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

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 finish Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories…

Yuko Ichikawa survived everything that the Hisui City earthquake had thrown at her, so with things returning to normal, the loss of a former companion had hit hard…

It was 4:45 PM when I moved on to Ajisai Crossing, as there was nothing more that I could do there, and I still had a chance to leave the city. The sun set in the 25 minutes it took to walk through the newly created gap in the buildings, but the first thing I did was go to the burned-down hotel.

I had neglected to finish off the little game I started playing in the flooded apartments, so I went right to the remains of the staircase. Everything went dark and a girl appeared, thanked me for going around the five stairs, and disappeared…

Next, I hit up the car showroom Geirröd, where Yayoi Kasahara had said she was staying. The manager apologised, saying that I had missed her by mere minutes, and handed me a letter. It said that she had gone to the jewellery store to get two tickets for the airport!

The route which led to both city hall and Hozuki Airport was blocked, but a worker assured me that it was going to be open soon. With the Italian restaurant Angelina blocked by boxes, I decided to check on Yayoi. I was told that the way through to Kakitsubata Main Street would be open after 7:30 PM, and it was only 5:17 PM, so I opened the jewellery store door. Except, it was locked.

I heard two men (named Nobutoi and Kandakai in the subtitles) attacking Yayoi! Likely the ones I had been warned about the last time I was in Ajisai Crossing. I had to help her, so I really hoped that the boxes in front of Angelina had been removed. Luckily, they had, so I ran through the alleyway and reached Yayoi inside of a minute.

However, her attackers had disappeared through the front door, and she had been savaged before I arrived. I decided that I would never forgive her attackers, and I sat with her silently for a couple of hours.

It was 7:21 PM when I went to Angelina and spoke to the chef, handing over the Italian Restaurant Transfer Contract for free. I got 80 Moral Points and received a Women’s Luxury Wristwatch, as well as the position of “Owner of the Angelina Restaurant”! Before leaving, I grabbed a Pasta Compass from the counter, and then looted the lockers, finding a Chef Whites outfit, Her Majesty’s Mask, Sunglasses, Clothespins, and Elf Ears.

The way had opened up to leave, so I led Yayoi out, but we were stopped by someone who was looking for their older sister. It was Haruhiko Higa, the brother of the now-deceased teacher Natsumi Higa… I told him that she had died and handed over the Broken Fountain Pen and told him where he could find her. He took a moment to compose himself, then left.

It was 7:47 PM, so Kakitsubata Main Street was now open. I decided to check in with Kirishima, and rub in his face that I owned a ton of shares in his company, so headed that way. I crawled under the shutter and headed upstairs to his office, where he asked what I wanted, so I told him that we should have a drink without a confrontation. He agreed, we drank, and then he told me that we were now enemies and hoped that I could compete on his level.

I left with a shrug and considered heading back to see how the students were now, but time was getting on so I was unable to. Instead, I found an abandoned motorcycle and decided to use it to get to the Garbera Bridge Rest Area, as both Yayoi and I wanted to get away as soon as possible.

After an uneventful bike ride, we reached the area and I spoke to Yayoi, giving her my business suit and skirt to change into, as her attackers had torn her outfit. I then visited the toilet, as I had High Need, before starting to talk to the people around. That’s when I found Kanae Tomita, but there was no sign of her boyfriend, Tomoya.

Kanae was surprised to see me with someone (even though she had given me two tickets), and dragged me away for a quick aside. She asked if Yayoi was my girlfriend, but I just said that she was important to me. She hadn’t questioned how I knew her when Kanae had accompanied me through Ajisai Crossing and we’d bumped into her before…

I asked about Tomoya, but apparently, he had something that he needed to do, so he told Kanae to go ahead. Then, she remembered something and pointed out someone who was already sitting in the back of the truck — the person who was after Tomoya! She asked me to not say anything to the man, as she wasn’t either.

Before getting on the truck, I spoke to everyone and checked around the area, finding a Chigogen Compass behind the main building. One man sold me 900,000 shares in Vestola Co. for 4,500,000 yen, but nobody else had anything for me, so I got on the truck. The attendant told me that I should use the bathroom before doing so, but I’d just been.

Frustratingly, the truck stopped in the middle of the bridge for a bathroom break! I decided to get out for some fresh air and spoke to everyone again. Yayoi wanted to thank me for being there for her, as she felt that she hadn’t done anything by herself, so I told her that she didn’t have to say anything. We then re-boarded the truck for Hozuki Airport.

We eventually arrived, but rather than pull into the terminal, the truck kept going straight. Someone suggested that it was because we were going to the runway to board the planes directly. I said that I didn’t care which it was, so long as I got to leave. The truck stopped and we debarked, so I said that I was glad as my back hurt. However, instead of a plane in front of us, we found a ship.

Two people complained that it wasn’t a helicopter, so seven people in boiler suits aimed guns at us! The guy who seemed to be in charge ordered us on the ship, and before we knew it, we were all tied up in a small room. The guy complained that he’d only secured 15 people (even though I counted 14 including myself) to another person stood at the front of the room.

Tomoya turned and removed his sunglasses, revealing himself to be the actual person in charge! He was a human trafficker, using the earthquake to disappear people who would then be assumed missing from the disaster. Kanae called out to her boyfriend, who actually thought about helping her, but they already didn’t have enough people, so he apologised that she’d have to go with us.

I shot a meaningful look at the man who had been chasing Tomoya all this time, though I think that someone else thought I was looking at them. Not that I had time to worry about it, as the real-real person in charge, Mrs. Maeda, the old lady from Surien Park, entered the room and complained that there weren’t enough people.

Maeda thanked us for our understanding in the cramped quarters, then all three people left. Since I’d already had experience with moving around whilst bound, I was able to exit through the person-sized gap in the wall behind me and shuffle around until I found a tape holder, which I used to cut through the rope. It took about 40 minutes, but I was able to move.

Frustratingly, I wasn’t allowed to free anyone else, so I explored the hold, finding a big crate packed with dynamite. Clearly, I couldn’t run upstairs with it or set it off while I was there, so I needed a detonator. A handy poster provided by “Bomb Squad Unit” explained that I needed a circuit, cords, and a clock to make a remote detonator. I’m pretty sure that would have required a remote, but at least I now knew how to make a timer.

Across from the dynamite were cords, then up some stairs and a ladder was a box of circuit boards. For the Alarm Clock, I just had to climb another ladder and grab it from the floor in front of me, two metres away from a group of boiler-suited goons. I returned down the ladders and assembled the Remote Detonator (which was a timer) and ate some food as I didn’t know when I’d next get to. I picked the Tempura Udon and Tsukimi Udon which I’d purchased in Housenka Shopping Street.

I was now thirsty, but I didn’t have time to worry about that, as I set the detonator (and received 300 Immoral Points). An alarm started blaring, and the rest of the prisoners ran past me to escape! It was 2:45 AM when I ran for the deck, exiting to find… well, nothing amiss. I even checked out the area before moving towards the prisoners gathered on the dock — apparently, we hadn’t yet set sail.

The explosion from the hold threw me onto the concrete, where a handful of people, Tomoya included, aimed guns at us. He blamed me directly for this and was going to shoot me, so I told Yayoi that I liked her. Suddenly, Tomoya’s weapon was shot out of his hand — it was the one who’d been chasing him! He told Tomoya to put his hands up, and when the third in command laughed at that, the rest of the guns were shot out of hands, and the authorities arrived in force. A squad with riot shields, cars, helicopters…

There was a little narration summing up what had just happened, and a rescue helicopter arrived. Everyone boarded, Kanae allowing Yayoi to get on first, and I hesitated as I approached, looking back at the bridge leading into the city. Both women called out to me, wondering what was wrong, so I said it was nothing and joined them…

I had met 101 people, had 82,155,210 yen, and 25 compasses. I had fallen over five times whilst travelling 45,364.996m (28 miles or so), and had finished with 709 Moral Points and 900 Immoral Points.

After the credits, I received the exact same Christmas time scene that I’d seen at the start of the game, asking what kind of response I’d have to being in a strange place at a time of a great disaster. I answered that I’d try to survive by cooperating with others.

… But what if I’d gone to city hall instead…?

When the decision of whether to go to the airport or Chitosekazura Subcenter came up, I chose the latter; however, Yayoi would not accompany me. After an uneventful bike ride, I arrived in a badly damaged area close to City Hall. It was 11:30 PM and people were milling around, some of them searching unsuccessfully for the shelter in the dark, as barely any of the street lights were illuminated.

A small tremor caused a piece of wall to smash a car just in front of me, and I ducked down just in case. While nothing else shook or broke, the sound of a tremor didn’t abate until much later.

I arrived at the shelter and grabbed some Wellington Glasses from a table, then set about speaking to everyone that I found. Someone wanted to throw their rubbish on the massive pile of trash already accumulated, and despite me telling them to use their head and not do that, they said they were going to regardless. Another person offered me some Bandages, which I accepted, but nothing else was worth noting. Until I was approaching the two bath tents, when the large government building suddenly lit up as it regained power!

Speaking of the bath tents, I decided to have a bath in the simple bath set up. I entered feet-first and felt refreshed, then left feeling glad that I’d come. After speaking to everyone and exploring a bit, some people were happy they had the shelter, others were lamenting it, plus I had found a Large Furoshiki with 48 storage spaces (but didn’t equip it) and a Takoyaki Compass (which I did).

There was a crowd at the stairs, so I checked out the commotion. Everyone was angry about the lack of updates, and someone insisted I add my complaint, so I went with “What’s up with only the government building having electricity?” The mob demanded to see the mayor, and I wound up being shoved to the front, as the ringleader?

I literally had no choice but to run to the building as a crowd of people raced behind me! I just knew if I tried to let them go past, they would trample me, but thankfully, they spread out when we got inside. I spoke to every angry person, then went up the deactivated escalator — and was chased once more by the mob!

On the fifth floor, they again spread out and let me catch my breath. Near the mayor’s office, I found a Potage Soup Compass, but no mayor. Assuming that he was headed for the helipad, we went up to the observation deck. Since I wasn’t being chased, I took the chance to look around. I had needed to use the bathroom since arriving, but the portable toilets were all in use, including one by a “Familiar Voice”, so I was hoping to find one of those at least.

I only found a good view of the city, a model of the building, and inside a shuttered office: an Apple Pie Compass. It was already 3:19 AM, so I joined the mob that had cornered the mayor on the helipad. I tried to calm the evacuees, but they got angry and accused me of starting the riot for notorious purposes!

A tremor shook the building, and I found myself on the ground, atop the mayor with my hand on his throat. Someone said that I was taking him hostage, and the crowd backed away, not wanting to be associated with this. But beating or murdering the mayor would have been fine?! I’d had enough, so I demanded 500 million yen and an escape helicopter.

The mayor acquiesced and I got 500 Immoral Points — then a large tremor caused me to fall off of the roof! Someone grabbed my hand, and to my absolute amazement, it was my nemesis Kumazawa! He must have gone to the shelter after leaving Himawaricho, but why would he be so selfless? He wasn’t, as he asked for 50,000 yen before he’d pull me up…

I had met 100 people, had 86,655,210 yen, and 25 compasses. I had fallen over five times whilst travelling 46,497.043m (nearly 29 miles), and had finished with 710 Moral Points and 1,100 Immoral Points.

After the credits, the police arrived to quell the riot, and Kumazawa told them that I was behind the whole thing! Also the hostage situation… Thankfully, the rescue and rebuilding plans were already underway; they just hadn’t been communicated to the people yet. Also, the mayor defended me himself, so I was only scolded instead of imprisoned.

I then received the exact same Christmas time scene that I’d seen at the start of the game, asking what kind of response I’d have to being in a strange place at a time of a great disaster. I answered that I’d try to survive by cooperating with others.

But, did you know that there was an epilogue to Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories…?