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For the color spread we have Kaito surrounded by clocks and books flying around. He is holding Akiho’s hairpiece that she’s using in the play. It’s also the first time we see him in those “ceremonial” clothes in color — although there isn’t much to see since it’s a pretty much black and white outfit.

I like that CLAMP explained that Syaoran got mirror wings for himself (the copy he made of FLIGHT was used in Akiho, to save her). Some readers didn’t get that at first read.

Speaking of Akiho, she calls out Kaito’s name so by this point, she’s fully back to herself. Kaito seems very affected by that, and starts a showdown against Syaoran.

We don’t get to see much of the showdown because soon enough, The Mysterious Cloaked Figure (which we would learn later that it’s the DREAMING card) appears and starts fighting against Sakura.

The Mysterious Cloaked Figure conjures a sword and gives it to Sakura — I thought that was a bit odd, to have your enemy ‘helping’ you fight against you, but given what we would find out later about DREAMING, this makes sense.

Sakura summons BREAK in hoping to find a way out and take Akiho with her. Indeed, DREAMING and BREAK had not yet appeared in this world until now.

She manages to leave and brings Akiho with her back to the play stage, back at the school… or so she thinks.

In a moment of mixed self-blaming and empathy, Sakura worries about what could have happened if they never managed to get out of there and wishes that she had taken the Red Queen role instead of Akiho — I honestly don’t know how Sakura thought that the outcome would have been any different should she played the Red Queen, but anyway!

In other words, Sakura wishes that she had taken Akiho’s place — oh noes.

Kaito then tells Sakura that she’s been dreaming, she and Akiho are taken back to where Kaito and Syaoran are Sakura learns that she’s been under the DREAMING card effect since it appeared before her putting up a fight against her. Sure enough, if you pay attention, a few moments before DREAMING appears, Sakura questions herself if what is seeing (Kaito and Syaoran fighting) is reality of a dream.

I couldn’t help but notice that Sakura was not wearing *that* dress when she saw the Mysterious Cloaked Figure. Last time they met in a dream, the Figure told Sakura that next time they would meet she would be wearing a certain dress. So they will meet again, and maybe it won’t be the card next time.

While within the dream, Sakura wished hard that she had taken Akiho’s role/place in the play, and that wish made her create the card that Kaito has been wanting all along: EXCHANGE. The card shows a Sakura flower and a Chocolate Cosmo flower, Sakura and Akiho’s favorite flowers, respectively.

NOW, there were a lot of hints that this is what Kaito wanted all along: to change Sakura and Akiho’s lives. Does that solve Akiho’s problem? No. Is that a stupid idea? Absolutely. It is not what Akiho would like at all, but Kaito never cared enough to ASK or TALK to her about it. His mind is set.

I like Kaito as a character, but this is bad. Really bad, because I never thought he would cause misfortune to Sakura just to grant his selfish wish. I know that’s maybe the whole point, but I am having a bit of a crisis with his character — I thought he was better than that.

Sure, that doesn’t mean that the exchange WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN. Surely something could happen that will prevent that. Momo’s speech at the end is meant to be ominous, but I am not sure if we should take it literally. It also reminds me a lot of the opening page of Chapter 1.

That reminds me, we still don’t have a card based on Akiho…

These last chapters of Clear Card are really missing the WOW factor for me. The twists and turns and the gagging moments that are usually so present particularly near the end of a story, specially a story by CLAMP, are simply lacking terribly at this last round of this race. I haven’t felt the rug being pulled from under me with Clear Card in a long time. That’s a bit disappointing.

*big sigh*

Oh well, let’s see what happens next… it seems like the book is being activated, isn’t it Momo speaking at the end? I don’t know, I lost my interest for Clear Card, can it end already? Please? Please, CLAMP, surprise me ;_;

The updated list of cards secured so far:

1. GALE
2. SIEGE
3. AQUA
4. ACTION
5. REFLECT
6. RECORD
7. FLIGHT
8. LUCID
9. SPIRAL
10. SNOOZE
11. LABYRINTH
12. APPEAR (based on Rika)
13. BLAZE
14. MIRROR
15. BLADE
16. REPAIR (based on Tomoyo)
17. REWIND (based on Syaoran)
18. SHADE
19. BREAK
20. TRANSFER
21. PROMISE (based on Yukito)
22. MIRAGE
23. DREAMING (based on the Mysterious Cloaked Figure)
24. TIME
25. TRUE OR FALSE (based on Naoko)
26. CHOICE (based on Touya)
27. KINDNESS (based on Fujitaka)
28. SYNCHRONIZE (based on Yamazaki & Chiharu)
29. EXCHANGE

Anime-only cards:

1. GRAVITATION (appeared in the manga)
2. HAIL (appeared in the manga)
3. REVERSAL (appeared in the manga)
4. SWING
5. STRUGGLE

30 pages for the fourth chapter of volume 14! 116 pages for volume 14 so far! We should have left what, 3 chapters (90 pages)?

Chapter 70 will come out on February 1st!