A woman of science

The pieces began to vanish as Maida splashed onto the ground, covered in a gelatinous substance. Okisato approached her as Nyoan found herself restrained by metal tentacles.

"NYAA!? WHAT'S ALL THIS, NYA!?"

Nyoan got her answer as metal tentacles holding a pair of shearing clippers, a sharp razor blade, a bottle of wax, and shaving cream appeared before her.

"I wonder how weird you're gonna look when you're done," Okisato sneered.

"And you're not even going to untie me?" Maida thought as she let out a muffled grunt.

Okisato however remained focused as the metal tentacles began moving and shred all of Nyoan's clothes to bits.

"Heh?"

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Nyoan screamed as the tentacles then began shearing all her hair off, including the fur on her cat ears and tail.

"Ah, I guess I didn't specify just to shave the hair on her head," Okisato nodded as his deadpan persona returned while Maida shot him a disgusted glare.

Nyoan meanwhile was busy bawling her eyes out as she was encased in shaving cream and shaved. Once the shaving was done, she was then encased in hot wax.

"Hmm? I never said to wax her, maybe it's necessary to fulfill the "lose all your hair and fur" command I gave it," Okisato nodded.

Nyoan let out a painful scream as all the wax was ripped off her before she was released and fell to the ground with a thud. She slowly got up and shivered as she covered herself up. "Ny- What did you do to me, nya!?" she stuttered as her face went red with embarrassment.

Nyoan was now devoid of both hair and clothing. Not even her eyebrows and eyelashes had been spared, though what truly stood out about her new look was the fact that both her cat ears and tail were also devoid of fur.

"Wow, those cat ears really were attached to your head... Yeah, now you really look like a mutant," Okisato nodded as he evaluated Nyoan's new look.

"Wh- What do you- NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!? I LOOK HIDEOUS!" Nyoan cried as a mirror appeared before her.

The DESPER then deactivated and the scenery returned to normal. Nyoan immediately grabbed the DESPER with her now furless tail and awkwardly scampered off at breakneck speed, while tearfully declaring that Okisato would pay for humiliating her.

"Hmm, it didn't destroy itself. Guess you really can spare the DESPER holders,” Okisato noted.

"MMPH!"

Okisato looked down and noticed the still bound and gagged Maida glaring up at him. "Ah, let me free you, Maida-sensei. Er, do you have anything that can cut zip ties on you?"

Maida glared and motioned towards her jean pocket. Inside, Okisato found a pocket knife which he used to cut the zip ties. Once he was done, he handed the knife back to Maida.

"PEH! Ugh, I'm still covered in gelatinous material," Maida scowled as she ripped the tape off her mouth.

"Well, I've got to get home. See you tomorrow, Maida-sensei," Okisato nodded as he began to leave.

"WAIT! Tanabe-kun, I want answers. Did you plan this entire thing!?"

Okisato turned and faced Maida. "No, though I deduced you might be targeted since I was being tailed when I met up with you at the capsule hotel."

"By that catgirl, I presume?"

"Most likely."

"Then explain the phenomenon that just occurred. Was it a hallucination? A hologram?"

"No, it was all real. That device is known as a DESPER and can create any scenery and material needed to fulfill the conditions of the wager."

"So it's a device used for gambling?"

"Yes, though it's only possible to use it during chess games."

"Why is that?"

"Because that's all the tech's been made for, I guess."

"Yet, you are familiar with it. What is your history with it?"

"Asking lots of questions, well you are a science teacher after all. I learned that an underground chess league known as the Desperado league created it in order to give them the edge in rising to the top of the chess world. Believe it or not, the DESPER is officially approved by the WWCF governing board."

"'WWCF'?"

"The World wide chess federation. If you play chess professionally, you become a WWCF member for life," Okisato stated as he pulled out his WWCF card.

"That card, there's something strange about it."

"You've got a keen eye. WWCF cards are like inventory menus from games and can be summoned anywhere at any time as soon as you become a WWCF member."

"So the cards aren't physical?" Maida asked as she attempted to touch the card, only for her hand to phase through it.

"Correct, it's more like a holographic screen, but many like to act like it is, and treat it like it's a real physical card.”

"And how does this tech work?".

"No clue."

Maida pondered to herself for a minute before looking Okisato in the eye. "Alright, I'll supervise your chess club."

"Really?"

"Yes. I guess you managed to force my hand afterall. I am intrigued by this technology and as a scientist, I wish to know more about it. However, there are some stipulations. First, as I said earlier, science is my main commitment so I won’t prioritize chess over it. Second, I will reprimand you all harshly should you cause trouble like you all did earlier today-"

"That was actually due to Shousen-kun and Iori-chan getting attacked by Desperado league players on their way to school. I only snuck out because I feared they'd be easy marks, and sure enough, I was able to save Shousen-kun from a near certain death by my presence."

"They were targeted you say? Why's that?"

"Because the Desperado league wants to get rid of not just me, but Inoue-senpai as well."

"Mimoko Inoue? Why?"

"Because they fear her potential to become the greatest female chess player in the world, possibly even the greatest chess player ever."

"Is she a prodigy?"

"Yes, I'd have trouble beating her even at my best."

"I see, so does that mean I will be targeted again in the future?"

"Considering that catgirl survived, yes. Even if I chose to have the punishment result in her death, her comrades would have accessed the match data and learned about you there since you were also a part of the bet. Though this is honestly the first time I've encountered an odds rule and seen someone get imprisoned in a playing piece. When Inoue-senpai was captured, she was restrained to a white pawn, but said pawn was never in play. Seems there's much more I need to know about the DESPER."

"Is that why you came up with the punishment that you did?"

"Yes. I also really wanted to know if her cat ears were real and how they'd look if she was bald."

"So you used her as a guinea pig. Seems there's a mad scientist within yourself," Maida chuckled.

"I guess. My mom was a scientist after all."

"Did she develop the DESPERs?"

"Sharp one. She was on the development team."

"Now I understand a bit more about you. Though I have one final question, why were you so aggressive with using me while I was captive?"

"It was the most useful strategy. Maida-sensei, how familiar are you with chess?"

"Never played before. I don't even know how all the pieces work, or the proper names for them."

"So you're a complete beginner. Would you like me to give you some quick pointers?"

"Perhaps tomorrow morning. It is quite late."

"Then we'll meet again at school tomorrow, though be careful on your way home. Another Desperado member might be lurking."

"Would they force me to play chess against them?"

"Possibly, they can challenge non-WWCF members. Though you can always study the rules online on your way back."

"I see. Then I bid you goodnight. We'll converse again with the chess club tomorrow after school, " Maida nodded as she walked away.

As Maida walked away, she noticed Okisato still continued to tail her, though unlike before, he seemed to be less aggressive and tailed from a greater distance from before. Maida let out a sigh and pulled out her phone. “Seems you are concerned about me. Very well, let’s see how difficult this game is to learn.”