The endangered legacy of Mizuse Niimi

Penny slammed her fist down in frustration as she stared at a document as she racked her brains trying to find a way out of this predicament. However, no ideas came to mind, leaving her to simply utter, "Fuck you, Kugisaki."

Penelope Banilla, and Sandra Lacey were both Mizuse Niimi's top proteges as well as two of her closest friends. However, they were currently embroiled in a big problem. Not only were they dealing with fallout from Mizuse's statements and actions she made while brainwashed, but as a result, her company was also in danger of being turned over to the Kinjou family's butler, Shin Kugisaki.

Kugisaki had once seized control of the company in a hostile takeover nearly 6 years ago, however, Mizuse managed to gain back control, by defeating Kugisaki's then hit man, Snye Pher, in a game of chess. Now that Mizuse was dead, inheritance of the company and Kinjou family assets were to be passed to next of kin, however, Mizuse didn't have any heirs, nor had she even written a will. Thus, the matter of inheritance became a hot topic.

Many of Mizuse's close allies were rallying for Penny and Sandra to take over as they were the two that Mizuse trusted the most. Others wanted the company to merge with mega pop star Tina Schift's company, as they pointed out that Schift was on friendly terms with Mizuse. And then there were others that wanted the Kinjou family to regain control of the company after 6 long years. They argued that since Kugisaki had been named to take over the company in the late master's will should he and his heir, Mizuse, perish, he should be instated as CEO.

Unfortunately, the Kinjou camp appeared to have the edge. Thanks to Mizuse's outlandish statements caused by Michiko brainwashing her, the company's stock had tanked, with many long-time supporters outraged at her radical actions. The Kinjou family then amplified things by having one of their members run various hit pieces demonizing Mizuse and the company, which eventually led to Tina Schift publicly denouncing Mizuse when pressed on the topic in an interview, putting into doubt whether she'd want to associate with the Mizuse Niimi brand, any further.

Worse, this scandal was exactly what Kugisaki and his allies had been hoping for as thanks to the tanking stocks, he was able to buyout enough to seize control of the company through his hedge fund firm.

"It's just not fair. Mizuse built all this up on her own, and now her legacy is going to be marred and everything she built up, destroyed. What the hell was that bitch's problem!? Mizuse considered her a friend and she just used her as a pawn to further her own ego!" Penny cried.

"I wish we could just settle everything again with chess, but even then, what would we do? We both aren't the best players and Kugisaki would likely ensure a strong challenger fights on his behalf if he even agreed to it in the first place."

"Don't we have anyone we can turn to?"

As Sandra pondered, an aide then entered accompanied by an unpleasant sight; Kugisaki.

"Oh, look at you. I can see you've been crying," Kugisaki sneered as he wheeled up to the two.

Ever since Raymond kneecapped him nearly 6 years ago, Kugisaki had been wheelchair bound. This led to him declaring war on chess in general and seeking to bring down the WWCF through any means possible. Him airing his grievances had proven somewhat successful as he had managed to gain some powerful allies and get elected to the Okinawa prefectural assembly.

"Get out, you piece of shit," Sandra glared.

"That's my line. You're in MY company."

"Oh really? Isn't it against assembly rules to be CEO of a company?"

"Not on your life. Besides, I could always resign if need be, though I think I could get away with both. Anyway, I just bought up all your stocks. The company is mine, and you're both fired."

Kugisaki's guards then violently grabbed Penny and Sandra and began dragging them out. Once they were gone, Kugisaki headed towards the desk and began looking through the files.

"Now then, let's rename everything to Kinjou enterprises so that I may honor the late master's legacy."

"Um Sir, many of the employees will be unhappy about the takeover. What should-"

"Fire them."

"There's also the issue of the hotel."

"The one that woman founded? Tear it down."

"But it's-"

"The late master did not want his legacy to be rooted in hotels. Besides, we are to erase all traces of that woman. If you don't want to tear it down, find a buyer."

"Uh, that's the other problem. Apparently the WWCF is claiming ownership over a portion-"

"THEY WHAT!?"

"Apparently the late Mizuse Niimi was known as a secret puzzle cafe manager and was directly employed by the WWCF-"

SLAM!

The aide let out a shriek as Kugisaki stabbed a pen into the desk, causing a small indentation to form.

"So that bastard's at it again, huh? Well this time I happened to find a far more competent champion, and he even has Kinjou blood."

"W- Who are you referring to?"

"The late master's uncle, who headed off to the mainland to form his own financial empire. He was quite successful and even headed the world's largest news company, but now he's sadly struck hard times. Heh heh, this could be quite profitable for both of us."

...

In the Mizuse Niimi resort hotel and SPA, Penny and Sandra headed inside the secret puzzle cafe to find Himitsudono and Daria.

"I saw the headlines, so that old butler's at it again?" Daria asked.

Sandra and Penny's faces suddenly lit up, but were quickly deflated when Daria informed them she couldn't fight on their behalf.

"The butler won't pick a fight and try to drag things out if he knows his opponent will be strong. However, I can provide someone that will be a suitable representative for you. All I'll say is that his rating is 2675."

Penny and Sandra looked at each other before nodding and accepting.

"Perfect, because I already dragged him over on a plane," Daria smiled as Okisato emerged from a room in the back.

"So this is why you dragged me out here? And is there even going to be a game in the first place?" Okisato grumbled.

"Yes, since that bastard will likely try to get rid of everything associated with Mizuse-sama's name, he'll want to get rid of the hotel," Sandra stated.

"He also hates the WWCF and has been constantly pushing for criminalizing chess, all because he got caught trying to cheat during a high-stakes match and was properly punished for it," Daria huffed.

Curious, Okisato asked for some background on the matter and was informed of Mizuse's past as well as her match against Snye Pher, where Kugisaki attempted to kill Mizuse with a gun to prevent her from winning, but was stopped and kneecapped by Raymond before he could.

"Yep, no sympathy for that guy. But if he hates chess, why will he engage in it?"

Before anyone could reply, Kugisaki himself suddenly appeared accompanied by Ginjou.

"Oi, no non-WWCF members are allowed inside," Daria glared.

"And this hotel is under MY ownership, but it seems you chess radicals seem to settle everything with chess, so I decided to fight fire with fire, and contacted a trusted member of the Kinjou family to take care of things."

"And that would be me," Ginjou snickered as he locked eyes with Okisato.

"You're the one from Ryokoma."

"Indeed I am."

"You two know each other?" Kugisaki scowled.

"We simply met once, and I humiliated his friend. It was a grand experience."

"Then I guess now will be a good time to avenge Gorou-kun then. I could use some good points with him."

"And is he beatable?" Kugisaki growled.

With a nod and a bow, Ginji affirmed his confidence, causing Kugisaki to let out a scoff as he wheeled away. "The game will take place in the main lobby. I'll call you when it's ready."

He then headed towards the lobby and stared at the wooden chessboard on the table. Once he confirmed the coast was clear, a maniacal grin appeared on Kugisaki's face. "Those idiots really think I'll leave everything to chess, huh? Well too bad for you. Challenger, but you're gonna die at the board," he thought as he put on some rubber gloves and began smearing something over all the pieces.