The false maestro

With Yuzuha's safety confirmed by Maida, all that remained was for Mimoko to face Maestro Himitsu. 

"Sorry, but for this, we're going to need to ask for a little privacy. Mimoko, alone with me," Maestro Himitsu ordered. 

Mimoko nervously obeyed and began following the maestro into the dark woods. Once they had reached a makeshift stage made of elevated dirt, Maestro Himitsu stopped and turned to face Mimoko. 

"Ah, it's beginning to drizzle. Xiao Lin! You may come out now!" Maestro Himitsu called out. 

Xiao Lin obliged and stepped out from behind a tree, holding someone in her arms. 

Mimoko's eyes widened in horror as she recognized the person instantly. "KOTORA!" 

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!?"                                         

"Just this kid? Knocked him out that's all. Now we imprisoning him in the a-pawn for this, right?" Xiao Lin asked as she held up her DESPER.

"Correct. Now should you lose, Mimoko Inoue, hmm... How about you become my slave, forced to obey EVERY order I give," Maestro Himitsu sneered. 

"It sickens me. Mizuse-sama spoke so highly of you, yet you do all this. As for me, I win, my mother, Daria Inoue, gets healed and has everything you did to her negated. You'll also free Kotora and turn yourself in to the police," Mimoko glared.

A life-size chessboard quickly appeared along with a dome that covered the playing field. As Mimoko headed for the board, she decided to pull out her WWCF card in order to see Maestro Himitsu's profile. It came up without error, however... "Her rating... She doesn't have one, nor does it say that she's even a WWCF member!"

"Yes, that's right. From the very start, I've never been a WWCF member," Maestro Himitsu chuckled.

Mimoko stared in shock at the revelation. "Then that means..."

"Yup! I ain't the real Maestro Himitsu! But I sure as hell got the real one at my mercy."

"It said your name was Himi..."

"Yup! Oh, you remember when we first met? I think I said the name was just Himi, not Himitsu, oh, but you got Dari's genes, so you're too stupid to pick up on hints like that!" 

Mimoko was at a loss for words. "You're insane, and despicable. I will beat you."

"Then begin, you may play as white."

Mimoko nodded as a small screen showing an overview of the board appeared before her. She immediately opened by moving her pawn to e4.

"Well isn't that standard. How about a Caro-Kann?" Himi sneered as she moved her pawn to c6.

"I can easily handle the Caro-Kann Defense," Mimoko glared as she moved her pawn to d4.

Himi let loose a malicious smile as she moved her pawn to d5. Mimoko responded by moving her knight to c3, followed by Himi capturing the pawn at e4 with her d-pawn.

"Main line it is then," Mimoko thought as she captured the pawn at e4 with her knight.

Himi then moved her knight to f6, prompting Mimoko to capture it with her knight, however, the move was merely a knight trade as Himi simply captured said knight with her g-pawn.

"Now it's a Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein-Lartion Variation," Himi giggled as Mimoko moved her knight to f3.

"You sure know your terminology," Mimoko glared as Himi moved her rook to g8.

"Being around Michiko so much caused me to absorb all this shit in like a sponge," Himi gushed as Mimoko moved her queen to d3.

"You used her too," Mimoko glared as Himi moved her queen to d5.

"I use everyone," Himi smirked as Mimoko captured the pawn at h7 with her queen.

"You're the one that put those horrible losing conditions on them. When I beat you, you'll be turning yourself in for all you've done," Mimoko glared as Himi moved her rook to g6.

"That doesn't sound bad. I could get a cell better than a 5-star hotel suite," Himi sneered as Mimoko moved her bishop to e3.

"As if I'd let you," Mimoko scoffed as Himi moved her rook to g7.

"You don't know how much money I've gotten from scamming people, kid," she laughed as she slammed her knight down on d7.

Mimoko stared at Himi with a look of pure disgust before momentarily moving her knight to d2. "You disgust me. And why did you attack okaa-chan?" she glared as Himimoved her pawn to f5.

"Hi-Mi-Tsu," Himi taunted as Mimoko moved her queen to h5.

"I see. Then we're done talking. Chess is supposed to be a quiet sport anyway," Mimoko growled as Himi moved her knight to f6.

The players both went silent and began increasing the playing speed. Mimoko moved her queen to f3 while Himi moved her bishop to e6. She followed up by moving her pawn to c4, forcing Himi to move her queen to the safety of a5. Mimoko then began to set something up by moving her pawn to a3, while Himi opted to move her rook to d8 before Mimoko castled on the queen's side on her next turn.

"Ahahaha, she really is in focus mode. So much so that she's gotten tunnel vision. Perhaps this truly is the strategy needed to break her," Himi thought as she moved her queen to a4.

Mimoko then moved her pawn out to h4, prompting Himi to move her pawn to b5. Sensing an opportunity, Mimoko captured the pawn at c6 with her queen, putting Himi's king in check and forcing her to move her bishop to d7. She then slid her queen to the safety of b7 while Himi opted to move her rook to c8.

Sensing Himi's intentions, Mimoko moved her pawn to c5, while Himi moved her pawn to f4. Mimoko captured said pawn with her bishop, but Himi countered by capturing the pawn at d4 with her queen.

"So she's going to get back another pawn," Mimoko sighed as she moved her bishop to e3.

"Checkedy check! You're in check!" Himi taunted as she captured the pawn at c5 with her rook.

Mimoko anticipated this, and simply moved her king to b1, while Himi slid her queen up to d5. Mimoko decided to accept the queen trade and captured the queen at d5 with her queen followed by Himi capturing said queen with her rook. She then captured the pawn at a7 with her bishop, but Himi moved her bishop to f5, forcing her to move her king to a2 on her next turn.

"My, she looks so serious. I wonder if she's aware of everything, or truly focused just on the game," Himi thought as she moved her rook to g6.

Mimoko decided to go after the rook and moved her pawn to h5, sending Himi's rook to the safety of g8. She then brought her bishop out to e2 while Himi brought her own bishop out to h6. As soon as she moved her knight to b3, Himi decided to trade rooks and captured the rook at d1 with her rook, forcing Mimoko to capture said rook with her remaining rook on her next turn. This allowed Himi to capture the pawn at g2 with her rook, however, things were still in Mimoko's favor.

"Check," Mimoko declared as she captured the pawn at b5 with her bishop, forcing Himi's king to f8.

She then advanced her pawn to a4, causing a slight smile to form on Himi's face as she moved her bishop to e6. Mimoko didn't seem to notice, and simply moved her rook to d8, forcing Himi's king to g7.

She then moved her own king to a3 while Himi moved her bishop to f4. Mimoko decided to increase her control of the board and moved her knight to d4, forcing Himi's bishop to the safety of g4. Next, she moved her bishop to b6, while Himi nudged her rook down to g1. Sensing Himi's plan, Mimoko promptly moved her king to a2.

"Hmm, I hope that was done more out of practicality. Then again, her only chance of winning is to go with that," Himi thought as she moved her rook to h1.

Mimoko then moved her pawn to a5 while Himi moved her pawn to e5, threatening Mimoko's knight. However, Mimoko turned the tables by moving her bishop to e2, causing Himi to click her tongue and move her bishop to d7.

"This is the first time I've seen her get frustrated. Well, the game is completely in my favor now," Mimoko thought as she moved her pawn to a6.

Himi began to scowl as she captured the knight at d4 with her e-pawn and watched as Mimoko captured the bishop at d7 with her rook. She then moved her rook to e1, however, Mimoko didn't seem to care about the threatened bishop on e2 as she moved her rook to d8.

"Yes, YES! Now she has no shot at victory if she doesn't promote the pawn!" Himi thought as she captured the bishop at e2 with her rook.

"You certainly seem confident, or perhaps it's more derangement," Mimoko glared as she moved her pawn to a7.

"'Derangement' you say? How so? I'M WINNING!" Himi shouted as she moved her rook to e6.

"No, you now stand no chance at winning," Mimoko glared as she moved her pawn to a8 and promoted it into a queen.

BOOM!

Mimoko froze in horror as the sight of blood and guts flying into the air accompanied by the sound of a bloodcurdling scream. With a loud splat, Kotora's bloodied body landed a few feet away from Mimoko.

"And now, I win," Himi sneered as a malicious smile spread across her face.

Mimoko frantically ran towards Kotora as Himi captured the bishop at b6 with her rook. "Feel free to cry til time runs out," she sneered as Mimoko knelt down before Kotora.

Kotora was in a horrid shape and didn't look as though he'd survive.

"K- Kotora-"

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO MUCH! WHY'D YOU DO THAT TO ME, SIS!? I HATE YOU! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

Mimoko began to have a breakdown as she too began bursting into tears. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" she cried as she tried to stop Kotora's bleeding to no avail. "I promoted his pawn to a queen, it shouldn't have exploded! No, I just need to win. Yes, don't lose the promoted queen and Kotora will be healed," she thought as she returned to her vantage point and moved her queen to g2.

Despite the tide clearly turning against her, Himi seemed shockingly content as she moved her king to h7. Mimoko then moved her rook to f8 as Himi captured the pawn at h5 with her knight.

"Don't blunder, don't blunder, I can save Kotora," Mimoko muttered to herself as she captured the pawn at f7 with her rook.

Himi gazed over at the dying Kotora and maliciously grinned as she moved her king to h6. "Ah, you really did kill him, didn't you." 

"I'LL SAVE HIM!" Mimoko shouted as she moved her queen to g8.

"Nah, that boy is dead. He was blown to bits and can't be saved," Himi sneered as she moved her rook to a6.

"HE CAN BE! The piece he was in is still technically in play! If I win with it still intact, he'll be saved!" Mimoko shouted as she moved her king to b1.

"Well, suit yourself then," Himi scoffed as she moved her knight to f6.

"Then I'll end things quickly, check," Mimoko tearfully glared as she moved her queen to g7, forcing Himi's king to h5.

This allowed Mimoko to capture the knight at f6 with her rook, though Himi decided to trade rooks by capturing said rook with her own.

"She's trying to set things up for a stalemate. That won't happen," Mimoko thought as she captured the rook at f6 with her queen.

Himi didn't seem phased in the slightest as she moved her bishop to g5, prompting Mimoko to move her queen to f5. She then moved her king to h4 while Mimoko moved her pawn to f3. "Oh well, seems mate's inevitable," she sneered as she moved her king to g3.

"Yes, and Kotora will be saved," Mimoko glared as she captured the bishop at g5 with her queen.

Himi merely smiled as she went silent and moved her king to f2. Mimoko then moved her queen to d2, forcing Himi's king back to g3 and allowing her to capture the pawn at d4 with her queen on her next turn.

"MY, you've captured ALL my pieces. It's like you've robbed me blind," Ai laughed as she captured the pawn at f3 with her king.

"SHUT UP!" Mimoko shouted as she moved her queen to h4.

"My, your mental fortitude is admirable. Then again, you're still in denial," Himi thought as she moved her king to e3.

Now all Mimoko needed to do to win was mate with the king and queen combo. She took a brief glance at the bloodied and motionless Kotora before wiping away her tears and moving her king to c2. "Don't worry, the pain will go away and you'll be good as new," she thought as Himi moved her king to f3.

Upon realizing that Himi had now hastened her demise, Mimoko promptly moved her king to d2 forcing Himi to move her king to g2.

"Do be careful, I don't have many moves left," Himi taunted as Mimoko moved her king to e2.

"You can still go to g1," Mimoko snarled as Himi shrugged and moved her king there.

"And what about now?" Himi asked as Mimoko moved her king to f3.

"F1, then it's mate," Mimoko declared as Himi mockingly shrugged and moved her king to f1. "Checkmate," Mimoko glared as she moved her queen to h1, winning the game.

The board quickly vanished as Mimoko ran up to Kotora. "Kotora, I won, Don't worry, you'll be healed soon," she tearfully smiled as she knelt down before Kotora.

"Huh? DESPERs can't bring the dead back to life," Himi scoffed as she strolled up.

"He's not dead... He's... He's... He's-"

"D-E-A-D DEAD! AHAHAHAHA!"

The denial that had allowed Mimoko to push through the remainder of the game shattered. Rain began to pour as Mimoko completely lost herself to grief and sorrow.

Himi meanwhile, watched for a bit before smiling and taking her leave. "What a soooore winner. Now I can't play maestro anymore. Oh well."

"YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED KOTORA! YOU HURT OKAA-CHAN! YOU UPENDED NOT JUST MY LIFE, BUT OTHERS AS WELL!" Mimoko shouted as she turned to face Himi.

"I'm the queen, I do as I please. Oh, and your mommy's not waking up ever again."

"Wha!? I beat you. THAT WAS A CONDITION FOR THE VICTORY!"

"Nah, it wasn't," Himi maliciously grinned as her makeup began to wash off in the rain.

Mimoko frantically pulled out her phone and called the nurse, only to find out that just as Himi claimed, nothing had changed with her mother.

"Congratulations! You've beaten me, Himi, the false maestro of Japan. HOW YA FEELING!?" Himi cackled as she basked in the rain.

Mimoko was unable to do anything else but scream and cry as she knelt over Kotora's corpse. Himi then noticed the others arriving and decided to leave.

"Welp, as promised, it's off to prison for me. Guess I'll wait for the cops at the salon. In fact, I'll have Ai make me all nice and pretty for the cameras when the cops haul me away... Not! Stupid girl. I'm a pro at this. My prior winnings prevent me from being subject to arrest. But YOU will never know that," Himi thought as she headed off.

As the others arrived, they were all left in shock at the sight before them. 

"E- Everyone... I'm sorry! I'M SORRY! WAAAAAAAH!" Mimoko cried. 

Okisato slammed his fist into a tree trunk in frustration. "Damn her. She was worse than I thought," he glared.

The others all gathered around Mimoko and began comforting her with the exception of Iori who  decided to chase after Himi. "I don't care. I DON'T CARE! That bitch hurt Mimo-chan! I don't care if it breaks my vow. That bitch is going to hell!" she thought as she began running. 

Quickly catching up to Himi, she snapped a branch off a tree and wielded it like a makeshift knife as she leaped into the air and prepared to impale Himi through the throat. 

Bang! 

Iori's eyes widened as blood gushed out of her shoulder. Her momentum thrown off, she tumbled into the mud, gripping her right arm in pain. 

"Ah, seems you aren't blessed. Well take solace in the fact that I decided to just wound you," Himi scoffed as she held up a pistol and continued walking away. 

Iori attempted to dislodge the bullet from her shoulder with the branch, but was stopped by Okisato. "Don't, I've seen tons of guys try to dislodge a bullet like you're doing and mess up badly. If medical fees are your worry, I'll pay." 

"It's not that. Mimo-chan... That bitch tricked Mimo-chan into killing her brother. That's the lowest of the low!" 

"We all underestimated her. For now, let's regroup." 

The full game:

White: Mimoko Inoue (2725) Black: Himi (n/a)

1. e4 c6

2. d4 d5

3. Nc3 dxe4

4. Nxe4 Nf6

5. Nxf6+ gxf6

6. Nf3 Rg8

7. Qd3 Qd5

8. Qxh7 Rg6

9. Be3 Rg7

10. Qh8 Nd7

11. Nd2 f5

12. Qh5 Nf6

13. Qf3 Be6

14. c4 Qa5

15. a3 Rd8

16. O-O-O Qa4

17. h4 b5

18. Qxc6+ Bd7

19. Qb7 Rc8

20. c5 f4

21. Bxf4 Qxd4

22. Be3 Rxc5+

23. Kb1 Qd5

24. Qxd5 Rxd5

25. Bxa7 Bf5+

26. Ka2 Rg6

27. h5 Rg8

28. Be2 Bh6

29. Nb3 Rxd1

30. Rxd1 Rxg2

31. Bxb5+ Kf8

32. a4 Be6

33. Rd8+ Kg7

34. Ka3 Bf4

35. Nd4 Bg4

36. Bb6 Rg1

37. Ka2 Rh1

38. a5 e5

39. Be2 Bd7

40. a6 exd4

41. Rxd7 Re1

42. Rd8 Rxe2

43. a7 Re6

44. a8=Q Rxb6

45. Qg2+ Kh7

46. Rf8 Nxh5

47. Rxf7+ Kh6

48. Qg8 Ra6+

49. Kb1 Nf6

50. Qg7+ Kh5

51. Rxf6 Rxf6

52. Qxf6 Bg5

53. Qf5 Kh4

54. f3 Kg3

55. Qxg5+ Kf2

56. Qd2+ Kg3

57. Qxd4 Kxf3

58. Qh4 Ke3

59. Kc2 Kf3

60. Kd2 Kg2

61. Ke2 Kg1

62. Kf3 Kf1

63. Qh1#