Arrival in Budapest

As soon as everyone grabbed their luggage, they all exited the airport and gazed out at Budapest. Hungary was know for having a rich chess history, so it was natural it would be chosen to be the host city for this year's Chess Olympics.

Naturally, there was a secret puzzle cafe located in Budapest, and at the very hotel everyone was staying at. But the big surprise came when after checking in, Okisato entered his hotel room to find Maida.

"M- Maida-sensei?"

"Hmm? Tanabe-kun? My apologies, but I was told to reside here for my stay. And NO, you will not be sleeping in the same room."

"I'm more surprised as to why you're here and why... you're bald."

"I honestly don't know myself. All I can remember is that I was at school, and then I was being sheared bald in humiliating fashion."

"You look hot though."

"Tanabe-kun, flattery will only increase my anger, for I hate everything about my hairless state."

"... Sorry."

"Now get out. I wish to turn in for the night."

"Got it. I'll ask Shouben-san if he knows anything about why you're here."

"Um... 'Shouben-san'?"

"Ugh, Yuusuke Shousen."

"Yuusuke Shousen? Who's that?"

Okisato froze. Maida was not the type of person to forget that easily. Once again he asked, but Maida could not remember Yuusuke. A scowl began to form on Okisato's face as he figured something had likely gone down with Yuusuke.

He left Maida and went to Mimoko's room to call a meeting.

"What!? Maida-sensei's here!?"

"Yes, and likely thanks to a DESPER. Shouben-san might also have been swept up so-"

"Um, Tanabe-kun... Who's this 'Shouben-san'?"

"Ugh, Shousen-san."

"Huh? But Shousen-chan's been missing, and why are you referring to her by such a vulgar nickname?"

"Uh, I'm talking about her son, Yuusuke."

"Yuusuke?"

Okisato began to go pale as he realized things might be worse than he thought. "Oi, he's the vice-president of the chess club. Don't tell me you forgot!"

"The vice-president? Hmm... I thought we had one, but I can't remember."

"He beat me in a landslide vote and I beat him- Yes, look at my game- ...!?"

To Okisato's shock, all his games he played against Yuusuke now listed Yuusuke's name as "Error not found".

He immediately requested Daria look up any recent DESPER matches that occurred, but nothing of the sort came up. Okisato clenched his fist as he realized he was the only one that remembered Yuusuke's existence.

Running back to Maida, he tried to probe her for more information, yet thanks to Skaberghast's punishment protocol, Maida had completely forgotten that she had literally just been with Skaberghast not too long ago. However, that ended up being the clue to tip Okisato in the right direction.

"Skaberghast... He's the one behind this!"

...

The next morning, everyone got their bearings at the hotel. Located in the heart of Budapest, the hotel, known as Nagy Palota, was a massive marvel that could be considered a castle in its own right. It had multiple ballrooms, a cafeteria, restaurants, a beauty salon, a library, an outdoor enclosed garden, a pool, a fitness center, and plenty of other notable amenities. And this was all in addition to all the 7 floors of guest rooms it had.

"This place is huge! Why aren't we hosting the tournament here?" Iori asked.

"It's because they don't want to spread everyone out through separate rooms for this. It's easier to have everyone in a single place," Daria stated.

"So that means we'll be taking buses to the venue," Mimoko noted.

"Correct, so everyone's gonna need to be up early as if you miss the last bus, that could lead to an automatic forfeit, hindering your team's chances of winning the match. If you're not at the board when the round starts, you'll only have 15 minutes to get there before you're handed a loss, so make sure you don't sleep in or miss the bus. There is a check-in process, so you don't want to just rely on a taxi. Since the buses are the official transports for the players, them being late will result in a delay of the round's start, so always go for the buses."

"When will the pairings go up?" Okisato asked.

"Probably not until the day of the opening ceremony. Until then, you got some free time to explore, but nothing reckless."

"And I'll be here to act as team coach, and ensure all remain orderly," Maida grumbled as she approached everyone, eliciting gasps.

"M- Maida-sensei! Y- Your-"

"Yes, I'm now bald, apparently thanks to Skaberghast."

"Wasn't that the scientist who tried to impede our rescue of Mimoko-sama near a month ago?" Utami asked.

"Yes, and do you remember who instigated the mission?" Okisato asked.

"It was... It had to be me. But there's some fog... Ngh, I don't see why I wouldn't lead such a charge."

"So you don't remember him. What about Gorou-san, Zenihara-san, and Numakawa-senpai?"

"Why would I not remember them? Though didn't Numakawa perish in London?"

"Yes, but it's good you remember him and the others. Maestro, could you summon Gorou-san and Carol?"

"I could. You want to ask them something?" Daria asked.

"Yes. I want to make sure everything's fine."

"I can just phone Carol-chan if you want to talk," Iori shrugged.

"It's better to see her in the flesh, Gorou-san too, so have them meet us here."

"Alright, but first, does anyone here know where the secret puzzle cafe is?" Daria asked.

Everyone shook their head.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to find it first, though I can arrange for those two to meet us outside it."

"I could just warp to it, right?" Tenju asked.

"Actually, the special barrier placed around the city limits will prevent any participants of the tournament from warping in and out of the city, hence why we all took the plane together. It also prevents DESPERs and DESPER keys from being used too, until the final day of the tournament that is. But for Himitsubo and Himitsunohi, they can come and go just fine, so if meeting them in person is urgent, I can simply have them meet us outside the secret puzzle cafe so as not to spoil the joys of finding it on your own. Though given how many players are converging here, I'd say a good number of them know where the secret puzzle cafe is. And as another word of advice, the secret puzzle cafe here will be open 24/7 until the day after the final round of the tournament."

Okisato nodded and began looking around the lobby. He quickly centered in on a group of people heading in a specific direction, and began following them. Winding round and round the many halls of the hotel, they soon arrived at a small room adorned with bookshelves, and suits of armor. One member of the group pressed in an emblem in the shape of a rook on one of armor's chest plates, causing a bookshelf to swing open and reveal a hidden passage. Following the passage naturally led to the familiar sight of the secret puzzle cafe.

"That was easy," Iori smirked as she plopped down on a sofa.

A beautiful woman situated behind the counter gazed up at the new arrivals. "Maestro Himitsu. Welcome to the secret puzzle cafe here," she nodded.

This was the DSPCM of Budapest, as well as a member of Hunagry's women's team, Piroshka Hajnal. A model by trade, she was also a grandmaster and was known across both worlds for her skill and beauty.

"You colored some of your braids to match Hungary's flag colors," Daria nodded as she zeroed in on Piroshka's mostly strawberry blonde hair.

"I see being around Mizuse has given you an eye for fashion. That being said, I'm not a fan of some of her... latest endeavors."

"Hmm? Not a fan of her smooth noggin?"

"She may choose it for herself, but if she tries to make it an industry standard, then I will resist as I refuse to shave my head, yet fear the contracts will force me otherwise."

"So can we challenge you?" Mimoko asked.

"Only until the 15th as once the tournament begins, all SPCMs, DSPCMs, and maestros participating will be unchallengable until the day after its conclusion. I might file to be taken off duty a day early as well, as I'd prefer not to be forced to exhaust myself with challenges before the tournament."

"Then let me relieve you now and call in some backup," Daria grinned.