Tokyo Exorcism Diary

Through a pane of glass, Takatsu Yu sat in his chair, visibly confused.

He had assumed today’s prison visit was his father bringing good news about raising bail money. But as he looked at the unfamiliar pair of a young man and woman on the other side of the glass, he seriously suspected they had the wrong person.

Just then, the boy on the other side smiled and spoke. “Hello, Mr. Takatsu.”

The boy’s voice was pleasant, and it somewhat calmed Takatsu Yu’s previously restless mood. Still, he couldn’t hide his puzzlement. “Hello… May I ask who you are?”

“Who I am isn’t important. We’re just here to ask you about something,” Hoshino Gen replied with a polite smile, his gaze appraising the scrawny, nondescript man before him.

Suddenly, the phone in Hoshino Gen’s chest pocket started vibrating violently. Without any change in his expression, he patted the pocket as if calming whatever was inside.

Takatsu Yu, however, became uneasy again. Years of life in prison had left him extremely sensitive to others’ intentions. Despite the boy’s seemingly polite demeanor, Takatsu Yu detected a faint trace of malice.

“Do you remember the name Hamada Michiko?” Hoshino Gen asked casually.

Takatsu Yu’s shoulders twitched. Of course, he remembered! In fact, he thought of her day and night. She was the bad girl who had landed him in prison!

Swallowing hard, he nodded slightly.

“Are you aware that Miss Hamada is now deceased?” Hoshino Gen continued.

Takatsu Yuu nodded again, albeit reluctantly. He wasn’t sure what the boy was aiming for, but he knew regular people couldn’t just visit a random prisoner.

Hoshino Gen studied the cowering, nervous man before him, then suddenly smiled. “From what we’ve gathered, the root cause of Miss Hamada’s suicide can actually be traced back to the crime you committed. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you killed her.”

“That’s not true!”

Before Hoshino Gen could finish, Takatsu Yu interrupted him with a sudden outburst, his voice rising in panic. “It has nothing to do with me! She committed suicide! By then, I was already in prison! Her death has nothing to do with me! Don’t spout nonsense—”

Perhaps fearing that such accusations could lead to an extension of his sentence, Takatsu Yu’s eyes reddened as he desperately defended himself.

Unfazed by the interruption, Hoshino Gen smiled gently. “You make a fair point. Well, let’s end the conversation here. Best of luck, Mr. Takatsu.”

With that cryptic and seemingly pointless remark, Hoshino Gen rose from his seat, gesturing for Shimizu Yuu, who had remained silent throughout, to leave with him.

As they turned to go, the guard began escorting Takatsu Yu away, and his voice echoed behind them, still yelling, “It really has nothing to do with me!”

…

Outside the prison, Hoshino Gen glanced back at the aging, run-down gates.

Beside him, Shimizu Yuu finally broke free from the stiff, puppet-like demeanor she had maintained inside. Relaxing her shoulders, she exhaled deeply and asked, “What’s next?”

Frankly, apart from the morning’s “break-in,” she hadn’t understood a single one of Hoshino Gen’s subsequent moves. All she had done was follow him across half of Tokyo.

Hoshino Gen didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he scanned his surroundings and noticed a vending machine outside a convenience store across the street. Fishing through his pocket, he found only a 10,000-yen note.

Handing the bill to Shimizu Yu, he pointed toward the vending machine. “I’ll buy you a drink as thanks for running errands. I’d like a cola, thanks.”

Shimizu Yuu took the money, pouting slightly as she grumbled inwardly about being bossed around. Still, she dutifully crossed the street to get the drink.

Left alone, Hoshino Gen pulled out his phone, the one containing “Chi-chan.” He smiled faintly at the blank-faced figure on the screen and murmured, “I’m giving you the chance to take your revenge personally. Once it’s done, you’ll be free. If you have nowhere to go then, come find me. Even though you’re dead, I think I can offer you a new ‘life.’”

Chi-chan remained silent.

Hoshino Gen didn’t seem to mind. He peeled off the half-torn sealing talisman stuck to the back of the phone and replaced it with a blazing fire talisman inside the phone case.

Then, he took out a concealment charm, held it between his fingers, and flicked it lightly. The charm disintegrated into ashes, and Hoshino Gen’s figure disappeared without a trace.

…

When Shimizu Yuu returned with the cola and a handful of change, she found Hoshino Gen sitting on the edge of a flowerbed in the green belt, hands in his pockets. She handed him the drink and the change.

A bottle of soda didn’t cost much, so using a 10,000-yen bill had resulted in a pile of change. Truthfully, she had considered paying for it herself to avoid the hassle, but her allowance had run out long ago. And after her dismal exam performance, she hadn’t dared to ask her mother for this month’s allowance.

Hoshino Gen glanced at the coins in her outstretched hand and decided they’d take up too much pocket space. Casually, he said, “Keep it. Consider it a tip.”

To his surprise, Shimizu Yuu’s expression instantly darkened. Grabbing his hand, she slapped the coins onto his palm and stood aside with a pout, refusing to speak.

Hoshino Gen looked at her, then at the change in his hand, and raised an eyebrow. Amused, he pocketed the money. “Alright, nevermind. Let’s head back; we’re done here.”

Her annoyance vanished immediately. She stared at him in disbelief. “Done? How? What did we even do? Wait—what are we even doing?”

Hoshino Gen didn’t bother explaining. Tilting his head back, he gazed at the white clouds drifting across the blue sky.

“Let me ask you something. If someone does something wrong, how can they be forgiven?”

“Uh…” Despite having spent time with Hoshino Gen, Shimizu Yuu still struggled to keep up with his leaps in logic. After a moment of thought, she replied, “If it’s not too serious, they can just apologize and make amends afterward, right?”

“And if it’s a serious mistake?”

“Then the police and the law will punish them.”

“And if the punishment isn’t enough?”

“…That wouldn’t happen, right? I’ve read the penal code. The laws are fair.”

Hoshino Gen chuckled softly, his gaze dropping from the sky to his lap. In a low voice, he murmured, “But there are cries that no one hears.”