Chapter 19
The Champion's Eye

Takeshi was still staring at the screen, while the journalists' murmurs rose like a tide. His face, usually impassive, seemed alive with minute twitches. A bead of sweat slid down his temple, the only crack in his armour of certainties.

The harsh fluorescent light outlined his silhouette, casting a shadow that seemed to dance on the lobby floor. A strange smile formed on his lips, a smile that did not reach his eyes. You think you have captured the truth with your phone? His voice, lower than usual, carried a new resonance.

The journalists were crowding round him now, their microphones held out like so many lances. The excitement of the media, that scent of scandal they had caught, suddenly seemed trivial to him. These people, with their devices and their certainties—what could they understand of the depth of ōgi?

Reality... he murmured, his gaze passing through the gathering without seeing it. Reality is not always what it seems to be. He took a step towards the journalist in glasses, his stature dominating the space around her. Your video shows only part of the truth.

A shiver ran through the audience. Even the most seasoned reporters drew back imperceptibly before the intensity of his presence. The champion of Japan, the man they thought they knew, seemed suddenly to have become a stranger.

In the reflection of the windows, the lights of the lobby traced intricate patterns, like the pieces of a game whose rules escaped ordinary observers. His gaze returned to the journalist, lingering on her dark suit. The fluorescent light played strangely on the fabric, giving it, at moments, a bluish sheen.

His pupils dilated. The world seemed to lurch around him. That blue... he murmured, his features freezing in an expression of recognition mingled with indignation. Why did you not accept my offer last night? His voice, still controlled but vibrating with tension, rose in the sudden silence of the lobby. His eyes widened. I recognise you, Komayō! The veneer of civility cracked further. You knew you were lost, admit it! His massive body leaned forward, his voice rising in a crescendo to a roar. I would have crushed you!

The silence that followed was deafening. In that luxurious hotel lobby, the great ōgi champion towered over a terrified journalist, his face distorted by a certainty that he alone could see.