Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Huh? For real?! That Sasaki Ayane?!”

“Tch… I always thought girls like that should only exist in fantasies. Now she’s actually shown up in real life, only to get snatched by some other guy? Damn, that hurts worse than getting killed!”

“Well, honestly… if you ignore the fact that Hoshino’s got a body count to his name, he and Sasaki actually make a pretty good match…”

“Che, I heard it was an arranged marriage. With how cold and untouchable Sasaki is, bet she got forced into it by her family.”

“Now that you mention it, I can’t help but find Hoshino even more annoying!”

Gossip like this was everywhere in the school, especially between Class 1-D, where Sasaki Ayane belonged, and Class 1-A, where Hoshino Gen was.

When Shimizu Yuu walked into class early that morning, the buzz was so loud it startled her. For a moment, she almost thought it was already lesson time and everyone was reciting something in unison.

Confused, she quietly made her way to her seat, about to ask what all the fuss was about when her friend Suzuki Sawami came barreling over.

“Yuu!” Sawami leaned hard on Shimizu Yuu’s desk, eyes wide. “Did you hear?! Hoshino got engaged to that genius princess from Class D—Sasaki Ayane!”

“Eh?” Shimizu Yuu’s brain blanked for a second, and she blurted out without thinking, “Which Hoshino? Which princess?”

Sawami let out a dramatic sigh. “Oh, come on! Hoshino Gen and Sasaki Ayane! I know it’s hard to accept, but there’s no helping it. They’re the perfect pair—handsome guy, gorgeous girl, both from elite families. The engagement’s official, it’s all been announced. So Yuu… maybe it’s time to let go.”

But instead of making things clearer, Sawami’s words only left Shimizu Yuu even more bewildered. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand—Hoshino Gen and the super-beauty, genius Sasaki Ayane were now engaged. Pretty straightforward.

The thing was… why was she supposed to be heartbroken? Let go of what exactly?

Sure, the news was shocking, but more than that, it felt… unreal.

After all, just yesterday morning, she’d been standing with Hoshino Gen in the crowd, watching that genius girl step out of her private car. And now, barely a day later, people were telling her he was engaged to her.

It felt kind of like going to a concert with your friend, both of you gushing over how gorgeous and talented the idol on stage is… then the next day, your friend shows up with the idol and says, “By the way, she’s my girlfriend.” Completely absurd, almost dreamlike.

And yeah, logically speaking, Hoshino Gen’s family background was nothing to scoff at—arguably even better than Sasaki’s. As for looks, Hoshino Gen wasn’t exactly losing out either.

Sure, Sasaki Ayane was a genius, always top of the year, with talents in everything from music to sports—heck, even kendo. She was the epitome of brains, beauty, and skill.

But Hoshino Gen could see ghosts and exorcise spirits. If you were to quantify it like a game, even if both of them were SSR cards, Hoshino Gen’s rarity would probably still be a notch higher.

Maybe it was because Hoshino Gen kept such a low profile at school, or because he never really acted like some rich heir when hanging around her—in fact, he was pretty chill, even kinda mean sometimes, always messing with her—that Shimizu Yuu never saw him as someone untouchable, like Sasaki Ayane.

And seriously, engagements and arranged marriages? Weren’t those things way too far removed from the lives of high schoolers like them?

In short, Shimizu Yuu just couldn’t wrap her head around it. It all felt fake, like a weird dream.

But to Suzuki Sawami, Shimizu Yuu’s dazed expression seemed like something else entirely. She sighed again, a note of sympathy in her voice. “Guys like Hoshino are out of reach for normal girls. You could tell even back when we got locked in the gym storage room with him. He’s from a different world. You two just aren’t meant to be.”

She leaned closer, lowering her voice like she was offering some secret wisdom. “If you’re really upset, we can help you find another hottie. You know what they say—the best way to get over someone is to start seeing someone new…”

“What are you even talking about?!” Shimizu Yuu hurriedly cut her off, deadpan. “His engagement has nothing to do with me. Why would I be upset?”

“Uh…” Sawami looked skeptical, squinting at her. “Wait, you don’t like Hoshino?”

Shimizu Yuu rolled her eyes. “I’d have to be out of my mind to like him.”

She pouted, grumbling under her breath, “That jerk’s got the worst personality and loves picking on people. I bet even that genius princess won’t be able to stand him after a while.”

Sawami didn’t look entirely convinced, but the bell rang, cutting off any further commentary. She just muttered, “Well, that’s probably for the best,” before heading back to her seat.

As Suzuki Sawami walked away, the smile slowly faded from Shimizu Yuu’s face. She really did believe everything she’d just said—but when she glanced at the empty desk by the window in front of her, the one that had remained conspicuously vacant even after class started, she couldn’t help feeling a little hollow, a little irritated.

That guy… he really isn’t planning on showing up today, huh? Makes sense though—just got engaged, probably off spending time with his girlfriend… no, fiancée now, right?

…

As for Hoshino Gen, he really didn’t have any plans to go to school today. Not that it had anything to do with engagements or fiancées.

Sure, Tilina had suggested over breakfast that he take Sasaki Ayane out to get to know her better, but Hoshino Gen dismissed the idea immediately.

He had far more pressing matters to deal with.

“Tomorrow? We’re moving out that soon?”

In a quiet corner of a café, seated at a long table by the glass wall, Hoshino Gen sat with Asaba Shinichi and Takasugi Yusuke .

Hearing Shinichi mention the schedule change, Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “Something unexpected come up?”

“Something like that.” Shinichi casually took a sip of his steaming coffee, adjusting his oversized sunglasses before glancing out at Tokyo’s bustling morning streets. He smirked faintly.

“The village that was occupied by that cult of ghost breeders? It’s gone. Not destroyed physically—no. It’s been erased completely. Vanished from maps. Where it used to be, there’s now just a mountain. Even if you blasted the whole thing flat, you wouldn’t find a single trace that a village ever existed there.”