But Ryoma continues anyway, completely indifferent toward the hostility directed at him. "I want to host this fight in Japan. As for the purse, both fighters receive one million dollars. Equally."

Boyle’s eyes narrow immediately.

"You..."

For a brief second, it genuinely feels to Boyle like Ryoma is deliberately trying to sway Liam directly inside the negotiation itself.

And suddenly, Boyle finally understands why Ryoma insisted earlier that Liam remain in the room.

"You cunning brat..."

But again, Ryoma simply continues speaking. "And also... half of the broadcasting revenue from North America and Europe will go directly to your management, Mr. Patrick Boyle."

Both Boyle and Cross genuinely fall silent. Even Liam’s eyes narrow slightly now while staring at Ryoma across the table.

The shock is immediate that Boyle’s pure hatred slowly vanishes entirely. Because the offer Ryoma just casually laid out is absurdly large for a negotiation at this level.

Even someone as powerful and successful as Hugo Ramirez had never offered terms anywhere near this generous during the negotiations in Liam’s title fight against Miguel Cabello before.

"You’re really willing to go this far," Cross says slowly, still struggling to process the scale of the offer, "just to avoid Las Vegas?"

"Or," Boyle adds carefully, "do you already have something dirty prepared on your side in Japan?"

Ryoma slowly shakes his head, disappointment faintly visible in his expression now, that they actually accuse him preparing something dirty to make the fight unfair.

"You may see us as opponents, Mr. Boyle," he says calmly. "But I came here thinking this could become the beginning of a partnership."

"Sure," Boyle replies with a faint scoff. "The offer sounds amazing. Honestly, a little too amazing. Which is exactly why..."

"And the reason I refuse Vegas," Ryoma cuts in again, "is because I nearly lost my life in Manila."

The room immediately stills. Ryoma’s voice never rises, yet the weight behind the words settles heavily across the office.

"I believe Hugo Ramirez was involved," Ryoma continues calmly. "I can’t prove it. But I also have no intention of risking something like that twice."

Boyle already heard about the chaos surrounding Manila before. Everyone in boxing had. But until now, he never seriously considered the possibility of Ramirez being connected to something beyond ordinary business politics.

Yet after all the conversations he had with Ramirez, after hearing the man casually suggest sacrificing Liam’s purse and manipulating negotiations without hesitation, suddenly the idea no longer feels impossible anymore. And that realization quietly deepens the discomfort already growing inside him toward Ramirez.

Meanwhile Ryoma, without another word, opens the suitcase before taking out several neatly prepared documents and placing them onto the table between them.

"Please study the proposal carefully," he says. "I’ll give you two weeks to reconsider everything. If there’s still no answer after that, then I suppose I’ll see you again at the purse bid."

He turns slightly toward Kurogane, giving a small nod signaling the discussion is finished.

Both of them rise from their seats before offering polite bows in the formal Japanese manner. Then they quietly begin walking toward the office door.

But before they can reach it, Boyle suddenly stands up from his seat.

"Wait."

But before they can reach it, Boyle suddenly stands up from his seat.

"Wait."

Both Ryoma and Kurogane stop near the door before slowly turning back toward him.

For several seconds, Boyle says nothing. His eyes drift down toward the proposal documents still resting across the table, and almost instinctively.

The earlier conversation with Ramirez resurfaces in his mind again; loans, debts, Vegas, sacrificing Liam’s purse, treating his own fighter like a negotiable expense in exchange for bigger profits later.

Compared to that, Ryoma’s offer feels strangely different. There is no attempt to diminish Liam’s value here, no hidden pressure, no debt hanging behind the deal.

Ryoma placed both fighters on equal ground from the very beginning, equal purse, equal split. And despite technically standing as the opposing side in the negotiation, he still offered broadcasting revenue generous enough to directly benefit Boyle’s own management without forcing them into dependency.

The more Boyle compares the two proposals in his head, the uglier Ramirez’s suggestion starts looking by comparison.

"I owe you an apology, young man..." he begins. "I think I took your intentions the wrong way."

Boyle exhales slowly before finally stepping away from the sofa and walks directly toward Ryoma himself.

"...Fine, I’ll accept the offer."

Then he extends his hand forward. A tired exhale escapes him afterward.

"We’ll hold the fight in Japan."

Almost immediately, Ryoma’s expression softens into an innocent, carefree smile completely different from the tense atmosphere that dominated the negotiation moments earlier.

He reaches forward and shakes Boyle’s hand firmly. "I’m glad you can see our honest intention."

Then his tone grows calmer. "And whatever happens inside the ring, I hope it stays inside the ring... so afterward, we can continue working as partners who share mutual benefits."

Then Kurogane clears his throat lightly before stepping in with polite professionalism despite the agreement already being reached.

"Still," he says, "I think it’d be better if you study the proposal carefully first before signing anything. We already included our email address there, so you can always send the signed copy back afterward once you’ve reviewed everything properly."

Boyle nods slowly at the suggestion. "That’s fair."

But meanwhile, Cross has already picked up the document himself and begun skimming through the pages.

A few moments later, his brows lift slightly. "Ah... sir," he calls out while flipping to another page, then another again. "Honestly, I don’t think there’s much here that requires lengthy review."

His eyes continue scanning the clauses. "The terms are surprisingly straightforward."

Doyle walks over beside him and takes a closer look himself. And indeed, compared to the countless fight contracts they have dealt with before, Ryoma’s proposal looks unusually clean.

The document itself is not even thick, with every clause written directly and clearly without vague wording or hidden conditions buried between pages.

Cross exhales quietly. "If you’ve already decided to give them the right of hosting the event, I’d say it’s safe enough to sign now."

Boyle remains silent for a second longer before finally reaching toward the pen resting across his desk. Without dragging the moment further, he signs the document.

Once finished, he walks back toward Ryoma and personally hands over the papers himself.

"Here. I hope this really becomes the beginning of a good partnership."

Ryoma accepts the document with a small nod. "Now that the hosting rights are settled, I’ll inform the commission first. After that, I’ll send the official fight contracts both for your side and Liam himself."

Then his tone becomes slightly more businesslike. "But considering the broadcasting benefits we’re giving your management, I’d appreciate it if your side also helps market the event aggressively in North America and Europe."

"Sure, sure," Boyle replies immediately. "We’ll do everything we can on our end."

Ryoma hands the signed document toward Kurogane, who carefully places it inside the suitcase before closing it again.

Then both of them offer another polite bow before turning toward the door. This time, Boyle bows back properly himself.

And instead of remaining inside the office, he even personally escorts them out into the hallway now, finally carrying himself like a respectful host receiving important business partners inside his own gym.

A short while later, Liam finally steps out from the office as well. From farther down the hallway, he watches Ryoma’s back quietly while the younger man continues walking beside Kurogane toward the gym exit.

The irritation from earlier is gone now. Despite Ryoma being four years younger than him, Liam can no longer look at him merely as some naive kid carrying unexpected authority.

Somewhere during that negotiation, without Liam fully realizing when it happened, Ryoma Takeda earned his respect.

***

Moments later, the taxi slowly pulls away from North Forge Boxing Gym while pale winter light drifts across the windows beside them.

Inside the back seat, both Ryoma and Kurogane finally sink deeper into their seats almost at the same time, the tension they had been holding throughout the negotiation quietly draining from their shoulders.

Kurogane lets out a long exhausted exhale while rubbing both hands over his face before leaning deeper into the seat.

"Well... thank God they settled at one million for Liam," he says. "I was honestly this close to adding half of the ticket profits too if Boyle kept pushing."

Then his eyes slowly narrow toward Ryoma beside him. "And we didn’t even need to offer half of the international broadcasting revenue either. Do you realize how much money we almost gave away in there?"

Ryoma quietly watches the snowy Toronto streets drifting past outside the taxi window for a few seconds before a small satisfied smile gradually appears across his face.

"I told you," he says casually. "Negotiation is basically the same thing as watching Asian moms bargaining in traditional markets. If the seller refuses the price, then you just walk away pretending you don’t care anymore."

Kurogane stares at him another second before finally laughing tiredly.