Meanwhile, news of the WBO directive has also reached Ronin Fight Promotions long before the official envelope itself arrives.

By the time the formal document is delivered to their office later that afternoon, nobody inside the company looks surprised anymore. The announcement has already spread across every major boxing outlet in Japan, replayed endlessly beside speculation about venue negotiations, promotional rights, and whether Ryoma Takeda’s road toward Miguel Cabello has once again been delayed.

What the letter changes is not the information. It simply changes the workload.

Inside the main conference room, stacks of documents already cover most of the long table before anyone even mentions the eliminator.

"The Okabe and Ryohei event is only a few weeks away," Sera says while flipping through several scheduling folders. "The marketing campaign has been performing even better than we projected, and thankfully there still haven’t been any serious complications so far. Kenta versus Della Cruz should also be relatively straightforward to finalize, but it still requires proper attention from us."

Kurogane nods once before adding his own concern. "And then there’s Aramaki. The JBC already approved the title fight against Leonardo Serrano, and their camp will probably insist on keeping the hosting rights."

His fingers tap lightly against the table. "But regardless of what they want, we need to become the organizer for that fight."

Sera then lifts the WBO letter slightly into the air. "And now this, Ryoma versus Liam O’Connell."

The atmosphere inside the room grows noticeably heavier after that. Nobody says it directly, but the implication hangs over the table clearly enough. Ryoma’s path toward the world championship has been delayed again.

For several seconds, the only sound inside the room comes from paper shifting quietly beneath Nobusawa’s hand.

Then Kurogane suddenly leans back in his chair. "At least we avoided the worst-case scenario. If Liam O’Connell got his rematch and lost again, Cabello would have gained another full year to avoid us. If that rematch happened in the middle of this year, Ryoma probably wouldn’t fight him until mid-2019."

He folds his arms. "But with this eliminator, we can force Cabello into a mandatory defense before the end of the year."

Sera nods slowly after hearing that. "Then we need to win the hosting rights too. That’s the only way we can control the schedule properly."

"Yes," Kurogane agrees immediately. "The fight needs to happen here. We don’t want another situation like Manila."

Nakahara exhales quietly before speaking. "Then how exactly are we supposed to organize all this? If we win the hosting rights for both the JBC title fight and the eliminator, combining them into the same event becomes extremely difficult."

He pauses briefly. "Possible. But difficult."

"We separate the events," Kurogane replies without hesitation. "If Aramaki versus Serrano goes to purse bid, let them headline their own card."

Sera raises one eyebrow slightly. "You think Aramaki sells enough as a main event?"

"If not Aramaki, then Serrano does," Kurogane says. "Besides, keep that event local-scale. Smaller undercard. Put Satoru in the co-main. Minimal investment. Save the real budget for Ryoma versus Liam O’Connell."

His gaze shifts toward the center of the table. "And put Kenta versus Della Cruz as the semifinal. That becomes our major international event."

After that, nobody immediately responds. The proposal already sounds too structured, too practical to dismiss easily.

Eventually, several of them glance toward Ryoma, who has remained unusually quiet throughout most of the discussion. His expression still looks darker than usual.

"What about you, Ryoma?" Nakahara asks. "Anything you want to say?"

Ryoma stays silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Hugo Ramirez... I’m certain he’ll still try to sabotage this fight somehow. Even if my opponent is Canadian instead of Cabello himself."

"Whether that’s true or not isn’t something we can control," Nakahara replies.

Ryoma nods once. "Bu I’ve been thinking, what if we approach Liam O’Connell’s camp as co-promoters?"

That suggestion immediately changes the atmosphere inside the room. Several faces shift with visible surprise. Kurogane even lets out an amused chuckle.

"And why exactly would they agree to that?" Kurogane asks. "Canada is closer to America. There’s a much higher chance their camp has stronger connections with Cabello’s side."

Ryoma shakes his head. "If that were true, then Liam O’Connell would’ve gotten his rematch already."

The realization settles gradually across the room after that, and several of them begin exchanging quiet glances as the underlying implication behind Ryoma’s argument becomes harder to dismiss.

Ryoma continues before anyone interrupts. "I’m also certain Hugo Ramirez won’t stay passive. He’s probably already trying to influence Liam O’Connell’s side somehow. Which means we should approach them first with an offer they can’t reject."

Kurogane leans forward slightly now. "What kind of offer?"

"For example," Ryoma says, "we give them half of the international broadcast revenue in exchange for the hosting rights. We host the event here. We cover all operational costs. And they come to Japan without risking any capital themselves."

Kurogane immediately exhales through his nose. "Of course they wouldn’t reject that, because that’s an enormous concession."

He gestures toward the table sharply. "At this level, and your growing popularity, the international broadcasting alone could generate over ten million dollars. It makes more sense to force this into purse bid. We could probably win hosting rights with four million."

"In purse bid, nothing stays certain," Ryoma replies. "And we don’t know how far Hugo Ramirez is willing to push himself in this situation."

Then he looks directly toward Kurogane. "Besides, it’s not like we’re handing them five million dollars upfront. That kind of number only becomes possible if the event itself performs at the highest level and actually generates ten million clean from international broadcasting. So I don’t think this should be viewed as a loss."

His gaze shifts slowly around the room before he continues. "And more importantly, this could become the start of a long-term relationship with a major North American camp. If we handle it correctly, it might become our foothold into the American market itself."

Ryoma’s expression hardens slightly after he finishes speaking. There is something stubborn in the way he holds everyone’s gaze now, something almost selfish beneath the confidence, as though he has already decided this path is the correct one and simply expects the room to catch up eventually.

But beneath that stubbornness, his ambition is impossible to miss. He genuinely believes this is bigger than a single eliminator fight.

Kurogane watches him for several seconds before finally exhaling through his nose. "He’s not entirely wrong. If we seriously intend to survive at the global level, building relationships this early matters more than creating unnecessary enemies everywhere we go."

The room grows quiet afterward. Eventually, several of them exchange glances before giving small nods or faint shrugs of reluctant agreement.

"...Fine," Nakahara says at last. "We’ll contact them and start negotiations."

"Not contact," Ryoma says immediately. "We’ll go directly to them."

Nakahara blinks once. "Go directly where?"

"To Canada," Ryoma replies. "We’ll negotiate face-to-face."

"Go directly into their territory?" Nakahara blurts out, visibly startled. "Are you insane?"

"You stay here, old man," Ryoma says. "Me and Kurogane will handle it."

"No," Nakahara snaps back almost instantly. "Absolutely not. If I let you go there..."

"This kind of thing won’t be solved over the phone," Ryoma cuts in. "And bringing you along would just waste resources. You can barely speak English properly."

Then he points toward the pile of event documents still covering the table. "After all, the Okabe-Ryohei event is already close. Somebody needs to stay here and manage the company."