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

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 and her companion Kanae Tomita had solved an arson and prevented a murder, only to be accused of burglary and locked in a shed…

The door was locked, and as the day's events finally caught up to us, we fell asleep. A tremor woke us, and I tried the door again. Then I kicked it before asking Kanae for ideas — she suggested calling for help. Out of all of the locals, I figured that Rie might respond. After all, we cleared her boyfriend’s name, and her bedroom was above the shed.

Someone replied, so I called out, and when the door opened, it was Naoto and Rie! He told us that he had set up some scaffolding which we could use to get back onto the railroad, but we had to leave now while everyone was distracted by the party. I thanked them and they went on ahead.

We followed through the hole in the fence, and as I descended the concrete stairs, it began to rain. Reaching the street, a large tremor knocked down a lamp post right in front of me, but I managed to brace for it this time. Lightning was accompanied by a distant crack of thunder, but knowing my luck, I had to get a move on. Two more massive tremors struck before I reached the passageway, but no more occurred as I reached the ladder that Naoto had set up.

It was 9:30 PM when we left, arriving where the highway and railroad met after “a few hours”. Since it was daylight, I checked the time again and found it to be 1:07 PM. Personally, I would say that 16 hours of walking is a little more than a few, but perhaps time flew while we were having fun in the thunderstorm.

As we walked, it appeared that our way forward was going to be cut off by a derailed train. Thankfully (I guess?), a tremor caused the railroad to collapse… then the highway above it to also fall. This had the added bonus of crushing the fence blocking us from leaving the train tracks, so we exited onto Kakitsubata Main Street. It was similar in condition to most places, with blocked roads and a lot of cracked buildings, and people generally milling around.

Nearby was a Smile 12&12 convenience store, and I heard an all too familiar clapping, so knew exactly who I’d find. Indeed, the fake store manager Kumazawa was behind the counter, offering products for far too much. Luckily, he wasn’t holding the toilet key ransom, so I was able to use the facilities to finally relieve my High Need. I then drank a Bottle Of Orange Juice, leaving me Not Thirsty and my hunger Satisfied. While the staff room was empty, I did find a Swordfish Compass in the storeroom.

Down the street, a salaryman ran into me, and when I spoke to him, he was flustered about Vestola’s managing director, Nakanishi, being scouted. That company name rang a bell, so I went inside to check things out, finding myself in the offices of Kerberos, the rival company to Vestola. After putting on a Blouse & Jeans outfit, I asked the receptionist if I could speak to Nakanishi, but she refused to answer. So, I headed further in and grabbed a Fighter Aircraft Compass (resembling a shoot-’em-up spaceship) from an office, which I equipped.

The door to the Kerberos president’s office was open, and a barrier blocked me from being spotted, so I listened in to the conversation. The president was speaking to Nakanishi, the managing director of Vestola, and trying to convince him to switch sides. After all, Kirishima, the president of that company, was inconsiderate, violent, and in Nakanishi’s own words, “hurt people from time to time”. In all, I thought it was interesting, but unless I found myself back in the Verstola offices, it wasn’t much use to me.

Nakanishi asked the Kerberos president to stop spreading rumours about Vestola, and while I was able to go inside and have them question why I was there, it was pointless. So, I headed back to the street where I found two people selling their possessions. However, I didn’t really require any more First Aid Kits, food, nor a Cheongsam outfit, or even an Aquamarine Ring. Well, just in case, I did buy the two Kelp Onigiri from one of them.

Since both ends of the street were blocked, I checked out the fence creating a barrier between this side of the highway and the other, and located a gate. The padlock said that the key was held by Kerberos, so I returned to the receptionist and asked for the key. To my surprise, she handed me the Highway Door Key, trusting that I wouldn’t betray her or the company.

After unlocking the gate, I ate one of my Kelp Onigiri, as I noticed that I had a High Appetite, though my Stomach was still Satisfied. Someone was standing in the underpass next to two scooters, so I complimented them and asked if I could borrow one. Unfortunately, there was a flat tire, so he required a Tire Repair Kit.

While looking around, I picked up a Firewood Backpack (with 30 storage spaces) and found that the highway was being blocked by someone insisting that only scooters would be allowed past. I was happy to find a Tire Repair Kit courtesy of a green-shirted man helping his buddy try to fix a car.

After handing over the kit to the scooter guy, we were allowed to take both! So, off we zoomed, rocking down the highway without a care. Until the road collapsed beneath us, throwing us — unharmed — from our hogs.

I spoke to Kanae to see if she was okay, and she offered to give me her outfit, if I wanted her to wear something new? So, I gave her my Business Suit And Skirt, and then I put on Kanae’s Clothes. Then, I nipped in to see if Kirishima was in the Vestola offices, only to find the office door open once again.

The stock price was in freefall, and they were going to lose the company, so I went inside and offered to buy the stocks. This angered Kirishima, who called me trash, so I left. I did nip into the other office and found it empty apart from Soma.

Outside, I went down the street to check if GZ Burger had anything interesting, and I found a Fast Food Worker Uniform in the kitchen. But that was all that I could find in the area, so I moved on to Ajisai Crossing.

The road next to the hotel, which was now barely a one-story tall frame, was still blocked by emergency services, so I had to go back through the jewellery store. I did check if the manager was still there, but someone outside had said there was a murder, so I assumed they had removed the corpse. The safe was open but empty, so I left via the back passageway... except the murderer was also there.

She recognised me, and not wanting to get stabbed, I asked how her injured arm was. After huffing at me, she declared that the jewellery was hers, and I couldn’t have it, so I agreed. She backed down, and I walked past, then hurried into the Italian restaurant.

I spoke to everyone, but the sous-chef had nothing to say, and the owner seemed to be mixing her words, apologising that she hadn’t closed the restaurant yet, when I was pretty sure the massive flood and lack of power had done that for her… I tried to talk business with her, but she brushed me off, so I spoke to an apprentice chef, who gave me the run-down on everyone. The sous-chef was a gambler, the waitress didn’t want the job, and the chef might be in debt. Fun times.

Leaving the restaurant, I spoke to the guy outside who was buying and selling clothing. I sold my spare outfits, making 62,800 yen out of the deal! I didn’t sell everything, but that Sailor Uniform alone was 28,000.

Around the corner, I nipped inside the practically flat former-hotel and snatched a Firefighter Compass, then went across the road into Geirröd. The manager mentioned that people were sleeping inside the showroom, as they were basically stuck in the area, and answered all of my questions about the cars, the hotel, the restaurant, and the jewellery shop where a murder, happened.

On the opposite side of the road was the street performer I had seen before entering the metro. They were performing and caught my attention as the song ended, wanting to speak with me in private. Her name was Miki Kinoshita, and had lived in town for a long time busking. She had heard rumours about a pair of thugs attacking women, so I decided to be careful. Miki, on the other hand, was actively seeking information about them to hand to the police, and asked me to be careful — Kanae too.

A short distance away, I found Yayoi Kasahara, the woman I had helped escape from a collapsing office building. I told her that I remembered her being brave, and she lamented that she was unable to get in touch with her mother. I told her to do her best, and that seemed to cheer her up. She decided to stay in the area, knowing that I was leaving, and said she would leave a message with the car dealership if she found a way to go home. As I turned to leave, she grabbed my hand and told me to take care.

As I headed back towards Asagao Crossing, I wondered if the teacher and students were still there…