**One Kick Girl — Chapter 192:
"Retrospective (Blame Is Assigned)"**
Post-mortem panic • Weaponized reflection • Raon vs the mirror of guilt
1. The Meeting That Looks Back
The invite arrived with a pastel icon.
Subject:
Retrospective
Duration:
60 minutes
Raon stared.
"…We haven't even finished anything."
Shion nodded. "That's when retrospectives are most dangerous."
2. The Three Columns of Doom
The board loaded.
Three headings:
What Went Well
What Didn't
Action Items
Raon leaned in.
"That seems reasonable."
Shion whispered, "That's the disguise."
3. What Went Well (Nothing)
Sticky notes appeared slowly.
– "Good collaboration"
– "Strong engagement"
– "Lots of ideas"
Raon squinted.
"Those aren't things."
"They're vibes," Shion said.
4. What Didn't (Everything)
The middle column filled rapidly.
– "Unclear scope"
– "Too many voices"
– "Decision latency"
Raon whispered, "That's all of us."
Shion replied, "Watch what happens next."
5. The Shift
Someone spoke.
"I think part of the issue was misalignment early on."
Raon tensed.
Shion did not move.
Another voice added,
"Yeah, expectations maybe weren't communicated clearly."
Raon's eyes widened.
"They're aiming."
6. Raon Almost Takes the Blame
Raon unmuted.
"I think I—"
Shion slammed mute on her mic.
"No," Shion whispered.
"They're fishing."
Raon swallowed.
7. The Blame Funnel
The facilitator nodded thoughtfully.
"So how can we improve communication?"
Raon clenched her fists.
"That's a trap question."
"Yes," Shion said.
"Answering it assigns fault."
8. Shion's Redirect
Shion unmuted.
"Happy to focus on concrete process improvements."
She typed a sticky note under Action Items:
Define decision owner before ideation
Raon felt relief wash over her.
"That's… neutral."
"And helpful," Shion said.
9. Resistance Appears
Someone replied.
"But isn't that limiting collaboration?"
Shion smiled.
"It prevents paralysis."
Silence.
10. The Facilitator Retreats
"Great point," the facilitator said quickly.
They moved on.
Raon exhaled.
11. The Final Trap
"Any other reflections?" the facilitator asked.
The silence was thick.
Raon waited.
No one spoke.
Victory hovered.
12. Meeting Ends (Mostly Intact)
The retrospective closed.
No names named.
No blame pinned.
Raon leaned back.
"…We survived."
Shion nodded. "Barely."
13. The Retro Email (Of Course)
Thanks for the open and honest retro!
Lots of great learnings.
Raon groaned.
"They learned nothing."
Shion closed her laptop.
"They learned not to try that again."
14. Post-Credit Dread
A final notification appeared.
Subject:
Lessons Learned Workshop
Raon screamed.
Shion stood.
"They're not done."
END OF CHAPTER 192