A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

"I'm sorry, I'm busy right now."

Kazama Chiba pointed to the right, which was completely opposite to the direction of going home.

Asagiri Aya stared blankly at him.

"Ah...yes, I see..."

"I'm sorry... I disturbed you..."

She bowed, then turned and ran into the crowd on the left.

That figure looked exceptionally lonely, like a gray shadow abandoned by the world.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Until the figure completely disappeared around the corner, the doll that had been pretending to be dead hidden in the collar finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"Is your heart made of stone?"

Xiao Ke poked her head out from her collar, looking at Kazama Chiyu with disdain.

“The girl was so proactive, and she was also a fellow sufferer in the same boat. Couldn’t you have been a little gentler? Even just walking with her for a bit would have been nice. She seems really afraid of running into bad people again.”

Kazama Chiba reached out and pressed the fluffy head back down, then continued walking.

"Sigh, I haven't even figured out my own life yet, where would I find the extra time to play some childish game of sympathy for others?"

"Tch, excuse." Xiao Ke squirmed inside her clothes. "She just doesn't want to cause trouble."

Kazama Chiba did not refute.

Ten minutes later.

"Welcome!"

Kazama Chiba ignored the clerk's greeting and walked straight to the shelf that was originally filled with Cardcaptor Sakura merchandise.

empty.

The area that should have been overflowing with various versions of the Book of Seals, wand models, and card sets was now filled with a bunch of blind boxes from Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen. Not even a single label remained.

"that……"

Kazama Chiba turned to the shop assistant and asked, "Do you still have the Cardcaptor Sakura Sealed Book that was displayed here before? I'd like to buy another set."

The shop assistant pushed up his glasses and looked at him blankly.

"Huh? What cherry blossom?"

Cardcaptor Sakura.

Kazama Chiba patiently repeated it.

"That's the original Rimuru who collected cards with a magic wand. Didn't your store receive a large batch of those cards before?"

"never heard of that."

The shop assistant shook his head, his expression seemingly genuine.

"Sir, are you sure you're not mistaken? We've never stocked merchandise from those old anime series. The latest trend is 'Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya,' would you like to take a look at that?"

Kazama Chiba's fingers paused slightly.

"Oh, I see. Then I might have remembered the wrong store."

Kazama Chiba didn't ask any further questions and turned to leave the shop.

For the next half hour, he ran through all the toy stores and bookstores on the commercial street.

The result was the same.

No. No. Still no.

Whether it's a large chain store or a vintage shop tucked away in an alleyway, frequented only by old houses, the answers were surprisingly consistent.

"Never heard of it," "Out of stock," "Never sold it before"

It's as if the "Cardcaptor Sakura" IP was completely wiped out of the world's physical merchandise inventory overnight.

Kazama Chiba stood on the street, watching the people coming and going, took out her phone, and quickly entered keywords into the search engine.

Familiar terms and animated screenshots popped up on the screen.

Wikipedia entries, online viewing links, forum discussion threads... everything is there.

That classic animation still exists in the online memory of this world, and no terrifying "Mandela Effect" or world line change has occurred.

"call……"

Seeing this, Kazama Chiba finally let out a long sigh of relief and put her phone back in her pocket.

Fortunately.

The worldview remains.

Then the problem is coming.

If the animation is still around, why have all the physical merchandise disappeared?

"Hey, Chiyu." Kero's voice came from her chest, tinged with unease. "What's wrong? You don't look well. Did you sense the presence of the Clow Cards?"

"If that's the case, then it's simpler."

Kazama Chiba put away her phone, ultimately concluding that she was being paranoid, or that there was a problem with the supply channels in this area.

Since he couldn't buy it near the school, he decided to try his luck at the store near his home where he first bought the figure.

If all else fails, I'll have to make a trip to Akihabara, the holy land of anime and manga, tomorrow.

It was already getting dark.

The way home requires passing through an old residential area.

There's no hustle and bustle of a busy commercial street here, only the occasional barking of dogs and the noise of variety shows on TV.

"Stop! No!!"

A piercing scream came from a dead-end alleyway nearby.

This was followed by the dull thud of flesh hitting the wall and vicious curses.

"Run? Go ahead and keep running!"

"Let's see where you run this time! You almost got me killed by that female tyrant today, and we haven't settled that score yet!"

Kazama Chiba didn't stop walking, but he could feel the little guy in his chest suddenly tense up.

"It's those scumbags!"

Xiao Ke's voice was clearly filled with anger.

"They're bullying someone! It sounds like a girl!"

"These scumbags are really relentless. Hey, Qianyu, this time it's just by the roadside, if no one sees it..."

Its meaning is quite obvious.

Should we take this opportunity to teach these guys a lesson?

Anyway, it's dark, so it's not surprising if a gust of wind blows the trash can over and hits them.

Kazama Chiba stopped in her tracks.

As I passed the alleyway, I caught a glimpse of the scene inside out of the corner of my eye.

Deep in the alley, several dark figures were punching and kicking a figure curled up on the ground.

Although the person being beaten couldn't be seen clearly, judging from the tattered school uniform skirt, it was undoubtedly the girl who had just parted ways with him.

Then Kazama Chiba turned her head.

Then I looked away.

"There are surveillance cameras..."

"Huh? So what? You're not going to save her if there's CCTV footage?"

Xiao Ke twisted incredulously against his chest.

"Didn't you hear? They're hitting someone! And it sounds like they're really hitting them hard! Just a little bit of magic will do the trick."

"It's not that we don't want to help, what I mean is, we need some kind of alibi..."

Then, Kazama Chiba walked directly to the alley entrance.

Chapter 13 First Murder

The gaze returned to the depths of that dark alley.

Asagiri Aya was slammed hard against the moss-covered wall.

Her school uniform skirt had been torn open at one corner, and the three thugs, like hyenas surrounding their prey, had blocked all her escape routes.

"Help... Waaah!"

The thug had one hand around her neck and the other roughly covered her mouth.

"Go ahead and yell! Keep yelling then!"

The two henchmen beside her let out nauseating laughter, while their eyes scanned her tattered school uniform with predatory gazes.

Despair washed over me like a black tide.

Asagiri Aya's body trembled violently, and tears streamed down her face.

She tried to struggle, but her meager strength was laughable in front of three boys going through the turbulent years of puberty.

Is it really... coming to an end?

Despair surged in like a black tide.

Asagiri Aya closed her eyes tightly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

In this forgotten corner of the world, who can save her besides that god whose existence is unknown?

call--!