Lightning tore through the clouds.
Sakura screamed and instinctively swerved the staff left and right, but her lack of flying experience showed immediately. The sudden maneuvers threw the staff off balance, and she nearly slipped free, her feet losing purchase in midair.
Shōma reacted without thinking.
He released his grip on his blade, wrapped one arm firmly around Sakura's waist, and seized the staff with the other, forcing it steady again. The violent shaking stopped just in time.
Rowan watched the scene unfold and smiled, satisfied.
"That's about all I can do for you, Shōma," he murmured.
The air around him exploded with light.
Electricity far denser and brighter than the Lightning Card's storm erupted from Rowan's body, drowning the clouds in white-blue brilliance. In a single motion, he surged forward, grabbed the raging lightning beast by the back of the neck, and slammed his palm down.
"Seal."
The creature froze mid-roar. Its power collapsed inward, compressing into a single point before snapping into the shape of an ordinary Clow Card, drifting quietly into Rowan's hand.
For him, sealing a card that had nearly exhausted its remaining magic was trivial.
He normally would not interfere. The cards were never meant for him, and his interest lay in understanding them, not claiming them. This was an exception, nothing more. From here on, he intended to step back and let the children handle the rest themselves.
Shōma guided the staff closer, still holding Sakura as they approached.
"Ancestor… are you alright?" he asked.
Rowan glanced at the two of them and chuckled. "I'm fine. How about you?"
"We're… fine," Shōma replied, then suddenly realized where his arm was.
He released Sakura at once and looked away, ears burning red. Sakura was no better. Her face had gone crimson, and she couldn't bring herself to look at him.
Rowan sighed inwardly.
Kids in this world really did grow up fast.
They landed back on the ground, and Rowan held up the sealed Lightning Card.
"Normally, this card should have been contested between the two of you," he said calmly. "What just happened was an exception. Later on, I'll release it again. When that happens, whoever seals it properly earns it. Fair?"
Sakura and Shōma nodded in unison, still flustered.
With that settled, Rowan took Shōma with him and vanished, reappearing back at the villa. Only once they were inside did Shōma finally relax.
"Ancestor… you're not upset that you didn't just give me the card, are you?" Rowan asked casually.
Shōma shook his head without hesitation. "I know what you're doing. If I can't earn a card's recognition myself, I won't be able to use it properly. I'll collect the Clow Cards with my own strength."
Rowan nodded approvingly. "Good answer. Now go do your homework."
Shōma blinked. "…Yes, sir."
Once the boy was gone, Rowan placed a long-distance call to Yanagi Fuyuka and explained the situation in detail.
There was a pause on the line.
"So the guardian beast has already chosen its successor," she said slowly. "That complicates things."
"If you keep thinking that way, you'll miss the bigger picture," Rowan replied calmly, then shared his own view.
He spoke of Sakura's character, her background, and the bond already forming between the two children. Finally, he laid out his conclusion without hesitation.
"If it comes down to it, let Shōma give the cards as a gift when they're older. Bring the girl into the family. One way or another, the cards stay with us, and we gain a top-tier mage to boot."
There was silence on the other end.
Then Fuyuka laughed softly. "Ancestor… that's brilliant."
After ending the call, Rowan prepared dinner with household magic and returned to his research, immersing himself in the Yanagi family's lightning techniques and the Lightning Card's structure.
Days passed.
Sakura continued sealing cards: the Sword, the Flower, the Shield.
Rowan gained steadily from his studies.
Then, one evening, as he tested a refined lightning spell, bells rang across the entire town.
The world lurched.
Time itself began to flow backward.
Not minutes. Not hours.
A full day rewound in an instant.
Rowan's eyes narrowed.
"So it's finally begun," he said quietly.