For a moment, Akiko’s instinct was to hide, but she quickly suppressed it. She wasn’t doing anything wrong in the shrine, and if she hid things would just look more suspicious if she were spotted. And Shiraishi was in the shrine house, so if there was a problem she could always call for help. Cautiously, she walked round the side of the shrine to see who it was.

A young man stood at the top of the steps, under the torii, looking around as if searching for something. He looked in her direction and, a moment later, walked over to the water basin to purify himself. As he stepped into the light, Akiko recognised him; Mr Takenaka’s son. She couldn’t remember his given name, though. She hung back while he went to pay his respects at the shrine, but stepped forward as soon as he turned away.

“Good evening. Mr Takenaka, isn’t it? What brings you here so late at night?â€ It was hard to be sure in the gloom, but Akiko thought that he blushed a little before replying.

“Oh, I just couldn’t sleep, so I came here for a change of location. And to ask for success for the business. What about you?â€

“I’m just cleaning again. I suppose your father told you?â€

“Yes, er, no, I mean…â€ There was an embarrassed pause. “I mean, yes he told me about you cleaning yesterday, but no, he didn’t say that you would be here tonight.â€

“Well, he didn’t know that.â€

“No.â€

Silence fell again, and stretched, becoming more and more awkward. Finally, Akiko felt she had to break it.

“Well, I should get on with the cleaning. I want to get home relatively early today.â€

“I’ll help you!â€ The offer was made very quickly and enthusiastically, and the younger Takenaka followed her round the back of the shrine, glancing at her to see what she was doing and then going to collect rubbish himself.

Akiko found herself looking over at him repeatedly, a suspicion as to his real reason for being there slowly forming in her mind. She caught him looking her way a couple of times, but he always looked away immediately.

She let the search for litter in the darkness distract her from the question of the best way to let him down gently if he asked her out. Just tell him about Naoyuki? That might be easiest, but it was a bit harsh. Come up with some other story? She knew she wasn’t good at that.

A shadow on the ground proved to be a pebble, not rubbish, although the next suspicious shape was a coffee can. She could hear Takenaka moving around, his footsteps, occasional muttered comments, just a bit too quiet to make out, and even, after a time, his breathing. And then she realised that she could smell him, too, a distinctly human smell on the air, quite unlike the natural smells of the shrine.

She stood up, her bag mostly full, and walked over to him.

“Well, I’m done for tonight. Let me take what you’ve collected.â€ He handed the rubbish over, filling her bag up, without managing to say anything coherent.

“Thank you for your help.â€ She thought about saying something like ‘see you again’, but decided against it. He might have wanted to say something, but he had not managed to put it together before she was on her way out down the shrine steps.