[LP CYOA] Spiral

[treave]

Journalist's Notes #7

***

Spoiler

I came across yet another mysterious note in this room, though the key is yet to appear before me.

In this, as with the others, there is that recurring motif of the village of one thousand and six hundred, a witch, and death. I wonder what it all means?

I will copy it down, as always.

-Hidetaka Matsui

***

In a forest, in an empty village, the man came across the girl.

The girl was digging graves, and in the open ones already dug, she had placed within their earthen embrace coffins, one thousand and six hundred in all.

The man asked, who lay in there?

The girl replied, my fellow villagers.

The man asked, do you need my help to bury them?

The girl replied, they are not here for burial, but for a ritual of resurrection.

The man asked, in spirit?

The girl replied, in flesh.

The man assisted the girl in her arduous task. Circles upon concentric circles of graves were dug, one by one, until all of the coffins had a place in the earth, with the girl and the man at the center of it all.

Then, the girl started to sing a song.

The girl went to the first coffin, and opened it, revealing the corpse within.

The girl went to the second coffin, and opened it, revealing the corpse within.

The girl went to the third coffin and opened it, revealing the corpse within.

The man watched as she repeated it again, and again, spiralling outwards until all one thousand and six hundred coffins were open, and she returned to where she began.

Without a moment of rest or pause in her singing, the girl visited the coffins a second time.

The girl passed over the first coffin.

The girl went to the second coffin, and closed it, hiding the corpse within.

The girl passed over the third coffin.

The girl went to the fourth coffin, and closed it, hiding the corpse within.

And the walk ended, and she started for a third time.

The girl passed over the first and second coffins.

The girl went to the third coffin, and closed it, hiding the corpse within.

The girl passed over the fourth and fifth coffins.

The girl went to the sixth coffin, and opened it, revealing the corpse within.

She repeated the song and the walk, over and over, without rest or stop as the sun rose and sank in the sky, until she had performed it one thousand and six hundred times, once for each of the deceased.

The man watched it all.

At the end of the one thousand and six hundredth repetition, only a handful of coffins remained open.

And from those coffins, those who were once dead returned to the witch.

***

Something is scribbled in the margins, as an afterthought: Number of open coffins… perhaps? The handwriting looks to be different from Hidetaka’s.

 

[Kz3r0]

C. 1.
I think that attempting to open all the lockers(coffins) would be a very bad idea.

 

[Nevill]

Backing down from a puzzle?

Never!

The more difficult puzzle would be, how do we reconcile Uehara and Amanozaki? Is such a thing at all possible? I guess we are lucky to have Mitsuki with us as a mitigating factor for now, but it would be nice to achieve a genuine truce between the two.

 

[Nevill]

Well, it is quite easy to determine if a given coffin would end up open or locked.

Spoiler

The algorithm is made in such a way that the n-th coffin does not change its state after n-th attempt.

The first coffin is opened and then passed over on each subsequent attempt. The second coffin is opened on the first attempt, closed on the second, and then passed over. The forth coffin is opened on the 1st, closed on the 2nd, passed over on the 3rd, then opened on the 4th and never touched from 5th attempt and on.

Generally, if the coffin's number has an odd number of divisors, it will end up opened. If the number of divisors is even, it will end up closed.

So, a 15th coffin will end up closed, as its divisors are 1, 3, 5, and 15 - 4 in total.

Now, the question is, how do we get the number of open coffins... perhaps there is a pattern as well.

Edit: Pah! I'm stupid. The only numbers that do not have an even number of divisors are ones that have the same divisor twice. That is, squares. The number of open coffins after n-th iteration is equal to the number of squares among the numbers from 1 to n.

And obviously, there are 40 square numbers in-between 1 and 1600.

B.

 

[asxetos]

I have some time at work and decided to bruteforce it because i fail at math really hard.

C# Code

           bool[] coffins = new bool[1600]; //true: open, false: closed
       
            for (int step = 1; step <= 1600; step++)
            {
                int current_coffin = 0;

                while (current_coffin + step <= 1600)
                {
                    current_coffin += step;

                    coffins[current_coffin - 1] = !coffins[current_coffin - 1];
                }
            }

            int open_coffins = 0;

            for (int i = 1; i <= 1600; i++)
                if (coffins[i - 1] == true)
                    open_coffins++;

            Console.WriteLine("Open Coffins: " + open_coffins.ToString());

            Console.ReadKey();

The answer was 40 unless i fail at logic too.

 

[Elfberserker]

uuh...B.
I guess

 

[Rex Feral]

B, it wouldn't be any problem for us to find a solution for the puzzle, I might try a python script later, if I have the time.

EDIT: Actually I see you guys already found the answer. So there are 40 coffins in total and their corresponding numbers are the square numbers between 1 and 1600?

 

[Azira]

Sure, B

 

[archaen]

B

 

[Baltika9]

B

 

[ERYFKRAD]

A sounds like the dumbest, most fool thing to do.
I'm all for it.

 

[Random Word]

Much shorter :D Oh, and B. We just can't resist being clever.

Python Code

#!/usr/bin/env python
import numpy as np

indices = np.arange(1,1601)
coffins = np.zeros(1600)
for i in indices:
    coffins[indices%i==0] = np.logical_not(coffins[indices%i==0])
print(sum(coffins))

Or, if libraries are bad form, slightly shorter but harder to read:

#!/usr/bin/env python

coffins = [False]*1600
for ix in range(1,1601):
    coffins = [not x if (i+1)%ix==0 else x for i, x in enumerate(coffins)]
print(sum(coffins))

I have some time at work and decided to bruteforce it because i fail at math really hard.

C# Code

           bool[] coffins = new bool[1600]; //true: open, false: closed
     
            for (int step = 1; step <= 1600; step++)
            {
                int current_coffin = 0;

                while (current_coffin + step <= 1600)
                {
                    current_coffin += step;

                    coffins[current_coffin - 1] = !coffins[current_coffin - 1];
                }
            }

            int open_coffins = 0;

            for (int i = 1; i <= 1600; i++)
                if (coffins[i - 1] == true)
                    open_coffins++;

            Console.WriteLine("Open Coffins: " + open_coffins.ToString());

            Console.ReadKey();

The answer was 40 unless i fail at logic too.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Well, if the above is the proper answer, then that should be the number of the locker that the key opens? ...unless the key does not open a locker at all. Seems strange that the reporter would be have a "gift" for someone hidden away here. Bah. The codex has once again stumbled into an interesting mystery that will undoubtedly result in the demise of the PC, but I can't help but be curious.

B

 

[Nevill]

Seems strange that the reporter would be have a "gift" for someone hidden away here.

I have no idea of what you are trying to say.

Something in the hospital is trying to lead us on, that much is certain. There was a gift that was supposed to be given to somebody by a patient (?) several decades ago that is somehow relevant to what happened here. Whatever forces are currently at work here are trying to hint us at its location with notes conveniently appearing before our eyes, as well as giving us means to obtain it (the key that ended in our pocket without us knowing how it got there).

Now, these forces might be benevolent, or they might not be, but for the moment they are our only lead. That is reason enough to go along with their 'plan'.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Ah, I misread the notes we found in the last update. Never mind about that part then.

 

[Akkudakku]

C1>B I'm telling you the reward for the lift will be memoriez!

 

[asxetos]

Much shorter :D Oh, and B. We just can't resist being clever.

I tried to code it similarly to treave's description of the problem so that people who are not into programming may understand the code. Plus i hate python with the passion of a burning sun.

 

[Grimgravy]

C2>B

 

[oscar]

B

 

[Ifeex]

B.

 

[Tigranes]

So:

A. You test out the key on each locker until you find the correct one. This is a surefire way of getting what you want open, if the key does work here.

B. You attempt the puzzle – it might lead you to the correct locker more quickly, although if you are unable to solve it, or come to a wrong answer, you would just have wasted time.

C. The sheer number of lockers is just too daunting for you. You consider searching for clues elsewhere first – perhaps the other locations mentioned in Hidetaka’s notes may have something to help you.
1. You head to the elevator room.
2. You head to the pool maintenance room.

B. There's a bad feeling about opening all the coffins-lockers, not to mention we are on a time limit due to (1) our injury, (2) the law of horror genre. Now that a couple of us have cracked the code, we should run with it - and the consequences of being the team brainiac.

 

[treave]

Yeah, keep on solving them puzzles.

I'll update sometime in the next 24 hours I think.

 

[treave]

Coffins, opened and closed on each subsequent pass. There is a pattern here… what is it?

You pace down the rows of lockers, mumbling out loud, your brain working on the puzzle with every step you take. “If the coffin can only be in two states, opened or closed, then that state can only change on the walks that are numerical factors of the coffin’s number… therefore, should the change of state occur as an even number, the coffin’s final state closed… and if it is odd, the coffin will end up open. If that is the case… it is actually asking us to find how many coffins possess an odd number of factors, out of all one thousand and six hundred. That should be it… If a multiplied by b is equal to c, the commutative nature of multiplication indicates that b is also a factor of c… and to obtain a number with an odd amount of factors, it will be where a and b are equal, so… it will be a perfect square, isn’t it? Yes. We will need the number of perfect squares between 1 and 1600… which is the square root of 1600, and that will be the number of coffins that are open at the end of the ritual…”

“I… don’t understand what he’s talking about.”

“Ahaha, don’t look at me. My maths teacher shouts at me all the time.”

“Onii-san is speaking in tongues…”

“…and that will also be the number of the locker that we want.” Your feet stop and you look up.

Locker #40.

You try the key again. It slips into the hole with little resistance. You turn it. There is a soft click as the latch is released. It looks like you have found the correct answer on your first try. The girls crowd around you, with surprised words of praise and curiosity at what will be found within.

Track: room

As the locker door swings open, you are suddenly struck with a sense of unease. The bruise on your ankle chooses that moment to remind you of its existence, sending a dull, throbbing wave of pain up your leg.

The lights flicker back to life, bathing the locker room in brilliant white light. You are struck by surprise for a while, as are the other three, but the contents of the locker draw your attention soon enough.

Within the locker, there is a black garbage bag – the smell sinks in gradually. The stench of raw, spoiling meat, so thick that you can almost hallucinate the buzzing flies that would usually accompany such a scene. Amanozaki draws a sharp intake of breath and begins muttering some prayers.

“Wh-what is that?” asks Mitsuki fearfully.

You shake your head and push her away from the locker. Whatever it is, it is not healthy. There is a note lying on top of the bag, part of it stained a dark, reddish-black by a liquid you have no desire to investigate.

Fool girl. Foolish girl. If only she would have listened to me. I never hurt the children at all. I need to hide her, but where? Ah, Maeda can help me. Yes, we can shut down the pool. Isn’t that right? Shino

So

I need to store my thoughts somewhere

my memories keep slipping away like fish through a broken net

Something drops to the floor besides you. You bend down – it must have been hanging from the inside of the locker’s door, and come loose when you opened it – and pick it up. Uehara. Her name flashes through your mind before you even recognize what you are holding. It is an omamori, of the same pattern and design that she has. Involuntarily, you shiver, turning to look at the girl.

She is looking down, at her amulet resting on top of her palm. When she looks back up at you, something has changed behind her eyes. You feel a strong resolve… and something else, swimming in the depths. “Please give that to me,” she says, as her expression fixes itself into a calm mask.

“Y-yes?” You are slightly surprised at her demand – it just happens to be a charm that looks like hers, doesn’t it?

“You have no use for it. Please give it to me,” repeats Uehara, her hand held out.

“Why do you need another charm, girl?” sneers Amanozaki. “I thought you did not believe in spirits.”

The two girls glare daggers at each other, prompting you to speak up nervously. “Uehara… is there any reason in particular why you want it? I mean… you do already have one…”

“It is a private matter, but if you have to know, these charms belong to my family. That is all I am willing to say for now, so… hand it over, please,” Uehara states flatly.

***

02:11

A. “Well… if you insist…” You give Uehara the charm. She seems to be oddly fixated on it – perhaps because it is a family heirloom of sorts – but since it rightfully belongs to her anyway, she should keep it. Returning it to her is the right thing to do.

B. “I… no. Not without telling me more… could you explain just why it is so important to you?” You are unsatisfied with her explanation, and attempt to push her into talking more about the charm. That’s only fair: you were the one who found it, after all.

C. “No… it will be with me for safekeeping. Sorry, but it could be a clue to getting out of here…” This omamori could be an important item, since you were led here by strange notes and mysterious puzzles. You are not letting go of it. Besides, it might protect you.

D. “I’m sorry… I think Mitsuki-chan should have it…” The younger girl seems to be more affected by the strange manifestations plaguing this hospital – not to mention her weird illness that may leave her vulnerable. Having a protective charm with her might be helpful.

E. “Ah… but wouldn’t this be… be more useful with Amanozaki-san?” You have Amanozaki keep it. As the only person here with an interest in the occult, she might be able to perform some divinations on it to identify the amulet and its importance.

F. “I think… we should put it back. Let’s not touch it.” You put the omamori back in the locker and lock the door. Considering the disturbing contents of the locker, the amulet might have been placed there for a reason.

G. “T-this charm? Is it that important? Come on… we don’t believe in ghosts and spirits, right?” Curious that Uehara, a self-avowed skeptic, has such an interest in this, you open it up in front of her. You don’t believe that it is important at all, and you will show the others that.

 

[treave]

Locker Room Note #2

***

Spoiler

Fool girl. Foolish girl. If only she would have listened to me. I never hurt the children at all. I need to hide her, but where? Ah, Maeda can help me. Yes, we can shut down the pool. Isn’t that right? Shino

So

I need to store my thoughts somewhere

my memories keep slipping away like fish through a broken net

***

The paper is stained with a dark, reddish-black liquid. The handwriting for the first part is wild and disorderly, the letters written with big, bold strokes in blue ink. The handwriting for the second part is smaller and neater.

 

[Azira]

Uehara is the body inside that bag? Iffy.. We're surrounded by haunts.
Well, letting her have the charm seems a nice thing to do.

A