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.
