Rieko walked along the outskirts of the town, where the little village of the Hinata Inn and the rest of the city mingled and merged. The street lamps buzzed to life as she passed them, singing their electric song of nighttime and the slumber of the world. Her blue Vespa slowly disappeared into the distance as she walked away from it, letting the lantern light shine on it idly like still water in a dying pond. Normally she'd want to get on it and just ride away, to feel the cool rush of the night air against her skin.
But not tonight.
Tonight she just felt like taking a walk.
It was a nice change of pace, and it ended her experiences on a calm, peaceful note, just as they had begun.
Truthfully, she had no idea if what she did had any impact. Everything seemed okay now; that much was true. But there were no guarantees after that. What kept fate from laughing at her efforts? What kept cruel chance from ripping everything apart just as it seemed like it was going to work out? Nothing did, and that was the point. From now on, Rieko would just have to accept whatever came.
She walked over the bridge, feeling the warm fog lapping against her legs as it quickly obscured the ground. Three figures emerged from the other side of the bridge, the old robed men who came and went with the fog. Their faces were as inscrutable as ever, as they approached the blue-haired girl.
The first turned to the second. "Did she accomplish what she set out to do?"
Rieko nodded. "Hai."
The second turned to the first. "Is her time here finally finished?"
Again, Rieko nodded. "Hai."
Both old men turned to the third. "Perhaps it was a job well done."
The third old man looked directly at Rieko. "… I'd say it was."
Rieko bowed respectfully. "Arigato gozaimasu."
With that, the first and second old men turned around, returning in the direction from which they came. As they walked, the sound of bells rang deeply through the night air. They disappeared into the fog, shades joining the mysterious shadows. The third man took a step to follow them.
Then he turned back, beckoning with one hand.
"Are you ready to go, Shinobu-chan?"
The girl who had called herself Maehara Rieko hesitated. She took one last look behind her, at the Hinata Inn. It seemed so far away now. For a fraction of a moment, she was tempted to run back. There was still so much she wanted to do, so much she wanted to see, and touch, and experience for herself.
But there was no point in stories if they didn't end eventually.
With a final, wistful smile, she decided to just let the past be.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
The girl who had called herself Rieko walked alongside the old man, slowly disappearing into the mist at the end of the bridge. With the familiar tolling of bells, the fog also disappeared, leaving only the bridge and the moonlight behind.