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you, I couldn’t believe people could be that indecisive! You’re like one of those boys all grown up. Don’t think the name Innocent Youth that Patron and Guide gave you is entirely positive. I don’t know what to do with people like you!”
    Ogi was startled and couldn’t help asking why.
    “Don’t you get it?” Dancer went on. “What you said isn’t just weak, it’s irresponsible!”
    She wasn’t so much disappointed as angry. Ogi felt confused but also sensed that she wasn’t about to release him from the cage that surroundedhim, but was tightening the rope that bound them together, showing the kind of displeasure you find only between family members. For even in a situation like this, though her voice grew ever more emphatic, he could detect a kind of trembling in her sad, whispery voice.
    “Patron is shut up inside himself, in no shape whatsoever to give directions, and even if Guide regains consciousness the chances are slim that he’ll return to normal. You’re the only one we can rely on!
    “You knew how worried I was, so you put your assignment in Sapporo on hold and flew down here. These past ten days you’ve devoted yourself to helping us, and I’m grateful. You know very well the situation we’re in, which is why you quit the foundation to work full time as a staff member in our office. When I heard you were quitting, I finally stopped worrying about you being a police spy.”
    “A police spy?” Ogi parroted.
    “Really! You’re beyond innocent. You know what happened ten years ago, right? I got this position because my father was a classmate of Guide’s in college. So it wouldn’t have been so strange that they might have thought me a police spy. But Patron and Guide welcomed me, provided me with a place to live in Tokyo, and let me develop my dancing. I’ll never forget that. I have no idea what plans they have for the future, so I don’t think I can be of much use to them as they restructure their religious movement. But I want to work for Patron. I want to be a believer.
    “This is getting kind of personal, but I wanted more than anything to continue dancing, and when I came to Tokyo without any plans it was Patron who showed me what I really want to do most. Guide, too. Neither of them have said much to me about religious matters. You’ve only seen the severe side of Guide. It might be hard for you to imagine, but when you’re a part of the peaceful relationship between the two of them, before you realize what’s happening you find them leading you in new directions. Every day with them is simply amazing. I enjoy my dancing more, now, and I want to become one of Patron’s followers. But suddenly, in the middle of all this, Guide’s seriously ill.
    “With Guide unconscious and Patron in shock, all I can do is try my best to get Patron back on his feet, right? Since I have no one else to rely on, I phoned you in Sapporo and insisted that you come here, and you’ve been more of a help than I ever expected.
    “This is what I think: Patron and Guide know I’m not very smart and don’t have even a basic knowledge of religion, and that’s why they never discussed it with me. But I know how special the two of them are, and I’ve always done my very best for them. Now you’re one of my colleagues and youknow things I don’t; you can teach me a lot, and I’m looking forward to it. This may well be the chance for you to become my new mentor.”
    Dancer had never spoken so much before, but what surprised Ogi most was her final declaration. He’d been looking down as he listened to her, but now he glanced up and saw her staring right at him, mouth slightly open as usual, a steady stream of tears flowing down her cheeks. He knew he was a young man without much experience, yet at this moment Dancer struck him as even more wet behind the ears. Observing her in a detached way he never had before, he found her silly, even a bit unattractive, yet he went ahead and did something quite