REIWA JIGOKUHEN - Chaotic Disturbance of Reiwa Era

Chapter 6 - Lull

Katsushika Ward, Tokyo: near Shibamata Station

"Are you hurt, granny?"

A mature man in pajamas and a jacket, who had escaped the disaster for the time being, called out to an old woman sitting on the side of the road.

"The firefighters did a good job. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Aah, thank you... I was tired."

"How about going to the evacuation center? Let's go there together."

The man was a construction foreman, so he carried the old woman lightly and started walking. The streets were full of evacuees as well, but there was some relief in the air. There were places where incendiary bombs seemed to have rained down, but the firefighters who rushed to the scene seemed to have quickly extinguished the fires. The flames that scattered were frightening, but in the early stages, fire extinguishers in homes and stores were effective. The southern part of the city was still burning red, and he didn't know how bad the situation was. But it's probably best not to think about that right now. He'll do his best to be there when it's time to rebuild.

"By the way... may I tell you an old story?"

"What is it, granny?"

"I was... there, when there was an air attack in this place a long time ago. Honestly, it happened again."

"Ooh, I didn't know that..."

The man chuckled as he chimed in, saying that he had no idea about history. But he remembered a long time ago, in some country—was it Germany? Or Spain? He thought the teacher told him that when Japan was at war with Germany or Spain, there was a big air raid in downtown Tokyo, killing many people.

"I was just starting out as a schoolgirl. Terrifying bomber planes called B-29s dropped bombs from the sky, and this whole place was a sea of fire. It reminded me of that... but how strange, the bombers that just flew by sounded just like those B-29s."

"Come to think of it, that's weird."

The man raised an eyebrow to start with the words he had uttered right after saying that. After a while, he recalled a TV show he had seen in elementary school. It was an episode of a long-running series that is still on today.

"Yeah, I've seen a story about a plane during the war that travels back in time to the present day. It's a drama."

"I wonder if it's like that. It's like we're having the same experience... but many things are different."

"How so?"

"Like I said before. Back then, everything is on fire, but this time it was quickly extinguished. Besides... at that time everyone was desperate to escape and no one was as kind as you."

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Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo: Prime Minister's Office

"Ng, aah... understood. You did a good job."

Joint Staff Chief Mitsuya expressed his gratitude over the phone and hung up.

"It's General Masutomi of the Air Defense Command. Several planes of unknown origin have surrendered."

"Ooh, you did it."

Everyone, including PM Kato, was smiling at the success of the mission. Now they will be able to get some information. In order to make them pay for the enormous damage they had caused, or even to demand retribution, they first had to find out who they were dealing with.

"The airline said they would land the planes at Narita. It's open."

"This is the first time I'm glad they don't operate at night."