tl;dr: Definitely not my favorite volume. The stories were pretty middle of the road compared to some of the bangers they've had before. It at least ended strong, which I appreciated. But otherwise, not really memorable tales here.
Not tl;dr:
Story #1 奇跡のソプラノ: Uta (yes, that is her name lol) is chosen as the solo performer for an upcoming chorus competition, despite her skills being short of that position. Terrified of being in the spotlight, she prays to anyone willing to listen to help her sing better. She gets a sharp pain in her throat, and the next day, sings like an angel.
Okay...so... This one was... Kind of a bummer start ^^; It's a plain horror story, no lessons with this one, which makes it less fun for me. I like the ones that try to teach some kind of moral. And it wasn't really that...scary? Like yeah, if you think about it, it's really scary , but nothing in the story itself was really...anything? Like there wasn't any 'thrill'. Idk, underwhelmed. :(
Story #2 親友チョコレート: Hina may not be the most popular girl in school, but that doesn't bother her, because she has her best friend Mari who's always got her back. One day, as Hina is walking home from school, she runs into a creepy woman with a black scarf, holding a red box. She hands the box to Hina then disappears. Hina tosses the gift, and tries to forget the uncomfortable experience. But the next day she learns that this woman isn't just any woman, the gift isn't just any gift, and maybe Mari won't always be there for her...
This one was definitely better than the last one. There was more tension and suspense, and some mystery as well. And good lord how quick Hina was to The ending was really great though, these kind of cliffhangers are the ones I like in this series.
Story #3 ラストクリスマス: Hijiri only wants one thing--a friend. Despite her constant attempts, people always found her too weird. But when her teacher requests one of her classmates, Miwako, to walk home together with her, they end up forming a bond. Miwako confesses a secret belief in Santa, who brought her an expensive plush of a character they both love. Hijiri is skeptical at first, but keeps an open mind to maintain her friendship. However, that story falls into question...
The stories in this volume so far are definitely not the strongest, and are honestly pretty forgettable. If I didn't write summaries, I don't think I would've remembered them. This one wasn't bad, but also not the most engaging either. The twist upon twist ending though was great. I wish the rest of the story felt like that.
Story #4 マリオネットの恋人: Rara and Akira seem like the perfect, ideal couple. Both are gorgeous, popular, and basically idols. Rara is more than happy to bask in that glory. But lately, Akira seems to be pulling away, and Rara gets a sneaking suspicion that he's cheating on her with her friend Junko. When a creepy looking marionette doll is gifted to her by an unknown stranger, with the power to manipulate the one you love, Rara gets an idea...
Okay, we back in action. I'm glad we left off this volume with a good one. While the ending with Junko wasn't surprising to me, what happened to Rara was like, damn. xD But I loved that And the unease that felt was a great way to end off the story. Like wow, how frightening and uncomfortable is that! Yikes! lol
I would say this was an underwhelming volume overall. The last story really did help in leaving it on a high note, at least.
For Japanese Learners:
As this is a series, my thoughts are the same as volume one, which you can read more about that here.