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TheMcD
May 4, 2013

Monaca / Subject N 2024
---------
Despair will never let you down.
Malice will never disappoint you.

 Nuages gris: Dark Clouds: 09/07/2030, 09:05





Kazami had been working hard as always. There had been no dispatches recently, leaving her life in relative peace for the time being. But she decided to spend her breaks between work testing how much her skills had grown. Naturally, her training had taught her all sorts of different things she needed for her job. Such as knowledge of things required to become a certified practitioner in various fields. Or knowledge about poisons, hazardous substances, explosives, etc. And of course-- knowledge about past accidents and disasters-- an essential part of disaster prevention.



♪ BGM: Anxious Times of Rokumei City ♫

She would have one of her juniors, a fire inspector, send her those reports, which she would then read during her breaks between training.

Tips posted:

TIP: Fire Inspector
Category: Nonfiction

A fire rescue dispatch doesn't end with the rescue of the survivors and the extermination of the fire. The fire inspectors still need to investigate the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage. What started the fire? How did it spread? Were the fire alarms and fire extinguishers up to code? What was the extent of the human and material damage...? After the fire departments and rescue squads finish fighting fire and looming death, it is the fire inspectors who take up the remaining evidence as their weapons as they face the truth of the fires.

Finding out the whole story of a fire can help prevent a repeat of the same disaster, and in that regard, is always a useful task. The task of fire investigations falls on the local police or fire department, but to avoid any disputes, Article 35 of the Fire Service Act states that ''when there is a suspicion that a fire has been caused by arson or negligence, the principal responsibility and authority for investigating the cause of the fire shall be vested in a fire chief or fire station chief''. Thus, the fire department usually plays the leading role in the investigation.

(This information really is handy for knowing how to handle a crisis...)

Jun had called it a ''dark hobby'', but their job involved putting their lives on the line anyway. There was nothing dark about it. But regardless of whether or not she was actually doing it to improve her efficiency at work, there was something she'd been investigating for a long time. --It was the record of the ''Rokumei Municipal Apartment Complex Gas Explosion Accident''. It was that horrific tragedy that had robbed Nagisa of her life and given Jun that scar on her back... It was only natural Kazami was obsessed with the incident. Just then, Kazami's PDA beeped. She checked its screen to find the name of the fire inspector displayed alongside the ''e-mail received'' icon.

(More reports on past accidents...?)

Kazami opened the e-mail as she thought that.



♪ BGM: Close to the Truth ♫





Tips posted:

TIP: Segregated concrete
Category: Nonfiction

Cement powder is normally mixed with water in a 55:100 water-cement ratio to harden. Construction workers can cut corners when making concrete by mixing the cement with more water than necessary for various reasons, such as cost-reduction or to avoid rapid hardening during summertime. However, non-adherence to proper water-cement ratios results in structurally weak concrete called segregated concrete.

Buildings made with segregated concrete become defective, are prone to earthquake damage, and suffer from many other problems during normal service life. Segregated concrete is called such because its ingredients have separated into uneven gradients. The ingredients of concrete are water, cement, and aggregates such as rock and stone. Excess water causes the cement and lighter aggregates to separate from the larger, heavier aggregates.









♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫

...

Kazami frowned once she finished reading the e-mail. She first sent a reply thanking Reina, then she contemplated the e-mail's contents.

(Multiple explosions...? Can those really happen so quickly after one another?)

If it really had been caused by a chained explosion, then that would make it one of the worst apartment complex gas explosion accidents in Japanese history. Which meant that it should have been be a prime target for disaster prevention study. Yet this incident had gone largely ignored by firefighting organizations all over the country. Almost like they were trying to let a sleeping dog lie--

(... Another thing to wonder about is the lack of documentation surrounding the incident. What if the documentation wasn't actually lacking-- But rather concealed?)

When she pondered why anyone would do that-- Kazami suddenly remembered something from long ago.

(Now that I think about it, Nagisa told me something interesting about the apartment a while back...)



♪ BGM: Loyalist / Theme of Tachibana ♫

It might be a special apartment where they gather Communicators.
Oh, what makes you think that?
Well, the lady next door said she was allowed to live in this apartment because her son's a Communicator. She also said, 'families with Communicators are given an advantage in the drawing of lots for renting vacant rooms'.
Oh... I see.

Kazami understood what that information had meant even back then. The apartment complex was an old building, meaning there were many rooms and that the rent was next to nothing. It was a popular property, yet Kazami and Nagisa had been able to move in without waiting for their lot to be drawn. Kazami had thought they had been given favorable treatment since they were orphans-- But it appeared it had been because they were Communicators instead. Such a policy was unique to Rokumei City.



♪ BGM: Languid Hours of Rokumei City ♫

And then an explosion had occurred at such an important piece of property. Even in the event that the accident had been the complex manager's fault...

(Then it's possible the cause of the accident was covered-up too...?)

It was a rather offbeat theory, but one that couldn't be completely ruled out.

The Rokumei Municipal Apartment Complex... perhaps I should investigate that accident myself...

Just then, someone called out to Kazami.

Hey, Tachibana, what're you staring off into space for? Did you finish up those documents I gave you yesterday?
Ah... y-yes. I have.
I see. Then put them on my desk.

Watase said that, then turned around.

Ah, where are you going, Captain?
It's my shift. I'm heading back.

Watase went into the station with that curt reply.

...

Kazami watched him walk off with a feeling of gloom in her heart. Watase had grown cold over the last year. Almost like he was a totally different person. What's more, he'd seemed very tense over the past few days. Kazami had tried to get him to talk about whatever was on his mind multiple times-- But he rejected her efforts at every turn.

(... Why won't Watase say anything?)

There was too much Kazami didn't know. Such as Watase's thoughts, and the cause of the accident nine years ago. Or what she should do, or why she was so obsessed with this incident. But she felt as if vaguely sinister black clouds were hanging over all of them...

← # ? Jun 20, 2017 16:40
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