Tokyo Exorcism Diary

7 PM, 33rd floor of the Narushika Tower.

The brisk rhythm of the symphony music flowed like a gentle stream through the lavishly decorated banquet hall.

Tailored suits and elegant evening gowns were the name cards of everyone present. The banquet hadn’t officially begun yet, and people of high social standing had already gathered in small clusters, gracefully exchanging conversations about art, business opportunities, and the future of the country.

Naturally, wherever people gather, there will be a focal point. And tonight, in a setting like this, the focal point could only be the host of the banquet.

At the center of the crowd stood Amamiya Keigo , president and chairman of Amamiya Trading Company, smiling warmly as he greeted the guests while introducing his lovely daughter to these powerful connections.

“This is Sashi, right? She gets more beautiful every year!”

“Haha, she takes after her mother in the looks department. If she took after me, it’d be a disaster!”

“President Amamiya, you’re too modest! Everyone knows you were quite the heartthrob in your youth, hahaha!”

Laughter rippled around him, but Amamiya Sashi, standing at the center of it all, couldn’t quite bring herself to join in.

She was wearing a white evening gown tonight, a custom-made piece flown in from overseas just days ago. The price tag would make an average person’s jaw drop, but it was nothing compared to the necklace resting against her pale neck—worth over eight figures. Not to mention the heels at her feet and the amethyst hairpiece adorning her styled hair.

She was, without a doubt, the brightest jewel of the evening. No girl could resist being in her position, dressed like this.

And yet… Amamiya Sashi’s gaze subtly swept across the banquet hall, pausing briefly at another cluster of guests not far away.

At the center of that group was a rather bizarre figure—someone in a gray kimono, high ponytail, and oversized sunglasses. Such attire should’ve made him unwelcome in this grand venue—heck, he shouldn’t have even made it past the lobby—but the man’s background made all the difference.

The next heir of the Asaba Conglomerate. The entire Narushika Tower belonged to his family.

He wasn’t even officially invited tonight—or perhaps no one dared to extend him an invitation. But his arrival still left her father feeling honored, chatting politely with him for quite some time.

Amamiya Sashi glanced at the strange man lounging on a barstool, chicken leg in one hand, wine glass in the other, chatting and laughing without a shred of etiquette. She rolled her eyes and looked away. As expected from a friend of that idiot Takasugi—they were equally unreliable.

Speaking of which, where was Takasugi? Don’t tell her he took the money and bailed!?

By now, Amamiya Sashi had learned exactly who her “Matchmaking partner” was—the grandson of the Hoshino Conglomerate’s current head, and the son of the chairman of Stella Group—

Hoshino Gen, if she remembered correctly. A notoriously mysterious and low-profile figure in their circles.

Everyone here belonged to the same elite circle, and that circle wasn’t exactly large. The heirs of various families and corporations mostly knew one another.

Even if they didn’t, after being dragged to a couple of banquets by their elders, they’d eventually get acquainted.

But that Hoshino Gen was different. He never appeared at social events. Never attended any banquets.

None of Sashi’s friends could claim to know him personally. Everyone knew of various Hoshino sons or daughters, but this Hoshino Gen remained something of a phantom.

And given how secretive he was, and the fact that someone from a family as powerful as his would propose a marriage alliance with a lesser company like Amamiya Trading… Well, Sashi’s imagination had already run wild to the worst possibilities—maybe he had some kind of physical defect or was terribly overweight or disfigured.

Lost in these anxious thoughts, she stood waiting.

Finally, after a long lull, the grand double doors of the banquet hall opened once again.

“Sorry, sorry! Looks like I’m late. The banquet hasn’t started yet, right?”

A warm, smiling voice echoed out. Striding casually inside was a young man dressed in a pristine white suit, handsome, with a gentle demeanor. Despite the many prominent guests turning their attention toward him, he seemed completely at ease, as if out for a casual stroll.

In Sashi’s restless eyes, a spark of light immediately ignited—but just as she was about to leave her father’s side to greet him—

“Hey! Yusuke, you’re here too! Over here, over here!”
That same kimono-clad, sunglasses-wearing oddball suddenly stood up, waving his half-eaten chicken leg enthusiastically.

Amamiya Sashi’s eye twitched hard, while Takasugi Yusuke’s previously unbothered, all-smiles face suddenly developed a few dark lines.

He glanced wordlessly in the direction of the voice, sighed helplessly, and made his way over, flashing a reassuring wink at his childhood friend in the center of the room.

Amamiya Sashi watched in disbelief as the helper she’d recruited got hijacked by that eccentric guy, her eyelid twitching even more—but fine, whatever, at least he showed up. As long as that idiot came, the problem could still be solved…

To onlookers, this exchange seemed like nothing more than a minor interruption. Before long, the previously quiet banquet hall buzzed back to life, conversation flowing freely once more.

But before the atmosphere fully recovered, the grand double doors opened again.

Two attendants stood at either side of the doorway, bowing graciously. A butler and bodyguards followed closely behind the newcomer.

A perfectly fitted black suit, neatly styled slightly long black hair, and skin as pale as porcelain—the contrast between them was striking, almost unnerving.

Heterochromatic eyes, delicate and sculpted features as if carved by a master artisan, tall and slender build, calm, detached expression, as though an invisible barrier separated him from everything around him.

It was a cold, aloof air—indifferent to the world itself.

This time, the banquet hall truly fell silent, every gaze instinctively drawn to that figure.

In the crowd, Amamiya Sashi’s mouth fell slightly open. The grotesque image she’d conjured up of someone deformed, obese, and ugly evaporated in an instant, replaced by the cool, moonlit figure now walking into view.

“Well? Satisfied?”
Amamiya Keigo leaned down beside his daughter, teasing in a low voice.

Amamiya Sashi couldn’t quite find her words, but the pale flush creeping across her cheeks said plenty.

“Go introduce yourself. A few days from now, he might be your fiancé.”
Amamiya Keigo chuckled, patting her shoulder, then moved to greet the young man himself.

Amamiya Sashi’s embarrassment deepened, but just as she summoned her courage to follow after her father—

“Yo! Hoshino! You finally made it, man—I was about to fill up without you!”
The kimono-wearing, sunglasses-toting youth once again waved his half-eaten chicken leg cheerfully.

Hoshino Gen turned toward the voice and at the sight of Asaba Shinichi, his previously cold, distant face melted into an easy, warm smile—like winter thawing into spring—as he raised a hand in greeting.

Amamiya Sashi: “……”