One Kick Girl — Chapter 41: "Return of the Remix Queen"
Raon had one wish.
One, simple, reasonable wish.
To eat noodles in peace.
But the universe, apparently, was allergic to peace.
She slurped halfway through a cup of Shin Atomic Ramen when the sky began humming again — low, distorted, and autotuned.
"...Shion," she said without looking up, "tell me the world's not rebooting its playlist."
Shion didn't answer.
She was frozen in front of her tablet, eyes wide.
The screen displayed a single phrase looping in neon pink letters:
> "♪ SYNTHRA.EXE // REBOOTING: 94% ♪"
Raon dropped her chopsticks. "I kicked her into orbit. How's she downloading an update?"
Shion's fingers flew across the holographic keyboard. "She's using residual Echo data from the previous frequency layer. The fragments are building her back! It's like her entire consciousness is torrenting itself through space!"
Raon frowned. "So… evil pop idol's doing a system restore."
"Exactly!"
Raon sighed. "And I didn't even save a backup of my lunch."
---
Bureau HQ – 10 Minutes Later
Chaos, again.
Every time Raon walked into the Bureau, it looked like a failed talent show.
Manager Kimchi had his tie wrapped around his head like a bandanna. DJ Bloop was hiding under a desk, crying into a speaker. Baron Silence stood in the corner, holding a sign: [SHE'S TRENDING AGAIN.]
> "She's what?" Raon asked flatly.
Shion projected a live feed from orbit.
Synthra's face filled the screen — half digital, half divine, haloed in glitching satellite panels spinning like angelic wings.
> "HELLO, METROSONIC~"
"Did you miss me?"
"This time, no remixes. Just domination."
The feed exploded into a visual music video — Synthra dancing among floating satellites as if performing for an audience of billions.
Kimchi screamed, "She's broadcasting herself across every communication satellite! Even Bureau comms are syncing to her beat!"
Raon tilted her head. "So basically… she's the world's loudest influencer?"
"THE WORLD'S LOUD—"
Kimchi stopped. "…Yes."
---
Moments Later – Rooftop Launch Zone
Raon stretched lazily as Shion prepped the anti-resonance jetboard.
"Target's in orbit," Shion said. "Her body is half-digital, half photonic. You'll need to breach atmosphere and disrupt her core frequency before she stabilizes."
Raon adjusted her gloves. "Got it. Kick the space pop star."
Shion hesitated. "…You do realize this time she's not just code. She's merged with Echo-4's spectral matrix. She's basically a god of sound now."
Raon shrugged. "God, pop star, same thing."
She stepped onto the jetboard, hair whipping in the wind.
The city's lights reflected in her eyes — a skyline of noise and glory.
Shion called out, "Try not to break the moon!"
Raon smirked. "No promises."
The board ignited, blasting upward with a streak of orange flame.
Below her, the entire city seemed to cheer — though maybe it was just all the alarms.
---
High Atmosphere – Edge of Orbit
The stars pulsed to a beat.
Raon looked up — and there she was.
Synthra Byte, reformed as Synthra.EXE: Rebooted, floating amid the shattered remnants of Echo Prime's satellite shell. Her form was radiant, a fusion of light, circuitry, and cosmic melody.
Her eyes burned turquoise.
> "Ahhh~ Raon~"
"I see you've climbed back up the charts."
Raon cracked her knuckles.
"You again. Didn't I already mute you?"
> "You can't mute the music of the cosmos, darling."
"You can only dance to it."
Raon sighed. "Then let's make it a short song."
Synthra smiled, lips curling into something inhumanly perfect.
> "Good. Because this is my encore."
Every satellite within range began to spin. The atmosphere vibrated as the world's air itself turned into her orchestra.
Raon crouched low, focusing.
A single thought echoed in her head:
> If I kick hard enough, maybe I can end Wi-Fi.
She launched forward.
The battle for Earth's playlist began.
---