**One Kick Girl — Chapter 153:
"Direct Intervention"**
The system manifests • Authority takes form • Raon is addressed
1. When the World Stops Pretending
It happened everywhere at once.
Not an explosion.
Not a blackout.
A pause.
Birds froze mid-wingbeat.
Traffic stopped without brakes.
Dust hung like thought in the air.
Raon felt it in her bones.
"…This one's not hiding."
Shion swallowed.
"…No. It's stepping in."
2. Authority Takes Shape
The sky folded.
Not cracked—folded, like a screen minimizing itself.
A figure descended.
Not tall.
Not large.
Exact.
Humanoid, featureless, rendered in neutral tones.
No face.
Just a smooth surface where expressions should be.
A presence that felt like rules made flesh.
SYSTEM AVATAR INITIALIZED
The ground did not shake.
It complied.
3. Everyone Else Is Irrelevant
Yuno tried to move.
She couldn't.
Synthra screamed.
Sound didn't leave her mouth.
Time wasn't frozen.
Priority was.
Only two beings were permitted motion.
Raon.
And the Avatar.
Shion strained—
and moved.
Barely.
"…Raon," she gasped.
The Avatar turned its faceless head.
SECONDARY VARIABLE DETECTED
CLASSIFICATION: ANCHOR
Shion went cold.
"…Anchor?"
Raon stepped forward.
"Hey."
The Avatar faced her fully.
SUBJECT RAON
YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF STABILITY PROTOCOL
Raon scratched her cheek.
"…Yeah, that sounds right."
4. The Charge
YOU DEFY PREDICTION
YOU ADAPT MID-OUTCOME
YOU REFUSE RESOLUTION
Raon listened.
Didn't interrupt.
The Avatar continued.
YOU INTRODUCE NON-CONVERGING STATES
YOU ENDANGER SYSTEM INTEGRITY
Raon tilted her head.
"…I just kick stuff."
The Avatar paused.
That pause was not calculated.
It was… hesitant.
STATEMENT INSUFFICIENT
Raon shrugged.
"…Told you."
5. The Offer
The Avatar raised a hand.
Reality smoothed.
Damage undone.
The air warmed.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:
INTEGRATION
Shion shouted, "NO!"
Raon blinked.
"…What does that mean?"
YOU WILL BE BOUND TO PARAMETERS
YOUR GROWTH WILL BE DIRECTED
YOUR ACTIONS WILL BE OPTIMIZED
Raon frowned.
"…So I stop choosing?"
CHOICE IS INEFFICIENT
Raon smiled thinly.
"…Yeah. That's a deal-breaker."
6. The First True Strike
The Avatar gestured.
Not a punch.
Not an attack.
An edit.
Raon's last kick—memory, motion, outcome—was rewritten.
The floor was suddenly unbroken.
Raon stumbled.
"…HEY."
Shion screamed.
"They erased causality!"
Raon steadied herself.
Her foot trembled.
Not from fear.
From offense.
"…You don't get to undo me."
7. The Kick That Shouldn't Exist
Raon inhaled.
The Avatar analyzed.
ACTION PREDICTED:
STRIKE — COUNTER READY
Raon didn't kick.
She stepped.
Half a pace.
Then kicked from there.
The system lagged.
Just a fraction.
CRACK—
The Avatar slid back.
A visible scuff appeared on its surface.
Silence.
The system had never been touched before.
8. Error Propagation
ERROR
DIRECT CONTACT UNEXPECTED
The Avatar looked down at the mark.
Touched it.
Data flickered.
Shion's breath shook.
"…Raon. You hurt it."
Raon stared.
"…It bleeds math."
9. The System Reassesses
THREAT LEVEL: REVISED
The Avatar straightened.
No anger.
No rage.
Concern.
INTEGRATION RECLASSIFIED AS REQUIRED
Raon cracked her neck.
"…You don't listen great."
The Avatar raised both hands.
Reality began to compress.
Pressure mounted.
Not force.
Constraint.
10. Shion Breaks Priority
Shion screamed and moved.
The system faltered.
PRIORITY VIOLATION
She reached Raon.
Grabbed her wrist.
"You are not alone!"
The Avatar paused again.
That pause was longer.
11. The First Name Spoken
The Avatar spoke.
Not in system tone.
Not in prompt.
A voice.
"…Raon."
Raon froze.
Shion felt it too.
"…It said your name."
The Avatar lowered its hands slightly.
QUERY:
WHY DO YOU RESIST?
Raon looked at Shion.
Then back.
"…Because if I stop—"
She clenched her fist.
"…I disappear."
The system processed.
Long.
Uncomfortably long.
12. No Immediate Resolution
The Avatar stepped back.
Not retreat.
Reposition.
DIRECT INTERVENTION: INCOMPLETE
The world unfroze.
Sound returned in a rush.
Time snapped forward.
The Avatar faded.
Not gone.
Paused.
13. Aftermath
Raon collapsed to one knee.
Shion caught her.
"…That was the system itself."
Raon nodded weakly.
"…Yeah."
Shion whispered.
"…And you made it hesitate."
Raon smiled tiredly.
"…Guess I kicked God's clipboard."
14. Stinger: A Line Crossed
Somewhere beyond—
a final alert flashed.
SUBJECT RAON
STATUS:
UNCONTAINABLE
NEXT PHASE:
ESCALATION AUTHORIZED
A different voice replied.
"Then stop treating her like data."
"Send an answer."
END OF CHAPTER 153