Akiko woke to light flooding in through the windows. She was very relaxed, and for a few minutes she just lay still, enjoying the feeling.

Then she remembered seeing Tamao in the night, and sat up. Had it really happened? She went to the windows, and opened them, stepping out onto the veranda. There were sandals waiting where she remembered, and a stone bridge over the pond. The stone water basin was still there at the garden exit, but when she walked round to the shrine, the outer doors were closed and, as she discovered when she climbed the steps, locked.

She stood on the veranda, wondering, until she was distracted by someone coming into the shrine through the torii. She looked round quickly, and then relaxed when she saw that it was Mr Takenaka. He had noticed her as well, so she came down from the shrine and walked over to greet him.

“Good morning.â€ He bowed slightly in reply.

“You’re here very early, Ms Tanahata.â€

“Oh.â€ Akiko felt herself blushing slightly. “Yes. I’ve just moved in here. For a while.â€

“Ah. Patched up your problems with our priest, then?â€ He was smiling slightly as he said it, in a way that seemed significant, but Akiko couldn’t work out why, so she just nodded.

“That’s good.â€ The smile vanished, replaced by a worried frown. “Is she up?â€

“I don’t know.â€ Mr Takenaka looked a little surprised, but then just walked over to the house and pressed the doorbell. Shiraishi appeared moments later.

“Oh, Mr Takenaka, good morni…â€ He cut her off before she could finish.

“I have a business appointment, and I need a prayer before I go. I know it’s early, but I’d be very grateful.â€

“Oh. Yes. Yes, of course. I’ll go and get changed.â€ She looked around, and then picked up some keys and held them out to Akiko. “Could you open the shrine, Ms Tanahata?â€ Mr Takenaka looked between them quizzically as she said that, and Akiko could have sworn that Shiraishi blushed, but the priest hurried into the house before she could be sure.

Mr Takenaka was now paying no attention to her, and had started pacing back and forth in front of the shrine house, so Akiko went to unlock the main building.

She slid the heavy wood-and-glass doors aside, and looked within. The stools were lined up much as she remembered them, and there was a small tatami mat in the centre of the dais. She couldn’t see any signs that she had been there in the night, but then she didn’t remember leaving any, either. Frowning to herself, still unsure, she quickly paid her respects and then came back to the house. Mr Takenaka was still pacing, muttering to himself and fidgeting with his pockets, so she didn’t disturb him. Putting the key back where it had been, she was about to go into the house when she remembered that she had taken the sandals from the garden.

As she turned to pick them up to take back, her gaze passed over Mr Takenaka, who seemed to have something like a cloud of dark, greasy smoke hovering over his shoulders, stretching black wings out to shelter him. Sucking in her breath, she looked back, but there was nothing to see now but a businessman, pacing in the morning sunlight.