Tokyo Exorcism Diary

The scene before him faded like a dissipating mist. As Hoshino Gen came back to his senses, a wave of cold chills and weakness swept over him.

Beads of cold sweat covered his forehead. He barely managed to lift his gaze to the computer screen before him, only to realize that the interface of Red Skirt had vanished, and Chi-chan was nowhere to be found.

Hoshino Gen lowered his head to look at the inside of his left wrist, where an intricate crimson sigil had appeared at some point.

Through the sigil, Hoshino Gen could feel a faint, mysterious connection to an unknown presence. It seemed his spirit-manipulation ritual had been a success.

Feeling drained, Hoshino Gen slumped into his gaming chair, closing his eyes in exhaustion.

…

The next morning, Hoshino Gen was awakened by a series of knocks on his door. His younger sister had come to call him for breakfast.

Opening his eyes, he saw sunlight streaming through the window, bathing his bedroom floor in warm light.

Though his head still felt slightly groggy, it was far better than the bone-deep exhaustion of last night, which felt like he’d gone three days and nights without rest. It was clear that the spirit-manipulation technique consumed an enormous amount of energy and vitality.

Not that it mattered much—he wasn’t planning on starting any new treasure hunts until he recovered the cursed blade, Onikiri.

Thinking about that blade, Hoshino Gen glanced at his right hand. The wound he had received back then had mostly healed under the daily cleansing of enchanted water talismans, leaving only a faint scar in his palm as evidence of the injury.

With a sharp clap of both hands to his cheeks, Hoshino Gen forced himself to wake up, got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to freshen up for breakfast.

…

At the breakfast table, it was just Hoshino Gen, his sister Hoshino Rin, and the little girl, Liz. Their mother, Tilina, had gone on a business trip to Kyoto for a few days to attend a commercial meeting. Before leaving, she had reminded both Hoshino Gen and Hoshino Rin to take good care of Liz.

Naturally, Hoshino Gen dismissed her words as nothing more than background noise. Ignoring everything else, he focused on his meal. His body wasn’t feeling great, and he figured he’d take the opportunity to go get his motorcycle license today, making travel more convenient in the future.

However—

“Please, Onii-chan! I have an important scene to shoot today, and I can’t hold up the entire crew just because of me. So, could you take Liz-chan shopping for clothes? Please?”

Hoshino Rin pleaded with wide, tearful eyes. Beside her, Liz crossed her arms and turned her head away with a pout, looking as if she were witnessing a tragedy she was powerless to stop.

Frankly, Hoshino Gen wanted to refuse. But as he looked at Hoshino Rin’s shimmering heterochromatic eyes and recalled the phone call he’d received from the sales manager at Kawasaki’s 4S dealership a few days ago…

Tch. Let’s just call it a day job. Thinking about it that way, a single day of work in exchange for a Kawasaki H2 seemed like a fair deal.

Even if the thought of accompanying a kid who clearly disliked him to go shopping left him feeling less than thrilled.

“Fine. I’ll do it,” Hoshino Gen agreed with a blank expression.

…

Chuo District, Ginza, Tokyo

The early May sunshine was bright yet gentle, making it the perfect season for shopping. Today, as always, this district—reputed to be the “most expensive in all of Asia”—was bustling with activity.

Among the crowds, Hoshino Gen, dressed in a simple white shirt layered with a hoodie and paired with black trousers, walked straight into a children’s clothing store with Liz trailing silently behind him.

A friendly salesperson quickly approached. Since it was a kids’ store, she immediately identified Liz as the key decision-maker for this purchase.

After a warm “Welcome!” she launched into an enthusiastic introduction of the shop’s high-end positioning and unique clothing designs, finally asking what country the little girl was from.

Upon hearing the answer, “England,” the salesperson smoothly switched to fluent English and began complimenting Liz, calling her as cute as a doll and likening her hair to gleaming gold. In no time, the little ice sculpture that had been Liz—previously cold and aloof—was beaming as she chatted with the salesperson.

Hoshino Gen was dumbfounded. Since when did salespeople go to such lengths?

Under the salesperson’s recommendations, Liz ended up picking out more than ten outfits, totaling close to 400,000 yen.

Even converted into Chinese yuan, that was over 20,000. But honestly, in a place like Ginza, clothing priced at 1,000 yuan per piece wasn’t particularly expensive. Calmly, Hoshino Gen waited for Liz to finish before heading to the counter to pay. To his surprise, Liz handed her own card to the cashier and gave Hoshino Gen a sidelong glance, followed by a soft huff.

The cashier, caught between the two cards, offered an awkward but polite smile and looked at Hoshino Gen for guidance.

Raising an eyebrow, Hoshino Gen casually put his card back in his pocket. If she wanted to pay for her own things, that was fine by him. At least the little girl, for all her attitude, had a sense of responsibility.

After the payment, they didn’t take the clothes with them. With so many bags, it would’ve been a hassle to carry everything, especially with one of them being a small child. The store offered free home delivery, and after Hoshino Gen provided his address and contact information, the shop promised to deliver the clothes by 3 PM that day. Their service was impeccable.

No surprise there. Even though 400,000 yen might not be much for a store of this caliber, spending that amount in one go made them a relatively important customer. And as they say, the customer is king. A big spender, then, would naturally be a big king.

…

As Hoshino Gen and Liz exited the store, another customer approached the counter to pay. Oddly enough, though it was a children’s clothing store, this customer didn’t have a child with them. Stranger still, they bought only one piece of clothing but also requested home delivery.

Taking the form to fill in his address and phone number, the man hesitated for a long time. If someone had been watching closely, they might have noticed his eyes lingering on the line above—the contact details left by Hoshino Gen. The man etched those numbers into his memory with an eerie focus.

…

After leaving the store, Hoshino Gen intended to head straight home. Shopping was only enjoyable when done with the right company. When done with someone you disliked, both parties would likely just want to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

There was no doubt that Liz disliked Hoshino Gen—perhaps even hated him. Naturally, this mutual animosity meant Hoshino Gen didn’t have a favorable impression of her, no matter how doll-like and adorable she might be.

However, as they passed through a particularly crowded street, the unexpected happened. A couple walking past Hoshino Gen accidentally dropped the scoop of ice cream from their cone, and it landed squarely on the back of his hand.

The woman apologized profusely, and the man joined her, even crouching down to pick up the fallen ice cream with a tissue and dispose of it in a nearby trash can.

Since their manners were decent, Hoshino Gen decided not to make a fuss. He simply found a nearby restroom to wash his hands.

But when he stepped out of the restroom, Liz—who should have been waiting just outside—was nowhere to be seen.