Chapter 3: The Convenience Store Exorcism

The transformation from the bustling, grey business capital of the day to the vibrant, electric playground of the night is almost instantaneous. The moment the sun dips below the horizon, the city turns into a kaleidoscope. The colors reflect off the wet pavement—pinks, blues, electric greens, and deep, throbbing purples.

It is beautiful. It is loud. And it is absolutely teeming with spirits.

We walk down the street in a loose V-formation because, honestly, we look cool as hell. We know it. The pedestrians know it.

People move out of our way instinctively. They don’t know why, they just feel the aura. Yoshi is at the point, leading us. He has this swagger that screams "don't mess with me unless you want trouble," and his combat boots make a heavy, authoritative sound on the concrete. Muji walks beside him, cracking his knuckles, looking like he’s ready to bite someone just for looking at him the wrong way. Inoe struts like she owns the sidewalk, her hair catching the light of the billboards. Kenuji is checking his phone, looking busy and important. And I am just trying not to trip over my own feet while admiring the lights.

"The signal is getting stronger", Kenuji murmurs, tapping the side of his head. He is using his psychic radar, filtering through the noise of millions of human thoughts to find the one discordant note. "It is close. It is not the shopping district. It moved. It is... at the 7-Eleven".

"Of course it is", Inoe sighs, rolling her eyes. "Evil spirits love processed sugar. It is like catnip for demons. High fructose corn syrup and malice".

"It is probably eating the onigiri", Muji grumbles. "If it eats the tuna mayo ones, I am going to be very upset".

We round the corner. The convenience store is bright, glowing like a beacon of consumerism in the dark street. The fluorescent lights inside are harsh, buzzing with an artificial hum.

Inside, there are a few customers browsing magazines, looking tired and worn out. But there is a guy at the counter—a middle-aged salaryman in a crumpled, cheap suit—who looks wrong.

He is shaking. Violently.

From the outside, he just looks like a man having a breakdown. But with our spiritual sight, we see the truth.

A dark, purple miasma is leaking out of his ears and mouth. It swirls around his head like a personal thundercloud, thick and oily. It smells like ozone and rotting meat.

The clerk behind the counter looks terrified. He is a young student, probably working the night shift for extra cash, and he is gripping the counter so hard his knuckles are white.

"He is gonna blow", Muji says, his eyes flashing orange. "That spirit is feeding on his rage. Probably got fired today. Or maybe his wife left him. Or he just hates his life. It doesn't matter. The spirit is gorging itself".

"Okay, plan B", Yoshi says, stopping just outside the automatic doors. "We cannot fight in there with civilians. Too messy. Haruka, evacuate the bystanders. Get them out, but keep it low profile. Inoe, distract the clerk. Muji, Kenuji, and I will handle the Suit".

"Got it", I say.

We move.

I burst through the automatic door. The chime rings—ding-dong—but I scream over it. I put on my best 'panicked high school girl' act.

"Omigosh! Is that a rat?! A giant rat in the aisle!" I scream, pointing at the back of the store near the instant noodles. My voice is high and piercing. "It is huge! It has red eyes! It is looking at me!"

The two customers—a woman in a coat and an old man reading a manga—jump.

"A rat?" the woman asks, looking disgusted.

"It’s huge! It has rabies! It is foaming at the mouth!" I yell, waving my arms. "Run! Before it bites you!"

Panic is contagious. They don't ask questions. They don't check for the rat. They just see a screaming girl and their instincts take over. They bolt out the door, pushing past Yoshi and Muji.

"Clear!" I shout.

Inoe walks up to the counter. She ignores the screaming. She ignores the possessed man shaking next to her. She locks eyes with the terrified clerk.

She flashes a dazzling smile. It is the kind of smile that stops traffic. Her pupils dilate into vertical slits for a split second, unseen by the human eye but felt by the human mind.

"You are very tired", Inoe purrs. Her voice is laced with magic. It is heavy, sweet, and irresistible. "You have been working so hard. You deserve a break. You want to take a nap in the storage room. Right now. The floor is soft. The boxes are comfortable".

The clerk blinks. His fear melts away, replaced by a glazed, dreamy expression. "I... want to take a nap..."

"Go on", Inoe whispers. "Sleep".

The clerk nods slowly. He wanders off into the back room like a zombie, closing the door behind him.

"Clear!" Inoe confirms.

Yoshi kicks the front door shut. He flips the lock. He pulls down the blind.

"Okay, showtime", Yoshi says.

The salaryman turns around.

His eyes are totally black. No whites. No irises. Just void. The purple miasma solidifies into a grotesque face floating above his shoulder—the spirit itself. It looks like a distorted mask of tragedy, with a gaping mouth and hollow eyes.

"Mooooore...", the spirit hisses. Its voice sounds like two stones grinding together. "Alcohol... anger... failure..."

"Sorry, buddy. We don't sell booze to demons", Yoshi quips. He steps forward, his hands in his pockets. "And we are fresh out of failure. Try the Lawson down the street".

The possessed man roars. He lunges at Yoshi. He moves with unnatural speed, his muscles pushed beyond their human limits by the spirit. He swings a fist that could crack concrete.

Yoshi doesn't dodge. He stomps his foot on the ground.

BOOM.

Invisible shockwaves ripple through the floor tiles. The linoleum cracks. Yoshi’s Geomancer power connects with the earth beneath the building's foundation.

"Sit down", Yoshi commands.

Gravity intensifies around the man's feet. The ground energy locks his ankles in place. The man stumbles, his feet glued to the floor. He flails, trying to reach Yoshi, but he is trapped.

The spirit screeches. It realizes its host is compromised. It tries to detach, to flee.

"Muji, cut it loose!" Kenuji commands.

Kenuji extends his hand. "Psychic Bind!"

Invisible psychic chains wrap around the man’s body, holding the human still so he doesn't hurt himself thrashing against Yoshi's trap. The man freezes, suspended in a telekinetic hold.

Muji is already in the air. He leaped from the top of the magazine rack. He doesn't need a sword. His fingers lengthen, turning into translucent, shining silver claws. They glow with spiritual energy.

He slashes downward in a cross motion.

SHING.

He doesn't touch the man's skin. He slashes the connection between the man and the spirit. The purple tether snaps like a cut wire.

The spirit shrieks. It is a sound that makes my teeth ache. Detached from the host, it flies backward, slamming into the display of chewing gum. It tries to reform, to flee into the ceiling vents.

"Oh no you don't", I step forward.

This is my part.

I cup my hands together. I feel the warmth building in my chest. The Divine light. It is pure. It is cleansing. It is the opposite of this oily, purple hate.

"Sacred Art: Purification Cage!"

I clap my hands together.

A wave of pure white light blasts through the store. It smells like sunshine and fresh laundry and morning rain. It washes over the shelves, the floor, the walls.

The purple spirit hits the light and sizzles like bacon in a hot pan.

"Noooooo!" it wails.

The light wraps around it, forming a sphere. The spirit shrinks. It boils away. The purple turns to grey, then to white, then to nothing.

It dissolves into nothingness.

The heavy feeling in the air lifts instantly. The smell of ozone vanishes. The fluorescent lights stop buzzing and hum normally again.

The salaryman collapses to the floor. Kenuji lowers him gently with his mind so he doesn't hit his head. The man starts snoring loudly.

"Cleanup on aisle four", Yoshi jokes, dusting off his jacket. He kicks a piece of broken tile under the shelf.

"He’s going to have a headache when he wakes up", Kenuji notes, walking over and checking the man’s pulse. "And he will probably be confused about why he is sleeping on the floor of a convenience store. But he is alive. The spirit is gone. His aura is clean".

"He is lucky", Inoe says, leaning against the counter. "If that spirit had stayed attached for another hour, it would have eaten his soul completely. He would have been a vegetable".

"We saved him", I say, smiling. "Good job, team".

"Can we buy snacks now?" Muji asks. His claws retract back into normal fingers. He walks over to the hot food warmer near the register. "I saved the world. I deserve a corn dog. And maybe a pork bun. And a chicken skewer".

"We cannot buy anything", Kenuji points out. "The clerk is asleep in the back".

"We leave money on the counter", Yoshi says. He pulls a crumpled bill from his pocket. "Self-service".

Muji grabs a corn dog from the warmer. He takes a bite, his eyes closing in bliss. "Acceptable".

I grab a bottle of strawberry milk. Yoshi grabs a bag of chips. Inoe takes a small chocolate bar. Kenuji just sighs and puts a thousand yen note on the register.

"Let's go before the clerk wakes up", Kenuji says. "Or before the police come to investigate the 'giant rat'".

We unlock the door and slip out into the night. The cool air feels good after the stuffy store.

We walk away, leaving the sleeping man and the money on the counter. Just another weird night in Tokyo.

"Hey", Yoshi says, munching on a chip. "Do you think the rat excuse was too much?"

"It worked", I say, sipping my milk. "Fear is a great motivator".

"Next time", Muji suggests with his mouth full, "say it is a dragon. A tiny dragon".

"No one will believe that", Inoe laughs.

"I would", Muji insists.

We disappear into the neon lights, five shadows with tails that only the moon can see. The city is safe for one more night. And the corn dog is delicious.