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

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 escaped the sinking of the Ferry Terminal and an apartment building, but needed rope to proceed…

Before I left Enishida Apartment Building D, I spotted some graffiti on the stairs outside apartment 501. Upon investigating it, everything went dark, and I heard a girl’s voice laughing and telling me, “Let’s play…” Utterly perplexed, I went back the way I had come, via planks of wood across the patios, to reach my liferaft docked outside of 208.

We rowed back to Building C, where apartment 101 was submerged on the far side of the building. However, it was the only place where we knew ropes would be, so I ate a Plum Onigiri, equipped my Women’s Competitive Swimsuit, Swim Cap and Swim Goggles, and down I went.

The Old Climbing Rope was in a box in a cupboard about as far from the front door as it could be, but I found it and returned to Kanae and the boat. Unfortunately, I needed something else for my Hodgepodge Rope: some Torn Sheets, which I had been told were in Building D, apartment 106. So, I climbed out through 208’s patio to 206, then went outside and downstairs to the submerged flat.

The Torn Sheet was, again, about as far from the front door as could be, and by the time I was in fresh air again, my Stress level had eaten away at half of my health… But, I didn’t have time to go all the way back to the boat where I could rest, so I crafted my Hodgepodge Rope and headed for the fifth floor, where I knew a roof access was.

As I crossed the plank to 506, a tremor shook things and I heard something crash as I held onto the wall for dear life. I couldn’t look around to see what it was, and nothing really stood out when I was on the patio, so I crossed over to 502, then headed to the ladder. Once Kanae attached the rope, the tenant from 501 helped me pull the sign out of the way, and I quickly returned to the boat.

After a quick rest, we boarded and began to row, the sign narrowly missing us as it slammed back down! Whether the rope snapped or someone was trying to kill us, I had no idea…

It was 7:00 AM when we reached the nearby shore; I found Kumazawa, the rogue “convenience store worker”, hunched over a safe and giggling to himself. The street was filled with people, cars, and a row of decimated buildings opposite a fairly damaged train station. As I explored, it transpired that an aftershock had caused the shutters to close while they were evacuating a derailed train, so some people were still stuck on the platform. Both ends of the road were blocked, but Kanae suggested we walk on the rails as the trains weren’t running.

I found a Manga Kakeru Compass on the street, then while talking to people on the stairs of the platform, one asked me to take her Crowbar, and another begged me to take their Tengu Mask. Also on the north platform was a Shutter Handle, but it only worked to open the south shutter.

After finding the way onto the rails was also blocked, and would require help to clear it, I started checking for people willing to aid us. A shopkeeper’s father was trapped in the toppled store, but they couldn’t get him out from the front, and a child wouldn’t leave without their stuffed animal, her parents also unable to get through the front. Since I had access to a boat, I could go around the back! However, I told the shopkeeper that he had to help us to move the rubble, and I wasn’t going to get the teddy bear without a reward — so the kid gave me 10 yen (and an Immoral Point).

Unfortunately, the trapped human couldn’t be freed with the Crowbar, so I clearly had to locate a car jack. I searched the street for open car boots, finding a Car Jack inside a black one. On a whim, I spoke to Kumazawa and he recognised me, then “reminded” me of his name. I asked if he wasn’t supposed to be dead, which he laughed off before asking me for a Crowbar. He had cracked the lock on the safe, but the door was damaged, so I handed it over and got one Moral Point.

Speaking to him again, hoping to find out what was inside, he said there weren’t many valuables, so I asked what he was talking about and he laughed that the safe wasn’t his. I think something was lost in the localisation…

We got back in the boat and retrieved the Teddy Bear, which was easily half the size of an adult — but handily squished down to fit inside my backpack! Then, we rowed over and used the Car Jack to rescue the shopkeeper’s father. I gave the stuffy to the kid and told the father I needed his help, then went to check in on the shopkeeper’s family.

Before clearing the blockage on the platform, I picked up the emergency phone and told the rescue services about the people trapped in the apartment buildings, receiving 10 Moral Points. As promised, the two adults helped us to clear the way, and I checked the time, seeing that it was exactly 8:00 AM. What a busy hour!

Kanae and I walked through the train, then followed the tracks. Her fiancé’s company was close to Suiren Park, so we were heading east to get back there. If I hadn’t been needed to save her from the subway, this would have been a complete waste of 24 hours just to walk (and row) in a circle…

We reached Yurigasaka Station at 12:30 PM, but that stopped us because it had collapsed. We left the tracks to check out the nearby streets, finding more collapsed buildings than intact ones and a bunch of people trying to work out where to start. A man named Naoto Shimasugi, who worked in a tofu shop, told us about a soup kitchen in Yaguruma Shopping Street — in fact, about five metres behind him — then left us to it.

I walked over to the person watching over the fire and pot, and he asked me to help gather ingredients in exchange for some food when it was ready. I agreed, and he told me to get tofu, pork, and cabbage, and tell people that Mr. Nabe sent me. Down the short street, I found the three required store owners and told them about the request from Nabe, which they all responded quickly to. Also, in the tofu store, I found a Boys’ School Hat and Boys’ School Uniform - Summer Clothes. I changed my outfit (leaving my cap in place), as the swimsuit was probably no longer ideal.

Returning to the fire, Naoto asked why I was wearing his clothes — but then said they suited me. Nabe asked me to fetch Mama Shizuka from her bar, as she could turn the food into cuisine. However, he asked that Kanae remain behind and serve him alcohol, as if he needed a hostess… She readily agreed, however, so I went wandering.

As I walked past the bar called Koi, a tremor hit and I quickly reversed course as I figured another building was going to drop on me. I was safe, however, I fell right on my face… Wondering what had collapsed (there had been a loud bang), I checked down the street and found more fallen homes and shops. I helped someone jump down, catching them with all of my strength, then helped someone clean up, receiving one Moral Point and 10,000 yen for my troubles!

Down the other way, I found a Lantern Festival Compass and more destruction, so I went to fetch Mama Shizuka. I checked that the lady in Koi was who I wanted, then told her that Nabe needed her for the soup kitchen. We returned to the group, and I rested quickly before Shizuka helped prepare the food and we ate, my status going from Very Hungry to Full.

Shizuka asked Naoto’s father where he was, and was told that Naoto went to tell the people in Yamanote about the soup kitchen. There was some “us vs them” hostility expressed by the group, and when asked directly, I just laughed awkwardly. But, then someone ran over out of breath — there was a fire in Yamanote…!