VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

Chapter 503: Cherry Blossoms and Iron

The first week of May descends upon Tokyo with the scent of cherry blossoms and the electric tension of the Champion Carnival.

Last night, the Korakuen Hall nearly boiled over as the Minimumweight National Title bout kicked off the festivities; the Class A tournament winner pushed the reigning champion to a grueling split decision.

The domestic boxing scene is on fire, yet inside the Nakahara Boxing Gym, Ryoma still dodges any drill that requires his fists to actually land.

Actually, the latest X-rays has shown a clean bill of health, and the doctor has cleared him for impact. But Ryoma still lingers in the shadow of hesitation, still feeling the phantom crack echoing through his wrists.

In the past month, to compensate for the silence of his fists, he has turned that frustration into a different kind of violence: Strength Training.

Without mittwork and bagwork, his excess energy has been funneled into iron and resistance. His frame, once lean at 173 cm, has finally stabilized and hardened at 174 cm. The fluctuation is gone; in its place is a dense anatomical architecture that looks built for war.

Ryoma moves across the canvas, performing footwork drills while encased in a high-tension resistance body suit. Then he snaps into a shadowboxing routine; short, explosive bursts of movement.

And despite the added mass, he is a ghost. He is fast, and fluid.

From the doorway of his office, Coach Nakahara watches in silence. He sees the way Ryoma’s shoulders have widened, the way his lats flare like wings when he slips a punch. The boy is no longer the ’small’ fighter moving up. He has finally filled the vacuum of his own potential.

Ryoma finishes a set, gasping for air as he peels the sweat-soaked mask from his face. He doesn’t notice Nakahara approaching until the Coach’s shadow falls over him.

“Kid… what did the scale say this morning?” Nakahara asks.

Ryoma’s shoulders drop slightly, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He looks like a student caught breaking the rules.

“Sixty-eight kilograms, Coach,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry… I tried to keep it at sixty-five like we planned, but no matter how much cardio I do, the weight just won’t budge.”

“It shouldn’t,” Nakahara says, surprisingly calm. He reaches out, tapping Ryoma’s bicep, which feels like carved mahogany. “With the intensity of the program you’ve run these past two months, your muscle density has recalibrated. Forcing you back down to a daily sixty-five kilograms would be a war against your own biology. It would be a waste.”

Ryoma’s eyes widen, a flicker of anxiety crossing them. “Does that mean… I can’t stay in Lightweight anymore? Am I moving up again?”

Nakahara lets out a short rare chuckle. “Why wouldn’t you stay? Sixty-seven kilograms is the ’sweet spot’ for this division, especially with your current reach. I kept you at sixty-five for the past year for one reason: acclimatization.”

“I get it…” Ryoma says. “To get used to this division.”

Nakahara nods. “You needed to feel light while your body learned the rhythm of a new class. But you aren’t a guest in this division anymore. After securing the OPBF belt, you are the landlord.”

“Coach’s right,” a voice chimes in. Hiroshi walks over with a clipboard in hand. “Those sixty-eight kilograms isn’t dead weight, Ryoma. It’s not fat slowing your engine. It’s functional mass, power that supports your footwork and stabilizes your core. You’re moving with the same agility you had as a Super Featherweight, but now you have the physical leverage for the lightweight.”

Nakahara nods, his gaze turning sharp and professional. “From now on, sixty-seven is the new target. That is your ’walk-around’ weight. We’ll cut to the limit for the weigh-in, but when the bell rings, I want a man of sixty-seven kilograms standing in that corner.”

Ryoma looks at his hands, then at his reflection in the gym mirror. For the first time since the injury, the doubt in his eyes begins to recede, replaced by the realization that he hasn’t just recovered. He has evolved.

Then resets his stance, and starts doing shadowbox. And indeed, he has felt the changes himself lately. He feels so in tuned, fast, but more solid.

Nakahara narrow his eyes, studying Ryoma’s movement for a few more seconds before raising a hand.

“Hold on,” he says. “Take off your sweater and your shirt. I need to see the engine, not just the car.”

Ryoma nods, pulling the sweat-soaked layers over his head. As the fabric clears, the atmosphere in the gym seems to shift.

His physique has undergone a violent transformation. He isn’t bulky like a bodybuilder; he is sculpted. Every muscle is long, lean, and functional, the kind of effective muscle that only comes from thousands of hours of high-intensity conditioning.

“Turn around,” Nakahara commands.

Ryoma complies. As he turns his back to the coach, the definition of his latissimus dorsi, the wings of a boxer, flares out, framing a spine rippling with stabilizer muscles.

Even the area just above his hips, the obliques and lower back, is corded with power, promising a rotational torque that his previous, lighter self could never have generated.

“Your kinetic chain is complete,” Nakahara murmurs, circling him like a sculptor. “This frame… it’s built for the impact of the Lightweight division. To be honest, even if you stepped up to Super Lightweight today, your power would still be devastating.”

Then suddenly…

“Good day, everyone.”

A soft feminine voice echoes from the gym entrance, cutting through the heavy silence.

But the greeting is clipped short. It’s Reika, frozen at the doorway, her breath hitching in her throat. Beside her, Maria from NSN stops in her tracks.

Both women find themselves staring at Ryoma; half-naked, glistening with sweat under the fluorescent lights, his body an exotic masterpiece of athletic discipline.

Reika is mesmerized. The boy she has always admired has been replaced by this overwhelming masculine presence. The feelings she has buried for months flare up, burning hotter than ever as she takes in the sight of him.

Ryoma, ever the stoic, doesn’t offer a reaction. With a flat expressionless gaze, he reaches for his shirt and pulls it back on, concealing the ’monster’ within once more.

Nakahara clears his throat, stepping forward to break the spell. Reika blinks, her face flushing crimson as she finally manages to look away.

“Can I help you with something?” Nakahara asks.

His tone is formal, professional. Despite their history, he treats Reika and Maria with the polite distance of a stranger, a wall that Reika finds harder to climb than any boxing ring.

Reika searches for her voice, her thoughts lagging behind, caught on the afterimage of Ryoma’s charm. Sensing her paralysis, Maria steps in with practiced grace.

“We’ve come as representatives of NSN,” Maria says, her eyes shifting to business mode. “We understand you’ve already signed a partnership with Kowa Sports Marketing. I hope we aren’t too late for the rest.”

“For the rest?” Nakahara repeats.

“For a major event with a purse bid of half a billion,” Maria continues, “you’ll need a credible production team, a massive ticket distribution network, and elite venue coordination. I can confidently say NSN is the best in the business. And given our history, I believe you’d agree.”

Nakahara remains silent for a moment. He has intended to sever ties with NSN entirely, but Maria’s logic is cold and undeniable. Rejecting them outright would be unprofessional, and in this business, pride is a luxury.

“I see,” Nakahara says shortly. Then he turns, nodding toward his office. “This way, please.”

Maria follows immediately. But Reika lingers, turns back one last time to look at Ryoma, who is already strapped into a pull-off resistance machine with Hiroshi, his focus entirely consumed by the grind. He doesn’t even look her way.

By the time Maria reaches the door to Nakahara’s office, she realizes she’s alone. She turns, and the frown comes fast when she catches the color in Reika’s cheeks.

“Reika.” She calls out, sharp and corrective.

Reika jolts, like someone pulled out of water. “Ah… yes. Coming.”

She hurries after them, but the image of Ryoma’s transformation remains burned into her mind, a silent reminder that while she was away, he had truly become a king in the making.