Weigh-in day, Japan Boxing Commission (JBC) headquarters, Bunkyo, Tokyo.
By rule, fighters must weigh in no more than thirty hours before the opening bell. And for Ryoma, every minute matters.
His team arrives just before noon, hoping to step on the scale quickly and give him the longest window to recover. The sooner it's done, the sooner he can refill what the weight cut has drained.
Ryoma slumps against the wall, hood pulled low, his face pale and lips cracked. His body looks like it's hanging from a single thread.
He hasn't eaten since morning, only a glass of water before leaving home. The hood deepens his shadows, a gloom pressing around him.
"That's him… Ryoma?"
"He looks half-dead."
"Prodigy of the decade, huh? Doesn't look scary today."
The whispers ripple, passing through the room like static.
