VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

The interrogation room is small and unremarkable. A plain metal table occupies the center, surrounded by several chairs that have probably seen hundreds of similar conversations over the years.

The fluorescent lighting overhead is bright enough to expose every detail, leaving very few places for discomfort to hide.

Mark Ellis sits alone on one side of the table. He has spent most of the day repeating the same explanation to different investigators.

According to him, everything stems from a personal grudge. He lost money betting on Dante Villanueva, became consumed by frustration, and eventually decided to act on it himself. That's all.

When the door opens, Mark looks up and sees Detective Tachibana entering first, with Ryoma following a step behind him.

A subtle change passes across Mark's face. The reaction is small, but both Tachibana and Ryoma notice it.

Tachibana closes the door behind them and walks toward the table. "I brought him here. He told me he wanted to see the person who tried to hurt him."

Ryoma pulls out a chair and sits down across from Mark as if he has just arrived for an ordinary conversation rather than a meeting inside a police facility.

For several seconds, neither man says anything. Then Ryoma leans back slightly in his chair.

"So you're Mark Ellis."

Mark offers no response.

Ryoma shrugs. "I heard you hate me."

And the silence from Mark continues.

"Apparently you lost money betting on Dante Villanueva."

There's still nothing, but Ryoma simply nods to himself.

"That's unfortunate. Although, to be fair, I was too strong that night."

A faint smile appears on Ryoma's face. "Should I apologize? Of course not. You were the one who made a terrible bet."

Mark remains expressionless. Ryoma studies him for a moment before continuing.

"Then again, maybe it wasn't stupidity. Maybe it was desperation."

There's still no response from Mark.

"You wanted a big win."

Nothing.

"You were tired of being broke."

Still nothing.

"You wanted to take your family somewhere nice."

And finally, there's a reaction, small enough that most people would miss it. But Ryoma notices it, and Tachibana notices that Ryoma's noticing it.

"Disneyland, maybe," Ryoma continues.

No response again.

"A better apartment. A new car. Playstation 4 for the youngest kid."

Ryoma keeps bringing up topics that sound random on the surface, but they are anything but. Each one is chosen carefully, a way of testing what will make Mark react, and how.

Tachibana remains still beside him. He does not intervene, does not guide the exchange, but he is fully tracking it.

The method Ryoma is using is not unfamiliar to him. It is a controlled form of conversational narrowing, testing emotional boundaries through seemingly unrelated topics.

But what stands out is how quickly Ryoma adjusts, as if he is reading Mark's micro-expressions in real time, unlike most investigators who would only achieve after reviewing footage frame by frame.

Until, at one point…

"Paying off debt," Ryoma says.

This time, Mark reacts again, slightly stronger than when family was mentioned earlier. It is not dramatic, but real; a subtle tightening around the eyes, the kind of response that appears before a person can fully suppress it.

Ryoma leans forward slightly. "Ah, did I hit the jackpot? Debt? What kind of debt are we talking about?"

A brief pause follows, then he continues without changing tone.

"Who is it to? Ramirez?"

Tachibana glances slightly, noticing that this must be the trigger. And indeed, Mark breaks his silence for the first time.

"Stop talking nonsense and leave me alone."

He is still in denial, but he is finally reacting verbally. And for Ryoma, that sudden shift is significant. The trigger works.

"I've been talking for minutes with no response from you," Ryoma says. "But the moment I bring his name, you finally learn how to speak."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mark retorts.

"But I know what you don't want me talking about," Ryoma replies. "You want me to avoid mentioning Hugo Ramirez here as much as possible. Am I right?"

"Who's Hugo Ramirez? I don't know him."

"It's pointless to lie now."

Mark stops responding verbally, but instead reacts with a subtle movement. His head, which had been tilted slightly to the right, slowly shifts to the left.

Ryoma reads it as a hook being cast, a way of testing how far he will keep talking, while Mark's instincts are already adjusting, preparing for improvisation depending on what comes next.

But even as Ryoma interprets the gesture, he goes quiet. He simply holds Mark's gaze, steady and unblinking, keeps reading him while refusing to give any further information to work with.

And for a brief moment, Mark feels something unsettling take shape in his mind, an uncomfortable suspicion he cannot fully articulate.

"What the hell is with this kid? Is he reading my thoughts?"

During that brief pause, Tachibana steps in. "We just received a call from your phone. We're confident it was Hugo Ramirez. He sounded impatient, asking about progress, whether you had done it or not."

Mark's eyebrow twitches slightly, just barely, and Ryoma catches it immediately.

"If you claim you don't know him, then how did Ramirez even know your phone number?"

Mark exhales. "I know you're just bluffing. You're trying to bait me into dragging someone else into this case. But I've already told you, I only did it to settle my frustration after losing too much on betting sites. And I know it was a stupid decision. You've already arrested me. If you want to put me in prison, then just do it."

"That's some loyalty you've got," Ryoma remarks, "willing to take all the punishment just to protect the one behind this."

"There's no one else behind this," Mark insists. "And I don't want anyone else dragged into this because of my mistake. Honestly, I already feel guilty for involving a young man in all of this."

"Your partner?" Ryoma asks. "You look like the kind of man who values loyalty. Shame… he didn't return the favor. The moment we played Ramirez's recording, he talked."

Tachibana glances briefly at Ryoma, fully aware that he is bluffing, understands exactly what Ryoma is trying to achieve with it.

"Unlike you," Ryoma continues, gesturing slightly toward the adjacent room, "he doesn't care about anything at all."

Mark's eyes widen slightly, and he instinctively glances in the same direction. In reality, there is nothing there but an empty interrogation room.

Still, he cannot fully suppress the irritation that rises in him. He knows his partner well enough. And If Ryoma claims the other man has already talked, Mark can't simply dismiss the possibility from his mind.

"Honestly," Ryoma says, pulling Mark's attention back, "I actually respect someone like you. Loyal. Committed. Just to the wrong person. Because you know what… Ramirez doesn't care at all about what happens to you here."

"I don't care what you say," Mark cuts in. "Ramirez or anyone else. I've already told you that I…"

"Or are you afraid," Ryoma interrupts, "that Ramirez will go after your family if you talk?"

At that moment, Mark's pupils tighten briefly. And Ryoma's Vision Grid system immediately registers a suppressed spike in emotion.

"Ah, I see," Ryoma nods slowly. "No wonder the detective here is struggling to get anything out of you. For some men, family comes first. But let me tell you…"

Tachibana glances sideways for a brief moment. Across from him, Mark's jaw tightens slightly, just enough to show he takes it as a jab, not analysis.

"You've already failed your mission," Ryoma continues without breaking eye contact. "After this, I'll still step into the ring. I'll win, then challenge the WBO champion. At that point, Hugo Ramirez won't be able to interfere with my career anymore. He'll go back to his business. And you'll be left to deal with the consequences alone."

Tachibana finally speaks, his tone calm and procedural. "This would fall under attempted murder. If it's proven, under Japanese law, it can reach the death penalty. At minimum, you're looking at three decades. Possibly life imprisonment."

Mark starts to look increasingly uneasy. Hearing that his partner has supposedly already confessed strips away the last of his resistance.

At this point, he is no longer fighting the accusation of Ramirez's involvement, only trying to frame his own actions as something lesser, something that doesn't match the charge being built around him.

"Attempted murder?" he says. "If I had actually planned to kill you, you wouldn't be alive right now. You survived because we were only instructed to injure you. That's why I had to control the speed of the car."

Ryoma glances briefly at Tachibana, giving a faint shrug. Mark catches the gesture, and a flicker of irritation tightens in his expression, realizing the conversation is no longer something he can step out of.

"I understand," Ryoma says. "I do. What Hugo Ramirez really wanted was simply to stop me from advancing in my career. But everyone saw what happened. You even made a second attempt. The situation was so chaotic a convenience store isn't so convenience anymore."

"That was out of my control," Mark counters. "Without that car hitting mine, the place wouldn't have been wrecked."

Suddenly, what began as an attempt to force Ramirez into the conversation now shifts into a dispute over intent, whether this qualifies as attempted murder or not.

"But everyone still sees it as attempted murder," Ryoma says. "And there was already an earlier attack in Manila. Three bullets fired just to take me down. I'm certain that was Ramirez as well."

"What happened in Manila has nothing to do with me," Mark says quickly. "I was only instructed to injure you, to stop you from stepping into the ring. Not to kill you. That's also why I was willing to take the job. I'm not a killer."