That morning, Shu Yunwen stepped out of 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 have to be respectful to your seniors. Genji looked into it, and the agency's current president is Matsushita Heisaburo. He served your father for many years, so make sure you're polite."
"I know, Aunt Mie." Shu Yunwen replied, then went to the garage and got on his bicycle. He gave a slight bow. "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 the agency's office. 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.
He went straight to the elevator and, when he reached the third floor, walked over to the agency's front desk.
The receptionist looked to be nearly thirty. She was also stunningly beautiful, the kind of woman who could make your heart skip a beat. Bored, she was staring at the computer in front of her. When she saw Shu Yunwen, she hurried to her feet and smiled. "Hello, sir. How can I help you... Hmm? Uh... Ah? M-Master Keqin? It's good to see you, Master Keqin!"
As she spoke, the receptionist bent at the waist in a deep, seventy-degree bow, her manner utterly deferential.
Well, there it was. She'd mistaken Shu Yunwen's face for his father's again and thought Shu Keqin had come back from the dead.
Shu Yunwen quickly smiled and explained, "Hello, miss. You've got the wrong person. 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 terribly sorry, but you and Master Keqin really, really..."
Shu Yunwen cut her off with another smile. "It's because I practice our family's exorcism techniques that I look older than I am. By the way, is the current president, Mr. Matsushita Heisaburo, here? I have something I'd like to discuss with him."
"He is. President Matsushita is meeting with an important client right now. I'll get in touch with him for you." The receptionist bowed slightly, then picked up the desk phone and introduced herself. "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, exchanged a few words, then hung up.
About half a minute later, a man hurried out of the corridor. He looked a little impatient, but the moment he reached Shu Yunwen, he froze. "Y-You're Master Keqin? H-How could you..."
As he spoke, he had already begun bowing.
Shu Yunwen once again explained, helplessly, "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 practice our family's exorcism techniques."
"R-Really?" The man seemed unconvinced. "My name is Adachi Roppei. I'm the president's secretary. Please come with me."
Adachi Roppei led Shu Yunwen down the hall to the president's office and poured him a cup of tea.
An oil painting hung on one wall of the office, and several photographs adorned the other. The man in the photos, who looked to be in his early fifties, was presumably the agency's president, Matsushita Heisaburo.
"Mr. Shu, President Matsushita is meeting with an important client right now, so please wait a moment," Secretary Adachi explained with a smile.
Shu Yunwen nodded, then asked, "May I ask who the important client is?"
Adachi Roppei hesitated, then answered, "A celebrity from the entertainment world, Ms. Ikezawa Yuko..."
"Ikezawa Yuko?" Shu Yunwen paused. The name seemed familiar.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Adachi Roppei got a phone call and left the office. A few minutes later, a man in a suit walked in. Shu Yunwen glanced at him, smiled, and stood to greet him. "Hello, Mr. Matsushita Heisaburo. My name is Shu Yunwen, son of Shu Keqin. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Matsushita Heisaburo wore a stern expression. He gave a slight nod. "Hello, Mr. Shu. Please sit down. I heard you had woken up, and I'd intended to visit you. But I've had far too much to deal with, so..."
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 visited him in person. By all rights, when the former president's son came out of his coma, Matsushita Heisaburo should have paid him a visit too. In fact, during the past month and a half, Matsushita Heisaburo hadn't even called to ask how he was.
"Glad you understand, Mr. Shu."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries. Secretary Adachi came in to refill their tea, and Matsushita Heisaburo glanced at his watch. "Mr. Shu, I'm terribly sorry, but I have other matters to attend to. If there's nothing else, I'll have to excuse myself."
Shu Yunwen raised his own wrist and glanced at his digital watch. He smiled. "Please wait a moment, President Matsushita. I did come here today to discuss one more thing with you."
Shu Yunwen paused briefly, then continued, "As everyone knows, Keqin Exorcist Agency was founded by my father. It was the work of his whole life. I was in a coma before, so I was glad 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 agency's president. Of course, in return, you can become vice president and handle the company's day-to-day business."
As Shu Yunwen spoke, Matsushita Heisaburo's expression grew more and more severe. At last, he said coldly, "Mr. Shu, are you joking?"
"Not at all." Shu Yunwen smiled calmly.
Matsushita Heisaburo took a deep breath before speaking. "Mr. Shu, I'm the agency's president now. That means I make the decisions. And I'm not the only one who gets to decide. All fifty employees, from top to bottom, agreed on this. If you're having financial difficulties, we can give you some money, or offer you a part-time job..."
Huh? Did this guy think he was here to shake them down?
Shu Yunwen narrowed his eyes and continued, "Mr. Matsushita, you should know that I'm an exorcist. No one dares just take an exorcist's property. Unless they want to die!"
Matsushita Heisaburo froze for a moment, then let out a sudden laugh. Leaning toward Shu Yunwen, he lowered his voice. "Mr. Shu, are you joking? Your father, Master Keqin, was the most famous exorcist in the business. I followed him from the very beginning of his career. Do you know what he told me? There aren't any real exorcists in this world. Fortune-telling, exorcisms, demon-slaying, divination—it's all done through keen observation and skill. You read people, study their expressions, and work out what they're thinking. Then you help them solve problems that never existed in the first place. So please don't try to scare me with that sort of thing. All right?"
Shu Yunwen kept smiling. "I never thought my father had told you all that. But... have you ever considered that he might have been lying to you?"
Shu Keqin had even shared his tricks for swindling people with Matsushita Heisaburo. That showed how much he trusted him. But he surely hadn't expected that, after his death, Matsushita Heisaburo would take his place 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, he couldn't have fooled every file in the agency. I handled more than half the 'supernatural' cases he dealt with."
"Then... why don't we try it for a day?" Shu Yunwen rose to his feet. "Since you don't believe me, President Matsushita, you can see what an exorcist can do for yourself. For the next day, I'll place a small spell on you. It'll make your luck run out and everything go wrong. But since you managed the agency for me for two years, I won't let the spell 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 finished speaking, Shu Yunwen made a small motion with his hand, and a spell settled on Matsushita Heisaburo.
Ghost Sorcery: Bad Luck Follows!
Matsushita Heisaburo's face darkened with anger, 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. By coincidence, Adachi Roppei came over and asked, "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 that trouble. By the way, President Matsushita seems to be having a bit of bad luck today. Sorry for the trouble, but please keep an eye on him."
"Uh?"
While Secretary Adachi was still looking bewildered, Matsushita Heisaburo's furious voice rang out from inside the office. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
Shu Yunwen acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. He waved to Fukuyama Aiko at the front desk and stepped into the elevator.
It was true that the so-called exorcists in this world were all frauds who preyed on people's minds.
But he, Shu Yunwen, was no fraud!
Before you continue