Fool's mate

"So she blundered," Mimoko sighed.

Seeing Mimoko's disappointment caused Utami to petrify with shock.

"Oi, Tami-chan, you there?" Iori called out as she waved her hand in front of the petrified Utami.

"She looks like she turned to stone. Was she that shocked that she lost?" Yuusuke asked.

"No- Well, maybe she was. Ishikiridokoro-san-"

"Just call me Iori-chan! It's what's on my channel name, which you should totally subscribe to and-"

"So Iori-chan, is it normal for Enoki-san to act like this?" Okisato asked.

"No clue, I just saw her fiddling with a chess board in her dommy state a little while ago and dragged her over."

Mimoko decided to ease the air by offering to go over the mistakes that occurred in the game. This seemed to be the right play, as Utami immediately returned to normal and agreed to learn from her mistakes.

"I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic, Enoki-san. While it is nice to win, chess is above all else meant to be fun, win, lose, or draw. Now let's first reset the board to the 14th move just after Shousen-kun moved his bishop to e6.,” Mimoko nodded.

"Hmm? W- Why there?"

"Because that's where you ran into some trouble. Now to be fair, you were in considerable trouble at first as Shousen-kun had an overwhelming advantage. However, just because your opponent has an advantage doesn't mean they'll keep it. One small blunder can turn the tide, as was the case on his 13th move when he moved his queen to f3. Now a question for you Enoki-san; after capturing the knight on e5 with your queen, Shousen-kun delivered a check by moving his bishop to e6. Rather than moving your queen to f6, you chose to move your knight to f5, completely blundering away your advantage; why was that?"

Utami paused for a bit, before her confident persona reemerged. She explained how if she had moved her queen to f6, Yuusuke would have undoubtedly captured it.

Mimoko smiled and explained that even if the queens were traded, Utami still would have had an overwhelming advantage.

"But how? The queen is the most powerful piece!"

"It's fairly common at the pro level for queens to be traded or even sacrificed to gain an advantage or outright victory. I take it you're just learning chess, so you don't quite know everything. How about I teach you some good openings and strategies first, and then have you play Shousen-kun again."

Utami nodded in approval as Mimoko happily began her lecture.

...

"Your defensive maneuvers are relentless. Damn you," Utami glared.

"Ugh, my brain's gonna fry. I thought this was supposed to be a quick learnin’ experience," Yuusuke groaned.

"That's why I had you two continue to play. Now I have a better grasp on both of your skill levels. Shousen-kun, your defensive strategies are good. Many would lead to your opponent asking for a draw if they don't decide to go for the win, and even if they do, it would take an expert to properly pull off the moves necessary to beat you," Mimoko stated.

"So you sayin’ I'm practically unbeatable?"

"No, just that it would take an expert to best you. With your current playstyle, you’d do well against intermediate-level players, but an expert-level player would have no trouble exploiting all the mistakes you make,” Mimoko stated as she moved her knight on the board.

"GEH! Ugh, that's mate in two for me."

"I didn't realize I could do that. My apologies, Inoue-sama," Utami trembled.

"You played very well. Just be sure to have a better opening. That's ultimately what cost you. Never underestimate your opponent. Anyone could be a grandmaster despite their looks and demeanor,” Okisato nodded.

"A good tip indeed, Tanabe-kun. Now how about we see how good Iori-chan is.”

"SWEET! Hold my phone and record, yo!"

"Guess I'll play her," Okisato sighed as he sat down.

"Hell yeah! Now watch this!" Iori grinned as she moved her pawn to g4.

Okisato nonchalantly moved his pawn to e5, internally scowling as he figured what Iori was planning to do.

"Hah! Behold my en passant!" Iori declared as she moved her pawn to f4.

"Oi, is she serious," Yuusuke unamusingly glared.

"That is not an en passant, Iori-chan," Mimoko groaned as she covered her face with her hand.

"Wow, that's... lame," Utami glared.

"Guess you meant to say f in the chat, cuz it's checkmate" Okisato growled as he moved his queen to h4, winning the game.

"Heh... EHHHHHHHHH!? I GOT TWO-MOVED!?" Iori cried.

"Iori-chan, was that on purpose?" Mimoko glared.

"Play me and find out. But if you lose, you down this tube of wasabi," Iori snickered as she regained her gusto.

...

"AHHH IT'S SO SPICY! AHHHHH!" Iori cried as she chugged a tube of wasabi. She had lost in humiliating fashion, though this time she at least appeared to have tried.

"Why are you doing something so stupid?" Mimoko groaned.

"Cuz I lost, so I get the batsu."

"Ugh, I'm the only normal one here. Though if you're going to punish yourself for losing, study up on chess terminology and moves instead of chugging down wasabi."

"Just curious, but does anyone else here have ratings?" Okisato asked.

"I've been playing for years cuz of Okaa. As for my rating... Uh, it's 1478," Yuusuke stated as he pulled out his WWCF card.

"I got one of those cards too! My number's 400. They say batting 400 is good so it must be good," Iori smiled as she whipped out her WWCF card.

"I- I don't have one," Utami trembled.

"No worries. I myself just registered last night. Want me to help you register, Enoki-san?" Mimoko smiled.

Utami's face lit up as she shook her head yes.

...

After getting Utami registered, the club was dismissed for the day.

"You sure it's a good idea to have Enoki-san here?" Okisato asked as he walked home with Mimoko.

"What do you mean?" Mimoko asked.

"She said 'Inoue-sama was harassed by a guy trying to hit on her last night'. That means she saw everything last night. Which is weird because it was just us and that delinquent."

"Wait, are you suggesting-"

"Yeah, she might be with Desperado."

"But we just registered-"

"There's ways around that. Especially for someone from the underworld and/or someone with lots of power, and if she’s who I think she is, she at the very least is related to someone who has ties with the league."

“Tanabe-kun… Enoki-chan was genuine.”

“So you trust her?”

“I’m honestly less inclined to believe you anyway, but there probably is some concern behind your words."

“Well, I’m only airing my thoughts anyway. Besides, I’m sure she’ll tell you everything truthfully if you ask her,” Okisato nodded as he briefly glanced over at a nearby bush.

As the two walked away, Utami trembled as she hid in the bush. "Inoue-sama..."

...

After stalking Mimoko for the day, Utami arrived home and headed for the fridge.

"Utami, just where were you today!?" the Shogikawa gakuin student council vice-president glared.

"HEEEEE! N- Nagi-nii! I- I was Uh- Uh-"

"Well? You were supposed to practice with us today, however I saw you being carried off by that degenerate streamer. Didn't I tell you not to hang out with her?"

"B- But Iori-chan-"

"She is nothing but bad news. I'm surprised she hasn't been expelled yet for all the trash she posts online. Now you'd better come to shogi practice tomorrow, otherwise I shall get father involved!"

Utami sank to the floor as her brother stormed away. "I- Inoue-sama, INOUE-SAMA!" she cried as tears poured out of her eyes.

The full game:

White: Iori Ishikiridokoro Black: Okisato Tanabe [Informal match]

1. g4 e5

2. f4 Qh4#