Biting off more than you can chew

Helga glared in anger as Rika proudly stood over her.

"I hate you! You always piss me off! I'm strugglin enough thanks to that asshole thief filming me succumbing to laxatives. Now you humiliate me again!? What gives!?" Helga fumed.

"I just wanted to secure your cooperation for something, that's all," Rika smirked.

"Cooperation!? Oh, so that's why you barge into my place at peak business hours, challenge me to a cook-off with the punishment of Loser does whatever the winner wants for a day , then humiliate me in front of my patrons! Is this some shrewd business tactic!?"

"Really? You're saying you Makihara fanatics HAVEN'T used shrewd tactics before?"

"What do you want!?"

Rika then went to the back with Helga and told her the details.

"HUH!? You want to use me as a food platter to help that disgrace to the Ryono family catch criminals!? Why would I-"

"So in that case, how bout I shave all your hair off in front of your patrons and turn you into a food platter here? Maybe I'll even turn you into a tempura girl and have you dance-"

"Alright! I'll help as long as I don't have to shave my head!" Helga groaned.

"Good, though we'll probably have to dye your hair brows and eyelashes so you aren't recognized."

"Better than shaving it off at least. I guess if it's to take down Nouveau neo, I'll do it. I'll also see if Sundae's game."

"Oh, she already agreed. She actually owes me for something."

"What?"

"I beat her in a cook off, or rather an ice cream off. If she doesn't want me to share the video, she'll have to do what I want," Rika sadistically smirked.

"You really are evil."

                                                                                 ...

"So these are the two you brought with you," Himawari glared.

"What's wrong?" Rika smirked.

"EVERYTHING! Those two are just ordinary chefs and are going to be a pain to disguise, plus they're assholes!"

"And you're a disgrace. I'm only here cause I lost a bet," Helga glared.

"I only came for the clout and acclaim I'll get for vanquishing the taboo chefs, and what do you mean I can't disguise myself!? I'm a celebrity chef, so naturally I can effortlessly look inconspicuous," Sundae sneered.

"I meant your hair. You two will be nude, so you won't just be able to cover up your hair or wear a wig," Himawari glared.

"Dyeing it should do the job," Rika argued.

"I don't see it. At least not with Sundae, her hair's loaded with so much dye, I'm surprised her hair hasn't been destroyed yet."

"You still sour over me upstaging you back then!?" Sundae glared.

"You bet I am!"

"In that case, you pair up with Himawari. Let her perfect your look and decide what to do with you," Rika smirked.

"You bitch, I'll-"

"Want me to post how much you suck at your own specialty. Bet Makihara will scold you when he finds out how badly you lost. That coupled with your big shit would probably put you close to bankruptcy."

"No... YOU BITCH! I HATE YOU!" Sundae cried as a big sadistic grin formed on Himawari's face.

"If I get to decide what to do with you, then I know exactly how to make sure no one will recognize you," Himawari snickered as she stared at Sundae's multicolored hair.

                                                                              ...

"Why the hell are you holding a razor!? I thought you said you weren't gonna shave me!" Helga shouted as she laid in a chair in a bathrobe.

"It's for everything below the neck. Can't have a hairy food platter," Rika grinned.

"I shave, you ass!"

"Just to make sure, now throw off the robe so I can get to work. I'll even do your face too as a bonus."

Helga begrudgingly complied.

                                                                             ...

Helga blushed and put her robe back on after Rika finished.

"Guess you were right, you were pretty smooth, though there was some hair down-"

"Shut up!" Helga glared as her face grew redder.

"Why're you so flustered? We're both girls you know. Don't tell me you have a crush on me," Rika teased.

"DO NOT!"

"Just joking. Now let's straighten and dye your hair black. No one will recognize you."

As Rika dyed Helga's hair, Helga decided to strike up a conversation.

"What's the deal with that blonde girl, the one that keeps calling me Hylda?" Helga asked.

"I guess you bear a striking resemblance to a close friend of hers. She was actually from the 70s, but got frozen for 46 years. I guess most of her friends are old or gone. She actually was unfrozen briefly 10 years ago, but had to be refrozen after she was injured saving my life. I really do want her to be happy. She seems like she's gone through so much pain. So now your turn. Do you have a mother or grandmother named Hylda?" Rika asked.

"No clue. I was raised by my father's parents. My mother did look similar to me, at least going by old photographs, but I don't think her name was Hylda. My father claimed she was an orphan though, so it's possible my grandmother could have been Hylda. Though bein frozen for nearly 50 years... That must explain some of the pain in her eyes, but I feel like that's only the tip of it. That girl looks like she's seen some real shit."

"I know I give you flak, but for Mimi's sake, I'll make sure to get you through this dumb mission."

"Yeah, I'm not feeling very confident. I should have told Makihara about Mondeau."

"That bitch would be pissed if you leaked it, better keep this between me and you if you don't wanna end up bald and in a cell."

"Ugh," Helga groaned.

                                                                              ...

Helga looked like a completely different person with her hair dyed black and straightened out. Her eyebrows and eyelashes had also been dyed black further changing up her look.

"Wow, you actually got hotter," Rika mused.

"Shut it! I've always been hot!" Helga glared.

"I didn't think it'd be possible, but I guess you really were able to make her look different," Himawari mused.

"Her eyelashes were a pain to do, but it was probably less painful then plucking them all out. So where's your victim?"

"Cowering in the bathroom completely bald," Himawari sadistically smiled.

"YOU BITCH! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR DOING THIS TO ME!" Sundae's voice rang out from the bathroom.

"You're the one that grabbed the razor and ran into the bathroom. I merely ordered you to do it. Now come out before I break down the door."

"DON'T YOU DARE! I'M NOT GOING TO LET ANYONE SEE ME IN THIS HIDEOUS STATE!"

"Oh, and I'll be covering you in tempura batter for the mission. Hope you enjoy being my subordinate."

"Looks like I let her have a bit too much of a power trip. Well, not like I'm crying over Sundae going bald," Rika thought.

                                                                              ...

After being given a wig and makeup kit, Sundae finally emerged.

"Wow, what was all the fuss about? You look normal to me," Rika teased.

"You asshole, I'm bald! That bitch made me shave every single strand of hair off my body," Sundae fumed as her face went bright red.

"Guess you shouldn't have been so hard on her back then. Then maybe she'd have been a little nicer," Rika smirked as she pulled off Sundae's wig, revealing she was indeed bald.

"I hate you!" Sundae snarled as she snatched her wig back.

"Alright Rika, now it's our turn. I'll be disguising myself with a mask since my face is too recognizable. I'd advise you use a mask too," Himawari stated.

"Sure, sounds good. So you'll provide the mask right?" Rika asked.

"Yes. I wouldn't expect a chef to have a disguise kit after all," Himawari glared.

"Anyway, just who are the guys we're gonna be busting aside from N.N.?"

"Our key targets are Krokow the Canterbury Glutton, Mondeau, The demon queen cult, and any public official we catch."

"Pretty gutsy."

"Oh? Are you familiar with any of these besides Mondeau?"

"I've heard of the cult on a news blurb. It's the all female one where all the girls are hairless, wear athletic attire, and tattoo their skin a ghostly pale white, right? Heard they're dangerous."

"Yes, they are quite dangerous. They're also the reason why only women can partake in this risky mission as the dish. Though I'm surprised you know their skin is actually tattooed rather than painted," Himawari glared.

"Huh? I thought they said that was the case in the news blurb. So why can just girls participate in the mission as the dish?" Rika nervously asked.

"Because that crazed cult will only allow women to be served as dishes for this event. It was part of the conditions for agreeing to the merger talks. I assume it's more to do with the fact that they wish to add some of the female attendees and some of the women that are poised to become dishes to their ranks."

"And why would anyone join them?"

"They have ways, most likely via the use of drugs. The leader herself is clearly high on who knows what, yet that does not deter her from her mission to form a harem of women."

"Then why not just have some guys-"

"In the past, 99% of our men that either disguised themselves as women to try and infiltrate the cult or attempted to raid their lair head on, were sent back to us in the most gruesome ways imaginable. One was even sliced up and had each piece of him encased in a glass frame. Those women act like a hive mind and are frighteningly strong  despite their appearance. As for the female officers that attempted to confront them, 99% of them were assimilated into the cult. The only way our officers make it back is if they're facing 3 members or less, but even then its a tough battle, and the women we capture usually go insane from relapse and die a few days later.  We once even attempted a military raid, but somehow everyone escaped before we arrived.I have a theory that one of the followers is actually the mastermind, but because the cult members all look and dress the same, it's impossible to identify them."

"So that's why no one wants to help. Well thanks for letting me know, I had no idea."

"Mmhmm, of course an ordinary civilian wouldn't. As for Krokow, he's a dangerous cannibal that will eat anything. He even has a mechanical hand due to eating his own hand off as a snack before committing a mass murder."

"Why not just toss bombs in his mouth?"

"Funny thing for a civilian to suggest," Himawari glared.

"I saw it in a fighting game," Rika glared back.

"Anyway, let's get our disguises. The event starts in a few hours."

"Shit, almost slipped up. But Krokow, the cult, Mondeau and who knows who else? This bitch really is a pain in the ass. I'll have to be in top form to take them out," Rika thought.