Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Alright, stop crying. Didn’t I remind you not to be too afraid when facing ghosts? If you’d been just a little braver, that thing in your hand wouldn’t have gone out so easily. And if it hadn’t gone out, those lingering spirits wouldn’t have even been able to get close to you.”

Shimizu Yuu sobbed even more pitifully, making Hoshino Gen chuckle. “Okay, okay. Honestly, you did pretty well. Managing to hold on for this long without breaking down already makes you braver than most people in the world. A lot of people who haven’t experienced true terror might boast that it’s nothing, but when the moment actually comes, not many can stand their ground. At least you’re better than those who just talk big.”

“And besides, if an ordinary person from the Special Affairs Unit had been sent in your place, they’d be dead by now. Think about it—if you’d chosen to back out today, someone who’s currently enjoying dinner with their family would instead be lying lifeless on the ground. A family would have been torn apart in an instant. Or to put it simply—you saved an innocent life. You kept a family whole.”

Hoshino Gen spoke with a faint smile. “Does that make you feel any better?”

The crying gradually subsided. Shimizu Yuu pouted, sniffling. “How… how did you know I was in danger?”

“I didn’t know you were in danger. I only knew a ghost had appeared,” Hoshino Gen said, spreading his hands. “The call suddenly went silent, and you still hadn’t shown up in the second-floor hallway. That was obviously abnormal.”

Shimizu Yuu had no response. Or rather, she was too drained to say anything.

Hoshino Gen crossed his arms and leaned against a desk, watching with amusement as the idiot wiped her tears one by one.

What an idiot. The feeling of being on the brink of life and death wasn’t something anyone wanted to go through twice. Even he wasn’t an exception. Yet this dummy, after what happened at the dojo last time, still didn’t stay in her peaceful little world as an ordinary, carefree person—she actually ran straight into this mess again.

At least she’d learned that normal people couldn’t handle vengeful spirits. When he’d mentioned investigating supernatural incidents earlier, she’d still had the sense to say, “If it involves vengeful spirits, count me out.”

So she was capable of learning. Just… not much. Because the moment she heard they needed an ordinary person for this task, she had volunteered without hesitation.

After experiencing the terror at the dojo, she should’ve understood what it meant to be scared to the core. But she still came—so that someone else wouldn’t have to take her place.

Honestly, if he hadn’t spent all these days with her, getting to know what kind of person she was, this ridiculous display of self-sacrifice would have made him suspect she was some hidden big shot, deliberately putting on a show in front of him.

Looking at her pitiful little face, Hoshino Gen couldn’t help but smile again. But really, it was because she was such a dummy—because she had that rare, unshaken sense of humanity—that she had made it this far. If she’d had even the slightest bad intentions, he would’ve toyed her to death by now.

Time passed. The sky outside, already overcast, darkened further. Finally, Hoshino Gen chuckled and spoke. “Feeling better now?”

Shimizu Yuu sniffled, nodded, and answered in a slightly nasal voice, “Yeah.”

“Alright then. Can you still keep going? If not, I’ll take you out of here. But if you can, come with me to the top floor.”

“Do you still need me?” she asked softly.

“Hard to say. According to the intel, these vengeful spirits won’t actively attack people who aren’t a threat to them. But it doesn’t say whether they’ll hold a grudge against someone like me, who has already attacked them first. So, if you can come along, that’d be ideal—an extra layer of insurance. But if you can’t, it’s fine. I can go up alone and take my chances.” Hoshino Gen spoke indifferently.

Shimizu Yuu hesitated for a long time. Maybe she was psyching herself up. Maybe she was debating whether to give up.

In the end, she gritted her teeth and said, “We’ve already come this far. If we fail today, we’ll just have to come back tomorrow anyway. If I don’t go, someone else will have to.”

With that, she stepped up beside Hoshino Gen, her tear-streaked face now filled with grim determination.

Hoshino Gen chuckled, shaking his head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and strode toward the classroom door.

…

“By the way, how does your sword appear and disappear like that?”

“Alchemy. Similar to that thing on your arm,” Hoshino Gen said casually as they climbed the stairs.

Shimizu Yuu nodded in understanding. “It looks pretty cool. Is it the same sword you got at the dojo?”

“Yeah.”

“What were those lingering spirits you mentioned? Weren’t the things in the classroom vengeful spirits?”

“No. It’s a complicated concept, but simply put, lingering spirits are like puppets controlled by vengeful spirits. They don’t have a vessel, they don’t have obsessions, and they don’t have thoughts of their own.”

As they talked, Hoshino Gen suddenly stopped.

Shimizu Yuu, walking beside him, halted as well.

Because at the stairwell leading from the fifth to the sixth floor, the path was completely blocked—a pile of wooden crates, desks, and all kinds of random junk had been stacked deliberately, sealing the way to the top floor. Whether this was done by a person or something else remained unclear.

Hoshino Gen had no intention of forcing his way through. He turned around. “Let’s check the other stairwell.”

Shimizu Yuu had no objections and followed obediently.

But, as expected, the other stairwell was in the same condition. Worse, someone had stuffed spare uniforms into the gaps, making sure nothing could get through.

“What now?” Shimizu Yuu hugged her arms for warmth. Maybe it was just her imagination, but the higher they went, the colder it seemed to get.

Hoshino Gen stood before the blocked stairwell, lost in thought for a moment. Then, he pulled out a talisman, flicked his wrist, and a fireball the size of a basketball floated into his palm. Without hesitation, he hurled it at the barricade and pulled Shimizu Yuu back a few steps.

Boom!

Flames roared to life, instantly engulfing the debris. The intense heat rapidly dispelled the eerie chill in the air, and the fire’s glow illuminated the dark stairwell.

Shimizu Yuu opened her mouth but quickly closed it again. The method seemed a little extreme, but considering it was Hoshino Gen, it actually felt pretty normal.

Minutes passed. As the sky outside darkened, the fire burned the obstacles down to ashes, and the flames gradually died out.

Rumble!

Another muffled thunderclap rolled through the sky, and moments later, rain began to pour.