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We start this chapter with Watanuki asking the Yatagarasu whether the fact that it came to the shop as a customer was also something that was planned/foreseen by Yuuko. After a long stare, the Yatagarasu doesn’t answer the question, and simply says that what happens in the shop must not be shared elsewhere (this latter part is added by Watanuki) and disappears into thin air after that. Something tells me that this is not the last we’ve seen of the Yatagarasu.

We are left with Watanuki and Seoritsu-hime. The others are still with their souls paused. Seoritsu-hime asks Watanuki why does he want her help (to make everyone forget about his relationship to Yuuko) even after the Yatagarasu (who possesses foreseeing powers) told him that this is not something that can be done? Fair question, I would say.

Watanuki tells her that it is because Seoritsu-hime herself said that the “book” does what she decides it should do. He throws her another question: whether she being there at the shop was also something planned by Yuuko (this latter part was added by Seoritsu-hime, as though she knew exactly what he was going to ask her). Before she can reply, he asks a follow-up question: whether she was created by Yuuko. This takes a double page. It’s an important question that all of us readers have been wondering.

Seoritsu-hime doesn’t reply and instead asks him why he thinks so, and Watanuki quotes the talk Seoritsu-hime had with Mokona in Chapter 75 where the creatures may resemble their creators. We learn then that Watanuki somehow overheard that conversation. In fact, Seoritsu-hime even wonders out loud if he can listen to all conversations that happen inside the shop. We don’t get an answer to that, but it’s implied.

Seoritsu-hime says that half of her wants to understand herself while the other half of her does not. While she is saying it, there is a frame of Haruka. This appears to be a reference to something that was said by Haruka, as if she was quoting him, but I can’t pinpoint exactly (does anyone know?). Still, this half/half part caught my attention, especially because we know Momo/Seoritsu-hime is the solo guardian of the Book. She is both the ying and the yang. More to that later.

She returns the question to Watanuki, asking him if she thinks she is similar to the “shop’s owner” — interesting choice of words, I would say. She doesn’t say “Yuuko” this time, she says “shop’s owner”, while smiling.

Before answering the question, Watanuki reflects that Maru and Moro have accepted Seoritsu-hime really well and that Mokona has been speaking in a more elaborated manner since Seoritsu-hime arrived at the shop. As though they were being “influenced” by Seoritsu-hime’s presence.

Then, Seoritsu-hime says that before coming to the shop, she spent a lot of time with a girl who loved books and was fascinated with the Japanese language and how she was also influenced by her. She’s of course talking about Akiho and we can even see a frame partly showing her. We can see about half of her body up until her mouth and her unmistakable curly hair. She is wearing the same clothes from when we saw her last in the special chapter of Clear Card.

The chapter ends with Seoritsu-hime asking Watanuki straight-up if he thinks she resembles “Yuuko-san” (this time, she says “Yuuko-san” and not “shop’s owner”). Seoritsu-hime’s expression here is looking A LOT like Yuuko, if you ask me! CLAMP even added a shadow of Yuuko behind her.

So, this chapter seems all about who created Momo/Seoritsu-hime. Something we’ve been wondering ever since Clear Card and CLAMP have been teasing and throwing hints at us in Rei. The most obvious answer is Yuuko. When it comes to CLAMP, sometimes the most obvious answer IS the answer but I usually tend to think it’s not. Sometimes I’m right and sometimes I am not 🙂

It’s undeniable that Yuuko and Momo/Seoritsu-hime are similar. They have very similar personalities and presences. But if you go by the logic that Seoritsu-hime was influenced by Akiho given the time they spent together, she might as well have been influenced by Yuuko. Remember, we learned in Chapter 77 that this is not the first time that Seoritsu-hime had been in the shop. She has been in the shop before — for how long? Maybe she was heavily influenced by Yuuko the same way Akiho influenced her, and we know Akiho did not create Momo/Seoritsu-hime.

Also, the mere fact that she is having the conversation with Watanuki makes me think that the answer is not Yuuko. Of course, I could be very wrong. All these follow-up questions and answering the question with another question seem weird to me if in the end it is going to be yes, it was Yuuko after all. I don’t know…

Then there is the fact that Clow tried to use the Book in the past. If Yuuko created the Book, would he still try to use it? The Book burst into flames and disappeared after his failed attempt of using it. If I remember correctly, Kero and Suppi told Sakura in Clear Card that the Book was part of Clow’s personal collection and both guardians did not know who the original creator was. Did Clow himself know and just wouldn’t share with his guardians or he himself didn’t know as well? It just seems a little weird that he wouldn’t know if the book had been created by Yuuko, and that he would use it while Yuuko was still “alive” (if she created the Book, let her use it instead lol).

Still, whoever created it must be someone REALLY, REALLY powerful in the CLAMP universe, and there are not a lot of characters that could be on that list. Sakura Kinomoto and Watanuki would be at the top of my list. Of course, it would require some time travel shit to support this theory, but then again, this is the Book of Time after all.

Moreover, why does it have to be only one person? Why not two? Remember what I said about Seoritsu-hime being both the ying and the yang? How is she always represented as a guardian that has both light and dark within herself? How she said half of her wants to find out about herself and the other half does not? Those things make me wonder if she has not just one, but two creators. And then she used “shop’s owner” at one point in this chapter… is she referring to Yuuko or to Watanuki? Ah, CLAMP ambiguities… ♡

Oh, it really exciting seeing Akiho, even if only for a fraction!

What still remains to be seen (new mystery added!):

• The amber stone
• What will happen to the Zashiki Warashi-lookalike?
• Why was Yuuko trying to kill the Zashiki Warashi-lookalike
• The contents of “the egg”
• The crimson pearl — Ame Warashi wanted Watanuki to give it to her so she could save Zashiki Warashi (from turning into “Shuka”), maybe Watanuki will use it?
• Did Doumeki use his ring? Was that scene also omitted?
• Seoritsu-hime’s Book.
• Watanuki’s price for his soul-controlling magic.
• Who created Seoritsu-hime?

14 pages for this seventh chapter of volume 7. 106 pages so far for volume 7.

Once again XXXHOLiC Rei will be taking a longer break (what’s up with those long breaks?). Chapter 84 will be out on November 2nd.