Disaster Report Diaries (Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3) Part Five

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 Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3: Kowareyuku Machi to Kanojo no Uta...

Rina Makimura and Saki Honjou still hadn’t made it to the shelter, as they had encountered two people trapped with no way to free them…

Having run out of ideas on how to enter the supermarket to find food for the trapped child, I returned to Saki to see if she had any ideas. Her idea was “find a key”, which did not help me. The trapped mother, thankfully, was much more helpful and told me that there was a key hidden under a flower pot when she used to work there. I returned to the back door and re-checked the flower pot that I had already checked, finding a key this time! I unlocked the door and went inside, receiving Disaster Manual 25: Keys and Locks, which stated not to hide keys near the very doors which they unlocked. Disaster Manual 26: When the Exit is Blocked then suggested breaking through the roof if you’re trapped in a collapse.

The inside of Magoya Mart didn’t look much better than the outside, and as I explored there were several tremors. A meeting room just inside contained an Aoi Resid. News which was an advert hiring part-timers for an “amusement facility” operated by Morita Group, with high salary, preferential treatment at resorts, and a place to live at a discounted rate. There was also some Packing Tape which I figured would probably come in handy, and Disaster Manual 50: Use of Packing Tape agreed as it could be used to attach objects, as string and bandages, or a nameplate work on your chest.

I found a Casual Clothes outfit outside of a locked door, then entered the store proper, which appeared to have been ransacked as it was almost completely empty! I found a Backpack, giving me a little more storage space, then a Shopping Compass, Pasta Compass, Choker, Pollen Guard Mask, and some Glasses. With nothing else to grab, I headed upstairs which must have been the clothing department, since I grabbed Reporter Clothes, a Red Suit, a Navy Suit, Quality Sunglasses, and a Toothpaste Compass.

At the far end, pinned beneath a fallen shelf, was the body of a store employee. They had a Break Room Key on them, so I went back downstairs and into the hallway leading to the back door. Inside was a Grey Suit outfit, and the only food that I had managed to locate: CalorieMate, a type of energy bar made of various proteins, fats and sugars, which contains 400 kcal of energy in an 80-grams serving. I also received Disaster Manual 28: Emergency Food, which extolled the virtues of CalorieMate, dry bread, and pre-prepared meals made in case of an emergency.

Once back outside, I changed my Sunglasses for the Quality Sunglasses and rested on a bench — the discovery of the employee had shot my Stress level up — before heading back to Saki. Almost as soon as the child had eaten the CalorieMate, a rescue helicopter arrived! Yukiko and Tae, the mother and child, were rescued by someone who knew their names, and then thanked me and Saki for taking care of his wife and daughter. He then told us to board the helicopter, but he was informed that was impossible, there was only space for a single one of us.

Now, I could have hopped in and left Saki, who would have been happy to see me rescued, clearing the game in 02:30:55, with 40 disaster manuals and 20 compasses. But, then I wouldn’t discover why Morita had been shot! So, after I told Saki to get on the chopper, she declined and we continued on our way. This gave me Disaster Manual 29: Neighborhood Watches and Disaster Manual 30: Evacuation by Helicopter, the latter of which listed the agencies which would evacuate people via helicopter.

Disaster Manual 29 actually contained an inaccuracy, which I thought worth noting. It said that local residents should watch out for each other to avoid a repeat of 1995’s Great Hanshin Earthquake (AKA the Kobe earthquake), due to increased crime rates. However, statistics from the time show that crime actually decreased, it was just public perception that it increased. Since the game was in development two years after the earthquake, I can only assume that the development team didn’t see the figures.

We left the area, and at 02:31 pm we arrived near Nishi Daisan Junior High (curiously named West Third Junior High in the translation of the scene transition). A sinkhole proved a minor obstacle that we had to climb into and then out of, but I also picked up some Gauntlets and a Doll Compass, then a White Suit was just at the top. Also, I had to nip back along the top of the hole to grab a Blue Tee outfit.

At the school gates, we found less than 20 people gathered with multiple tents around the yard. The school itself was damaged but appeared to have withstood the earthquake and subsequent tremors pretty well. A nurse ran over, surprised to see that Saki hadn’t left the island. They were short-handed, so asked for her help and they left. I was approached by Ryouko Honda, a reporter from Capital News Weekly, who wanted details about where I had come from, and how badly affected that area was.

After explaining, I asked what she knew about the damage in other areas, and she confirmed that Central Island was hit the hardest, with the bridge and tunnels having collapsed, meaning that there was no way off of the island without a boat or helicopter. Apparently, a helicopter had been there the day before, but there had been no sign of another one. Worse, the ratio of injured people to medical personnel was heavily in the “injured” column, with the shelter running low on supplies and lacking in portable toilets. I ended our conversation by asking how to become a wonderful woman like her, which she stated was to remain strong-willed no matter what.

She immediately undermined her position by saying that she had come to the island to investigate the connection between Hazuki Construction and the Morita Group, and was becoming overwhelmed by this situation. I decided to throw her a bone by telling her about Morita’s suspicious death, which she said she would investigate.

I obtained several Disaster Manuals, 31: What Happens in Shelters, 32: About Triage, 33: Rules for Volunteering, 34: Portable Toilets, and 79: Disaster Coverage. They covered how proper shelter management was important for safeguarding, the prioritisation of injured people, not forcing support on disaster victims, the importance of non-flush toilets, and how news reporting was important to get the right balance. 79 again referenced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, saying that the number of news helicopters covering the disaster had drowned out the voices of trapped victims.

Around the shelter was a lot of clothing and supplies, all of which I shoved into my backpack. The clothes were: a Nightcap, White Sandals, Driver Gloves, Long Boots, and a Blue Suit. Food-wise, it was a Sports Drink, Fruit Juice, Chocolate Bar, Fresh Orange, Water 350ml, Water 500ml, Salmon Onigiri, and a Jam Bun. Miscellaneous items were a Vault Box Compass, a First Aid Kit, and a copy of Gathering Weekly, which celebrated compass collections. It listed a Treasure Ship Compass which gave luck, a Gravure Compass modeled after a (fictional) idol, and the Erikage Compass which I had already picked up!

I found Saki who had just finished being of use, and was thanked by the nurse. She then added that the hospital director had remained at the hospital, which shocked Saki. She went and sat down, but before checking on her I decided to have a quick rest on a bench. When I caught up with Saki, she picked up a guitar and began singing her song, which heavily used the piano and drums, and she managed to keep harmonising with herself, she truly was talented. Quite how she managed that saxophone solo I probably would never discover.

The performance managed to cheer up the spirits of the crowd, but over at the other side of the school grounds, angry voices could be heard. Before I could investigate, I was given Disaster Manual 35: Entertainment which explained that it was good to take your mind off of the disaster, and Disaster Manual 56: Singing with Survivors which said that singing could raise people’s spirits.

We went over to find out what the disturbance was to find seven people shouting at someone in a brown suit. They were trying to explain that the island was sinking, so I kept quiet. They went on to explain that they were Ishizawa, a geologist who had done a survey on the island’s foundations some time ago, though the crowd voiced that it had been deemed fake news. To emphasise how false Ishizawa had been, a tremor hit and less than a mile away some tall buildings disappeared with a large splash!

Ishizawa restated that we should go to the East District shelter immediately, as those foundations were more stable. Everyone left, apart from myself, Saki, and the geologist. Ishizawa muttered “he’s not here” and left, and as we moved to follow him we were shouted at by Hikawa, who was standing directly behind us. He asked where Ayami was, and we had figured she had followed after him, which didn’t seem to surprise him. Instead, he asked if we knew an Ishizawa? Surely the two had passed one another while exiting through the school’s only gate…

Hikawa ran off to try and catch the geologist, and I received Disaster Manual 36: Stress Management, which stated not to use platitudes during a disaster and just listen and care about people’s problems. We had a brief rest on the bench, then left the school, heading for the East District shelter…