By evening there were small patches of kegare within the shrine, and they were back again by the morning, despite the harae. Kazumi came very early, wearing shorts and a tee-shirt, meaning that they could include her in the morning harae, which swept away the cobwebs Akiko had seen around her.

Around mid-morning, Akiko realised that Kazumi was still there.

“Still here?â€

“Is that OK?â€ Kazumi sounded nervous, as if she thought she was about to be sent away.

“Well, yes, but it can’t be very interesting, just hanging around the shrine.â€

“Yeah, well, OK, it’s not the thrill capital of Japan, but…â€ She paused, looking around. “I feel better here, you know? Not so tired. More alive.â€ Her face broke out in a grin. “Happier.â€ Remembering the kegare, Akiko nodded.

“That’s good, then. Yes, of course you can stay if you want.â€

Kazumi didn’t leave until it was dark, apart from popping out of the shrine to buy a packed lunch, which she ate in the grounds, careful, Akiko noted, not to drop any rubbish at all. She was back very early the following morning, arriving just as Akiko found the kegare pushing into the precincts again. This time her uniform looked mildewed and torn, while there were sores on her skin, all of which vanished at the purification.

When she came back in the afternoon, presumably straight from school, she had a large worm wrapped around her neck, and over, under and through her uniform, at least until she washed her hands and rinsed her mouth, when a pulse of light from the iwakura burned it away. She stayed until dark again, attending the evening purification, which was necessary, again.

The following day was the same, and Shiraishi went to talk to the girl, a conversation that went on for some time. The priest was smiling when she came back, but she refused to tell Akiko why. Akiko was more worried about the kegare, though, a worry that Shiraishi shared. They had started talking about what they could do, going over possible festivals, the practicalities of summoning Tamao, and even the possible uses of the goshintai and the mask. So far, however, they had not reached any conclusions.

Kazumi and Noriko arrived together the following day, very early again, and Shiraishi was called out to purify some homes. When Kazumi arrived in the afternoon, she came over to the house after performing her o-mairi, and Shiraishi met her, smiling at the door, leading her inside, without saying anything. Akiko, sitting in the office, watched them go, puzzled. What was going on?

The mystery was solved a few minutes later, when Kazumi appeared in miko’s vestments.

“…let your hair grow a bit,â€ the priest was saying, “and don’t paint your fingernails.â€ Kazumi was grinning broadly, and Akiko looked from her to the priest and back again, not at all sure what to say. A miko?

“She’s here all the time anyway,â€ Shiraishi said, sounding a little apologetic, “and she said she really wanted to be a miko.â€

“It’s so <em>traditional,â€</em> Kazumi added, still smiling. Shiraishi stifled a giggle, and Akiko had a terrible thought, which she promptly ignored.

“Anyway, she’s willing to help out with the simpler chores to start with, so could you show her the ropes?â€

“Er, yes. Of course.â€

It didn’t take Kazumi long to pick up the basics, but then she had been hanging around the shrine a lot, so she knew most of it already. As they practised the basic sitting and walking techniques, Akiko noticed that Kazumi seemed to be much more enthusiastic about the studies than she had been.

“Why do you want to be a miko, Kazumi?â€ she asked, suddenly.

“Why?â€ Kazumi looked nonplussed for a moment, and then she smiled. “Oh, I really like wearing the <em>traditional</em> clothes. Just the traditional ones, you know.â€

“Kazumi Miura, you are wearing underwear, right?â€

“What a question!â€ The girl laughed it off, but Akiko noticed that she didn’t answer. Akiko seized a chance while she was sweeping the path that used to lead to the shrine buildings, and went to look at the room where she had changed. Her uniform was hanging up neatly, but there was no sign of underwear. She sighed in relief. Just teasing then.

“Checking she’s properly dressed?â€ Akiko jumped as Shiraishi came up beside her, grinning.

“I… Well, yes.â€

“No underwear here, so you don’t need to worry.â€

“Yes, yes. I was being silly, but, you know…â€

“Well,â€ the priest suddenly sounded thoughtful, “unless she wasn’t wearing any underwear under her school uniform…â€

Akiko stared at her, and then saw Shiraishi’s mouth twitching as she tried to suppress a smile.

“Oh, don’t <em>you</em> start!â€