By the time the van carrying Ryoma and his team clears the expressway, the footage has already arrived in Tokyo. Inside a television station in Shiodome, the breaking news department is settling into its morning tempo.
It isn't chaotic, but it's never still either; monitors cycling through live feeds, editors leaning toward screens, producers moving between desks with tablets and phones pressed to their ears. News doesn't wait here. It accumulates.
A field reporter's upload notification flashes across one of the central displays.
"Airport arrival," a junior producer announces, stepping closer. "Takeda Ryoma. OPBF champion."
That title is enough to pull attention. The section chief turns from his desk, coffee untouched beside him, and gestures toward the screen.
"Put it up."
The raw footage fills the monitor. Ryoma stands amid microphones, posture straight despite the fatigue visible in his shoulders.
