Chapter 157: Exorcism Was Not the Only Job

Suginami Ward.

A street once bustling with endless traffic.

At this moment, all movement had come to a standstill.

Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances surrounded the scene of the accident, keeping onlookers at a distance.

“The cause of the accident is quite simple,” a subordinate reported.

“A high school student was crossing the street normally when a driver accidentally struck him. According to the current investigation, the driver panicked after being reminded by his wife in the passenger seat, pressing the accelerator instead of the brake.”

“The student was thrown against a nearby utility pole, but due to the driver’s nervousness and a concurrent heart condition, he never released the accelerator.”

“The vehicle then veered off course and collided with several other cars.”

“How tragic.”

Lieutenant Ryōhei Itō of Suginami Ward furrowed his brows upon hearing the report.

“Never released the accelerator? Heart condition?”

Itō was not a specialist in traffic accidents; he had merely been accompanying his family shopping nearby when he noticed the commotion and came over to assess the situation.

“Yes, the driver is eighty-two years old and is currently undergoing emergency treatment for his heart condition.”

“Eighty-two?”

Itō was taken aback.

Although the country did not enforce an upper age limit on driving licenses—in other words, as long as one could operate the accelerator, any elderly person could drive—there had recently been a growing number of traffic accidents involving senior drivers due to the aging society, raising serious social concerns.

Some advocated banning drivers over sixty, but opposition seemed stronger.

Itō refrained from commenting, but from this case alone, it was clear that elderly drivers were more prone to accidents.

“And the high school student?”

“The doctor has declared him dead.”

“...I see.”

Itō sighed deeply.

“How old was the child?”

“Fifteen, confirmed through his student ID; he attended Matsunoki High School.”

“Matsunoki High School...” Itō paused.

His own daughter attended the same school and was about the same age as the unfortunate victim.

He wondered how the boy’s father would react upon learning the news.

He chose not to dwell on it.

“When will the exorcists arrive?”

“The nearest team is in Nakano Ward, about five minutes away.”

In this country, in cases like traffic accidents, it was common to summon exorcists.

Sometimes they assisted by using spiritual communication to identify victims and gather firsthand information.

Other times they helped dispel lingering grudges to prevent the deceased from becoming restless spirits.

There were also instances where they investigated whether malevolent spirits were involved.

For example, in a previous case on the highway involving a malicious spirit, without the intervention of exorcists, it might have been treated as an ordinary traffic accident, overlooking the presence of evil spirits and leading to further incidents.

In this modern age, famine and war had largely become things of the past, while traffic accidents, murders, and natural disasters were more likely to give rise to vengeful spirits.

In this case, although the elderly driver was clearly at fault, the possibility of spiritual interference could not be ignored.

Thus, upon receiving the incident report, the police contacted the Exorcist Association and requested reinforcement.

Itō was not the primary officer in charge but, after gathering some information, he assisted with the scene.

Minutes later, as Itō crouched gathering fragments of the vehicles, the exorcists arrived.

“Thank you for your hard work... hmm?”

Itō had just removed his gloves and reached out to shake hands when he recognized the person before him: it was Kyōhashi.

“Lieutenant Itō, I didn’t expect we’d meet again,” Kyōhashi said warmly, returning the handshake.

“And this is?”

Itō then noticed the woman behind Kyōhashi.

“This is Sister Hoshino, but you may also call her Ghost Shark.”

“Ghost Shark?”

Itō wondered if this was some kind of role-playing game, but their interaction seemed normal enough.

“...Well then, please examine the scene and see if any restless spirits caused the accident.”

“Understood.”

Kyōhashi and Hoshino followed Itō past the police cordon.

The scene was horrific—a chain collision involving several cars stopped in the middle of the road.

Blood stains splattered the pavement.

Kyōhashi said nothing as he scanned the area with his spiritual vision.

The amount of negative energy was within normal limits; the offending vehicle showed no signs of possession.

He glanced toward the ambulance where the driver was being treated—also no traces of malevolent spirits.

From this, it was clear that no restless spirits were at work.

“No spirit interference,” Kyōhashi reported.

Itō hesitated, then his gaze dimmed.

If no spirits were involved, this was a purely human tragedy.

A disaster that could have been prevented at any stage with a little care.

Kyōhashi paid no mind to Itō’s expression and looked past his shoulder.

Hoshino had silently placed her case down and moved over.

There stood a utility pole, marked with blotchy stains.

Beneath it lay a large pool of still-wet blood.

Hoshino knelt down.

Beside her was a young girl in a school uniform, crouching beside the pole, crying.

“Waaah—”

The girl sobbed uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears.

In the sunlight, she glimmered faintly.

Yes, that must be the spirit of the deceased.

“Cry, it’s alright now,” Hoshino said gently, reaching out.

Though she could not touch the girl’s spirit, her voice was soothing.

So young, yet forced to endure such a tragedy.

It was, after all, helplessness itself.

Soon, a man suddenly tried to breach the police cordon.

“My daughter... my daughter...” he cried, his face etched with anxiety and shock.

After some struggle with the officers, he was finally led toward the ambulance.

Hearing the man’s voice, the spirit of the weeping girl lifted her head.

“Papa?” she whispered, in a voice only he could not hear.

The spirit began to follow his footsteps.

Hoshino hurried after her, with Kyōhashi following to ensure safety.

Inside the ambulance lay a cold, lifeless body.

The once youthful girl had lost all warmth.

Her father stared blankly, speechless.

The girl’s spirit looked at her father, then at her own body, as if finally grasping the truth.

She was dead.

No longer among the living.

“Papa, I was wrong, I shouldn’t have...”

“I’m sorry, Suzumi, I shouldn’t have said those things to you, I shouldn’t have...”

Both the man and the spirit spoke almost simultaneously.

Kyōhashi observed a shimmering bridge of light form between the father and daughter.

“Suzumi, do you still want to continue your studies?”

“Annoying old man, mind your own business.”

“I work hard in the shop every day, all for you.”

“If you had been paying attention, Mom wouldn’t have run off with someone else.”

“Suzumi, you need to seriously think about your future.”

“Stop nagging, you don’t understand me at all.”

“If you don’t clean your room today, you won’t live here anymore.”

“Who wants to live with you? I hate you the most!”

Their conversation unfolded through the spiritual link.

The father and daughter’s relationship was strained—a common scene: a father who didn’t understand his daughter, and a rebellious teenager.

With time, they might have come to understand each other.

But now, there was no time left.

Unspoken feelings had vanished with life itself, never to be heard again.

Yet Hoshino gently took the girl’s spirit’s hand and placed it in the father’s palm.

“Your daughter understands your feelings now. She says she’s sorry for what she said.”

At this moment, Hoshino truly embodied the role of an exorcist—conveying the words of the departed to the living.

The bustling city contrasted sharply with the quiet ambulance.

The girl’s spirit glanced once more at her father.

Then, she dissolved into particles of light, vanishing in the sunlight.

Amid this solemn scene, Kyōhashi’s attention was elsewhere.

He saw tendrils of black, threadlike negative energy emanating from the father, flowing into the crowd of onlookers.