Tokyo Exorcism Diary

“Student Council?”

Standing in the hallway, Hoshino Gen and Shimizu Yuu were left completely puzzled as they faced the senior from second year who had just introduced herself.

The senior nodded. “That’s right. Both of your member recommendations have been approved. Please attend the meeting in the conference room after school today.”

Hoshino Gen frowned, his confusion evident. “Member recommendation? Who recommended us?”

The girl tilted her head in confusion. “Didn’t you submit your applications to the teacher, and then have your homeroom teacher recommend you for membership?”

Shimizu Yuu exclaimed in surprise, “No way! I’ve never applied to join the student council!”

“Really?” The senior was equally taken aback. “That shouldn’t be possible!”

She glanced down at the roster in her hand for confirmation. “First-year Class A, Hoshino Gen, Shimizu Yuu… These are your names, right?”

“The names are correct,” Hoshino Gen said, “but neither of us voluntarily applied to join the student council. Could you remove our names, please?”

Shimizu Yuu nodded quickly in agreement. She had already quit the kendo club she loved to make time for her part-time job plans after school. Where would she find the energy to join the student council?

However, the second-year senior seemed troubled. She sighed helplessly. “But your names are already on the official list. It’s not something that can just be erased like that. The student council at our school isn’t a place to fool around. The previous president set a rule: once you join, you can’t quit for at least a month!”

Hoshino Gen raised an eyebrow slightly. Then, to Shimizu Yuu’s astonishment, he nodded. “Understood, Senpai. We’ll be there.”

Shimizu Yuu gawked at him. What was this? Being forced into the student council, and he just went along with it? Was this really his personality?

The senior visibly relaxed at his response. “Good. Please don’t be late, then.” With a polite nod, she moved off to inform other students.

“Hey, are we really joining the student council? I still don’t get what’s going on…” Shimizu Yuu looked at Hoshino Gen, her brows knitted in confusion.

Hoshino Gen shook his head. “Whether we join or leave isn’t something that senior can decide. There’s no point wasting time arguing with her.”

His tone remained calm as he added, “You head back and wait. I’ll go find the real person in charge.”

With that, he turned and began walking toward the faculty office.

Shimizu Yuu scratched her head, still looking thoroughly puzzled.

The faculty office wasn’t particularly crowded, which made the slim figure of a young woman, sipping a drink and wearing over-ear headphones, stand out even more.

Hoshino Gen approached her desk. She was so engrossed in her music that she didn’t notice his arrival until he tapped lightly on her headphones. Startled, she took them off and hung them around her slender, pale neck. With a warm smile lighting up her lightly made-up face, she greeted him. “Hoshino-kun, what brings you here?”

This was Fujihara Risa, the homeroom teacher for first-year Class A and an English teacher. Having just graduated from university, this was her first year of teaching.

Because of her youth, stylish demeanor, and beauty, she was not only adored by her own students but also popular among other classes. However, her inexperience as a teacher often led her to be overly concerned about her students.

Hoshino Gen found this trait particularly vexing. Shortly after the school year began, during a parent-teacher meeting, the normally lively classroom was filled with a variety of parents—some enthusiastic, some reluctant. Amidst the crowd, Fujihara Risa had spotted Hoshino Gen sitting alone by the window, resting his chin in his hand as he stared indifferently at the cherry blossoms outside.

At the time, she said nothing but made a mental note of it. After the meeting ended, she sought him out for an explanation.

His response? “I forgot to tell my parents.”

She had believed him—until she tried calling his father, only to be told, “I’m overseas. Please discuss any concerns with my assistant.” Undeterred, she contacted his mother, but the response was just as detached, delivered in awkward Japanese peppered with English: “I don’t know much about my son’s situation. Please consult his father.”

From that point on, Fujihara Risa had taken a special interest in Hoshino Gen, seeing him as a “problem child” in need of extra attention and care. His peculiar behavior in class only reinforced her resolve.

“One of the seniors just told me I was recommended for the student council,” Hoshino Gen said, meeting her cheerful gaze with a calm, polite smile. “Do you know anything about that, Fujihara-sensei?”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” she replied, smiling. “Joining the student council is a great opportunity. You’ll learn a lot, and they organize all the big events—like festivals and sports days.”

“The problem is, I don’t want to join the student council,” Hoshino Gen said.

“I see…” Fujihara Risa’s smile faded as she lapsed into thought. After a moment, she offered an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Hoshino-kun. Last week, the student council president asked all the homeroom teachers to recommend two promising students from each class to join.”

“Most of the students in our class are already busy with club activities. While joining the student council wouldn’t necessarily stop them from participating, it would cause some conflicts. I was struggling to decide when you and Shimizu-kun suddenly quit your clubs. Since you two were the only ones free, I recommended you both.”

She clasped her hands together in an apologetic gesture. “I should have asked for your permission first. I’m sorry. But now that it’s done, could you help me out this once? As compensation, I’ll grant you and Shimizu-kun one request each. Deal?”

Hoshino Gen was silent for a long moment, his faint smile disappearing. He lowered his gaze slightly and said flatly, “Sensei, I think you might have misunderstood me. You don’t need to waste your time worrying about me. Your attention would be better spent on students who are genuinely eager to learn. As for the student council, I won’t be attending their activities. Shimizu-kun probably won’t, either. Please take care of this for us. Thank you.”

With that, he turned and left the office without another word.

Watching him disappear through the door, Fujihara Risa sighed softly to herself.

This kid really is a handful.