Tokyo Exorcism Diary - Chapter 16

As her deduction concluded, Hoshino Rin found herself lost in thought.

Although the conclusion was pieced together through a chain of intuitive reasoning, Hoshino Rin was confident she’d landed on the truth.

But why would that game need to be played only when she wasn’t home? A suspicion crept into her mind. She’d read the same post about the game—its unsettling premise had been clearly stated. While some comments speculated it was an H–game, she doubted her brother would be interested in something like that. Yet, if it were merely a horror game, there wouldn’t be any need for secrecy, even with her around.

By eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

“Supernatural forces… could they really exist?” Hoshino Rin pondered for a moment before deciding to test her hypothesis.

If her brother intended to wait until the house was empty before playing, there were two plausible reasons: either he feared she might be affected by supernatural forces like last night, or he wanted to hide something related to them. Most likely, both were true.

Thus, if she showed interest in the game and her brother tried to stop her, her theory would be almost certainly confirmed—and it would mean that supernatural forces were indeed real!

Taking a deep breath, Hoshino Rin left the kitchen and knocked on her brother’s door.

The door creaked open, revealing Hoshino Gen standing on the other side. He looked at her curiously. “What is it?”

Swallowing her nerves, Hoshino Rin tried to appear casual. “Onii-chan~ Did you manage to buy that game you were trying to get last night for ten thousand yen?”

Hoshino Gen raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…” Hoshino Rin hesitated but pressed on. “I read the post too, and the game seemed interesting. If you’ve got it, could you share the file with me? If not, I can contact the poster myself and buy it.”

Hoshino Gen stared at her momentarily, his expression unreadable as he studied her slightly stiff face. Finally, he replied coolly, “Do as you like.”

With that, he stepped back into his room, shutting the door.

Left standing outside, Hoshino Rin blinked a few times. A moment later, she stuck her tongue out at the door and made a silly face.

This wasn’t quite the reaction she’d expected, but it gave her something to work with. Hoshino Gen hadn’t directly confirmed buying the game, but his lack of denial seemed like an admission. Moreover, his refusal to share the game file suggested there was indeed something unusual about it. And as for his parting words—well, that was a misstep on her part.

In the year they’d lived together, Hoshino Rin hadn’t interacted much with Hoshino Gen. She’d always thought of him as silent and polite. Yet, thinking back now, she realized those traits were probably a façade. After last night’s events, perhaps he no longer felt the need to maintain appearances, choosing instead to reveal his true self.

Hoshino Rin’s curiosity about her formerly disappointing brother only grew. It felt like pulling a rare card in a game—one that first appeared to be a lackluster R-rank, but after some time, its dull exterior peeled away to reveal a dazzling SSR.

Determined, Hoshino Rin picked up her phone and revisited the post. Opening the poster’s profile, she sent a private message:

“Hi, I’m interested in buying the game Red Skirt you mentioned.”

In a spacious, pastel-themed bedroom, plush toys of all sizes, from larger-than-life to palm-sized, were neatly arranged across the carpet, bed, and desk.

Shimizu Yuu paced in small circles, clutching a stack of talisman papers tightly in her hands. Her bare feet sank into the plush carpet as she turned, her gaze fixed on the talismans with a conflicted expression.

She had been fretting over this decision since last night. Should she test these talismans at home?

There were only eight of them in total—precious supernatural artifacts! If she used one, it would be gone forever. Getting more would mean dealing with Hoshino Gen again, and considering what happened yesterday evening, she wasn’t eager to repeat that experience. She had barely survived last time!

But… there were eight. Using just one wouldn’t hurt, right? Even after one was gone, there would still be seven left!

Shimizu Yuu suddenly stopped pacing, clutching the talismans with renewed determination. She’d do it. She’d use just one to verify if they were genuine! After all, Hoshino Gen was the type of person who’d use an innocent, adorable girl like her as a shield against mud. Hardly trustworthy! What if he gave her fakes?

Convinced by her own reasoning, Shimizu Yuu carefully placed seven of the talismans into a small metal box in her desk drawer, keeping one in hand.

How did it work again? Something about blood at the moment it left the body? Now that she thought about it, did that guy even use blood when he activated them?

Shimizu Yuu rummaged through her desk drawer until she found a leftover thumbtack. Lighting an unfinished scented candle on the desk, she held the tack’s point over the flame to sterilize it.

Shimizu Yu took a deep breath, pressed her lips together, and pricked her fingertip with the thumbtack. As a sharp pain registered, a bead of crimson welled up at the tip of her finger. Wasting no time, she smeared the blood across the talisman—

Whoosh~

In her wide-eyed astonishment, the yellow talisman in her hand was engulfed by a flicker of flame, rapidly expanding into a basketball-sized fireball hovering over her palm.

A mysterious connection tugged at her mind, as though she could control the fireball. Shimizu Yuu reasoned that it must be due to the talisman being activated with her own blood.

This was utterly surreal.

A heady sensation of wonder, as if she were in a dream, overwhelmed her.

“So beautiful…” Her large, watery eyes reflected the fiery glow as she murmured in awe.

Ding-a-ling-ling-ling——!!!

The shrill sound of her phone ringing broke the moment. Shimizu Yuu jolted in surprise, and the mysterious connection severed instantly.

“Ah!” she yelped, just as the fireball burst apart in midair, scattering into a cascade of glowing embers that quickly faded.

“Ahhh—!” Shimizu Yuu let out a wail, dropping to her knees and frantically searching the carpet. Perhaps she was clinging to a faint hope that she might recover the remains of the talisman. But talismans weren’t like candles; once activated, they disintegrated into ashes. Naturally, she found nothing.

Letting out a sorrowful sigh, she puffed up her cheeks, picked herself up, and grabbed her phone from the bed. As expected, the caller ID displayed “Suzuki Sawami.”

Answering the call, Shimizu Yuu’s voice was filled with grievance as she shouted, “Sawami——~!”