Tokyo Exorcism Diary

Chiyoda Ward, located at the heart of Tokyo’s 23 wards, is often grouped with Minato and Chuo Wards as one of the “Three Central Wards,” boasting transportation networks that are virtually unparalleled in Japan.

With nine JR stations and over thirty subway stations forming its transportation backbone, Chiyoda Ward is a bustling hub.

At 8:00 a.m., an unremarkable train rolled into this political and economic nexus of Tokyo, accompanied by the soft clatter of wheels.

Disembarking at the station, Hoshino Gen and Shimizu Yuu didn’t bother sightseeing around this capital-centric area. Instead, they quickly hopped into a taxi, heading straight to Higashisaka District, Second Block.

Thanks to official materials provided by the Special Operation Unit, locating Michiko’s house was a simple task.

What awaited Hoshino Gen and Shimizu Yuu was an aged single-family home situated at the far edge of Chiyoda Ward, a considerable distance from the city center.

This wasn’t surprising. Before Michiko gained modest fame as a YouTube streamer, her family’s financial situation hadn’t been great. Owning even a modest single-family home on the fringes of land-starved Chiyoda Ward was the result of generations of effort.

As the boss, Hoshino Gen delegated the task of ringing the doorbell to his employee, Shimizu Yuu.

Shimizu Yuu didn’t object to such a trivial task.

The doorbell rang several times before a sharp voice responded from inside. “Who is it?!”

Creak—

The door opened to reveal a spirited middle-aged woman, her thin frame and pronounced cheekbones lending her an austere appearance.

Suspicion flashed across her eyes as she examined the boy and girl outside her door—faces that seemed more suited to TV than real life. “Who are you? What do you want?” 

As the saying goes, a person’s appearance reflects their character. The moment she spoke, Hoshino Gen made a snap judgment about her personality.

He stopped Shimizu Yuu, who was about to respond, and smiled. “Hello, we’re temporary employees from the YouTube Creators’ Division. Regarding the late Hamada Michiko, we need to confirm some—”

Before Hoshino Gen could finish, the middle-aged woman’s expression darkened. Her tone turned sharp and cold. “Michiko’s dead. What more do you need to confirm? Get lost! Don’t bother me!”

Bang! The door slammed shut.

“…”

Hoshino Gen’s lips twitched slightly.

Shimizu Yuu, rather than finding it amusing, looked troubled. “Was that Michiko’s mom? She seems difficult to talk to…”

Hoshino Gen, deep in thought, gestured for Shimizu Yuu to follow him as he circled the house. Eventually, he stopped at the back, gazing up at an open second-floor window.

After a moment’s consideration, he turned to Shimizu Yuu. “Give me your phone number.”

Though puzzled, Shimizu Yuu didn’t hesitate. In fact, she’d been wanting Hoshino Gen’s number for a while but had either been too shy or kept forgetting to ask.

After saving her number, Hoshino Gen immediately called it.

Shimizu Yuu assumed he was just testing the number and was about to hang up when Hoshino Gen stopped her and grabbed her phone to answer the call himself.

“What are you doing?” Shimizu Yuu asked, utterly baffled by his strange behavior.

Handing back her phone, now in active call mode, Hoshino Gen instructed, “Keep the call going. Go back to the front door, ring the bell, and tell that woman YouTube is offering compensation to Michiko’s family. Try to keep her talking outside, and don’t let her go back in.”

Following his earlier gaze, Shimizu Yuu looked up at the open second-floor window and gasped. “You’re not planning to sneak in through there, are you? That’s trespassing! If you’re caught, you’ll get arrested!”

Finally understanding his plan, Shimizu Yuu marveled at his audacity and apparent knack for landing in jail-worthy situations.

Hoshino Gen shrugged and grinned. “That’s why I need you to distract her.”

“But…”

“No buts!” Hoshino Gen interrupted sternly. “This is an order from the organization. Now go!”

With that, he gave her a shove toward the front.

Once she left, Hoshino Gen pulled out two talismans, sticking them onto his calves. He then donned Bluetooth earphones, listening intently to the sounds from the front door.

Soon, he heard the doorbell and the impatient voice of the middle-aged woman. “You again? What do you want now?”

Without hesitation, Hoshino Gen sprinted, leaped against the wall, and the talismans on his legs disintegrated into ash. A gust of wind erupted beneath his feet, propelling him upward like a superhero. He landed inside the second-floor window with an improbable flourish.

The room he entered appeared to be the master bedroom, judging by the furnishings and the well-used bed. It was likely the middle-aged woman’s room.

Paying it no mind, Hoshino Gen quickly moved on, listing to Shimizu Yuu’s stumbling attempts to stall the woman outside.

The Hamada house was small, with only a few rooms. It didn’t take long for Hoshino Gen to find Michiko’s old bedroom.

The door creaked open, releasing a wave of stale, dusty air. The gust stirred up the long-settled dust, scattering it in the sunlight streaming through the window, creating a Tyndall effect.

A quick scan of the room revealed peeling pink wallpaper, a bare princess bed frame, and neglected stuffed toys strewn on the floor.

But Hoshino Gen didn’t linger on these details. His attention was immediately drawn to a dusty computer tower tucked haphazardly beneath a corner desk.

Eyes lighting up with excitement, he darted into the room, grabbed the computer tower, and hurried back out, carefully shutting the door to leave no trace.

He exited the same way he’d entered, jumping out of the window.

Burdened by the computer, his landing was less graceful, but he managed.

Hearing the strained conversation in his earphones, he realized Shimizu Yuu was reaching her limit.

“Fall back,” Hoshino Gen ordered over the call. “Make up an excuse and leave. Let’s regroup at the station.”