[LP CYOA] Spiral

[treave]

Edit: wait, 70s. That can't be right. Does it mean Madoka was Juuzo's wife?

Why not both? :kinzo:

 

[Kz3r0]

C.

 

[Rex Feral]

Of course it wasn't us who wrote it. More like it was our favorite author and our obviously false name is after his. We are Shinohara Seiji.

 

[Baltika9]

D

 

[ERYFKRAD]

E>C

 

[Grimgravy]

A>C

 

[Nevill]

So how likely it is that Maeda received his qualifications in 'child psychology' and accumulated enough money to become the founder of the Kaimei group during or in the aftermath of the World War 2?

The rumors about the nazi gold suddenly look plausible. Well, if it wasn't gold, then that Ward 169 must have received some serious funding or have been very profitable in some other way.

Nazi zombie paedos. That is on a whole new level of squick.

I'll switch to D.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

D

 

[treave]

Current tally:

A - 1
C - 1
D - 3
E - 3

So how likely it is that Maeda received his qualifications in 'child psychology' and accumulated enough money to become the founder of the Kaimei group during or in the aftermath of the World War 2?

He isn't the founder.

 

[Nevill]

I see.

I simply made an assumption based on the fact that Maedas were the founders and that the building was named in honor of the group after the war.

Do we have an idea of how far the roots of the Kaimei group go back in time? Perhaps we have heard of the history of Kaimei zaibatsu or something?

 

[treave]

To be more precise, Director Maeda isn't the founder of the group.

If you want to know more about their history, you can always read the book that's on the shelf.

 

[Rex Feral]

So Nevill don't you want to find out more about our character?

 

[Nevill]

No, because it is not our character, it is just a book by his favorite author.

To tell the truth, what we were does not interest me all that much. We aren't that person now.

Our connections with the other people, though, is another matter.

I have said which options interest me most.

 

[Rex Feral]

Well I think if we read that book we will get aalso more insight as in why do we remember our name as the author's or why have we chosen it on many ocassions (apparrently even before we got here)

 

[Nevill]

(apparrently even before we got here)

What are you referring to?

The very first name we've heard about was Shinohara Seiji. When we were told to introduce ourselves, we have made up a name apparently at random that sounded vaguely like the one we knew.

“I’m… uh…”

Shinohara Seiji.

The name flashes through your mind. You almost blurt it out.

“Shino…se…ki…” Gulping, you force out the words carefully, almost giving up under their questioning stares. “Shinoseki. Yes… that’s my name.”

Now it turns out it wasn't completely random. Makes perfect sense.

 

[Rex Feral]

It turns out to be a proper set of lockpicks. You feel a strange familiarity with the object – it seems to resonate with your soul – and as you peer at it, voices begin to float into your mind.

I think we’ve found it. This should be the right place. Kaimei Hospital, right?

I don’t know why we’re out at this spooky based on some random rumour, man.

It’s not a random rumour. Adachi-san assured me that it was real.

Really? You believe his bullshit about German gold hidden here after the war? Get real.

Even if there wasn’t, there’s always that other thing. That would fetch a pretty penny too.

No use having money if we don’t live to spend it.

Alright, I’ve got the door open…

A powerful headache drives the voices out of your head, blowing them off like leaves dancing in a strong gust of wind. As they dissipate, you somehow understand that what you heard was connected to the lockpick that you just obtained. Perhaps the voices belonged to its former owners. Still, you know that you will get nowhere standing out here in the cold. The door needs to be unlocked first. Unfolding the picks, you kneel in front of the door and begin your work.

Here. Someone we might have had connection with mentioned either us or the author. It's not clear to me when does the stuff in the memory take place but it must have been before Ikei was built, and that rules us out (they weren't reffering to us), and that means the author we inspired our name from, Shinoseki Adachi, has a connection to this hospital and by reading a work of his we will gain new insight about what is currently happening and perhaps on why we have chosen his name.

 

[Nevill]

I can switch to E if it helps resolve the tie.

 

[treave]

'k.

 

[Kz3r0]

I switch to E as well, and once again we skip the opportunity to learn more about the ritual.

 

[Nevill]

Doesn't it make more sense to talk to Hidetaka's collaborator, Sakaki, about that?

Granted, we have ignored him for 4 nights now, but there is always hope...

 

[treave]

Bookshelf

Western Occultism in Eastern Japan. As far as books go, it is of average thickness. The front jacket, once a shiny, glossy white, is now dusty and stained yellow with age. There is a colourful pentagram on the cover overlying a silhouette of Japan. The book has not been opened in a long time, and it is swollen in some places, as if it had been kept somewhere damp. Moisture? You involuntarily wrinkle your nose, sniffing the dry air of the hospital. If this place was damp before, it certainly isn’t now. You pry open the pages with some difficulty – there is a cracking noise as the old paper snaps apart under your fingers. Squinting under the dim light, you hold the book up closer to your eyes and begin skimming through the cramped, slightly blurred text.

The book talks about practitioners of Western occult traditions in Japan, beginning with its introduction to the Japanese in the late Meiji era, and its subsequent influence on local culture. It is a rather dry and academic piece for the most part, and yet the author’s writing approaches that of a self-absorbed rant at times. As you flip through the pages, a particular passage catches your eye:

Although Hermeticism did not truly arrive to the forefront of the Japanese Mind until 1905, a few noted personalities have been rumoured to engage in its practices well before they were popularized.

One of these personalities was Dr. Sakaguchi Kuroki, a baron in the Meiji peerage. An aficionado for all things Western, he constructed an English-styled mansion upon his return from Europe in 1888, where he dabbled in the occult through the then newly founded Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. A year later, he married Tendou Shizune, a daughter of the well-regarded Tendou family. They had long been custodians of the shrine in his home village and were said to be the top mediums of the era.

Subsequently, his interests in the paranormal expanded, and Dr. Sakaguchi was reportedly one of the first practitioners in the country to attempt a merging of European and Japanese occult practices. Though not as influential as some of the ones that came after him, Dr. Sakaguchi remains a popular figure amongst certain circles, as it is rumoured that while in Europe he discovered that rare tome sought after by all occultists, the Book of Eibon, Liber Ivonis.

The author goes on to discuss for a few paragraphs about how fact and fiction in the occult circles have melded together over the past decades, to the extent that occultists now fail to see how reality truly is instead of being, as they should be, the ones who truly see. You skip past the rant.

There appears to be a picture on the other side of the page, but it is stuck fast. There are dark brown patches that have leaked through to both sides. It could be blood, but you are unwilling to jump to that conclusion so soon. With some difficulty, you manage to peel the two pages apart, but not without casualty. Part of the adjacent page remains steadfastly stuck to the picture, ruining a good part of it. You can still make out that it is an old photograph of the baron and his family, standing in front of their mansion. It is the same mansion depicted in the photograph on the wall. They are dressed all in Western clothing. The baron’s face is obscured by the torn page, but you can see the other members of his family. Sitting in front of him are two girls in white dresses – twins, from the looks of it – while his wife is standing demurely by his side.

Tendou Shizune.

She looks younger than you expected, a beautiful woman with neatly tied up black hair and piercing eyes. You get a sense of maturity and gentleness that seems to leap off the page when you gaze at her face. Something about her seems familiar to you…

Uehara.

That’s right. She looks like she could be Uehara’s older sister… or even Uehara herself, in perhaps ten years or so. Could they be related?

Then, you realize that there is another woman standing at the baron’s side, opposite Tendou Shizune. She seems to be attired similarly, but the entire upper half of her body has been obscured just like the baron’s head. You had not noticed her before, thanks to the poor quality of the photograph and the brownish scrap of paper still plastered across the picture, but…

“Shinoseki-san, are you done yet?” Engrossed in the book, you had failed to realize Sawada coming into the room. “Oh, you’re reading that one, huh? Western occult something, by Shinoseki Adachi,” he remarks jovially. “I thought it was rude to say so at the time, when you introduced yourself, but you are certainly younger than I imagined you to be, Shinoseki-san.”

“It’s just a coincidence, that’s all,” you mutter, closing the book. “It’s the first time I have heard of this author.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding, then,” grins Sawada disarmingly. “Anyway, are we done here? I’m trying my best to act brave, but really, this place gives me the creeps. I don’t know how you can stand around and read in such an environment, Shinoseki-san… it’s almost like you’re used to it.”

You nod and make to put the book back into the shelf.

You stop.

In the dark, empty space vacated by Western Occultism in Eastern Japan, there is a glint of white.

You see an eye, white lined with red, its pupils blacker than the darkness around it, staring back at you.

It blinks, and then it is gone.

“Shinoseki-san?” asks Sawada, concerned that you are just standing there, petrified.

“I… no… nothing,” you shake your head. As you push the book back into its spot, you feel the edge of the hardcover bump into something. Holding your breath, you pull the book back out again.

It is hard to make out what it is, exactly, in the gloom, but there appears to be another book buried behind the shelf.

“Shinoseki-san, should we go now?” Sawada asks again, the worry in his voice getting more and more evident.

***

A. You ignore the hidden book and go. Something about its appearance leaves you feeling uneasy – perhaps not everything that you can find, should be found. You've learnt enough for now. It is not a risk that you want to take at this point.

B. It might be – no, it is quite likely an important book. Rather than being too cautious over an unknown risk, you think that missing out on a chance to gain more knowledge about this place is an even riskier proposition. You still know too little.

C. You tell Sawada about the hidden book at the back of the shelf and order him to take it out. He should start putting himself to work, instead of leaving everything up to you. If he doesn’t pull his own weight, how can he deserve to survive?

 

[treave]

Passage from Western Occultism in Eastern Japan

***

Spoiler

Although Hermeticism did not truly arrive to the forefront of the Japanese Mind until 1905, a few noted personalities have been rumoured to engage in its practices well before they were popularized.

One of these personalities was Dr. Sakaguchi Kuroki, a baron in the Meiji peerage. An aficionado for all things Western, he constructed an English-styled mansion upon his return from Europe in 1888, where he dabbled in the occult through the then newly founded Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. A year later, he married Tendou Shizune, a daughter of the well-regarded Tendou family. They had long been custodians of the shrine in his home village and were said to be the top mediums of the era.

Subsequently, his interests in the paranormal expanded, and Dr. Sakaguchi was reportedly one of the first practitioners in the country to attempt a merging of European and Japanese occult practices. Though not as influential as some of the ones that came after him, Dr. Sakaguchi remains a popular figure amongst certain circles, as it is rumoured that while in Europe he discovered that rare tome sought after by all occultists, the Book of Eibon, Liber Ivonis.

***

The other side of the page depicts Baron Sakaguchi's family and his mansion. There appear to be five people in the photograph - the baron, his wife, their twins, and an unknown woman. The faces of the baron and the unknown woman have been ruined in the process of opening up the page.

 

[Grimgravy]

B

 

[Kz3r0]

B.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

So, what's the Japanese equivalent of Baron?

Also, B.