Hidden in plain sight

Melania scowled as she walked down the street. "I needed to get in there, but now, I can't. Well, I guess I'll just leave the city limits until the game concludes. I just can't run into anyone else," she thought as Plum Stupid appeared before her. "Great..."

"Hey, who are you supposed to be? We said folks gotta stay inside till the game's over... Or we didn't? You look familiar, I met you before?"

Melania shook her head no, but Plum continued to stare at her.

"I got it! You're blue! You must be a fan of blue fairy Mela!"

Melania capitalized on Plum's stupidity and giddily nodded herself yes like an excited fangirl.

"Well, I hear she's still in the game, so good ya might be able to spot her. Cheer her on for me!"

Once Plum was gone, Melania let out a sigh of relief, however, her worries weren't quite over yet. The grunt that knew about her still needed to be dealt with. And speaking of which, said grunt was slowly trudging along behind her, still depressed from her loss to Azenira.

"She trampled all over me. I want to throw myself into the river," the grunt trembled.

"Then do it. That's an order," Melania snarled.

"Huh? Why would little ole me do that? And that worker abuse is gonna get you in trouble."

The grunt's tonal shift caused Melania to stagger back, before regaining her composure after realizing who the grunt was. "Ina, this is MY mission given to me by RR-sama. Don't you dare interfere."

"But you almost got your cover blown."

"Because of you."

"But there's grunts camping in that building. Why'd you wanna go in there?"

"How so? That place is a pub. Citizens are most likely watching the game inside since we gave the order not to go out until everything was over."

"You never know who might be a grunt in casual clothes."

"Yes we do, since all grunts are required to dye their hair pink, and if they are bald, tattoo the fairy league's insignia on their head."

"And I'm just some third-rate info broker that doesn't know jack shit. Girl, you know me better than that."

Ina Kirikawa was a kunoichi hailing from Japan's Kirikawa clan. She was highly skilled at espionage and specialized in information. Though she tended to have a mischievous personality. She had often been Melania's go-to source for information, but that didn't mean Melania got along with her.

"So want me to give ya an instant wardrobe change? Do your hair n' makeup too?" Ina asked as she trotted alongside Melania.

"No, I can groom myself just fine."

"Then why haven't ya at least tied your hair up?"

"Because then I'd be recognized, and I don't want to be recognized in this outfit."

"Then should've worn a wig or hat... Or a bald cap."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of a disguise kit."

"But aren't you always tasked with infiltrating underground chess leagues?"

"And I choose the look myself, unless RR-sama has any specifications.

"Well, guess you aren't Kama-chan."

"Don't mention that woman around me. Now be off. I don't need backup for a mission personally entrusted to me by RR-sama."

Ina shrugged and poofed away after throwing down a smoke bomb. Thinking things were fine now, Melania let out a sigh of relief only to find herself surrounded by Scharlachrot and an army of grunts.

"I heard from Plum you were sporting a new outfit and hairstyle, and it reminded me of a woman I saw at the WWCF a long time ago. Prepare yourself, rat. Your torture's going to be humiliating," Scharlschrot glared.

Melania clicked her tongue in frustration as she was restrained. "No, I can't be caught here, the mission will fail! But I'm so close..."

Melania resolved herself and suddenly charged at the weakest looking grunt, surprising her and toppling her down. This allowed her to break free and make her escape.

Scharlachrot meanwhile gritted her teeth in frustration. "I can't believe SHE was here this whole time. No wonder Pewler found out about me. Damn her, Damn Redfield!"

As Melania hid from her pursuers she noticed Red Reaper slowly marching by and ran up to him.

"And what do you want? Do you wish to be part of my hunt?" Red Reaper glared as he pulled out his DESPER.

"You can't force me into a match," Melania glared.

"Yes I can. Your rating is just under 1100, yes? Then I-"

"My undercover rating is, but not my true rating."

Red Reaper's eyes widened as Melania pulled out her WWCF card, and turned it purple, displaying her true rating of 2974. "That color, you're an executive board member!?"

"Correct. I'm sure that information alone is valuable to the league. And speaking of which, I'd like to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

"There's a Desperado I want dead..."

...

Scharlachrot froze as she noticed Tsar Grigori, Svetlana, and a malnourished young man with a sack over his head walking towards her.

"Are you the commander of the fairies and Britain? It's an honor to meet you," Grigori sneered.

"Merely the commander of the army, though I am second in command," Scharlachrot replied.

"On paper that is. You think an idiot like Heather could manage a country and army?"

"S- She isn't an idiot. You should know, considering she brat Svetlana.

Svetlana gritted her teeth in anger and slammed her sledgehammer down on the ground. "That was not a normal chess game."

"Gothic chess is most certainly a proper chess variant, and one of the few variants with fairy chess pieces the WWCF will somewhat acknowledge. But as you know, that will change once we achieve our goals. Heathy will crush all who stand in our way! She's our queen!"

"In that case, how about I tell your league just who you are."

Scharlachrot went pale as flashbacks to her initial conversation played in her mind.

...

"I know exactly who you are. You see a little informant told me about your past. And if you don't want me to reveal it, you'll do as I request," Pewler sneered.

"And why would I believe you? Politicians lie about having dirt on others all the time," Scharlachrot glared.

To Scharlachrot's horror, Pewler perfectly detailed the past she hopped none would ever learn about her. And with no other choice, she agreed to his plan.

...

"What do you wish of me?" Scharlachrot trembled.

"I just want to let my comrade here run wild. You see, he's been cooped up for a while and wanted to get some fresh air, and kill a certain friend of the oni-tiger," Grigori sneered as he yanked the sack off the head of the malnourished young man.

...

Yuzuha panted as she ran as fast as she could.

"You think you can outrun me, fräulein? Nein, your doom is imminent," Red Reaper sneered as he prepared to activate his DESPER.

Suddenly, a figure jumped out, shielding Yuzuha. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! Seems Zenihara-san is in need of my genius intellect," Numakawa gloated as he proudly stared down Red Reaper.

"Very well, I'll kill you first, and quickly," Red Reaper glared as he activated his DESPER.