Ryoma and Kurogane arrive far earlier than their scheduled appointment. The reception staff politely asks them to wait in the lobby.
Kurogane glances at his wristwatch for what feels like the fifth time in as many minutes.
"We're thirty minutes early," he mutters.
Ryoma simply nods. "Better than making a first impression by being late."
Several floors above them, inside a glass-walled meeting room, the morning briefing takes an unexpected detour.
"So..." one executive says, looking up from the visitor schedule. "Ronin Fight Management?"
Another shrugs. "I heard they're putting together some absurd Tokyo Dome project."
"That has nothing to do with us," someone replies. "We're not a sports broadcaster."
A brief silence follows before the Head of Content Acquisition leans back in his chair.
"Maybe not," he says calmly. "But I think we should hear him out. For the past two years, everything this kid has touched has turned into something people said couldn't be done."
