Ransom

As the time continued to tick by, Mimoko began to get worried about Kotora. "Is he in the bathroom, or did he really leave. Guess I'll call him.

"Put the phone down, nya!"

Mimoko froze and turned to see a girl with a fleshy cat tail clad in a cat-ear knit hat and school uniform emerge from the curtains nearby. "Who are you!?"

"Nyoan Nyakuoji, nya," the girl smiled as she whipped out a DESPER with her tail.

"You! You're a Desperado!"

"That's right, nya. Nyow, I come to bring you a message, nya. We kidnapped your brother, nya."

"You WHAT!?"

"Nyess! If you want him to remain unharmed, you'll have to follow my demands."

"How about I beat you instead," Mimoko glared with a hint of rage in her voice.

"NYAH!? B- Beating me won't release him, nya! Nyow listen to me. If you don't want your brother to die, you'll need to wait at my place until Saturday, nya."

"Why?"

"Because we'll kill him if you don't, nya. Oh, and contact between friends is forbidden, nya.

"You scum. Very well."

Nyoan grinned and suddenly draped Mimoko in a black raincoat.

"What's this for!?" Mimoko glared.

"To make you unrecognizable, nya," Nyoan sneered as she slapped a piece of tape over Mimoko's mouth.

"MMPH!?"

"That's to keep you from screaming. The rain might be heavy, but better safe than sorry, nya," Nyoan sneered as she put a black face mask on Mimoko to conceal the gag. "And the finishing touch, shades!" she exclaimed as she put dark shades on Mimoko's eyes with her tail.

"I can't see a thing out of these things. Just great, now I have no idea where I'm going. Dammit! I hope Michiko and Otou-san are fine," Mimoko thought as Nyoan led her away.

...

"Welcome home, nya," Nyoan sneered as she removed the shades from Mimoko's eyes.

Mimoko gazed at her surroundings. She was in a run down place with debris scattered about the floor and a single round dining table. There were no windows and only a few doors aside from the entrance.

"The bathroom's over there, and your room's right next to it, nya. Feel free to keep your shoes on since there's a bunch of broken glass on the ground, nya," Nyoan.

Mimoko immediately pulled back her hood and removed the face mask and tape covering her mouth. "This place looks like a hangout spot for a gang."

"Well, it was where Gyro used to hang out with his friends, nya."

"Mr. Gunnerson?"

"Right. There's even a chess set you can play around with and some beer in the fridge, nya."

"You think I'd drink that?"

"...If it's to save your brother-"

"Enough of this bullshit. Prove to me Kotora's alive!"

Nyoan smirked and pulled out her phone. On it was a picture of Kotora bound by Nyoan’s tail. "Proof enough, nya? Nyow, make yourself at home, nya. I'll be coming back after getting some food, so no funny business, nya," Nyoan sneered as she pilfered Mimoko's phone with her tail before exiting the room and locking the door behind her.

"Just great. I've been kidnapped, and by some weirdo like her. Hmm, Nyoan Nyakuoji..."

"OH, and Nyo messing with your WWCF card, nya!" Nyoan cried as she briefly reentered before slamming and locking the door once more."

"Great, now I can't even contact everyone with that. Or... can I?" Mimoko thought as she gazed at the walls and ceiling. "I don't see any signs of cameras, or any tech for that matter. Of course, it could be well hidden. I can't risk making any unnecessary moves though until I'm sure I won't get caught. Guess I'll explore this place a bit."

Mimoko cringed in disgust as she opened the door to the bathroom. The room smelled like death and even had some skeletal human arms hanging out of the bathtub. "What the hell is wrong with these people!?" she thought as she nearly vomited while slamming the door shut.

The next room wasn't much better. Dead birds and feathers littered the place along with toy gyroscopes. "This room's a health hazard, heck this whole place is! Are they trying to kill me by keeping me here!?" Mimoko thought as she slammed the door to the room shut.

The next room was adorned with skeleton arms dangling everywhere.

Slam!

"I'm busting out. No way in hell I'm staying here till Saturday," Mimoko fumed as she approached the front door.

Blip blip blip!

Mimoko froze as she heard a sound. "What was that!? It sounded like it was coming from me? Did that girl put something on me?" she thought as she began unbuttoning the rain coat.

Inside, she noticed a turquoise square blinking. After tapping on it, the square expanded to a tiny screen, and on the screen was Okisato.

"Ta- TANABE-KUN!?"

"Inoue-senpai. You alright?"

"No, actually. How are you even contacting me!?"

"Through the WWCF card's challenge feature. I'm sending a request to challenge you to a chess match. So you're not well?"

"More like a lot's happened and I got kidnapped."

"Where are you?"

"Some abandoned apartment by the looks of it. It's disgusting! There's skeleton arms everywhere and one room's filled with dead birds! I just came from the hospital, but now I'll probably have to go back considering the health hazard I was exposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story."

"Got it. Based on your description, you're likely in Gyro's old haunt. The skeleton arms are likely from his buddy, Dr. Zanni. Though I'm pretty sure Shouben-san took care of him, so who brought you there?"

"Some girl called Nyoan Nyakuoji."

"Huh? Inoue-senpai, why would you let someone like her kidnap you?"

"My brother's been taken hostage by her."

"Then beat her in a chess match and save him. She's pretty easy to beat."

"You know her!?"

"I beat her when she kidnapped Maida-sensei about two weeks ago. You shouldn't need to worry about her. So are there any other guards?"

"No clue. There's no windows and the only door leading out is locked."

"Then just unlock it."

"That would be- ...I feel so stupid," Mimoko groaned as she unlocked the door from the inside and peeked outside.

She found herself staring into a narrow alleyway. The rain was still coming down, but Mimoko didn't care and made a break for it.

"Nya, nya, nya. It's too early to escape," Nyoan's voice rang out.

Mimoko turned as Nyoan splashed down behind her decked in a red raincoat and rainboots.

"You left the door open. Now, how about we have a match. I'm willing to play against you, so activate your DESPER. I'll make you release my brother."

"You're offering yourself up!? In that case, Queen, pawn, and move odds, nya."

"Fine by me. And when I win, you release Kotora, and if you aren't directly holding him, you take me to him and free him."

"Add in that you'll be cleansed of any crap you were exposed to in the apartment," Okisato whispered.

"And that any of the diseases and other health hazards I was exposed to in that apartment will be cleansed from my body and yours if I win."

"Well aren't you nice, but I'm immune to that stuff, nya. In fact I snack on some of those birds from time to time, nya," Nyoan giggled.

"Disgusting."

"And if you lose, you die on the spot, nya."

"Well your attitude sure took a drastic turn. Very well, I accept the terms."

"Then let the match begin, nya!" Nyoan cackled as she activated her DESPER.