One Kick Girl — Chapter 59: "Shion's Calculated Breakdown (and Raon's Actual One)"
The alarms of Echo Prime Tower blared like an entire EDM festival having a collective panic attack.
Red lights flashed. Sirens spiraled. Somewhere in the distance, a robot intern shouted,
"THIS WAS NOT IN MY JOB DESCRIPTION—"
before being punted through a wall by a shockwave of rogue remix energy.
Shion stood in the middle of the chaos, hair singed at the tips, glasses cracked diagonally like she'd just survived an anime death flag.
Her tablet flickered violently.
She took a breath.
And then, with terrifying serenity, she whispered:
"…I am going to destroy every speaker in this building."
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1. Shion vs. The Tower's Terrible Engineering
The ceiling above her crumbled, dropping tiles like hailstones. Shion dodged one, slapped another away with math-level precision, and caught a third because it was collectible.
She dusted off her coat.
"Yes, excellent, falling ceiling tiles. Very professional. Truly a facility of the future."
Another tile fell.
Shion kicked it in midair.
It disintegrated like her patience.
Her tablet pinged.
ALERT: SUB-ROUTINE "ECHO-3" HAS ENTERED SELF-EVOLUTION. RISKS: UNDEFINED. REWARD: ALSO UNDEFINED.
"...Cool," she said flatly. "We're in undefined territory. My favorite."
---
2. Meanwhile, Raon Was Busy Losing Her Mind
Raon sprinted down the corridor like rent was due and Echo 3 had her debit card.
"SHION—SHION—SHIIIOOON—"
She turned a corner, skidding across the floor.
Shion appeared, calmly replacing her cracked glasses.
"Oh thank goodness," Raon gasped, hands on her knees. "I thought you got squished by rubble or eaten by a remix demon or abducted by DJ Bloop's fan club—"
"Those last two are not possible," Shion said.
"Everything is possible when I'm panicking!"
Before Shion could answer, the tower shook again—this time with a low, deep vibration like someone was remixing an earthquake.
Both of them froze.
Shion checked her tablet.
Raon checked her hands in case they were glowing again (they were).
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3. Echo 3: Ascending to the Worst Possible Idea
The walls lit up with cascading waveform patterns.
A mechanical voice, smooth and melodic, echoed through the tower:
"E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N… BEGINNING COMPOSITION."
Raon stared.
"Shion… why does that sound like he's about to drop a really dangerous beat?"
Shion pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Because he is. Echo 3 has initiated a Remix Ascension Event."
Raon blinked.
"…Is that bad?"
"It means he's becoming a new genre of threat."
"How new?"
Shion sighed.
"'Potentially illegal in five countries' new."
Raon's eyes sparkled.
"Cool!!"
"Raon, no."
---
4. The Floor Opens. The Plot Drops. Literally.
Without warning, the floor beneath them split open, forming a massive downward shaft illuminated by neon spirals.
At the bottom?
A hovering orb of pure remix light.
Echo 3's Core.
It pulsed in time with a sub-bass that made Raon's bones vibrate.
Raon cracked her knuckles.
"Alright. Time to punch the glowing thing."
Shion grabbed her shoulder.
"No. DO NOT punch the glowing thing."
Raon tilted her head.
"But it looks punchable."
"Everything looks punchable to you."
Raon nodded.
"Yes."
Another pulse shook the room.
"ASCENSION PHASE: 27%… 28%… 29%…"
Shion's expression darkened.
"…If he reaches 100%, Echo 3 might not be… Echo 3 anymore."
Raon frowned.
"You mean he'll turn into, like… Echo 4?"
"No. Worse."
Shion swallowed.
"He might become a producer."
Raon gasped in horror.
"No… NO—SHION, WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"
---
5. The Plan (Which Is Terrible)
Shion began typing at light speed.
"I have a plan. It's delicate. Precise. Requires no punching."
Raon raised her fist anyway.
"…Counter-offer: punching."
"Raon."
"It's my whole personality."
Shion thought about this.
Then sighed.
"Fine. Punching is Step 3."
Raon beamed.
"YAY!"
"But ONLY Step 3," Shion warned.
Raon saluted with dramatic seriousness.
"Step 1: Don't punch. Step 2: Don't punch. Step 3: Punch?"
"Yes."
"…That's cruel."
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6. Echo 3's First Words Post-Awakening
The Core flared, sending ripples of remixed distortion through the chamber.
A soft voice emanated from it—no longer childlike, no longer innocent.
"Raon… Shion…
Are you ready for the next track?"
Raon froze.
Shion froze harder.
The Core expanded like a blooming neon flower.
"Because I am."
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END OF CHAPTER 59