The following morning, Shiraishi was quiet, as usual, as she ate breakfast, but as soon as she finished she stood up, cleared her throat, and looked straight at Akiko. Akiko, still eating, quickly put her chopsticks down and waited. It was a few moments before Shiraishi actually began talking.

“I think you should make some contribution to your living expenses.”

Akiko felt horribly embarrassed, realising that she should have offered sooner.

“Um, yes, of course. Sorry. Ah, how much?”

“About 20,000 yen per week would be good.” Shiraishi wasn’t looking at Akiko as she said that.

“What?” Akiko reckoned that she could have kept living in the manga cafes for that sort of money; in any case, it was money she didn’t have.

“The shrine isn’t made of money, you know. Our most loyal supporter just hanged himself, and there are few other people coming here. If you’re going to live here, you need to contribute.”

“I don’t have that sort of money! That’s the problem!”

“Well, maybe you should try to get a job, then.” Shiraishi wasn’t shouting, but she was very definite. Akiko started her retort before she really realised what she was doing.

“What do you think I was doing? There aren’t exactly lots of jobs floating around at the moment.”

I’m arguing with the person who is offering me free accommodation, she realised. I have to stop this.

“Well, look harder.” Shiraishi shot back. “I’ve put a roof over your head; you can hardly expect me to put food in your stomach as well.”

“Fine.” Akiko stood up. “I’ll look for a job. If your kami will let me.”

“Oh yes, blame Tamao. It must be his fault you got fired and can’t get another job. After all, you’ve been trying for days.” The sarcasm was heavy in Shiraishi’s tone, and the priest was looking at Akiko now. Akiko winced, because she couldn’t easily deny what Shiraishi was saying. But still, it seemed unfair; the kami was picking on her, she was sure.

“I thought you were going to believe me,” she said, as her parting shot, and stormed out of the room.

As she got changed, as quickly as possible, she started feeling horribly guilty. Shiraishi was doing her a large favour, and her request wasn’t basically unreasonable, even if the amount was rather more than Akiko could afford. Why on earth had she let herself start arguing? And how could she face Shiraishi?

Well, she had an answer to the second question: if she could show that she was seriously searching for a job, she should be able to talk to the priest, and maybe apologise. She checked the charge on her cell phone — charged on the shrine’s electricity, she realised — and grabbed her bag. She peered out into the corridor, but there was no sign of the priest. Seizing the moment, she darted out and hurried to the entrance, pulling on her coat and stepping into her shoes as she rushed out of the building and the shrine precincts. She managed to escape without being spotted.

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Sitting in the coffee shop with the jobs paper open in front of her was strangely comforting, Akiko found. It felt normal, even though it wasn’t something she particularly wanted to be doing. It reminded her that there was a normal life out there, and that she could, probably, participate in it again.

A group of young people, maybe high school students, came into the shop, laughing and joking, and Akiko glanced up, noticing that they were all wearing filter masks. She looked around the cafe, and realised that more than half the people there had the masks, most placed on the tables while they ate. She remembered what Akira had said a couple of days earlier about a fever doing the rounds, and decided to get herself a mask as soon as possible. She couldn’t afford to get ill while looking for a job, after all.

With that thought, she turned back to the jobs paper, looking for serious jobs. She reckoned that she could put Shiraishi off for a while with a serious search, so she didn’t need to try for absolutely anything. Something in an office, something like her previous job, something normal, and reasonable for a woman of her age. That was what she wanted.

She went through the whole paper and ringed the candidates in red before calling any of them, and then went through again, to make sure she hadn’t missed any options. As she started reading over the descriptions again, she realised that she was putting off making the phone calls.

They aren’t all going to turn you down again, you know, she told herself, sternly. And anyway, you have to call them, or Shiraishi will hardly believe that you are taking this seriously.

Summoning up all her courage, Akiko opened her phone and called the first number.

“Hello? I’m calling about the secretarial job you advertised in the jobs paper. … Yes. … Oh, I see. … No, thank you. Sorry to trouble you.” She hung up. Once more the job had been filled already. She checked the date on the advert, and realised that it was already running for the second week. Sighing, she checked the other candidates. One of them was also on its second week, and she was about to cross it off when she thought about Shiraishi’s reaction. Taking a sip of coffee, she picked up the phone. They might not have filled it yet.

“Hello. Kanadera Services.”

“Hello. My name is Akiko Tanahata, and I’m calling about the office job you advertised in the jobs paper.”

“Oh, yes. The vacancy is still open; are you interested?” Akiko smiled to herself.

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, we can do the interview this afternoon. Please bring your resume along.”

“Certainly.” They organised the details.

“Please bear in mind that we won’t be able to decide immediately after the interview; we have to consider all candidates.”

“That’s quite all right.”

“And you will have to wear a uniform for the job. A fairly standard one, but we do ask that you wear it for the interview, as well. Obviously, we provide it.”

“That’s fine.” A uniform was normal, but why did they want her to wear it for the interview? Akiko was a little puzzled.

“Well then, see you later.”

“See you later.”

Akiko hung up, and sat back, trying to pin down exactly why she felt a bit uneasy about this job.

“All three of mine have gone down with this flu.” Akiko caught a fragment of the conversation behind her. Mustn’t forget to buy a mask, she reminded herself.

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Akiko followed the directions from the bus stop, up a back street to the office building. She checked her watch; she was a bit early, so she stopped outside, looking at the building. It looked fine to her, in good condition, with a proper nameplate and signboard. She could, just about, see a few women working in the front office, and their uniforms looked fairly conventional. The skirts were possibly a bit on the short side, but they weren’t miniskirts by any means. Akiko frowned to herself. She still didn’t feel right about this; if anything, the feeling had got stronger as she got closer.

Maybe you just don’t want to work, she told herself.

At that moment, something shifted, the world seeming to go out of focus for a moment. Akiko shook her head and rubbed her eyes, blinking as she looked around. Everything came back into focus, but with a difference.

The office building’s facade was now riddled with cracks, all of which were leaking foul-looking liquids. There were things crawling on the sides, giant lizards made of something like plastic, no, it looked like camera film. Their eyes shone the red of LEDs, and they peered into the windows, trying to force their way in through tiny cracks. As she watched, one managed the trick, disappearing inside with a hiss.

Just as Akiko was making up her mind to skip the interview, her vision shifted again, and the building looked normal once more. She still considered leaving, but in the end she decided that she couldn’t let the vision drive her that much.

As she entered the building, the woman behind the desk smiled at her.

“Good afternoon!”

“Good afternoon. I’m Akiko Tanahata…”

“Ah yes, the interview. Please follow me.” The receptionist led her behind the desk, and upstairs to the second floor, indicating a door. “In here, please.”

Inside the room, another woman, in the same uniform, sat at a desk, working on a computer. She looked up, removed her filter mask, and smiled.

“Ms Tanahata? If you leave your resume here, you can change just through that door. There are several uniforms hanging up; there should be one in your size.”

“Oh, thank you.” Something definitely felt wrong about this, although Akiko wasn’t sure how much of that was due to the vision. And could she trust that? And even if she could, what did it mean?

Inside the room, there were a lot of uniform jackets and skirts hanging up, and even a set of packs of tights. Turning round, Akiko saw the blouses, and she pushed the door to, revealing a mirror on the back. She took one of the jackets off the wall, looking for a size indication, but couldn’t find anything. She stuck her head back out of the door.

“Excuse me, none of these jackets seem to have sizes marked.”

“Really?” The woman sounded slightly surprised. “I’m sorry. Just try them until you find one that fits; it shouldn’t take too long.”

Akiko nodded, even more unsure, and, closing the door, began to unbutton her jacket. Hanging it up, she turned to the clothes set out. The tights, at least, had sizes marked, so she picked out an appropriate pair, and undid her belt. As she did so, something moved in the mirror. She looked sharply at it, and saw one of the lizard creatures perched in a corner of the ceiling, its eyes seeming to move in and out, focusing on her as it leered down. Spinning round, she looked up.

There was no lizard, but she saw the glint of light reflecting off glass. A camera! Suddenly, Akiko understood. Quickly doing her belt back up, she pulled her jacket on and stormed out of the room, snatching her resume up from the desk. The secretary looked shocked, but her face went bright red as Akiko turned back to her and said,

“I saw the camera!”

There was a murmuring from the women in the office as Akiko rushed through, but she didn’t stop to analyse their reaction. She didn’t need a job that badly.

03: Takenaka, Episode 17 | 6 Comments »

Akiko was still unsettled the next morning, debating with herself whether she should have called the police, but really not wanting to spend any longer dealing with that sort of situation, or to draw that sort of attention to herself. She mentioned that she had been to an interview to Shiraishi, and the priest nodded to acknowledge hearing her, but said nothing.

After the abortive interview she had rung round the other places, and had another interview today. She mentioned that to Shiraishi as well, and this time the priest looked up and smiled slightly, as well as nodding, but she still didn’t say anything. Further unsettled by Shiraishi’s attitude, Akiko excused herself and went to get changed.

The radio news was talking about the flu-like disease that was spreading through Kawasaki. Apparently, it was still confined to the north of the city, but it was not yet clear what it was. SARS and bird flu were both mentioned, but government experts were advising against panic. Akiko realised that she had forgotten to buy filter masks the previous day, and resolved to do so before her interview.

On the bus, she checked the map, and decided to walk from the railway station. It looked like the bus at the other end went a very long way round, and she could just cut through a residential area to reach the office much more quickly. Almost everyone else on the bus had a filter mask on, but when the bus got caught in a traffic jam, Akiko realised that she wouldn’t have time to buy any before the interview.

By the time she got off the train, the sky was dark with clouds, heavy, black swathes across the sky. Looking up, she wryly calculated the chances of rain as being about 90%, if not more. Picking up her pace, she set off along the route she had chosen.

As she walked, she realised that the road passing through the area was very narrow, and ran between the backs of large apartment blocks as it crested a hill. Suddenly nervous, she looked around and behind her, and saw a couple of young men some distance behind her. Telling herself not to be stupid, she quickened her pace slightly.

Running footsteps came up from behind, and someone grabbed her arm. Akiko screamed, and twisted, trying to break his grip. The other young man came up alongside her, but before he could grab her he tripped on something, falling heavily against his accomplice. Falling, his hand slipped slightly, so that he was only clutching Akiko’s sleeve. Taking advantage, Akiko pulled her arm out, and then left the jacket behind as she started running. She heard shouts from behind her, but she did not stop, or look back.

As she ran, it started to rain, light at first but getting rapidly heavier. She ran on, nevertheless, not willing to stop until she was somewhere safe, somewhere with people. Breathing heavily, she kept running even when she reached the shopping district, pushing her way between masked people sheltered under their umbrellas, finally stopping, panting and fighting back tears, in the doorway of the company offering the interview.

03: Takenaka, Episode 17 | 2 Comments »

Akiko leaned against the door frame, breathing hard, swallowing as she tried to get herself under control. Slowly, she became aware of the water soaked through her clothes, now chill against her skin, and she began to shiver. She was sure people were staring, as well, but she didn’t dare look at the street to confirm that. Instead, she pushed the door open and went into the office.

“Can I help you?” The receptionist’s tone was a mix of concern and scepticism.

“I’m Akiko Tanahata. I’m here for the interview, but someone tried to mug me on the way here.”

“Really? That’s terrible. Come through; we’ll get you some tea. Are you hurt? Did they get anything?” Concern now won out.

“I’m fine, I think. They only got my jacket.” The receptionist nodded sympathetically, and guided her through to a waiting room.

“I’ll let the manager know you’re here. Do sit down; someone will come with the tea soon.” Akiko just nodded, and sank into a chair. She realised that she wasn’t shaking entirely from the cold; the shock was only just sinking in.

I’m all right, she told herself. The jacket wasn’t that expensive anyway. She started taking deep breaths, but she found that she couldn’t settle down. There was a knock at the door, and she almost jumped out of her chair. The door was pushed open, and a young woman, with a tray of tea things and a pile of towels, came in.

“Here’s a hot drink, and some towels to dry off a bit. I’m afraid we don’t have any spare clothes, though.” Akiko found she had to force a smile, as she suddenly remembered the last interview.

“That’s fine. It’s very kind of you, thank you.” The woman bowed slightly, and left, and Akiko began patting herself down with the towels, the attempted mugging playing over and over in her mind.

The door pushed open again, and an older man popped his head round the side.

“Ms Tanahata? I’m Kenji Sugimoto, the manager here. I heard what happened. Please feel free to take some time to recover; we can do the interview later. Or tomorrow, if you’d like to go home first. Or to the police?” Akiko shook her head.

“That’s very kind. I would like a few minutes, but I think I can do the interview today.”

“What about the police?”

Akiko hadn’t thought about that. They did get the jacket, but she didn’t see them well. She shook her head.

“I’d rather not.” It wasn’t worth the attention, she decided. Mr Sugimoto just nodded.

“Well then, in about half an hour?”

“Yes, thank you. That’s very kind.”

“It’s nothing.”

Akiko settled back, patting herself with the towels and sipping the tea, but her mood did not settle. The weather outside the window remained equally violent, rain pouring down as a thunderstorm started. She frowned, thinking about how she was going to get home, wondering whether she could get home safely… Stop it, she told herself sharply. There is virtually no chance that you will be mugged again.

A few minutes before the time set for the interview, there was a bright flash of lightning, accompanied by a deafening crash of thunder that shook the windows and the tea cup.

All the lights went out.

Akiko could hear the voices of the staff as they checked with each other as to what was going on, and she just remained seated, waiting. She didn’t imagine that she was going to be interviewed now; she was seeing a pattern.

Sure enough, Mr Sugimoto came back in a couple of minutes.

“I’m sorry, we seem to have had a power cut. I’m afraid we won’t be able to do the interview today. Can you come back tomorrow?”

“Yes, certainly,” Akiko nodded. I’ll get a taxi back to the shrine, she decided.

03: Takenaka, Episode 17 | 3 Comments »

Akiko paid the driver and got out of the taxi at the bottom of the shrine steps. The rain had eased off during the short drive, and as she climbed it stopped completely, although the wind was still strong, chill on her damp clothes. As she came through the torii, the sun broke through the dispersing clouds, reflecting off the damp grass and puddles of rainwater in a dazzling display of silver and gold. Akiko felt a little of her tension leave her at the sight, the trees of the shrine woodland like a protecting wall around her. She went over to the water basin to purify herself, and then to the shrine building to pay her respects.

As she straightened up from the final bow, she found that the tension and worry had drained away from her completely. Even when she deliberately thought about the mugging, her only feeling was annoyance. She peered into the shrine, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. Nevertheless, she assumed that Tamao had something to do with her change in mood, and bobbed her head in quick thanks.

Back in her room, she checked her cell phone, and found a message from her mother, berating her for not calling recently. Akiko sighed, and resignedly dialled her mother’s number.

“Hello? This is Chiaki Tanahata.”

“Mum? It’s Akiko.”

“Oh, finally. Why do you never call?”

“Mum, it’s only a few days since I last called.”

“We used to talk every day.”

“That was when I was six, mother.”

“You were much older than that, young lady. Don’t be cheeky.”

“I’m sorry. Anyway, was there anything particular you wanted to talk about?”

“Well, I still want to know when I’m going to meet my future son-in-law.” Akiko’s stomach went cold and seemed to drop. She hadn’t told her mother anything yet. How on earth was she going to even start? The silence stretched on as Akiko searched desperately for something to say.

“Akiko? Are you still there?”

“Yes, mother.”

“Well? You haven’t had a fight with your boyfriend, have you? You’re twenty six; you don’t have time for that sort of thing. Most people are properly married by your age.”

“No, mother, we’ve not had a fight.” Akiko’s face twisted as she said it, her mouth suddenly filled with a bitter taste.

“Has he asked you to marry him, though?” Akiko frowned, wishing her mother would leave that issue alone.

“Not yet. Look, I’ll tell you when he does, OK?”

“Humph. Well, make sure you do. And get a move on; you aren’t getting any younger, you know, and I want grandchildren.” Akiko rolled her eyes.

“I know, mother. You tell me often enough.”

“Well, it’s important. And how is your job going?”

“Fine.” Again, Akiko’s mouth was flooded with bitterness, and she looked around for something to drink to wash it away.

“Good. That’s a nice, respectable job. Your boss would make a good impression at the wedding.”

“Mm. Look, mum, I’ve got to get back to work.” The bitter flavour was almost overpowering now, and Akiko had to fight the urge to retch. “I’ll call you soon.”

“Make sure you…” Akiko cut the connection before her mother finished, unable to face any more of her comments.

03: Takenaka, Episode 17 | 2 Comments »

On the following day, Akiko set off for the postponed interview, resolved to take the bus this time. The sky was heavy and threatening, and it started raining soon after she got on the bus to the station. Only a handful of people were not wearing masks, and Akiko realised that she had, once again, forgotten to buy herself any. She resolved to get one at the chemist’s near the station, before she got on the train.

As the bus ground to a halt in yet another traffic jam, she realised that she would have to give up that idea. They crawled along for a good fifteen minutes, before passing the police cars that marked the site of the accident and picking up to something like a normal pace. At the station, Akiko dashed straight onto the train, already sure that she would be late. She considered calling the company to say that she would be late, but at that point the PA system reminded everyone not to talk on their cell phones, so she abandoned the idea.

At the other end, things seemed to go quite smoothly. There was a bus waiting at the terminal, and it left within five minutes of Akiko getting on. Checking her watch, she thought that she might just make it in time, and settled back in her seat.

A loud sneeze from behind her, followed by coughing, made her jump, and she looked round. The man behind her, covering his face with a handkerchief, was coughing violently, and really didn’t look well, hunched up and shivering inside his coat. Once again Akiko realised that she didn’t have a mask, and she quickly looked forward again, hoping that she could escape infection.

The rain was getting heavier, and Akiko could barely see out of the window. The driver was clearly having a similar problem, as the bus had slowed to a crawl. A car’s horn sounded behind them, then again, more insistent. The driver sped up a bit, but soon slowed down again. Akiko heard an engine rev behind them, and looked out of the window to see a car overtaking them. Another car appeared in front of them, and the overtaking car accelerated and swerved, trying to pull in in front of the bus.

There was a terrible crash as it didn’t quite make it, clipping the front of the bus and spinning out of control. The bus was knocked sideways, lurching as it ploughed into a streetlight, coming to an abrupt stop, throwing Akiko forward so that she banged her head on the back of the seat in front.

“Is anyone hurt?” the driver called back, looking round at them all. Akiko raised her hand to her forehead, but there was no blood, and the skin was only a little tender. She shook her head, and around her the other passengers were doing the same. The driver nodded in relief.

“I’m really sorry about that,” he continued. “It would be best if everyone got off the bus, though.” No-one was particularly enthusiastic at that prospect, not even Akiko. “There’s a convenience store just over there.” The driver pointed across the road, and opened the doors, and people started to get up. Akiko remained in her seat for a few moments, looking at the driving rain, and then sighed, pulling her folding rain coat out of her bag. She had learned to be prepared for these sorts of problems.

It took some time to reach the office following the bus route, and by the time she had Akiko’s legs were soaked through. Fortunately, the rain coat had kept the worst of it off her, so she was not as wet as last time by the time she got through the door.

She had called ahead about the bus crash, so the receptionist was ready for her.

“Are you all right? You really are having a run of bad luck, aren’t you. Mr Sugimoto says that you can have a few minutes to dry off before the interview.” Akiko smiled wryly.

“Thank you. Fortunately, I still had my jacket this time.”

A few minutes with a towel actually made a lot of difference, and the pain in her head had largely receded by the time Akiko made her way to the interview room. Mr Sugimoto was there with two other people, a man and a woman, and he smiled as Akiko came in.

“Thank you for coming, Ms Tanahata. Can I just say that I admire your persistence in coming to this interview? It makes you wonder whether someone doesn’t want you to be here.” He laughed, and Akiko forced herself to laugh along with him, ignoring her suspicion that someone really didn’t want her to be here.

She took the indicated seat, and the woman got up and went to prepare coffee. Mr Sugimoto started with some general questions, largely, Akiko suspected, to fill time.

“Ow!” She looked over to the woman, who was sucking on her hand.

“I’m sorry,” the woman said. “The coffee is very, very hot. There must be something wrong with the thermostat. You should let it stand for a little while before you drink it.” Wrapping a tea towel round it, she picked it up and put it on the table in front of Akiko. Akiko nodded her thanks, and the woman sat down.

“Well then,” said Mr Sugimoto, “I suppose we can start properly now.”

No sooner had he said that than the ground shook, gently at first, then suddenly more strongly, rattling the windows, knocking books over, making Akiko and the interviewers grab the table or the arms of their chairs.

And tumbling the cup of coffee off the table and into Akiko’s lap.

The heat of the liquid was almost immediately painful, and Akiko sprang to her feet, knocking the cup to the floor. Instinct seemed to take over, and she had pulled her skirt off, and her blouse and jacket away from her body, before she even realised what she was doing. As she started to pull down on her knickers, conscious thought kicked in, and she just pulled the wet patch away from her skin instead.

Still, she could imagine what she looked like, and she went bright red.

Somewhat comfortingly, so did the interviewers. Mr Sugimoto and the other man quickly left the room, muttering incomprehensible things that were probably apologies. Akiko sucked her breath in as the hot liquid made its way to the fabric that was still in contact with her skin, and, now that the men had left, pushed her underwear down and struggled out of the other clothes.

The woman was babbling apologies through her embarrassment, as Akiko sank back down into the chair, her hands firmly in her lap.

At least they aren’t filming me here, she thought. But I can’t work here now! Besides that, her conviction that Tamao did not want her taking the job was far stronger than it had been. He didn’t want her taking this job, or any other job. And he was willing to hurt her to make that point.

The receptionist appeared with towels, and Akiko wrapped them round herself for a bit of modesty while her clothes dried and cooled off.

OK Tamao, she thought to herself. I give up. You don’t want me to work. I get the idea.

What do you want me to do?

03: Takenaka, Episode 17 | 6 Comments »