That morning, Shu Yunwen left the house. Behind him, Kojima Mie said, "Yunwen, be sure to mind your manners when you talk to the people at the agency, all right? You must show your seniors proper respect. Genji looked into it, and the agency's current president is Matsushita Heisaburo. He's been by your father's side for many years, so you mustn't be rude to him."
"I know, Aunt Mie," Shu Yunwen replied. He went to the garage, got on his bicycle, then bowed slightly. "I'm off to the agency, Aunt Mie."
His father Shu Keqin's Keqin Exorcist Agency was in Beika Town, near Beika Central Building.
Beside Beika Central Building stood an eleven-story building called Gakuen Building. After Shu Keqin had made his fortune, he rented the entire third floor—about 2,400 square meters—as office space for the agency. The words "Keqin Exorcist Agency" were written on the walls and windows of the third floor.
Shu Yunwen parked his bicycle in front of Gakuen Building, then went inside.
Once in the building, he went straight to the elevator. When he reached the third floor, he walked over to the agency's reception desk.
The receptionist looked to be nearly thirty, and she was exceptionally beautiful, the sort of woman who made people's hearts skip a beat. She had been staring listlessly at the computer in front of her, but when she saw Shu Yunwen, she hurried to her feet and smiled. "Hello, sir. How can I help you...? Hm? Uh... Ah? M-Master Keqin? It's good to see you, Master Keqin!"
As she spoke, the receptionist bent at the waist in a deeply respectful bow.
There it is. She's mistaken Shu Yunwen's face for his father's again and thinks Shu Keqin has come back from the dead.
Shu Yunwen immediately smiled and explained, "Hello, miss. You've mistaken me for someone else. The Master Keqin you mentioned is my father. My name is Shu Yunwen. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Shu... Yunwen?" The receptionist stammered, looking him up and down twice. "I'm so sorry, but you really, really look so much like Master Keqin..."
Shu Yunwen interrupted her with another smile. "I've been practicing my family's exorcism techniques, so I look older than I am. Also, may I ask if the current president, Mr. Matsushita Heisaburo, is here? There are some things I'd like to discuss with him."
"He is. President Matsushita is meeting with an important client right now. I'll contact him for you." The receptionist bowed slightly and picked up the intercom phone. She introduced herself as well. "Mr. Shu, I'm Fukuyama Aiko, the agency's receptionist. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Shu Yunwen nodded. Fukuyama Aiko made the call and said a few words before hanging up.
About half a minute later, a man hurried out of the corridor. He looked a little impatient, but when he reached Shu Yunwen, he froze. "Y-You're Master Keqin? H-How could you...?"
As he spoke, he began bowing.
Shu Yunwen patiently explained again. "Hello. I'm Shu Yunwen, Shu Keqin's son. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm only eighteen. As for why I look so old... it's because I've been practicing my family's exorcism techniques."
"I-Is that so?" The man didn't seem convinced. "My name is Adachi Roppei. I'm the president's secretary. Please come with me."
Adachi Roppei led the way and soon brought Shu Yunwen to the president's office, where he poured him a cup of tea.
An oil painting hung on one side of the president's office wall, while several photographs hung on the other. The man in the photos, who looked to be in his early fifties, was probably the agency's president, Matsushita Heisaburo.
"Mr. Shu, President Matsushita is meeting with an important client right now, so please wait a little," Secretary Adachi explained with a smile.
Shu Yunwen nodded, then asked, "May I ask who the important client is...?"
Adachi Roppei hesitated, but eventually answered, "A celebrity from the entertainment industry, Ms. Ikezawa Yuko..."
"Ikezawa Yuko?" Shu Yunwen paused. The name sounded familiar.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Adachi Roppei received a phone call and left the office. A few minutes later, a man in a formal suit walked in. Shu Yunwen glanced at him, smiled, stood up, and greeted him first. "Hello, Mr. Matsushita Heisaburo. My name is Shu Yunwen, and my father was Shu Keqin. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Matsushita Heisaburo wore a stern expression. He nodded slightly. "Hello, Mr. Shu. Please sit down. When I heard that you'd woken up, I'd wanted to visit you. But I've had so much to take care of that..."
Shu Yunwen smiled casually. "It's all right. I understand that you're busy, President Matsushita."
After Shu Yunwen had woken up, many people who had known Shu Keqin had come to visit him in person. By rights, when the former president's son came out of a coma, Matsushita Heisaburo should have gone to see him too. In fact, though, he hadn't even called to ask after him once in the past month and a half.
"I'm glad you understand, Mr. Shu," Matsushita Heisaburo said.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Secretary Adachi came in to refill their tea. Matsushita Heisaburo raised his hand and checked his watch. "Mr. Shu, I'm very sorry, but I have other matters to attend to. If there's nothing else, I'll have to excuse myself."
Shu Yunwen glanced at the digital watch on his own wrist and smiled. "Please wait a moment, President Matsushita. Actually, there is something I came here to tell you."
Shu Yunwen paused briefly, then continued. "Everyone knows that Keqin Exorcist Agency was founded by my father, and that it was the work of his entire life. I was in a coma before, so I was happy that you were willing to manage the agency for me. But now that I've woken up, your responsibility has come to an end. I should be the president of this agency. In exchange, you can become vice president and handle the company's day-to-day affairs."
As Matsushita Heisaburo listened, his expression grew more and more serious. At last, he said coldly, "Mr. Shu, are you joking?"
"Of course not." Shu Yunwen smiled calmly.
Matsushita Heisaburo took a deep breath before replying. "Mr. Shu, I'm the president of the agency now. So I'm the one who makes all the decisions. This isn't something I can decide on my own. It was a unanimous decision by all fifty employees, from top to bottom. If you're having financial difficulties, we can give you some money, or we can offer you a part-time job..."
Huh? Does he think I came here to shake him down?
Shu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and continued, "Mr. Matsushita, you should know that I'm an exorcist. No one dares to take an exorcist's things just like that—unless he wants to die!"
Matsushita Heisaburo froze for a moment, then let out a laugh of disbelief. He leaned close to Shu Yunwen and lowered his voice. "Mr. Shu, are you joking? Your father, Master Keqin, was the most famous exorcist in the business. I've been following him since he first started in this line of work. Do you know what he told me? There aren't any real exorcists in this world. All divination, exorcisms, demon-slaying, fortune-telling—it all comes down to keen observation and clever techniques. You read people's expressions, figure out what they're thinking, and help them solve problems that don't even exist. So please don't try to scare me with this sort of thing, all right?"
Shu Yunwen kept smiling. "I never expected my father to tell you all that. But... have you ever considered that he might have been lying to you?"
Shu Keqin had even shared the tricks used by con artists to fool people with Matsushita Heisaburo. That showed just how much he trusted him. But he surely hadn't expected Matsushita Heisaburo to take over his position after his death and claim the agency he had built for himself.
Matsushita Heisaburo was utterly confident. "No, your father couldn't have lied to me. And even if he had, the agency's records couldn't all be lies. I handled more than half of the 'supernatural' cases he dealt with."
"Then... why don't we try it for a day?" Shu Yunwen stood up. "Since you don't believe in it, President Matsushita, you can see what an exorcist can do for yourself. Over the next day, I'll place a small spell on you. It'll bring you bad luck and make everything go wrong. But since you managed the agency for me for two years, this spell won't hurt you..."
"...Of course, this is only the beginning. I'll come back tomorrow. If you still refuse to see reason, I'll use an enhanced version of the spell on you, your family, and your friends. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
As he spoke, Shu Yunwen made a slight motion with his hand, and a spell fell upon Matsushita Heisaburo.
Ghost Sorcery: Bad Luck Follows!
Matsushita Heisaburo was so furious that his face darkened and his lips trembled. "Mr. Shu, are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm not threatening you. I'm just stating a fact. If you don't believe me, you can find out for yourself."
He opened the office door and walked out. Adachi Roppei happened to come over and called out to Shu Yunwen. "Mr. Shu, are you leaving? Would you like me to see you out...?"
Shu Yunwen smiled and shook his head. "No, there's no need to go to any trouble. Oh, and President Matsushita seems to be having a bit of bad luck today. Sorry to trouble you, but please keep an eye on him."
"Huh?"
While Secretary Adachi was still looking bewildered, Matsushita Heisaburo's furious voice came from inside the president's office. "What do you mean by that?!"
Shu Yunwen acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. He waved to Fukuyama Aiko at the reception desk and walked into the elevator.
The so-called exorcists in this world really were all con artists who played on people's minds.
But he, Shu Yunwen, was no con artist!
Before you continue