The Rosetta Cube
Akira sat in front of the computer screen, feeling tense and nervous, as a large 10 x 10 cube appeared. Each side of the cube was filled with numbers, along with indicator gauges noting the perimeter and area of each side and the total volume of the cube. A time clock in the corner of the screen counted down the time.
3… 2… 1…
The starting buzzer sounded, and Akira immediately launched into her calculations. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, entering in basic operations in between each number inside the cube, with the occasional algebra and calculus expression. Her first goal was to manipulate the numbers on each side of the cube so that the perimeter and area both equaled 10.
One side of the cube shined green as its perimeter and area reached 10. Akira smiled. One side down, five to go. She quickly glanced at the time clock, noting that 45 seconds of the 5 minute time limit had passed.
So far, so good.
Behind her, the rest of Class 2-1 watched quietly as she worked. Seita and Tian sat directly behind Akira’s chair, peering over her shoulder as another side of the cube turned green, then another. Standing beside them, their math teacher, Ms. Maya, watched with a serious expression on her face.
There was a gasp, then a cheer from the class as two more sides of the cube simultaneously turned green. Akira shut them out and continued focusing on the screen. One more side to go. She glanced at the time clock again and saw that 3 minutes had passed.
When the last side of the cube turned green, Akira immediately switched gears and focused on the total volume of the cube, which should equal 10. At first, the number on the volume gauge glowed red, meaning that even though each side equaled 10 for perimeter and area, the total volume of the cube did not. Akira then went about modifying the operations on each side.
A minute passed, then another 30 seconds, and the number on the volume gauge still shined red. Akira swallowed down her panic and looked at the time clock again. 30 seconds left. Could she solve the volume in 30 seconds?
She let out a deep breath and focused on the screen again. She changed a few more operations on one side of the cube.
15 seconds left.
She flipped the cube over to another side and substituted another operation.
10 seconds.
She flipped the cube two more times and entered in one final modification.
5 seconds.
4.
3-
The number on the volume gauge suddenly turned green, and a triumphant jingle played. A message appeared on the screen.
Rosetta Cube Solved.
Akira flopped back in her chair and sighed in relief as the entire class cheered.
“You did it!” Tian said, thumping her on the shoulder.
Seita reached out and squeezed Akira’s hand. Akira smiled and squeezed back.
“Fantastic job!” Ms. Maya exclaimed. “Keep it up, and you’ll blow everyone away at SARMAC!”
SARMAC, or the South Asia Regional Mathematics Conference, was an annual mathematics competition involving high school students in Japan, China and other countries in South Asia, held in July. It was comprised of several timed math problems, followed by a large, all-encompassing final problem called the Rosetta Cube.
The Rosetta Cube was a three-dimensional representation of a cube with a 10 x 10 area on each side, each filled with numbers. Contestants had to use various operations and manipulations to make the perimeter and area of each side equal 10 and eventually the entire volume of the cube equal 10.
The competition was difficult, and it had been several years since Odaiba High School had had a student compete. This year, Akira was set to become a contestant.
Akira smiled. “I have to work on my timing,” she said modestly, “Solving the Rosetta Cube with only 3 seconds left to spare is too close for comfort!”
“Hey, the fact that you even solved it in the first place is cause for celebration!” Tian said. “I couldn’t do it, not with my anxiety and all.”
“All it takes is practice,” Akira answered.
The final bell of the day rang, and everyone got up to leave, some throwing congratulations at Akira on the way out. Ms. Maya praised her again and waved goodbye as Akira, Seita and Tian walked out of the classroom.
Outside the school building, a cool breeze blew, flowing through the branches of the cherry blossom trees. The petals lifted into the air and twirled down toward the ground, covering the pathway as the three of them walked.
“So,” Tian said, “It’s Friday. Where should we go?”
“Let’s drop by the game shop,” Seita said, “The new Digimon card game decks should be out by now!”
“You play the game?” Akira asked, surprised. Seita had never mentioned it before.
Seita shook his head. “Not really. I’m just looking forward to the new release because Gazimon’s deck is coming out.”
“So you’re getting it as a memento?” Tian asked.
“Pretty much,” Seita said. He absently looked up at the sky. “It still feels unreal. That there’s an anime about us.”
“Yeah,” Akira answered. She had watched the first episode when it aired, out of morbid curiosity, and she had been moderately impressed. “Even though the characters aren’t exactly us, they’re similar enough that it’s scary. Their personalities are spot on.”
“I thought the names and design choices were… interesting,” Tian said, laughing. “Some of those seemed to come straight out of left field. Though I know the producers did it to protect our identities.”
They continued to chat about the anime until they reached the local game store. When they entered the store, the girl at the register looked up and smiled. “Welcome!”
Akira nodded and looked around, amazed at all the shelf space dedicated to Digimon merchandise. There were scores of Digimon plushies, mostly of Terriermon and Lopmon, who appeared to be fan favorites. A large glass counter next to the register contained dozens of booster packs, decks and single cards with various prices. Akira spied a holographic Kodamon card with a ridiculously high price, and gazed at it longingly.
“You’re a Kodamon fan?” the girl at the register asked.
Akira looked up. “Uh… yeah, you could say that.”
“We’ve got a special event running right now,” the girl said, leading Akira to a corner of the game shop with a computer setup. A large Kodamon plush sat on the table next to the computer. “The company who made the Digital Adventure anime is one of the sponsors for this year’s SARMAC competition, and we’re offering a free Digimon plush to anyone who can solve a Rosetta Cube problem!”
Akira raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Really?” She looked at the computer, then at the Kodamon plush. “Hmm…”
The girl smiled. “Want to try?”
Fifteen minutes later, Akira walked away from the game shop with Seita and Tian, the Kodamon plush in her arms. Seita and Tian were laughing.
“Did you see the look on the shopkeeper’s face?” Seita crowed, “She looked like she was going to have a heart attack!”
“She probably wasn’t expecting Akira to solve the Rosetta Cube in less than five minutes,” Tian said, snickering. “The rest of the people who came to watch probably weren’t expecting it either!” She turned to Akira. “And you broke your last record! Ten seconds left on the clock!”
“Could’ve been better,” Akira said serenely, hugging the Kodamon plush.
“It was good enough!” Tian said.
“I’d like to see anyone come close to the score you got,” Seita said, smirking.
“The SARMAC contestants had better watch out, come July!” Tian added.
Akira didn’t answer. She looked up at the sky, still hugging the Kodamon plush, lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.
It was an exhilarating feeling, to finally solve a Rosetta Cube problem. She had been practicing for months, improving her time and exercising her math skills. It was also bittersweet, in that Kodamon wasn’t there for her to share the accomplishment with.
And Kodamon was the reason she decided to push her math skills further. In the wake of her and Kodamon regaining their memories of their first time in the Digital World, Akira had realized that due to her Dark Seed infection, some of her abilities had been enhanced. The thought of having “artificial talent” made Akira afraid to achieve anything for fear that it wasn’t truly her own accomplishment.
“I feel like I can’t challenge myself,” Akira confided to Kodamon one night, “I can’t push myself past my limits because those limits aren’t real. That anything I achieve is a lie because I’m not using my true abilities.”
Kodamon nodded, listening.
“And it sucks,” Akira continued, “because I want to challenge myself. I want to play a great soccer game. I want to solve a hard math problem. I want to be the best I can be! But how can I tell if the talent I have is real, or if it’s the Dark Seed?”
Kodamon thought for a moment. “If what Naoko said about Dark Seeds is true,” she said finally, “then the one inside you stopped working the moment you regained your memories. So, from the time I could warp evolve to Auramon, everything you’ve done has been all you!”
Akira perked up. “Really?”
Kodamon nodded. “And even if it wasn’t, those abilities were yours from the beginning. You’ve always had them, and nothing can take that away from you.”
Akira sighed. “I wish I could believe that.”
“Don’t be afraid to push yourself as far as you can go,” Kodamon said, taking Akira’s hands. “Do the best you can, and if your best feels better than most, then that’s how it is. No one can tell you that you didn’t work hard, and if no one believes in you, just know that I do!” She smiled. “I always will!”
Tears fell from Akira’s eyes, and she clumsily wiped them away with a hand. “Thanks,” she said.
The memory faded away, and Akira looked back at Tian and Seita, who were staring at her with concern.
“Are you okay?” Tian asked.
Akira nodded, misty-eyed. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
And she was.
Notes:
This is meant to be another lead-in to the sequel story I’m planning. The Rosetta Cube and the SARMAC plotline will get mentioned again in the future!