Disaster Report Diaries (Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories) Part Four

This is my exploration of the Disaster Report series, where I will chronicle my playthrough like a text-based Let’s Play. Now let’s continue Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories…

Yuko Ichikawa had been a little nosey, looking into other people’s business here and there, but was on the way to Akebonoutsugi Station to retrieve something a stranger asked for…

While running down the street, a tremor struck and a section of the elevated road toppled over, missing me by a metre — but there were many who weren’t so lucky. I passed some bodies as I went back on myself, as the road now blocked the footpath, and was able to climb up through a broken barrier and walk along the obstacle, coming off near the GZ Burger restaurant.

Both of the subway entrances were blocked by shutters, so I went back inside GZ Burger but found no change in there. Upon leaving, another large tremor hit and threw me to the ground — and it also resulted in one of the shutters bending enough to allow me inside.

Akebonoutsugi Station's west ticketing gate was quite damaged by the earthquake, but as I looked around, there wasn’t anything for me to grab. I did find some literature in an office which mentioned using an emergency handle situated between train cars to open the doors. Some lockers were next to the stairs leading down to the platform, so I grabbed the Jewelry Box, which I was told to retrieve.

Someone cried out for help, so I went down to the platform and called back. The station had trains on either side, but a lot of rubble blocked the direct route through. However, I recalled what I’d just read and located an emergency handle, which unlocked the doors and allowed me to open one of them. It was just in time, too, as a tremor caused the station ceiling to begin falling down!

Once through the train, I came across someone pinned beneath rubble. They begged for help, so I agreed to try and free them, receiving 10 Moral Points — but they were stuck. I reassured them that I’d move the rubble and asked them to wait, so I looked for a lever (and received another 10 Moral Points). I found a Stuck Metallic Rod on the tracks, and hoped that it wasn’t supporting anything as I pulled it free. Using it, I was able to help free the stranger, though as they sat recovering, I was concerned that another tremor could occur at any moment.

After telling them to hurry up, even if it hurts, we entered another train as that seemed to be our only option. Two huge tremors struck back-to-back before we made it out into ankle-deep water and a blocked tunnel. However, circling back up onto the platform, we were able to get on top of the train, then into the stairwell leading up!

Unfortunately, the way wasn’t completely clear, as two drunkards accosted us, gazing longingly at my new companion. Sure, my companion’s outfit was cuter than mine, and they were letchers, but to not pay me any mind at all was a strike to the ego. Hoping that it would put them off, I informed them that she was mine and to back off, but she took exception to that instead of playing along. So, they tied us up.

I told them to untie us, but they refused. Luckily, they decided that they wanted to get drunk some more before they did anything more nefarious to us — they figured they were going to die due to the earthquake, so they were doing whatever they wanted. One of them wandered around in circles with a torch while the other dozed next to a pillar, but unfortunately, we were stuck shuffling along as our hands and ankles were tied.

They caught me attempting to bypass them via the small office to our right, but on the second attempt, I dodged them enough to reach the stairs — but decided that I couldn’t go upstairs backwards, and was recaptured. A shop was open to the left, so I made my way inside and hid behind the counter to avoid the patrolling man. I found a tape holder with a cutter attached, and though it took a while, I freed my hands. I legged it up the stairs, and apparently so did my co-prisoner, whom I hadn’t seen since I got past the ticket barriers. I honestly wasn’t sure if I had to go back for her or not…

She introduced herself as Kanae Tomita, so I gave my name with an alluring aura, which seemed to confuse her. Kanae explained that she had just got off of the train at the stop for the ferry terminal when the earthquake occurred, then asked why I was down there. I didn’t want to tell anyone about the jewelry box, so I just said that I went in because the entrance was open. She thought it was a silly thing to do, but was very grateful that I had, otherwise she would have still been trapped under rubble. She then asked where I was going next, so I told her to the ferry terminal. It would be nice to have some company that wasn’t in a school uniform.

As I was stressed, I rested at a save point before entering the nearby convenience store named Smile 12&12. I froze when I heard a familiar loud clapping — it was Kumazawa, the fake store employee, clapping for attention as he’d done before! He stood behind the counter, no doubt still fleecing people in need. And as I checked around, I soon learned that he was keeping the bathroom key behind a paywall.

In the staff room, I found a T-shirt & Overall Shorts outfit, and figured that it was harder wearing than my current outfit, so I put it on. I then spoke to Kumazawa, feigning ignorance about having met him before. He brushed it off and I asked politely about the bathroom key, which he offered to me for 100,000 yen! I had 7,680 yen, far below the required amount, but on a whim, I bought Canned Cat Food before leaving.

Crossing the street and going inside an office building, I realised that I was very hungry, so I ate a Makunouchi Bento and drank a Bottle of Orange Juice, as that also made me thirstier. Exploring the upper floor (as the ground floor only had closed doors) I found a Messenger Bag in a cluttered office, then spotted someone fretting.

He asked if I was Tomie, the president’s daughter, and I decided to play along asking how he knew. He didn’t answer, simply handing over an envelope from the president, though he did hesitate until I snapped that I’d tell my father if he didn’t hand it over! It had a letter inside, as well as 300,000 yen!

As I went to leave, a tremor caused the floor to drop almost from under me, if not for me quickly bracing and managing to keep my hands on a stable section. More carefully, I left and in the hallway, I read the letter. The president had left the island despite asking his estranged daughter to visit him at his company office. It had been six years, and he didn’t even know if Tomie was going to turn up, which made me feel better about stealing the money.

With the cash in hand, I bought the bathroom key and Kumazawa mentioned that he should leave soon in case the real owner turned up. Since there was no obvious way through the destruction in the street, I figured that perhaps the bathroom was missing a wall — in fact it was the next best thing, it had a big, open window. So Kanae and I exited onto the promenade along the Nadeshiko Canal (or what was left of it) and she ran off.

Following my companion, a tremor struck and threw me face-first into the paving stones. I heard what I took to be a scream, but once I was on my feet and moving again, I heard a cat meowing from a cardboard box. I listened to the box, in case it was a raccoon, and it was in fact a cat! After giving it some food, I continued around the corner — and the corner fell into the sea!

I did have a look around and saw that it wasn’t the entire promenade, and that the cardboard box was still safe and sound, before going to the street, where I met someone anxiously looking at the office building I had been in earlier. I asked what was wrong, and she told me that her father had invited her, but with the entrance blocked from this side, she had no way in. Realising that it was the president’s daughter, I gave her the letter. She read it and thanked me, though it illustrated to her that her father didn’t actually care enough to stick around and wait, even after a six-year estrangement. Luckily, she didn’t question the missing cash.

With that, Kanae and I crossed a short bridge and headed for Hamayu Pier Ferry Terminal…