Tokyo Exorcism Diary

The next day, the final day of Golden Week.

“Bye, Onii-chan. Bye, Liz——”

Standing in front of the guesthouse, Hoshino Rin waved farewell as her brother and Liz boarded the agency’s car back to Tokyo. The moment they left, it felt like half her energy had drained away. Just thinking about the next few days—coming home to an empty house after a long day of work—made her sigh inwardly.

Even though they’d just left, she was already starting to miss them.

Shaking her head, she muttered to herself, ‘Forget it, forget it. I should just check out of the guesthouse and move in with the others from tky02.’

But as soon as she thought about the tky02 crew, her mind drifted to last night’s chaos. After her brother had dashed off to chase that vengeful spirit, the whole studio had practically exploded with excitement.

Sure, the girls had their eyes shut during the ritual, and the spirit never got close to the studio, so they missed the most crucial part—but that eerie atmosphere and those bizarre visuals were just too far from anything science could explain.

No matter how much she insisted it was all just clever stage props, they only half-believed her. They even refused to let her go back to the guesthouse until she handed over her brother’s contact info—so they could “consult him for fortune-telling or spirit communication” in the future.

Of course, she didn’t give it to them. Even she only had his private number. Besides, if she dared to leak that, she could already picture her brother pinning her down and spanking her when she got home!

Thinking about how those girls went from idols to full-blown simps the moment they talked about her brother—and recalling that middle school girl who’d been glued to his side yesterday—Hoshino Rin couldn’t help but pout. Staring off in the direction their car had disappeared, she muttered softly, “Maybe being ordinary wouldn’t be so bad.”

…

Back in his apartment in Koto Ward, Hoshino Gen found his motorcycle license in the mailbox—a delivery from the day before.

After unlocking the door with a fingerprint scan, he headed straight to the bathroom to shower and change.

He was about to leave again when he noticed Liz sitting on the sofa, gazing at him with those expectant eyes. Pausing for a moment, he pulled out his phone and ordered lunch for her, scheduled to arrive in an hour. Then, grabbing his backpack, he headed out.

The antique shop was familiar territory. Tossing his bag onto the desk, Hoshino Gen pushed open the wooden double doors to the exhibition room. A cold, damp air greeted him, but he didn’t flinch.

Approaching an empty display pedestal, he bit his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the surface. Intricate patterns etched into the gray stone flared with faint golden light for a brief second. Then, he pulled out a talisman, pressing it onto the pedestal before carefully placing a silver-gray ring wrapped in more talismans on top.

The ring vibrated with a low hum. The patterns flickered again, then everything went still.

After a quick inspection of the other sealed items around the room, confirming nothing was amiss, Hoshino Gen left and closed the doors behind him.

Unlike the cold interior, the warmth of the May sun streaming into the shop’s front room felt like a comforting embrace. Stretching lazily, Hoshino Gen glanced at his backpack, a smile creeping onto his face as he pulled out his phone and dialed a certain unreliable assistant.

The call connected quickly. On the other end, there was a noisy backdrop—probably a busy shopping mall or street. He could faintly hear girls asking, “Who is it? Who’s calling you?”

“Yeah? What do you want?” came Shimizu Yuu’s voice, sounding slightly distracted.

Hoshino Gen’s tone was polite, almost too polite. “Sorry to interrupt your fun outing with friends, but unfortunately, your shift starts now.”

“…Huh?” Shimizu Yuu was clearly caught off guard. “Wait, isn’t it still the holidays?”

“And what does school vacation have to do with your job?” Hoshino Gen replied cheerfully. “Anyway, hurry over. It’s urgent.”

“Urgent? What’s so urgent?” Shimizu Yuu’s curiosity got the better of her. Sure, Hoshino Gen could be an annoying jerk, but he was competent. If he said it was urgent, maybe it really was serious.

“Less talking, more walking. If you’re not here in twenty minutes, I’m docking your entire paycheck for the month.”

“Wha—?! You—”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Hoshino Gen hung up, his grin widening. Hiring her had been a great decision. Forget her actual work skills—she was entertaining enough on her own.

…

About fifteen minutes later, the antique shop’s door slammed open with a loud bang.

Shimizu Yuu stormed in, panting. “What… what’s so urgent?!”

Hoshino Gen closed the book he’d been reading and looked up with an infuriatingly pleasant smile. “No rush. Catch your breath first. Want something to drink?”

Shimizu Yuu waved him off, trying to steady her breathing as she swapped her shoes. Moments later, she plopped into the seat across from him, cheeks puffed out in frustration.

Of course she was mad. She’d been having the time of her life shopping with friends. One moment, they were debating where to grab lunch, and the next—bam! This guy calls, dragging her here like it’s a matter of life and death. It was like being in the middle of an epic gaming session with your friends when your parents suddenly snatch your phone and tell you to do homework. The worst.

With her face screaming “You’d better have a damn good reason for this,” Shimizu Yuu glared at Hoshino Gen.

He kept smiling. “Shimizu-san. You know school starts tomorrow, right?”

She frowned slightly, confused. “Yeah… so?”

“Did you finish your homework?”

“Of course I di—”

Her words cut off mid-sentence.

Her eyes widened. A horrible realization crept over her like a cold shiver.

Still smiling sweetly, Hoshino Gen placed his backpack in front of her. “Well then. I’ll leave mine in your capable hands.”

Shimizu Yuu stared blankly at his face, which might as well have been the face of the devil.

If she had a knife right now, she’d stab him without hesitation.

Unbelievable. Despicable. How could anyone be this shameless?!

Her eyes welled up with tears of sheer frustration. “You—”

Smack!

Hoshino Gen casually slapped a talisman onto the table, sliding it toward her. “Your payment for the week.”

Shimizu Yuu’s lips trembled. She didn’t cry.

But she was this close.