Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“The thing hidden in your left eye—you’re itching to verify it, aren’t you?”

“You’re looking forward to that future, aren’t you!”

The crazed gleam in his left eye burned like blood. The eye seemed to grow larger, its crimson crystalline iris reflecting not his own face, but that of a woman with a wickedly enchanting smile. She was wrapped in flowing crimson ribbons that accentuated her graceful figure. Long black hair swirled behind her, and her scarlet eyes radiated a peculiar gentleness.

She opened her arms as if inviting him into an embrace—

In the tatami room, Hoshino Gen abruptly opened his eyes, his chest faintly heaving. After a moment, he propped himself up on the futon with one hand, while the other covered his slightly burning left eye. Warm sunlight filtered through the window, enveloping him in a radiant glow, though the expression hidden in the shadow of his arm was dark and unreadable.

…

Breakfast at Fukuen Inn was as excellent as ever. For a high-end establishment, the service truly lived up to its reputation.

The meal was sumptuous, but the three people at the table were far from lively.

Wearing a plain nightdress, Liz clumsily wielded her knife and fork, nodding off as she ate. Hoshino Rin leaned her cheek on one hand, absentmindedly poking at her bowl of rice with her chopsticks. Even Hoshino Gen sat in a daze, halfheartedly sipping from a cup of milk.

The quiet morning was broken when Hoshino Rin’s phone suddenly rang.

Without much energy, Hoshino Rin answered the call, her tone listless: “Hello? What is it?”

“…Now?”

“But Marika-chan is… missing, isn’t she?”

“Oh… I understand. I’ll head over now.”

Hoshino Rin hung up the phone. Her movements had stirred Liz from her drowsiness, and the girl looked at her with curiosity. Hoshino Rin sighed and explained in English, “The crew can’t afford to delay shooting any longer because of yesterday. They’ll be filming scenes without Marika today.”

Liz nodded thoughtfully. She wasn’t an ordinary child, so she understood the crew’s seemingly unfeeling decision. After all, producing a film or drama involves massive investments and countless resources. Under normal circumstances, even if an actor went missing—or worse, died—the production would continue as if the actor merely had scheduling conflicts.

The options were simple: either kill off the character or rewrite the script to exclude them.

Hoshino Rin sighed again, quickly finishing the meager amount of rice left in her bowl before heading back to her room to pack. Her manager and assistant were already waiting outside the inn.

At the table, only Hoshino Gen and Liz remained. Liz sneaked a glance at Hoshino Gen, who seemed lost in thought, before hurriedly lowering her head to nibble on her bread.

Then, another phone rang—this time Hoshino Gen’s.

Snapping out of his daze, he set his half-empty glass of milk back on the table, pulled his phone from his pocket, and answered without checking the caller ID.

“Good morning, Hoshino-senpai!” came the energetic voice of Kiryu Rakuye from the other end. “I’ve just arrived at Shiratake Village. Where are you? Could you send me your location?”

Yawning, Hoshino Gen instinctively avoided revealing his whereabouts. “Wait there. I’ll come to you.”

“Eh?” Rakuye sounded surprised. “Really? But isn’t that a hassle for you…”

“Location.”

“Umm, I’m not sure exactly where I am… Oh, how about this: download LINE, and after I add you, I can share my location!”

Hoshino Gen considered this for a moment. The idea seemed practical, especially with the location-sharing feature. After hanging up, he downloaded the app, registered a new account, and sent his ID to Kiryu Rakuye via text.

Almost immediately, his freshly created LINE account received its first friend request.

The requester’s profile picture and username were undeniably cute—the type that suggested the owner must be an adorable girl.

After accepting the request, he received a message that read: “I’m so honored! I never thought I’d become Hoshino-senpai’s first LINE friend!!” accompanied by a silly emoji.

Hoshino Gen ignored it and typed, “Location.”

“Yes, yes~” came the instant reply, followed by a map with a detailed location pin.

After glancing at the map, Hoshino Gen locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

By this time, Hoshino Rin had emerged from her room, a small bag in hand. “Onii-chan, Liz, I’m heading out now.”

“Wait,” Hoshino Gen called after her. Rin turned back, puzzled.

“Where is your shoot taking place? I’ll come by later.” Then, trusting that Liz wouldn’t understand Japanese, he added bluntly, “The person who killed your colleague is already dead. When someone turns into a vengeful ghost, they often act according to the obsessions they held in life. If she does appear, it might be at your filming location.”

“…!” Hoshino Rin blinked, goosebumps rising as she processed his words. Her voice trembled. “You’re saying… Marika-chan will come for us?”

“It’s just a possibility,” Hoshino Gen replied with a shrug.

Hoshino Rin swallowed hard. “Then… Onii-chan, can you come with me? I’m scared…”

Hoshino Gen picked up the half glass of milk he hadn’t finished earlier and drank it down in one go.

“I have to pick someone up first.”

“Oh… okay…” Reluctantly, Hoshino Rin sent him the filming location via text. Afterward, she headed to the door, where she slipped on her white sneakers.

Before leaving, Hoshino Gen grabbed a small stack of talismans and slipped them into her bag. “If you’re in danger, prick your finger and smear blood on the talisman.”

With that, he changed his shoes and walked out.

Hoshino Rin stared at the talismans in her bag, then at her brother’s retreating figure. She stood frozen for a long while.

…

Hoshino Gen found Kiryu Rakuye near the village entrance, at a small park. Although Shiratake Village was called a “village,” its size rivaled that of a small town.

Kiryu Rakuye’s outfit today was a white short-sleeved top paired with a denim jumper skirt, white socks, and matching sneakers. Her hair was down instead of in her usual twin tails, and she carried a cute blue backpack. Her bright eyes and delicate face completed the image of an adorably well-behaved girl.

As Hoshino Gen approached, Kiryu Rakuye jumped up from the bench and greeted him with an incredibly sweet smile. “Hoshino-senpai!”