Oni-tiger

"Oi, what the hell was that!?" Yuusuke trembled.

"An execution! Yo, this shit would blow-"

"Don't even think about uploading such an atrocity!" Mimoko glared as she hugged a trembling Utami.

"He's dead. She's dead. They're both dead. I- I killed them. It's over," Utami trembled.

"Don't worry, this is legally sanctioned, so no need to worry about murder charges. Besides, you won your freedom, so run along," Gyro sneered as he pocketed his DESPER and began heading out.

"HOLD UP, GYRO!" the principal shouted.

Gyro sighed and turned to face him. "What is it?"

"YOU DIDN'T SAY HE COULD DIE! NAGI WAS THE KEY TO MY SHOGI EMPIRE, NOW HE'S DEAD! BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE WITH YOUR DESPER!"

"The DESPER can't bring back the dead, though you could play a visage of him using the data from his WWCF games."

"So he can play shogi?"

"Are you concerned about losing him as a son or as a shogi player? If it's the latter, I can easily compensate you with something better."

"Oh, then I got upset for nothing," the principal shrugged as he began heading out.

"Oi, THE F*** IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Everyone turned in shock towards Iori.

"Hmm? Ishikiridokoro, were you not just filming-"

"THE F***'S WRONG WITH YOU!? HOW COULD YOU JUST ABANDON YOUR FAMILY LIKE THAT!? YOU CAN'T JUST REPLACE FAMILY AND FRIENDS LIKE THAT, YET YOU'RE JUST GONNA REPLACE HIM WITH SOME ROBOT CLONE!"

"I don't believe I've disclosed the manner in which Mr. Enoki-"

"I DON'T CARE! F*** YOU!" Iori cried as she stormed out.

"She's got some nerve saying that after she gleefully filmed everything," Yuusuke snarled.

"No, I think that was her true heart speaking, besides, those two weren't exactly very redeemable," Okisato stated.

"OI! You're the one that set the conditions in the first place! W- Were you intendin’ to kill them from the start!? That's messed up, man!"

"If we let them be, they'd only harass us again in the future, and possibly come back stronger. If anything, I'm annoyed Segawa wasn't one of the participants."

"The hell man!?"

"I saw her grin when she found out her friend died. Her lackey also fell in line when she ordered her to follow her out. Considering her family ties and malicious demeanor, I think she'll become a troublesome foe."

"You really are a piece of shit; I'm outta here," Yuusuke glared as he stormed out.

Now, only Okisato, Mimoko, and Utami remained with the corpses.

"I didn't expect it to end like this. Tanabe-kun, why did you push me to go through with this?" Mimoko trembled.

"You both said you were resolved."

"I didn't know people would die!"

"Guess that part's on me. I really only went through with the idea when I saw how despicable and irredeemable Nagi was. But even if I didn't say anything, Gyro would have still implemented a death penalty for the loser."

"Huh?"

"Both him and the principal clearly want you out of the picture."

"ME!?"

"Yes, because you're both a threat to the principal's ambition, and the Desperado league."

"Wh- What?"

"I didn't get the chance to properly inform you earlier, but the Desperado league is already lashing out against you. They sent members after Shousen-san and Iori-chan this morning."

"They WHAT!?"

"Yeah, had they lost their games, they would have died. Shousen-san clearly had it worse of the two. He was so terrified he wet himself, and had I not showed up with the bughouse proposal, he would have lost to Gyro and been killed."

Mimoko suddenly remembered the altercation that had occurred when Gyro showed up at the detention hall. She remembered how Yuusuke accused Gyro of trying to kill him and how Iori mentioned that she was kidnapped and nearly killed. Yet she still could not understand why they would be targeted.

"They likely targeted them in hopes that killing them would sway you away from chess. You have the potential to become the best female chess player the world has seen," Okisato stated as he began taking off his shirt.

"THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE- ...!"

Mimoko froze as she stared at Okisato's backside. Okisato was far more muscular than he appeared, but what truly sent a chill down Mimoko's spine was the oni-tiger tattoo covering Okisato's back.

"Y- You're a yakuza?" Mimoko trembled as Utami hugged her even tighter.

"Yeah. My dad's the boss."

"So is that why you're so familiar with underground chess?" Mimoko trembled.

"Yeah. Like Enoki-san, I was encouraged to learn shogi, but leaned more towards chess. Unlike the principal though, my dad was pretty easy to convince."

"D- Did you beat him in one of those-"

"Nah, though I did rack up a bunch of wins to prove I had skill. Then all I had to do was introduce him to the economics of the chess industry, and now we're the largest chess-playing yakuza gang."

"Are any of you good?"

"There's some talent, but I'm the only one with a rating above 2000."

"Could you explain more about your goal?"

Okisato let out a heavy sigh. "Guess I've got no choice. I don't want the chess club to collapse. Though first let me give you a quick rundown on what I told Shousen-kun about the DESPERs..."

...

At his hideout, Gyro scowled as he reviewed the match data from Cypress' bout with Iori. "Completely outplayed. So we have a powder keg to watch out for."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Zanni asked as he arrived.

"Card, now."

"My rating has risen above 2000 like you asked," Zanni bowed as he flashed his WWCF card.

"2043. Very well, though you will also need to drop your habit of playing with your meals."

"I indulged in that request as well," Zanni smirked as he unbuttoned his overcoat. Three new sets of skeletal human arms now adorned the linings of his overcoat. "I happened to settle things the old fashioned way, but the tub at the pub didn't clean them to my liking, so the tub here will be in use for the time being."

"Hmm, you really killed off some big fish. I'll allow it," Gyro nodded as Zanni put his WWCF card away.

"And how fared the bughouse game?"

"Poor Mr. Enoki's team lost, though I will be able to compensate Mr. Enoki with one of our own. Now, we'll truly have him under our thumb, and best of all, he could care less. I even received a new bid from a far more influential person, and should we hit it off, we could even dispose of Mr. Enoki and not worry about side hustling."

"A bigger money bag? Interesting."

"Best of all, we could even gain a proper chess apostle. While I do humor myself with shogi, I much prefer to focus on chess. After all, I am a grandmaster."

...

Back at the school, Okisato finished explaining everything he knew about the DESPERs.

"I see. So you seek to destroy the DESPERs, but why did you try to facilitate a match with one?" Mimoko asked.

"I was just using it as a tool to make ends meet. That and like I said before, it was unavoidable due to what happened with Shousen-san," Okisato nodded.

"We really did get into something deep, I guess you did make a difficult decision. I'll try and talk things out with Shousen-kun."

"I take it that means I'm not kicked out?"

"Yes, but don't go doing reckless things. I'll still get in trouble as your club president."

"Good, in that case, I'm going to go ensure we can play as a team in the tournament tomorrow night."

"Huh!? But the principal said-"

"I know a teacher that will sign on."

"Just don't do anything reckless."

"Don't worry, I won't drag you down," Okisato nodded as he put his shirt back on and left.

"I- Inoue-sama, are you really going to stick with Tanabe-san?" Utami asked.

"Yes, I'm a target of the Desperado league’s ire as well. You might also be targeted too if you stay by me. Do you want to leave?"

"I'll- I'll stay by your side, Inoue-sama," Utami nodded as her confident persona shined through.

"In that case, call me by my first name. We're friends aren't we?"

"I- I- I can call- F- First name!? OOGYAH!" Utami blushed as she fainted, much to Mimoko’s shock..

...

Yuusuke groaned as he slumped through the front door of his house. A woman with short spiky bleached hair was angrily staring him down and blocking his path.

"Oi Yuusuke! The hell happened at school!? I heard you were late and pissed all over the place! Want me to put you in diapers from now on!?" the woman snarled.

"Sorry, Okaa."

The woman was Yuusuke’s 35-year-old mother Hagemi. In her youth, she ran away from home and turned to delinquency. She was stronger than she looked, both in mind and body, and naturally struck fear into Yuusuke.

"You playin’ in the tournament tomorrow?" Hagei glared as Yuusuke tried to get past her.

"Uh no, I'm not able-"

"YOU INELIGIBLE YA DUMB SHIT!?"

"N- Sorry, Okaa."

"EXPLAIN!"

"I passed the test, but the principal said we can't compete unless a teacher agrees to supervise us."

"Wait, your principal isn't letting you guys compete!? The hell is he!?" Hagemi fumed as she headed for the door and shoved her feet into her sneakers.

"OKAA! It's almost 7! Besides, the bastard already left-"

"Who do you think I am!? I'll be back when I’m done with him, but don't you dare screw around while I'm gone," Hagemi glared as she grabbed her purse and headed out.

"Ugh, she's just gonna get even more pissed when there's no one there," Yuusuke nervously thought.