Sakura stared absently out of the old bus's window as it lurched through potholes and low-hanging vegetation. Whatever it was that Meiling and Kero were discussing she had tuned out however long ago. What could it matter, anyway? She knew what she needed to do. As the bus pushed past overgrown branches, Sakura noticed a rotten wooden barrier barring off a side road.

"Where's that go?" Sakura found herself asking.

Meiling sat up. "Hm? What'd you say?"

"That road," Sakura said. "Where does it go?"

"Oh. That's the way to the old lab. It got closed down after the disaster. The whole thing's a mess. I don't think you'd even be able to get out there anymore."

Kero nodded. "You wouldn't want to anyway. I heard that the island's overrun with blotlings."

"Oh. I-I see," Sakura said. She turned to Meiling. "How far is Nakayoshi from here?"

"Not too far," Meiling replied. "It's only, like, thirty minutes or so by foot from Main Street. We'd be there already if I didn't have to drive so darn slow. Still, we'll be there soon."

Sakura smiled a little. "Thank you for helping me with all this."

"No problem," Meiling said. "It's usually not very busy around this time, so I should be able to get away with driving you around a bit. We should hurry as much as possible, though. Kodansha's a bit further off from Main Street, but odds are Daidouji-san will still get there long before we do."

"That woman said something about our target doing work in the jungles outside town, right?" Kero said. "That should give us a hint as to where to look. Still, the jungle's pretty big. There's gotta be something a little less vague for us to follow. If we want to get Sakura home tonight, that is."

"Oh, yeah," Sakura muttered. I guess I got a little wrapped up in all this. I wonder how Syaoran's doing.

"He's a teacher… The guy we're looking for, right?" Meiling asked. "Maybe ask around the school? That's in Nakayoshi, at least, so it won't take too long to get there."

"Or perhaps we should find that woman again," Kero added. "She might know something that could help."

Sakura said, "I don't think she could have gotten here before us." She remembered something that her father had said at the ice cream parlor, about visiting him in Nakayoshi. "Let's go to the school first."

"Mmkay," Meiling said. "I'll drop you off nearby. After that, it's all you. I'm going to intercept Daidouji-san and see if I can't convince her to hold off on going to Kodansha until you get back. Alright?"

"Alright. It's a plan!" Kero said.

The bus emerged from the woods shortly after, passing under a wooden arch. They passed by wooden houses with thatch roofing as pedestrians went about their business, very few paying any sort of attention to them. Sakura glanced at each passerby, but none stood out to her as even vaguely familiar. Like Main Street, Nakayoshi was surrounded by a tall fence, although this one had likely never been painted. It was far larger, though, jutting up to the height of some trees. Multitudes of houses and shops were littered across the landscape, woven together by a series of wide dirt roads. Ahead, Sakura could see a large building which, unlike the surrounding neighborhood, was made of reddish-orange bricks and a shingled roof.

"That's the school. I'll drop you off out front, then it's up to you to find some clues," Meiling said. "This feels kinda cool, actually. Like we're detectives or something!"

"Don't get too excited," Kero scolded. "Remember that someone's actually missing."

Meiling chuckled nervously. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"There's only one school here?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, well, there aren't quite that many kids living around here," Meiling said. "I guess at least few enough to pack all of them into one building."

The bus screeched to a halt, and Sakura stowed Kero away once more. Meiling wished her luck as she disembarked. She took a step back and watched the bus putter back the way they came, then hurried inside. The light of the gas lamps that hung from the ceiling flickered as Sakura shut the door behind her.

"Don't they have electricity here?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yeah, but we tend to conserve," Kero whispered. "Only use it for what's necessary."

A tall dark-haired woman in a violet suit-dress approached Sakura. "Good afternoon," the woman said. "Are you looking for something?"

"Um, yeah," Sakura said. "I'm looking for my father. Is he here?"

"Your name?" the woman asked.

"Kinomoto."

The woman laughed. "Oh, yes, Kinomoto! I'm surprised I didn't recognize you before. Yes, your father is here. His classroom is on the second floor, I believe. The teacher's name should be by the door, so it should not be too difficult to find."

"Thank you," said Sakura.

"Don't mention it." The woman took a few steps down the hall, but paused and turned to Sakura. "By the way, Syaoran wouldn't happen to be here as well, would he?"

"Um, no. Why?" Sakura gasped. "Oh, yeah. You're Syaoran's mother, right? Sorry I didn't recognize you."

The woman shook her head. "It's fine. I suppose I didn't make much of an effort to see you very often. I… kind of regret that now. How is everything? Between you and Syaoran, that is. Finally tie the knot?"

"Yes, about a year and a half ago. He's busy a lot, though. I just want to get home before he worries about me."

"Ah, I see. I would have like to have been there. Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Tell him I said hello if you get the chance, okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I will. But, Li-san…"

"You may call me Yelan-san if you like. I hope you didn't feel like I was trying to remain distant from you. There was just… a lot on my mind." Her voice was slightly distressed.

"Um, you know about Clow-san and everything, right? Do you know where we are?"

Yelan closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Not really. I am sure that it's a magical world, but I suppose that's obvious. Other than that, I don't know. I wish I could be of more help."

"It's alright. I just wanted to ask. Are you a teacher here, Yelan-san?" Sakura asked.

"Not really. I just tend to the library. My life here isn't quite what it was in Hong Kong. Back then, I only had to worry about studying my art. Not that that helped me much here, though. It's been a lot of work, but I suppose it's not so bad. I've learned a few things from the experience, and nothing's really happened here since that whole mess eight years ago, so it's been pretty calm. And the girls have moved out, as well, so- I'm sorry, am I rambling? I know you were in a hurry."

"Please don't apologize," Sakura said. "I'm very happy to have run into you. I promise I'll let Syaoran know you're doing well. So please, don't feel bad, okay?"

Yelan smiled. "Thank you, Kinomoto-san. You're very kind. Well, I won't keep you." With that, she bowed and left.

Sakura hurried upstairs and started scanning the nameplates for her father's name. After passing by several rooms, she came across one labeled "Kinomoto." She knocked on the door.

"Yes? Come in," she heard her father say. She opened the door and stepped inside. The class was quite small, barely more than ten or twenty students. They were teenaged, most likely high schoolers. Fujitaka taught at a university in Tomoeda, but did they even have a university in this town? Her father was standing at the front of the room.

"Sakura-san, hello," said Fujitaka. "Um, can this wait until after class ends?"

Sakura glanced at the students, who were all staring back at her. "Sorry to interrupt, Otousan. But it's urgent."

Fujitaka nodded. "Alright, everyone," he said to the class. "Take a quick break." Then he led Sakura back out into the hall. "Did you need something, Sakura-san?" he asked. "Or are you just leaving soon?"

"Do you know Terada-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Um, yeah. He teaches downstairs. Come to think of it, he hasn't been here the past few days. Is that what this is about?"

"Yes. I promised someone I'd help look for him."

"Oh. I see." Fujitaka crossed his arms and stared pensively at nothing in particular.

"Is that wrong?" Sakura asked nervously.

Fujitaka shook his head. "No. It's just… I'm worried about you going out there."

"Out where?"

"If you go through the jungle just past here, you'll eventually end up at the coastline. That's where Terada-sensei was working on something or other. Never really brought up the specifics. I considered checking on him myself, but I guess I don't have the nerve. I just don't want you going out there unprepared."

"Why?"

Fujitaka sighed. "Those monsters are everywhere out there. You could get hurt."

"Oh, yeah…"

"I should get going back to class now. I won't tell you to forsake someone in need, but if you do go looking, try not to stray too far from the path, and please be careful. Alright?"

"I will," said Sakura. "Thanks, Otousan!"

Fujitaka smiled. "What did I do to deserve such a brave and kind daughter?" With that, he stepped back into the classroom.

"Hmm," Kero muttered, poking his head out of the bag. "Skull Rock."

"S-Skull?" Sakura asked.

"It was a popular vacation spot before the disaster," Kero explained. "With the sea being toxic and blotlings on the loose, no one goes there anymore. Still, why would our missing teacher be interested in that place?"

"I don't know, but at least we know just where to look. Come on, let's go."