Chapter 1051 Back in His Element

Somehow, the awkwardness in her from last night has completely disappeared. Ryoma can feel it himself. This is the Kaede he has always known: mature, composed and calculating, someone who takes life's decisions seriously, carefully weighs consequence before making a choice.

"Don't get me wrong, Ryoma," Kaede continues. "Back then, I didn't accept you because you were an Interhigh champion or a prodigy. I had accepted you when you could barely throw a proper punch, long before you became a genius in the ring."

Ryoma scoffs. "Then why did you accept me?"

Kaede shrugs. "Your stubbornness… selfishly dragging me into your life until, at some point, I started seeing you as part of my own. And you did it again last night."

"Am I really that selfish?"

"You are."

"So all this time, it's been about what I want? Not what you want?"

"I did ask for your commitment, didn't I?"

Ryoma falls silent for a moment, needing a little time and effort to understand what Kaede really wants, whether she still wants to be with him or not.

But this time, he makes no attempt to read her with those keen eyes of his, as though he has begun to doubt his own ability to read people.

And because Ryoma doesn't rush to make assumptions about her this time, Kaede finally has the space to open up and let herself be understood.

"Let me be honest with you," she begins. "I never actually accepted that promotion to Malaysia."

Ryoma's expression shifts slightly, surprise flashing across his face before he turns to her in disbelief.

"You what?"

Kaede turns to face him as well. "I realized it was a mistake, so I declined the promotion. I wanted to come back to you and accept whatever you wanted from me."

"Kaede...?" Ryoma stammers. "W-why? Why would you do that? And... if you did decline the promotion, then where were you all this time? If you wanted to come back to me, why didn't you? I was looking for you, you know that?"

Kaede simply shakes her head slowly before turning her gaze forward. "I didn't bring this up to tie myself to the past. You told me to let it go and focus on the present. And I've accepted your decision."

She pauses before adding. "I'm only telling you this now so you'll understand that this isn't just about what you want. I want us to be together, too."

Part of Ryoma still feels unsatisfied, wanting badly to bring up the matter again. But after holding himself back for a while, he finally gives a slow nod.

"If we both want the same thing, then there shouldn't be any problems left, right?"

"If only it were that simple," Kaede replies. "As long as you don't make things complicated again with all your worries and excessive anxiety, as though you want to control every situation to make it go your way."

Kaede's words hit Ryoma hard, wounding his pride. It is that very same ego that makes him so difficult to reason with, an ego that seeks to control every circumstance and leave nothing to chance.

But then she takes one of his hands in hers and holds it gently. "Listen, Ryoma… I don't want to become the reason you lose everything you've worked so hard to achieve. If having me here makes you lose sight of your dreams, I'm afraid maybe I shouldn't be here in the first place."

Only then does Ryoma truly understand how his own behavior around Kaede has continually left her caught in a dilemma.

Now he can't bring himself to say anything. Yet for some reason, that voice suddenly speaks up inside his head again.

"It seems I have developed quite the fondness for this woman."

Ryoma blinks, his expression shifting as he catches himself off guard.

As he recalls, this is the same insidious voice that once egged him on to push Kaede out of his life, making him see her presence as a threat to his career.

But now, it suddenly speaks up again, sounding almost amused with its trademark chuckle.

"I must say… I find her far more agreeable than that spoiled little princess from NSN."

For a moment, Ryoma seems to lose his composure, leaving Kaede slightly confused by the sudden change in his expression.

Then Ryoma gives her a nod, pats the back of her hand once, and gently takes back his hand before leaving her.

Kaede can only watch him go, feeling somewhat unsettled by his silence.

Soon Ryoma pulls his boxing gloves back on and turns to Nakahara.

"Old man, give me another round."

"What? You still haven't had enough?"

"How about you?"

Nakahara studies him for a moment.

Then his wrinkled lips curl into a grin as he recognizes the hunger returning to Ryoma's eyes.

"Damn right. I'm not satisfied either."

He picks up the mitts, straps them on, and smacks them together once.

"You better show me something worth my time."

The moment Nakahara calls the first combination, Ryoma explodes forward. His jab cracks against the target, followed by a sharp cross and a tight left hook that jolts Nakahara's arm.

Before the old man can call the next sequence, Ryoma is already shifting his feet, slipping an imaginary counter and driving triple liver shots into the body pad.

Nakahara's eyes widen slightly.

That's more like it.

"Again! Don't let up!"

Ryoma answers with another explosive combination, his punches snapping against the mitts as he moves with renewed urgency.

Each strike carries conviction, each transition sharp and purposeful.

"That's it!"

A grin spreads across Nakahara's face.

"Keep coming! Make every damn punch count!"

He raises the mitts higher, matching Ryoma's intensity, his voice growing louder with every exchange. He looks every bit as fired up as the champion standing before him.

For a while, Nakahara had worried that Kaede's presence might bring out Ryoma's naive side again, as it often did whenever she visited the gym in the past.

But now, whatever Ryoma and Kaede have discussed just moments ago, Nakahara couldn't be more grateful. It seems Ryoma has finally found his hunger again.

Kaede herself also notices the renewed conviction in Ryoma's performance. Though he left her without a word earlier, she can at least take this as an answer.

***

In the days that follow, Ryoma's gentle side doesn't truly disappear. He remains kind and easygoing most of the time. But whenever training begins, whether he's working on his own skills or correcting the others, the monster within him always emerges.

During meetings and briefings with the coaching staff about fighting techniques and strategies, however, his cunning side takes over. His childish side is still there, but now it's the side of a boy far too amused by the prospect of pulling pranks and devising schemes.

He even goes so far as to script how to handle Kenta's weigh-in, mapping out how to shape the atmosphere and preparing sample answers for the press conference that follows.

"No, Kenta. You don't have to play the bad guy. Just be yourself. Stay polite, act natural, and slip in a few remarks that get under your opponent's skin."

Kenta frowns, partly from the strain of his weight cut and partly from reading the lines Ryoma has written for him.

"So I just memorize these and work them into my answers? What if they don't fit the questions they're asking?"

"Then don't recite them word for word. Answer the question first, then find a way to steer the conversation back to the points we want to get across."

"Do we really need to go this far? You honestly think they'll fall for it? I can't see how any of this is going to make a difference."

Ryoma gives him a look as if he's just said something ridiculous.

"What are you talking about? Have you forgotten how much of a fight is won before the first bell? Half my victories start with the story we build in the media. Trust me, it'll make a difference when you step into the ring. Just learn your lines."

Ryoma remains meticulous in considering every possible scenario, as though he still stubbornly and selfishly wants to keep every situation under control.

Yet the moment the van pulls up at the weigh-in venue, Ryoma lets go of that intensity without a second thought.

He slides the door open and steps out, wearing a relaxed smile as he casually waves at the cameras greeting him with a flurry of unauthorized flashes.

"Ryoma! Over here! Give us a look!"

"Can we get you facing the cameras?"

"Ryoma, how's preparation for your fight against Derrick Allen at the Tokyo Dome going?"

"Any message for Allen before the fight?"

Hayakawa and the rest of the team quickly move to keep the reporters from crowding him.

Ryoma continues toward the venue, but still offers them brief answers goes without stopping for long.

"Preparation's going well."

"I'm looking forward to it. That's all I can say for now."

His presence alone draws so much attention that Kenta is almost forgotten in the commotion, allowing him to walk comfortably alongside the coaching staff.

Declan Byrne, however, watches the scene with a scowl. The sight of Ryoma soaking up the attention only fuels his resentment.

For the moment, his hatred seems directed far more at Ryoma than at the man he's actually scheduled to fight.

"Does that guy ever get tired of making everything about himself?" Declan mutters, his cheek twitching with irritation.

"Unbelievable," Redmond scoffs. "He can't even show his face without turning it into a fucking show."

Ryoma himself has already noticed them and can even make out their words just by reading their lips.

It leaves him satisfied, knowing that the indirect verbal jab he threw at them a few weeks ago has apparently hit its mark.