VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

Ever since Ryoma leaves NSN Tokyo headquarters, his mind refuses to settle. Every possible outcome keeps replaying inside his head, every sentence from the negotiation picked apart as though one overlooked detail might change everything.

The distraction shows itself the very next morning. While shadowboxing in front of the mirror, Ryoma suddenly slows down in the middle of a combination more than once. His feet stop moving, and he stares blankly ahead for several seconds before resuming again.

Most of the fighters assume he's visualizing Miguel Cabello, something he often does during shadowboxing. The truth is far less glamorous. His mind never leaves the meeting room at NSN.

Even during the short water break, Ryoma pulls out his phone almost instinctively. His thumb wakes the screen, only to find no missed calls, no new messages, nothing from Reika.

Even Nakahara notices the anxiety from him. Well, everyone does.

"Your meeting was only yesterday," Nakahara says as he walks over. "And you're already getting impatient waiting for their answer?"

Ryoma exhales through his nose, then gives a small nod. He slips the phone back into his gym bag before dropping onto the bench.

Nakahara then sits beside him. "You gave them an offer they can't easily turn down. Just trust it."

Ryoma leans forward, resting both forearms on his thighs.

"I know..."

His eyes drift toward the floor. Almost absentmindedly, he begins replaying yesterday's proposal from the beginning, checking every clause again in his head.

Fifty percent investment. Ronin remains sole promoter. NSN gets production, marketing, ticket distribution contract, and first negotiation rights for broadcasting.

And then…

Twenty-five percent...

Ryoma suddenly freezes, his eyes widen.

"...Oh, shit."

Nakahara immediately turns toward him.

"What?"

Ryoma rubs both hands over his face before letting out a frustrated groan.

"I gave them twenty-five percent of the project profits."

"...Yeah?"

"The hell was I thinking?" He pushes himself upright, already pacing a few slow steps in front of the bench. "If it's defined as profit, then it doesn't stop when the event ends.

Then he stops walking and turns to Nakahara. "My whole reason for rejecting exclusive broadcasting rights was to protect the future value of my own image. But with the proposal I gave them..."

He presses a hand against his forehead. "...they'd still be entitled to it. The percentage isn't even the problem. But any future profits from that event. Documentaries. Archive footage. Image licensing. Merchandise. Future licensing deals. Brand collaborations. Any revenue that still originates from this event ...they'd still own twenty-five percent of it."

Nakahara falls completely silent, realizing that no matter how sharp Ryoma is, when enough pressure piles onto his shoulders all at once, even he can overlook something this important.

Still, he keeps his voice calm. "At least we haven't signed anything yet. Nothing's been agreed to. Just revise the proposal when you meet them again."

Ryoma lets out another frustrated sigh and rubs his forehead. "...Yeah. That's probably the only way. I just hope they didn't notice what I overlooked. Still, if I revise the proposal, I'll have to replace it with something valuable enough to make up for it."

He clicks his tongue in irritation. "Damn it."

He immediately gets to his feet and heads for the stairs to the second floor. For the first time in a long while, he sets his pride aside and decides to ask Kurogane for help. At the very least, he wants someone capable of challenging his ideas before he walks into another negotiation.

As if fate has impeccable timing, Maria arrives at the gym only a few minutes after Ryoma disappears upstairs. This time, she comes alone, deliberately leaving Reika behind.

Nakahara blinks in surprise when he sees her enter.

"Ah. Good day."

Maria returns a polite nod. "Good day, Nakahara-san. Where's our young CEO? I'd like to have a brief meeting with him."

"He's upstairs," Nakahara replies before raising his voice across the gym. "Toyama!"

The young staff member jogs over.

"Would you take our guest to Ryoma's office?"

"Of course."

Toyama gives Maria a respectful bow.

"This way, please."

***

Meanwhile, upstairs, Ryoma is already sitting across from Kurogane at the conference table, receiving anything but the reassurance he had hoped for.

"I can't believe you let something that obvious slip past you," Kurogane says, rubbing his temple. "You've spent years protecting your image rights, and then you almost handed them away yourself with one sentence."

Ryoma exhales quietly, offering no defense. "I know it already."

"And now you want to change the proposal after putting it on the table? Do you realize how amateurish that'll make us look?"

Before Ryoma can answer, a knock interrupts them, with Toyama standing by the door frame.

"Ryoma-kun," he says. "Maria-san from NSN is here to see you."

Kurogane blinks and immediately turns toward Ryoma. "What now? We haven't even figured out what to offer in exchange for that blunder."

Ryoma lets out another weary sigh before rising from his chair.

"I'll hear what she has to say first."

He walks out toward his office, but Kurogane pushes his own chair back just as quickly.

"I'm coming too."

Without waiting for permission, he follows after Ryoma, unwilling to let him face another negotiation alone.

The moment Ryoma steps into his office, Maria rises from the sofa to greet him. Her eyes immediately catch his pale complexion and the sweat soaking through his training shirt.

"As always," she says with a faint smile, "you never seem to miss a single day of training."

In reality, he hasn't trained that much this morning. The exhaustion on his face has far more to do with the weight pressing on his mind than anything physical.

At least now, he realizes how important it is to wear a mask. "Can't help it," he says, deliberately letting himself look more worn out than he really is. "I'm fighting a world champion soon."

He drops onto the sofa across from her and gestures for Maria to sit again.

"So," he says, "any word from Logan?"

Maria doesn't answer immediately. She clears her throat, subtly adjusts her posture, and folds the folder on her lap a little tighter.

Ryoma's expression changes almost imperceptibly. It is only a tiny hesitation from her, but it tells him enough that the confidence Maria displayed yesterday is gone.

"I'm sorry," Maria begins. "I haven't discussed your proposal with Logan yet. After reviewing my notes this morning, I realized I'd overlooked something. No matter how I calculate it, the proposal you gave us simply doesn't benefit NSN."

Ryoma exchanges a brief glance with Kurogane. Almost in unison, both men raise their eyebrows before remaining silent, allowing Maria to continue.

"You asked NSN to fund fifty percent of the project's operating cost," Maria says as she opens the folder and places several printed spreadsheets on the coffee table. "But the twenty-five percent you've offered is calculated from net profit alone."

She slides one sheet toward Ryoma. "I made a rough projection. Even if this event performs exceptionally well, I don't see total revenue exceeding 100 million dollars. Against an estimated project cost of 35 million, the net profit would be around 65 million."

Maria taps the final line with her finger. "That 25% you offered me… that is only a little over 16 million dollars. Meanwhile, NSN would already have invested roughly 17.5 million simply to cover our half of the operating cost."

She lets out a small sigh. "I mistakenly evaluated your proposal as though that percentage applied to revenue. I completely overlooked the fact that NSN would be financing half of the project from the very beginning. This doesn't make financial sense."

Ryoma quietly studies the documents without saying a word, while his head slowly realizing something.

Maria has been evaluating the proposal entirely from the perspective of the event itself. She has completely overlooked the much larger issue hidden inside his original wording; the unlimited future value of the event's image, and every commercial use that would continue generating income long after fight night.

That oversight is Maria's alone. Logan would never have missed it, because the long-term value of Ryoma's image is precisely what he has been after from the very beginning.

Ryoma slowly clears his throat. "So, you'd like to reopen the discussion. Fair enough."

Maria closes the folder and looks back at Ryoma. "I believe a more sensible structure would be to calculate our return from total revenue instead. And I couldn't accept anything below forty percent."

Ryoma shakes his head. "That's still too much. Don't forget, we're also offering NSN the production contract, the marketing campaign, and ticket distribution. The commercial value of those contracts alone is substantial."

Kurogane, who has remained silent until now, finally joins the discussion. "How about this; thirty percent of the total global broadcasting sales secured before the event, plus thirty percent of the net profits from ticket sales?"

Maria thinks for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "Broadcasting revenue is fine. But thirty percent of the net profits from ticket sales… you forget NSN still paying half the operating costs."

Ryoma answers without hesitation. "Then thirty percent of the total ticket sales. Not the net profit, but the gross ticket revenue."

Maria meets his eyes. "What about forty percent?"

Ryoma nods calmly. "Deal."

Maria falls completely silent. She hadn't expected Ryoma to accept that figure without another round of bargaining.

"Then, I'll inform Logan right away," she says, raising from the sofa. "Thank you for your time."

Kurogane stands as well. "I'll see you out."

Maria smiles politely. "That's all right. I can find my own way."

After the door closes behind her, Kurogane turns back toward Ryoma. For a moment, neither of them says anything.

Then, almost at the same time, they let out long sighs of relief.

"Looks like she didn't notice what you overlooked yesterday either."

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