Ryu didn't seem to have eyes for anything else other than his task. His mental focus was entirely drawn to the minute changes of the world around him. He didn't even seem to notice Selheira who was just a stone's throw away. If he had paid more attention, he might have noticed her slight glances every so often. But the state of his mind really didn't allow him to focus on anything else.
Initially, his thoughts were skewed toward being more forceful. Before he noticed the subtle hidden rules of the round, he had planned to attack every person who made an attempt and crush them in that way. He thought that maybe if he did this, not only could he force others back, but he would be able to accelerate his forward progress as well.