<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What is it <em>this</em> time?â€ Shiraishi sounded quite frustrated, and she clearly wasn’t expecting an answer.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Shrine Geeks!â€ As they reached the top of the steps, Akiko made out one of the things being shouted. <em>That makes no sense,</em> she thought, as she looked down.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The guards had gathered together at the foot of the steps, and the protesters had stopped marching around, turning to face them.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You’re just a bunch of shrine geeks, that’s all.â€ It was one of the guards shouting it. Akiko was even more puzzled.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What do you mean?â€ The protesters were puzzled as well. “We’re here to protest against the shrine.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“The shrine’s a place. You can’t protest against a place. No. You <em>want</em> to be here. You really like the shrine, but you’re just too embarrassed to admit it.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That’s ridiculous!â€ This time Mrs Watanabe responded. “The kami are a threat to the whole of Japan, the whole world. We are here to stop them!â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Ah, classic symptoms of denial. You can’t save the world by protesting outside one small shrine, so we need to look for the real motive. Clearly, the only possibility is that you really like the shrine, and can’t bear to be away from it. But you can’t bring yourselves to approach it properly.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That’s ridiculous!â€ another protester shouted.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Just yelling insults doesn’t deal with the argument. Come on, actually address my points. Admit that you really like the shrine.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“We don’t!â€ The protester was sounding quite frustrated now. Mrs Watanabe was just glaring at the guards, her face tense.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You’re in denial. You’re like those sad men who sit in their basement masturbating to idol DVDs. Can’t cope with a real woman.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What? How dare you…â€ The man looked really angry now, and Akiko heard Shiraishi draw her breath in sharply.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Make that <em>junior</em> idol DVDs,â€ the guard said, sneering.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You <em>bastard!â€</em> The protester lunged forward, and punched the guard hard in the chest.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Stop it! Stop it now!â€ Shiraishi shouted, running down a few steps. A couple of the protesters broke away from the rear of the group, including Mrs Watanabe. She turned to look at Akiko and Shiraishi, loathing and contempt on her face, before walking away from the rapidly-growing brawl.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The guards were pitching in enthusiastically, but the protesters weren’t hanging back much. They were ignoring Shiraishi, and this time Akiko didn’t feel like getting beaten up. She heard footsteps behind her, and turned, reaching out to grab Kazumi as the girl tried to run past.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Keep out of it, Kazumi. You’ll just get hurt.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Stop it now, before I call the police!â€ Shiraishi had gone as close as she dared, but Akiko wasn’t even sure that the brawlers could hear her.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Should I call the police?â€ Noriko was standing on the steps, cell phone in hand, while Akira came down, not looking at Akiko, and stood below her, between her and the fight.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I don’t know…â€ Akiko said. Should they? Or would it just cause more trouble before the festival.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Yes.â€ Shiraishi was coming back up the steps, getting away from the edges of the brawl. “Yes, call the police. This has gone on far too long. I should have called them weeks ago.â€ She looked angry, even as she shooed them all up to the shrine grounds. “They’re all as bad as each other,â€ she muttered. “What is Fujimura thinking?â€ Noriko glanced over at her as she said that, but she was talking to the emergency operator, so she made no comment.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I’ve called the police,â€ she said, as she rang off on her phone. “They said they’d be here soon. A brawl on this scale is quite significant…â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Yes, and what did Fujimura’s goons think they were up to?â€ Shiraishi still sounded angry, and Noriko flinched a little.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I don’t know. Maybe they got frustrated.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“They deliberately started a fight! Are they really on our side?â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Another worry occurred to Akiko, and she switched her vision to look at kegare. She couldn’t see down the steps from where she was standing, but there were clouds of pollution boiling up the steps like poisonous smoke, spirits like bats and beetles flying within it, settling on the shrine grounds. Where they landed, fungal growths immediately sprouted from the ground, and the stench of rotten meat slowly got stronger. Akiko quickly switched her vision back.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“It’s polluting the shrine. We need to purify it.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Should we wait until they’ve stop…â€ Shiraishi’s question was cut off by the wail of police sirens, and a noticeable change in the quality of the shouts from the fighters. Without a word spoken, they all went to the top of the steps to look.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">There were three patrol cars, and about ten police officers there, almost as many as the brawlers, all of whom had now stopped fighting. One of the officers looked up the steps, and beckoned to them.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What happened?â€ he asked.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Shiraishi introduced herself, and quickly filled in the background, before describing the lead-up to the fight. The police officer was shaking his head, and both the protesters and guards looked rather shamefaced.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Is anyone hurt?â€ he asked, looking round. There was a lot of shaking of heads, although Akiko was sure there would be bruises.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“You’re all a bunch of idiots,â€ the policeman said, “and I could arrest the lot of you. But,â€ he continued, “I’d have to call for still more backup to do that, and I’d rather not waste that much effort dealing with simple idiocy. So, you will all apologise to each other. Do it now.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">With a bit of muttering, the guards and protesters bowed to each other, and made their apologies.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Now apologise to the priest for disturbing her shrine.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">They turned, and bowed again. The guards seemed very sincere this time, the protesters a lot less so. Akiko, quickly switching to see what the kegare was like, saw that they were all heavy with it, although the police were much less polluted.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Good,â€ the officer said. “Now, all go home <em>and don’t come back.</em> We’re going to be sending someone to keep an eye on the festival anyway, and if we see any of you there, you will be arrested on the spot. Is that clear? I don’t want any more trouble out of you, or even any more potential trouble.â€ Cowed, the guards and protesters dispersed, weaving their way between the officers and disappearing down the street.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The officer came a short way up the steps, relief on his face.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“That was a lot easier than it could have been. Revd Shiraishi, if they come back, do call us. But I don’t think they will.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“No, I don’t think they will either.â€ Shiraishi paused, still looking at the officer, as if trying to remember him, and he suddenly grinned.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I had my adulthood ceremony here. I was thinking about whether I could come to see the festival in any case; looks like I’ll be on duty. Anyway, see you tomorrow, and call if they come back before then.â€</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">He bowed smartly to them, and then left, the other two patrol cars being already on their way.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“I should have called them weeks ago,â€ Shiraishi said, again. “Oh well. So, harae?â€ She turned to look at Akiko, who nodded.</p>