VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

Meeting Noguchi right after dreaming about him leaves Ryoma strangely unsettled. He does not believe in omens, yet the timing feels too precise to ignore.

Before he realizes it, he is actually considering Noguchi's offer. The thought follows him all the way home, distracting him enough to stop watching his surroundings for the first time in days.

In fact, he walks right past his mother's barbershop and continues toward home without noticing.

"Oh, Ryoma... how are you doing today?"

Ryoma slows and turns his head.

"Ah, Shimizu-san?"

Shimizu blinks once. "You look a little lost. What's wrong?"

Ryoma does not answer immediately. Instead, he glances around the street, then over his shoulder, before finally letting out an awkward laugh.

"Yeah, exactly..." He rubs the back of his neck. "I was supposed to stop by my mom's place first."

Ryoma shakes his head at himself, then turns around and starts heading back the way he came.

"See you later, Shimizu-san."

He lifts a hand above his head without looking back. But even after Ryoma leaves, Shimizu remains standing there for a moment, quietly watching him go. The sight feels oddly unfamiliar to him.

In all the years he has known Ryoma, this is the first time he has ever seen him so unaware of his surroundings.

***

When Ryoma finally steps into the barbershop, the familiar scent of shampoo and hair products immediately greets him.

His mother is standing behind a customer, scissors moving steadily through a head of gray hair.

"Good thing you came back," she greets, not even looking in his direction. "Another ten minutes and I was going to put up missing-person posters.

The customer lets out a small laugh. "Imagine that. A boxer getting lost on the same street he's lived on for years."

Ryoma only rubs his cheek, doesn't even try to defend himself.

The exchange only reminds him of something he has known for years. His mother notices far more than people give her credit for, has always been unusually aware of what happens around her.

Ryoma pulls a stool over and sits down beside the wall. And for a while, he simply watches her work. Even without thinking about it, he finds himself following the angles of the cutting, the spacing, the tiny corrections she makes from one section to another.

Then a car passes outside. The sound is ordinary, but Ryoma's attention immediately shifts toward the window. Another vehicle passes through the intersection, and his eyes follow it. Then a cyclist, then a pedestrian, and the anxiety quietly returns.

His gaze keeps drifting toward the street outside, scanning passing vehicles, storefront reflections, and anyone moving along the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, life inside the shop continues normally. Fumiko chats with the customer. The customer responds. They exchange jokes.

At some point, the customer stands, and money changes hands. Fumiko bows politely and walks him toward the entrance.

Only then does she finally notice something wrong with the son. Her eyes linger on Ryoma for a second, then she steps closer to the glass wall and looks outside, trying to find whatever has been holding his attention.

Finding nothing unusual, Fumiko turns back toward him.

"What is it, Ryoma?"

Ryoma blinks. For a moment he hesitates before forcing a small smile.

"Nothing. I'm just bored."

He gestures vaguely toward the empty shop.

"Not many customers today, huh?"

Fumiko studies him for another second before deciding not to push. Instead, she smiles and walks back toward the counter.

"I don't know whether it's bad luck or good luck," she says. "The shop suddenly becomes quiet the moment Kaori isn't here helping me. On one hand, at least I don't have to run around all day."

Then a small laugh escapes her. "On the other hand, I'm starting to think maybe that girl actually brings good luck with her."

"Aramaki is still sick," Ryoma reminds her. "She has to stay there and take care of him."

"I know." Fumiko opens a drawer and begins organizing a few supplies inside. "It's not like I've never been in that situation myself."

She exhales through her nose, shaking her head. "Honestly, one of these days, you're probably going to end up in Aramaki's position too. Then I'll be the one sitting beside your bed, dealing with your fever while pretending not to be worried."

Ryoma snorts. "Why are you so sure?"

"Because you're stubborn."

"That's a terrible reason."

"No, listen." Fumiko points at him. "You catch a fever, then you decide it's nothing. Then you still go to the gym. Then Nakahara tells you to rest, but you don't rest because you're worried about losing a day of training."

Unfortunately, Ryoma has accidentally triggered one of Fumiko's old habits. Give her a single possibility, and her mind immediately starts building an entire chain of events around it, each one leading naturally to the next, and almost never toward a happy ending.

"Because you don't rest, the fever gets worse. Then your conditioning drops. Then you get frustrated because your conditioning drops. Then you start training harder to make up for it."

"Hey, mom…"

"Then your body gets even worse. Then somebody notices. Then everybody starts worrying. Then suddenly Hiroshi is calling me from hospital."

"Mom…"

"And then I have to come over and make sure you're actually resting, except you won't like that. You don't like hospital, insisting you're fine. Then you'll get annoyed because I'm worrying too much."

"Mom."

"Then I'll get annoyed because you're annoyed. Then you'll feel guilty because I'm annoyed. Then you'll start pretending you're fine only so I stop worrying."

Ryoma immediately gets up from the stool and walks over to her. He places both hands on her shoulders and gives them a small shake.

"Mom, stop. You're overthinking again."

Unfortunately, Fumiko is still going. "And then I'll know you're pretending because you're terrible at lying. Then I'll worry even more because now you're sick and lying. Then you'll realize I'm worried and start worrying about me worrying."

"I'll be fine, mom…"

She finally pauses. A thoughtful look crosses her face.

"Actually, that sounds exhausting for both of us."

"It does."

"See?"

"That wasn't the lesson I got from that."

Fumiko exhales. "Honestly, Ryoma, sometimes I wonder when you're going to let yourself enjoy life for even one moment."

"I do enjoy it," Ryoma says. "Training with everyone at the gym is one of my favorite parts of the day."

"Training?" Fumiko gives him a skeptical look.

"I'm serious. Maybe it looks boring from the outside, but I like it. I like improving. I like figuring things out. I like pushing myself."

"And getting punched in the face?"

"Well... that's..."

Fumiko immediately laughs. "See? Even you can't defend that part."

Ryoma rubs his cheek, looking mildly defeated. Still chuckling, Fumiko gently pushes his shoulder and steps away.

"Move. You're blocking my workplace."

She reaches for a broom and starts cleaning the shop as though there is still plenty of work to do.

Before long, Ryoma can even hear her humming under her breath. But he knows it is her way of hiding her worries, hoping that if she acts normal enough, he might stop worrying too.

At least, it works. The longer Ryoma remains inside the small barbershop, the more his anxiety loosens its grip.

He starts bringing up strange topics that inevitably turn into jokes, deliberately trying to keep his mother's attention occupied.

Fumiko plays along with every one of them, almost feels as though she understands exactly what Ryoma is trying to do and decides to help him do it.

For a while, they simply continue like that, helping each other forget their worries without ever saying so aloud.

***

At night, however, the story is different. No matter how calm Ryoma looks while sleeping, the delirium eventually returns.

"Coward..."

"I'm not a coward..."

"Leave..."

"Just leave me alone..."

The nightmare drags him back to a memory he has never truly forgotten.

Wearing a dirty middle-school uniform, he curled up on the ground while a group of upperclassmen surrounds him.

It may only be a dream, but the scene feels painfully real, repeating a past exactly as he remembers it.

Back then, they had been recruiting members for their gang. Ryoma wanted nothing to do with them. He simply wanted to avoid trouble.

Unfortunately, that only turned Ryoma into their target.

"What a coward."

"Always trembling whenever you see our faces."

***

One of them kicks him in the side, drawing laughter from the others.

"Do I really look that ugly to your eyes?"

More kicks follow. Ryoma covers his head and waits for it to end.

Then finally, a voice suddenly cuts through the laughter.

"That's enough!"

The bullies stop.

Peeking through the gap beneath his arms, Ryoma sees Kanzaki standing there.

For a moment, the younger Kanzaki looks like a hero.

The fight begins almost immediately, four against one.

The outcome is obvious from the start, but Kanzaki keeps fighting anyway.

More importantly, the bullies stop paying attention to Ryoma.

An opening appears, and Ryoma thinks he could help.

Maybe a cheap kick from behind. A strike to the groin would do. Anything.

But the moment he considers it, the worst possibilities begin flooding his mind.

What if it fails?

What if all four turn on me?

What if things become even worse?

And before he realizes it, Ryoma is already running.

Behind him, Kanzaki falls, and the bullies shift their target on Ryoma.

"Hey!"

"Get back here!"

"Coward!"

But Ryoma keeps running, repeating the same words over and over.

"I'm not a coward..."

"I'm not a coward..."

"I just want to be alone..."

"Leave me alone..."

Yet his legs seem to slow with every step, as though he is wading through a thick, viscous liquid.

His fear only grows bigger.

When he looks behind, the bullies suddenly look like monsters.