Aalhya said her name once and called that enough. Ishikori Katzushita spent two days letting it sit before she decided it wasn’t.

“She thinks a name whispered once is a threat,” Katzushita said, quiet in the way that’s usually mistaken for softness. “I’ve heard louder. I’ve answered louder.” She didn’t raise her voice, didn’t repeat the insult back — just corrected the record. “I’m not smiling because I have nothing to say. I’m smiling because I already know how this ends.”

With DRC’s debut night still two weeks out and the Women’s Title sitting vacant, Katzushita’s response is the clearest confirmation yet that she isn’t backing off the conversation Aalhya tried to end with one sentence.