Chapter 97:

The Ishikiridokoro opening

En Passant Grandmaster

"Mimoko! Come eat your breakfast!" Daria hollered.

"Yes, yes. I gotta get to school, though," Mimoko grumbled.

It had been a tumultuous week, but the Inoue household had begun to return to normal. However, the loss of Kotora still ate at Mimoko.

"Why do ya keep actin’ like it's all your fault?" Daria asked Mimoko.

"Because I played too good, or rather I was negligent and forgot he would die if his piece was captured or promoted. In fact, I was so focused I even forgot he was in the piece until it was too late. He was screaming in pain, hurling insults at me. I still have nightmares about seeing him strewn about the place screaming in pain as he bleeds to death. He didn't deserve it. Chess was not the world he wanted to be a part of, yet that world gruesomely killed him."

Daria closed her eyes. "Mimoko, underground chess matches have existed for centuries. They've only become more frequent due to being easier to pull off thanks to the DESPERS. Perhaps if they didn't exist, the games where people are imprisoned in pieces would not come to be."

"How much do you know about the DESPERs?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you much."

"Because of the maestro rule?"

"No, because I truly do not know much about them, or at the least, I'm positive you already know of all the knowledge I possess on the DESPERS. Though if there is anything you don't already know, it's that the WWCF was involved in their creation."

"Wait, if that's true then how come the maestros don't know about it!?"

"The maestros are only the secret top chess players in the world, not the members of the WWCF's executive governing board."

"The executive governing board?"

"Yes, though like the maestros, the executive governing board is top secret and made up of members rated higher than the public top players."

"So are they stronger than the maestros!?"

"No, their ratings range from 2899 to 2999, with the president being rated the lowest, though that is mainly so that he can publicly display his WWCF card and be challenged by players without raising eyebrows. In reality, he truly is the strongest of the executive board members. They are the ones that would have all the knowledge on the DESPERs."

"What about the Ultima-master?"

Daria began to scowl. "That is the president's pet-project. I guess you could consider it a pseudo maestro. And before you ask, yes I've beaten it, but it has a protocol that prevents its destruction if a maestro or Desperado league member beats it."

"Protocol?"

"Well, I won't spoil that surprise for you. Though I will say that it was created before the DESPERs hit the scene. Gunnerson was actually the one that implemented the DESPERs into the Ultima-master as a way to protect it."

"Mr. Gunnerson?"

"Yeah, though I honestly don't know much more beyond that. Hagemi's probably the one you'd want to ask, though she's been awol ever since the incident with me."

"I know..."

"Welp, that's all I got. Now off to school or you'll get in trouble with the disciplinary committee. Oh and just so ya know, Secret puzzle cafes will now open at 7 at night and close at 3 in the mornin' on non-tournament days. "

"Thanks Okaa-chan."

"Now everything's good," Ichimitsu nodded as he read his paper.

"And you were just doing as you pleased while everything happened. YOU I haven't forgiven," Mimoko glared as she stormed away.

"Don't worry dear, she'll eventually forgive you. After all, you truly did do a lot behind the scenes," Daria smiled.

...

At the high school, Okisato gazed at his phone.

"Ya watchin’ my vids?" Iori grinned as she peeked over Okisato's shoulder.

"No, I'm mapping out all the secret puzzle cafes in China."

"You got more secrets!? Lemme in on the fun too!"

"You still have yet to best all the puzzle cafe managers here, let alone the maestro, but then again you probably won't be able to beat her."

"So we plannin’ a trip to China?"

"Yes, I am."

"Goin in solo then, but I want in on those secret cafes."

Okisato let out a sigh. "I guess it would be fine to take you."

"HELL YEAH! I get to get out of school!"

"I was planning to go during a vacation."

"Lame."

"So then you're not-"

"I'm not sayin’ no to a free vacation!"

"Good, I'll text you the details later, but keep it a secret."

Iori flashed a thumbs up as Okisato walked away. "Well now I'll be able to learn more about Iori-chan. Having her with me might be good since she does seem to know some martial arts, or at the very least, killing arts," Okisato thought.

...

As soon as school got out, Mimoko checked her WWCF card. Thanks to solving the daily puzzle, she now had enough points to rematch her mother.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Mimo-chan?" Iori asked as she leaned on Mimoko's shoulder.

"I'm checking to make sure I have enough points to rematch the maestro."

"Rematch!? You lost!?"

"Oh, I guess I didn't tell you, but did Tanabe-kun not say anything either?"

"Nope, I felt like keeping it a secret to keep things more fun," Okisato nodded as he approached the two.

"So then will you be the one to tell everyone?"

"Yeah, once everyone arrives, I'll tell them how it went.

Once the entire chess club arrived, Mimoko and Okisato told everyone how their bouts with Maestro Himitsu went.

"HUH!? YOU won but Inoue lost!? I don't believe it!" Yuusuke fumed.

"See the badge? That's the proof," Okisato glared as he flashed his WWCF card.

"So when does that cafe open anyway? I wanna go kick that old geezer and that maestro's asses for the mess they dragged us into," Iori snarled.

"Um, they really were doing their best. Don't get mad at them," Mimoko nervously smiled.

"You're too soft, Mimo-chan. Those assholes fucked up so bad your mom almost died and your brother died. Fuckers need a proper assbeating."

"Then come with us to the puzzle cafe tonight. I'm sure meeting the maestro will clear things up," Okisato nodded.

Iori shot Okisato an odd glance before clicking tongue and ending the conversation there.

Once club activities ended for the day, Mimoko met up with Yuusuke.

"Okaa? Haven't heard from her, nor has she come home. I might actually have to file a missing person's report, but I'm afraid that if I do, she'll show up and yell at me," Yuusuke trembled.

"Why not try contacting her through the WWCF card's challenge feature?"

"Then I'd have to play her... You do it."

"I've tried, but for some reason it's not connecting, so she's likely in an area with no internet.

"What's the deal with Shouben-san's mom?" Okisato asked as he walked up.

"Don't need your help, or maybe you're the one that offed her," Yuusuke snarled.

"Shousen-kun! That was a bit uncalled for," Mimoko glared.

"Inoue-senpai, why are you trying to get in contact with Miss Shoushen so badly?" Okisato asked.

"I need to ask her something important."

"About the WWCF? It's best not to go down that rabbit hole, especially considering the type of person you are," Okisato sighed as he walked away.

Mimoko stared in confusion before sighing and deciding it was best not to push the issue.

...

As the chess club strolled into the Lagoon pathways' secret puzzle cafe, Iori immediately shot Himitsudono a death glare.

"Welcome all. I take it some of you are here to challenge?" Himitsudono asked.

"Yeah, now give me the puzzles. I only need a few more points in order to whoop your ass," Iori snarled as she sat down at the counter.

"Duly noted. Grandmaster Inoue, are you here to rematch Maestro Himitsu?"

"Correct."

"Very well, this time all may remain present while the maestro appears, though it might take some time for her to arrive."

"That's fine," Mimoko nodded as she exchanged the points and sat down at the chessboard on the main table.

"Done," Iori snarled as she finished the puzzles.

Everyone aside from Okisato was shocked as Himitsudono checked the results. "At maximum difficulty... Miss Ishikiridokoro, your effort was most impressive. Seems you truly have hidden claws. Now in addition to the points, you managed to get a perfect at max difficulty which earns you a badge," Himitsudono stated.

"HUH!? She definitely cheated!" Yuusuke fumed.

"Secret puzzle cafes have measures in place to prevent such cheating. Not to mention, I saw her solve them like it was instinct," Peter chuckled as he sat up from the couch.

"So you were here then," Okisato nodded.

"I wouldn't miss the rematch, especially since Mimoko Inoue seems to be in higher spirits."

"M- Madman Důras!? Y- You were here!?" Utami trembled as she hid behind Mimoko.

"'Madman Důras'? Well that certainly is a nice nickname for you," a voice chuckled.

Everyone turned to see Daria garbed in full maestro attire.

"When the hell did you get in, and wait! You sound kinda like Mimo-chan's mom!" Iori gasped.

"That's because she is my mother," Mimoko nodded as Daria took a seat across from her.

Iori went silent as all the hostility she had built up towards Maestro Himitsu and Himitsudono deflated like a balloon. "...That's why. Mimo-chan... Sorry," Iori mumbled as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"It's fine, I should have told you earlier," Mimoko smiled.

"Mimo-chan..."

Iori stared at the floor for a bit before clenching her fist and turning to face Himitsudono. "Guess your ass is off the shitlist, but I'm still kickin' it! Then after you, it's Mimo-chan's mother! I'm gonna wreck all you maestros live!" Iori declared as her usual gusto returned.

"My, and I don't think you even have enough points to just take pictures, however, the WWCF does allow free streaming, but only from its official channel. Though, you will be able to buy posting rights to the vod."

"Then let's do it! I challenge YOU! Ya party mask geezer!"

"Quite the character you are," Himitsudono bowed as his WWCF card flashed before Iori.

"100!? Your ass is lame-o!"

"Oh? Are you going to throw on purpose?"

"Nah, but I'm going for maximum disrespect," Iori grinned as she opened by moving her pawn to e4.

"I wonder what exactly you plan to do," Himitsudono mused as he moved his pawn to e5.

Iori shot him an unamused glare and nonchalantly slammed her king down on e2.

"Oh? You must be brimming with confidence," Himitsudono chuckled as he moved his bishop to b4.

"I ain't done yet," Iori snickered as she moved her pawn to a3.

"Hmm, I fail to see how that is a meme move," Himitsudono mumbled as he moved his bishop to c5.

"Now look! Beofld the latest trend to grace the chess world, The Ishikiridokoro opening!" Iori declared as he moved her pawn to h3.

Everyone turned to gave at the board as Himitsudono let out a chuckle. "Now I see, e4, e5, King e2, then a3 and h3 for your next two moves. I imagine had I not moved my bishop out, you still would have moved your pawns to a3 and h3 to complete the meme," he nodded as he captured the pawn at f2 with his bishop.

"Yeah, I'm aiming for maximum disrespect, and since your so shit at the game, I can pull off the opening without worrying about a thing," Iori snickered as she captured the bishop at f2 with her king.

"Idiotic king plays sure are on the rise thanks to the internet. Check," Himitsudono stated as he moved his queen to h4.

Iori simply moved her pawn to g3 while Himitsudono opted to move his pawn to d6.

"LOL! YOU JUST HUNG YOUR QUEEN, DUMBASS!" Iori gloated as she captured the queen at h4 with her g-pawn.

"My, it seems I have," Himitsudono chuckled as he moved his bishop to g4.

"Lol, you Santa Claus or somethin' cuz you're givin' me pieces like it's Christmas!" Iori snickered as she captured the bishop at g4 with her queen.

Himitsudono didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he simply chuckled and moved his pawn to a5.

"CHECK! MOTHERFUCKER!" Iori shouted as she moved her queen to c8, forcing Himitsudono's king to e7.

"It seems she's finally showing off her true potential," Peter snickered as Iori moved her knight to c3.

"So are you going to start replicating that opening she did?" Okisato asked as Himisudono moved his knight to f6.

"Naturally, if doing so can result in a victory," Peter nodded as Iori captured the rook at h8 with her queen.

"So it's not viable at high-level play then. In other words, you won't use it against me then?" Daria asked as Himitsudono moved his pawn to g6.

"That remains to be seen. After all, Magnus Carlson just began experimenting with the Ware opening: Meadow hay mistake," Peter chuckled as Iori moved her queen to c8.

"Hoh? And how well has that worked out for him?" Daria asked as Himitsudono moved his pawn to c5.

"So far, quite well. I think it will become a nice trend, as will the Ishikiridokoro opening" Peter grinned as Iori captured the pawn at b7 with her queen.

Himitsudono quickly moved his king to f8 while Iori captured the rook at a8 with her queen.

"Seems this is it. Well, I shall at least go down with a check," Himitsudono chuckled as he captured the pawn at e4 with his knight.

"Yup, now it's mate," Iori grinned as she captured the knight at e4 with her knight.

"Not yet though, and you could still blunder, though that is unlikely," Himistsudono stated as he moved his king to e8.

"How can I? You're gift wrapping a win for me, Santa," Iori snickered as she captrued the knight at b8 with her queen, forcing Himitsudono's king to d7.

She then captured the pawn at d6 with her queen, forcing Himitsudono's king back to e8.

"Will this suffice for content?" Himitsudono asked.

"Damn right it will. Checkmate!" Iori gloated as she slammed her knight down on f6, winning the game.

As soon as Iori reaped the rewards for besting Himitsudono, she immediately shoved her WWCF card in Yuusuke's face. "Lol look at this, Shouben-kun, I beat an SPCM that you haven't yet!"

"I'm challenging him next... Once I get the points," Yuusuke sighed as he checked his point balance.

"Well that was some nice entertainment, but enough of the delays. Are you ready to begin?" Daria asked as she stared Mimoko in the eye.

"I'm ready," Mimoko smiled.

"Good, then let's begin."

The full game:

White: Iori Ishikiridokoro (1188) Black: SPCM Himitsudono (100)

1. e4 e5

2. Ke2 Bb4

3. a3 Bc5

4. h3 Bxf2

5. Kxf2 Qh4+

6. g3 d6