As morning mist blanketed the town, Reina pedaled her bicycle more carefully than usual.
After five years as a postal carrier, she knew every street by heart. But when the fog thickened, it was as if the town shifted—connected to another world.
That day, Reina found a strange letter tucked inside her mailbag.
—“To You, Beyond the Fog”
There was no postmark, no name, no address.
Only those words, written in beautiful handwriting on the envelope.
Puzzled, Reina went about her deliveries.
By the time her route was done, the fog had lifted and the town had returned to its usual calm.
But the next morning, the same letter had found its way back into her bag.
“Some kind of prank?”
Still, Reina decided to find its recipient.
But no one in town knew anyone who fit the title “You, Beyond the Fog.”
“…Where did this come from?”
That night, Reina had a strange dream.
A young man stood in front of an old post office, shrouded in mist.
Wearing a light brown coat, he looked at her with a gaze that felt oddly familiar.
“Did you come to deliver the letter?”
he asked with a gentle smile.
Reina said nothing—and then woke up.
The next day, she again lost her way in the fog.
What should have been the town’s edge had turned into an unfamiliar alley.
Lining it were worn-down buildings—and one, in particular, caught her eye: a post office just like the one in her dream.
(I’ve seen this… in my dream…)
Reina stepped inside, cautiously.
There he was—the young man from her dream.
“You finally came.”
“Who… are you?”
“I’m someone trapped beyond the fog.
Reina, since you received my letter… that means you’ve noticed me.”
Reina took out the envelope. “This letter… it’s yours?”
He nodded quietly.
“There’s another version of this town,” he explained.
“One that appears only when the fog is deep.
Those trapped there can’t return to the real world… until someone delivers their letter.”
Reina’s heart pounded. “Then you…”
“I’ve been waiting here all this time.
But now that you’ve read my letter, you’ve seen me.
Please… help me go back to the real town.”
Reina hesitated.
Was this just a dream? Or something more?
But the truth in his eyes told her otherwise.
“What do I have to do?”
“Before the fog clears… remember my name.”
Reina searched her memory.
There had been no name on the letter.
But something about him felt familiar…
Later, while going through old town records, she found a newspaper clipping.
A young postal worker had gone missing ten years earlier.
His name was Souichi.
“Souichi…!”
The moment she said his name, the fog vanished in an instant.
And before her was the familiar landscape of the town.
And the young man—Souichi—stood before the post office.
“Thank you, Reina.
I can finally go home.”
He smiled.
From that day on, the letter “To You, Beyond the Fog” never appeared in her mailbag again.
But on misty mornings, Reina would sometimes pause outside the post office, gaze at the sky, and whisper:
“Souichi-san… you’re not lost anymore, right?”
The wind would gently stir.
And in it, she could almost hear a quiet “Thank you.”
