We got a few more storytellers and more stories that are MIGHTY strange. Sit tight for these three tales in this part of Season 4 of Yamishibai.
Red High Heel Imagine, if you will, that you're heading home after a late night of work and you REALLY need a taxi to head home. You find yourself screwed because there's a long, LONG line for the taxis. Impatient, you decide to walk home, until you find a taxi willing to take you. That's what this particular salaryman (Man, salaryman get the shit end of the stick, don't they? D: ) finds himself tonight. He gets in the taxi and tells the man to drive him home, which he happily does. As he relaxes, something taps his shoe: a red high heel. When the man lets the driver know what it is, the driver...tells him to throw it out. He persists a bit, but, then, with urgency, the driver YELLS at him to throw it out. And as they're having this argument...the salaryman hears something outside the window, getting closer and closer. It turns out it's a...woman...in a red dress. And then he feels something wet on his hands and looks down. The high heel he had in his hands...wasn't red. FREAKED THE HELL OUT, he tosses it out...but let's just say it's...too little too late.
Night Bus Ever had moments on a long bus ride where your gut does NOT like you? Poor man in this story had it happen to him. He asked the driver to stop, much to the ribbing of his friends. Surprisingly, he finished up quickly, but the moment he got back to the lot, he found many more buses there. Luckily, he found his bus back, expecting more trolling from his friends. But...they were surprisingly silent. It wasn't just them, either; everyone else had fallen especially silent. Then he got a text asking if he was alright, from his friend a few seats behind him. When he sent a text back, he...got a response he did NOT expect. Then he got a call from his friend across the aisle from him...except she wasn't holding her phone. Her voice sounded concerned, and a bit panicked. The friend he saw then slowly turned to stare at him.
It took him a moment afterward...but he started to feel something…
Everyone was staring at him.
Guess Who? No, not the game... First off, there's another difference! This time, this episode is told in anime-like stills, which is an interesting art shift for this series. As for the episode itself, let's just say that: Senpai has finally noticed you. ^^ Fo real, though; this high school girl has been sort of pining at her Senpai for some time, and finally, she works up the courage to tell him at the train station. As they're sitting on the bench, waiting for their train, she tries to tell him. Then the train passes. The moment missed, for the time being, there's silence; then he smiles and goes to get a drink. Feeling embarrassed, she waits...only to see another girl on the other platform across the tracks. She's...pale...then she starts moving closer and closer to edge of the platform...as she reaches the edge, ANOTHER train passes, and she's gone. Silence again, then… “Guess Who?”
Though she knows it's her senpai, there's something...off…
...Very off...
Yeah, all of these have varying levels of unsettling about them...though, personally, Night Bus does it for me. I know the experience of having folks stare at you, unblinking, not saying anything. Their gaze seems to pierce through you, as you can do naught, but squirm and avert your eyes…
...I should know; I've done it before.
Oishimai...
--Choco (10/14/17)
Images screencapped by author from crunchyroll.com.