Black Stories ~ Touhou Edition - Case 20: Down to the bottom of Misty Lake!

[Fightest]

*hair swish*

Maybe I'm being ambitious with this one, but I'm willing to challenge the definition of 'desert'. This is one I recall always hearing from my father - a desert is just a term for a place where there's no rain.

Hence, did the man freeze to death?

(The only problem I have here is why he'd be naked...)

Funny you should ask that. Hypothermia causes a person to think they're overheating, which usually leads to death by freezing when they take all their clothes off.

[Thata no Guykoro]

Did the man die of dehydration?

Is it important what he even died of?

[Prody]

Was the man travelling in the desert?

Did he have clothes on before death?

[Thaws]

You know what's sad? The fact that I HEARD the first case before and forgot it .

Ah well, Thundr's question makes this one feel familiar as well...but I don't quite have the solution.

I only realise I heard the first case before after 2 pages of questions :/ The intro was really vague and not mentioning anything about a lighthouse so it's not surprising to not realise it.

I feel like I've heard this one before, but I can't remember anything about the solution at all.


Is the use of the match relevant?

Was the match used for lighting up something?

Was the match used for warmth?

Was the temperature of the desert really high and unbearable when the man died?

[Spidere]

If my questions get answered yes, I know the answer.

[Kuma]

Did the man have cloths on Prior to dieing?

The man Died by freezing to death, he tried to burn the match and/or his cloths to keep warm, but it wasn't enough. The desert is verry cold at night, you see...

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Closed - fully enclosed area with restricted access

Sealed - What had been enclosed can not leave and what is outside can not enter.

Adiabatic - No heat can enter or leave the system

Equilibrium - Once the man died, no other changes occurred.

Ah, now I understand. Then I shall say that it was the middle of an open desert, so NO to the first two. YES to the last point.

Was he in an aircraft of sorts at one point, like a helicopter or hot air balloon?

YES

Did the man fall a great distance?

YES

Should you really know the solution already? I'm interested. I shall remind you that it would be nice if you would hold back on the answer if you already knew it from somewhere else. Should you have reached it by yourself, however, then shoot away.

Are there visible wounds on the person?

UNKNOWN. As he did fall, as was answered before, you may assume there are some external wounds related to that.

The reason the man is naked is because he stripped himself after setting himself on fire, directly or indirectly - is this true?

NO

Did the man get to his current location with no external assistance that he could not control?

Double negation, now I'm confused as to which answer would be correct. I shall point to Sir Thundr's questions as for how the man got to his current location.

Hence, did the man freeze to death?

NO

Did the man die of dehydration?

NO

Is it important what he even died of?

NO. You may assume that he died from the fall, however only the falling itself is important, not the fact whether he died from it or not. He may have survived the fall and died any other way, which would not change the case at hand.

Is the use of the match relevant?

YES

Was the match used for lighting up something?

NO

Was the match used for warmth?

NO

Was the temperature of the desert really high and unbearable when the man died?

UNKNOWN. It might have been cold night as well.

Did the man have cloths on Prior to dieing?

YES

Did the man have cloths on Prior to dieing?

The man Died by freezing to death, he tried to burn the match and/or his cloths to keep warm, but it wasn't enough. The desert is verry cold at night, you see...

NO. Freezing to death is one possibility, but it is not part of the riddles solution.

[FinnKaenbyou]

Alright, take 2.

The man was flying a balloon over the desert when the gas stopped working. He lit a match to look into the dank area where the gas was stored, and caused an explosion blowing up the balloon. This proceeded to burn away his clothes and he landed in the desert naked.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

The man was flying a balloon over the desert when the gas stopped working. He lit a match to look into the dank area where the gas was stored, and caused an explosion blowing up the balloon. This proceeded to burn away his clothes and he landed in the desert naked.

NO. Though the theory is interesting, the events were more interesting and unusual. However, I allowed myself to color in red those words that are certainly the truth.

[Pesco]

The man was flying in a balloon with a woman over the desert. They got naked for SCIENCE sex and he was leaning over to light a candle for ambiance but he fell over the side due to a sudden wind bump.

 :V

Does this man fly hot air balloons for personal enjoyment (hobby or non-professional sport)?

[Fightest]

A comment:

I personally find it very unlikely that the man managed to hold on to a match whilst falling a great distance. However, in the spirit of the game, I'll go with it.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

The man was flying in a balloon with a woman over the desert. They got naked for SCIENCE sex and he was leaning over to light a candle for ambiance but he fell over the side due to a sudden wind bump.

As amusing as it is, I have to say NO
I will extract one point though: The man was not in the balloon alone. That I shall answer with YES.

Does this man fly hot air balloons for personal enjoyment (hobby or non-professional sport)?

UNKNOWN. You may assume that he had some experience with it, but it does have no influence on the case.

I personally find it very unlikely that the man managed to hold on to a match whilst falling a great distance. However, in the spirit of the game, I'll go with it.

Believe me, there are some far more unlikely things to come in later riddles. However, I would say it should be possible for the man to hold the match if you assume he held it in his fist while falling. I do not see any problems here, though that may be due to my limited experience with falling naked from high places.

[Fightest]

I do not see any problems here, though that may be due to my limited experience with falling naked from high places.

I was going to make a joke about that, but then I realised that there are people who actually do that. The things people do...

Did the man fall from this great height willingly?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Did the man fall from this great height willingly?

YES

[Thaws]

Was he suiciding?

Was he trying to live when he fell?

Was there danger on the balloon? (If yes,) Was the danger caused by the other person on the balloon?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Was he suiciding?

Was he trying to live when he fell?

NO and YES. When he fell, the man knew that he would most possibly not survive, even if he did survive the fall. However, you may assume that the man did not wish to die.

Was there danger on the balloon?

YES, as in: Staying on the balloon might have been dangerous for the man as well.

Was the danger caused by the other person on the balloon?

NO

[Fightest]

> Did the man remove his clothing to try to prevent further harm to himself?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

> Did the man remove his clothing to try to prevent further harm to himself?

YES

[FinnKaenbyou]

Did he jump out of the balloon in order to stop it from crashing and killing the other passenger?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Did he jump out of the balloon in order to stop it from crashing and killing the other passenger?

YES

[trancehime]

The man was flying in a balloon over the desert. He was with other people. The balloon had run out of gas and was slated to fall. In a desperate attempt to keep it afloat, the man lit a match. However, the flame was not enough to keep the man and the other people on it to keep the balloon afloat. The man threw his clothes out of the balloon. A temporal solution. Deciding that the only way to save the other people on the balloon was to jump off to relieve weight, that is exactly what he did. Unfortunately, he never made it past the fall.

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Oh, welcome to the game, Sir Hime. A pleasure to see you here.
A nice theory you have there, however it is not yet the final solution.
So let me evaluate it. As you know, the parts that I color red are those that are the truth:

The man was flying in a balloon over the desert. He was with other people. The balloon had run out of gas and was slated to fall. In a desperate attempt to keep it afloat , the man lit a match. However, the flame was not enough to keep the man and the other people on it to keep the balloon afloat. The man threw his clothes out of the balloon. A temporal solution. Deciding that the only way to save the other people on the balloon was to jump off to relieve weight, that is exactly what he did. Unfortunately, he never made it past the fall.

As you can see, you are incredibly close to the truth. What has yet to be discovered is the meaning of the match.
Let me say the following:
The balloon was indeed about to go down. The reason why it did, however, is irrelevant. It may have been lack of gas, it may have been a hole in the hull as well. Therefore the match was not used to try and keep the balloon afloat.
Also, even though the man knew that they had to relieve weight, he did not jump out of noble courage. There was another reason he jumped off which I expect you to discover soon.

[Fightest]

Did the man attempt to force others off the balloon before him?

[Dead Princess Sakana]

Did the man attempt to force others off the balloon before him?

NO

[trancehime]

As already mentioned, the man was on a hot air balloon with several other passengers. The balloon was going to crash. The man took off his clothes and threw them off but this didn't work. The match was the deciding factor to see who would be the one to... "vacate" the premises. Sadly for that man, he seemed to get the short-end of the stick...

[OkashiiKisei]

Was the balloon on fire, and did he jump out of the balloon to avoid being burnt alive? (Burning alive seems a far worse death than falling to death. Atleast when you hit the ground it's immediatly over, hardly any pain.)

[UncertainJakutten]

Derp, looks like trance got it. I recall this one again.

(It's hilarious how I probably know most of these but forgot the solutions so I can enjoy them again)

[Dead Princess Sakana]

CASE SOLVED!
Enough details have been uncovered and brought into connection to declare this case as solved. Please wait a bit for
post-game summary.

As already mentioned, the man was on a hot air balloon with several other passengers. The balloon was going to crash. The man took off his clothes and threw them off but this didn't work. The match was the deciding factor to see who would be the one to... "vacate" the premises. Sadly for that man, he seemed to get the short-end of the stick...

YES

The man was taking part in a trip over the desert in a hot air balloon.
Suddenly the balloon started to sink due to damage of the hull or lack of gas.
In an attempt to make the balloon rise again, the passengers first threw off every their bags.
As that didn't help, they then started to get naked and threw off their clothes, but the balloon was still too heavy to rise.
Since the passengers knew that crashing in the desert would mean certain death, no matter whether they survived the initial impact or not, they had to take desperate measures.

So it was decided:
The only way to lose weight on the balloon was for one of the passengers to jump off into the desert.
Since obviously noone wanted to volunteer, they let luck decide.
They burnt a match that they had still kept in the balloon, blew it out, and then mixed it with unlit matches.
After that, every passenger drew a match, with the knowledge that the one who drew the burnt match would have to sacrifice himself.
When the man saw that he lost the gamble, he gave in to his fate and jumped.

My, my, my,
what a spectacular show from you, my dear players.
I certainly did not expect this riddle to be solved within a single day, even if I myself find it to be easier than the last one.
This time my special congratulations go to Sir Trancehime, who entered this game and immediately revealed the truth from the facts that all of you had already discovered.
Also I applaud to Sir Thundr, who was the first to ask for the balloon, a question which was of great importance for this case.
Wonderful, simply wonderful.
I am certainly highly pleased with how this game is going.
Well then, like before, it is time for a short break.
Have a tea and enjoy the feeling of achievement that comes after a solved riddle.

I shall inform you that, from the next riddle on I shall no longer have to rely on those riddles that I have kept in my memory.
Thanks to the courtesy of a dear friend of mine I have here in my hands a number of fifty cards that contain even more riddles.
From those I shall choose the next one you will challenge.
Expect the new riddle to appear in about eight hours, when the clock strikes midnight here in my home.

[Fightest]

Hey, well done! The match had me stumped!

[trancehime]

Hey, well done! The match had me stumped!

The post below from UK is the only reason why I managed to get the solution in the first place. I practically gave the answer away after my first theory, so I'm surprised I actually managed to get in my corrected statement.

(It's hilarious how I probably know most of these but forgot the solutions so I can enjoy them again)