Tokyo Exorcism Diary

The figure in the yellow raincoat tilted her head slightly, raising the phone wrapped tightly in red string as if to confirm if Hoshino Gen was referring to this particular item.

Hoshino Gen pointed his blade at her, remaining silent.

The raincoat figure nodded in apparent understanding but quickly shook her head, a gesture that seemed to mean she understood his demand but wasn’t going to comply.

All the effort he had put into drawing out his prey, only to have someone else take it away—anyone with even the slightest temper would have been infuriated. Although Hoshino Gen wasn’t exactly hot-headed, he wasn’t the type to let someone snatch something from him without consequence.

Lowering his raised blade slowly, Hoshino Gen stepped forward, splashing water as he moved. Since polite conversation wasn’t working, it seemed he had no choice but to resolve this with less friendly means.

Like a phantom, he moved swiftly through the rain, the blade in his hand slicing apart droplets that reflected the city’s faint glow. The cold edge of his sword swept toward the raincoat figure’s right wrist, its intent clear—he was aiming to sever the hand clutching the phone that imprisoned Chi-chan.

Though the raincoat figure seemed somewhat dazed, her reaction speed was unnaturally quick. She sidestepped the blade in a flash, then reflexively ducked low and swept her leg toward Hoshino Gen in a move meant to knock him down.

Hoshino Gen’s face remained expressionless. Just as her slender, well-aimed leg came toward him, he countered with a sharp kick of his own. The clash of their legs produced a dull, heavy sound in the air, and the raincoat figure’s balance was instantly thrown off.

Her expression revealed a mix of pain and surprise, as though she hadn’t expected Hoshino Gen to possess such strength. Even in the rain, her exquisite, delicate features betrayed her shock.

In the next moment, blood splattered through the air, quickly washed away by the rain and blending into the puddles on the ground.

The girl in the raincoat froze, her gaze falling to her shoulder. The raincoat and clothing beneath had been slashed open, revealing her pale skin now marred by a jagged, bloodied wound surrounded by a faint black mist.

Hoshino flicked the water off his blade—any blood had already been absorbed by the black steel—and then sheathed it. Without hesitation, he bent down and pried the phone from the girl’s trembling, weakening grip.

Thud! The girl collapsed onto the rain-soaked ground, sinking into unconsciousness.

Hoshino Gen first inspected the phone bound by the red cord, then turned sharply toward the antique shop’s entrance. Shimizu Yuu, who had somehow appeared there unnoticed, flinched at his gaze but, gathering her courage, stayed rooted in place.

Hoshino Gen glanced back down at the girl lying in the rain, her raincoat soaked and stained with muddy water, and frowned slightly in distaste.

After a moment of thought, he gestured at Shimizu Yuu to come over.

Shimizu Yuu’s heart skipped a beat at the signal, but after a brief hesitation, she stepped into the rain, shielding her face from the downpour with one hand. She stopped in front of Hoshino Gen, glanced at the injured girl on the ground, then looked back at him with a complicated expression. “She…she’s still alive, right?”

Hoshino Gen rolled his eyes. “What are you thinking? I’m not some deranged killer. Sure, what she did was a little aggressive, but it doesn’t warrant a death sentence. Get her inside.”

Tasking his employee with the grunt work, Hoshino Genheaded back toward the shop to avoid the rain.

Shimizu Yuu stared in shock at her boss, who showed no intention of helping lift the injured girl. “Wait, where are you going? Help me carry her!”

Without turning around, Hoshino Gen raised his right hand, showing her his palm. The white bandages covering his hand were thoroughly soaked with blood.

Shimizu Yuu fell silent, suddenly remembering that incident at the dojo—when his hand had been impaled straight through. Pouting slightly, she knelt down and struggled to lift the girl onto her back, trudging slowly toward the shop in the pouring rain.

Back inside, Hoshino Gen directed Shimizu Yuu to place the raincoat girl on a chair. He disappeared into the storage room and returned with a length of rope, which he expertly used to bind the girl to the chair.

Watching his practiced movements, Shimizu Yuu couldn’t help but ask, “What are you going to do?”

“Interrogate her,” Hoshino Gen replied matter-of-factly. He then glanced at Shimizu Yuu, who was just as drenched as he was, and pointed toward the bathroom. “There are clean towels in the cabinet above the sink. Go dry off.”

Shimizu Yuu didn’t move. She eyed Hoshino warily, then glanced at the bound girl, whose tear-mole under her left eye and striking features gave her a rather delicate appearance. “You’re not planning anything shady, are you?”

Hoshino Gen gave her a benevolent smile, the kind meant to convey magnanimity toward fools.

Feeling insulted, Shimizu Yuu puffed up her cheeks in defiance. “So, what exactly are you going to do with her?”

“That depends on what I find out during the interrogation,” Hoshino Gen said thoughtfully.

“Interrogation?” Shimizu Yuu echoed, her instincts flaring. While her first thought was to call the police, she quickly dismissed it. She had witnessed everything that had just transpired outside. This girl was clearly someone like Hoshino—a person beyond the realm of normalcy. The police likely wouldn’t know how to handle this kind of supernatural dispute.

Hoshino Gen, unaware of her thoughts, continued with visible excitement. “I’ve lived in Japan for years now, and while I’ve always suspected there were others like me, this is my first time encountering one. There’s no way I’m letting her go without answers.”

As he spoke, he placed a white talisman on the girl’s shoulder wound. The paper dissolved into a stream of clear water, washing away the blood and black mist.

Hoshino Gen figured that if this girl really was a hunter of the supernatural like him, this treatment should be enough to counteract the blade’s curse.

Sure enough, moments later, the girl gasped sharply, as though a drowning person had broken the surface of the water. She opened her eyes groggily.

The first thing she did was look at her shoulder. Seeing the grotesque wound on her otherwise flawless skin, she inhaled sharply, her face twitching in pain.

Hoshino Gen wasted no time. Ignoring her reaction, he asked bluntly, “Name?”

The girl turned toward his voice, then glanced down at the ropes binding her. Realizing her situation, she slumped her head in resignation and said nothing.

In the thickening silence, Hoshino Gen unsheathed his cursed blade with a resonant shing! and placed its cold edge against her slender neck. Smiling faintly, he repeated, “Name.”

“…Shiina Wakana.”