Chapter 44:

The psychopath's melancholy

En Passant Grandmaster Volume 2

At the hospital, Haruki moaned and groaned as he lay encased in a full body cast. He was in so much pain, even his thoughts were filled with his pained groans. While there was no chance of him ever fully healing on his own, he was likely to survive. And right next to him also encased in plaster and pain was the principal, who was still clinging to life.

Haruki's eye twitched as he heard someone enter his room. His pain began to lessen as his mood improved at the sight of Svetlna in a nurse outfit angrily glaring down at him.

"You are pathetic," Svetlana glared as she slammed her sledgehammer into the ground.

"Mmph ngh, ngh," Haruki groaned as he gazed lustfully at Svetlana.

"You disgust me. To be honest I was partially overjoyed to do this, though seeing that you'll probably enjoy even this, disgusts me even more."

"Ngh?"

"No, you won't get sex. It disgusts me that I know what you're thinking. It pisses me off... МЕНЯ ЭТО БЕСИТ! О, ЧЕРТ ВОЗЬМИ, ТЫ КУСОК ДЕРЬМА [IT PISSES ME OFF! GO TO HELL YOU PIECE OF SHIT]!" Svetlana roared as she swung her sledgehammer down, however, her body suddenly went stiff. "Ngh, is this the damn by-law preventing me from killing him!?"

"Yes, but fear not, I shall do the deed," a raspy voice declared.

Haruki's eyes widened in terror as he saw Red Reaper appear and grab the sledge hammer with one hand, raising it into the air.

"Auf wiedersehen," Red Reaper glared as he slammed the hammer down on one of Haruki's plaster-encased legs, sending blood, gore and plaster everywhere as the leg was smashed to bits.

Haruki was completely overwhelmed by the pain and let out a blood curdling scream as Red Reaper continued to smash him to death with the sledgehammer. Within minutes, Haruki was dead and reduced to nothing but minuscule bits of flesh and gore strewn about the room. His DESPER, which had been sitting on a table, let out a puff of smoke, truly signifying his demise.

"So the irreversible clause wasn't in effect then," Red Reaper snarled as he returned Svetlana's hammer to her.

"I will have to bleach my hammer," Svetlana snarled as she stared in disgust at Haruki's remains.

"Now for the other," Red Reaper snarled as he turned to the principal.

"Ah, him I can handle since he's merely an associate, not a full-on member," Svetlana scoffed as she stared down the principal.

The principal let loose a series of muffled pleas, but Svetlana didn't care. Orders were orders, but on top of that, the principal truly did disgust her. With a mighty swing of her hammer, Svetlana began to principal's execution, reducing him to the same state as what was left of Haruki.

By the time she turned around, Red Reaper had already left. "Tch, I was going to have him wash my hammer. Well, no matter. I'll cleanse it in the puddles outside."

...

In the lobby, Okisato gazed at his phone. "So the piece of shit and the principal were offed. Well, can't blame the league for wanting to get rid of them," he thought as he exited out of his news app.

"Ya watchin’ my vids?" Iori grinned as she peeked over Okisato's shoulder.

"No, I'm mapping out all the secret puzzle cafes in China."

"You got more secrets!? Lemme in on the fun too!"

"You still have yet to best all the puzzle cafe managers here, let alone the maestro, but then again you probably won't be able to beat her."

"So we plannin’ a trip to China?"

"Yes, I am."

"Goin in solo then, but I want in on those secret cafes."

Okisato let out a sigh. "I guess it would be fine to take you."

"HELL YEAH! I get to get out of school!"

"I was planning to go during a vacation."

"Lame."

"So then you're not-"

"I'm not sayin’ no to a free vacation!"

"Speaking of which, there's something I've been wanting to talk with you about... privately."

Iori's gaze narrowed as her smile stretched slightly. "Conference room be right here."

Entering the empty room and closing the door behind, Okisato stared down Iori.

"So why ya callin’ me out to a secret place? WAIT! You gonna confess to me!? Let me get my livestream up!" Iori giggled.

"No, in fact don't record anything. I want to ask about your past," Okisato stated.

"My... past?"

"Yeah, I wasn't sure at first, but your move at the boxing match along with what you did in the woods confirmed it. Iori-chan, you've killed a lot, haven't you?"

Iori stared in shock for a bit before her true face appeared. "Yeah? And you want me to add ya to the body count?" she grinned.

"Pretty bold considering you've seen my strength firsthand."

"That's why. I know how to beat ya."

"But you won't, because you don't want to."

"..."

"You stopped killing, didn't you?"

"...!? ...So you actually got a read on me. And here I thought you'd focus on the fact that my arm's still busted. Well, you are from a yakuza family, so guess it's fate."

"I just want to know what happened."

Iori fidgeted a bit before deciding to just let it all out. "Well... My family was poor; it sucked. Then one day, I got an addiction... to killing. The thrill of pulling off the kill without getting caught, the power trip of ending a life with my own hands, and the money I could get from killing certain folks. All that made me get addicted to killing. It was amazing. I loved every second of it, no matter how many other lives were messed up in the process."

"But you stopped."

Iori's expression darkened. "I screwed up, or rather I successfully suppressed my conscience. See, there was this asshole I really wanted to kill more than anything."

"For the thrill?"

"No, this time it was vengeance. That motherfucker needed to die!"

"What did he do?"

"Sent my father to prison, and had him murdered there, and that was in addition to all the grief he was giving our family thanks to his power trip."

"Now I get it, that's how you became a killer, and in your warpath, you killed those closest to you."

A genuine tear streaked down Iori's face. "...Yeah. I got my chance to kill that asshole, but in the process I killed my mom and sister."

"At the tea house, yes?"

"So you know about it?"

"Yes, I managed to dig up the details of the incident. The tea you served to your mother, sister, and that politician was poisoned, however, you couldn't warn them otherwise it'd be over for you. Then you likely disposed of all the bodies and evidence when the place was burned down, by you I assume."

"Right on the money. So what do you want? Want to kill me? Turn me in?"

"What good would either of those do? Killing you would deprive me of a useful pawn, and turning you in would incur the wrath of your fans."

"So you even saw that far ahead."

"Yeah, you're the type that would say, 'Even if I revealed I was a murderer, my loyal fans would still defend me, heck some would flat out ask me to kill them in erotic fashion', right?"

Iori immediately burst into laughter. "You know, I think I'm getting into you more and more. I guess the only soulmate for a messed up fucker like me is a messed up fucker like you."

"I'm not looking for romance. One last thing, did the DESPER match you had with Cypress reawaken your killing addiction?"

"I mean, it doesn't count as murder if they die in a DESPER match, right?"

"What about just now with Himi?"

"That... That was me on the verge. She pissed me off just like that fucker did when he messed with my family. Ugh, I'm not going to relapse into murder if that's what you're asking. You might think it was all an act when I was screaming and crying as I watched my mom and sis wither in pain from the poison, but it was genuine. After that, I was devastated. My addiction had killed the people I was closest to, or perhaps it was my punishment for all the killing I did."

"In that case, you'll be the dark knight that protects the chess club."

"Promoted from a pawn already?"

"No, much like a pawn, a knight is nothing but a chess piece for me to move."

"Alright Mr. Edge, you've got a new bitch. So when we havin' sex?"

"I'm only 17."

"Oh, right... I can still dress up in sexy outfits-"

"Save it for your streams. I'm not interested in you in that way," Okisato growled as he walked away.

"Not yet anyways," Iori smirked.

...

As Mimoko finished up the daily puzzles, Okisato and the others returned to the secret puzzle cafe.

"Just so you know, the bus leaves in 15 minutes," Maida warned.

"Don't worry, that's plenty of time to complete the rematch," Mimoko smiled.

"Rematch!? You lost!?" Iori gasped.

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you, but did Tanabe-kun not say anything either?"

"Nope, I felt like keeping it a secret to keep things more fun," Okisato nodded.

"Then did you lose too?" Yuusuke snickered.

"No, I won."

"HUH!? YOU won but Inoue lost!? I don't believe it!"

"See the badge? That's the proof," Okisato glared as he flashed his WWCF card.

"Speaking of badges, I wanna go kick that old geezer and that maestro's asses for the mess they dragged us into," Iori snarled.

"Um, they really were doing their best. Don't get mad at them," Mimoko nervously smiled.

"You're too soft, Mimo-chan. Those assholes fucked up so bad your mom almost died and your brother died. Fuckers needs a proper assbeating."

"Well, maybe you just need to sit back and meet the maestro yourself to see why all this occurred," Peter mused as he read his book.

"M- Madman Důras!? Y- You were here!?" Utami trembled as she hid behind Mimoko.

"'Madman Důras'? Well that certainly is a nice nickname for you," a voice chuckled.

Everyone turned to see Daria garbed in a shoulderless black latex kimono covered in flame embroidery along with a pair of shiny black hi-top sneakers. Her hair was now tied up in double buns while her face had been painted white.

"Okaa-chan... What's with-"

"-The drip? Mizuse designed it for me," Daria grinned as she sat down across from Mimoko.

"Wait, why's your mom playing you?" Iori asked.

"Because she's actually the maestro," Mimoko stated as Daria flashed her WWCF card for all to see.

Iori went silent as all the hostility she had built up towards Maestro Himitsu and Himitsudono deflated like a balloon. "...That's why. Mimo-chan... Sorry," Iori mumbled as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"It's fine, I should have told you earlier," Mimoko smiled.

"Mimo-chan..."

Iori stared at the floor for a bit before clenching her fist and turning to face Himitsudono. "Guess your ass is off the shitlist, but I'm still kickin' it! Then after you, it's Mimo-chan's mother! I'm gonna wreck all you maestros live!" Iori declared as her usual gusto returned.

"My, and I don't think you even have enough points to just take pictures, however, the WWCF does allow free streaming, but only from its official channel. Though, you will be able to buy posting rights to the vod."

"Then let's do it! I challenge YOU! Ya party mask geezer!"

"Quite the character you are," Himitsudono bowed as his WWCF card flashed before Iori.

"100!? Your ass is lame-o!"

"Oh? Are you going to throw on purpose?"

"Nah, but I'm going for maximum disrespect," Iori grinned as she opened by moving her pawn to e4.

"I wonder what exactly you plan to do," Himitsudono mused as he moved his pawn to e5.

Iori shot him an unamused glare and nonchalantly slammed her king down on e2.

"Oh? You must be brimming with confidence," Himitsudono chuckled as he moved his bishop to b4.

"I ain't done yet," Iori snickered as she moved her pawn to a3.

"Hmm, I fail to see how that is a meme move," Himitsudono mumbled as he moved his bishop to c5.

"Now look! Behold the latest trend to grace the chess world, The Ishikiridokoro Opening!" Iori declared as he moved her pawn to h3.

Everyone turned to gave at the board as Himitsudono let out a chuckle. "Now I see, e4, e5, King e2, then a3 and h3 for your next two moves. I imagine had I not moved my bishop out, you still would have moved your pawns to a3 and h3 to complete the meme," he nodded as he captured the pawn at f2 with his bishop.

"Yeah, I'm aiming for maximum disrespect, and since you're so shit at the game, I can pull off the opening without worrying about a thing," Iori snickered as she captured the bishop at f2 with her king.

"Idiotic king plays sure are on the rise thanks to the internet. Check," Himitsudono stated as he moved his queen to h4.

Iori simply moved her pawn to g3 while Himitsudono opted to move his pawn to d6.

"LOL! YOU JUST HUNG YOUR QUEEN, DUMBASS!" Iori gloated as she captured the queen at h4 with her g-pawn.

"My, it seems I have," Himitsudono chuckled as he moved his bishop to g4.

"Lol, you Santa Claus or somethin' cuz you're givin' me pieces like it's Christmas!" Iori snickered as she captured the bishop at g4 with her queen.

Himitsudono didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he simply chuckled and moved his pawn to a5.

"CHECK! MOTHERFUCKER!" Iori shouted as she moved her queen to c8, forcing Himitsudono's king to e7.

"It seems she's finally showing off her true potential," Peter snickered as Iori moved her knight to c3.

"So are you going to start replicating that opening she did?" Okisato asked as Himisudono moved his knight to f6.

"Naturally, if doing so can result in a victory," Peter nodded as Iori captured the rook at h8 with her queen.

"So it's not viable at high-level play then. In other words, you won't use it against me then?" Daria asked as Himitsudono moved his pawn to g6.

"That remains to be seen. After all, Magnus Carlson just began experimenting with the Ware opening: Meadow hay mistake," Peter chuckled as Iori moved her queen to c8.

"Hoh? And how well has that worked out for him?" Daria asked as Himitsudono moved his pawn to c5.

"So far, quite well. I think it will become a nice trend, as will the Ishikiridokoro opening" Peter grinned as Iori captured the pawn at b7 with her queen.

Himitsudono quickly moved his king to f8 while Iori captured the rook at a8 with her queen.

"Seems this is it. Well, I shall at least go down with a check," Himitsudono chuckled as he captured the pawn at e4 with his knight.

"Yup, now it's mate," Iori grinned as she captured the knight at e4 with her knight.

"Not yet though, and you could still blunder, though that is unlikely," Himistsudono stated as he moved his king to e8.

"How can I? You're gift wrapping a win for me, Santa," Iori snickered as she captrued the knight at b8 with her queen, forcing Himitsudono's king to d7.

She then captured the pawn at d6 with her queen, forcing Himitsudono's king back to e8.

"Will this suffice for content?" Himitsudono asked.

"Damn right it will. Checkmate!" Iori gloated as she slammed her knight down on f6, winning the game.

As soon as Iori reaped the rewards for besting Himitsudono, she immediately shoved her WWCF card in Yuusuke's face. "Lol look at this, Shouben-kun, I beat an SPCM that you haven't yet!"

"I'm challenging him next... Once I get the points," Yuusuke sighed as he checked his point balance.

"Well that was some nice entertainment, but enough of the delays. Are you ready to begin?" Daria asked as she stared Mimoko in the eye.

"I'm ready," Mimoko smiled.

"Good, then let's begin."

The full game:

White: Iori Ishikiridokoro (1188) Black: SPCM Himitsudono (100)

1. e4 e5

2. Ke2 Bb4

3. a3 Bc5

4. h3 Bxf2

5. Kxf2 Qh4+

6. g3 d6