Friends and foes

The next day, everyone gathered at the Chess center once more, however, this time, they were joined by both friendly and unfriendly faces.

"Mimoko-nee!" Noa smiled.

"What's an Alabama twin doing here?" Iori scoffed as Alice shot her a glare.

"We both felt like taking in the air before the tournament begins," Alice huffed.

"Since we're both allowed to compete in it, we figured we'd warp over to some chess centers to try and scope out potential opponents, and with this being your main chess center, we felt this was the perfect place to come to," Noa stated.

"How have things been for you?"

"Not much different. Everyone else has been fine too."

"It still baffles me why your leader decided to move your nation to the Bay of Bengal of all places," Alice grumbled.

"Well, world leaders tend to do incomprehensible things... way too much, but I'm guessing the move had to do with the fact that things were pretty heated in the horn of Africa, especially with so many neighboring nations being hostile to us. My guess is that Gudit decided to take advantage of the fact that Orit has a DESPER and challenged her in hopes of merging and moving our nations to a more secure place. Don't get me wrong, Gudit's a nice person, but sometimes she can get a bit... eccentric to put it nicely."

"I thought she was a Desperado too," Okisato scowled.

"Apparently she only became one following the formation of the empire."

"Well, at least she and your regional leader aren't like that wack job from Uruguay," Alice grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"A grin spread across Daria's face. "Well you see, Uruguay's president is really bad at chess, and ended up gambling away her country's geographical location multiple times. One day Uruguay was north of Sweden, then east of Canada, south of Italy another, west of New Zealand the next. They eventually got back to their original place, but boy was everyone pissed. That reminds me, I think one of the DSPCMs there is half-Japanese along with her mother. I guess that means they're eligible for All-Japan too."

"But I hear only the mother's above 2000," a voice snickered.

Everyone turned to notice Xiu Mei-mo smirking and dangling her feet as she sat in a stool. Now sporting flip-flops to showcase her recent pedicure, she mockingly began lathering up her still bald head and shaving it as her poor opponent struggled to find his next move.

"Hey Xiu! Still rocking the bald?" Alice smiled.

"I've been so addicted to it lately. Mimosa too?"

"Never been sexier. Even thinking of taking the plunge myself to match her, maybe. She's not pushing me to do it, but if she wants me bald, I'm down."

Mimoko let loose a nervous chuckle as she began to shift her eyes around.

"Mimoko-nee? What's wrong?" Noa asked.

"Well, I actually got a role for a stage play, but the catch is that I'm bad at acting, and that the role mandates I be shaved completely bald, like no hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes bald. Ugh, even though I have that stuff that can regrow my hair, the thought of sitting through another bald makeover makes me feel... humiliated," Mimoko mumbled as her cheeks began to turn red.

"Hmm? I thought you enjoyed the bald makeover back in Budapest. Rumor mill even says you're a closet bald fetishist," Xiu snickered.

"And nothing wrong with that. She told me they were gonna shave her today, and was all tsundere about it, but even did her makeup and wore her favorite outfit for the occasion," Daria grinned.

"It was a request from the studio... They said... They said they were gonna make a spectacle of it, so I decided that if they're gonna subject me to it, I'll rock my favorite sneakers and Bella Badbitch outfit, even do my makeup... MO, OKAA-CHAN!" Mimoko cried as her entire face went red and she stormed away.

"She really is a cute little closeted bald fetishist. Last night, she came home completely bald after being pissed they didn't shave her," Daria giggled after Mimoko was well out of earshot.

A trickle of blood oozed out of Okisato's nose. "Inoue-senpai really is a model woman."

"Oi! When did you get so bad at letting your emotions seep through!?" Iori cried.

Okisato turned to her and nonchalantly wiped away the blood, blankly claiming nothing was amiss, but Iori knew better.

"Alright, Imma seduce you proper, boy! We going on a date to the mall! I'm gonna buy some Badbitch clothes and then get an extreme erotic bald makeover for you," Iori pouted as she locked arms with Okisato and began dragging him away.

"I was unaware Mimoko-sama was to shave her head for acting. Perhaps I'll-"

"I doubt she'd want you to just because she's doing it," Daria frowned.

Utami sighed and turned her attention towards Noa. "Now for some business with you. You referred to Mimoko-sama as "Mimoko-nee", just what is your relationship to her?" she glared.

"Uh, we're friends-"

"I'm the one Mimoko-sama treats as a little sister! Now have at you, I'll beat you and prove only I can stand at Mimoko's side."

"Do you have the points?"

"Points?"

"I'm a DSPCM, you know."

Utami nervously opened up her points menu on her WWCF card, quickly breaking into a nervous sweat as she realized she didn't have enough points. "Ngh, we'll settle this in All-Japan!" she huffed before storming away.

Yuusuke meanwhile stared at his points, then back at Noa.

"Do you have enough points to challenge me?"

"Yeah, but the other girls with you are SPCMs, right?"

"We only play you if we feel like it. Unlike Noa, we don't feel like humoring you," Alice scoffed.

"Don't speak for me, but are you sure you'd want to challenge me? I'm an elite 2700-level grandmaster," Xiu smirked.

Yuusuke stared at his card and shook his head. I gotta save my points for when they matter. If you all are participating in All-Japan, that's a free challenge and points once I beat you."

"True, but I'm not participating. Best you'll get is guest commentary from me."

"And I doubt you'll ever play me or my sister, even Noa for that matter unless you get lucky in the early rounds, but playing us and beating us are two different things," Alice glared.

"Say that again after I mate you."

"If you manage to mate me in All-Japan, I'd shave my head and let you grope my breasts."

"Uh, is the shaving necessary? I prefer women with hair instead of bald ones like that creep, Tanabe. But the groping's still good if I win, right?"

Alice shot Yuusuke a look of pure disgust. "This is why I hate men, but yes. I am officially making this wager."

"Even though it could motivate him?" Daria scowled.

"And? I'm saying that even if he is powered by a sex-drive, I'd humiliate him and he'd be crying like a baby for days, if he even gets the chance to even play me."

"No blaming anyone but yourself if he ends up groping your breasts in a few day's time."

"Uh, I'm making no such bets for the record," Noa nervously trembled as she cowered in fear from the fighting auras emanating from Yuusuke and Alice.

Everyone was so focused on this, that they failed to notice that Ræningi Sjóræningi was sailing in a small sailboat on the Arakawa river behind them.

"Yarr! Why nobody be noticing me?" he grumbled aloud.