Each lead felt like an old map’s creased corner. He collected them: publisher press releases, ISBN cross-references, digital bookstore entries, library catalog numbers, forum posts. Some paths dead-ended with “out of print” notices; others revealed reprints under different names or bundled editions tagged for collectors. Sometimes the real treasure was a tiny scan in an interview, or a panel shared by the mangaka on social media — a breadcrumb confirming the work’s shape.