“Tonight?â€ Naoyuki sounded surprised, and a bit sceptical.

“It’s Saturday; surely you don’t have a nomikai.â€

“No, but…â€ He actually sounded like he might turn her down. Akiko forced herself to loosen her grip on her phone.

“Come on. We can have dinner, go to a club, and then go back to your place. I’ll make it fun for you.â€

“A club? How long is it since you went to a club?â€

“Too long!â€ Akiko tried to sound carefree, but wasn’t sure she was managing it. <em>There is no snake in the shrine. I only sleepwalked once. It’s not a problem.</em> “I’ll even pay.â€

“What?â€ Now Naoyuki really sounded surprised. “No, I’ll pay, of course. Oh, all right. Let’s meet in Shibuya at eight.â€

“Seven.â€ Eight o’clock was too far away; Akiko needed distracting before that.

“Eager, aren’t you. OK, seven. See you then. And you don’t need to wear underwear.â€ He hung up before she could get a response in, and she had heard the laugh in his voice. He never gave up, a bit like Tamao. Shaking her head to banish the though, Akiko got up and went over to her rack of clothes, looking for something to wear. Something stylish, but sexy. Definitely sexy. She deliberately remembered times in bed with Naoyuki, and the good parts were very good. She was smiling to herself as she went through her underwear, looking at the lacy things, many of which Naoyuki had bought for her. <em>Considering he never wants me to wear any, he buys me enough,</em> she thought, laughing to herself. A thought came to her and, blushing furiously, she turned to look at her other clothes.

Once she had laid her selection out on the futon, she went into the bathroom to fix her makeup. Standing in front of the mirror, she found herself searching the image for a snake. There was nothing there, but still she found that she couldn’t get her mind off the idea. She forced herself to focus on her face, applying the make-up carefully. The magazines were propped up around the sink, and she kept looking at them to check that she was doing it right. Every time she looked back up at the mirror, she expected to see the snake in the background, but there was nothing but the washing machine and her dirty laundry. She completed her preparations uninterrupted.

She put her clothes on carefully, checking their fit. The leather miniskirt was tight enough not to fly around, which was important, and the feel of it against her skin made her blush. The black camisole top and small jacket went well with it, and when she stretched her hands above her head the top rode up, exposing her navel. She smiled at the mirror. Naoyuki would definitely approve. A glance out of the window confirmed that the weather was getting worse, and Akiko frowned. It was still warm, but it looked like rain, and she’d hoped to avoid carrying an umbrella. Still, there was nothing to be done. She picked up her folding umbrella, and slipped her boots on in the hallway. She looked at her watch. Half past five.

She was going to be early.