1. The Arrest of One Kick Girl
It was 8:02 A.M. when the Bureau's agents finally surrounded Raon's apartment.
Dozens of armored drones hovered outside her window, red lights flashing.
A booming voice echoed through a megaphone:
> "RAON, A.K.A. ONE KICK GIRL — YOU ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR:" [Mass property damage, network destabilization, repeated physics violations, and aggravated reality disturbance.]
Raon blinked groggily from her couch, still in pajamas.
> "Can I finish my noodles first?"
Shion sighed beside her, already dressed and typing a resignation letter draft titled: 'Reasons Why I Quit Saving The City'.
> "Raon, please don't resist arrest." "I'm not resisting. I'm digesting."
A laser sight swept across her forehead.
Raon yawned, opened the window, and gently kicked one of the drones.
The resulting shockwave disassembled all 36 in perfect symmetry.
> "Oops," she said. "Muscle memory."
---
2. Welcome to Hero Bureau Detention
Ten minutes later, Raon sat handcuffed in the Bureau's underground detention room — an interrogation chamber so sterile it probably scared bacteria.
Across from her sat Agent Luno, the Bureau's top compliance officer — a man with too-perfect hair, a metallic smile, and a voice that could bore thunder to death.
> "Ms. Raon, do you understand why you're here?"
Raon slouched. "Because I'm the only one who works overtime for free?"
Luno didn't blink. "You are here because you caused a resonance meltdown affecting nine districts, destroyed three Aether relay towers, and—"
He paused, checking his notes.
"—broke the moon's software update."
Raon looked mildly impressed. "Didn't even know that was possible."
---
3. The Panel of Blame
Behind a glass wall, several high-ranking heroes watched the interrogation:
Manager Kimchi, sweating profusely.
Baron Silence, expression unreadable.
Synthra Byte, arms crossed, chewing gum like she owned the soundtrack to the apocalypse.
Synthra muttered, "She's gonna joke her way out again, watch."
Kimchi groaned. "She jokes everything out. Last time she blamed an explosion on 'spicy air molecules.'"
---
4. Exhibit A: The Kick Log
Agent Luno turned on a holographic display showing Raon's battle footage with Echo-5.
Each frame froze with timestamps, sound levels, and a Property Damage Estimate counter spinning upward like a slot machine.
> "Do you deny that this… kick… ruptured the city's resonance grid?"
Raon squinted. "That angle makes me look short."
"Answer the question."
"I deny looking short."
Shion, sitting beside her as legal representative (because no lawyer dared take the case), buried her face in her hands.
> "Agent Luno, in Raon's defense, the Echo-5 entity posed a catastrophic threat to the city's infrastructure. Her intervention—" "—Destroyed 60% of said infrastructure." "...Yes, but less of it alive."
---
5. Hero HR: Psychological Evaluation
A new figure entered the room — Dr. Frey, Hero Bureau psychologist.
She carried a clipboard and the quiet despair of someone who's interviewed 200 superhumans with god complexes.
> "Ms. Raon, I just need to assess your mental state. Please answer honestly."
"Sure."
> "What motivates you to be a hero?"
"Discount ramen."
> "What do you feel when you fight villains?"
"Mostly hungry."
> "Do you understand the consequences of your power?"
"Define 'understand.'"
Dr. Frey stopped writing halfway. "I see."
She leaned toward Luno and whispered, "She's the most psychologically stable one we have."
---
6. Bureau Verdict: Suspended (Again)
After six hours of paperwork, review, and Shion's seventeen formal apologies, the Bureau reached its conclusion.
Kimchi read the verdict aloud:
> "Hero Raon, codename One Kick Girl — effective immediately, your hero license is temporarily suspended pending additional evaluation and—"
Raon: "Cool, vacation?"
Kimchi twitched. "—and mandatory re-training under Hero Bureau supervision."
Raon frowned. "Wait, like… school?"
"Mandatory Hero Re-Education Program. Starting tomorrow."
Raon groaned. "I'd rather fight an asteroid."
Kimchi sighed. "Funny you say that…"
---
7. Post-Verdict: Raon and Shion
Outside the Bureau, Raon stretched her legs under the morning sun.
Shion walked beside her, holding a file thicker than a villain's monologue.
> "You're officially on Bureau watchlist status, Raon. Again."
Raon shrugged. "At least I'm consistent."
Shion looked worried. "This isn't just punishment. The Bureau's been different lately — too cautious. And that moon update... it's still at 47%."
Raon blinked. "You think Echo-5 isn't gone?"
Shion frowned. "I think something bigger uploaded itself during the silence."
Raon cracked her knuckles. "Guess re-education can wait."
---
8. Epilogue: The Moon's Progress Bar
That night, far above the city, the artificial moon blinked once.
The progress bar jumped from 47% to 61%.
Then a message scrolled across its surface in glowing letters:
> [INITIALIZING SYSTEM ADMIN: ECHO-PRIME]
---
[End of Chapter 14 — "Bureau Lockdown: Hero Under Investigation"]