The cool air woke her up a bit, and she found that just being at the shrine calmed her down a lot. She had half filled her rubbish bag, poking around with her torch at the edges of the wood, when she heard the sound of someone clapping at the shrine.

She spun round, heart in her mouth, afraid that it would be the priest. She soon saw that it wasn’t; it was a man, and she realised that she had met him here before. After a moment, she remembered his name; Mr Takenaka. He straightened up from his final bow, and looked straight at her, then kept an eye on her as he descended the steps. She decided it would be best to go to talk to him, since he might have recognised her.

As they drew closer, he broke the silence.

“Ms Tanahata, isn’t it?â€

“Yes. Mr Takenaka, right?â€

“Yes, nice to see you again. What exactly are you doing here at this time?â€

Akiko realised that she could ask exactly the same question, except that she was pretty sure that Mr Takenaka had a much better relationship with Shiraishi than she did.

“I was, er, cleaning.â€ As she said it, she realised how strange it would sound, and she lifted her bag of rubbish, holding it out as proof. Mr Takenaka glanced at it, and nodded.

“Very good of you. But why at this time of night?â€

“I, um, I couldn’t sleep, and so…â€ Akiko trailed off, acutely aware that she must sound ridiculous and look suspicious, but Mr Takenaka only nodded again.

“I know what you mean.â€ He sighed, and looked around. “This shrine used to be a really calming place, you know? Just coming here made me feel better, and I could always sleep again when I got home. These days, though…â€ His voice trailed off, and Akiko saw that he was lost in thought. She waited, not liking to interrupt, and after a short pause he turned to address her again.

“Does Revd Shiraishi know that you’re doing the cleaning?â€ Akiko shook her head vigorously, and then blushed.

“No, I haven’t told her.â€ She hoped that the blush would be invisible in the dark.

“Oh, well I could. She’d appreciate it, I know. She’s very short-handed at the shrine.â€

“Ah, no, I’d rather you didn’t.â€ Akiko spoke quickly as soon as he paused. “I’d rather she didn’t know.â€ Mr Takenaka looked puzzled.

“Why ever not?â€

Now Akiko was really embarrassed. She had no idea how to answer the question without looking stupid, mad, or both.

“We… We had an argument…â€ She was still trying to think of something sensible to say when she saw that Mr Takenaka was stifling a smile and nodding.

“I see.â€ Akiko was baffled. What on earth did he think he understood? Did he know about the kami? For a moment, she was tempted to ask him, but the thought of what he would say if she were wrong quickly dissuaded her. “Well,â€ he continued, “I won’t tell her, but I’m sure she’s very grateful anyway. Good night.â€ With a slight bow, he took his leave, and Akiko was alone in the shrine once more.