What strikes me as funny in this chapter is that Mrs Watanabe believes as strongly as Akiko, while the Ujiko who worship at the shrine, just know that it makes them feel better, while not understanding the reality of the Tamao.  

Now that Akiko has had a "slip of the tongue" in front of an audience, along with the affect her words had on Mrs Watanabe, I am more anxious than usual to read what happens in the next chapter.