Chapter 16: Takanashi Touka
Kazama's eyes narrowed.
He looked at the chuunibyou girl standing before him, completely oblivious to the danger, thinking her sister had simply worked late.
This was getting interesting.
What started as a simple act of charity—paying for a delusional girl's convenience store bill—had apparently triggered a hidden quest.
"You're saying she ran into a Clow Card?"
"More than just ran into one." Kerberos's voice dropped even lower. "If it were just a basic elemental card, she'd be injured at worst, maybe some property damage. But complete radio silence? Not even cell phone signals getting through? That means she's been pulled into some kind of alternate dimension."
"Cards with the ability to create independent spaces or warp reality... like The Silent, The Maze, or even worse—The Illusion."
Space-type cards.
Kazama's heartbeat quickened slightly.
As someone intimately familiar with the original Cardcaptor Sakura series, he knew exactly what those three names meant.
Space manipulation was a universal trump card in any world.
Create labyrinths to trap enemies. Warp distance for defense. Even establish sanctuaries completely separate from reality.
Kerberos paused, its tone becoming more serious.
"If it really is one of those cards with 'maze' or 'loop' properties, any ordinary person trapped inside is basically guaranteed to die. But for you right now... this might be an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Kazama glanced at his shoulder without changing expression.
"Space-type Clow Cards are extremely rare." Kerberos's voice carried a hint of temptation. "If you can capture one, whether for escaping or trapping enemies, it'd be a hundred times more useful than that wind card that only blows air around."
True enough.
Kazama calculated the possibilities.
Right now he only had a weakened Windy card and a barely-tested Mirror card. His combat strength was questionable at best.
But as the old saying went—the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish.
If this really was a space-type card, it would absolutely be a T0-tier support ability.
In the Clow Card system, aside from the few cards with devastating offensive power, the most troublesome and valuable were exactly these support types.
Whether it was The Maze creating inescapable labyrinths, The Loop warping spatial distances, or even The Time stopping time itself... each one was not just a survival tool but a weapon for ambushing enemies.
If he could secure a space card...
Whether for future battles or if he ever needed to flee from serious trouble, his survival rate would increase exponentially.
Besides, rescuing someone didn't require him to charge in as the frontline meat shield. The risks were manageable.
"Who's there?!"
Just as Kazama's mental abacus was clicking away with calculations, Rikka suddenly jumped backward into a defensive stance.
"I heard a familiar's voice just now! Is that whispers from another dimension? Or has a sealed demon beast awakened?"
Kazama's expression didn't change as he patted his chest, pushing the emerging Kerberos back down.
This girl's instincts were annoyingly sharp sometimes.
"You heard wrong," he said flatly. "That was my stomach growling. Just bought food and haven't eaten yet. My stomach's protesting."
"Is... is that so?" Rikka blinked suspiciously. The logic was a bit forced, but considering she was also a glutton herself, the excuse somehow passed her internal verification.
Kazama didn't want to linger on this topic.
"Anyway. You said you wanted to find your sister."
"Correct!"
Rikka's attention immediately shifted. She clenched her fist, the bandaged arm waving dramatically through the air.
"As the Wielder of the Wicked Eye, I must confirm the Saint Conditioner's safety! Though she serves the Management Bureau, even that woman would struggle when facing the true Abyss!"
"So what exactly do you want from me?"
"Well, um..."
Rikka froze, apparently not expecting such a direct question. She hesitated for a moment, then seemed to gather her resolve and bowed deeply toward Kazama.
"I know this is a selfish request! But..."
"If it's the Dark Flame Master... if it's someone with power even I can't fully comprehend... surely you could trace my sister's whereabouts?"
"Please! Help me... reopen the gateway to the Unseen Horizon Line!"
Kazama didn't answer immediately.
He was weighing his options.
Helping this troublemaker find her sister meant running around on this sensitive night, potentially encountering other problems.
That didn't align with his principle of keeping a low profile while building power.
"Family matters are your problem to solve."
Kazama turned to leave.
Charity was important, but risking a fight with an unknown magical entity for an unfamiliar chuunibyou girl? That was a losing proposition no matter how he calculated it.
"Wait! Ally!"
Rikka panicked. She slid forward and spread her arms to block his path.
"If you help me, I'll offer treasure in exchange!"
She took a deep breath as if making an agonizing decision.
"Do you know about the 'Sealed Book'? The grimoire used to seal a great magician's power!"
Kazama's steps stopped.
"What did you say?"
"The Sealed Book!"
Rikka gestured enthusiastically.
"Back at the convenience store, I heard you! You asked the owner if he had any Sealed Book merchandise! You want one too, right?"
"I have one! I have the highest quality limited collector's edition! It's the tome that records the secrets of the Wicked Eye. Normally I keep it hidden in the deepest part of my barrier... which is to say, under my bed!"
"If you can help me find my sister... that tome is... even though it's a limited edition treasure I never bear to take out... but! If it means recovering clues about my sister, I'll transfer it to you as quest compensation!"
She bit her lip, the pained expression looking genuine.
Kazama turned around.
The Sealed Book.
The exact item he'd searched every store for and couldn't find anywhere, Rikka actually owned one.
Kazama smiled immediately.
Why didn't you say so earlier? I, Kazama Chiba, have always enjoyed doing good deeds.
Even without the Sealed Book, I would definitely have helped you.
"Fine."
"But let's be clear up front—I'm only responsible for helping you find her. If this turns into trouble I can't handle, I'll leave you behind and run without hesitation. Understood?"
"Understood!" Rikka nodded vigorously, her ahoge standing straight up. "That's more than enough! Ally!"
Kazama nodded.
Whether he could actually win the fight was a separate question. His objective was rescuing the person.
If the card turned out to be too powerful, worst case he'd fish out Touka and bolt.
Kerberos was the Guardian Beast, after all. In a pinch, he could use it as a shield while he retreated with the civilian.
"Let's go."
Kazama turned toward the street to hail a taxi.
"Where to?" Rikka hurried to catch up.
"The police station."
"Eh? Why seek help from the Management Bureau (police)? Can even the Dark Ally not locate those coordinates?"
"Because this is reality."
Kazama grabbed her backpack strap directly, dragging her along like an oversized accessory.
"Since you don't know where she went, we'll have those people who collect taxpayer money help us search. Don't tell me that as the 'Wielder of the Wicked Eye,' you don't even know how to file a police report."
...
Ten minutes later.
Mitakihara District Police Station, reception hall.
The atmosphere was far more tense than usual.
Officers hurried back and forth through the hall, phones ringing constantly.
Clearly, a certain uncaptured "dismemberment maniac" had placed enormous pressure on the entire precinct.
The young officer behind the reception desk, sporting dark circles under both eyes, listened to Rikka's statement before setting down his pen with a helpless expression.
"So your sister—this Takanashi Touka person—went to perform a 'dimensional maintenance mission' and was then swallowed by the 'Unseen Horizon Line'?"
He looked down at his notes, which contained several crooked lines that read more like a light novel outline than an official police report.
"Precisely!"
Rikka sat in her chair with perfect posture as if undergoing judgment, but her bandaged hand kept pressing against her eyepatch as though sealing some world-destroying monster beneath it.
"The enemy's barrier is powerful... even I, the Wielder of the Wicked Eye, cannot contact her through the ethernet network!"
The officer sighed, closed his notepad, and looked at the male student who'd remained silent the entire time.
"Are you her classmate? Or accomplice?"
"Just a passing good Samaritan."
Kazama sat on the nearby bench, casually flipping through a traffic safety manual he'd grabbed from the station's bookshelf.
"She couldn't pay at a convenience store, so I helped out. Then I heard her sister was missing and came along to see."
The officer continued, "Little miss, I know you're worried. But your sister has been out of contact for less than 24 hours. She's an adult, and she didn't mention going anywhere dangerous. According to regulations, this doesn't even qualify for an official case."
He pushed the notepad back, clearly intending to dismiss these two troublesome high school students.
"Go home and wait. Maybe her phone just died, or she got drunk at a friend's place and overslept."
Rikka jumped up, about to slam the desk and launch into some theory about the "Unseen Horizon Line," but Kazama's hand landed on her shoulder, holding her in place.
Kazama stepped forward.
Without any agitated expression, he simply looked calmly at the officer.
"The disappearance occurred in Mitakihara District. If this were an ordinary missing person case, fine."
"But I heard that recently, in an alley near that very area, a horrific murder just took place."
"If during this sensitive period, another woman disappears in the same district... and your police force refuses to investigate citing 'insufficient time'..."
"What if she really did encounter that killer? What will tomorrow's headlines say? 'Police Negligence: Authorities Ignore Family Plea, Leading to Second Victim's Death'?"
The officer's face instantly changed color.
That accusation was too severe.
So severe that no police officer would dare wear it.
If this really were a serial case... if their negligence led to a second victim... he could kiss his badge goodbye.
"Though I'm just speculating." Kazama shrugged. "But if you don't investigate and something actually happens, will you take responsibility when the time comes?"
Cold sweat appeared on the officer's forehead.
Under normal circumstances, he'd throw this fear-mongering student out immediately.
But not now.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he couldn't risk it.
"Damn it..."
The officer cursed under his breath and slammed his pen on the desk.
"Fine, fine! You win!"
He immediately grabbed the phone and barked orders.
"Hello? Technical division? This is front desk. We have a missing person report here... Yes, might be related to that case. Pull up all surveillance footage from Mitakihara District from last night until now. Fast!"
With the "potential major case connection" buff attached, police efficiency became shockingly rapid.
Less than five minutes later, two technicians responsible for surveillance retrieval arrived.
With police involvement, the efficiency was frighteningly high.
"Name?"
"Takanashi... Touka." Rikka provided the name.
The technician's fingers flew across the keyboard. Countless surveillance feeds began scrolling across the large screen.
"Found her."
One of the feeds enlarged.
The timestamp showed 10:45 PM last night.
"Last appearance was here."
The technician pointed at the screen.
It was street surveillance from a busy part of Kamimizu City.
In the footage, an elegant, cool-looking woman carried a refined gift bag, clearly heading to meet someone.
That was definitely Takanashi Touka.
Then Touka entered the front entrance of a high-end apartment complex called "Misaki Mori Tower."
"I remember that complex has pretty tight security," the officer frowned. "If something happened inside there, that's big trouble."
"Can you follow her inside?" Kazama asked.
"Hold on. That place has an independent surveillance system. We need to get access permission from the property management."
The officer worked for a moment. Soon, new footage appeared.
This time it was the elevator's interior camera.
In the footage, Touka entered the elevator and pressed the button for floor "10." The elevator rose smoothly. During the ride, she checked her phone, apparently confirming some information.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Touka stepped out and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
The video ended abruptly.
"What about after that?" Rikka leaned over the desk, staring intensely at the screen. "Did my sister come back out?"
The technician typed several commands.
"No. We checked the main entrance surveillance, the parking garage, practically every exit camera. Up until now, there's no footage of her leaving."
"What about the tenth floor hallway cameras?" Kazama suddenly interjected.
"About that..."
The technician's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
"Property management reported that the tenth floor hallway camera... just happened to malfunction yesterday. They said it was old wiring that hasn't been repaired yet. You know how property management is—real quick to collect fees, but when it comes to actually doing work, it's all excuses."
Malfunctioned.
That familiar, all-purpose excuse again.
In horror films or mystery dramas, whenever "the camera was broken" appeared in the plot, it basically guaranteed something was wrong at that location.
"In other words."
Kazama stared at the figure frozen in the elevator doorway.
"She went up to the tenth floor. Walked into a surveillance blind spot. Then vanished from that floor entirely."
"That's how it looks."
The officer closed the screen, visibly irritated.
"Since she went up voluntarily and we didn't catch any suspicious individuals, this isn't connected to that dismemberment case. She's probably just at one of the residents' apartments on that floor. This is civil territory—we can't just search every unit randomly."
He waved dismissively, signaling them to leave.
"Go ask around at that complex yourselves. As long as it's not kidnapping, we can't interfere."
Obviously deflecting responsibility.
But Kazama wasn't angry, nor did he demand more.
Because he'd already obtained the most critical intelligence.
That was enough.
"Alright, thank you for your assistance."
Kazama nodded politely and pulled the still-protesting Rikka toward the exit.
"Wait? But... they haven't found my sister yet!" Rikka stumbled as she was dragged along. "Ally! We can't just leave! That's the Management Bureau's evasion tactics!"
"Shut up."
"The police won't file a case. Staying here won't help."
Kazama pulled her out of the station and onto the street, finally releasing her backpack.
"We already got what we needed. Your sister went to the tenth floor of Misaki Mori Tower last night and never came out. The hallway cameras were conveniently broken."
He pulled out his phone and quickly searched for the building's information.
"A high-end residential complex, tight security, independent surveillance. The kind of place ordinary criminals couldn't operate in easily."
"But for something that isn't human..." Kazama's eyes narrowed. "For a Clow Card that can warp space and create dimensional traps, those security measures are meaningless."
Rikka's expression shifted from confusion to understanding, then to worry.
"You mean... my sister really encountered something from another dimension?"
"More than encountered." Kazama hailed a taxi. "She walked right into its territory. And based on the timeline, she's been trapped inside for nearly twenty-four hours."
As the taxi pulled up, Kerberos whispered urgently from his collar, "If it really is a space-type card and she's been inside that long without magical protection..."
The guardian beast didn't need to finish.
Kazama opened the taxi door and gestured for Rikka to get in.
"Misaki Mori Tower, Mitakihara District," he told the driver.
As the taxi merged into traffic, Kazama stared out the window, his expression unreadable.
A space-type Clow Card creating a dimensional trap in an apartment building. A civilian with spiritual sensitivity trapped inside for a full day. Surveillance cameras conveniently malfunctioning.
This had all the hallmarks of exactly the kind of situation he needed to handle personally.
Whether because he wanted the card's power, needed to fulfill his bargain with Rikka, or simply because leaving a wild Clow Card operating in a populated area would eventually draw unwanted attention to his activities.
Beside him, Rikka clutched her phone tightly, her usual chuunibyou theatrics abandoned in favor of genuine fear.
"Will we... will we make it in time?"
Kazama didn't answer.
Because he honestly didn't know.
Space-type cards were unpredictable. Time could flow differently inside their domains. What felt like twenty-four hours outside could be weeks inside.
Or minutes.
The taxi sped through the night-lit streets of Kamimizu City, carrying them toward Misaki Mori Tower and whatever waited on its cursed tenth floor.
END OF CHAPTER 16