Chapter 1047 - 1047: The One That Really Matters

Ryoma's expression darkens at Shimamura's sarcastic remark. But more than the unexpected appearance or the mocking words, what irritates him most is seeing Reika standing beside the man.

As if to make matters worse, Reika deliberately moves closer to Shimamura and wraps both arms around his, holding him with an intimacy that leaves little room for misinterpretation. And the way she gazes at Ryoma makes it painfully clear that she is doing this to provoke him.

But Ryoma isn't the only one provoked by the situation. Logan notices Reika's deliberate attempt. His expression hardens, clearly far from happy about it.

"Shimamura," he calls flatly. "What are you doing here? We're having an important meeting, and I don't recall inviting you."

"Come on, boss." Shimamura remains unfazed. "I'm just making sure your precious little princess gets here safely."

"After the long journey he took to get me here," Reika adds, "are you going to just kick him out, Dad? Please don't be so cruel. Besides, if we're discussing the third Tokyo Dome event, you can't exactly afford to ignore Shimamura. I'm confident he'll beat Elliot Graves. And if Ryoma really wants that unification bout, he'll have to face Shimamura sooner or later. Am I right?"

Logan says nothing, caught between two difficult choices. On one hand, he wants to avoid doing anything that might sour Ryoma's mood and jeopardize his leverage in the negotiations. On the other, he can't afford to treat Shimamura carelessly.

After all, he recruited Shimamura from the beginning as a countermeasure in case Ryoma ever became a business rival rather than a partner.

And Reika understands her father's dilemma all too well. She merely smiles, as though his silence is exactly what she expected.

Without waiting any further, she takes the seat to Logan's left, then pulls out the chair beside her own for Shimamura.

The gesture alone makes Ryoma's chest tighten with displeasure. Reika has deliberately placed Shimamura right between them.

Yet Shimamura doesn't sit down immediately. Instead, he turns back to Logan, still mindful enough to seek his permission.

"So, boss, mind if I join you guys? Or should I get going?" he asks with an innocent smile, as though he has no idea how awkward his presence might be.

Logan doesn't answer immediately, while Ryoma continues to stare at him with a blank expression and a cold, unblinking gaze.

The stalemate is broken when a waitress arrives with a tray carrying three glasses of drinks.

"Excuse me," she says from behind Ryoma.

Her voice is so familiar that all the anger drains from Ryoma in an instant.

He turns to his left and suddenly finds Kaede's face right beside his own as she reaches to place a glass on the table in front of him.

Ryoma blinks once, twice, utterly puzzled by the sheer coincidence. Even Reika looks taken aback by the unexpected appearance.

Kaede, however, has yet to notice who she is serving. Neither Ryoma nor Reika has entered her field of vision.

Her attention remains fixed on the glass she is setting on the table, at least until Ryoma addresses her.

"Kaede...? What are you doing here?"

Only then does Kaede react. She turns toward him, her fingers not yet fully releasing the glass she has just placed on the table.

Ryoma's eyes move over her uniform, her name tag, and the tray of drinks still held in her left hand.

Then he looks back at her face as Kaede still frozen in place.

"You... weren't you supposed to be in Malaysia?"

Panic surges through Kaede, and she instinctively recoils, setting off a chain reaction of chaos.

The first glass she has just placed topples over, spilling its contents across the table. In her frantic attempt to regain control, the same hand then strikes Shimamura in the chest.

"Hey!" Shimamura snaps.

Kaede's sudden movement throws off the balance of the tray in her left hand.

Desperately trying to steady it, she only makes matters worse, spilling the remaining two glasses over Shimamura.

Even a boxer's reflexes aren't enough to save his expensive shirt from the wine. He dodges the glasses and the tray, but not the liquid.

"What the hell!"

A split second later, his hand moves before he can think, shooting toward Kaede's face in an attempt to slap her.

"Shimamura!!"

Ryoma reacts faster. He springs to his feet, thrusting his left arm forward in a short, jab-like motion to intercept the incoming slap.

But his arm does more than block Shimamura's hand. It clips the corner of Shimamura's lips as well.

Kaede staggers two steps backward, still panicked and unable to regain control of herself. She has no idea what to do.

She knows she has made a serious mistake as a waitress and needs to apologize to the guest. But the urge to avoid Ryoma and get away from him is even stronger.

"I'm sorry!"

She bows hurriedly before turning and fleeing even faster, her face deathly pale and her heart pounding wildly.

"Kaede, wait!"

Ryoma immediately turns to chase after her, everything about Reika and Logan completely forgotten.

But Shimamura grabs him by the shoulder from behind and forces him to turn around.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Before Ryoma can fully turn toward him, Shimamura drives a right straight toward his jaw.

DHUACK!!

Ryoma staggers, his legs giving way beneath him before he finally collapses, catching himself on both palms against the floor.

"Shimamura!" Logan finally snaps. "That's enough!"

But Shimamura pays him no heed. He knows exactly who Ryoma is, and he knows that once Ryoma recovers, their fight won't end there.

He bends down, grabs the back of Ryoma's shirt, and prepares to haul him upright, his right hand ready to throw another punch.

But rather than fight back, Ryoma flails his left hand, knocking Shimamura's arm aside as he crawls forward.

He isn't trying to escape. His mind is still fixed on Kaede, who has already disappeared from his sight. He needs to catch up to her before she vanishes from his life for the second time.

"Kaede!"

Ryoma continues crawling until he can finally get back on his feet. His legs still unsteady, but he keeps staggering toward the door and leaves the VIP room.

His reaction leaves everyone bewildered. Donovan, Logan, Reika, and even Shimamura all know what kind of person Ryoma is.

Yet the moment Kaede enters the picture, he becomes someone none of them recognizes.

"What the hell was that?" Donovan mutters, staring at the doorway Ryoma has just disappeared through. "Does anyone know who that girl is?"

Logan, meanwhile, doesn't really care who Kaede is. What matters now is that the meeting is over, and it seems his relationship with Ryoma is beyond saving.

He fastens his suit jacket, rises from his seat, and turns to leave the table.

"Sorry, Franc. But our discussion ends here."

Franc Donovan can only sigh in disappointment before getting up.

"Let's go, Shimamura."

For a few moments, Shimamura remains silent. staring at the door Ryoma disappeared through.

Then he breaks into a grin again, running his fingers over the corner of his mouth where Ryoma's fist had clipped him.

"I think I know who that girl was," he says, "Yeah, she used to visit our humble gym pretty often back when that kid was still an amateur. I believe they were dating at the time."

Donovan stops and glances at him, intrigued. "An ex-girlfriend, huh? Doesn't look like he's over her, judging by the way he went after that girl."

Donovan's words indirectly provoke a flicker of irritation in Reika.

Kaede has always been the woman she wanted to drive out of Ryoma's life, all because of her jealousy.

And for some reason, that jealousy is stirring again.

Despite all her efforts to avoid Ryoma lately, seeing him chase after Kaede like that leaves Reika seething.

Because Ryoma has never shown the same genuine affection toward her.