VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

The media presence outside Ronin Fight Management remains impossible to ignore, though the frenzy has finally begun to settle.

The largest television crews have already moved on to chase other sources surrounding the case involving Ryoma and Hugo Ramirez.

Even so, a steady stream of reporters still lingers outside the building, hoping Nakahara or someone from Ronin will eventually emerge with another headline.

Others have adopted a more patient approach. Across the street, the café overlooking Ronin Fight Management has quietly become an observation post, its window seats occupied by journalists who sip their coffee while keeping one eye on the entrance.

Among them sit Tanaka and Sato. Neither of them is watching the building itself. Instead, their attention rests on a black Lexus parked neatly along the curb.

”Normally,” Tanaka stirs his coffee absentmindedly,” promoters would be running around looking for investors or broadcasters willing to back their events. And yet here we are, watching the executives of NSN come to Ronin instead.”

Sato nods. ”That says everything about Ryoma’s value right now.”

Tanaka smiles faintly. ”Well, NSN and Ronin have worked together before. After what happened at Yoyogi, it isn’t exactly shocking.”

”No,” Sato agrees. ”My guess is Logan Rhodes is already trying to secure the commercial rights for Ryoma’s title fight with Miguel Cabello.”

Tanaka quietly shakes his head. ”Even so... Ryoma’s last fight wasn’t even two weeks ago. I’d be surprised if formal negotiations with Cabello’s camp have even started yet.”

Tanaka lets out a quiet chuckle. ”And Logan Rhodes is already sitting inside Ronin Fight Management. Whatever he’s offering... he’s convinced it can’t wait.”

A beat later, a little electric scooter rolls into view. Ryoma is at the handlebars. Behind him, Nakahara sits with practiced ease, one hand lazily holding onto the rear grab rail.

Sato nudges Tanaka with his elbow before gesturing toward the window. ”The biggest superstar in Japanese boxing and his wise old hermit… still riding around the city on that legendary beat-up electric scooter.”

Tanaka can’t help shaking his head, suppressing a laugh. ”So... should we head over?”

Sato settles deeper into his chair instead. ”Nah. With Logan Rhodes waiting inside, I doubt they’ll spare us even thirty seconds for an interview.”

He takes another sip of his coffee. ”Might as well stay here until the meeting’s over.”

Just as Sato predicted, Ryoma and Nakahara make no attempt to entertain the swarm of reporters. Ignoring the barrage of questions, they head straight into the building without breaking stride.

Roughly five minutes later, Kurogane arrives on foot. Before he can reach the entrance, the reporters immediately converge on him, microphones extending from every direction.

”Kurogane-san. A moment please.”

”Sorry, sorry…” Kurogane raises a hand. ”We are having an important meeting right now.”

He reaches for the door, only to find it locked. Apparently, Nakahara has already locked the entrance from the inside to prevent reporters from slipping into the building behind them.

”Ah, damn…

Left with little else to do while waiting for someone inside to notice him, Kurogane puts on a polite smile and answers a few questions from the press.

”Kurogane-san! Have negotiations with Miguel Cabello’s camp already begun?”

”Not yet,” Kurogane answers politely. ”It’s too soon to expect a negotiation at this stage.”

”Can Yoyogi Gymnasium still accommodate a fight of this magnitude, or are you planning to move to a larger venue?”

”We saw Logan Rhodes enter the building earlier. Is Ronin Fight Management discussing another partnership with NSN?”

Kurogane chuckles apologetically. ”One at a time, please.”

***

Inside the building, Ryoma and Nakahara enter the CEO’s office. Ryoma takes his seat behind the desk, while Nakahara settles into a chair beside the display cabinet. Logan remains seated opposite them, still quietly studying the office around him.

It is still furnished with remarkable simplicity. The walls are lined with framed photographs from the milestones of Ryoma’s career, while a glass cabinet beside Nakahara displays the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific championship belts Ryoma once held before vacating them in pursuit of a world title.

Logan lets his eyes wander around the office once more before a faint smile appears. ”It hasn’t been that long since my last visit. And look where you are now.”

His gaze settles on Ryoma. ”Twenty-two years old. A unified OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific champion. One fight away from becoming a world champion. And on top of that... You’re already sitting in the CEO’s chair of the fastest-growing promotion company in Japan.”

Ryoma leans back in his chair. ”You sound awfully confident I’ll beat Miguel Cabello.”

Logan studies him for a moment before replying. ”My assessment hasn’t changed since the beginning. The day I brought Franc Donovan to meet you, I already knew what you were capable of.”

”Honestly...” Ryoma says, meeting Logan’s eyes without the slightest hint of warmth. ”I still hate you for everything you’ve done since that day.”

Silence settles over the office as Logan and Ryoma continue holding each other’s gaze across the desk, neither looking away nor offering another word.

Their expressions remain composed, yet the tension lingering between them makes it clear that the conflict stretching back years has never truly disappeared.

It is less like two men meeting for a business discussion than two seasoned negotiators quietly measuring the ground beneath each other’s feet, each waiting for the other to show the first crack.

Ironically, the first crack comes from the old man Nakahara. He clears his throat, reaches for his coffee, and takes an unhurried sip before glancing toward Logan.

”Please,” he says with a smile. ”Don’t let it get cold.”

Logan gives a polite nod, picks up his own cup, and takes a brief sip before placing it back onto the saucer.

Only then does Nakahara continue, deliberately steering the conversation onto safer ground.

”I heard NSN’s Tokyo division has been doing exceptionally well these past few years. Reika must be keeping herself busy.”

Logan gives a small nod. ”Reika has done an excellent job. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better person to run our Tokyo division.”

His fingers lightly tap the handle of his coffee cup. ”What still surprises me, though, is her decision to offer your company fourteen million dollars without much hesitation. On top of that, she committed to a full Vegas-level production at no additional cost.”

Nakahara lets out a restrained laugh. ”I just hope that didn’t end up hurting your company.”

”No, no...” Logan replies with a faint smile. ”I’ll admit, I was nervous when I first heard about the deal. Fourteen million dollars is hardly pocket change. But the numbers proved her right. The exclusive Japanese broadcasting rights alone had already covered our production costs before the event even took place.”

Logan slowly leans back in his chair. ”And because NSN holds the exclusive rights to both the broadcast and the event footage, we’re still generating revenue from it more than a week after the fight.”

Nakahara nods thoughtfully. ”What about the American market?”

Logan’s smile widens ever so slightly. His eyes shift from Nakahara to Ryoma, turning noticeably sharper.

”Thanks to your boy’s market value... reaching thirty million dollars in pay-per-view sales wasn’t particularly difficult.”

Logan allows himself a faint smile. ”Reika has grown more than I expected. There was a time when all she did was follow a young rookie around the gym. Now... she’s become a businesswoman I can proudly introduce to my colleagues.”

”Drop the act already,” Ryoma says flatly. ”I know that was your idea. There’s no way that naïve girl would’ve had the confidence to throw fourteen million dollars onto the table unless someone convinced her it was worth the risk.”

Logan raises an eyebrow. ”So you still don’t trust my daughter? Were her mistakes in the past really enough to make you doubt everything she does now?”

He pauses for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. ”As her father... I can’t pretend that doesn’t disappoint me. She sees the good in you so effortlessly. Yet after everything she’s done for you... you still refuse to see the good in her.”

Ryoma shakes his head. ”I’ve never hated Reika. If anything, she’s done nothing but help us. But that doesn’t blind me. Fourteen million dollars was still an insane investment... unless you already knew what was going to happen before fight night.”

Logan’s expression grows noticeably more serious. ”And what exactly are you suggesting?”

Ryoma meets his eyes without hesitation. ”You’ve been watching this sport much longer than I have. You knew what happened in Manila wasn’t an isolated incident. You knew the same people would come after me again. You knew who was behind it.”

He pauses just long enough for the silence to settle over the office, leaving Nakahara momentarily speechless.

And it isn’t the accusation alone that shocks him, but the frightening logic behind it. Ryoma has somehow taken a series of seemingly unrelated events and connected them into a conclusion so coherent, and so unsettling, that Nakahara can’t immediately find a flaw in it.

”And instead of seeing only the danger...” Ryoma continues, his gaze still locking on Logan’s, ”you saw the business opportunity. If I survived another attack, the story would become even bigger than the fight itself. A kid who kept getting targeted... and still reached the world title. That’s why fourteen million never scared you.”

Logan doesn’t say anything back. He simply studies the young man sitting across from him, as though reevaluating him from the very beginning.

Ryoma leans forward another inch, his eyes never leaving Logan’s. ”I wouldn’t even be surprised if one day the FBI knocked on your office door... to investigate your connection with Hugo Ramirez.”