Chapter 591:

Fashionably late

En Passant Grandmaster


Though Mimoko's game had finished exactly as foretold in Mimoko Tanabe's game logs, Daria's focus was entirely centered on the chat, particularly what the mysterious user, SoulcrushingAria66SIX, was about to say.

"WAZZUP! Ya bald girlfriend's in da house!" Muazzez smiled as she swung open the door to the commentator's booth.

Still smooth, bald, and shiny as ever and rocking her trademark red glasses, black business coat, dress, and white sneakers, Muazzez strutted towards her seat, but not before pecking kisses on the cheeks of Daria and Saloni, startling them both.

"Zezz! What the heck!?" Saloni cried.

"What are you thinking!? I'm a married woman with children!" Daria stammered.

"That's just my apology for being late. I lost track of time as I was having my head shined by Hina at the salon. I was watching though, so I know I missed an ole Turkish gambit, but looks like there's still a game going on that had one played, so without further ado, allow everyone's favorite lesbian to take over the spotlight. Don't worry, my head's shiny enough to refract some light on the rest of ya," Muazzez grinned as she instantly took control of the show and atmosphere.

This was the first time Daria had seen Muazzez up close, though she was at the very least aware of her charisma. "Muazzez Basak, DSPCM of Istanbul. She's known for having a variety of hobbies, with chess and commentating being at the top of the list. She really stole all the air away, but I can't be wowed by her now. I need to see what was said in chat," she thought as she glanced over.

Much to her surprise, SoulcrushingAria66SIX's post was nothing but emotes of hearts and smug bald Muazzez faces.

"Look at that! We got fans in the chat, and emotes of the sexiest girl alive. Why don't we see more of these with good ole emote-only mode. We don't wanna spoil the lurkers or the idiots trying to cheat off the broadcast," Muazzez chuckled as her words put Daria into a cold sweat.

Though the intent and purpose of Mimoko Tanabe remained mysterious, one of the fears Daria had with the prophetic game logs was that if word got out about them, it would cause a huge scandal. The second day's incident already put the media on alert, but now that the game logs for not just Mimoko's 5th round game, but also games she would seemingly play in between this round and then had become visible, word getting out about them would bring great harm to Mimoko's reputation and possibly those of all she faced as well.

"Maestro, you really aren't looking well. How about you clock out for now. With Zezz here, we could honestly slip out and things would still run smoothly, maybe even better," Saloni whispered.

"Perhaps I'll take you up on that. I need fresh air."

"Oh, looks like the maestro's gotta flip. She's been guarding the trenches for days, and struggling at it. We get it, commenting ain't for everyone. Here, get a beauty pack n' massage at the SPA n' salon here on me," Muazzez smiled as she scooted over and stuck a coupon in Daria's cleavage.

"Y- Yes... Maybe a little relaxation is just what I need," Daria mumbled as she got up and headed out.

Making her way to the lobby, Daria encountered a flustered Mimoko.

"Okaa-chan? Ah, you must have seen Tanabe-kun's game. I can't believe him! And now I've got another girl swooning over me, asking me out on the rest day."

Had Daria not had her mind clouded with stress, she'd have instantly poked fun at the fact that Mimoko was building a harem of girlfriends. The future was on her mind, though it was more short-term.

"Okaa-chan... OKAA-CHAN!"

"AGH! Oh, Mimoko... Sorry."

"Okaa-chan, you don't look so good. What's wrong? Is it something with-"

"No, don't speak of it here... Let's go home..."

Mimoko nervously nodded and warped hope with Daria that instant. Once the two were settled in at the table, Daria revealed everything she had refrained from telling Mimoko previously about Mimoko Tanabe's game logs, along with the mysterious commentator.

"More matches showed up? And there was a commentor that predicted the end to the match? Why are you so worried?"

"Ah, innocent youth. Mimoko, if someone posted online before your match the entire game move for move, how do you think others would react if you play the game exactly as foretold? Match fixing. They'd think everything was a scripted show. There's already some in the chess world that look at your rise with skepticism, but this could destroy everything. And not just you, all those you faced might get swept up into it too."

Mimoko went pale. "But it doesn't make sense! How can they have the games on hand before they happen!? Are... Are you implying my opponents-"

"No, but some are more suspicious than others. Mimoko, this Mimoko Tanabe... I'm wondering if maybe she really is you... from the future."

Mario Nakano 64
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