Chapter 1035 - 1035: When Love Turns To Fear

By the following morning, local media outlets are already reporting Aramaki's victory over the Continental Americas Champion in the WBC circuit. Most coverage focuses on his performance and characteristic humility during the post-fight press conference.

Aramaki Triumphs in WBC Ranking Bout, but Keeps His Feet on the Ground

"I'm grateful for this victory, but I still have a long way to go. There are plenty of things I need to improve before I can call myself a world-class fighter."

Another Win, Same Humble Aramaki: 'I'm Only Getting Started'

"I couldn't have done this without my team's support. This win belongs to everyone at Ronin, and I'll keep working hard to repay their trust."

But one local boxing publication, The Fight Ledger, takes a strikingly different approach, framing Aramaki's victory as the first sign of a much bigger plan.

TOKYO DOME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CARNIVAL 3.0 IN THE MAKING?

"Ronin and NSN are reportedly eyeing a third Tokyo Dome extravaganza featuring three world-title fights across multiple weight divisions.

Aramaki has barely finished his WBC ranking bout against Continental Americas Champion Marcus Callahan, yet sources suggest Ronin is already preparing him for a shot at reigning WBC Super Featherweight Champion Marcus Hale.

And he may not be the only one.

According to the same reports, Rafael "El Toro" Vargas, the reigning WBO Welterweight Champion known as "The Iron Bull," is also on Ronin's radar. The Mexican powerhouse is being eyed as a potential opponent for Kenta Moriyama, as though the outcome of Kenta's upcoming Final Title Eliminator were already a foregone conclusion.

But neither prospective matchup is expected to headline the proposed event.

That distinction would belong to Ryoma Takeda himself. The reigning Lightweight champion is reportedly targeting a title unification bout, with WBO champion Elliot Graves emerging as a likely opponent.

If the rumors prove true, Ronin may be preparing to turn its third Tokyo Dome event into something far greater than the two-title showcase scheduled for September."

As rumors of the proposed event spread like wildfire across the internet, Logan is at the airport with his wife, waiting for their flight to New York.

But an unexpected phone call soon forces him to reconsider their plans.

"The Third Tokyo Dome Championship Carnival?" Logan mutters into his phone. "What are you talking about?"

[I was about to ask you the same thing. You haven't even been in Tokyo for two weeks, and the news has already reached me. I thought you were planning this with Ryoma.]

"Jackson... where did you get this information?"

[I told you, it's everywhere. Three world-title fights across different divisions and organizations. And they say Ronin is eyeing Marcus Hale.]

For a few moments, Logan says nothing, simply listening to his son. Once the call ends, he slips his phone into his pocket and rises from his seat.

"Darling, it looks like we'll have to cancel our trip," he says.

"Why?" His wife looks at him with some concern. "Has something happened?"

"It's nothing bad," Logan replies with a smile. "Just an opportunity I can't afford to miss. Come on. Let's head back home."

***

After dropping his wife off at home, Logan heads straight to the NSN Tokyo office that same afternoon.

The moment he enters Reika's office, his daughter rises from her desk, looking startled and confused.

"Dad? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be on your flight to New York by now?"

Logan doesn't answer her question. He simply continues walking into the office, bringing up an entirely different matter.

"Have you heard about this proposed Third Tokyo Dome World Championship Carnival?"

Reika blinks once in confusion. "How did you know?"

Logan raises an eyebrow. "So it's true?"

His expression brightens with excitement. He makes his way to the sofa beside the coffee table, unbuttons his suit jacket, and settles back comfortably, crossing one leg over the other.

"That boy never runs out of surprises," Logan remarks, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Though I'm curious how this got out."

"Ryoma brought it up at Korakuen Hall after Aramaki's fight," Reika explains, settling back into her chair.

"At the press conference?"

"During the post-fight party at a bar. He approached Maria about getting Aramaki a shot at Hale."

Logan stares at her. "He discussed a major promotional deal in a fucking bar?"

"Unfortunately," Reika says, "there were journalists present. And they overheard enough to piece things together."

"Unfortunately?" Logan lets out a dismissive snort. "You make it sound as though he was careless. Do you honestly think Ryoma would fail to notice a handful of reporters in the room? No, I'd wager he knew exactly what he was doing."

His smile fades a little as another consideration comes to mind. "Still, Hale has Serrano to deal with later this year. That's not a hurdle we can simply wish away."

"Maria already brought that up with him," Reika says. "But he still wants us to start laying the groundwork now. He asked us to bring the proposal to you."

Logan nods slowly, his interest only growing. He can already see where Ryoma is going with this. The boy isn't waiting for the pieces to fall into place; he's trying to arrange them himself.

"Then we'd be fools not to start now. I'll need to speak with Donovan."

He rises and crosses to Reika's desk, picking up the telephone. Just as he is about to dial, he pauses and turns back to her, gesturing lightly with the receiver.

"Actually, why don't you take the afternoon off? Go see your sweetheart and tell him I'm very much interested in his little scheme."

Reika's expression tightens with surprise and reluctance. "Why me?"

Logan lowers the receiver slightly. "Why you?"

"I'm running this office, Dad. If all Ryoma needs is an answer, there's no reason I have to deliver it personally. We can send someone from NSN."

"You cannot entrust a matter of this magnitude to a subordinate, Reika. Not when the relationship itself is at stake."

"Have you even looked at my desk, Dad? I have an entire office to run."

Logan's gaze drifts to the documents spread before her. He lets out a quiet sigh, the disappointment in his expression more telling than any reprimand.

"After all these years, I had hoped you would have learned something from running NSN Tokyo."

Reika says nothing. With a petulant look, she resumes sorting through her paperwork, making a conspicuous show of being occupied.

Logan watches her for a moment before speaking again. "Your position was never meant to make you the most diligent clerk in this building. You are here to determine where this company goes next. To recognize opportunities. To cultivate the relationships that will secure our future."

His tone grows more pointed. "Ronin will be our most important business partners for the next decade. Ryoma's trust is valuable, but trust alone will not sustain that relationship. You have to give him reasons to keep choosing us."

He pauses, then adds with a knowing smile, "And I had assumed your relationship with him would make that considerably easier. Yet here you are, trying to send someone else in your place."

The smile gradually fades as he studies her face.

"Unless... Has something happened between you and Ryoma?"

"Nothing," Reika replies, keeping her attention fixed on the documents before her.

Logan studies her in silence, his eyes gradually narrowing, knowing there's something. But he finds it difficult to see Ryoma as the problem.

The boy himself had reached out to Reika for help this time. And ordinarily, Reika would have seized any excuse to get closer to him.

Logan knew all too well how relentless his daughter could be when it came to Ryoma. Yet now, it was Reika who seemed to be pulling away.

She offered no explanation, but Logan had spent too many years dealing with people to be fooled by such a transparent lie.

"What childish nonsense are you pulling this time?" Logan asks. "You were the one who introduced him to me in the first place, and you convinced me he was worth investing in. After all these years, we've finally earned his trust. I'd even begun considering the possibility of a match between you two."

Still pretending to be engrossed in her paperwork, Reika replies, "Just forget it. I'm no longer interested in him."

Logan's brow twitches. Her words have clearly offended him.

"Then leave that work where it is and go home to your mother."

His voice is flat, stripped of any warmth. Reika recognizes the shift at once, and whatever pretense of busyness she has been maintaining falls away.

She looks up. The moment she sees her father's expression, the color drains from her face.

"W-why...?"

"Because you were never fit to run this office in the first place," Logan answers coldly. "The only advantage you brought to this position was your ability to get Ryoma Takeda on our side. If you're throwing that away, fine. But your usefulness here ends with it. Maria is far more qualified to lead this office than you are."

Reika holds her ground for a moment, wavering just enough to consider apologizing. But her expression soon hardens, and she rises from her chair to face him.

"If that's what you want, I might as well destroy your precious asset while I'm at it. Let the media know what Ryoma Takeda really is. A deranged psychopath… and a murderer."