VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

Following standard procedure, the police bring several key witnesses to the station for questioning. Ryoma, as the intended target and primary witness, is naturally among them.

There's also a female Lawson employee who witnessed the crash from inside the store. Unfortunately, her statement is difficult to piece together.

"Everything happened so fast. I heard people screaming, and then there was this loud crash. The glass just exploded everywhere."

The shock is still written all over her face, and every few sentences she finds herself looking down, trying to remember exactly what happened.

"I remember seeing the car inside the store. The car was actually inside the store."

Beyond that, most of her recollection becomes fragmented, buried beneath panic and confusion.

The other witness is a male bystander who happened to observe the entire sequence from the sidewalk.

Unlike the store employee, he remains calm throughout his statement and sounds remarkably certain about what he saw.

"At first, I thought it was an accident. But then the car stopped, and that boxer got thrown back onto the road. After that, the car accelerated again and chased him. There's no way that was an accident."

The interviewer nods and makes a few notes. "What about the second car?"

The man lets out a breath. "That's the strange part. At first, I thought they were after him too. Then all of a sudden… BAM! They slammed straight into the first car. Then those two foreigners got out with guns. Honestly, I thought it was a terrorist attack or something. I had no idea who was attacking who."

The interviewer writes down a few final notes before closing the file. For now, that is enough. The witness has already confirmed the most important point.

Elsewhere in the station, the atmosphere is considerably less calm. Inspector Daiki Hoshina drops a thick case file onto the table with enough force to make the metal legs rattle.

Across from him, Adrian and Pablo remain seated. Neither man looks particularly intimidated.

"Let's stop wasting time," Hoshina begins. "Who exactly are you two?"

"We already provided identification," Pablo says.

"I asked who you are," Hoshina cuts coldly, "not what your passports say. Two foreigners carrying firearms. Operating inside Tokyo. Involved in a major collision. And somehow neither of you thought local law enforcement should be informed beforehand."

But there's nothing coming from the two foreigners. And the silence only irritates Inspector Hoshina further.

"Do you have any idea how many procedures you've potentially violated today?"

"I just prevented a murder," Adrian says.

"And nearly caused a second disaster in the process," Hoshina argues.

"If we had arrived a few seconds later, Ryoma Takeda would be dead," Adrian insists.

Hoshina stares at him for several seconds before speaking. "That answer raises more questions than it solves. You were watching him, right?"

Hoshina waits for a response, but they turn silent.

"You knew there was a threat?"

Neither man says a word.

"Somehow Interpol ends up in Tokyo on the exact day someone tries to kill him?"

For the first time, Pablo's expression shifts slightly, not enough for most people to notice, but enough for Hoshina.

"This isn't only about today's attack, isn't it?" Hoshina leans back in his chair. "Does this have anything to do with Manila?"

Neither Adrian nor Pablo answers. The silence isn't born from arrogance, nor from some misguided sense of superiority over local law enforcement. The problem is much simpler; certain information isn't theirs to disclose.

Interpol investigations rarely belong to a single officer. Intelligence travels through layers of command, legal agreements, and international jurisdictions.

Even when an agent knows the answer, that doesn't automatically give him the authority to reveal it. And in this particular case, the consequences of saying too much could extend far beyond Tokyo.

Hoshina does not wait for either man to confirm or deny anything. He lets the silence settle between them and treats it as an answer in itself.

"Let's assume your silence is confirmation," he says evenly. "Because if I were wrong, you would have corrected me by now."

He stands and opens the case file again, pulling out two printed photographs of the suspects from the crash scene. He places them on the table in front of Adrian and Pablo without ceremony.

"What do you know about these men? Who sends them, and if their target is really Ryoma Takeda, then what is the reason?"

"Don't tell me you do not know anything. You arrive at the exact place, at the exact moment an attempted vehicular attack takes place. That is not coincidence. That is anticipation. And anticipation does not exist without intelligence."

Pablo exhales slowly. It is the first visible crack in his composure since the interrogation begins. When he speaks, his tone stays careful, controlled.

"Inspector, we do not have access to that level of information. We are deployed with partial intelligence. Operational details above our clearance are handled by command. If you want answers beyond this, you will need to contact our superiors."

Hoshina holds his temper back. He knows that turning this into a jurisdictional argument with an international intelligence agency will only slow everything down. Right now, he already has enough leverage in front of him to corner them.

He leans in, his expression tightening, voice dropping into something quieter but far more dangerous.

"You think I don't understand what you've just done? You knew a professional boxer was being targeted. You knew his life was in danger. Instead of warning him for his safety… instead of coordinating with us, the local police…"

His eyes sharpen. "You used a civilian as BAIT?! To draw the attackers out?! And you still think you can walk out of here like nothing happened?!!"

Both Adrian and Pablo look clearly displeased, but not surprised. They know they have crossed a line. They know they have broken rules.

And they know that the moment they admit everything in full, the situation will no longer just be an operational issue, but a disciplinary and legal one that could escalate far beyond Tokyo.

***

Meanwhile, in another interrogation room, Ryoma is already visibly losing patience. He sits back in his chair, arms loosely crossed, clearly waiting to leave.

"When am I allowed to go?" he asks. "My fight is less than three weeks away. I can't afford to waste time here."

The officer raises a hand slightly, trying to calm the situation. "Just a little longer. There is someone who wants to meet you."

Not long after, the door opens and two officers step inside. One of them gives a brief nod to the man who has been handling Ryoma's questioning, and the officer quietly exits the room.

"Detective Yuji Tachibana," one of them introduces himself to Ryoma.

The other follows right after. "Superintendent Masaru Shibata."

Shibata does not begin with questions. Instead, he studies Ryoma for a moment, then smiles in a way that feels too casual for the setting.

"Finally," he says before taking a seat, "I get to meet you in person, Ryoma Takeda. You are okay? No serious injuries?"

"Just some minor cuts," Ryoma replies.

Shibata nods as if personally relieved. "Good. I was a little worried it might affect your upcoming fight in Yoyogi. I already bought a ticket, you know. I've been looking forward to seeing you in action."

Ryoma frowns slightly. "Don't tell me I was kept here for hours just because you wanted an autograph."

Shibata lets out a small laugh. "I can't deny that I do want your autograph. I'm your biggest fan."

"Seriously?" Ryoma stares at him, unimpressed. "If you are really my biggest fan and support my career, you should know how important it is for me to get back to training right away."

Shibata raises a hand, still calm. "Relax, I understand your concern. But your life is still under threat. I have a strong feeling this is not just a random incident. There is a real possibility that another attempt could still be made."

Ryoma takes the opening immediately, as if he has been waiting for exactly this kind of leverage.

"Then this might work out perfectly," he says. "I've been looking for a professional bodyguard, but my connections are limited. Why don't you assign one or two of your officers to me? At least until my fight."

Shibata does not even hesitate. "Already considered. Even before you asked. And it won't just be until your fight. They will stay with you until we identify and apprehend whoever is behind the attempt on your life."

"We cannot allow you to remain unprotected until the perpetrator is identified," Detective Tachibana says. "That is why your cooperation is essential. We suspect today's attack is still connected to the incident in Manila. From your perspective, is there any name that comes to mind?"

Ryoma gives him a flat look. "Why don't you just ask the two guys you already arrested? Wouldn't that be easier?"

"It would be," Tachibana replies without hesitation, "if criminals were always willing to talk."

Shibata leans slightly forward, taking over the thread smoothly. "In investigations like this, we often rely on psychological pressure. Making suspects believe we already know more than we actually do. That their movements were anticipated. That denying or remaining silent is pointless. It is not about forcing truth out directly. It is about removing the comfort of lying."

Ryoma only takes a brief moment before answering. "Hugo Ramirez."

Tachibana blinks slightly. "Oh. You sound very sure."

Ryoma shrugs, unimpressed. "I'm not that naïve, Detective. And if you really need my help, I can make those two criminals talk. If we are talking about mind games, I'm quite confident in my ability."

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