**One Kick Girl — Chapter 165:
"The Weight of Not Kicking"**
When restraint hurts more than impact • When strength is choosing not to end it
1. The First Rule of This Fight
Raon didn't move.
That alone made her teeth grind.
Across from her, the Adjustment stood calmly, hands open, posture relaxed—not weak, not threatening.
Balanced.
Shion felt it like pressure in her chest.
"…This is bad," she whispered.
Yuno nodded. "Yeah. Usually things start exploding by now."
Raon inhaled.
Exhaled.
"…I don't kick first anymore, huh?"
The Adjustment smiled faintly.
"You already learned the easy lesson."
2. Gravity Comes Back (Just for Her)
Raon took one step forward.
Her foot felt heavy.
Not pinned.
Weighted.
Like gravity remembered her name and decided to personalize the experience.
Raon blinked.
"…Oh."
She took another step.
Her knees bent slightly.
Shion's eyes widened. "…Raon?"
Raon laughed once—short, surprised.
"…This is new."
The Adjustment nodded.
"The world stopped moving around you.
Now you have to move inside it."
3. Pain Without Impact
Raon clenched her fists.
Muscles protested in a way they never had.
Not tearing.
Correcting.
Her body was being reminded what effort felt like.
"…Wow," Raon muttered. "This sucks."
Shion swallowed hard.
"This is what normal feels like," she said quietly.
Raon froze.
"…Oh."
The word hit harder than any punch.
4. The Kick She Refuses
Instinct screamed.
Kick. Solve. End.
Raon's leg twitched.
The Adjustment's gaze sharpened—not alarmed, just ready.
"You can end this," they said calmly.
"You know how."
Raon gritted her teeth.
"…And then the world bends again."
The Adjustment nodded.
"Yes."
Raon's leg shook.
She lowered it.
"…No."
The pressure increased.
Not punishment.
Consequence.
5. Shion's Quiet Terror
Shion stepped forward.
"Raon, stop—this isn't a test you have to pass."
Raon didn't look back.
"…It is if I don't want to become a problem."
Her shoulders trembled.
Not from strain.
From holding herself back.
Shion's voice broke.
"…You don't have to carry this alone."
Raon smiled weakly.
"…I know."
She stayed put anyway.
6. The Adjustment Explains (Without Mercy)
The Adjustment circled her slowly.
"You remove obstacles.
Reality learned to remove them first."
Raon winced as gravity tugged harder.
"Now you must decide:
Do you want a world that yields…
or a world that resists?"
Raon whispered, "…Both hurt."
The Adjustment nodded.
"Correct."
7. The Smallest Step
Raon shifted her weight.
Just a little.
Her foot scraped forward an inch.
The effort made her gasp.
Not because it was impossible.
Because it was honest.
Shion's eyes filled with tears.
"She's… actually struggling."
Yuno whispered, "…Is this character development?"
8. The World Watches
Around them, probability stabilized.
Traffic resumed.
Wind moved naturally.
Nothing anticipated Raon.
For the first time in days—
Reality stopped flinching.
The Adjustment paused.
"…Interesting."
Raon panted.
"…What?"
"The system prefers this."
Raon laughed breathlessly.
"…Figures."
9. Victory That Feels Like Loss
Raon took another step.
Then another.
Each one heavy.
Each one hers.
The Adjustment stopped retreating.
Then slowly—
They faded.
Not defeated.
Satisfied.
Their voice lingered:
"When you forget how heavy things are…
I'll return."
Silence followed.
10. Aftermath
Raon collapsed to her knees.
Shion rushed to her side, catching her before she fell.
"…You did it," Shion whispered.
Raon leaned against her, exhausted.
"…That was harder than kicking the sun."
Yuno nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Less screaming. More crying."
Synthra checked her readings.
"Reality's stable again."
Raon closed her eyes.
"…Good."
11. A New Rule, Chosen
Shion helped Raon stand.
"…You could've ended that."
Raon nodded.
"…I wanted to."
"…Why didn't you?"
Raon smiled faintly.
"…Because I don't want to win by default."
Shion hugged her tightly.
12. Somewhere, the Rule Updates One Last Time
In the place where absolutes soften—
The rule rewrote.
Anomaly adapting.
Self-restraint observed.
Threat level… contextual.
A final note appeared.
Monitor, do not suppress.
13. Quiet Strength
Raon stretched slowly.
Her movements were clumsy.
Heavy.
Human.
She grinned.
"…I'm sore."
Shion laughed softly through tears.
"…Welcome back."
Raon looked up at the sky.
It didn't flinch.
It didn't focus.
It just existed.
"…Nice," Raon said.
END OF CHAPTER 165