Cutthroat philosophy

At the Japanese Chess Federation's HQ, a man smiled as he sat behind his desk and talked with Daria on the phone. "Splendid! Ryokoma is undeniably one of our nation's finest attractions, so to have the secret puzzle cafe be set up within it is superb. I've just received the paperwork to approve the location to host tournaments, so I'll sign it now. That means the team selection tournament will be held there in a week. I do hope you and your daughter perform well." 

As soon as the man hung up, a nervous aide approached him. "Sir, I understand this tournament was approved by the WWCF, but why are we going to risk shaking up our line-up? With Hagemi missing, we could easily justify having the maestro be slotted-"

"They don't know. They don't know the true might of Daria Inashiki, the beast who slayed all, yet the WWCF had the gall to ban for being too good. This is a woman who's only ever lost to 4 people ever, three being fellow country men and women. That woman is truly a fine wine. Daria, our nation's pride and joy, you can cement our nation's status as a chess powerhouse and ignite a greater chess boom her than Viswanathan Anand did in India! Best of all, your daughter is just as good too! Yes, YES! Oh if only I had a son instead of that useless daughter. Then you would have been my daughter in-law, Daria! Though, I suppose it might not have guaranteed Mimoko's birth. But sadly, I can't even marry off a grandson to Mimoko thanks to my useless daughter not even bearing an heir. Useless! Useless, useless, USELESS! And she even had the gall to try and extinguish the Inoue's talent! Disgrace!"

This man was Sodeshirou Azami, the head of the Japanese chess federation as well as Michiko Azami's father. He was an International master with a rating of 2450 and like Redfield, prioritized finding chess talent. Unlike Redfield though, he cared not for aging relics, no matter how acclaimed their storied careers might have been, or still continue to be. If new talent arose, he wouldn't hesitate to cast the old aside in favor of the new. It was his philosophy that if the old couldn't prove their worth, they were to be replaced with the young.

Many protested to his way of thinking as it had led to many talented chess players falling to ruin at the hands of more talented younger prospects. None of said players were bad by any means, but the ruthless system had led to their efforts being overshadowed by those of the younger ones that had surpassed them.

While the men's side of the Japanese chess world wasn't as affected simply due to lack of prosperous talent, the women's side was a different story. Hagemi Shousen, Kuon Nanya, Mimoko Inoue, Mizuse Niimi, Safumi Bouzi, Taira Kuroshiro, and of course, Daria Inashiki, now going by Daria Inoue, had all been minted as grandmasters compared to just Ginji Inohara and Okisato Tanabe on the men's side.

It was worth noting that while Sodeshirou generally did favor replacing the old with the new, if the old could weather every challenge they faced, then they clearly had worth. And one such individual was Daria Inashiki, who now went by Daria Inoue post-marriage. Sodeshirou was aware of her status as Maestro Himitsu, but cursed the fact that it meant she was unable to properly play in tournaments, until today.

As Sodeshirou began going on a tirade about Michiko, his subordinate let out a heavy sigh. "But sir, what if this leads to our national women's team being comprised of amateurs?" 

Sodeshiro got up and strolled around his desk, glaring his aide directly in the face. "You think the greats would fail?"

"The tournament is a 6-round Swiss with the top 5 best performing players making the team. That might sound fine and dandy, but what if Mimoko and Daria face each other, with a decisive victory screwing one over via points?"

"You think that the top players playing each other could cannibalize each other, paving the way for someone to sneak in by notching easier wins... A fair point. However, performance rating will play a part in the rankings as well. The talented will triumph, and the waning and lacking, weeded out."

"What about on the men's side?" 

Sodeshiro responded with an unamused shrug as he sat back down behind his desk. "Sadly things aren't as competitive on the men's side. There's talent brewing, yes, but there it's clear Okisato Tanabe and Ginji Inohara are unopposed, save for perhaps a secret weapon, but even with the famed international master and shogi dan, Ryonosuke Hobou, other countries have much stronger lineups. It's the women's side that has the best chance of gold. They came close 2 years ago, but now with Mimoko and Daria, we have a chance to win, hence, I want to strengthen the team as best I can with this tournament. I'm prepared for the bad press, but I have no doubt this tournament will produce a gold medal team." 

...

Kuon seethed with fury as she punched another hole into her wall. "DAMN THE FEDERATION!  I've risen my rating to 2807! With Hagemi gone, I'm now the nation's top player! I should be given the spot outright instead of having to fight for it in a Swiss!" 

"K- Kuon-sama, the walls, nya," Nyoan trembled as she peeked her head out from behind the couch. 

"Ah, I suppose I've been unleashing to much upon them. I'll have a plasterer come and fix them..."

Nyoan watched as Kuon trudged up the stairs. "She was so happy when she came back, but then she got so angry, nya," Nyoan thought.