The conversation went no further that day; Shiraishi quickly changed the subject by offering Akiko and meal, and Akiko, ravenous, could not turn it down. She then fell asleep again, waking twice more to eat and go to the toilet (and why couldn’t she remember doing that while she was ill? — She was definitely to embarrassed to ask Shiraishi).

When she woke up on Wednesday, however, she felt much better. Pulling on a yukata, she went out through the garden to pay her morning respects to Tamao. The shrine was quiet, with no sign of monsters or kami, the air cool and clear, birds singing in the woodland.

As she finished paying her respects, Akiko realised what she had to do. It might just have been the fever, but if it wasn’t too late, she had to warn the Sugiyamas. She remembered Akira’s reaction, or at least the reaction she thought she’d seen, and suspected that he knew who they were. So, the first step was to call him.

She found a business card inside the house, and called, hoping that Akira would pick up. Fortunately, he did.

“This is Akiko Tanahata,â€ she said. “Sorry to disturb you.â€

“No, it’s good to hear from you. I hope you’re feeling better?â€

“Yes, thank you. Um.â€ Akiko paused, aware that what she was going to say next would sound a little strange. “Could you tell me the Sugiyamas’ address?â€

There was silence from the other end, long enough for Akiko to wonder whether the connection had been cut.

“Mr Takenaka?â€

“Yes, I’m still here. Yes, I can tell you their address. Just a moment.â€ There were rustling sounds, presumably as he looked for the address, and then he read it out to her.

“Ms Tanahata?â€

“Yes?â€

“Ah… nothing. Excuse me.â€ And he hung up. Akiko closed the phone, a little puzzled. She couldn’t work out what he was thinking, not at all. As she thought back over their encounters, she decided that that wasn’t surprising, but still, she wanted to know.

Putting that problem to one side, she went to have a shower and get dressed.

Shiraishi was fairly obviously waiting for her when she emerged, even though she was pretending to be working on something; she looked up far too quickly.

“Ah, Ms Tanahata.â€ There was a pause. “Are you going out?â€

<em>Did Akira call her?</em> Akiko wondered.

“Yes, I have an errand to run.â€

“What?â€ The question was very abrupt, and Akiko was suddenly sure that Akira had called the priest.

“I have to warn the Sugiyamas.â€ Akiko looked straight at Shiraishi as she spoke, keeping her voice neutral. “If Hideo Takenaka hasn’t struck them with lightning yet, there might still be time to get them out of the house.â€

“Akiko…â€ Shiraishi sounded worried and annoyed in equal measure. “That was just a fever dream.â€ Akiko shook her head.

“I don’t think so. I only remember a few of the things I saw while I was ill, but that’s one of them. I think it was a real threat.â€

“From a dead person?â€

“From a dead person. Don’t you have legends of angry ghosts? I’m being persecuted by a kami; I can hardly dismiss ghost stories out of hand.â€

Shiraishi looked like she was about to say something, but then, apparently, she thought better of it, and just waved Akiko towards the door.

“Take care. There are masks in the entrance; don’t forget to take one.â€