**One Kick Girl — Chapter 188:
"Alignment Touchpoint (Nothing Is Aligned)"**
Calendar horror • Passive-aggressive apocalypse • Raon vs meetings that should not exist
1. The Invite That Ate the Day
The calendar notification appeared like a curse.
Subject:
Alignment Touchpoint
Duration:
30 minutes (tentative)
Attendees:
– Core Team
– Extended Team
– Stakeholders
– Optional (Everyone Else)
Raon stared at it.
"…Why am I optional AND required?"
Shion rubbed her temples.
"That's how they legally trap you."
2. The Agenda (Or Lack Thereof)
Shion opened the invite details.
Agenda:
• Align
• Touch base
• Open discussion
Raon leaned closer.
"That's three ways of saying nothing."
Synthra Byte nodded. "No documents attached. No owner. No outcome."
Yuno whispered, afraid, "This meeting feeds on confusion."
3. Pre-Meeting Psychological Warfare
Five minutes before start time.
People began joining early.
Cameras on.
Smiling.
Raon recoiled.
"They're already here."
Shion whispered, "Early joiners are dangerous. They're establishing dominance."
Raon cracked her knuckles.
"I can establish dominance."
"No kicking," Shion hissed.
4. The Meeting Begins (And Goes Nowhere Instantly)
"Hey everyone!" said the Host, smiling too much.
"Let's give it a minute for folks to join."
Raon froze.
"…We already started."
Shion typed a note.
Delay tactic deployed.
5. The First Round of Nothing
"So," the Host continued,
"Just wanted to open the floor."
Silence.
Thirty faces stared at each other like NPCs waiting for dialogue prompts.
Raon whispered, "Say something. Anyone. Please."
Someone finally spoke.
"Yeah… I think alignment is really important here."
Raon's soul briefly left her body.
6. Shion Enters Combat Mode
Shion unmuted.
"To ensure we use time well, could we clarify what decision we're aiming to make today?"
The Host blinked.
"Oh—this is more of a check-in."
Raon slammed her forehead on the table.
7. Scope Drift Detected
"Well," someone else added,
"While we're all here…"
Shion's eye twitched.
They continued.
"…maybe we should revisit assumptions from last quarter."
Raon hissed, "That's necromancy."
8. Raon's Breaking Point (Almost)
Raon raised her hand.
Everyone looked at her.
She panicked.
"I—uh—agree with alignment."
Shion shot her a look.
Raon shrank.
"I mean—aligned alignment."
The silence grew heavier.
9. The Tactical Intervention
Shion spoke again.
"Since no specific decision is identified, I suggest we capture action items asynchronously."
She shared her screen.
A document titled:
Alignment Touchpoint — Summary
Bullet points appeared live.
• No decisions requested
• No scope changes approved
• Current plan remains unchanged
Raon felt hope.
10. The Host Attempts a Save
"Oh—we don't need to document this formally."
Shion smiled politely.
"I'll keep it light."
She continued typing.
Raon whispered, "She's lethal."
11. The Clock Saves Them
Twenty-eight minutes in.
Shion spoke calmly.
"We're almost at time."
The Host panicked.
"Oh! Uh—great discussion everyone!"
Raon whispered, "WHAT DISCUSSION."
12. The Exit
"Thanks all," Shion said.
"Please add comments to the doc if anything comes up."
She left the meeting.
Raon stared at the screen.
"…You can just leave?"
"Yes," Shion replied.
"At the end of meetings."
Raon absorbed this like forbidden knowledge.
13. Aftermath
The follow-up email arrived instantly.
Thanks for the alignment! Great conversation.
Raon screamed into a cushion.
Shion closed her laptop.
"They say that so they feel productive."
14. Post-Credit Horror
A new calendar block auto-populated.
Subject:
Deep Dive
Duration:
90 minutes
Raon went pale.
"…Shion?"
Shion stood.
"Stretch. Hydrate. Prepare."
END OF CHAPTER 188