Chapter 9: The Sudden Return of Taoya

Ye Hui was lost in thought.

Cards possess intelligence and are capable of independent movement. In the anime, this was often depicted; cards would not just lie idly on the ground waiting to be picked up. Perhaps the ink stain wasn't something the card picked up while fleeing, but rather something Fujitaka accidentally spilled on it? Could it still be on some bookshelf?

"Ah, sorry, sorry, Sakura. Under my magical observation, the aura of treasures in this room is too overwhelming to distinguish. I can only help you narrow it down to a rough area..." Ye Hui apologized honestly. A small blunder was nothing to worry about.

"Ugh..." Sakura: (ﾉ｀Д´)ﾉ︵┻━┻. Ye Hui was unreliable!

Ye Hui smiled again: "By the way, Sakura, have you seen any other cards before?"

Sakura: "Ah, what cards?"

"Oh, the lights outside the house. I forgot to mention it earlier, but inside those lights, there seemed to be individual cards. Come to think of it, there seemed to be one under the rug too, though I'm not entirely sure..." Ye Hui recalled the location of another card. Cards could fly, and he wasn't sure if the plot remained the same. A tactical error! He hadn't lifted the rug to check while he was eating snacks in the living room earlier. But then again, that would have been a strange sight—visiting someone's home, eating their snacks, and while they weren't looking, crouching down to lift their rug... Still not certain, huh?

Sakura's forehead creased with a few black lines. She gave a dry laugh and didn't respond directly, instead saying, "Is that so? Well, there is indeed a card in my room. Would you like to see it, Ye Hui? If you can do me a favor, you can take that card away if you want!"

Ye Hui was stunned. "Me, take the card? Is that allowed... wouldn't it be too presumptuous?" He had never considered directly asking for Sakura's cards to see if he could unlock cultivation skills. Perhaps it was the intimidation of Clow Reed, or perhaps he had grown accustomed to the system's unreliability. Even these "treasures" with weaker auras were currently in a sealed state. Could the Clow Cards, which had much stronger auras and their own intelligence, really offer him anything?

Sakura had no idea what Ye Hui was thinking; she just wanted to get rid of this hot potato. And since Ye Hui seemed to know some kind of immortal magic, throwing it to him seemed just right...

"This... haha, I only saw it today, along with that sealing beast and all..." Ye Hui blinked, rubbed his chin, and said nonchalantly, "Treasures are usually guarded by spirit beasts; that's very common. Though, I thought it was just something you dreamt..."

Sakura jumped up: "How could that be! That wouldn't happen in a dream, ah..." She suddenly remembered the doodle she had scribbled on a piece of paper. It seemed... it really did look like Keroberos! The more she thought about it, the more similar it seemed. Could Ye Hui be right? Was she really about to embark on an adventure, and her partner... was that yellow, small-eyed mouse with an Osaka accent?

Sakura hesitated for a moment before describing the dream she had that morning to Ye Hui. Ye Hui feigned deep thought. "Hmm, I'm not sure if it's your future partner. I can only see small fragments of the future. You know, a cultivator is not yet an immortal, so I'm not omnipotent. As for the dream, perhaps it's a superpower you've awakened, or perhaps that spirit beast is visiting you in your dreams..."

"Ah? But, but I'm just an ordinary elementary school student; what superpowers could I have? I bet it's that sealing beast's doing!" Thinking of this, Sakura suddenly felt less embarrassed about the yellow mouse. If all of this had been pre-arranged by the other party, then the cards flying away wasn't her fault, right? With this in mind, Sakura became even more determined to bring Ye Hui along to see Keroberos. "Please, Ye Hui, I think only you can help me now..."

Not only could he see the Clow Cards, but he could also pet Kero? Ye Hui felt a surge of excitement. Keroberos was, of course, no ordinary spirit beast. This was a classic cute companion from the anime! Go! He had to go! He had to seize this opportunity!

Ye Hui nodded: "Alright, then please take me to see it, and we'll find out! Come to think of it, I haven't seen many spiritual objects or beasts, so I'm not sure if I can solve your problem."

"Eh? So you're agreeing then?" Sakura clasped her hands, her eyes shining. "Thank you so much!" Although this classmate always said strange things, he seemed a lot more reliable now!

Sakura led Ye Hui up the stairs. However, as soon as they opened the door to the study, they were met with someone peering in. Black hair, purple eyes, tall stature. It was Toya! A man who seemed rough and often teased Sakura, but actually possessed magic even stronger than hers and was always protecting her from the shadows!

Sakura's expression froze. She involuntarily put her hands behind her back, fingers twisting together, glancing at Ye Hui and then at her brother. "Why are you back early?"

Toya narrowed his eyes, staring at Ye Hui. Ye Hui looked innocent. *Why are you looking at me? I'm just here to read books!*

"Aha, kid, hello there. I'm this one's brother, Kinomoto Toya. What's your name?" Toya asked with a smile, though his tone held a hint of danger.

Sakura caught it immediately and arched her eyebrows: "Onii-chan! This is my classmate, don't you dare try to bully him!"

Ye Hui was not a real child who would feel uneasy in the presence of an adult. Although being stared at by Toya was slightly unsettling, he was still able to introduce himself calmly.

"Oh? Ye Hui?" Toya raised an eyebrow. "You're that miraculous elementary school student who has been the talk of the investment world lately? I've heard of you while working my part-time jobs."

Sakura was stunned, looking puzzled: "What investment?"

Ye Hui chuckled and scratched his head gently: "It's just doing some business. With my parents away, I've been a bit headstrong and dabbled in a few things. It's nothing compared to the Daidouji family's business; it's just barely enough to get by..."

Toya rolled his eyes at this. How many people in the entire country could compete with the wealth of the Daidouji family? Moreover, for someone as young as Ye Hui to have such wealth and achievements without being arrogant—something was definitely off... He would have to keep a close eye on him.

Thinking of how this kid had followed Sakura on his bike all the way home, kept taking photos outside the Kinomoto residence, and finally knocked on the door to get inside... his fists were clenching. Toya felt that this kid named Ye Hui must have ulterior motives! A brat this young, making frequent moves in the investment world and always succeeding—why would he randomly show up at their house? Could he have discovered something?

Toya, whose magic was strong enough to perform brief premonitions, had seen fragmented visions of Ye Hui coming to their home. That was why, despite originally planning to return at seven, he had rushed back early.

Ye Hui was unaware of Toya's thoughts and dared not speak further. Firstly, doing some investments wasn't anything to brag about. With too much money, it was hard to lose it all, and having endless chances to try meant he could get a few right by luck, not to mention he was a transmigrator. Secondly... he didn't dare to badmouth him to his face.

Why had Toya come home early? One could guess with their feet. In the anime, Sakura could foresee future battles in her dreams. Her brother Toya, seven years her senior, also had special abilities, and his magic was even more powerful than Sakura's!

Ye Hui still remembered a question he had when he first watched the anime: Why was Toya everywhere? It seemed like wherever Sakura went, whenever she got into trouble, her brother would "just happen" to be nearby, or just happen to be working a part-time job in the vicinity. Later, Ye Hui saw Toya identify the "Mirror" card at a glance and say something about knowing what Sakura was doing... The truth was exposed! Toya was the mastermind all along!

Of course, looking further, Toya wasn't really a mastermind. He had many abilities and strong magic, but he didn't interfere too much in Sakura's adventures, only silently guarding her from behind. The reason he didn't get along with Syaoran was likely because he had vaguely foreseen that this guy would eventually become his brother-in-law. There was always friction between an overprotective brother and the "pig" trying to steal his sister's heart.

That's you, Family Hero!

At this moment, this Family Hero had returned home early, clearly because of Ye Hui's arrival. Ye Hui felt sheepish. He guessed that Toya must have foreseen his series of actions after school; otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed home so hastily and eavesdropped at the study door... He really didn't have any malicious intent, even if he *had* intentionally followed Sakura home... But was he supposed to say that? Should he say he also had precognitive dreams?

Seemingly sensing Ye Hui's emotions, the furrow in Toya's brow relaxed slightly. Glancing at Ye Hui, he said calmly, "You're too modest. Since you're here for schoolwork, you'd better get to it!"

*Huh? Schoolwork?* Ye Hui was taken aback. This brother-in-law... no! Why was Toya helping him come up with an excuse with Sakura? He truly was a Family Hero!

Hearing this, Sakura quickly ushered Ye Hui to her room. With her brother in the living room, she couldn't lift the rug to search for the card that might not even exist. She decided to let Ye Hui check if that sealing beast, Keroberos, was truly problematic.

Ye Hui followed Sakura upstairs, and until they rounded the corner, he could still feel two gazes fixed on his back... Ye Hui wiped away a bead of non-existent sweat. This Family Hero was as ghostly and terrifying as a specter.

...

Inside Sakura's bedroom.

"Thump!" Keroberos, who had been floating above the Clow Book, fell onto the cover, the golden light around it fading. It waved its hands, trying its best to widen its beady eyes. "So, you interrupted my sensing of the Clow Cards just to see if I was a liar?" (๑•́₃•̀๑)ゞ

Sakura's intentions were laid bare, and she became awkwardly flustered: "Ah, no, I was just curious, just curious! Hahahaha~"

Ye Hui nodded: "For a creature that suddenly popped up, is suspicious, looks like a doll, but can talk, it's normal for Sakura to be skeptical of you. Also, can I take a look at this card?"

Kero became guarded. "No way!"