Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Brrr-brrr-brrr…”

Knock knock knock—!

The ringtone from the phone almost overlapped perfectly with the knocking at the door. Hoshino Rin kept her eyes fixed on the door, torn between fear that the vengeful ghost outside would barge in any second, and desperate hope that her brother would pick up the call.

On the other end of the couch, Asahina Kaoru was already falling apart emotionally. She whimpered quietly, on the verge of tears but too afraid to cry out loud. Idol or not, she was still just a sixteen-year-old girl. Even though she’d seen some bizarre things during her time in the entertainment industry, this… this was way beyond what she could mentally handle.

—You’re watching TV in the middle of the night, and suddenly some eyeless, pale-skinned old woman covered in corpse-like blotches shows up and starts knocking on your door? Who wouldn’t lose it?

Unlike Rin, who had already encountered ghosts more than once under her brother’s lead, Kaoru had always been a firm believer that ghosts and supernatural stuff were just fiction. The fact that she hadn’t completely snapped yet was already a miracle in itself.

Maybe it was that instinctual desperation people get when they’re drowning—clutching at even the flimsiest lifeline. In the chaotic mess that was her mind, Kaoru suddenly remembered something—some tiny, sliver of hope.

“Rin… Rin-chan,” she stammered, her voice trembling, “that spirit-summoning game your brother made us play back in Shiratake Village… was it really just a magic trick? Doesn’t he have anything that can fight off ghosts?”

Almost the instant she finished speaking, the knocking came again—for the fourth time.

Knock knock knock.

Both girls flinched in unison. Rin stared anxiously at her still-dialing phone screen, her expression tight with urgency. She didn’t answer Kaoru’s question directly but spoke quickly, “I’m calling my brother. Kaoru, you—call the police!”

As she spoke, Rin gritted her teeth and bolted toward the entryway. Her bag was on the shelf to the left of the front door—inside it, she always kept the talismans her brother had given her back in Shiratake Village.

She was terrified, absolutely, but she was ready—if the ghost broke in, she’d fight it head-on if she had to!

And as if Murphy’s Law had decided to be cruelly punctual, just as Rin grabbed her shell-shaped bag and was turning back toward the living room—

The door opened.

It wasn’t a knock. It was the click of a lock that might as well not have existed.

The eyeless old woman pulled the door open, fully revealing herself to the two girls inside.

“Aaaaaahhh!!”

Kaoru shrieked and immediately burst into loud sobs. “Rin-chan, run!!”

Rin felt the icy presence of the ghost envelop her entire body—her muscles seized up, her blood felt like it had stopped flowing, and even her joints moved like they were packed with jelly.

From the black hollows where her eyes should have been, the old woman wept black tears.

The ghost was only two meters away, staring directly at Rin.

Tears welled up uncontrollably. So terrifying…

Brrp!

“What’s wrong?”

The phone in Rin’s hand vibrated—it had connected. And in the very moment she heard her brother’s voice—so familiar, so desperately needed—she felt her body lighten, as if freed from invisible shackles.

In one fluid motion, Rin dug into her bag, pulled out a talisman, and without hesitation, bit her finger, letting blood drip onto the paper.

Vmmmmm—

With a low hum, a fireball crackling with searing heat formed in the palm of her right hand.

Tears still in her eyes, she hurled it straight at the ghost—and then turned and ran for her life. “Onii-chan, help me!!”

BOOOOOM—!

The fireball exploded behind her with a thunderous roar.

Still standing behind the sofa, Kaoru—who had been on the brink of a complete breakdown just moments before—was now utterly dumbfounded, tears still streaking her cheeks.

Her mouth hung slightly open as she watched Rin, who had just hand-cast a fireball right into a ghost’s face and was now sprinting back.

She couldn’t tell what was more shocking—that ghosts actually exist, or that her fellow idol teammate was a freaking magical girl who could conjure fireballs out of thin air.

“Rin… Rin-chan?” Kaoru said in a daze, voice wobbling.

But Rin didn’t have time to deal with her friend’s shock.

Even though the ghost had taken that fireball right in the face, it didn’t look harmed at all. In fact, it looked angry now. And it was stepping into the house.

“You said you’re sleeping over at a friend’s place and a vengeful spirit started knocking on your door?”

Her brother’s voice on the phone was oddly calm.

“It’s coming inside,” Rin said tearfully. “What do I do, Onii-chan…?”

“…I think I just heard something explode. Did you use one of the talismans I gave you?”

“I did… but it didn’t work…”

“I see… listen carefully. Among the talismans I gave you, there’s one with black writing on it. Grab your friend and lock yourselves in a room. Activate that talisman and stick it on the inside of the door. Stay put and wait for help.”

And then, faintly, she heard her brother mutter: “Chi-chan, go help them out.”

Clack—

While the siblings spoke, the ghost, still moving in that slow, grotesque manner, crossed the entryway and stepped into the living room.

Suddenly, the paused movie on the TV screen flickered violently, replaced by static snow. In the midst of it, a young girl in a blood-stained red dress appeared. Around her slender neck was a horrifying wound.

Chi-chan.

Onscreen, she glared menacingly at the eyeless ghost now in the living room.

The old woman, black tears still streaking her face, slowly twisted her neck around—almost 160 degrees—to look at Chi-chan on the TV.

Meanwhile, Rin grabbed the still-stunned Kaoru by the arm and bolted into the nearest room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Frantically rummaging through her talismans, Rin found the one with black writing. She pressed a bloodied finger to it, then slapped it onto the door with all her strength.

Finally, her body gave out. She collapsed to the floor, sitting duck-style against the door, gasping for breath.

…

Elsewhere, long, pitch-black nails like solidified shadows pinned Ryouko to the wall of the room, still crying uncontrollably.

Standing in front of her, Asaba Shinichi glanced back toward Hoshino Gen, who was leaning casually against the wall, phone in hand.

“I think I heard your little sister’s voice just now,” Shinichi said with a chuckle. “Something going on?”

Hoshino Gen gave him a wry smile. “Nothing much. Someone asked me to file a complaint with your special affairs unit… said there’s a vengeful spirit causing a public disturbance in the middle of the night.”