I’ve got three more chapters from volume 10 where we’ll get to see the end of the well-water and “woman in the window” story and a continuation of the Himawari-chan thread. Again, thanks to eXeXeX HOLIC for the scans.

Chapter 112

Summary: After making a yubikiri with Himawari-chan, Watanuki looks at his pinkie finger.

It is dark by the time Doumeki-kun and Watanuki take off for the final trip to the well. As before, there is the woman at the open window apparently observing them. Watanuki’s pinkie gives him great pain and the wrapping cloth used to help carry the water jug flies into the window. Because the cloth belongs to Yuuko-san and it might have some importance that she hasn’t told them, Watanuki decides they should go get it.

They try to ring the doorbell, but it doesn’t work. Doumeki-kun states that he’ll go and get the cloth and doesn’t want to hear any protests from Watanuki. However, the door is open making the debate pointless. The inside of the house looks long abandoned but Watanuki announces their presence anyway (a Japanese custom). The two of them make their way upstairs to where the room where they’d seen the woman sitting at the window. Upon seeing the back of the woman sitting there, Watanuki decides that this woman isn’t real, but is instead a doll.

Thoughts: Well, again Himawari-chan appears to have caused something to happen to Watanuki. After all, the cloth wouldn’t have flown up to the window had his finger not suddenly given him pain, the very finger he made the yubikiri with her. Beyond that, the chapter is mostly build up for the ultimate conclusion.

Chapter 113

Summary: Watanuki felt that the woman in the room was a doll, but Doumeki-kun is not so sure. He’s quickly proved right based on his experience at the temple — this is a deceased woman. Watanuki is incredulous since the body doesn’t stink and hasn’t begun to rot, especially in the humid Tokyo-area heat. Doumeki explains that in his grandfather’s day, this was true but today, the preservatives used in foods build up over time and keep the body preserved after death. The woman’s body falls out of the chair and to the floor.

Later at Yuuko-san’s shop, Watanuki tells the story to Yuuko-san. The police confirmed once and for all to Watanuki that the body was indeed a corpse and not a doll. Despite his ability to see youkai, ayakashi, ghosts, and the like, this incident has left him shaken. Yuuko-san has observed this and asks why he went into the house in the first place. As he thinks back, he recalls that it was his pinkie finger had given him pain, causing him to let go of the cloth which had flown into the room with the dead woman. Yuuko-san presses the matter and Watanuki recalls the yubikiri with Himawari-chan. Yuuko-san confirms that it was the yubikiri with Himawari-chan that not only caused his pinkie finger to hurt, but also caused the wind to blow the cloth into the house.

Thoughts: Well now, well now. With Yuuko-san’s confirmation that Himawari-chan caused the events that lead to them discovering the corpse, CLAMP is advancing this story thread again. They’ve only been teasing it for ages and so this advancement has been most intriguing. It will be interesting watching where this goes and learning who Himawari-chan really is. I’d love for her to still be around, but not as Watanuki’s love-interest. I still want the Zashiki-Warashi and Watanuki to hook up.

As to the preservation item Doumeki-kun brings up, I have been unable to verify the truth of this. Certainly, everything I’ve read seems to indicate this really couldn’t be. So I don’t know if CLAMP are making some point about the foods we eat, or are just making up a plot device.

Chapter 114

Summary: Watanuki finds himself at Doumeki-kun’s temple and observing the night sky. He’s joined by Doumeki-kun’s grandfather, who’s in his young man form. He wonders if Watanuki has any business at the temple since its already night. He offers to fetch Shizuka (Doumeki-kun) but Watanuki states that his reason for being there isn’t that important. Doumeki-kun’s grandfather disagrees and offers to listen.

It is then that Watanuki realizes they haven’t been officially introduced. Doumeki-kun’s grandfather already knows Watanuki’s name and introduces himself as Doumeki Haruka. Since Watanuki already uses the family name “Doumeki” to address Shizuka, Haruka is the name that is requested to address Doumeki-kun’s grandfather. “Haruka-san” it is then.

Watanuki tells Haruka-san about Himawari-chan. Haruka wants to know how Watanuki feels about her. He thinks she’s kind and cute. Haruka-san then points out that bad things happened because of her. Watanuki tries to pass it off as coincidence, however he remembers Yuuko-san’s constant reminder that there are no coincidences in the world, only hitsuzen (~inevitability). When Haruka-san asks Watanuki’s opinion of hitsuzen, he admits that he didn’t believe it at first, but recently has begun to accept it.

Haruka reflects on how everything that happens has meaning, including noticing things and asking “why?” He observes that Watanuki has been guided by various things said and done and so Watanuki won’t be able to not notice things any longer. He then asks if Watanuki still has the balloons he received from the Yumekai. Watanuki has only one, so Haruka-san asks him to take it with him tomorrow when he goes out. Before he leaves, he states that they will surely see each other in another dream.

Watanuki awakens and gets up. He’s happily greeted by Maru and and Moro who inform him the Yuuko-san is working in the treasure room. Yuuko-san has left word that he can’t leave for school without preparing breakfast first. He agrees, but is disappointed Yuuko-san isn’t around because he’d wanted to discuss the dream with her.

As he goes to school with the balloon, he runs into Kohane-chan.

Thoughts: The Himawari-chan arc continues to progress, which I know fans will appreciate. It is interesting the Yuuko-san is gone again right when Watanuki would have attempted to gain her advice. Most likely this was on purpose, especially since he runs into Kohane-chan in the end.

OK, we are half-way through the volume now. Three more chapters to come soon. ^_^