“I’m really sorry,â€ Akiko said, for the hundredth time, as the car got near to the shrine.

“No, really, it’s OK,â€ Akira assured her, and he certainly sounded genuine. “I wouldn’t have been able to stay if I’d seen that, either.â€

Akiko nodded, looking out of the window, avoiding eye contact. Would he just think it was an excuse? <em>Don’t be silly,</em> she told herself. <em>Akira knows enough about what’s going on now.</em>

“Maybe next time we should purify the restaurant before we eat,â€ he suggested, his tone suggesting that he was trying to make a joke, so Akiko turned back to him and smiled, but her heart wasn’t in it. Maybe he was right. Maybe they really needed to purify anywhere they went to eat.

As the shrine entrance came into view, Akiko could see that the protesters, and the guards, were back.

“Are you sure you’re OK?â€ Akira asked, and Akiko knew that he wasn’t asking about the restaurant anymore.

“Yes, I’ll be fine.â€

“OK. Well, I really enjoyed most of the evening. We should do it again some time.â€

“Yes…â€ Akiko realised that she wasn’t paying attention to Akira, and that she was being rude, so she turned back and smiled. “I enjoyed the bits you were responsible for, and the bad bits weren’t your fault.â€ Akira suddenly laughed.

“Very precise, Ms Tanahata.â€

“Ms Tanahata?â€ Akiko was smiling genuinely now.

“OK. Akiko. Very precise. Anyway, see you soon.â€

“See you.â€ Akiko stood at the base of the steps and waved to Akira as the car turned the corner, then sighed and turned to the entrance.

The protesters and guards were just watching her, saying nothing, so she decided to ignore them. As she approached, her vision suddenly slipped again, just like in the restaurant, and she could see that the protesters were heavy with kegare, in many different forms, while the guards were largely clean, just a few bits clinging on to them. She forced herself to look away from the protesters as she felt nausea rise again, and nodded curtly to the guards as she went past, up the steps.

At the top of the steps, she glanced around, and gasped. There were small patches of kegare around the edge of the shrine grounds, one of them, near the entrance, like a ball of centipedes crawling in, out, and over, one occasionally making a foray towards the iwakura, before turning back as if something was unpleasant.

<em>Inside the shrine,</em> Akiko thought, and hurried to the office.

“Revd Shiraishi, we… Oh.â€

Shiraishi wasn’t in the office. Instead, Kazumi was sitting there, still in one of their yukata, reading the leaflet about the history of the shrine.

“Oh, welcome back. Revd Shiraishi had to go to do someone’s house.â€

“Do? Oh, a harae. But…â€

“My clothes were still wet.â€ Kazumi gestured vaguely back towards the shrine house. “Revd Shiraishi said I could wait here until they dried out.â€ She smiled, in a way that Akiko could only describe as naughty, and said “I feel quite like a miko.â€

“Hmm. Well, thank you for keeping an eye on things.â€

“Oh, no trouble. Actually I like it here; I feel much better in the shrine than I do anywhere else. Don’t you?â€

“Yes, that’s true. Anyway, I’ll go and get changed and take over. You should be getting home.â€

“Oh, it’s OK. I called. I wonder whether my clothes are dry.â€

“I’ll check.â€

Kazumi’s clothes were hanging on the veranda, and had largely dried out. It was only then, seeing the girl’s underwear hanging with the rest, that Akiko understood the smile.

Rolling her eyes, she went to get changed.