World number one in the rain

The next morning, Mimoko anxiously looked around as she stood outside the hotel.

"Sorry, but I don't see any sign of them. Best hop on so we can get there in time," Daria sighed as she boarded the bus.

Mimoko sighed and got on the bus, cursing Okisato under her breath. Okisato had failed to return last night, leaving everyone on the team, anxious. Zago had informed everyone of the encounter with Jadwiga and Allura, but it also turned out that Jadwiga was missing to, garnering the team ire from Poland. Even Iori was in an anxious state as she stared at her phone, lacking the drive to tease Zago about his "date" with Allura.

"Oki-kun... This is a damn risky gambit you're playing. The old geezer's sleeping in too apparently so if noen of you two show up, the others start the match 1-0 in the hole. You're not the kind that would let a bitch like that walk over ya, so get the fuck over to the playing hall in time!"

Ginji on the other hand was smiling from ear to ear. "Perfect weather. With this storm, cabs will be slowed down and since this is the last shuttle bus, Oki-chwan will be screwed. I also took his lanyard and threw it in my hotel room, so even if he does somehow get to the venue in time, he won't get in. I made sure to chloro the geezer on my way out too so he won't wakeup for a while, and if you fail to get to the venue in time, it's a forfeit for your game. Best of all, that Polish girl got caught up with him, so I've got more to work with. Oh, it's like a buffet of checkmate options. So which will you choose, Oki-chwan?"

...

Okisato groaned as he groggily opened his eyes. As he did, he came face-to-face with Jadwiga, who was sound asleep. He quickly scurried away and rose to his feet, but hitting his head on the bottom of the pool table.

The noise caused Jadwiga to wake up and let out a scream as she found herself in such close proximity to Okisato.

"AHHHH! FOUL BASTARD! DID THEE DEFILE MY BODY AS WELL!?"

"Ugh, we're both fully clothed, and some gas, likely sleeping gas, knocked us out."

"Like I'd believe you!"

Okisato let out a growl, but suddenly became frantic as he realized his lanyard was gone. This led to him checking his phone and going pale as he darted for the door.

"SHIT! We gotta get moving or we're gonna be late for the round!"

As he darted for the door, Jadwiga leapt over him and landed before him, blocking his path. "Like I'd believe that! You foul, evil bastard. I won't let you escape until- UGH!?"

Not having time for this, Okisato slugged Jadwiga in the gut, and delivered a karate chop to her shoulder, knocking her out. He then opened the door, began to head out, but quickly stopped himself, realizing that if he just left Jadwiga, it could cause problems, meaning he had o drag her with him.

"What a troublesome, woman," he grumbled as he hoisted Jadwiga over his shoulders like a scarf.

He then charged towards the lobby, and found that much to his dismay, the last bus had left 5 minutes ago. Worse, cabs were delayed because of the storm. Desperate, Okisato ran out and found a nearby city bike rental station.

Fastening Jadwiga securely to him with his jacket, Okisato quickly began peddling as fast as he could towards the playing hall. It wasn't too far away from the hotel, only about 5 or 6 miles, but in this weather, it would be a challenge. Not to mention, Jadwiga was also a factor. The missing lanyard would also pose a problem, but on that front, Okisato figured there were ways around it. What mattered most was getting to the playing hall on time.

"The bus left 5 minutes ago, and if I recall correctly, it takes about 5 to 7 minutes to reach the convention center where the playing hall is. The last bus always tends to arrive at least 15 minutes before the round starts, so I've got essentially 10 minutes to get there. But not only is the weather bad, I've got extra luggage. It'll also take time to get entry without a lanyard, but I'll worry about that when I get there," Okisato thought.

As he continued onward, he eventually passed by a man also riding a city rental bike, heading in the opposite direction as him. For a brief second, Okisato thought he recognized the man, but thought nothing of it, until the man suddenly stopped and began chasing after him.

"Ugh, he think I'm kidnapping this bitch or something? I don't need this. Ugh, I don't know the city layout well, so I'll just charge to the playing hall as fast as I can."

Okisato somehow managed to lose the man, but a new problem arose when he arrived at the playing hall. He had made it there in 9 minutes, with a minute and a half to go before the start of the round, however, he didn't have his lanyard.

"My apologies, but the lanyard is required," the guard stated.

"I have my WWCF card."

"Then you'll have to begin the process to get a new lanyard. It should take about 5 minutes."

"Igh, but the round's about to start!"

Suddenly, a taxi pulled up and out stepped Ryonosuke. "Ah, Tanabe-dono. What a coincidence. As I woke late, I noticed your lanyard strewn about the room. A girl's lanyard was also there, so I brought it. Funnily enough, a cab the staff had called for you arrived just as I entered the lobby, so needless to say, things are working out for you. I'll save the lecture for later, just remember to moderate your nightlife," he stated as he handed Okisato his and Jadwiga's lanyards.

Okisato thanked him and ran in, carrying Jadwiga on his shoulders once more. As he entered the playing hall, everyone turned, but quickly went back to what they were doing before. What struck Okisato as odd was the fact that everyone was acting as if they still had time to mingle before the round.

"T- Tanabe-kun!?"

Okisato turned to notice an exasperated Mimoko approaching him. "Sorry, I'll explain later. You know by chance who Poland might be playing?"

"Poland!? That's the team we're facing!"

"Oh, then perfect, I can unload this bitch with you then."

"Um, Tanabe-kun, who is this?" Mimoko smiled with a pinch more of anger in her tone.

"I told you I'd explain later, now we should probably head to the boards."

"Oh, the round's start time is actually delayed by 15 minutes due to the weather."

Okisato figured that was a possibility, but it was better for him to assume that may not be the case. Things had worked out for the most part, but he figured this delay meant he'd now lose his spot at board 1 to Ginji. And sure enough, as he walked by, he spotted Ginji seated at board 1 across from Red Reaper, with the only open seat being the one at board 2, across from Diederich.

"Hoh? You weathered the storm, at least the physical one. I'm surprised you dragged that girl with you though. Seems it'll lessen the impact of those defamatory photos I staged. Well, even if you weasel out of that, I'm at board 1, and there's nothing you can do about it. Now you're stuck babysitting the chuuni," Ginji thought.

As Okisato reached the women's boards, everyone stared as Okisato plopped Jadwiga down at the open seat on board 1.

"Um, care to explain yourself?" a girl with blonde hair scowled.

Her name was Wiesława Wykształciuchy, the older sister of Maria Wykształciuchy, and Poland's second best female player. The other members of the Polish women's team, Urzula Flatau, Zosia Żewłakow, and Maria were all present.

Okisato noted that none of the women from his team had sat down at their boards yet, likely indicating they had second thoughts about who to have play who.

"I'll hear the explanation at dinner, so don't try sneaking away," Daria glared as she fanned herself.

"So ya do it with her?" Iori asked.

"Heard you and Zago were fooling around, but only you showed up late," Azenira glared.

"I shouldn't be surprised," Tenju growled.

Since there was some time, Okisato gave a brief overview of what happened to him, deciding to leave out details on how the game went down, as that would most certainly invoke Mimoko's anger. Iori, however decided to look up the game and laughed aloud when she saw the results for it.

"LOL, he sacked a queen on move 2 and still kicked her ass! No wonder she looks so fucked!"

"Y- YOU DID WHAT!?"

The revelation quickly erased the angry glares Daria and Azenira had been giving Okisato. Tenju's subsided a bit too, but Mimoko's had worsened.

"Ta-na-be-kun, special training..."

"Ugh. Anyway, I'd best be off."

"There's still time. Why don't we talk a bit more," Mimoko angrily smiled as she clamped her hand down on Okisato's shoulder.

"Oi, I'm supposed to be the jealous girlfriend over here!" Iori pouted.

"Now girls, we need to continue our strategy now that Jadwiga Abgarowicz has shown up," Daria nodded.

Okisato was released, but as he turned, he noticed some arbiters anxiously talking amongst themselves, prompting him to ask if Mimoko and co had an idea what it was about.

"Actually, I think I might. Magnus Carlsen hasn't shown up yet," Daria stated.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard from Amelia two nights ago that Magnus was staying at a different hotel from the team. Well, due to the rain, the team couldn't pick him up, so according to Amelia, he decided to find a way over himself. But it seems he got lost, and hasn't shown up yet."

As soon as Daria finished saying that, the room suddenly erupted in applause. As Okisato turned, his eyes widened as he saw the reason why everyone was applauding. There, standing soaking wet from the rain was the man he had passed by earlier, but now Okisato realized just who exactly the man was.

"I- I passed by Magnus Carlsen. Heh, heh, heh, heh. I'm gonna need a good night's rest after today," Okisato thought as he headed over to his board.

Once he sat down, Diederich flashed him a malicious smile. "Now you face the true storm."

"Not at all. I've got the White pieces, so the advantage is mine," Okisato glared.

Round 3 of the Chess Olympics was about to start.