SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES: 09/10/2030, 17:15  Doesn't something seem odd to you about that car?Natsuhiko had caught sight of a car weaving back and forth precariously out of its lane. It strayed off the road and started heading towards Natsuhiko and Mashiro at the bus stop--! !? Mashiro!! Kyah!?Right after Natsuhiko pulled Mashiro by the hand, the sound of an intense impact rang out. The car had crashed into the roadside trees right beside the bus stop. But that still was not enough to stop the momentum of the car, which then started to spin out--  Mashiro, are you okay!? I-I'm fine... But the driver! As a result, the driver was trapped in the car without an easy way out. Ahhh! W-we gotta help him! Calm down, Mashiro. There's nothing ordinary bystanders like us can do. We should call an ambulance instead-- Wh-what are you saying!? An accident just happened right in front of us!Ignoring Natsuhiko, Mashiro ran straight towards the scene of the accident. Ah! Hey, wait, Mashiro!He looked at the car as he screamed--  And realized that there was a familiar face sitting in the driver's seat.  It was Natsuhiko's neighbor and his mother's coworker, Keiji Ukita. Huh!? M-Mr. Ukita!? A-are you okay!? Ugh...Ukita had no conspicuous injuries. However, he appeared to not be fully conscious, perhaps due to a concussion. Onlooker 1: What? An accident? Onlooker 2: That hardly happens in this city. Onlookers gathered all at once. Mashiro yelled, ignoring them. Please hold on. I'll get you out of there right now!But then-- An odd dripping noise could be heard mixed in with Mashiro's voice. And a noxious scent could be smelled wafting through the air. ♪ BGM: Looming Crisis ♫ (Gasoline!?) In this day and age, most passenger vehicles were electric. This particular car, however, was a hybrid, a dying breed. If the impact of the crash were to start a fire-- there'd be an explosion! (Mashiro's gonna get caught in it!)  !?Mashiro reflexively jumped back upon hearing that thunderous ''voice''. No, not just Mashiro. All the onlookers shrank away with looks of surprise on their faces. Ah...Even Natsuhiko himself was surprised. That ''mental voice'' stopped everyone in a visible radius in their tracks. --Natsuhiko's telepathy reached the minds of everyone. --...But this wasn't the time to be surprised. (Th-that's right! Gotta call an ambulance!)Natsuhiko took out his PDA with that in mind. He brought up the phone function and dialed 119. The line connected immediately.  --There's been a traffic accident. A car crashed into a street light. Someone's trapped inside. Also, there's a gas leak. It might explode.Operator: Thank you for your report. Pardon me, but mind identifying yourself? Natsuhiko Tenkawa, high school student at Rokumei Academy. Please see the city database.Operator: Sorry for the intrusion. Where did the accident occur? Center Street, close to the shopping area exit.Operator: Understood. We currently have a rescue squad dispatched on another case nearby that area. We'll redirect some of the members your way. And thus, the call center hung up. When Natsuhiko put away his PDA, he found Mashiro had come up beside him. Natsuhiko, was that... BC? ...Y-yeah, I guess.Natsuhiko answered ambiguously. He never expected that he could've used BC himself. Because he hadn't ever used it before in his entire life. (Why do I get the feeling that was a particularly strong use of telepathy...?) Well... more importantly, what about Mr. Ukita?Ukita appeared to be truly stuck. The stench of gasoline got even stronger. The car could've exploded at any moment. I-I wonder if he'll be okay... Calm down, the rescue squad's coming now... so let's try to wait and not panic.Mashiro nodded. Natsuhiko, Mashiro, and all the onlookers watched over the car in bated breath.  At its source was an ambulance and along red vehicle like a fire truck. The two cars stopped by the scene of the accident, and out of the red truck jumped two women.  One of the women shouted and looked at Natsuhiko. Based on their orange uniforms, they appeared to be rescue workers. Yes, I'm the one who called in the report. Understood. Please stand back; it's too dangerous. P-please hurry... the gas! Mr. Ukita! Relax. We're on the scene. Okay. C'mon, Mashiro, let's back away so we don't get in their way. R-right...Natsuhiko grabbed Mashiro by the hand and took her further away from the scene of the accident. The rescue workers' voices rang out. Moribe, what's the situation!? No sources of fire in the area! Lots of gasoline vapor, though! Then let's hose it down! Suppress the static electricity!Tips posted:TIP: Hosing a vehicular accident Roger!  Dojima, get the engine cutter ready! Hiyama, get the air jack!Team: Roger! Open the door as soon as the hosing's done! First—aid, get the stretcher ready, stat!The game isn't showing us Watase, but we, as people that have seen Route After, can recognize his voice pretty easily, given that we've heard it so much. Of course, you haven't, so I'm telling you. He bellowed out commands at the scene of the accident. And after the hosing was done, they wrenched open the car door with something resembling an electric saw and a jack--  Alrighty! You're safe now, sir! U... gh... thank you...Onlookers: Woaaahh!! The onlookers cheered. The female squad member smiled triumphantly as she laid Ukita down on the stretcher. S-so cool!Mashiro cheered as she watched the female squad member at work. More importantly, let's go. I'm worried about Mr. Ukita. Ah, right!Natsuhiko and Mashiro rushed up to the stretcher the rescue squad was carrying. Mr. Ukita! Um, are you okay!? Huh... oh, Natsuhiko, Mashiro...♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫ Ukita got off the stretcher once he noticed the two of them. Wait, sir, please stop! We need to take you into the ambulance-- Ah, I'm sorry... but please let me talk to these kids for a second.The squad member hesitated for a second, but then nodded reluctantly. You sure? What about your injuries-- I-I'm okay... My ribs hurt somewhat, but I can manage... Thank goodness. You had us worried. Anyway, was that your telepathy back there, Natsuhiko? Y-yeah... probably. That's the first time I've ever used it, though. I see... Um, so what about it? Mmm...Ukita fell silent for a moment and then gazed at Natsuhiko before continuing. Listen closely, you two. This is important. Strange things might start happening around you from now on. Huh...? What do you mean? Hopefully I'm just being a little paranoid... no, I probably am. But for now, just please be careful...! ...?Natsuhiko was bewildered and did not understand. And leaving his cryptic warning at that, Ukita was taken into the ambulance... Leaving behind only Natsuhiko, Mashiro, and some of the onlookers. Huh. Wonder what that was all about... ... Was it because you used BC? Maybe he was worried since you violated the ordinance. No...He had a feeling that that wasn't quite it, but he didn't have any idea what else it could've been. And at that moment-- someone caught his sight out of the corner of his eye. (Hmm...?)  ...She was standing among the dispersing onlookers from a distance, looking directly Natsuhiko's way.  Here, we have a blue branch with Mashiro at 8 and Salyu at 4. We'll be setting our Senses for Salyu later too. The girl seemed to be wearing the same Rokumei Academy High School uniform as Natsuhiko and Mashiro, but-- (Who is that...? Have I ever seen a blonde girl like that at school...?)Her piercing eyes seemed to conflict with her completely disinterested expression...  Feeling something of unrest from the girl, Natsuhiko stepped up between her and Mashiro. And with a defiant posture, he glared back at the girl. But eventually, the girl looked away-- and left. ...Mashiro, you okay? Huh? What do you mean? Uh, well...Mashiro didn't seem to have noticed the girl's presence. ...It's nothing. Let's go home. Yeah...And with that exchange, the two of them left.
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| ← # ? Jan 6, 2017 17:37 |
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