CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 10.5: THE COMMAND CENTER PART 2

Before Jin could respond, Sera pulled him down and kissed him fiercely, desperate for connection.

Jin’s entire world stopped.

His eyes went wide, his body freezing completely as Sera’s soft lips pressed against his. His heart slammed against his chest so hard he thought it might explode. What’s happening? Why does it feel like his face is on fire, like every nerve is buzzing? What’s causing this crazy sensation that’s making it hard to breathe? And why does it feel like his stomach is flipping out? All these questions swirled in his head, adding to the confusion of the moment.

The kiss was just a quick moment—passionate and a bit salty from tears—before Sera unexpectedly pushed him away, her cheeks bright red.

Jin took a step back, his hand darting up to cover his mouth. He felt his face heat up, the embarrassment creeping down his neck. His heart was racing so quickly it almost felt painful.

"That—that meant nothing!" Sera shot to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair. "It was just—I was just—shut up!"

"I—I—that was—you just—" Jin’s voice came out as a squeak. His brain had completely short-circuited. "My first—I mean—what was—why is my chest—"

"Your heart rate has exceeded 180 BPM," Asha noted with amusement. "Classic symptoms of your first romantic physical contact. Congratulations, you’re officially experiencing what humans call ’butterflies.’"

"You were thinking about it!" Sera pointed at him accusingly, backing toward the door, her own face just as red. "With your stupid face and your stupid promises and your stupid—"

"S-Sera, that was my first—" Jin blurted out, then slapped both hands over his mouth, his blush somehow getting even deeper.

Sera froze mid-step, her eyes widening. "Your... your first...?"

They stared at each other, both bright red, both breathing hard.

"It was mine too," she whispered, barely audible, before her tsundere instincts kicked back in. "Which means NOTHING! Absolutely nothing! First kisses don’t—they’re not—STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

"Like what?!" Jin’s voice cracked. He couldn’t stop touching his lips, still feeling the phantom pressure. His legs felt weird and shaky. "I don’t even know what my face is doing! Everything feels weird! Is this normal?! Asha, am I dying?!"

"You’re not dying. You’re experiencing your first surge of romantic attraction. Your body is flooded with dopamine, norepinephrine, and—"

*Not now, Asha!*

She bumped into the doorframe, stumbled, and caught herself with as much dignity as she could muster.

"This never happened," she declared, though her bright red face undermined the authority in her voice. "We never—I never—just follow the damn plan tomorrow!"

"But Sera—" Jin reached out, still looking completely lost and flustered.

"To the letter, Jin! Every contingency, every timing, every—" She was still backing away, nearly tripping over her own feet. "And if you die out there, I’ll—I’ll—"

"You’ll what?" His voice was still shaky, his hand pressed against his chest where his heart was still racing.

"I’ll never forgive you!" The words burst out before she could stop them. "So you better come back, because I refuse to—to have my first kiss be with someone who’s just going to die on me!"

Before Jin could say anything, she turned on her heel and practically dashed out of the command center, her footsteps ringing down the hallway.

Jin lingered for a minute, swaying a bit as he stood there. His lips were still buzzing, his heart racing like crazy, and it felt like his face might just melt away.

"That was... that was a kiss," he said dumbly to the empty room. "Sera kissed me. On the lips. With her lips. Our lips touched."

"Brilliant deduction," Asha said dryly. "Your first kiss has reduced your cognitive function by approximately 47%. Also, she’s currently hiding in a supply closet two corridors away, apparently having a similar breakdown."

"Is that what it’s supposed to feel like?" Jin asked, finally sinking into a chair because his legs wouldn’t support him anymore. "Like... like my chest is full of lightning? Like I can’t breathe right? Like everything is too hot and too bright and too much?"

"Welcome to romantic attraction, Jin. Your innocent nature makes you particularly susceptible. Your mother would probably find this adorable."

"Don’t bring up my mother right now!" Jin buried his burning face in his hands. "I can still feel it, Asha. Is that normal? To still feel someone’s lips even after they’re gone?"

"Completely normal. You’ll probably be replaying this moment for hours."

Jin let out a quiet, stunned noise as he covered his face with his hands. It was his first kiss, and it was with Sera—gorgeous, bold, and a little intimidating Sera, who just confessed that he was her first as well.

"I need to go after her—"

"Negative. You can barely walk straight. Let her process. You have two hours until the mission starts, and based on both your psychological states, you need time to calm down."

"But what if she thinks—

"Jin. Breathe. Your affinity with her just increased by 15 points. Trust me, she’s not regretting it. She’s just as overwhelmed as you are."

Jin ran his fingers over his lips again, still in total disbelief. Three girls, three promises, three reasons to keep going. But now, one of them had kissed him—his very first kiss—and he was totally confused about all these feelings that were making him feel weirdly good and oddly alive.

Just two hours left until everything flipped upside down. But honestly, Jin’s life had already turned upside down the moment Sera’s lips met his.

Certainly! Here’s a clean, emotionally grounded HUD Notification for the Seraphina Velarius scene, styled consistently with the others you’ve requested:

---

[HUD NOTIFICATION – INTERACTION EVENT COMPLETE]

Subject: Seraphina Velarius

Encounter Type: Emotional Breakthrough / First Kiss

Location: Command Center – Vault Core

[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE – SERAPHINA VELARIUS]

Affinity +15

New Total: 76 / 100

Trust Level: Vulnerability Reached

Emotional Bond: Acknowledged

First Kiss Recorded – Mutual Confession Implied

STATUS:

• Sera has shared a suppressed trauma event (Yamashiro Outbreak)

• Emotional dependency flag detected

• First romantic contact acknowledged – Both parties affected

[SYSTEM FLAG – PASSIVE EFFECT ACTIVATED]

Passive Trait: [Emotional Tether – Sera] – ACTIVE

Effect:

• When near Seraphina, emotional stress resistance increases

• Unique team dialogue unlocked during tactical operations

• Critical injury state now triggers override protocol from Sera (if present)

Asha: "You handled that with the grace of a stunned puppy. Adorable. Also: try not to short-circuit next time someone kisses you. You nearly crashed your vitals monitor."

[JOURNAL ENTRY UNLOCKED]

"Sera: The Fragile Edge of Control"

[MISSION TIME REMAINING: 2h 00m]

Recommendation: Cooldown. Rehydration. Mental recalibration.

Note: Emotional imprint will persist through next combat phase

Once he walked away from Sera in the command center, Jin ended up in a calm hallway, still buzzing from their almost-kiss. His heart was still pounding, and her promise kept looping in his head.

"Asha," he said quietly, leaning against the wall. "I need to ask you something."

"Your vital signs suggest you’re either having a cardiac event or processing romantic feelings. Given your track record, I’m assuming the latter."

"The affinity numbers you keep showing me... what happens when they reach maximum? Like, if someone gets to 100?"

There was a pause, then Asha’s tone shifted to her lecture mode. "Ah, finally asking the important questions. Very well. The Affinity System operates on five distinct levels, each more intimate than the last."

Jin’s HUD flickered, displaying a new interface:

---

[PHOENIX CORE - AFFINITY SYSTEM EXPLANATION]

LEVEL 1: ACQUAINTANCE (0-100)

- Basic trust and friendship established

- Willing to work together

- Shares surface-level thoughts

- Current status of all companions

LEVEL 2: TRUSTED ALLY (0-100)

- Deep friendship and loyalty

- Will risk themselves for you

- Shares personal histories and fears

- Unlocks combo abilities

LEVEL 3: INTIMATE BOND (0-100)

- Romantic feelings fully realized

- Physical intimacy welcomed

- Emotional vulnerability complete

- Unlocks unique paired skills

LEVEL 4: DEVOTED PARTNER (0-100)

- Life-partner level commitment

- Absolute trust in all situations

- Would choose you over anything

- Unlocks passive bonuses when togethe

LEVEL 5: ABSOLUTE UNITY (0-100)

- Complete emotional/physical/mental sync

- No boundaries between you

- Would do literally anything requested

- Unlocks "Perfect Resonance" abilities

Current Companion Status:

- Seraphina Velarius: Level 1 (64/100)

- Clara Vance: Level 1 (66/100)

- Rosalie Thorne: Level 1 (58/100)

---

Jin stared at the display, his face growing redder with each level description. "A-Absolute Unity? They’d do anything?"

"Theoretically, yes. At Level 5 maximum, the emotional bond would be so complete that your happiness becomes their primary drive. They would absolutely trust you, without question."

"That’s..." Jin swallowed hard, "That sounds kind of scary. Like mind control or something."

"An astute observation from someone who usually has the emotional intelligence of a brick," Asha noted. "It’s not mind control—it’s the natural culmination of absolute trust and love. They retain their personalities and free will. They simply... prioritize you above all else."

"But that’s too much responsibility," Jin protested, running a hand through his hair. "What if I asked for something wrong? What if I hurt them without meaning to?"

"And that, Jin, is precisely why the system chose you. Most would see Level 5 as ultimate power over others. You see it as the ultimate responsibility for others. Your mother would be proud."

Jin slid down the wall to sit on the floor, processing this information. "So right now, they’re all still in Level 1?"

"Correct. Though after your recent interactions, I expect some movement soon. Clara is approaching the Level 2 threshold after your workshop encounter. That almost-kiss with Sera gave her a 12-point boost. Rosa gained 8 points from your training session."

"How do you even calculate this stuff?"

"Biometric data, psychological profiles, hormonal responses, pupil dilation, proximity preferences, verbal cues, and approximately 247 other factors. Would you like the full algorithm?"

"No!" Jin said quickly. "I just... five levels seems like a lot. Will they know when they level up?"

"They’ll feel the deepening connection, but they won’t see numbers like you do. To them, it will feel like natural relationship progression. First crush, then love, then deeper commitment, and so on."

Jin hugged his knees to his chest. "What if they’re happy just being friends?"

"Then they remain at whatever level feels natural to them. The system doesn’t force progression—it merely quantifies what already exists. You cannot make someone fall in love with you, Jin. The numbers simply reflect reality."

______

Authors thoughts:

What do you think of the romance progress comment your thoughts.

Would really appreciate giving support to the novel.. like really giving it some powerstones?