[Akito Kinomoto]

Originally Posted by 4Tran

I don't know. If I recall correctly, they moved a lot of the sidestories into the endpieces of the Season 4 episodes, so it really felt like they were trying to wrap things up. Moreover, the finale was the most fitting as an endpoint of all the seasons. It also seems as if there isn't a whole lot of conflict left to dwell on.

Spoiler for Maria Watches Over Us 4th season, just in case:

But as the 4th season was about Yumi finding her Petite Soeur, I have a hunch we're to see Sachiko's departure/graduation soon afterward. Not to mention we should at least see how Yumi and Touko's relationship develops since getting to the Soeur point was the other major plot thread. So yeah, I think there's just a little bit more even if the LNs are nearing their life-expectancy. I mean you don't think Deen would just leave this series hanging, do you?