One-Night Bridge (episode)

One-Night Bridge is the thirteenth episode of the anime series.

Synopsis
Ginko arrives in a village where a villager girl named Hana fell from a bridge three years ago. Though she apparently survived the fall, she is not the person she used to be anymore, to the despair of Zen, the young man who loves her.

Plot
Ginko is called to a village, where a girl named Hana had fell from a bridge three years ago and even though she survived the fall, she isn't the same person anymore. He meets Zen, who explains that they were in love with Hana and she was to be given as wife to a wealthy family. He managed to convince her they escape together, but in the middle of the bridge, she changes her mind and stepping back, she falls of it.

Ginko asks Zen to take him to the bottom of the ravine, where she fell. On their way, Zen says that people are saying Hana became tani-modori, people who fell from the bridge and manage to return but without their soul. And on the night of "One-Night Bridge" spans the ravine, they die. Reaching the bottom, Ginko confirms its full of Nise-Kazura mushi, who took over Hana. After inspecting them, Ginko concludes that tani-modori and One-Night Bridge are real and are caused by the Mushi. As the mushi needs light and usually lives in three tops, being down in the ravine, they can't escape by their strength, so they take over animal bodies and gather sunlight while in them. Then when they have enough strength, they gather in group making the "One-Night Bridge" and escape the ravine, going to a better place. As he didn't find any dead animal bodies, he believes the mushi is taking over dead bodies and if they take out the mushi from Hana, she will die as she was already dead.

Ginko informs Hana's mother, she still insists he to remove the Mushi, but Ginko refuses. That night, someone cuts down the bridge, making leaving the village impossible. On the next day, Zen sees Hana walking in the woods, but after her parents came, he sees how the mushi leaves her body and she stops breathing. Ginko finds him and informs him that this night the One-Night Bridge will form and its his only chance to leave the village for a while.

Later at night, the mushi form the bridge and Zen and Ginko decide to cross it. Ginko tells Zen he must be sure, as he won't be able to cross it back. Crossing the bridge, Zen recalls the mushi coming out of Hana and as he can't forget her, he explains he can't cross it stepping on Hana and steps back. As the mushi is very strong being pulled from one direction, but weak from the other, the bridge instantly breaks where he steps and he falls from it. Ginko manages to leave and never heard of Zen, but guesses he would follow Hana's fate. The next day, Zen possessed by the mushi shows at the village.