Tokyo Exorcism Diary

The blade in his hand dissolved into scattered streaks of light, surging into Hoshino Gen’s arm. He stood motionless, locking eyes with the reflection of himself before him.

The white, desolate world was utterly silent.

A trace of hesitation flickered across Hoshino Gen’s face, but his hand unconsciously lifted.

The reflection of Hoshino Gen, with a crimson left eye, gazed back with encouragement and expectation—

“Riiiiing—!!!”

The shrill sound of a cellphone shattered the silence, piercing through the vast white expanse. Hoshino Gen’s vacant, hollow gaze instantly regained focus. He staggered a step back, glaring coldly at the reflection of himself, now visibly flustered, before that reflection dissolved into shimmering fragments of light and disappeared.

Moments later, the entire white space began to distort, twisting like a star encountering a black hole, torn apart and swallowed into the silver-gray ring on Hoshino Gen’s left palm.

The world reverted to the familiar one Hoshino Gen knew—sand, the bay, and a moonlit sky that bathed everything in silver.

Lowering his gaze to the ring in his hand, which seemed to amplify desires and corrupt minds, Hoshino Gen sighed softly, wrapped it in a talisman paper, and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

The phone kept ringing. Hoshino Gen pulled it out and glanced at the screen—a number he didn’t recognize.

Sliding to answer, he was greeted by a sweet, lively voice: “Good evening, Hoshino-senpai!”

The voice was cheerful and energetic, the kind that made one picture a vibrant, full-of-life girl.

“…Good evening.” After a slight pause, Hoshino Gen responded and started walking toward the wooden cabin, planning to clean up the mess inside.

“Hehe, Hoshino-senpai, did you see the moon tonight? It’s so big and bright!”

“Yeah, I saw it.” Hoshino Gen’s tone was calm, showing no impatience toward such trivial small talk.

“Right? It’s so beautiful tonight—oh, by the way, Hoshino-senpai, where are you now? Want to grab a late-night snack together? I know a great place!”

Hoshino Gen was left speechless. He barely knew this girl, having only met her a handful of times, yet her tone suggested they were long-time close friends.

So forward. Clearly, she was trying to use casual conversation to establish rapport before bringing up a request. But her approach was so clumsy…

Hoshino Gen almost laughed. “Just say what you need. No need to beat around the bush.”

“Huh?” The voice on the other end faltered for a moment before quickly regaining its sweet tone. “Hoshino-senpai, what are you talking about? I just wanted to invite you out for some fun—”

“If it’s nothing, I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, wait!” The voice hurriedly stopped him, then awkwardly, with a hint of grievance, confessed, “Actually, I wanted to ask when you plan to take action on the incident. Could you bring me along? The team assigned me to observe your abilities and submit a report…”

“…”

Hoshino Gen fell silent. He wasn’t sure if this girl was just too blunt or cunning, but either way, it didn’t matter compared to what lay before him now.

The corpse of the red-dressed girl that should have been lying on the folding bed was gone. The body of the man he had previously stomped to death now lay in half, clearly gnawed upon.

Hoshino Gen looked up at the ceiling. Unfortunately, being indoors meant all he could see was the wooden planks above.

“One good news, one bad news,” Hoshino Gen said to the person on the phone.

“Huh? What do you mean?” The girl sounded confused, her voice tinged with curiosity and innocence.

After confirming that the corpse of the girl named Marika had indeed vanished without a trace, Hoshino Gen said, “The good news: I’ve already taken action, and the Tokyo Bay ghost has been dealt with.”

“Wha—?! That fast!” The girl’s astonishment was evident, followed by a whiny tone, “I knew you were amazing, Senpai, but this is way too quick! Does this mean I missed a chance to complete my mission?”

Hoshino Gen smiled and left the cabin. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t done. While the original Tokyo Bay ghoul is gone, a slight accident during the process may have created a new one…”

“…Eh?” The girl seemed stunned.

Hoshino Gen ignored her reaction and suddenly asked, “By the way, your name’s Kiryu Rakuye, right?”

“Uh… yes…” Still reeling from the earlier information, she answered absentmindedly.

Hoshino Gen chuckled softly. “Just now, you might’ve saved the world… Thanks.”

Without waiting for her response, he ended the call, shoved his phone back into his pocket, and walked away from the beach, gradually fading into the night.

Some time passed. The tranquil bay rippled with gentle waves. A pale, ghastly face emerged from the water, its dull eyes gazing in the direction Hoshino Gen had vanished.

…

Long, delicate eyelashes trembled faintly under the moonlight. Hoshino Rin, curled up on the floor, slowly opened her eyes. Sleepiness still clung to her, and she sat up, hugging her slender shoulders and rubbing them lightly.

So cold.

Hoshino Rin glanced around in confusion, recalling that she had been waiting under the eaves for her brother, only to doze off near the door.

Her gaze froze at the window, where her brother, Hoshino Gen, sat playing on his phone, having returned at some point.

“Onii-chan…?” She softly called out.

Hoshino Gen looked up briefly at his sister’s pale face, then returned his focus to the faintly glowing phone screen. “Two pieces of bad news.”

“Your colleague is dead and has turned into a new vengeful ghost.” Hoshino Gen’s tone was devoid of emotion as he delivered the cruel truth.

Hoshino Rin’s drowsiness evaporated, replaced by a chilling sensation. Her beautiful heterochromatic eyes brimmed with tears, which trickled down her fair cheeks.

“H-how… could this happen?”

Hoshino Gen exhaled, turned off his phone, and stood up, leaning on the windowsill. Walking toward the tatami room, he spoke softly, “The culprit’s been dealt with. Take care. Get some rest.”