“Hello? Akira Takenaka?â€

“Yes? Who is… Ms Tanahata?â€ The voice at the other end of the telephone was still sleepy.

“Yes. We need to find a former client of your father as soon as possible.â€

“What? I was going to cancel that; Kawasaki city has recommended that people avoid leaving home for all but essential journeys. Work is specifically noted as non-essential in most cases. So, there wouldn’t be…â€ Akiko couldn’t wait any longer.

“No, this is essential. We have to find a specific client.â€

The other end of the phone was silent, for long enough that Akiko wondered whether Akira was still there.

“Hello?â€

“Yes, yes, sorry.â€ Another pause. “A threat?â€ Akiko suddenly saw the situation from Akira’s perspective, and a lump formed in her throat. She hadn’t realised that she was bringing him bad news.

“Yes,â€ she replied, sitting down and trying to organise her thoughts.

“Who?â€ She tried to pick up hints of Akira’s mood from the monosyllable, but failed.

“I don’t quite know. He didn’t say a name this time, just some things about…â€ <em>The target? No, far too aggressive. The victim? Even worse. </em>“…him,â€ she finished lamely.

Another pause from the other end, before Akira responded.

“OK. What did m… he say?â€

“He said it was someone who dug foundations, and that a hill would swallow his home. We think it’s someone who lives in the area covered by the fever.â€

“I’ll have to check the company records. I don’t know where all our clients live off hand. I’ll call you back.â€

“No. It’s better if you come straight over. We have to go there as soon as possible.â€ Another silence.

“I see.â€ This time, Akiko could hear the strain in his voice quite clearly. “I’ll be as fast as I can, then.â€ He hung up, without saying anything further, leaving Akiko staring at the phone.

She remembered what he had said about the health warning, and went to the computer to check the council’s web page. The warning was there, as Akira had said, along with further details about the disease. There were a lot of people in hospital, some of them in a serious condition, but it did not seem as though anyone had died of it. At least not yet. She wondered whether Tamao’s intervention was delaying the progress of the disease as well, and, again, started to worry about how long it would last.

Getting up, she went to the door of the house, looking out at the shrine. There was no immediate sign of Tamao, but that did not surprise her too much. She went out, looking around, keeping her senses peeled, but the morning light revealed only the trees and grass, and a few birds hopping around, apparently unconcerned. She stopped by the torii, looking down the steps, but there was no sign of Takenaka, no sign of any spirits.

Suddenly, she realised that she was still wearing nothing but a yukata; not a suitable state for going with Akira. Dashing to her room, she got dressed as quickly as she could.