Tokyo Exorcism Diary

After finishing the cleaning upstairs, Shimizu Yuu was about to start wiping down the stairs when she noticed Hoshino Gen beckoning to her.

Her brows furrowed instinctively, but before she could protest, her gaze landed on the small table in front of Hoshino Gen. It was piled with steaming, delicious-looking dishes. The enticing aroma wafted through the room, and as if on cue, her stomach let out a long, embarrassing growl.

She had barely eaten lunch due to the stress of exams, then had to endure a three-kilometer run with her backpack after school. She hadn’t even caught her breath before her black-hearted boss had her mopping and scrubbing everything from the first floor to the second. By now, even her above-average stamina was nearing its limit.

The sight of such a feast now, so close yet so far, only made her hunger more unbearable. Shimizu Yuu pursed her lips and finished descending the stairs, approaching Hoshino Gen with visible reluctance.

“What do you want now?” she asked curtly, her expression unamused.

Hoshino Gen’s smile was disarmingly gentle, and his tone was equally soothing. “You must be tired. Come, have something to eat and take a break.”

Shimizu Yuu froze, caught off guard. She was indeed both tired and hungry. Looking at the spread of beautifully presented, undoubtedly expensive dishes, listening to the soothing background music from the computer, and hearing the rain patter outside, she couldn’t deny how much she wanted to sit down and indulge.

But this was Hoshino Gen. She doubted he was suddenly being kind out of the goodness of his heart. Surely he had ulterior motives, like roping her into more unwanted tasks once she’d accepted his goodwill.

“I’m not hungry,” she said, trying to sound firm.

Shimizu Yuu’s attempts at hiding her feelings were as transparent as glass. Growing up in a loving, privileged environment, she had little practice in masking her emotions, and her thoughts were written all over her face. To someone like Hoshino Gen, it was almost laughably easy to read her.

Hoshino Gen chuckled.“Stop overthinking. This is part of your employee benefits. No strings attached.”

He added, “Actually, if you read that contract carefully, you’d realize you’re getting a pretty sweet deal. Meals are just the basics. You also get one free commission from me each month for something that’s not too difficult. You might not see the value now, but trust me, when the time comes, you’ll be thankful.”

Well, it’s better to make things clear, or else, if he pushed too hard, this newly acquired assistant might just give up and slack off altogether. After all, a pretty, simple-minded, easy-to-please, and already world-weary fool like Shimizu Yuu was hard to come by…

Hoshino Gen’s words left Shimizu Yuu somewhat dazed, but she understood the general meaning. Basically, her wages weren’t just the weekly talisman; she was also entitled to one free commission per month and had the right to eat and drink for free at his place.

Shimizu Yuu’s expression softened. She felt that while this guy’s conscience wasn’t exactly overflowing, at least it wasn’t completely nonexistent. She wasn’t particularly interested in the monthly commission—maybe he was right, but she didn’t think there was anything in her life that required his help.

However, when it came to the meals… The aroma of the dishes on the table kept drifting toward her nose. Unable to resist, she swallowed and muttered softly, “You said it yourself. Even if you change your mind later, I won’t listen.”

Saying so, Shimizu Yuu turned on her heel to wash her hands and splash some water on her face. When she returned, she sat down at the table, abandoning all pretense of politeness as she dug in.

She didn’t bother worrying about explaining her full stomach when she got home. After all, she had already told her mom about her part-time job yesterday. The last time she’d asked to borrow extra pocket money, her mom had said, “If your allowance isn’t enough, then get a part-time job to earn it.” So, when Shimizu Yuutold her mom she was working after school, her mom not only didn’t object, but seemed quite pleased about it.

She picked up a piece of what seemed to be chicken, drenched in a salty, spicy sauce, and mixed with rice. As soon as it hit her mouth, Shimizu Yuu’s eyes instantly lit up.

Tch! It’s so delicious! The cost of this meal must be ridiculously high! It might even be from a five-star hotel!

Shimizu couldn’t help but think Hoshino was a total weirdo. If he could afford meals like this, why not just hire a professional housekeeper? Instead, he insisted on making her—a high school girl—clean his house. Was it a personality quirk? Or did he have some…strange hobby?

Recalling his obsession with dating sims. That seemed to point toward the latter!

While Shimizu Yuu was inwardly grumbling with mischievous thoughts, Hoshino Gen didn’t know about it. He was in a good mood at the moment, eating his meal while casually glancing at the screen of his computer. The game had made some progress—after a series of unexpected, chain-like events in the “Together” storyline, Chi-chan’s affection for Y-san had soared to 54 (dependence), and even Y-san’s name was now being affectionately shortened to “Y-chan.”

The remaining 6 affection levels might still require a whole evening of effort, or it could be completed with the next choice. At this point, Hoshino Gen wasn’t in a hurry anymore. After all, exercising on an empty stomach wasn’t ideal, and intense activity was not recommended within half an hour after a meal. This was the perfect time to relax and gather his strength for a bit.

Besides, it wouldn’t be good if things got dangerous for an ordinary person.

Hoshino Gen gaze shifted to Shimizu Yuu, and chuckled as he watched her cheeks puff like a chipmunk’s. “Don’t rush. Choking on your food wouldn’t count as a workplace injury. I won’t be compensating you.”

Shimizu Yuu’s face turned red at Hoshino Gen’s remark, and she suddenly realized that her eating habits might not have been very graceful. In reality, her family’s financial situation was quite well off. Although she didn’t know where he had ordered these delicious dishes from, they weren’t so extraordinary that she would eat as if she had never had a full meal before.

Her growling stomach was one thing, but more importantly, she subconsciously felt less compelled to maintain her usual decorum around Hoshino Gen. This jerk’s attitude didn’t exactly inspire respect, after all.

Though her upbringing made her momentarily feel embarrassed when he pointed it out, she quickly regained her composure after thinking about what kind of person HoshinoGen was. She lifted her chin defiantly and said, “You said yourself it’s all-you-can-eat, so why do you care how I eat?”

“I don’t. Just a friendly reminder,” Hoshino Gen replied, in a good mood, generously overlooking his assistant’s attitude.

Just as the two were talking, a sudden phone ringtone cut through the conversation…