NPPC02

**Legendary phantom thieves? I won't help the Pretty Cure!** (*伝説の怪盗？ 私はプリキュアを助けません！ Densetsu no kaitō? Watashi wa purikyua o tasukemasen!*) is the 2nd episode of *Night Pursuit Pretty Cure*.

## Summary

After Cure Identity and Safe escape, the two have a fight over Miwa wanting to continue fighting monsters to keep Casablanca City safe. Because Safe's love for order and justice goes against him supporting thieves, he ends up running away and hiding. Miwa tries to follow her normal daily schedule like she used to, but feels like something is missing and since she feels bad for Safe, she ends up ignoring the monsters that keep popping up, which also grabs the attention of Safe. Seeing the situation, he decides that for the greater good, he will support the Pretty Cure, so he sets out to find Miwa. He does find her and starts lecturing her, much to Miwa's confusion before sending her out to fight the monster and Miwa promises him that she will find a way to turn the things she steals back to normal.

## Major Events

* Safe runs away after finding out the Pretty Cure are phantom thieves.
* Miwa's father, Mimoto Ryouta, makes his debut in this episode, as well as Aihara Kasumi, Miwa's class president.
* Matsubara Satomi, Miwa's homeroom teacher, also makes a brief appearance.
* Safe has a change of heart and ends up supporting the Pretty Cure, officially joining the team.
* Miwa promises to find a way to turn the Rheingold back to normal.

## Synopsis

Having escaped the museum, Cure Identity and Safe flee over the city and end up on a roof, where Cure Identity collapses and detransforms, letting go Safe who she had held on the entire way there. Safe immediately starts lecturing her over stealing something but Miwa interrupts him, saying that she defeated the monster and that it was the right thing to do. This enrages Safe more, who yells shortly at her before running away, leaving a dumbfounded Miwa alone on the roof.

Miwa returns home, where her father is already waiting and the two eat dinner. Miwa is still thinking about her argument with Safe and her father notices her bad mood, asking what's wrong. After a moment of hesitation, Miwa tells him that she had a fight with a friend over their different opinions and how she regrets that she let him go. Her father advises her to wait some time to give them both time to think about it before they talk each other again, hopefully with better understanding of each other. Miwa thanks him for the advice and goes to bed but can't fall asleep immediately, pondering a bit more about the monsters and Safe's home.

Meanwhile, Safe has managed to hide somewhere in the city, still somewhat annoyed that Miwa would just ignore order and justice because she thinks it is the right thing to do. He also blames himself shortly for searching the Pretty Cure but justifies it with the fact that he didn't know that they were phantom thieves, remebering the scene at the museum where Miwa said that they sounded like good people. Safe then realises that he needs to find another way to save his home since he won't be working with thieves. He'd like to think about it more but the exhaustion of the day is finally catching up to him too. Additionally, he is really hungry but can't bring himself to do anything about it as he has no money and wouldn't think of stealing.

The next day, Miwa follows her regular schedule and goes to school, but she finds herself turning to speak to Safe only to realize that he still isn't there. She misses him already despite only having met him a day ago. She has a bad feeling the entire day, thinking about Safe just wanting to free his home only to find out the people he had been relying on were not what he thought they were. She doesn't pay much attention in school and gets scolded for it several times which ends up only making her feel worse.

During a break, a Nokachi appears and Miwa sets out to fight it. When she's about to leave, Miwa remembers that she'd be stealing something again and that she doesn't want to hurt Safe anymore, so she opts to ignore the monster instead, letting it do its thing. When later in the afternoon another appears, she ignores it too despite the two monsters wreaking havoc on parts of the city.

By now, Safe has also realized that the Nokachis have appeared. While first ignoring them too, he soon starts questioning why Miwa hasn't done anything. He immediately shoots down the thought, not even daring himself to think about defeating them and stealing yet more valuable things.

He watches on for a while but sees the havoc the Nokachi are causing in the city, scaring humans living there and destroying their homes, much like it happened in the Welton Kingdom. Once he realizes how similar the situations are, he decides that he doesn't want another life to end up like his had. Stealing like the Pretty Cure do may be bad, but it's nothing against the Nokachis destroying so much more. He races away to find Miwa.

Miwa is once again on her way home, not paying much attention, when Safe comes flying into her at full speed. She falls down and is even more confused about his sudden appearance when he starts lecturing her again. Due to her confusion, she isn't picking up much, but when Safe asks her why she isn't fighting, she stops him and asks him why. Safe answers that the Pretty Cure may be thieves, but they don't destroy lives like the Nokachi do.

Miwa transforms after Safe tells her this and is about to leap into the fight when she turns back to Safe again. He is surprised but prompts her to go on. Cure Identity gives him a smile and promises to find a way to turn the Rheingold back to normal and then jumps away.

She doesn't have much problems in the fight but is about to take a hit when Safe intercepts it. Cure Identity is surprised but uses the chance to defeat the Nokachi. Safe picks up the Rheingold of the two monsters and the two leave, Miwa taking Safe home. Where, much to his delight, Safe finally gets to eat something. They both end up laughing about it. Miwa turns serious for a moment and welcomes Safe to the team, now that he has officially joined.

## Characters

### Secondary Characters

* Mimoto Ryouta
* Aihara Kasumi
* Matsubara Satomi