Akiko was staring at Kazumi as the girl tidied the grounds, and suddenly realised that she was still worrying about whether she was wearing underwear.

<em>Of course she is, you silly woman,</em> she chided herself. <em>And even if she isn’t, it’s not as if anyone could tell. Even if she fell over…</em>

Shaking her head, Akiko put the question out of her mind, and decided to go and check on the sacred tree, while there didn’t seem to be any guards around. As soon as she left the office, however, she realised why there were no guards in the precincts. The argument from the foot of the stairs wasn’t loud, but it sounded quite intense. After warning Kazumi to stay at the top of the stairs, Akiko hurried down, hoping that it was nothing serious.

There were more protesters than normal; Akiko could see Naoyuki, and Mrs Watanabe, and even Mr Akiyama, unusually. They had formed a solid mass, separating the guards from a small group of people, dressed formally, who looked rather like a family. They looked relieved as they saw Akiko coming down, and she guessed that they were here for a ceremony.

The rest was all too easy to understand.

Akiko stopped a few steps above the guards, so that she had the advantage of height, and spoke directly to the family.

“Welcome to Tamao Shrine. I do apologise for this inconvenience; what can we do for you?â€

“Stop deceiving them with your lies and propaganda! Look at the fascist footsoldiers you have guarding the shrine now! How can you still claim not to be imperialists?â€

It was Mrs Watanabe, of course, and Akiko just let her finish, noting that several of the other protesters, including Mr Akiyama and, surprisingly, Naoyuki, looked slightly embarrassed. When she fell silent, Akiko just looked back at the family.

“We, er…â€ The man Akiko guessed was the father started speaking, but he was clearly flustered by the presence of the protesters.

“We want a purification. It worked for the Tanakas.â€ A woman, and Akiko suddenly realised that her exasperated expression almost certainly made her the man’s wife, made her request clearly.

“It’s just superstition, I’m afraid.â€ Mr Akiyama really did sound apologetic, but the woman shook her head stubbornly.

“It worked for them, and it might help get Akito into Tokyo University.â€ The teenage boy with them looked very awkward at that, and Akiko had to suppress a smile as the father rolled his eyes and quickly, behind his wife’s back, patted his son’s shoulder.

“I’m afraid that the priest is not here right now, but please come into the shrine. You can wait for her here, and she will be happy to perform the purification when she returns.â€

“We won’t let them pass!â€ Mrs Watanabe sounded very certain, and a number of the other protesters nodded in agreement, although Mr Akiyama looked rather worried.

“I really think,â€ he began, but Mrs Watanabe cut him off.

“We have been too tolerant for too long! They are dangerous fascists.â€

One of the guards suddenly pushed forward, quickly followed by the others, and Akiko realised that she hadn’t been paying enough attention to them. They pushed their way into the protesters, trying to shove them out of the way. One of the protesters stumbled, then fell.

“Stop!â€