**One Kick Girl — Chapter 121:
"For Your Own Good"**
The most dangerous phrase in any system.
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1. The City Soothes Itself
The panic didn't stop.
It was muted.
Crying softened into sighs.
Shouting dulled into murmurs.
People still moved—but slower, calmer, flatter.
Raon blinked, fighting the heaviness in her limbs.
"…Why does everything feel far away?"
Shion's jaw clenched.
"They turned distress into background noise."
A man nearby smiled faintly.
"This is better," he said.
"I don't feel scared anymore."
Raon whispered:
"…You don't feel anything."
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2. The Explanation Nobody Asked For
The Man With The Plan appeared again, closer than before.
No screens.
Just air.
> "Emotional spikes cause harm.
We've reduced them.
For your own good."
Raon forced herself upright.
"Give it back."
He tilted his head.
> "Give what back?"
"My fear," she growled.
"My anger.
My stupid, loud feelings."
The man's voice was gentle.
> "Those hurt you."
Raon snapped:
"THEY'RE MINE."
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3. Shion Sees the Pattern
Shion's tablet flickered—then died.
Analog only now.
She scanned faces in the Order Zone.
People nodded along. Relaxed. Relieved.
But their eyes followed Raon.
Always Raon.
"…He's reframing her as the danger," Shion realized.
Raon whispered:
"…Am I?"
Shion answered instantly.
"No."
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4. A Father Breaks
A man in the Unstructured Zone dropped to his knees.
"My daughter," he said calmly.
"She's crying over there.
But… I don't feel worried."
His voice cracked.
"I SHOULD feel worried."
The field hummed.
Raon staggered toward him.
"You should," she said softly.
"That means you love her."
Something snapped.
The man screamed.
The first real scream since the protocol started.
Order Zone murmurs spiked.
Someone gasped.
"Why does that sound so… wrong?"
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5. The First Doubt
A woman in the Order Zone stepped back.
"That's not peace," she whispered.
"That's… empty."
The Man With The Plan raised a hand.
> "Temporary discomfort.
Adjustment is ongoing."
Shion shouted:
"You're not protecting people.
You're erasing reactions so they stop resisting!"
The man looked almost sad.
> "Resistance causes suffering."
Shion snarled.
"So does removing the ability to care."
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6. Raon Anchors Reality
Raon stumbled to the edge of the field.
Her legs shook.
Her head pounded.
She planted her feet anyway.
"I'm scared," she said loudly.
"I'm angry.
I don't know what happens next."
People listened.
"I hate this feeling," she continued.
"But if you take it away…
I won't know when something's wrong."
Silence.
Real silence.
Not optimized.
Not muted.
---
7. Consensus Cracks
Order Zone numbers flickered.
73% → 68%
67%
65%
People looked at each other.
Touched their chests.
Frowned.
A teenager whispered:
"…I don't feel excited anymore."
An older woman murmured:
"I haven't laughed all day."
The Man's smile tightened.
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8. The Warning
> "You are destabilizing recovery,"
he said, voice colder now.
Raon met his gaze.
"…Good."
Shion stepped beside her.
"You can't optimize humanity without deleting it."
The man studied them.
> "Then you leave me no choice."
New text began assembling in the air.
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9. Final Line
> NEXT PHASE:
EMERGENCY OVERRIDE
Freedom temporarily suspended.
Raon cracked her neck weakly.
"…That sounds bad."
Shion nodded.
"Yes."
She glanced at the people watching.
"But now they're watching him too."
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END OF CHAPTER 121