The game goes on

Hifumi sat back onto the wooden pew. Without all the layers, the seat felt much firmer than she remembered, and there was a cool tint to the air. She took a deep breath, looking around at the dimly lit room. The more rational part of her wondered if she should be doing this, if she shouldn't just redress and head home. She glanced at her shogi board from the corner of her eye, imagining her opponent taunting her, accusing her of being afraid, and steeled herself. She had come too far to just give up on her practice now.

With renewed vigor, she slapped down tile after tile. After a series of moves in rapid succession, however, she saw her opponent smirk when she lifted her finger from the tile. Why? She looked over the battlefield carefully, and then she saw it. She had made a critical error. And the enemy commander had noticed, immediately trying to capitalize on it. He made his move, lunging at her, his hands managing to find purchase on her bra. And a moment later, it was ripped from her body and thrown off to who knows where.

"Someone looks excited," he said to her, ogling her chest. Her eyes looked down, spotting two erect nubs.

Her face burned as she covered up with one of her arms. "Hardly, it's just cold here." Her opponent's face told her he didn't believe her.

Hifumi started slapping tiles on the board again, continuing her imaginings of fighting back. Her breath was heavy from the effort of her exertions. Her eyes fixed onto the state of the board. This next move would determine if she would win or lose. She needed to consider her options carefully. She scrutinized the board, one leg crossed over the other, with her chin cupped in her hand, doing her best to concentrate. Her opponent didn't seem to want to give her the courtesy.

"When you lose, I'm going to parade you around, naked as the day you were born for everyone to see," he said, his voice smooth. "Let's give them a new reason to call you 'the Venus of Shogi.'"

Her eyes went wide, and her breath hitched in her throat, just imagining it. Her being paraded completely naked before her opponent, the journalists and cameras, and the entire shogi community, trying her hardest in vain to the cover herself and maintain some level of dignity. Her rival only offering her mere shogi tiles for cover. Thousands of pictures taken of her there, without a stitch, her face burning red. The next morning, she'd be front page of all the shogi magazines, and likely some other tabloids. Maybe they'd censor her on the cover with a couple tastefully placed shogi tiles, but in the magazine, she'd be fully exposed. Everyone in the shogi community, everyone in her school, everyone that knew her would see. Whenever anyone searched "the Venus of Shogi" that would be the first result...

Hifumi shuddered. Grasping her tile with a trembling hand, she stared daggers at her opponent. "I refuse to lose," she declared, slapping her tile onto the board shakily.

The visage of Ren smirked at her. "You just did," he said, slapping his response onto the board. She stared at it wide eyed. She'd just lost. How could she have overlooked that move? "But maybe that's because you wanted to," he said. "Either way, it's time for the parade. Strip."

Shakily, she stood to her feet, looking around the completely empty church. It was just her there, but even still... was she really going to do this? After a moment's hesitation, she hooked her fingers into the waistband of her silky panties and began to peel them away from her slowly. When they reached her knees, she noticed the wet spot in the crotch. Her imaginings from earlier came to mind, "Someone looks excited" the voice purred, her face burning once more at the thought. From there, she just let them drop to the floor unceremoniously before stepping out of them and kicking them under the pew. Now, here she was naked except for her socks, in the middle of the church. Her heart drummed in her chest. This was risky. She shouldn't be doing this - especially not here in a church of all places!

"Now march," she whispered to herself, imagining it was him saying it instead. "Keep your hands behind your back." She slowly stepped out of the aisle, each step taking her farther from her clothes. She approached the altar, walking around to the other side of it and turning her back to face the whole of the church. Her whole body being illuminated by the candle light that cast shadows around the room. On one side of her was the confessional and the other an organ. Before her stood the alter and an empty congregation.

Her mind ran through further penalties that could be imposed on her for her loss. She could enter the confessional and a confess to her indiscretions or perhaps give a sermon here at that altar... or maybe climb onto the altar so that the entire congregation could get a good look at 'the Venus of Shogi'...