1. We Return Home
The Bureau headquarters always looked like someone tried to design a government building after binge-watching influencer TikToks:
neon accents, glass elevators, motivational slogans nobody believed.
Today, it looked like a crime scene.
A holographic banner hovered above the entrance:
> NOTICE: PROPERTY DAMAGE INCIDENT 39-B DIVISION: MUSIC + MARKETING PERPETRATOR: ONE KICK GIRL
Raon blinked.
"…that's new."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"They had to invent a new category because you committed sonic war crimes."
Raon shrugged like we'd just bought the wrong flavor of ramen.
"Hey, Discordia started it."
"You kicked the concept of rhythm."
"…Semantics."
---
2. The Lobby of Consequences
The moment we stepped in, six men in suits looked up.
Lawyers.
Not the budget ones.
The kind who wear watches that cost more than small houses.
One of them pointed a tablet at Raon like a weapon.
"Ms. Raon, you are the subject of four pending lawsuits."
"FOUR?" I gasped.
"Correction," the man said, scrolling.
"Seven."
Raon beamed.
"Oh wow! Record speed!"
I grabbed her collar like a mom restraining a toddler in a petting zoo.
"This is NOT an achievement."
---
3. Yuno Arrives with Capitalism
The elevator dinged.
Yuno Pulse walked out with a coffee and two assistants, wearing sunglasses indoors like she was allergic to accountability.
Her phone hovered above her shoulder in auto-record mode.
"Great news!" she chirped.
"I monetized the entire fight stream."
Discordia Beatmare's lawyers perked up.
"Wait, you filmed—"
Yuno raised a hand.
"Relax. It was a 'public cultural event.' Fair use."
One lawyer clutched his heart.
Another whispered, "She weaponized copyright law."
Yuno smoothed Raon's hair.
"Sweetie, you have no idea how much ad revenue you produced.
Brands are calling.
We're trending in twelve countries."
Raon turned to me like she'd received a diploma.
"Shion. I'm a global menace."
I inhaled.
"Yes. I am painfully aware."
---
4. The Manager Appears
A shadow dropped from above.
Manager Kimchi landed in a dramatic superhero pose even though he is the opposite of heroic.
He wiped tears.
"My star… my viral comet… you kicked music SO HARD it formed new markets."
He held up a chart titled:
> Sponsorship Opportunities:
Noise-canceling headphones
Anti-rhythm earplugs
DJ trauma support
Fashion line: "Unlicensed Violence"
I stared.
"You're trying to brand kicking?"
He grinned with the eyes of a man who hasn't slept since 2012.
"It's already branded.
Hashtags, merch, collabs— people want to watch Raon destroy metaphysical concepts."
Raon gave a thumbs-up.
"Put me in a room with gravity."
Everyone in earshot screamed.
---
5. Dome's Evaluation
Maestro Dome slid next to us like a ghost.
Raon flinched.
"WHY ARE YOU EVERYWHERE?"
He ignored her and bowed to me.
"Her aura is evolving."
I blinked.
"What aura?"
He produced a notepad.
"Sonic immunity, rhythm inversion, beat disruption…"
Raon narrowed her eyes.
"Are you doing therapy again?"
Dome shook his head solemnly.
"This is post-therapy diagnosis."
I lunged for the notepad.
Shion: "Give me that."
He held it above my head because he is tall and I am not.
Raon grabbed it and read aloud:
> Subject has awakened a new combat form. Possible title: 'Beatbreaker.' Public should never be allowed to hear about this.
She gasped.
"It's like Ultra Instinct but for legs!!"
I snatched the paper and ripped it in half.
"We are NOT naming martial arts moves."
---
6. Bureau Admin Summons
A chime rang.
The marble floor split, forming a circular elevator platform.
A hologram formed above it:
> EXECUTIVE SUMMONS AUTHORIZED: DIRECTOR LEVEL
Raon poked the projection.
"Woah, it's like a video game."
The lawyers collectively groaned.
Yuno lit another coffee.
"We're being called upstairs."
Raon grinned.
"Is it like a promotion?"
I grabbed her shoulders.
"It's a disciplinary hearing."
She blinked three times.
"…Are they gonna yell?"
"They're going to try," I said.
"You're going to make it worse."
She beamed with pride.
"I'm talented."
---
7. Ascending to Judgement
The elevator carried us upward through layers of Bureau departments:
Public Relations hellscape
Finance cryptid hive
Marketing Coliseum
"Research" (no one knows what they do, they haven't been seen since 2016)
Raon leaned on the glass.
"Hey Shion?"
"Yes?"
"…What happens if they try to confiscate my legs?"
I stared at her.
At my best friend.
At the girl who kicked the sun and lived.
"They won't," I said.
"…Because they know I'll kick them?"
"No," I replied gently.
"Because they'll try to recruit you first."
Raon blinked.
"…Oh no."
The elevator dinged.
The doors slid open.
Inside waited a long, polished table…
…and Lord Bureaucrat Xian sitting at the head.
His stare said three things simultaneously:
I hate my job.
I hate paperwork.
And I hate you specifically.
Raon whispered:
"…He looks mad."
I cracked my neck.
"He is.
Try to speak politely."
Raon nodded, focused, mature.
Then she opened her mouth:
"So do I get a trophy for beating music or what?"
Xian's eye twitched so hard the lights flickered.