Chapter 1017: The Chameleon Returns
Ryoma reaches the upper floor and walks down the corridor, where he nearly bumps into Nobusawa-san carrying a cup of coffee toward her office.
She stops at her door when she sees him, her expression immediately softening into a relieved smile.
"Well, look who finally decided to come back," she teases. "I was starting to think you’d forgotten where the gym was."
Ryoma gives her a relaxed grin. "I considered it. Then I remembered everyone here would probably miss me too much."
Nobusawa laughs quietly. "Still as shameless as ever. Good. At least you look alive."
"Disappointed?"
"Very."
Ryoma chuckles and continues toward the managerial room.
When he enters, the employees inside immediately look up. Several of them freeze for a moment before quickly standing and bowing.
"Good morning, Takeda-san."
"Morning."
Ryoma gives them a brief nod as he continues walking toward the large scheduling board covering one wall.
Several upcoming events are listed across the next few months, along with the names of Ronin’s fighters and their opponents.
Next Month, there’s Aramaki vs. Marcus "The Comet" Callahan, a 27-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona, the reigning WBC Continental Americas Super Featherweight Champion and currently ranked 7th by the WBC.
The following month, there’s Kenta vs. Declan "The Wolf" Byrne, an Irishman from Dublin ranked number one by the WBO at Super Lightweight, and the fight is listed as a final title eliminator.
"So Kenta is finally standing at the door," Ryoma mutters.
The following month, the board lists another major event.
September 1st — Tokyo Dome
WBO Lightweight World Title: Ryoma Takeda vs. Derrick Allen
WBC World Title: Elliot Graves vs. Shimamura Suzuki
Double World Title Fight
For a brief moment, Ryoma’s eyes settle on the matchup. His thoughts first drift toward Elliot Graves, the reigning WBC champion, but only for an instant before his mind turns toward the other name: Shimamura.
His mind is completely blank, yet for some reason, the moment Shimamura comes to mind, he feels something strange stir inside him.
He remains there for several seconds, staring at the board without any clear thought, until Kurogane finally breaks his reverie.
"So, are you ready for our Tokyo Dome 2.0 project?"
Ryoma blinks once, then turns toward him with a small smile before tilting his head slightly toward the board.
"Aramaki’s fight against the WBC number seven... did you guys really make him relinquish his JBC belt?"
"Not really," Kurogane replies casually. "We’re only letting him experience what world-level boxing feels like. It’s too early for him to give up that belt. Unless..."
Kurogane lifts an eyebrow. "You actually want us to challenge a world champion for him already?"
Ryoma shakes his head with a shrug. "Why don’t you ask the man himself?"
"Aramaki?" Kurogane scoffs. "That guy’s just too pragmatic. He never asks for anything. He just accepts whatever fight we prepare for him."
Ryoma nods in agreement before turning his attention back to the board.
"So, what kind of fighter is he facing this time?"
"Well, the easiest way to put it is, he’s kind of like Celeb Mercer. Philly Shell, counterpuncher, good technique, good ring IQ, sharp footwork."
"Do you have any videos of him?"
Kurogane immediately walks toward his desk.
"Why? Already planning to come up with a strategy for your favorite friend?"
He pulls open a drawer, takes out a memory stick, and places it on the desk.
Ryoma walks over and picks it up. Seeing that, Kurogane immediately steps aside, giving him room to sit at the desk and plug the memory stick into the computer himself.
The video begins playing, and the two of them watch in silence, Kurogane simply leaning against the cabinet behind them with his legs crossed.
They do not speak again for several minutes. After watching several rounds, Ryoma begins increasing the playback speed until the footage is running at twice its normal speed.
Only then does Kurogane comment.
"Why the rush? Aren’t you that interested in this guy?"
"He’s good," Ryoma says.
"If you watch it this fast, how are you supposed to analyze him? You might end up getting the wrong impression."
"I’m not thinking about a strategy for Aramaki for now," Ryoma replies. "I just want to see if this guy’s fighting style will fit the evolution I’m preparing for Aramaki."
"So you’re already thinking about taking up your role as a trainer again, huh?" Kurogane scoffs. "I’m glad to see you this fired up again, but I doubt Nakahara-san will allow it."
Ryoma glances at him. "Why? Did he ever tell you he doesn’t like me being a trainer?"
"Not exactly," Kurogane says with a sigh. "But lately, he’s started blaming himself for the mental mess you’ve been dealing with. And ever since you stepped away and he had to take on all the burden himself, even that old man has started considering seeing a psychiatrist himself."
Ryoma chuckles softly before turning back to the monitor.
"He should consider retiring. Not seeing a psychiatrist."
***
After studying Marcus Callahan’s footage, Ryoma returns to the first floor and finds Nakahara near the ring.
The moment Ryoma tells him what he wants, Nakahara’s response is immediate.
"No."
Ryoma blinks. "You didn’t even let me explain."
"I don’t need to. You just got back after nearly destroying yourself in that fight, and now you’re already talking about training Aramaki again? Absolutely not."
"I’m not talking about taking over his training."
"You’re talking about standing in his corner and telling him how to fight. That’s training!"
"I know what I’m doing."
"And that’s exactly what worries me. You always know what you’re doing until you push yourself too far and someone else has to deal with the consequences."
Ryoma stares at him for a moment before his expression gradually softens.
"Come on, Nakahara-san. I’m not really going to be his trainer. I won’t supervise all of his drills. No mitt work, no conditioning, none of that. You can handle all of it. I only want to help during sparring."
"You just said you’re not going to be his trainer."
"I’m not. I just need someone who can give him the kind of opponent he’s about to face. Have you already found a sparring partner for him? I don’t think there’s anyone in this gym who fits that style."
Nakahara hesitates. He blinks slightly, his anger beginning to subside.
"Now that you mention it, you are the only one who can spar with him. Why? You’re not planning to spar with him?"
"No. I want to stand at the edge of the ring and guide him."
Nakahara’s irritation immediately returns.
"I already told you. Just focus on being a fighter. Leave the training and strategy to me. Besides, we’ve already hired four additional trainers. Even Coach Murakami has joined the coaching staff here."
Even as Ryoma continues speaking in a low, gentle voice, almost as though he were trying to sweet-talk his girlfriend, Nakahara keeps arguing back with increasing anger and volume until his voice carry across the gym hall.
The athletes training nearby begin losing their concentration, their attention repeatedly drifting toward the coaching office.
"Hey, don’t slack off! Just focus on your training!" Sera shouts firmly.
The athletes immediately return their attention to their drills. The argument inside the office continues, but they force themselves to ignore it and keep working.
Aramaki, however, decides to step away from the heavy bag.
"Aramaki, where are you going?" Coach Murakami asks.
"Just for a moment," Aramaki replies.
He walks toward the coaching office. The moment he reaches the doorway, Nakahara’s argument abruptly stops in the middle of a sentence, and he turns to look at him.
Aramaki steps into the office with a forced smile, taking over where Ryoma left off.
"We’re trying to apply a new idea we just came up with."
"We?" Nakahara repeats, slightly caught off guard by the word.
"Yes. It’s my idea with Ryoma. We came up with it together back at home."
Aramaki keeps his smile in place as he faces Nakahara.
"Please, Coach. I only need Ryoma to supervise my sparring. Nothing more."
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Nakahara stares at the two of them for several seconds before finally letting out a tired sigh.
"Fine. I’ll let him supervise your sparring."
"Good," Ryoma says. "Now, why don’t you go find a sparring partner for him?"
"Screw you," Nakahara grumbles before walking out of the office.
Ryoma simply grins as he watches Nakahara finally give in.
Beside him, Aramaki watches that easygoing grin for a moment, and some of the tension inside him finally eases. Perhaps Ryoma’s mental burden is no longer as serious as it had been before.