Blank game

Mimoko buried her hands in her face as she sat by the fountain in the Ryokoma mall.

"Inoue-senpai? Are you alright?" Okisato asked as he walked over.

"No. No I'm not."

"Because of what happened with Alma Mata?"

"No, Iori-chan just made me do something even stupider. I hope the stream gets flagged and deleted, but with a psycho perv like Harumi-chan running Ewetube, my nudes... The whole world's gonna see me nude now."

"Oh, then there's no problem."

Murderous aura burst forth from Mimoko.

"Um... Ah, I won my match against Noa."

Mimoko's anger slightly subsided.

"And they posted the pairings this time... We're facing off next round."

"And will you take this seriously?"

"Yes. I want to win this, so I'll give it everything I've got."

"You're playing as White it seems... Will you come at me with the Japanese Opening?"

"I could force you into it, yes. But maybe I'll try to throw you off."

"I'll admit your opening does have solid theory behind it and has gotten results. However, if you play it against me, I'll ensure it doesn't net you a win, draw at best."

"Hearing you acknowledging it's strength is all I need to hear. Prepare yourself for tomorrow, Inoue-senpai."

...

Daria frowned as she stared at Mimoko Tanabe's game logs. "What does this mean? There's nothing here, yet it shows up as a win... Is this the moment we finally crack the case?"

"What are you talking about, okaa-chan?" Mimoko asked.

"Ah, you're back. A new game showed up, but this is where it gets weird. Nothing is here, yet it's listed as a win for you."

"Isn't it like all the other games we can't see?"

"No. Those I can just see dates on along with some names, but everything else is staticky. Here there's no such static."

"I wonder what it could mean."

...

The next day, Okisato arrived at the venue a few hours early. Deciding it was best to let him know what was going on, Daria had revealed to Okisato Mimoko Tanabe's blank game log for the match today.

"So this has been the source of the maestro's stress. She's always looked terrible in the broadcasts. Iori-chan doesn't know, but Inoue-senpai did. That must've made that match so much more painful for her to win, even if she didn't see all the moves. I hope I'll be able to help put this issue to rest for all our sakes."

Finding a place to sit near the playing hall, Okisato sat and waited, alert to his immediate surroundings. Minutes passed, and eventually the doors were opened for players to enter. Yet before Okisato could even get out of his seat, a hooded figure appeared out of thin air and clamped their hand down on Okisato's shoulder.

Okisato attempted to react, but found himself warped to an unfamiliar location, throwing him off and allowing his assailant to gain some distance. His eyes darted around the dark room, making out a stone table and stone throne along with what appeared to be a passageway leading up.

Not sensing his assailant, Okisato cautiously made his way up the stairway only to be met with a dead end. "Hmm, this wall doesn't feel solid. Perhaps it's a door, but it doesn't seem like it can open from this end. Maybe if I make some noise..."

...

In the WWCF conference room, Bruno let out a yelp as the sound of furious banging emanated from the bookshelf. "What's going on!? Why's there banging there? It some secret I don't know about?" he grumbled as he approached the bookshelf. "EY! You banging somethin in there!?"

"I'm trapped, can you let me out?" Okisato called out.

"Trapped? Ah, and there's no key. Hold on, I gotta call the prez..."

...

Okisato let out a relieved sigh as the door opened.

"So this is where you were. A devious plan indeed. But I'm afraid it was a successful one," Raymond frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Raymond tapped his cane and warped back to the Ryokoma playing hall with Okisato. There, the two were greeted by a pale Mimoko.

"Tanabe-kun! What... Why...."

"Do not blame him. He was trapped in a place only a few can freely warp to. Yet sadly, he was no reached in time."

"In time for- No, don't tell me," Okisato scowled.

Mimoko trembled as she pulled out her WWCF card. "The round began 20 minutes ago. Tanabe-kun, you didn't show up in time, meaning you forfeited on time. You were White... It wasn't an error. The game didn't have any moves at all..."

The full game:

White: Okisato Tanabe (2802) Black: Mimoko Inoue (2858)

(Black wins due to White forfeiting on time)