Chapter 566

Seventy-Eight Ash’s Villainous Heart

“No, please!” Two small hands grabbed Ash’s collar, the man straightened up from the ground, pulling up the owner of those hands along with him, revealing a face that was once handsome but now disfigured by tears.

“You went after the Clown Monster, please tell me what’s going on!”

“Since you’re being so harsh, wouldn’t it be better to give up?”

“Who would give up here?” Naoko stubbornly looked at Ash with her tear-blurred green emerald eyes. “It’s precisely because things are so harsh that I can’t give up. You think such things are obvious, but do you really know?!”

“Mei and Rikka are more kind-hearted than anyone; they would never be like this!”

My friends, I believe in them more than anyone else!

“Don’t underestimate Precure!”

“Sigh… Nobody wants to be smart anymore?” Ash sighed slightly. “Okay, if I’m not mistaken, the Clown Monster’s ability is probably like its turning arrowhead; it’s the [Reversal] ability.”

“Reversal?”

Naoko repeated the word, still not understanding, after she stopped crying.

“Yes, it might have reversed Mei and Rikka’s feelings for you. How pure and beautiful your friendship was before, now it has all been turned into hatred and malice. The closer the relationship, the darker the disdain will become after the reversal, right?”

The ability to reverse personalities indeed exists, and under such influence, even a saint could turn evil. Otherwise, how could someone as naive as Mei say such biting lines?

No, rather, they treat you like they can’t see you, and if they’re not physically attacking you, they’re already being good because their kin in their DNA forbids them from doing otherwise.

“But, then what do we do?!”

“What else can we do? In general, waiting until the root cause is solved should be enough, right?”

To wait only? But Mei and Rikka are currently—

“But—” Even after hearing Ash’s explanation, Naoko, thinking about the others’ previous behavior, couldn’t accept it. “Please take me with you!”

If it’s you, you must help me, right?

“Let go.” Ash’s expression rapidly cooled down.

“Huh?”

“I’m telling you—let go.” Feeling a gust of wind headed toward her, Naoko stumbled backward and sat hard on the ground. By the time she looked up, Ash had moved several meters away from her.

“Why do you think I’d take you with me?” Naoko felt Ash’s gaze grow even colder. “Last time too, didn’t I say something to you, yet neither you nor Akane listened?”

“But, but!”

Naoko tried to explain, flustered by his bringing up old grievances. “But, Akane recovered her abilities by fighting alongside you, and I helped everyone find the true location of Wolfrun. Isn’t that—”

“Do you think this is like a simple, fun, safe school trip?!” Ash suddenly raised his voice, scaring her. She could not figure out why he was suddenly so angry, and it felt as though she was facing the imposing Ash again. “Have you thought about what would happen to you guys unable to transform to protect yourselves?!”

“—!”

“It seems my freedom was too much… Hmph, was my kindness just this cheap?” The more he spoke, the more thoughts surfaced, fueling his anger. “Hmp, initiating such kindness only binds me; actions against my nature prove ineffective, indeed.”

Joker’s words were indeed outdated news, and he did not want to dwell on them, but precisely due to their obsolescence, it gave Ash some rare moments for independent reflection.

No matter what great deeds or famous legends I accomplished in the worlds I visited, ultimately I would leave first.

This wasn’t to say that Ash had to die; it was to cleanse the “dark reverberation” increasingly affecting him, a promise he and the system upheld.

In that case, how many times would Myself, as well as them, have to endure such farewells? How painful would those farewells be?

Now, Naoko kneeling before him presented this pain directly to Ash, making his heart even more complex.

Yes, losing important bonds and friendships, even more than that… it is indeed a painful thing, and it’s too much to ask this girl to bear it.

If I were still at the emptiest stage of my soul—the villain when I first left the Kamen Rider world—I’d be fine. Then, all I would worry about is what to eat each day and whom to fight. Thinking about making the virtuous heroes angrier would be enough for a happy life.

Such a carefree life of constant intense battles is refreshing!

But now… somehow I find myself dancing on eggshells somewhere in between, wondering when I became so unfamiliar with such tenderness.

[But, Ash, don’t you think it’s quite okay to be like this too?.jpg]

“Be quiet!” Seeing the Chika emoji added at the end of this text on the virtual interface, Ash crumpled it in frustration and tossed it into the nearby trash bin like a ball.

Honestly, wasn’t it just easier if he had continued mechanically urging me to find the Dark Reverberation? That way, I wouldn’t worry about any changes in character, or getting so annoying… humanness.

“I’m not your babysitter.” With myriad thoughts swirling, Ash remained cold-faced upon finishing cleaning up.

“Huh… What?” Naoko was confused, not understanding what he meant.

“This is your problem. Is there a reason I must help you?”

“Our relationship is merely one of opposing the Tragic Kingdom; we aren’t even friends.”

*Slap!*

Ash briskly shook off Naoko’s renewed grasp.

There is truth in what the clown said. Perhaps my past experiences created a false impression for me. Dragons cannot truly play games in the forest, even when disguising themselves; it’s a fairy tale, not my story.

However, turning Pretty Cure into such an unrecognizable form… Let’s go and fix that.

Naoko stood rooted to the spot, stunned by Ash’s sudden explosion.

“But, uh… why?!”

“At this point, do you still wonder, Mei?” Disbelieving, the girl saw a mocking smile on Ash’s face. “If it gets unbearable, you might as well hide.”

Perhaps I got lost in softness and started craving their company subconsciously.

In that case, I shouldn’t… No, I should probably maintain some distance, lest others cry over me again.

Maintaining distance, if that leads to pain, then better not to create the source of pain from the start.

For the sake of the Dark Reverberation.

To allow me to engage in thrilling battles joyfully, sans the worries of trivialities.

I’ll continue being an unreasonable antagonist.

“No!”

A girl’s cry choked by tears stopped him, as another weight and warmth suddenly rested on his body.

He was suddenly embraced.

“Let go.”

“I won’t!”

She stared at him.

Using eyes filled with unshed tears, those emerald irises seemed both pitiful and captivating, even the light within gradually fading away.

“Only just together—we should not say such heartless words at a moment like this either!”

Ash felt a shock to his heart.

He wanted to shake her off, but could not bring himself to release her.