VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA - Chapter 385: Strength Seen by a Child

Chapter 385: Strength Seen by a Child

In business, profit comes second. Trust comes first. Lose the second, you recover. Lose the first, and doors close before you knock.

Nakahara’s previous event is the best example, when he failed to secure so many potential sponsors

The thing is, he hadn’t ignored sponsorships just because he was occupied by fighters’ preparation. He’d chased them hard; calls, meetings, proposals lined up long before fight night. But the damage was already done even before the event was planned.

Since Sinichi’s camp began their public alienation, doors closed for Nakahara before numbers were even discussed. Some sponsors declined politely. Others never replied. The reputation stuck, unfair and convenient.

Still, not everyone walked away.

NSN remained, solid as ever. And alongside them, two major sponsors stayed on board. One was Aqualis Labs, a health-drink company built around hydration and recovery, willing to bet on fighters instead of headlines.

It wasn’t enough. But it was something.

“When I saw this frame… Ramos folding at his feet, I realized this wasn’t just a knockout. It was a symbol people remember.”

The man speaking is Kaito Morishima, a senior brand strategy lead in Aqualis Labs’ marketing division, young for the title, and keenly aware of it.

He’s not an executive, not a decision-maker, just high enough to be in the room, and ambitious enough to want more.

He stands at the front of the glass-walled conference room, remote clicker in hand. Behind him, the projector is frozen on a single frame: Ramos folded at Ryoma’s feet, the moment raw and unmistakable.

Around the table sit department heads, product managers, and legal counsel. But seated at the head is Hirotaka Fujimoto, founder and owner of Aqualis Labs. An old man now, silver-haired and unassuming, dressed plainly, hands folded atop the table.

He doesn’t dominate the room or rush to speak. He listens, the kind of businessman who built trust before profit, and a company that survived because of it.

“This isn’t his first viral moment,” Morishima continues. “Before this, there was the uppercut on Masuda Kokushi… ’the punch that broke the ceiling.’”

The image shifts, Masuda almost lifted, neck snapped back, the crowd behind him blurred into noise.

“This…” Morishima gestures at the screen, steady but energized. “I felt it during the Masuda fight. And I felt it again with Ramos. Ryoma doesn’t just win. He leaves behind images people build stories around.”

A few heads nod around the table. Someone scrolls back through the slides, lingering on the frozen frame. A product manager scribbles a note. Even the legal representative looks up, interest briefly breaking his stillness.

Then a chair shifts.

“Stories cut both ways.”

The voice is calm, seasoned. Everyone recognizes it.

Takumi Hasegawa clears his throat, fingers folded atop the table. He’s Director of Corporate Partnerships. Two decades at Aqualis Labs. The kind of man whose approval usually arrives before objections are even voiced.

“I don’t dispute the impact,” Hasegawa continues, eyes never leaving Morishima. “But we’re not selling posters. We’re selling trust.”

He glances toward the screen again, not at the image, but past it.

“This athlete has a history of failing to manage himself in front of the media. The Japanese boxing community hasn’t rejected him by accident. That reputation didn’t appear overnight.”

“And it’s the same reason we struggled to attract co-sponsors. Frankly speaking, our decision to attach ourselves to his last bout was a loss to this company.”

A murmur ripples through the room. The words don’t just cut at Morishima. They slice through everyone who had signed off on Nakahara’s last event, forcing shared responsibility into the open.

“Not financially,” Hasegawa adds. “But reputationally. What it says about who we choose to support. That matters more than any viral image.”

A hand goes up before the murmurs can fully settle. It belongs to a young woman seated two chairs down from Morishima. Mid-twenties, neat ponytail, nameplate reading Mika Aoyama, Assistant Brand Planner.

She hesitates only a second, then speaks. “I understand his reputation. But not everyone agrees with that narrative. He’s controversial, yes. But that doesn’t automatically make him at fault. A lot of what sticks to him was shaped by how others framed him first.”

A few heads turn. Someone exhales through their nose, thoughtful. Takafumi looks offended at the fact a young girl like her dare to oppose him.

But before he can respond, another voice cuts in, older, rougher, unconcerned with polish.

“That’s what I think too,” says Kawata Eiichi, a product development supervisor with gray at his temples and his jacket draped over the back of his chair. “If you ask me, it smells like avoidance. The kid’s dangerous. Champions didn’t want him, so they dressed it up as ’attitude problems’ and let the story run.”

Takumi clicks his pen once, irritation flashing through his restraint. “This isn’t about assigning blame,” he says. “We’re a business. Public perception matters more than who’s right. Trust matters.”

Eiichi leans back. “Public perception?” He tilts his chin toward the screen. “Didn’t the last event sell out?”

“It did,” Takumi replies. “But a lot of those people came hoping to see him humbled.”

“But he wasn’t,” Eiichi says. Then he turns to Morishima. “Put the Ramos image back up.”

The slide changes. Ramos folding. Ryoma standing over him. Eiichi studies it, then nods slowly.

“Lie if I said this didn’t move me,” he admits. “A young boxer showing present strong enough to make people hope again. That kind of impact? That’s rare. And rare is exactly what brands are supposed to recognize first.”

Takumi opens his mouth again, unwilling to yield. “It’s still too risky,” he insists. “Aligning ourselves with him could drag the company into controversy we don’t need…”

Suddenly, a long exhale cuts him off. It doesn’t come from irritation. It comes from age, from the weight of Hirotaka Fujimoto’s present.

And it’s enough. The room falls silent at once. No one speaks, no one shifts.

The pause stretches, heavy enough that even the air seems to thicken, until at last Fujimoto folds his hands on the table and begins to speak.

“My grandson,” he says, voice calm, almost distant, “Yamanami. He’s a cheerful boy. Loud. Always trying to make people laugh. So much so that some mistake it for foolishness.”

A few glances flick sideways. This is unexpected.

But no one interrupts. No one dares.

“Lately,” the old man goes on, “I’ve heard him crying at home. Bullying, it seems.”

He smiles faintly. “I could march into his school. Or hire someone to watch over him. But I don’t want to raise a child who only feels safe when someone stronger stands in front of him.”

The room remains utterly still.

Then Fujimoto turns his gaze to Morishima. “I’ve heard Ryoma Takeda started boxing for a similar reason. Is that true?”

Morishima blinks, caught off guard. He rubs the back of his neck and offers a small, awkward smile. “I… can’t say for sure, sir. I haven’t confirmed that.”

“That’s what Yamanami told me,” Fujimoto says, amused. “He says he wants to start boxing too. Wants to be like Ryoma ’the Chamelion’ Takeda.”

Hearing the old man mentioning Ryoma’s name along with his nickname is enough. Fujimoto has already done his homework.

Then, lightly, as if asking about the weather, “Morishima. Would you take me to Nakahara’s gym today?”

For a heartbeat, no one reacts. Then confusion ripples through the table.

Eyes widen. Someone inhales sharply. And slowly, realization settles in, quiet and unmistakable. This isn’t a dismissal. The boss has already had his own interest.

Morishima straightens, still unsure, and nods. “Of course.”

Fujimoto rises from his chair. “We’ll continue this discussion later,” he says. Then he checks his watch. “Hmm… He should be home from school by now.”

With that, the meeting adjourns, not by argument, not by vote, but by the simple gravity of a decision already leaning forward.