Tokyo Exorcism Diary

Ding~

The soft chime from her laptop signaled the completion of the game installation. Hoshino Rin hugged her laptop with excitement and dashed to the living room. She rummaged through a pile of cables, connecting her laptop to the TV. Instantly, the game’s interface from her laptop mirrored onto the big screen.

The game supposedly had supernatural elements. After last night’s experience that left her psychologically scarred, she wasn’t brave enough to play it alone.

She placed the wireless mouse and keyboard on the coffee table, far from the television, then hurried to her brother Hoshino Gen’s door. Once again, she knocked.

This time, the response was notably delayed. A full thirty seconds passed before Hoshino Gen’s face finally appeared.

“What is it now?” His expression remained calm, but a trace of helplessness lingered in his voice.

Hoshino Rin flashed a sweet smile, one that could probably make an entire concert crowd swoon.

“Onii-chan~ Let’s play a game together, okay?”

Hoshino Gen raised an eyebrow, prepared to decline, but before he could speak, Hoshino Rin’s syrupy, wheedling voice interrupted him, “Didn’t we promise each other just the other night?”

“…” Under her pleading gaze, especially with those glistening heterochromatic eyes, Hoshino Gen paused to recall. Indeed, it seemed he had casually agreed to something like that. Of course, he hadn’t expected her to take it seriously.

He sighed. Since he’d only been idly reading and listening to music in his room, gaming didn’t sound so bad. His reluctance stemmed more from his habit of avoiding close interactions than from any real objection to her request. Yet, since he’d promised, refusing now would feel wrong.

“Fine. What are we playing? Just so you know, my right hand isn’t in top form, so I can’t handle anything too demanding,” Hoshino Gen said with a faint shrug.

“I know, I know~” Seeing her brother agree, Hoshino Rin beamed, her eyes crinkling in joy. She grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the living room, urging him to sit on the carpet behind the coffee table.

Using the wireless mouse, Hoshino Rin double-clicked the Red Skirt icon on the TV screen.

The screen went dark, and a whimsical, girlish game title appeared in pastel colors.

Cross-legged on the carpet, Hoshino Gen turned to Hoshino Rin, whose face wore a slightly too ingratiating grin.

His expression remained blank.

Hoshino Rin’s smile began to falter under his gaze.

Finally, Hoshino Gen let out a resigned sigh. Without a word, he took hold of the mouse and started the game.

Hoshino Rin exhaled in relief. Being scrutinized like that had been unnerving…

From the speakers came soothing background music—a calming tune accompanied by the ethereal hum of a young girl’s voice. The harmony was serene, almost healing, yet inexplicably carried an undercurrent of unease.

Hoshino Rin instinctively inched closer to her brother. While her curiosity was boundless, her courage was decidedly lacking, especially when she was almost certain that supernatural forces existed in this world.

The eerie BGM ended, and the game transitioned to the main interface.

The visuals were breathtakingly beautiful. The background music continued but without the girl’s voice, stripping away the unsettling vibe and leaving behind only its soothing melody.

The gameplay was straightforward: interact with Chi-chan, a sweet but deeply depressed girl. Activities included chatting, shopping, gaming, and giving gifts. These interactions raised her affection level, unlocking new events as her affection grew.

Admittedly, the premise bore a faint resemblance to an adult-oriented lolita-raising sim. Yet, the art style was too ethereal, and Chi-chan, as the protagonist, too fragile and endearing. If the game ever ventured into inappropriate territory, it would completely ruin the atmosphere.

Raising Chi-chan’s affection wasn’t easy. Often, an arbitrary choice would drastically lower her affection, undoing hours of effort.

The game also had a “mood” mechanic. Outwardly, Chi-chan always wore the sweetest smile, but her mood values fluctuated unpredictably. When her mood hit rock bottom, many interaction options would gray out, leaving basic conversations as the only way to recover her mood. However, saying the wrong thing during these chats could tank her affection further.

By the time the housekeeper arrived at 1 PM to clean, Chi-chan’s affection level had crawled to a meager 9.

Hoshino Rin had transitioned from initial nervousness and restlessness to lying listlessly on the coffee table, her enthusiasm drained. She began to suspect her earlier theories and deductions were no more than a battle of wits against thin air.

“Onii-chan, I’m hungry…” she mumbled, sprawled like a fish out of water on the table.

From the bathroom came the sound of a washing machine running—likely the housekeeper doing laundry. Hoshino Rin sprawled like a fish out of water on the table.

Hoshino Gen glanced at her and pulled out his phone, placing it in front of her.

“There are numbers for meal delivery in the contacts. There are several good restaurants nearby.”

After speaking, Hoshino Gen returned his focus to the game, gripping the mouse with determination as he worked to boost Chi-chan’s affection level. At a mere 9 points, her feelings for him barely registered as “acquaintance.” A simple simulation game, yet it dared to be this challenging.

Beside him, Hoshino Rin didn’t stand on ceremony. She grabbed his phone and unlocked the screen, only to be greeted with a prompt: “Passcode required.”

“There’s a password,” she noted, preparing to hand the phone back to Hoshino Gen for him to unlock it. But Hoshino Gen, without even looking up, said, “0102.”

Four-digit passwords often corresponded to personal or significant dates, such as a birthday. The number 0102 was all too familiar to Hoshino Rin—it was her birthday. A small thrill shot through her heart, only to be tempered a moment later by realization: she and Hoshino Gen were twins. Their birth times were barely five minutes apart, meaning they shared the same birthday.

Still, a warm, inexplicable feeling welled up inside her, soft and comforting.

Hoshino Rin navigated to the contacts list. It was sparsely populated—just their parents’ numbers labeled “Father” and “Mother,” a few contacts listed by last name, and the rest exclusively restaurants, such as “Nishikyo Restaurant,” “Matsumoto Tower,” and “Yamada’s House.”

After a moment’s thought, Hoshino Rin tapped “Add Contact” and entered her private number. For the name, she typed—

【World’s Cutest Little Sister~(ღ˘⌣˘ღ) 】