Tokyo Exorcism Diary

It didn’t take long for the water’s surface, shimmering under the moonlight, to ripple with intense waves.

A stench filled the air.

Hoshino Gen’s fishing rod suddenly dipped, and he felt a powerful force pulling from beneath the water.

Without hesitation, he slid his left hand to his waist, pulling out a talisman and attaching it to the rod in his right hand. The talisman transformed into a streak of lightning, coiling around the rod like a serpent before plunging into the depths below.

The electric light illuminated the surrounding waters, revealing a murky figure writhing violently under the current, struggling to break free.

Above the surface, water splashed wildly. Hoshino Gen gripped the sparking rod with both hands, turned his body, and, with a motion akin to swinging a long staff, flung the rod forward with force.

Bang!

A dark figure was yanked out of the water and slammed onto the ground, raising a cloud of sand and dust.

“Ughhh…!”

The creature groaned lowly. Its body, emanating wisps of foul-smelling green smoke from the electric shocks, rose from the ground, its ghastly grayish-blue face twisted in pain. Yet even in its miserable state, it instinctively grabbed the charred, severed hand still hooked on the fishing line and began devouring it with ferocity.

Hoshino Gen didn’t move, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he watched the grotesque water ghost feast on its father’s hand.

The crunching sound of bones echoed with every bite, and within moments, the entire hand was gone.

Licking its blackened lips with a long, bluish tongue, the water ghost turned to Hoshino Gen. Its decayed, rotting eyes were filled with insatiable greed.

“…Hungry…!” it growled, dropping to all fours and pouncing toward him like a cheetah.

Hoshino Gen discarded the rod, his right arm enveloped in a dark aura. As the ghost lunged, his demon blade slashed.

In an instant, the once-ferocious ghost crumpled to the ground like a tattered sack, its hideous head rolling twice across the sand before coming to a stop. Thick, viscous fluids oozed from the decapitated neck, staining the sand with sickly green bile.

The headless body twitched and groped blindly, managing to retrieve its severed head and clumsily place it back on its neck. However, the black aura lingering at the wound prevented it from healing.

“So… painful…!”

Its twisted features burned with hatred. One hand clutched its neck while the other clawed at Hoshino Gen.

With a look of disdain, Hoshino Gen swung his blade lightly, severing the outstretched arm with precision.

The ghost stared blankly at the stump, as if unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

Bored, Hoshino Gen kicked the ghost onto its back. He drew a talisman and applied it to the blade. Lightning flared, and with a single thrust, he drove the sword into the center of the ghost’s forehead.

Electricity coursed through the ghost’s body, causing it to spasm violently as its screams echoed in the night. Black smoke, acrid and foul, billowed around them. Hoshino Gen wordlessly pressed another lightning talisman onto the sword.

The air burned with intensity, and white-hot electricity crackled and hissed.

Suddenly, a deafening boom erupted. The water ghost disintegrated into charred fragments, scattering across the ground.

Hoshino Gen prodded the ashes with the tip of his sword. A silver-gray ring emerged, glinting faintly. With a flick of his blade, he caught the ring in his palm.

Tossing it lightly in his hand, he raised it to the moonlight, peering through its hollow center at the serene night sky.

Satisfied with his spoils, he pocketed the ring and turned to leave.

But in that instant, his heart thudded violently. The world around him dissolved into a vast white void. The bay, the sand, the sky, the moon—all vanished.

A familiar voice echoed from behind. “Enduring it, isn’t it painful?”

“!!” Hoshino Gen tensed, spinning around with his blade ready. He slashed, but his attack passed harmlessly through the figure.

The figure was unscathed, but Hoshino Gen froze. His eyes widened as he recognized the person standing before him.

It was himself.

This version of him had his right eye closed, while his left eye burned with a crimson glow.

Hoshino Gen’s expression darkened. He drew a talisman and hurled it at his doppelgänger, but it too passed through the figure and ignited harmlessly behind him.

“Don’t waste your strength. You are me, and I am you. The only reason I appear before you now is because that ring allowed you to confront your inner self—something you already knew,” the other Hoshino Gen said with a sinister smile.

Hoshino Gen remained silent, staring at his counterpart.

“See? You’re still holding back!” The crimson-eyed Hoshino Gen cackled maniacally, pointing at him, his laughter bending him over. “Instead of suppressing your impatience by listening to me tell you what you already know, why not crush that ring in your hand and unleash your rage?”

Hoshino Gen’s cold gaze did not waver.

The laughter stopped abruptly. The crimson-eyed Hoshino Gen’s face turned cold and calculating. “Let me guess… You’re waiting for something, aren’t you? Hoping for an excuse, a trigger that’ll let you unburden yourself completely.”

He stepped forward, gripping Hoshino Gen by the collar. His smile twisted cruelly. “You’ve been waiting for this since that girl, Shimizu Yuu, began following you in secret. You didn’t realize she was there?”

“No, you knew. You even let her discover your power, hoping she’d expose you. You’re longing for the world to turn against you, for chaos to consume everything. You already know how to deal with their weapons, don’t you? That thing hidden in your left eye—you can’t wait to test it. But you hold back, suppressing your desires!”

“With your abilities, you don’t need to abide by this world’s rules. Yet, you cower in this corner, wrapping yourself in layer upon layer of chains!”

“School, home, living like a normal person… You know it’s pointless, yet you keep doing it, chaining yourself with the illusion of normalcy!”

The crimson-eyed Hoshino Gen’s voice grew hysterical. He pounded his chest in fury. “Even you don’t understand why you’re doing this!”

“Chasing the paranormal? Hunting for treasures? Do you really want such trivial things? Your pathetic attempt to fill your empty heart with hunted relics makes me sick!”

“You could unleash yourself! You could paint this world with your desires! Why don’t you? Isn’t that what you truly crave?”

His tirade ended, the crimson-eyed Hoshino Gen calmed, exhaling deeply. “After all, there’s nothing in this world you truly care about, is there?”

He extended a hand to the shaken, conflicted Hoshino Gen, his voice soft and coaxing. “Accept me. Face your true self.”