Tokyo Exorcism Diary

Hoshino Rin accepted the ice cream handed to her by the young man, her expression slightly dazed. His words just now had been like a steel awl, piercing through the bubble in her mind without warning.

On one hand, she thought what he’d said was utterly ridiculous — but at the same time, there was a faint sense of panic, as if he’d seen straight through her.

She paid the bill in a daze, leaving the small shop with her brother, who had been leaning against the doorframe the whole time without stepping inside. It wasn’t until a sharp gust of wind stung her face that Hoshino Rin finally snapped out of it. The first thought that rose in her mind was that the young man had been talking nonsense — how could she possibly like her brother?

Even if she liked him, it was definitely the kind of love between family members — like how she loved Mom, or how she loved Liz.

Of course, she’d heard of genetic sexual attraction before — and honestly, the circumstances between her and her brother seemed to fit the kind of environment where such phenomena could occur — but the problem was… she… she…

How could that be possible?

It was absurd!

Another cold wind swept by, making Hoshino Rin shiver. The chill brought her fully back to her senses. She pursed her lips, then naturally held out her ice cream to Hoshino Gen.

Hoshino Gen accepted without hesitation. Though the temperature in Zermatt was close to freezing, having something cold in weather like this had its own kind of charm.

“Mmm… so cold.” Hoshino Rin stuck out her soft, pink tongue to lick her ice cream, only to immediately shrink her head back and shiver.

Hoshino Gen glanced at his silly little sister out of the corner of his eye, then took a small bite of his own ice cream. The sweetness melted on his tongue, sending a refreshing chill through his whole body.

…

“Onii-chan, my hands are so cold… Can I put them in your pockets?”

“My pockets are cold too. Isn’t that shop over there selling gloves? Just buy a pair.”

“Oh.”

“Onii-chan, the weather forecast says it’s going to snow soon!”

“Let’s hope it’s accurate.”

“Huh—so you like snow days, brother?”

“Onii-chan! Look, a helicopter! It’s heading toward the Alps — are they going skiing? Should we go skiing tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Aww, I can teach you! It’s really fun!”

“Not interested.”

“Tch… Onii-chan, if you’re this boring, you’ll never find a girlfriend.”

“Heh.”

Hoshino Rin chattered nonstop along the way, while Hoshino Gen occasionally responded with a word or two. Their route was entirely random — just walking wherever their feet took them — until they arrived near a towering gray cathedral.

Faint funeral music drifted from within. People in black formal wear came and went at the entrance.

“Someone’s having a funeral…” Hoshino Rin whispered, leaning closer to her brother.

Hoshino Gen didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on a pale, semi-transparent middle-aged man standing not far from the church entrance. The figure wore an inexplicable expression as he watched the guests come and go, then slowly lowered his head with a sigh.

Noticing her brother’s strange behavior, Hoshino Rin followed his line of sight — but saw nothing but empty space.

“Brother, what are you looking at?”

Hoshino Gen didn’t answer. Whether because his staring was too blatant, or simply because souls were more perceptive than the living, the translucent middle-aged man noticed him. Their eyes met, and the man slowly began walking toward him.

“Hilf mir.”

A simple German phrase — even with Hoshino Gen’s half-baked language skills, he understood: Help me.

Hoshino Gen paused. He didn’t immediately draw his blade to cut down the spirit — the man wasn’t a vengeful ghost, not even a lingering wraith — just a soul that had lost its body and was on the verge of dissipating.

Killing him would bring no benefit.

After a moment, Hoshino Gen replied in English, “Can you speak English? Chinese? Japanese? Latin?”

The man’s face showed a trace of confusion. Finally, he shook his head and managed to squeeze out, “No.”

It seemed he’d only understood the first part of the sentence.

That was troublesome. A language barrier meant there was no way to communicate — and though Hoshino Gen was curious about what could make a soul linger even as it was falling apart, there wasn’t much he could do without understanding him.

The spirit understood this too. His face darkened with despair.

Just then, Hoshino Rin tugged at Hoshino Gen’s sleeve, her face full of doubt. “Onii-chan… who are you talking to?”

The moment she asked, realization dawned — her face paled. “Is there… a ghost here?”

Hoshino Gen glanced at her, then pulled a talisman from his pocket and pressed it onto her shoulder. The paper charm dissolved into two streams of light that sank into her eyes.

Hoshino Rin’s eyes itched and burned. She rubbed them hard — and when she opened them again, the ghostly figure of the middle-aged man stood clear before her.

Startled, she instinctively stepped back behind her brother, clutching his arm tightly. “O-Onii-chan… ghost… ghost!”

Hoshino Gen rolled his eyes. “It’s just a spirit, not dangerous. Listen to what he wants, then translate for me.”

He gestured to the transparent man, indicating his sister.

The spirit understood. He gave Hoshino Gen a deep bow, then addressed Hoshino Rin in German: “Beautiful miss, please help me.”

Still a little afraid, Hoshino Rin glanced at her brother. But with him right by her side, her courage gradually grew. She hesitated, then asked, “What… do you need help with?”

“Thank you… Thank God, thank you, beautiful miss.” The man’s soul trembled with emotion. He’d waited so long — until his mind grew weary, his consciousness blurred — and finally, someone could see him, hear him… someone who could understand him.

Hoshino Rin stepped out from behind her brother — though she stayed close, her hand instinctively reaching for his.

Perhaps because his mind was elsewhere, or maybe because she was helping him — this time, Hoshino Gen didn’t pull away. His cool hand was caught in her smaller, colder one.

His hand was colder than hers — but at that moment, Hoshino Rin’s heart felt wrapped in warmth. Even the ghost before her didn’t seem quite so frightening anymore.

Her stiff little face gradually softened into a radiant smile. “Don’t mention it. Please, tell me — what’s troubling you?”

Hoshino Gen glanced at his suddenly glowing little sister, then at his tightly held hand. He gave it a small tug — but when she didn’t let go, he simply let her be.