The world doesn't slow down just because someone stumbles. Even if you regret a mistake the moment it leaves your mouth, the days keep moving, the gears keep turning, and opportunities shift before you can grab them back.
In boxing, and in life, things can change before you even finish catching your breath. And this time, they change fast.
The fax Marlon sent from Manila travels quickly, crossing borders in minutes. By the time late morning edges toward noon in Tokyo, Nakahara Boxing Gym's old fax machine sputters to life.
Nakahara is the first to reach it.
He reads the stamped letterhead, the signature, the word ACCEPTED, and his expression lights up, subtle but unmistakable.
"That's fast…"
For a moment, he almost rushes out the door like a man decades younger, but he stops himself just before crossing the threshold.
The gym is livelier than yesterday.
