Neither Akiko nor Shiraishi could come up with an answer to that question, and none presented itself over the next few days, either. The protesters gathered again at the bottom of the steps, and Naoyuki was with them occasionally, pointedly ignoring Akiko as far as he could. By the time the flood damage was cleaned up, Shiraishi had managed to find a shrine carpenter who was willing to work on the new building, and had made an appointment for him to come and see the site and discuss plans.

Akiko was still worried about kegare; there were still things moving in the shrine, just at the edge of her vision, and she hadn’t seen Tamao in some time. She remembered the visions of him decaying, and worried about them coming true just as the ones of the burning shrine had.

Occasionally, it occurred to her to wonder why she was worried. It was still difficult to think of anything that Tamao had actually done for her. On the other hand, the kegare spirits certainly seemed to be worse. Akiko had the nagging feeling that she was missing a connection somewhere.

The carpenter came on the agreed day, and sucked in his breath when he saw the damage.

“That was quite a fire, reverend. You were lucky to save the go-shintai.â€ Shiraishi nodded.

“We were. It was fortunate that Ms Tanahata woke up just as the fire was starting; we managed to get the go-shintai out before it really took hold.â€ Shiraishi didn’t mention the mask, and Akiko thought that wise.

“Well, the first thing you’ll have to do is get that whole area properly cleared. We’ll have to start from scratch, so you need to get the foundations up as well.â€ Shiraishi frowned.

“That sounds expensive.â€ The carpenter spread his hands, and shook his head.

“Not too much. And there’s no getting around it, I’m afraid.â€

“Ah, well,â€ Shiraishi sighed. “If it’s necessary, it’s necessary. Now, shall we discuss the design?â€

“Of course. Let’s go into the office, so that we can see the site.â€ Shiraishi nodded, and led the way, glancing back over her shoulder.

“Come along, Akiko.â€

In the office, Akiko felt completely surplus to requirements. Shiraishi and the carpenter talked about shinmeizukuri, taishazukuri, nagarezukuri, and other names of styles that were vaguely familiar from Akiko’s reading. She thought the old one had been nagarezukuri, and Shiraishi confirmed that, asking for the same style again. The carpenter quickly sketched some designs, and as Akiko watched the discussion it became clear that Shiraishi was planning to build a slightly larger shrine building.

“We need space for kagura, and for the offerings. We’ve got a miko now, so there will be dance, and someone to help with bringing the offerings to the kami.â€ She glanced up at Akiko, smiling, and Akiko smiled back. She was lost already. Kagura was sacred dance, and miko did that, but she’d not been taught any dances. And anyway, the thought of her dancing was absurd.

The sketches took shape, and Shiraishi and the carpenter started talking about money. Hearing the numbers he was mentioning, Akiko started to wonder whether a hundred million yen would be enough.