What a drag...
Would you get away from me already!?
It left!
Oh, it's you, Watanuki.
You don't just come up and bang into me, and then say "Oh, it's you"!
Don't go standing around on the side of the road. You're in the way.
What!? You've got a lot of nerve, Domeki!
Watanuki-kun, Domeki-kun...
Himawari-chan!
Summer vacation starts tomorrow.
Yeah, but I've got to work during the whole vacation.
Domeki-kun, do you have anything planned?
Not especially.
What about you, Himawari-chan?
I'm going over to a relative's house for the Obon festival.
But then, I won't be able to see you all. I'm going to miss you a little.
Mm-hmm, me too. In any case, I've got nothing but my hellish job ahead.
I won't miss you.
We weren't talking to you!
Just go on ahead without me! I'm going to enjoy walking Himawari-chan home!
Well, if you'll excuse me...
Yeah, see you.
You too, Watanuki-kun.
Take care!
My beloved Kunogi Himawari-chan... My whole school life is because of you.
Usually, summer vacation is something that students look forward to,
but to me, it is a time of bitter farewells!
Later.
You head on home on your own!
Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!
That spook is coming back!
No matter how much these things stay away when Domeki is around,
I still don't want to be around him.
So why do these things always have to haunt me!?
For crying out loud, this is a curse, having a predisposition to seeing,
feeling, and being influenced by these things, I tell you!
There are many unusual things in this world,
but no matter how peculiar or bizarre a phenomenon is,
if people are not there, and if people do not see them, they fade like mirages.
People... people... people...
It is people who are the most mysterious things in the world.
"xxxHolic -- A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Why, you-!
Why, you... you... you... you...
So... heavy...
Just a little farther...
"Invitation"
What's this?
The Master is waiting for you.
Huh? Waiting?
For you.
Yay! He's back!
Welcome back!
Yuko-san?
Watanuki...
Saké.
--Saké. --Saké.
Saké!
Geez, of all things, saké!? In the middle of the day!?
I've run out of my favorite Junmai Daiginjo.
It's your own fault for drinking it all at once, for crying out loud.
There aren't any liquor stores that have this in stock anymore.
I'll go place an order for you, though.
So, Ichihara Yuko-san, my employer,
cleaning, laundry, gardening, or cooking,
what would you like me to start with today?
All of them.
All of them!?
Don't yell in my ears.
I've been granting your wish to keep the spooks from seeing you,
and to keep the spooks from haunting you, haven't I?
In exchange, you are providing...
...a commensurate amount of manual labor for me.
Okay then, today I'll let you get off with...
...just sorting out my treasure storeroom.
Ah, for the love of... Oh, yeah...
Here.
Judging by the text of this, it looks more like I'm being called out than invited.
What does it say?
Would you like to know?
Nope. Once you've told me, you're just going...
...to demand more compensation from me, right?
Sheesh, how much of this is there!?
Lots.
--Lots. --Lots.
Geez! If you've got this much, you could have some of it taken somewhere!
I can't have that. This is all here to be handed down to someone, after all.
I didn't mean to collect it all, but it got collected anyhow, so what can I do?
That's what everyone who can't straighten up says.
What's this?
That tickles!
You're Watanuki. It's spelled like "April 1st," but pronounced "Watanuki."
Don't go hiding in her treasures!
Hey! Get off! I can't breathe! I can't breathe!
I've found you.
The one who can help me.
Um... you must be here to see Yuko-san.
Was there something...
No...
Can I...
...really have any wish I want granted here?
Yes, by Yuko-san.
Whatever wish you may have, I can grant it for you.
However, I will also have to take a commensurate amount of compensation.
There she goes, just like I did, getting caught in the trap,
and falling prey to Yuko-san's poisonous fangs.
--A poisonous bite! --A poisonous bite!
You there!
I will pay you any compensation you want.
Thank goodness. When I first heard about you, I couldn't believe it.
How could there be a shop that grants any wish you wanted?
A fortune teller that I know happened to introduce me to this place.
There are no happenstances in this world. The only thing there is is inevitability.
It was inevitable that you would come here.
That means that it is inevitable that I will grant you your wish.
Let's hear... what your wish is.
I need you to help me.
I can no longer go home to the house I've been away from for so long.
I even have my key, and everything.
I want to return home to my house!
So...
...we are here at that girl's request.
Wow, what a big mansion!
It sure is. It's quite handsome in its construction, isn't it?
I'd say it's more ominous than handsome.
Anyhow, there's something I'd like to ask you...
What is he doing here?
Yo.
Oh, do you wish it was just the two of us?
That's not what I meant!
If you're inviting others along, you could've called Himawari-chan...
I should remind you that the young lady asked you to begin with,
and you directed her to me.
Are you sure that you're not the one who should be solving this case?
Well then, Yuko-san, why are you...
I just came along because I was invited.
I asked Domeki-kun along for you...
...because I thought you would be lonesome all by yourself.
To compensate Domeki-kun for his help,
I worked out a deal with him for you to make bento lunches for him for a month.
Somen noodles will be fine.
Don't go making deals for me to work without asking me!
And bento lunches are out of the question.
Well, we'll see in due time.
Huh?
What's wrong?
It's just that our client for this job said that she couldn't go inside her own house.
We're going in, aren't we?
That's what's so strange! We didn't even use the key!
That probably means that this house does not recognize our client as its owner.
It looks like we're okay, though.
Just a minute!
"Thank you for coming. Please proceed straight down this hallway."
So we should go straight, right? Forgive the intrusion!
Just a minute, please!
Why are you reacting so normally? Clearly, this is strange, isn't it?
For one thing, why wasn't anyone there?
They're probably busy, you know.
They're busy? You mean, despite having enough time to write out invitations?
I'm sure they must just like writing letters.
Yuko-san...
Domeki, say something to her.
You'll go bald from worrying so much.
Who are you calling bald!?
"Please open this door."
A wall?
We can't go any farther like this.
Watanuki, you try opening it.
Who, me?
It was chilling to think he would try to pass off such a knockoff piece on me.
No, I just happened to come across it.
There's definitely something strange about this house.
What kind of construction is this?
Go and talk with the people who are here now.
Huh? What do you mean?
So that's the sort of collection you're keeping, huh?
I might have known you'd see things through different eyes.
Oh, not at all. It's just not the sort of thing I show off to others.
Ah, we have someone else joining us, do we?
I haven't seen your face around in our circles. Who might you be?
Ichihara Yuko.
Of course, that's an alias.
Aren't you an interesting lady!
So, ma'am, what do you collect?
Look, if you're collecting something, you must have a collection, right?
All the other folks here are pretty famous collectors within our circle.
We're all here in this mansion because it says there's something hard to find here.
See?
"Your collection is incomplete. If your goal is to complete your collection,
then by all means, come to my mansion."
Anyone would get upset when they are told that their collection is incomplete.
Then again, if it really means that my collection will be completed,
then it will be worth it to have come here.
What is it that you collect, ma'am?
Um...
Mokona!
You idiot! Stay inside there!
Yuko-san's collection consists of stuffed animals.
How unbelievably common!
It's collecting something that others don't that makes one a collector.
What about you there, son?
Stamps.
There couldn't be anything more ordinary!
So, how about you?
Let's see...
Supermarket points.
That's your collection!?
Hey, who invited this guy!?
A party at the mansion, or something?
Looks like they're having fun.
So, how do you suppose the owner of this mansion knew who we were?
Has anyone here ever met the owner of the mansion?
Unfortunately, no.
How about you?
This really is strange.
If you ask me, your behavior is far stranger,
all gathering here like this over a single invitation.
You're here too, aren't you?
Don't group me in with you guys!
That miserable mansion owner... Knock my collection, will he?
Incomplete, is it? Come off it.
Pay him no mind.
You know, everyone here at this table is an outstanding collector.
I am nearly breathless in admiration.
What are you talking about?
Such modesty, from someone so young.
I'm just speaking the truth.
We could say the same for you.
No, no, not at all.
There you go again.
Indeed.
Listen to all of you...
I hate to blow my own horn, but...
Naturally, my own tastes are above...
What is that smell?
You're seeing something again, aren't you?
Uh-huh. It's like some kind of haze. What could it be?
The pride, vanity, and envy the collectors have amongst each other.
All of it must be swirling around in here, within this room.
What's the matter?
You're not being affected!?
It's no use! I can't take it anymore!
"Restroom"
This can't be right.
"The restroom is under the stairs"
Why do I have to go to all this trouble?
I'm being watched? But why?
5... 6... 7... 8...
What was I doing again?
Oh, right.
"Dinner has been made ready in the dining room.
The others have already been led there."
Someone's watching me, all right...
Who's there?
Watanuki, hurry and come sit down.
This mansion really is weird!
You don't say. Never mind that, this is delicious.
Now, hold on a minute.
Who was it that prepared this food? Don't you find it strange?
You're such a worrywart.
If you don't want it, you don't have to eat it.
Tell me something, when is our all-important host going to show himself?
Come to mention it, has anyone ever heard stories about a mysterious auctioneer,
who holds secret auctions for preeminent collectors?
It is a famous legend, according to some sources.
So are you trying to say that this mansion is an auction house?
Which means that right now, while we're sitting here,
our host could be watching us somewhere.
I guess he's saying to leave the room, and to come this way.
Watanuki, let's go.
Okay.
Watanuki, notice anything?
Huh? We're one short!
Yeah, that white-haired gentleman.
Maybe he got lost on the way in here.
I'll go have a look.
I, uh, seem to have had too much to drink. I'm going to the restroom.
Nobody has returned, huh?
I wonder where our host is peeking in on us from.
There's probably a spy among us.
What do you mean by that?
I mean you. You've been pretty relaxed for a while now.
What are you getting at, you-!
Hang on, this is no time to be fighting among ourselves!
What did you say, coupon bastard?
Isn't having a kid like you here strange all by itself?
How can you say that?
The lady there is fishy, as well.
Have you two noticed it yet?
We've lost another one.
Huh!?
The old lady is gone!
"Rooms have been prepared for you to stay over.
Please do not leave your rooms for any reason during the night."
What is this!? Aren't we having the auction tonight!?
Yuko-san, what do we do?
They say we have to spend the night, so we have to spend the night.
You go on ahead to bed.
Something is sure to happen, so watch yourself.
I'm going to stay here a little while longer.
We're having another hard time just getting to our bedrooms, huh?
There are houses that are a lot like this one in America.
I've heard that spirits haunt the homes of multimillionaires,
and so the owners keep building onto them, in order to confuse the ghosts.
This place could be the same way.
S-Stop talking like that! How about something more pleasant-?
Don't leave me behind!
Is this it?
"Please pull the door"
That's strange...
Hey.
What!?
"Please pull the door to the right"
To the right!? That was misleading!
I've got to ask, why am I the only one...
who has to stay in a double room, with you?
Then again, I'd be a little uncomfortable by myself-
No, make that very uncomfortable.
Besides, which room is Yuko-san in?
I wonder if she's okay all alone.
Maybe we should be more worried about ourselves, though.
Domeki, in case anything happens...
Listen, you!
Of all the...
I'm going to bed!
Looks like we've gotten into something pretty wild here.
I wonder if we're going to safely make it till morning.
"You are safe here. Please have a good night's sleep"
What does this mean?
Haven't you gone to sleep yet?
I'm going, already!
Ready yet?
Not yet.
Ready yet?
Not yet.
Ready yet?
Ready.
You found me!
These? These are my new beanbags.
I've already collected this many.
Why don't you collect something too, like I do?
It may as well be something that no one else would collect.
Say, for example...
Domeki!
Hey, Domeki!
What happened?
"You are safe." The writing has changed!
Before, it said "You are safe here." So what about Domeki and Yuko-san...
The letter said we weren't supposed to leave our rooms.
Come on, you're a man, aren't you, Watanuki!?
Domeki! Yuko-san!
Is the sound coming from here?
No, it isn't.
From in here?
Butterfly specimens?
But these are just the antennae...
Oh, it's you, Watanuki.
Don't you "Oh, it's you" me!
I was looking for you and Yuko-san!
You were worried about us?
It's not that. Before I knew it, you were gone.
The room had changed, too.
So I started walking around the house, and ended up here.
Me too. But I get the feeling that we were led here.
Fences?
Barbed wire barricades, probably.
A barbed wire barricade collection room?
And a butterfly antenna collection room before that.
What's next?
Collars?
Spoons?
Huh?
This one...
...was from dinner earlier...
Watanuki!
Isn't that...
...the man who disappeared after dinner?
Why is there a picture of him here?
Oh, you boys are awake too, huh?
Who can sleep at a time like this?
Ha! You were just trying to get the jump on us to endear yourself to our host.
I dare you to say that again!
I could say the same about you!
Don't get so worked up just because I hit the nail on the head, you geezer!
Please don't quarrel at a time like this. We might not be able to get out of here.
So what?
I want to complete my collection, no matter what.
I won't be outdone, either!
This is too weird.
In here, we might be the weird ones.
Let's go. Whatever the case, let's find Yuko-san and the exit.
Out of my way!
Those say where the collections are!
"You broke your promise not to leave your rooms."
"As punishment, you will have to participate in my game."
"Hide-and-seek. If you can find me within ten minutes, you win."
"If you do not find me, you lose.
If you win, I will give you what you desire,
and if you lose, you will play a penalty game.
Now, let the games begin."
What is this!?
He's messing with us! Hey, come on out, already!
The ceiling!
What is this!? What do we do!?
There it is, there it is, the exit!
Move it, geezer!
What are you doing, you punk!?
Watanuki!
This pattern...
It's the same as the one I saw in my dream!
That's it! Yuko-san's key! If only we had it...
But that would be too convenient...
Here it is.
Could Yuko-san have known that this would happen?
--It won't open! --Give it here.
All right, hurry!
This place showed up in my dream, too.
Looks like this place hasn't been opened in decades.
That girl!
You know her?
That girl has to be the one who locked us up inside this mansion.
Hurry, we don't have much time.
We have to find her, and get Yuko-san back from her.
Then we'll have nothing more to do with this mansion.
How many more minutes do we have?
I don't know.
"4 minutes left"
Damn it, she's toying with us! We'll find her, that's for sure!
"3 minutes left"
Are we running somewhere in particular?
Nope!
But right now, we've got no choice but to search!
"2 minutes left"
Oh, no!
Dead end.
This is strange.
The arrangement of the rooms is different.
We're right back where we started!
Huh?
What do we do now?
"1 minute left"
Damn it!
Watanuki, what's wrong?
You found me.
Who are you!?
Who are you talking to?
I see, if I'm the only one who can see you, then that means you're...
People come to possess a number of things during their short lives.
Among them are those people who insist on owning certain specific items.
You mean those people we call collectors, right?
Yuko-san! Thank goodness!
No sooner did your presence disappear than here you are again...
Watanuki here is strongly sensitive to spirits,
and the spooks can't come near Domeki.
With the two of them paired together, they make for a good blinder, don't they?
So that's it.
Now, what sort of penalty game are you going to put us to?
Let me show you my collection, which I have never shown to anyone else.
What is this?
My auction resulted in only the spoon collector being placed in here.
Auction?
The auction I held to choose who among you would enter my collection.
Each of the collectors that gathered at your mansion...
...were to be items in your collection.
I auctioned them off in my mind, to see who was worthy of my grand collection.
What happened to the ones you didn't choose!?
Unfortunately, those who were not chosen were all placed within a picture.
By any chance, do you mean that picture in the drawing room?
There were six individuals that joined them tonight.
Collectors have an unusual sense of attachment to some specific thing.
We call them by the generic name "-holic."
But what if those objects weren't "things," but souls, instead?
What you have here is a collection of collectors.
What you wanted to collect were the spirits...
...of those whose hearts were captivated by "things."
Now that you have collected this many souls, are you satisfied?
I still haven't collected it.
I still haven't collected what I really want.
But I'm sure that if I had your soul...
It's nice that you'd think so much of me,
but unfortunately, I don't collect anything.
Still, you have the power to collect,
however unintentionally, the souls of others.
If that doesn't make you the ultimate collector,
then what else would you call it?
You'll forgive me, but I'm not about to let...
...myself be trapped inside this mansion.
Besides,
you're the one who is caught here.
Domeki, we have to protect Yuko-san!
Stop it!
What are you doing!? Let me go!
Let me go! Stop!
Don't!
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
No!
Take this!
Watanuki! Heads up!
You are the spirit that possesses this mansion.
You've stored up this much power over the last hundred years.
No matter how many people's souls you collect,
no matter if you were to add me to your collection,
there is no way you can be content.
I feel sorry for you.
This game ends now!
You fell for it.
Yuko-san!
I've finally gotten you.
Will my heart be satisfied now?
Why, you! Give Yuko-san back!
I'll have to dispose of you two, as well.
I've finally found it.
It was necessary to get inside your mind...
...in order for me to obtain what Watanuki found.
Remember.
This is what is important to you.
This is what you truly want.
The mansion-!
Yuko-san! You're safe!
Huh? Who is this old lady?
Thank you for granting my wish.
He's still all withdrawn inside his own shell.
You're the one who will have to use this.
I'm sure I can make do without it.
Do you remember... who I am?
Please don't cry, now.
You are moving away, so there's nothing we can do about it.
Here, you forgot this.
This was important to you, right?
When I get bigger,
I'm going to make sure I come back to this house someday,
so watch over the house for me until then, okay?
All right.
Promise me.
I promise.
Until then, I'm going to collect a whole lot...
...of something special for you. Something you'll be proud of.
Something that nobody else would collect.
Pinky promise! Swallow a thousand needles if I'm lying!
I've missed you.
I'm sorry for keeping you so lonely for such a long time.
I went and bought back the house,
but the key didn't work, and I couldn't come in.
Before I knew what I was doing,
I had forgotten the reason why I was keeping my collection,
despite having started it because I really wanted you to see it,
and tell me how good it was.
Please, stop doing it now, okay?
Okay.
Still, I'm so glad you remember me.
So much time has passed, and I have gotten so very old.
You haven't changed at all.
You're just as you were long ago, when you left.
I'm home.
Welcome back.
We'll be together from now on, right?
Yes, together from now on.
I'm lightheaded...
What do you suppose will become of that mansion now?
The old lady has decided to have it turned into a museum.
She's going to be its curator.
Will she be able to handle that by herself?
Not to worry.
The collectors that were freed said that they would help her.
So it won't be a closed-up mansion anymore, huh?
Still, I had no idea that the girl at the mansion...
...and the young lady who came to your house,
were spirit projections of that old lady.
When she came to the house, I thought about turning her down for a moment.
For some reason, as I listened to her, I started sympathizing with her.
Yuko-san, have you had some sort of painful past love,
or are you lovesick over someone, or something?
Would you like to know?
I'm getting an emergency message from Syaoran!
From those kids?
Yuko-san! I need to save the Land of Birds!
I need to open a magic birdcage in order to save the Land of Birds!
In other words, you need a key, right?
I have just the thing.
A key that takes in the user's wishes, and opens everything.
Thank you so much.
However, I will need to be compensated first.
Is there anything I can give you...
Um, how about this?
That bell is a symbol of the bond...
...between you and something dear to you, isn't it?
Very well. Mokona?
Okay then, good luck.
This is a real treasure, isn't it?
Maybe I'll use it the next time I need to call you, Watanuki.
Domeki, you were in the bath a long time.
Himawari-chan!
Hello, Watanuki-kun.
Wow, what a pretty view!
Yuko-san, thanks for inviting me over.
Sure thing, Himawari-chan. Watanuki wanted me to invite you over.
Yuko-san, for the first time in my life, I am sincerely grateful to you!
Well then,
now that the work is done, how about some of this?
Ah, that was in the room that hadn't been opened.
This is my compensation for granting the old lady's wish.
And, my compensation for granting your wish...
...to invite Himawari-chan over will be...
What is it?
I've finally gotten my sake.
Take care of the snacks.
Huh? Why me?
Because your cooking is so good, Watanuki-kun!
All right, for you, Himawari-chan, I'll do my best!
A sashimi platter would be nice.
Who asked you what you liked!?
I want sashimi, too!
Okay, I'm on it!
Don't forget the wasabi.
And why should I be taking orders from you!?
If that's okay...
Mm-hmm, I'll take care of it!
Here's to a wonderful picture.
I didn't mind the shiver I got from those callous fingers of yours,
as though you were clinging directly to a thin membrane around my body.
But the thing about you is that you always lie if left to yourself.
You figured me for a fool right from the start.
I never thought a day like this would ever come.
I can even feel your presence there still.
Ever since you left, my body has been dried up and chrysalis-colored.
I'm being reborn here in this cold, wintry room,
as though I were a beautiful butterfly.
Little by little, I open my still-damp wings,
so as to not let anyone ruin them, and dream about flying through the sky.
If that day were to suddenly come upon me,
I wonder where I should fly away to with these wings.
I am going to forget your name, as though you were livestock that had no name.
I would rather wipe you out entirely than remember you and weep.
Will that day ever come along?
Will I ever be allowed any days with you again?
Will that day ever come along?
When will that wonderful day be?