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

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…

After travelling for what felt like 20 hours, we were finally almost back where Yuko Ichikawa’s journey began…

Our return to Asagao Crossing was via a new crawl space that wasn’t there before, allowing Kanae Tomita and me to get through more easily than when Yayoi Kashara and I arrived in Ajisai Crossing. It was starting to get dark, the time was 5:50 PM, so that was understandable, and we found two of the teenagers I’d met two days ago.

Eri Akasaka was standing behind a crying Hiroko Yamauchi, and when she spotted me, Eri wandered off. Hiroko fell to her knees and I noticed that her glasses were cracked, and her hair was cut awkwardly, so I asked what had happened. She wept about how the previous night she had woken to someone cutting her hair before stepping on her glasses, but she wasn’t clear on whether or not she saw the laughing culprit’s face.

I suggested that it was Hidemi Shimizu, but Hiroko denied that the other student would have the guts. She blamed Eri, who was there a moment ago attempting to comfort her, which Hiroko explained as the other girl toying with her emotions. I still reckoned that Hidemi had something to do with it, so I went looking for the pair of bullies.

My search didn’t take long, as I went into the convenience store chiller and immediately located them. However, I was unable to get more than a sentence from either, so I went looking for their teacher, Natsumi Higa, who was sitting next to a ramp set up to allow access back to Obako Main Street.

She was looking at a fountain pen and muttering the name Haruhiko, so I asked who that was. After a tremor, she commented on how they kept happening, despite the big quake happening a few days ago, so I wondered when the aftershocks would stop. She then returned the subject to Haruhiko, who had gifted her the pen when she became a teacher, and she was thinking about how he had survived Stiver Island with her.

After I told her that he sounded great, she denied it, but did wonder if he was worrying about her in this situation. She regretted not having her phone, and that’s it. She had nothing to say about her charges. I even went back to speak to the teens again, and I asked Hiroko why she wasn’t asking Natsumi for help, and she said that the teacher wouldn’t do anything.

Since there was literally nothing else for me to do in the area, I went up the ramp to Obako Main Street, just south of Suiren Park. It was 7:30 PM, and I had come literally full circle in going on 60 hours…

After crawling through the hole I’d used to escape the park in the first place, I walked around speaking to everyone. The scene had been tidied somewhat, and a digger was working on clearing some rubble. Overarching sentiment seemed to suggest that everyone was ready to head to Azami Station in the morning, once the road west had been cleared.

In the park itself, we finally located Kanae’s fiancé, Tomoya! It was the guy in the black T-shirt who I had told I would retrieve his package from the train station. So much for meeting me at the ferry…

Tomoya recognised me, and Kanae was surprised to find that we knew each other already. I told him that I had saved her and accompanied her to the ferry terminal, and she got annoyed at him for standing her up. He explained that he had been looking for, and helping, the wife of his former teacher, an elderly woman named Mrs. Maeda, who sat on the bench behind him.

While Kanae got acquainted with the woman, Tomoya sidled over to me and asked about the Jewelry Box. None of my options allowed me to hand it over, and when I checked my inventory afterwards, it wasn’t in there, but I had definitely picked it up. So, I replied that I went to the station, but it was chaotic…

He was absolutely fine with that, then he and Kanae had a conversation about whether or not to leave the city. They decided to stay here, to help people, and embraced. Discretion being the better part of valour, I attempted to leave quietly, but Kanae stopped me. The pair thanked me and wished me well, then we parted company.

It was curious to be going solo again, but I didn’t let it worry me as I headed back into the nearby clothing store where I had mistakenly shoplifted. Heading up to the top floor, I found the brooding customer who had hidden the storeroom key. She felt helpless, and had been feeling so even before the earthquake. I encouraged her to talk to me, and she explained that she had lost her husband and job in recent months due to burnout, and working part-time meant that she was in debt.

I inadvertently told her that if she gave me the little money that she had raised, I would increase the amount and return it to her. So, she handed over 185,000 yen. She told me she would stay in the store for a few days, but to please return ASAP.

On the floor below was the store owner, Akemi, who recognised me as the thief, but then kvetched about being unable to sell anything during an emergency situation. I told her that it all depends on what she did going forwards, which she repeated to herself a few times. Upon speaking to her again, she offered to sell me some of her designs, so I bought a Bikini and Purple Eyeshadow.

I got back to the park at 8:11 PM, so I decided to call it a night and laid on a bench to sleep. After resting for almost 12 hours, I woke to find the park almost deserted. I did head back towards Asagao Crossing, but I was unable to walk down the ramp; however, I did spot a Sushi Compass in the back of a truck, so I snatched it.

Before heading down the now-unblocked road to Azami Station, I spoke to Kanae and her two travelling companions. I wasn’t given the opportunity to get my clothes back and return hers, but Mrs. Maeda did say she thought those two were a perfect couple. I still hadn’t been given an answer as to why the angry bloke beat up Tomoya…

The sun was so bright; it made the areas in shadow appear pitch black. After wandering around a bit, I was approached by two people in white T-shirts, who asked if I had any problems or unsatisfied feelings. I replied that I had neither of those, but they insisted I must. After repeating myself, they impressed on me how that simply was not true. So I told them my stomach ached — I was in dire need of the toilet, hungry, and thirsty, so that was all true.

The pair told me that they could solve my problems and ease my dissatisfaction, so I agreed to go with them, thinking I could reverse scam them. They beckoned me to follow them, but then disappeared, so I wandered around (and found a Clown Compass) until I passed some portable toilets. I had High Need, so I took care of that, then ate my Smoked Salmon Avocado Sandwich, the Massive Roast Beef Sandwich, and drank my last Bottle of Orange Juice.

Next to two shuttered metro station entrances, I found two people talking about White Shirts and how I shouldn’t fall for their tricks. Then, I realised that a doorway actually led down some stairs into an underground entrance. My two new “friends” welcomed me, opening a door to reveal a veritable feast and 15 people. I was apprehensive, assuming the food was drugged.

The “leader”, Hakuyo, entered from a door on the other side of the room and literally stroked his moustache. He was almost cartoonish, so I had to assume he was pocketing money for himself. The tables were full of different foods and bottles of wine. Just wine. Oh, and a Shortcake Compass.

I ate a doughnut and went into Hakuyo’s office, finding him sitting behind a large desk with a massive safe next to him. A Leather Backpack with 34 spaces was atop it, so I nabbed that, but Hakuyo didn’t have much to say. Curious what would happen if I drank the suspicious wine, I did so. Still, nothing happened, and I regretted eating both of my sandwiches earlier.

Leaving the room, I was asked by the two in white shirts — Koyama and Omori— to recruit more people to the cause! What cause? The “have food and electricity” cause, I suppose? Since there was currently no way out of Azami Station (which was more of a square than a station), I decided to see what would happen if I did my best…