Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“The place we’re suspecting… is that abandoned village just outside the town we passed a moment ago. We’ve been on the road all day—let’s get some rest tonight and check it out first thing tomorrow.”

Asaba Shinichi said this while pulling the car up in front of a ramen shop—one of the few still open in this area.

He killed the engine, grinning as he called to his two companions in the front passenger seats, Hoshino Gen and Takasugi Yusuke.

“Out you go. Let’s eat something—I’m starving to death over here.”

Naturally, Hoshino Gen had no objections. He hadn’t eaten much on the bullet train at noon, and now it was past eight in the evening. He was well and truly hungry.

As he pushed open the door and stepped out, the rain instantly poured down on him. Not being the type who enjoyed cold showers, he darted straight into the ramen shop beside them.

Yusuke and Shinichi were no faster than him, and the moment all three stepped inside, their gazes were immediately drawn to a small charm hanging in the shop window.

It was a tiny doll made of woven straw. Perhaps from being there too long in the region’s humid air, what was once golden straw had now faded into a dull, moldy yellow-brown.

There wasn’t anything particularly “wrong” with the charm—not in any supernatural sense, at least—but to see something with that kind of vibe hanging so openly as decoration in a ramen shop window… it felt undeniably eerie.

“Welcome!”

Their entrance caught the attention of a girl who had been cleaning up inside. She looked about fresh out of high school, with a neat appearance. An apron was tied around her waist, and a tall chef’s hat sat on her head, suggesting she was both a server and, possibly, the cook. Of course, it was also possible this was her family’s place.

“What would you three like to eat?” she asked warmly. At the sight of new customers, she dropped the broom and peeled off her gloves, hands clasped at her waist as she beamed at them.

“Ah, I’ll have a bowl of udon—with extra toppings, please, cute lady~”

Shinichi laughed as he spoke, already heading for the table by the window.

“I’ll have the same,” said Yusuke, smiling as he followed behind.

The girl turned her gaze to the last man standing—Hoshino Gen. He hadn’t moved. He stood in silence, meeting her gaze. The girl, however, didn’t seem the least bit offended by the cold reception. She simply continued smiling patiently, waiting for him to order.

After a beat, Hoshino Gen offered a practiced smile. “Tonkotsu ramen, please.”

“Got it! One moment, I’ll bring it right out~” The girl chirped energetically and trotted off into the kitchen.

Hoshino Gen watched her disappear behind the noren curtain, the smile quickly fading from his face. Then, he walked over to join the others at the window-side table.

There were no other customers in the shop. No sign of any other staff either. With the girl now in the kitchen, that left just the three of them in the room—and none of them were speaking. Even Shinichi, usually a chatterbox in the car, had gone quiet. The only sound was the steady patter of rain.

—“Hey, there’s a ramen place here!”

Suddenly, a voice shouted from outside, followed by a flood of hurried footsteps. The door opened, letting in a group of five—two guys and three girls, all looking like college students.

“Ugh, I’m dying here. This town is so behind the times! No delivery services, no Wi-Fi, not even a gas station! The one inn we finally found doesn’t even serve food! Why did I agree to come suffer in a place like this?”

The first one through the door was a short-haired girl with a bold, tomboyish look and an equally bold personality. She stripped off her soaked raincoat as she complained loudly.

“Stop grumbling, Ryouko. We’re all here because we want to help Saya-chan, right? And she did promise to treat us to a fancy meal afterward. Isn’t that right, Saya-chan?”

The next to enter was a long-haired girl with soft waves, a curvy figure, and fox-like eyes that should’ve made her seem seductive—but her aura was surprisingly gentle and intellectual.

“Y-yes… I’m really sorry for the trouble, everyone…”

Trailing beside her was a petite, frail-looking girl with big round glasses. She spoke in a soft, timid voice.

“See, Ryouko? You were all fired up before we left, remember? Going all, ‘Whoever chickens out is a dog!’ And now look at you—first one to complain!”

A tall, broad-shouldered guy with a buzz cut laughed out loud as he teased her.

“Iwato, you little—wanna fight?! That’s not the same thing at all!”

Ryouko, the short-haired girl, glared at him with fire in her eyes.

“Okay, okay, cut it out. There are other customers here.”

A girl from the group tried to calm things down, but Ryouko made a face at Iwato before scanning the room. Her gaze landed on the table where Hoshino Gen and the others sat—and her eyes widened.

“Oh! Look at that—hot guys! Three of them!”

As soon as she said it, her expression flipped to cheerful and she gave them a big thumbs-up. “Hey, handsome guys, that McLaren out front—is it yours? Super cool ride!”

“Ryouko!” the long-haired girl—Yuri—facepalmed and called her name in exasperation, then turned to the trio with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about her… Hope we didn’t disturb you.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind compliments about my stuff.”

Asaba Shinichi replied with an amused tone, even tossing a suggestive look at Hoshino Gen as if to say, See?

“See, Yuri? They don’t mind. You’re the only one who nags.”

Ryouko stuck her tongue out at the long-haired girl.

“Ugh, didn’t we all say we were starving? Why is everyone still crowding around the door?”

The last to enter was a refined-looking guy with gold-rimmed glasses, the scholarly type.

“We were waiting for you! You’re so slow! It’s not like this place is busy—you could’ve just parked anywhere! But nooo, you had to find a legit spot.”

Ryouko crossed her arms with a huff.

“I call it following the law,” he replied seriously.

And with that, the group made their way to a nearby table, filling it with chatter.

“Whoa, no online ordering?”

“Well duh, of course not!”

“Boss! Five soba noodles, please!”

“No wait—I want udon!”

The group erupted into noisy debate until the girl’s voice cheerfully rang out from the kitchen: “Okay! One bowl of udon, four bowls of soba! Coming right up!”

…

Back at the trio’s table, Hoshino Gen and the others had only paid attention to the newcomers at first glance. Once they confirmed the group was just a bunch of regular people, they lost interest and went back to zoning out—some staring at their phones, others at the rain-soaked window.

Until, from the neighboring table, the girl named Ryouko called out loudly again.

“Hey, handsome trio—where’re you guys from?”

Hoshino Gen and Takasugi Yusuke stayed in their own little worlds, not reacting at all. Naturally, it was Shinichi who answered with a laugh.

“We’re from Tokyo.”

“Whoa, all the way from Tokyo? You stopped here for the night ’cause it got dark or something?”

“Nope. This is our destination.”

Shinichi leaned on one hand and smiled.

Not just Ryouko, but everyone at the other table looked stunned.

“You came here from Tokyo on purpose?!”

Even Yuri, the composed, elegant one, looked shocked, covering her mouth.

“Don’t tell me… you’re here for that village outside town too?”