Closure

Wiley rose and began to head out.

"Tell me one thing, is the real reason you're so upset because your SPCMs are planning to vote for Pewler over you?" Okisato asked.

Nearly the entire room shuddered as a menacing aura erupted from Wiley. "Seems the young don't know true fear," he growled as he turned to face Okisato.

Even Okisato was a tad startled by how much Wiley's face had contorted in malice, but he felt that he had nothing to lose, and decided to press onward. "How bad is Pewler, and do you have any tips on how to counter him?"

Wiley's rage subsided slightly. "He might be too much for you. The man wields immense power and could easily eliminate you before you even get the chance to play him."

"But Ca-"

"The blessing can't save you from long term imprisonment or whatever torturous hell that fucker feels like subjecting you to."

"So he's essentially Tsar Grigori 2.0."

"Worse in some areas. He does have a DESPER and makes use of it at least 4 out of 7 days each week. Damn that thing. If that fucker never had that, he'd have never gotten so powerful."

"Did he use it on your SPCMs?"

"For peace of mind I'd like to believe so, but that fucker also has a silver tongue and is a master manipulator."

"But if he's that dangerous, then he needs to be stopped," Mimoko interjected.

Wiley turned to face her. "You're Daria's daughter. I heard you're a prodigy, but also too naive. That fucker would eat you alive if you tried to face him."

Okisato began to scowl. The Michiko incident had put Mimoko's vulnerabilities on full display. If Pewler were to use similar or even more nefarious tactics than what Michiko used, Mimoko would likely suffer even more so than she did during the Michiko incident. Worse, Pewler was likely aware of the chess boxing match between the chess club and Haruki Kamoshida. With that knowledge, he could simply force Mimoko into a chess boxing match and overpower her in the boxing. While the beating likely wouldn't be as bad for Mimoko compared to when she faced Haruki's proxy, the fact that Pewler was supposedly a WWCF executive board member with a rating over 2900 meant that Mimoko would have to be playing chess at her best, and that any small hindrance could sway the match in Pewler's favor.

"So then this is something too big for us to handle ourselves. Thank you for setting us straight," Okisato bowed.

"You better not be saying that with the intention of going after Pewler behind my back," Wiley snarled.

"Not in the slightest. In fact, I've already got a different target in mind that requires my full focus."

"And that is?"

"Maestro Xiao Lin."

Wiley went silent before turning to leave.

"Tell me one thing, what is Pewler's exact rating?" Okisato asked.

"It's 2948. He's not the strongest member of the board, but that doesn't mean he's weak either. Xiao Lin might be higher rated, but she's by far a more beatable opponent for you. Don't think about going after Pewler when you beat her though," Wiley growled as he headed to the back and closed the door behind him before teleporting back to America.

Mimoko immediately turned to Okisato with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry, I really meant it. I'm not going to go after Pewler-"

"But you're going after a rouge maestro instead!?"

"Wiley was right. She is the easier opponent. Since she wields no political power, all I need to worry about is her SPCMs and her."

"Not exactly," a voice rang out.

Everyone turned to notice Maestro Himitsu entering the cafe.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps it would be best if you came with me yourself."

"Where are you going, Okaa-chan?" Mimoko asked.

"To see Michiko."

"Then let me-"

"No. You wouldn't be able to handle the sight," Okisato interjected.

"But-"

"Come on Mimo-chan, let's go grab some dinner," Iori nodded as she began dragging Mimoko out with her.

"Huh? Iori-chan!? Why-"

"Hey, I got some spendin' fees, besides I'm meetin' a friend for a collab so it works out."

"But then I shouldn't impose-"

"We need someone to do the filming."

An annoyed scowl began to form on Mimoko's face as Iori dragged her away.

"You owe me a date, Oki-kun," Iori thought as she winked at Okisato.

"You fiend! How dare you try to subject Mimoko-sama to menial labor!" Utami roared as she chased after the two.

"Say, since you're going to the HQ, can I come along to ask about Okaa?" Yuusuke asked.

"No. Much like Inoue-senpai, the sight would be too much for a hero of justice like you," Okisato glared.

"Huh? Like hell I'm-"

"I agree with him. It's probably for the best you don't see Michiko. Fear not, I shall ask on your behalf," Dari nodded.

Yuusuke frowned, but decided not to press any further since Maestro Himitsu herself was denying his request.

...

Daria stopped before a large door with a keypad. "Are you prepared? The sight will be quite disturbing."

"I can imagine, but thanks for the concern," Okisato nodded.

Daria took a deep breath and pressed her hand on the keypad. A few seconds later, the door opened and the two were greeted by Raymond.

"So you brought the boy... Very well, this way."

The followed Raymond through the lab-like room until they arrived at a glass enclosure. Inside the enclosure was a restrained Michiko. Raymond then pressed a button which opened a wall of the enclosure, allowing everyone to enter and approach Michiko.

"Today is the last day we interrogate her, at least like this. Her speech might not be easy to understand though since we've already removed all her teeth," Raymond glared as he removed Michiko's mouth restraint.

Michiko truly was in a horrid state. Her hair was disheveled, she was covered in cuts and bruises, she was missing some toes on her left foot, and her right hand was gone along with all her teeth.

"We'll be cutting off her tongue following this, so make sure to ask everything you want now," Raymond stated as he forced some truth serum down Michiko's throat.

After swallowing the serum and coughing, Michiko began cackling as she gazed up at Daria. "So you came... Daria."

Daria began scowling but maintained her composure. "Why did you do this? Were we not friends?"

Michiko began cackling uncontrollably. "'Friends'!? I've always hated you! You were a complete idiot that babied me like there was no tomorrow! Then when I discovered my talent for chess, you usurped me. YOU, an idiot that had never before played chess, just suddenly became an instant prodigy! You were getting set for life while I was being dethroned. Then the maestro project happened and I lost to you! You tricked me into enslavement as an SPCM! I was forced to stupidify myself just to serve some lesser chess players than me!"

"Pretty sure you could have refused. Or were you planning to overthrow the maestro even back then?" Okisato asked.

Upon taking notice of Okisato's presence, Michiko's entire demeanor changed. "You... YOU! YOU FILTHY TRASH! HOW DARE YOU SUBJECT ME TO THIS HUMAN RIGHT'S VIOLATION OF AN EXECUTION!"

"And why should I feel bad for you? Do you know how many lives you've ruined?"

Michiko calmed down a bit before smiling and saying, "Just six."

At that point, Daria lost it and slugged Michiko in the face, breaking her nose. "'JUST six'!? You piece of shit, is this what you're really like!?"

"Why so angry? It was only six people whose lives I messed up. You, your husband, your daughter, Safumi, Doraaki, and Tenju. Don't you think it's unfair and inhumane to subject me to such torture?"

"Your math is off. You also ruined the lives of Himitsuue, Himitsusama, and Inoue-senpai's brother, and those are just the ones I know of. I imagine you've ruined far more lives than you let on considering you were with the Desperado league," Okisato glared.

"Huh? I didn't lie. I only ruined six lives. All the people you mentioned are dead."

Raymond scowled and immediately impaled Michiko's left foot with a heated iron poker, causing her to let loose a blood curdling scream.

"You forgot to mention Ai Kamuro. She had talent, far more than you ever hoped to have, and that's not all, Safumi Bouzi was one of the fastest female chess players in the world, yet you ruined her. You killed Kotora Inoue, which negatively effected the mental health of both rising star Mimoko Inoue and Maestro Himitsu, not to mention the guilt you placed on Himitsudono for all this. Taira Kuroshiro was also talented yet now she's dead. You claim you just ruined six lives? You've ruined the lives of every chess player in the world!" Raymond glared.

Once Michiko stopped screaming, Daria decided to ask her one last question. "Why did you kill Kotora?"

Michiko struggled to contain her laughter as she answered. "Simple, it was killing two birds with one stone. It would break Mimoko and serve as my victory over you."

"Skin her alive, burn her to the bone, do what you will with her. I no longer consider the heap of shit before me my friend, nor even a human being for that matter," Daria scowled as she stormed away.

Okisato let out a sigh as he closed his eyes. Daria had reached her limit and was likely leaving so that no one would see her cry. However, he still needed some answers from Michiko.

"I was informed that when you enslaved the other SPCMs along with the false maestro and Xiao Lin, you made it so that they could function as your proxies. Tell me, who was the 8th pawn of yours that aided you."

Michiko's eyes widened a bit, but she remained silent. However, that was all Okisato needed to see to know his theory was right.

"So there truly was someone else under your control. I imagine you also can take full control of Xiao Lin at any moment too, yes?"

That statement caused Michiko to show a much larger reaction, however, she still remained silent.

"That truth serum is shit. Or perhaps ineffective due to her winning a DESPER match. Now, I have two final questions. First, care to divulge the secrets of the Desperado league?"

Once again, Michiko remained silent, though that was to be expected for this question.

"Final question, what became of Hagemi Shousen?"

This time, Michiko began to laugh. "Who knows."

"In that case, final, final question. How'd it feel losing to King David's bongcloud?"

Michiko's face began to contort in rage as she remembered her humiliating loss to Okisato. "YOU FUCKING TRASH! HOW DARE YOU- ACK!?"

Before Michiko could finish, Raymond grabbed her tongue with a metal clamp. "Seems the interrogation is over. In that case, there is no further need of your tongue. As for you, boy, you may leave. I know you have questions about this lab, but I won't answer them," he stated.

Okisato nodded and headed out. As soon as the doors closed behind him, he was able to just faintly hear Michiko's screaming.

"He must be confident on this lab's security if he was willing to let me wander freely," Okisato thought as he began walking down the long hallway.

He quickly ran into Daria who was busy reapplying her makeup. Upon noticing Okisato, she quickly finished up, before facing him properly. Her makeup looked fine, however, her red eyes made it evident that she had been letting loose a torrent of tears.

"Are you ok?" Okisato asked.

"I've calmed down. Did you learn anything?"

"Not at all."

"So this was effectively a wasted trip then."

"No, it gave you closure on the matter. I'm sure you've been anxious to hear Michiko's feelings ever since you reawoke. As for me, I made sure to piss her off before the president kicked me out."

"By reminding her of the game you played against her. I heard it was a humiliating loss for her."

"Yeah, and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving heap of shit."

Daria managed to muster a smile as she wiped away her tears and headed out with Okisato.