Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Well, though I’m sure you have your reasons for doing this, as the student council president, I still have to ask…” Hikage Yohei paused briefly before smiling with cultured ease. “Are the ones on the ground still alive?”

Hoshino Gen regarded Hikage Yohei for a long moment before offering a polite smile and replying calmly, “Not dead.”

After a brief pause, he added, “For now.”

Hikage Yohei’s smile faltered slightly. Taking two steps forward, he spoke in a more familiar tone, “I don’t know what they did to provoke you, but could I ask you to leave it at this? After all, they’ve already been punished enough.”

As he spoke, he gestured toward the three unconscious figures on the floor, their appearances utterly miserable. Then, he continued, “Besides, what happened back in middle school… it affected you quite a lot as well, didn’t it?”

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Gen couldn’t help but chuckle. He placed his foot on Eiki’s neck and, with impeccable politeness and detachment, addressed Hikage Yohei.

“Senpai.”

“I suddenly realized something. The base nature of humans is truly vile. People idolize the strong, prey on the weak, are consumed by desire. Laying low doesn’t seem to work here. I thought I had always been discreet, yet people like this still come to trouble me for no reason.”

“Tell me, if everyone saw me as a murderer, a demon who would kill classmates without hesitation, the kind of monster that no one could touch, the heir to a conglomerate so powerful that even if I committed murder, no media outlet would dare report it…”

Crack!

The moment the last word left his lips, Eiki’s neck snapped beneath his foot. Hoshino Gen lifted his gaze, smiling at the now-stiffened Hikage Yohei. “Would people still come looking for trouble with me?”

“Ahhh—!!!”

A piercing scream rang out beside Hikage Yohei. A girl wearing glasses had dropped her documents, scattering papers everywhere. She stared wide-eyed at Hoshino Gen, who had just, without question, taken a life. Staggering, she collapsed onto the floor.

It wasn’t just her. Even the girls gathered outside the door had similar reactions. Aside from Shimizu Yuu, who swallowed nervously as if she had expected things to come to this, the others all looked as if their worldview had shattered. They covered their mouths, not daring to make a sound.

However, what was surprising was that the usually timid and cowardly Itou Saki had the calmest reaction of all.

Well… perhaps “calm” wasn’t the right word. Unlike the others, who were overwhelmed by shock, confusion, and fear, her expression at that moment was closer to… hope. Though she was visibly shaken, her eyes gleamed with light.

Hoshino Gen paid no mind to how others saw him, nor did he bother to gauge their thoughts. Because the moment he crushed Eiki’s neck, a ball of light emerged from the corpse and drifted into his left eye.

He could distinctly feel it—his left eye, which had been unbearably hot ever since that “tenant” awakened, was now slightly cooled.

His lips curled upward in interest. That light… was it a soul? And after being absorbed by his left eye, did it have the effect of lulling the “tenant” inside back to sleep?

His gaze instinctively shifted toward the other two bodies on the ground. Just as he lifted his foot to move, a sudden jolt struck his heart. Something was wrong. This train of thought—wasn’t it off?

Was the “pollution” once again influencing his mind without him realizing it?

Shaking his head slightly, Hoshino Gen adjusted his breathing and turned to leave the warehouse.

At the doorway, only Shimizu Yuu remained standing there, watching him with a complicated expression, while Itou Saki hung her head, lost in thought. The other girls had all backed away in fear.

Sakurajima Yui even made sure to drag the seemingly “stunned” Itou Saki away, as if being even slightly closer to Hoshino Gen would taint them with the stigma of associating with a murderer.

Hoshino Gen didn’t care. He merely smiled at Shimizu Yuu as he passed her, casual and indifferent.

It was in that moment that Shimizu Yuu finally realized—this guy… truly didn’t belong in the same world as them.

…

Inside the gymnasium, Hikage Yohei let out a bitter chuckle, stepped forward, and checked Eiki’s pulse and breathing. Confirming he was truly dead, he sighed helplessly before looking at the other two bodies on the ground.

Shaking his head, he took out his phone and called for an ambulance.

…

Outside the venue, Itou Saki lowered her head and hesitated for a long time. Watching as Hoshino Gen’s figure grew more distant, she finally made up her mind. Breaking free from Sakurajima Yui’s grasp, she ran after him.

The other girls were stunned, including Shimizu Yuu. However, unlike the others, she hesitated only briefly before also hurrying after them.

Hoshino Gen wasn’t walking fast. With both hands tucked into his uniform pockets, he strolled as if taking a leisurely walk. It didn’t take long for Itou Saki to catch up.

Panting heavily, she stepped before him, lifting her fair, delicate face. She met his gaze for only half a second before quickly looking away.

This girl—despite having the cool, studious beauty of an anime heroine—was timid and shy to the core.

She stood there, fidgeting for a long while. Only when Shimizu Yuu caught up did she finally muster the courage to stammer, “U-Um… Hoshino-kun, are… are you in the yakuza? I-I saw… the tattoo on your arm…”

Hoshino Gen regarded the stammering girl with interest but didn’t answer.

Shimizu Yuu also looked at Itou Saki in confusion, unable to understand why she was asking such an irrelevant question at a time like this.

However, Itou Saki seemed to take Hoshino Gen’s silence as confirmation. She looked up at him, then quickly looked away, seemingly on the verge of tears. “T-Then… then, I want to ask… for your help. No matter the price, I’m willing to pay it—even if I can’t repay it right away, I will do everything I can in the future… so please… please help me!”

After finishing, she squeezed her eyes shut and shrank her delicate, slender neck, looking like a condemned prisoner awaiting judgment. It was almost comical.

And Hoshino Gen did, indeed, laugh.

He turned to Shimizu Yuu and, smiling, asked, “She’s your friend, right? Do you know what trouble she’s in?”

Shimizu Yuu shook her head blankly before looking at Itou Saki in surprise. “Yeah, Saki-chan, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Itou Saki didn’t respond. She merely shook her head before taking a deep breath and looking up at Hoshino Gen—her tear-filled eyes filled with hope.