A few days after the wedding, Hikari sat on her grandparents' front porch, cradling the phone to her ear. The sun was setting, casting a soft orange glow over the yard, and the sound of cicadas drifted in the warm air. She held her breath until she heard Keisuke's voice on the other end.

"Keisuke! It's me," she greeted, a smile spreading across her face.

"Hey," he replied, the familiar, rough edge to his voice carrying through even the crackling international line.

"So, you won't believe this," she began, the excitement bubbling up as she started describing the wedding. "My cousin got married in a barn, like an actual barn, with hay and flowers and fairy lights. And everyone thought it was so pretty and magical—" she laughed, glancing around the yard as she talked. "But I kept thinking of what you'd say. You'd never go for it."

He chuckled. "A barn, huh? Only thing I'd say to that is 'pass the bug spray.'"

"Exactly!" She laughed, imagining him sitting stiffly on one of those barn benches, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. "Still, it was fun, though. Being here with my family… I didn't realize how much I'd missed them. It's nice to see everyone again."

There was a pause on the line, and she could hear him shifting, probably leaning back in his usual way. "Glad you're having a good time."

She smiled, letting the warmth of his voice settle over her. "How's everything back home? Everyone's okay?"

"Yeah, we're all good," he answered, his tone casual, steady. "Just the usual. Chifuyu, Ryusei, the rest of us—we're hanging in there. You know, nothin' new."

Hikari hesitated, hearing a faint edge to his voice. He sounded fine, sure, but something felt…a bit off. But she pushed the thought away, trusting that if it were anything serious, he'd tell her.

"Alright," she said, letting out a soft sigh. "Just make sure you don't cause too much trouble without me there to keep an eye on you."

He chuckled, a hint of mischief slipping into his tone. "Oh, like you're not the one who drags me into trouble half the time."

Hikari grinned, leaning against the porch railing. "I do nothing of the sort. I keep you in line."

There was a comfortable pause, the kind that always seemed to happen with him. Even across thousands of miles, she could picture him perfectly—leaning back, smirking, sitting on the tiny balcony of his window with his arm resting on the railing.

"Well," he finally said, his voice a bit softer. "Glad you're with family. But don't take too long, alright?"

"Don't worry," she replied, feeling a small pang of homesickness mixed with something warmer. "I'll be back soon."

"Good," he replied, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. "Tokyo's too quiet without you around."

The call clicked off soon after, and she set the phone back on its base, her fingers lingering on it for a moment. The yard was quiet again, but his warm and familiar voice remained in her ears, an invisible thread pulling her back home.

Later that evening, Hikari found herself being practically dragged into the living room by her cousin Josh, who was babbling excitedly about the night's pro wrestling lineup.

"Come on, you're gonna love this," he said, pulling her onto the couch in front of the TV, where the familiar flashing lights and pulsing theme music were already in full swing.

Hikari blinked at the screen, laughing softly as she watched two wrestlers posing and taunting each other from opposite corners. One of them, a massive guy with muscles for days, looked about twice the size of his opponent, who was lean, wiry, and practically bouncing with energy.

Josh scoffed, shaking his head with absolute certainty. "Look at that guy—no way the little dude stands a chance. Just look at the size of him."

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "Size isn't everything, you know."

Josh snorted. "Right, because it totally doesn't matter that Mr. Beanpole over there is about to get flattened by The Hulk."

"I'm serious!" Hikari argued, leaning forward as her gaze stayed glued to the screen. "It's not just about size or strength. Speed and agility are just as important. Maybe more. Bigger guys can't move as fast." She crossed her arms, smirking as she added, "Most of the people I've fought were bigger than me."

Josh laughed, waving a hand. "Alright, Karate Kid, we'll see about that. But no way the little guy wins this one."

They sat back, eyes locked on the match as it kicked off. The bigger wrestler charged forward, all muscle and power, but the smaller guy ducked and weaved, slipping out of each grab just in time. As the match went on, he darted around, leaping off the ropes and dodging attacks, slowly chipping away at his opponent's defenses.

"See?" Hikari said, nudging Josh with a smug grin as the smaller guy expertly sidestepped another huge swing. "He's using the big guy's weight against him."

And then it happened. The smaller wrestler swung his legs up, hooking them around the bigger guy's neck and using his momentum to twist his opponent down in a move so fast Hikari barely caught it. Her eyes widened as she watched him flip the big guy to the mat in a headscissors takedown, the crowd roaring with excitement.

"Yabai…" Hikari breathed, leaning closer to the TV. "That was amazing!"

Josh, mouth open, pointed at the screen. "Didn't see that coming," he muttered. But before he could say anything else, Hikari grabbed the DVR remote.

"Wait—rewind it. I need to see that again."

Josh rolled his eyes as she watched the move in slow-motion on repeat. She studied the takedown, watching the wrestler's grip, the angle of his legs, and the way he controlled the movement, over and over. The gears in her mind were turning. If she could learn this move… Well, it might just be a game-changer back home.

After the third rewind, Josh gave her a skeptical look. "Alright, so you've watched it enough. But you can't seriously think you could do something like that."

Hikari shot him a determined look, eyes gleaming. "Only one way to find out, right?"

Josh shook his head, looking half-amused, half-horrified. But Hikari was already on her feet, tugging him toward the back door. "Come on! We'll just practice the setup."

Josh, clearly unsure about this but curious enough to go along, dug out his old skateboarding helmet and strapped it on before stepping into the middle of the yard. "Alright, but I don't think you realize how hard this actually is."

Hikari smirked. "You'll be fine. Now, stand right there."

She spent the next ten minutes practicing the setup, standing beside him, moving her legs, and mimicking the move in slow motion. She felt the strain of controlling the angle, adjusting until it felt natural.

Finally, after multiple slow, careful runs, she looked at Josh with a confident grin. "Alright, ready to try the real thing?"

Josh took a deep breath, bracing himself. "Yeah, sure. Let's see what you've got."

Hikari launched herself into the move with precision, locking her legs around his neck and twisting her weight, and in one swift motion, she sent Josh tumbling to the soft grass. The force knocked the wind out of him, leaving him gasping for breath, but his eyes sparkled with excitement as he sat up.

"Holy crap!" he managed between breaths, grinning like he'd just witnessed the coolest thing ever. "You actually did it!"

Hikari's face softened, looking apologetic. "You're not hurt, are you? I didn't mean to go that hard—"

"Hurt?" Josh waved her off, still catching his breath. "That was awesome! I'm gonna have the coolest story to tell everyone." He grinned at her, the excitement in his eyes unmistakable. "Who knew my little cousin was a real pro wrestler?"

Hikari laughed, the victory settling over her like a warm glow. As they walked back inside, she couldn't help feeling proud. It was one more skill she could add to her arsenal—and maybe, just maybe, one more thing that would make her feel even stronger when she got back to Tokyo.