Chapter 12: Vanished Merchandise
Thanks to Hiratsuka-sensei's iron fists—legendary throughout Sobu High—Kazama experienced no further harassment from those thugs. His ears enjoyed considerable peace.
After school—
Kazama blended into the crowd, perfectly maintaining that "I'm Background Character A" low-profile frequency.
"Um... please wait!"
Just hadn't walked far before a somewhat urgent voice stopped him.
Kazama halted, glancing sideways slightly.
The view revealed that face still bearing faint bruises, though the owner attempted concealing them with bangs.
Asagiri Aya stood three steps away.
"Can I help you?"
Kazama's tone remained flat.
"Um... I..."
Asagiri lowered her head, gaze fixed on her shoe tips, voice thin as mosquito whine.
"About what happened at lunch... um..."
"Gratitude was already expressed at lunch."
Kazama cut off her meaningless preamble. "If nothing else, I'm leaving."
Asagiri seemed to gather all her courage. "I wanted to ask... which direction does Kazama-san walk home?"
Kazama raised an eyebrow, casually pointing toward the right street. "That way."
"Re-really?!"
Asagiri's eyes instantly brightened.
"That's wonderful! I also go that way! Um... if you don't mind... could we walk together for a bit?"
Probably the only relationship-building method she could conceive.
Hidden inside his collar, Kerberos twitched its ears, apparently wanting to express sentiments like "just agree already."
Kazama observed this girl humble to dust.
He understood exactly what she was thinking.
In this school, two isolated sheep huddling together seemingly could extract some false warmth from that helpless terror.
So-called seeking comfort in numbers.
"No."
"I'm buying something over there."
Kazama pointed toward the right—completely opposite his home direction.
"Besides, I prefer walking alone. Two people are too conspicuous, attracting unnecessary attention. You understand my meaning, right?"
Asagiri stared blankly at him.
"Ah... I... I see..."
"Sorry... for bothering you..."
She bowed before turning to run into the left-side crowd.
That retreating figure appeared exceptionally lonely—a gray smudge abandoned by the world.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Only after that figure completely vanished around the corner did the plush doll playing dead in his collar finally lose patience.
"Is your heart carved from stone?"
Kerberos poked its head from the collar opening, face full of disdain toward Kazama.
"That girl was so proactive, and you're fellow sufferers too. Couldn't you be slightly gentler? Even just walking together a bit would help—I saw she genuinely feared encountering bad people again."
Kazama pressed that fuzzy head back down, resuming his stride.
"No time."
"I haven't even figured out my own survival yet. Where would I find spare time playing 'fellow sufferers' house games? Leave that cheap sympathy to greenhouse flowers for overflowing."
"Tch. Excuses." Kerberos squirmed inside the clothes. "You just don't want trouble."
Kazama didn't refute.
Ten minutes later—
"Welcome—"
Kazama ignored the clerk's greeting, walking straight to the shelf previously stocked with Cardcaptor Sakura merchandise.
Empty.
The area that should've been piled with various Book of Clow versions, staff models, card sets now overflowed with Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen blind boxes. Not even a label remained.
"Excuse me..."
Kazama turned toward the clerk. "Do you still have stock of the Cardcaptor Sakura Book of Clow that was here before? I want another set."
The clerk adjusted glasses, looking utterly bewildered.
"Huh? What Sakura?"
"Cardcaptor Sakura."
Kazama repeated patiently.
"That original moe queen with the staff collecting cards. Didn't your store stock a large batch recently?"
"Never heard of it."
The clerk shook their head, expression appearing genuine. "Customer, did you perhaps misremember? We've never stocked that old series' merchandise. Recently popular is Magical Girl Illya. Want to check that out?"
Kazama's fingers paused momentarily.
None? Never stocked?
"I see. Must've confused stores."
Kazama asked nothing further, exiting the shop.
Over the next half hour, he visited every toy shop and bookstore on this commercial street.
Results: identical.
Nothing. Nothing. Still nothing.
Whether major chains or alley antique shops only old-timers frequented, answers proved eerily consistent:
"Never heard of it," "No stock," "Never sold that."
As if the Cardcaptor Sakura IP had been completely erased overnight from this world's physical merchandise inventory.
Kazama stood streetside, watching pedestrian traffic while extracting his phone, rapidly typing keywords into search engines.
Familiar entries and anime screenshots appeared on screen.
Wikipedia articles, online viewing links, forum discussion threads... everything existed.
That classic anime remained within this world's network memory. No horrifying "Mandela Effect" or worldline shifts had occurred.
"Whew..."
Seeing this, Kazama finally exhaled deeply, pocketing his phone.
Good.
The setting persists.
Then the question:
If the anime exists, why did all physical merchandise vanish?
"Hey, Chiba." Kerberos's voice emerged from his chest, carrying unease. "What's wrong? You look terrible. Sensing Clow Card auras?"
"That would be simpler."
Kazama pocketed his phone, ultimately attributing this to paranoia or supply chain issues in this area.
Since the school vicinity lacked stock, he'd try that shop near home where he'd originally purchased figures.
Failing that, tomorrow meant visiting the otaku holy land Akihabara.
Dusk had fallen.
The route home required crossing an old residential district.
Here lacked commercial street bustle—only occasional dog barking and TV variety show noise.
"STOP! NO!!"
A shrill scream erupted from a nearby dead-end alley.
Immediately followed by dull thuds of flesh hitting walls and vicious cursing.
"Run? Why don't you keep running?"
"Let's see where you hide this time! Today you nearly got us killed by that she-demon. This score ain't settled yet!"
Kazama's footsteps didn't halt, but he felt Kerberos violently tense at his chest.
"Those scumbags!"
Kerberos's voice carried obvious fury.
"They're bullying someone! Sounds like a girl!"
"These trash never quit. Hey, Chiba, this time it's roadside. If nobody's watching..."
Its meaning was obvious.
Should he seize this opportunity teaching these bastards a lesson?
Anyway, dark out. Casually tossing Windy card to topple trash cans onto them would look accidental.
Kazama stopped.
Passing the alley entrance, peripheral vision captured the interior scene.
Deep in the alley, several black shadows surrounded a figure curled on the ground, raining punches and kicks.
Though the victim's face remained unclear, from that tattered school uniform skirt—undoubtedly the girl who'd parted ways with him earlier.
Kazama glanced back once.
Then withdrew his gaze.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Just leaving?"
Kerberos twisted incredulously against his chest. "Didn't you hear? They're beating someone! Sounds brutal! Just a tiny bit of magic would—"
"Shut up." Kazama spoke expressionlessly while passing the alley entrance.
"Kazama Chiba! I was wrong about you! You cold-blooded animal!"
Kerberos struggled desperately inside the collar, apparently wanting to bite him.
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