Tokyo Exorcism Diary - Chapter 15

Hoshino Rin didn’t know when she had fallen asleep, but when she opened her eyes, the world outside the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows was already bathed in daylight.

Groggily, she sat up and scanned her surroundings, but there was no sign of her brother, Hoshino Gen.

The living room was silent and eerily empty. An inexplicable unease crept over her, and she tightened the blanket around herself as if seeking comfort. Tentatively, she called out, “Onii-chan?”

“In the kitchen.”

The response came from the kitchen, immediately dispelling her nervousness. Relieved, she tossed aside her blanket, slipped into her cartoon shark slippers, and hurried over with a tap tap tap to the kitchen.

There, she saw Hoshino Gen standing by the induction stove, dressed in a white shirt. The stove was on, and something was simmering in a pot. Hoshino Gen himself was holding a phone in his left hand, fingers flying across the screen.

“Are you cooking?” Hoshino Rin asked in surprise. She had no idea her brother possessed any culinary skills.

“Yeah, didn’t feel like going out today,” Hoshino Gen replied absentmindedly.

Hoshino Rin’s eyes flicked to his right hand, wrapped in white gauze, before she flashed a sweet smile. “Your hand’s still injured. Let me handle it.”

“What are you making, anyway?” Before Hoshino Gen could decline, Hoshino Rin had already skipped over to him. With a swift motion, she wedged her petite frame between him and the stove, effectively pushing him aside.

Hoshino Gen did not attempt to resist, stepping away as he answered, “Meat stew.”

“Meat stew? So greasy for breakfast?” Hoshino Rin wrinkled her nose in disapproval. This kind of meal was far from her ideal breakfast. Curious, she reached out and lifted the lid of the pot.

A plume of steam escaped, revealing the contents of the pot: a chaotic mess.

The pale red broth exuded a faint fishy smell, with unappetizing scum clinging to the sides of the pot. Oddly shaped chunks of meat floated amidst mushy cabbage and tomatoes. The sight alone was enough to churn anyone’s stomach.

Without a word, Hoshino Rin calmly turned off the induction stove. Alright, she’d just toss the whole pot later.

Sitting at the dining table outside the kitchen, Hoshino Gen heard the stove beep as it was turned off. He glanced up curiously. “It’s done already?”

“Brother, have you ever cooked before?”

“…What’s the problem?” Hoshino Gen asked. In this life, he mostly ate at school or restaurants. As for his past life, wandering with his master or traveling alone, he barely had a place to call home, let alone cook.

“What’s the problem? If you eat this, you’re definitely getting sick!” Hoshino Rin puffed her cheeks in exasperation. “Onii-chan, please promise me—stay out of the kitchen from now on, okay?”

Realizing what she meant, Hoshino Gen stayed silent, lowering his head to focus on his phone. The private message he’d sent last night had received a reply, and he was now deep in conversation with the sender.

Hoshino Rin, pouting at being ignored, muttered complaints about his poor manners as she left the kitchen to freshen up.

“Are you seriously willing to spend ten thousand yen on such a weird game?”

“Yes.”

“I mean, I think you’ll regret it, but hey, money’s money. Still, I should let you know something.”

“Go ahead.”

“This game is really creepy. Not just the stuff I mentioned in my post. Last night, after I posted, I opened the game again and found something new. Once the affection level reaches 60 and that scary thing happens, every time you reboot your computer and re-enter the game, the affection level drops even more. Chi-chan’s expression grows colder, and raising the affection level gets harder. I’m down to 10 now, and no matter how much I interact, it won’t go back up. Even uninstalling and reinstalling doesn’t fix it.”

“I’m starting to think this game might be some kind of virus created by a bored programmer. Are you sure you still want to buy it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then. Hope you don’t regret it…”

After completing the online payment, Hoshino Gen successfully obtained the game file for Red Skirt.

Just then, Hoshino Rin returned from washing up. She found her mother’s apron in the kitchen and put it on, her soft voice calling out, “Brother, what do you want to eat? Or would you still like meat stew. But I should warn you, I’m not very confident in making it either.”

“Just make something you’re good at.” 

“Okay~”

While Hoshino Rin busied herself in the kitchen, Hoshino Gen checked the game files, ensuring they were just data. He uploaded them to his computer in the bedroom, planning to investigate what made this game so peculiar after breakfast.

Hoshino Rin quickly served breakfast: fried eggs, bacon, ham, toast, fruit salad, and a warm glass of milk.

These simple dishes didn’t demand much culinary skill but were perfect for breakfast. It wasn’t surprising—Hoshino Rin wasn’t particularly skilled in cooking. At most, she had learned a few recipes for TV appearances. Still, the fried egg on the plate looked quite well-made.

The breakfast spread was for Hoshino Gen. As for Hoshino Rin herself, her meal was limited to whole-grain bread, fruit salad, and a glass of skim milk.

Hoshino Gen glanced at the plates without making any remarks. Partly because he preferred not to meddle in others’ affairs and partly because he had long grown accustomed to Hoshino Rin’s spartan eating habits.

Propping her face in her hands, Hoshino Rin grinned as she watched her brother quickly devour the food across the table. “So, how does it taste?”

Even though the flavor had little to do with the cook’s skill, Hoshino Gen didn’t hold back on praising her efforts. “It’s great, much better than the cafeteria food at school.”

“Hehe~” Hoshino Rin beamed with a small sense of pride and began to eating her own breakfast.

After the meal, HoshinoRin cleaned up since Hoshino Gen had an injured hand. Though “cleaning up” merely meant loading the dishes into the dishwasher.

Hoshino Gen initially planned to install Red Skirt on his computer right after breakfast, but watching Hoshino Rin’s slender figure bustling around the kitchen, a thought occurred to him. What if the game truly was cursed or supernatural? If something went wrong, would Hoshino Rin, who was completely uninvolved, end up affected?

Concerned, he called toward the kitchen. “Are you going out today?”

Hoshino Rin hummed a soft melody, seemingly ignoring the question.

Just as Hoshino Gen thought she hadn’t heard him, Hoshino Rin suddenly spoke. “Onii-chan, who are you talking to? Is there someone in this house named ‘you’?”

Hoshino Gen froze briefly, then quickly corrected himself. “Rin, are you going out today?”

“Hehe~” Hoshino Rin let out a delighted laugh, clearly pleased with her clever way of forcing Hoshino Gen to address her properly.

She tapped her chin, tilting her head in thought. “Hmm, I don’t think I have any work today… Oh, wait, I do have a show to record this evening. So, I guess I’ll head out in the late afternoon.”

After saying this, she gave Hoshino Gen a curious look. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just curious,” Hoshino Gen replied, satisfied with her answer. He got up and left the dining area.

Hoshino Rin blinked her mismatched eyes, watching her brother walk away. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

Hoshino Gen had never been this interested in her schedule before. In fact, he hardly ever talked to her. For him to act this out of character, he must have an ulterior motive!

Asking whether she would be out likely served one of two purposes. Either he wanted her to run an errand while she was out, or he wanted her out of the house so he could be alone.

The latter seemed far more plausible. If it were the first scenario, he would’ve followed up with a request after confirming her schedule. Who just walks away right after asking?

Following this line of thought, Hoshino Rin quickly connected the dots to last night when Hoshino Gen had spent ¥10,000 to purchase a game.

Recalling how Hoshino Gen had been furiously typing on his phone this morning, Hoshino Rin deduced that he must have been chatting with someone. And given that her brother didn’t even use Line, it was highly likely he had been in contact with the person selling the game and had successfully acquired the files.

He’d asked about her plans to ensure he could play the game alone at home!