Epilogue - Gray

“You’re late. Lucky for you, my patience still knows no bounds.”

“And that the tea doesn’t get cold, huh?”She let out a tiny laugh.

“You’re still acting the same…”

“Come on, Sere, you talk like we haven’t seen each other in a thousand years.”

“Sere? You don’t even respect me enough to use my full name anymore?” she asked, pouring the tea. “The color of your hair… it matches my coat now.”

“So you did end up liking the name,” I chuckled, unconsciously examining a strand of my hair. “Downsides of time passing…”

I’d lost track of how many years we’d been doing this—these little midnight chats on the bridge.
I never figured out how she managed to create this enclosed space, but considering who I was talking to, maybe rational explanations were unnecessary.

“How’s Aranara doing… and what was the other girl’s name?”

“Come on, don’t play dumb—Sayo. They’re both doing well… more than that, I’d say, but you already know.”

“Honestly, I had no idea. I don’t use my omnipresence for trivial things, Eiji.”

“Right, you just spy on us when we go out or through the window.”

“Huh?” My comment nearly made her choke on her tea, though she made a huge effort to seem unfazed.

“You should’ve joined us sometime.”

“I’d be out of place.”

“Not at all. It would’ve been fun.”

“Fun, huh…” she murmured, staring at her cup. “Catch me up. It’s more… interesting when I hear it from you.”

“Oh… where do I start? Aranara really took her new role seriously. Before, she was with me all day; now she’s like some supernatural office worker.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Not at all. It’s exactly how it should be… everything changed in the blink of an eye. Even the air in town feels different.”

“I heard they’re cutting down the crooked tree.”

“Yeah, they say it’s cursed… nonsense, really, but I’m glad they’re getting rid of it,” I said, finishing my tea. “As for Sayo… she’s doing great as a photographer. She’s gone for weeks at a time with all her trips.”

“So she’s the one paying the bills?”

“Hey, that sounds awful when you put it like that.”

“Sorry, sorry,” she repeated, laughing as she set her cup on the table.“You should’ve gone for a more lucrative job, Eiji.”

“Unlicensed therapist doesn’t count? At least I’ve got some income.”

“That’s illegal, Eiji.”

“Still… it’s kind of fun hearing other people’s stories.”

“You really never change…” she said, her eyes drifting to the river. “You know that—”

“That his is our last ‘tea party’? Yeah… I know.”

“I see…” she murmured, pouring one last time for each of us. “In all these years, you never regretted it?”

“I have plenty of regrets, but if you mean the deal we made, no, not once.”

“I expected you to say that,” she replied, watching me finish my tea and stand.

“By the way… should I… you know… be scared?”

“Wow… that’s the first rational question you’ve asked since we met.”

“Don’t mock me,” I said, adjusting my shirt collar.

“Someone like you? No, someone like you shouldn't…”

“That’s a relief…” I let out a sigh, starting to walk back.

“Goodbye, Eiji.”

“See you later.”

“Eiji, you know there’s no—”

“Come on, just play along,” I said, cutting her off.

“You really never change,” she replied with a perfectly audible laugh.

“Not one bit. See you later, Sereres,” I said, waving as I walked away.

“Yeah. See you later… Eiji.”