The original story behind "Yesterday's Park" from *Tales of the Unusual* (Yonimo Kimyona Monogatari) is a short story titled "Yesterday's Park" from Minato Shukawa's collection *Urban Legend Sepia*. It was nominated for the 130th Naoki Prize, and selection committee members highly praised the excellence of the work, though it ultimately did not win.
Beginning One summer afternoon, Yosuke (Koichi Domoto) and Takao are playing catch in a deserted park. Hearing Takao's casual remark, Yosuke accidentally drops the ball. "I'm planning to confess my feelings to Noriko on her birthday next week." Back in his room, Yosuke stares blankly at the wall. In his line of sight is a photograph of Yosuke, Takao, and Noriko. Takao's words from earlier in the day echo in his mind. Then, his cell phone rings on the table. When Yosuke answers, what reaches his ears is Noriko's tearful voice. "Takao passed away... this evening." On his way home after parting ways with Yosuke, Takao had missed a step on a stone staircase, hit his head, and died.
Middle After returning from the wake, Yosuke parts ways with Noriko and happens to walk past the park alone. The deserted park. As he stands blankly at the entrance, a ball rolls to his feet. When he picks it up absentmindedly, a voice calls out, "Yosuke, what are you doing? Over here." The owner of the voice is none other than Takao, who should be dead. He is raising both hands toward Yosuke, signaling him to throw the ball back. The same conversation as yesterday, the same scenery as yesterday... Why on earth? Though bewildered and intending to part ways with Takao, Yosuke suddenly has a thought and decides to walk Takao all the way home. Time has likely rewound to the evening of the day his friend dies. Relieved that Takao successfully made it home without missing a step on the staircase, Yosuke heads back. When Yosuke returns home, his cell phone rings. From the other end of the line, Noriko announces, "Takao passed away this evening." After parting ways with Yosuke, he had been crushed to death by a falling steel beam at a construction site. The next day, Yosuke and Noriko visit that construction site. While Noriko offers a bouquet of flowers, Yosuke says, "There's something I need to check," and runs off. The place Yosuke heads to is that park. If time is rewinding just like the previous time— As Yosuke sits on a bench, a ball rolls to his feet. When Yosuke picks it up, Takao's voice echoes from behind. "Yosuke, what are you doing? Over here." Time had indeed rewound. Yosuke walks Takao home (Takao's family runs a liquor store). Takao is about to leave the house again to make a delivery to another location. Though Yosuke desperately tries to stop him, Takao leaves the house on his bicycle. Yosuke sprints to get ahead of him. When Takao passes by the construction site, Yosuke blocks his path, completely out of breath. Takao looks puzzled, but the moment a steel beam falls on the other side, Takao stands there in utter shock. Late at night, while Yosuke is complaining to himself, "Dragging other people into this...", he receives another phone call from Noriko. Prompted by Noriko, he turns on the television to the news: a robber broke into Takao's house, stabbed Takao to death, and even Takao's younger sister, Satoko, was heavily injured. "Why even his sister..." Yosuke stands stunned. The next day, Yosuke heads to that park once more. To rewind time. Yosuke picks up the rolling ball. "Takao, I'm going to protect you..." Having returned to yesterday once again, Yosuke walks Takao home and then keeps watch outside Takao's house through the night. Seeing a suspicious shadow climb over the fence, Yosuke yells, "Burglar!" and scares them off. Deciding to sit on a nearby bus stop bench and keep watch until morning, Yosuke falls asleep before he knows it. Waking up to a commotion around him, he sees a crowd of onlookers gathering. Walking in the same direction as the moving crowd, he sees Takao's house engulfed in black smoke and burning. The next morning, the newspaper in Yosuke's hands reads, "Four members of a family burned to death in a fire."
Climax Yosuke heads to the park once more. Hesitating slightly at the park, he picks up the ball and rewinds time. Returned to yesterday, Yosuke reunites with Takao. Sitting on a bench, he starts talking with Takao. "You look terrible, like you're about to drop dead any second," Takao worries, prompting Yosuke to ask: "What would you do if I died?" "I'd come save you." Obviously, Takao replies. "But it's impossible," Yosuke retorts. "I'd still come save you," Takao says. "You can't save me! The more I try to save you, the worse things get!" Yosuke screams. "What are you talking about?" Takao asks. Yosuke groans, "I don't know..." Takao stands up and says cheerfully, "You're not gonna die. You still haven't told Noriko how you feel, after all." Confused by the sudden remark, Yosuke listens as Takao continues. "You like Noriko, don't you? I think Noriko wants you to tell her that, too." "But you... when you confessed..." Looking back at Yosuke as he asks this, Takao says, "Ah, that? I actually told her, 'Take good care of him for me.'" Smiling, Takao continues. "Noriko's a good girl. Cherish her." As Takao turns to leave, Yosuke calls out to him. "Hey, what's the most precious thing in the world to you?" "Obviously, my family. My mom, my little sister, and my little brother." Answering thus, Takao rides off on his bicycle. Yosuke watches him go in silence. At home, Yosuke receives a phone call from Noriko. Takao missed a step on the stone staircase and passed away. Noriko tells him this, but Yosuke says nothing in response. The next day, Yosuke is sitting on the park bench. As a ball rolls to his feet, Yosuke's hand stops. Unable to reach out and touch it, Yosuke collapses onto the ground and weeps. Right before his eyes, the ball slowly disappears.
Resolution Seven years later. Sitting on a bench in the same park, Yosuke watches two boys playing catch. Noriko walks up to him and asks, "What's wrong?" "I started remembering various things and felt nostalgic," Yosuke replies. "It's almost the seventh memorial service..." Noriko murmurs. Handing Yosuke a bottle of mineral water, Noriko says, "Sorry for taking so long." When Yosuke smiles slightly and says, "What are you talking about, it hasn't even been five minutes," Noriko looks down and says, "Oh, that's right..." When Yosuke asks her, "You look pale, aren't you tired?" Noriko answers, "I'm fine." "Shall we head back soon?" Yosuke stands up and begins to walk. Linking her arm through his, Noriko asks in a tense tone: "If you knew I was going to die today, what would you do?" Yosuke stops in his tracks. Noriko hastily says, "Sorry. I was just asking." After uttering a single "You're a strange one," Yosuke notices something and his expression changes. The *Tales of the Unusual* logo appears, and the story ends.
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