Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Hello, is this Hoshino Gen, Mr. Hoshino?”

On the other end of the line, a male voice answered, “This is Satou, the sales manager at the Shibuya’s Kawasaki 4S dealership. The transfer of ownership and the modification procedures for the Kawasaki Ninja H2 registered under your name are complete. If you have time, could you come by to sign off and inspect the vehicle?”

“……”
Hoshino Gen, who had just picked up the call, fell silent for a moment. His first thought was that this must be a wrong number. But the man had clearly addressed him by name. His second thought: his personal information had been leaked, and this was likely a scam call.

Hoshino was well aware of what a Kawasaki H2 was.

In his previous life, after being frightened into fleeing abroad by a female ghost, he moved to the United States. Back then, he was in a tough financial spot. In that country, however, owning a personal vehicle was practically essential for getting around. For personal reasons, he wasn’t comfortable with buying second-hand goods, nor could he afford a brand-new car. So, he opted for something more affordable: a motorcycle.

While researching brands and models online, he came across various options. Among them, the sleek, stylish Kawasaki H2—an undisputed superbike—naturally became his dream ride.

But the price, several tens of thousands of dollars, was well beyond what he could afford at the time.

Years later, when he finally found some semblance of success and could afford his dream bike, motorcycles had long since ceased to be part of his life. After all, in that land of freedom, anyone over sixteen could get a driver’s license for a car.

Of course, he occasionally wondered if he might one day become wealthy enough to fulfill that old dream. But that remained uncertain, especially since his previous life had been cut short at just eighteen.

“Mr. Hoshino? Are you still there?”

The voice on the phone snapped him out of his thoughts. Hoshino sighed lightly and replied, “Sorry, I can’t afford your bike. Goodbye.”

He was about to hang up when the voice on the other end hurriedly added, “Wait! The vehicle has already been fully paid for. The payment was made by Miss Hoshino Rin, and it’s her who provided your contact number. You’re unaware of this?”

“……”

Hoshino Gen’s mouth twitched involuntarily as silence filled the air.

After ending the call with the dealership’s sales manager, Hoshino Gen’s expression turned somewhat peculiar.

While appearing to enjoy his meal, he couldn’t escape the prying eyes of Shimizu Yuu, who had been quietly observing him. Finally, unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, “What’s up? You’re making such a weird face.”

“……It’s nothing.” Adjusting his expression, Hoshino Gen gave her a smile. “Let’s just say I received a rather unique gift. It feels… strange.”

“Oh.” Shimizu nodded and dropped the subject. Though her curiosity remained about what kind of gift could evoke such a reaction from this seemingly heartless guy, it wasn’t her business. They weren’t even friends, so she felt it wasn’t her place to ask.

After the meal, Hoshino Gen assigned Shimizu Yuu the task of clearing the table while he returned to the game, still intent on earning those last six affection points.

18:13

In-game, the white clock in the pink room displayed the same time as the real world.

Sitting on a beautiful princess bed, Chi-chan gazed at Hoshino with her clear, watery eyes. Her sweet, childlike voice echoed through the speakers:

“Y-chan, if I don’t look cute any longer, would you still like me?”

A faint pink selection box appeared.

[Yes] [No]

Hoshino Gen reflexively clicked the obvious choice to boost affection: [Yes].

Zzzzzz—

The moment his mouse clicked, the 4K resolution screen flickered twice. When the display cleared, the dreamy pink room had drained of all color. The world became starkly monochrome, with only one exception: Chi-chan’s once pristine white dress was now stained with an intense, blood-like crimson.

The art style had shifted entirely.

Chi-chan lowered her head and stumbled toward the screen, her movements unsteady. She grew closer and closer, her figure filling the frame like an actor approaching the camera lens.

At the very moment she reached the screen, she snapped her head up suddenly. Her face was pale, her eyes hollow and crimson, blood streaked down her cheeks, and her lips twisted into a terrifying, unnatural smile.

Anyone else in Hoshino Gen’s position would have been scared out of their wits, but Hoshino Gen, having lived through worse, simply lowered his gaze. Calmly, he moved the mouse, as expected finding no response from the game.

Pressing Win+D to minimize the window also yielded no result.

Hoshino Gen thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a talisman. Concealing his hand behind the computer, he carefully stuck the talisman to the back of the monitor. With his index and middle fingers raised in a sword gesture, he pressed them firmly against the talisman.

Ding!

A strange sound rang out, as though invisible ripples were spreading through the air.

Zzzzzzzz—-!       
The computer screen flickered wildly with noise, and Chi-chan’s pale, horrifying face twisted into a grotesque sneer.

Hoshino Gen’s expression remained unchanging. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the talisman, producing a sharp “ding-ding-ding” that echoed throughout the room. Even Shimizu Yuu, who was wiping down the stairs, couldn’t help but glance over curiously.

That one glance was enough to freeze her in place.

Amid a piercing screech, a head formed of rapidly flickering static emerged from Hoshino Gen’s computer screen!

Shimizu Yuu’s eyes widened to the point they almost popped out of their sockets. What on earth is that thing?!

Before she could process the sight, she watched in stunned disbelief as Hoshino Gen suddenly whipped out another talisman and slapped it onto the flickering head. Through the talisman, his hand gripped the static creature’s head and, with a sharp tug, yanked it out of the screen.

A squat figure composed entirely of high-frequency static tumbled onto the floor.

The static creature scrambled to its feet with unnatural speed, moving like an arthropod as it skittered toward the computer behind Hoshino Gen. But before it could dive back in, Hoshino calmly closed the laptop, and in his hand—a sleek, unsheathed black blade appeared out of nowhere.

The static creature froze for a brief moment, as though sensing the ominous threat emanating from the blade. Without hesitation, it abruptly changed direction, darting toward the staircase where Shimizu Yuu stood.

Shimizu Yuu gasped sharply, her heart leaping into her throat. Panic surged through her as she thought, This is it, I’m done for!

But just as the static creature lunged at her, her wrist suddenly lit up with a brilliant glow. Golden-red talismanic symbols flared into existence.

The moment the creature was bathed in the light, it let out a shrill, crackling scream that pierced through the air, echoing far beyond the shop into the rain-drenched streets outside.

Despite the agonized shriek, the static creature was astonishingly fast. It dodged the black blade slicing toward its back, then bolted toward the antique shop’s entrance, vanishing into the torrential downpour outside.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hoshino Gen dashed after it. The heavy rain pelted down on him, drenching his clothes almost instantly, but he paid no mind. Just as he reached the edge of the alley, however, he stopped abruptly, narrowing his eyes.

At the alley’s entrance stood a figure clad in a yellow raincoat, directly in the static creature’s path.

Hoshino Gen could clearly sense it—the figure had an aura strikingly similar to his own.

In the next instant, the raincoat-clad figure pulled out a phone and held it up in front of them.

The timing was impeccable. The static creature lunged forward, diving headlong into the phone’s screen like a fish leaping into the ocean.

The yellow raincoat figure then produced a red cord from seemingly nowhere, swiftly wrapping the phone until it was tightly bound.

Hoshino Gen stood still for a moment in the rain, his black blade held firmly in his left hand. After watching the entire sequence unfold, he finally raised his blade and pointed its sharp tip at the figure in the yellow raincoat, and said in a calm and unwavering voice,

“Hand it over.”