though stated with this sentiment, there was no blame in Lily’s tone—only remembrance.

“Afterward, this place became, aside from my mother’s home, a second shelter for me.”

“And then more and more people came to Nasta. Now, I can celebrate happiness alongside you all without grieving over lost ones, as if the missing family has returned… To me and for everyone here, this place holds a unique significance.”

Finally, the tofu broke in two from the sheer force applied.

“Lily.”

Lowly hanging her head, Lily heard Ash’s voice and saw his smiling face turned to her.

“Welcome back.”

“Really, what’s this, you cheater…” Lily swallowed down the leftover vegetables and tofu bits with a slightly salty taste, forcing a strained yet beautiful smile from her originally sorrowful expression.

“I’m back.”

“Café Manager—Ah, Mr. Ash!”

Ash turned backwards feeling some presence and saw Lei tugging hesitantly at his clothes, still smudged with grease from eating, presenting a drawing nervously to him.

“Mr. Ash, our school festival is starting soon; our fashion department’s project is a fashion show. Aside from the designs given to us, Erika, Wuqui, and I designed a men’s outfit. So… could Mr. Ash be our runway model for the show—please?!”

“Sure, sure.” Though Ash simply nodded, Rei’s mood visibly brightened at his acceptance.

“If I manage to be free later, call me.”

Rei stopped herself from jumping with excitement as Ash smoothly turned to ask her.

“Rei, could you bring some Heart Seeds for me to check?”

“Of course, but why?”

“Nothing special. Maybe because… I want to see them.”

In the midst of the lively barbecue party, even the usually disciplined girls were highspirited through the evening. After calling Rei’s house, sitting on a chair, Ash watched the group collapse in exhaustion on the sofa and promptly fell asleep. He gently covered them with a blanket.

Sleeping Ad was long kicked outside, while Rei’s two sisters were given another blanket, and Nagisa was settled back in bed, her blanket tucked up. Ash approached the calm blossom, Rei, extended his hand.

Truly witnessing an unusual scene.

“It looks like you had a good dream.” Gently running a thumb across Rei’s smiling lips, past Erika’s mumbling “I can’t anymore”, Ash moved towards a glass jar on the counter containing Heart Seeds.

Within, pure energy shone between countless seeds.

“Is the transformation device inside the flask with Lily, or has the seal vanished somewhere… Nevermind…”

Expressionless, Akash tucked the seeds away and pressed the door handle, about to exit. Right as the door opened, a cold female voice echoed from behind.

“So late, where are you going?”

“Work… Oh, I detest night shifts, so this isn’t about overtime.”

From behind, Lily stared down at Akash’s stiffened right hand and said with concern hidden in her gaze.

“Yesterday, I injured Timmon’s right hand. I thought that would make them quiet down, but…”

“Director’s right hand still doesn’t seem completely fine, and yet, even asking doesn’t get a response.”

“It might be my own fall, not wanting you to worry made me hide it.” Despite constant questioning, Akash showed no signs of faltering.

“Then why go through the trouble to trick Rei into handing over the Heart Seeds just to take them away?”

Why, now of all times, with that suspicious seal, choose to hold a barbecue feast instead?

Shouldn’t it be your guidance that has brought us this far? But—why?!

Even though the pain in her heart felt tearing apart, Lily held back her tears and confronted him sternly.

“Tell me, are you really the Kamen Rider Timmons?!”

Akash did not respond, turning his head to give her a radiant smile before vanishing outside.

“Wait!”

Tsukikage Lily chased after him!