CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 10.4: THE COMMAND CENTER PART 1

She helped him up. "Alright, hero. Real lesson time."

For the next thirty minutes, Rosa put him through his paces. She was a surprisingly good teacher when she focused, breaking down complex movements into manageable steps. Of course, being Rosa, she couldn’t resist making it interesting.

"Now, if someone grabs you from behind—" She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pulling him tight against her. "What do you do?"

"Um..." Jin’s mind went blank as he felt every curve pressed against him.

"Focus, Jin," she purred in his ear. "In a real fight, distraction equals death."

He forced himself to remember his training. Drop his weight, twist, use the attacker’s grip against them. He executed the movement—and accidentally sent them both tumbling onto the training mats again.

This time he ended up on top, his hands braced on either side of her head. Rosa’s chest heaved from exertion, a light sheen of sweat making her skin glow.

"Not bad," she said breathlessly. "Though your technique could use work."

"Sorry, did I hurt you?"

She laughed. "Jin, you couldn’t hurt me if you tried. You’re too nice." Her expression turned mischievous. "Want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"I let you win that one."

Before he could respond, she used her legs to flip their positions, pinning him effectively. "Never let your guard down, even when the enemy looks helpless."

"You’re not my enemy," Jin said softly.

Something flickered in Rosa’s eyes. "No," she agreed quietly. "I’m not."

[Accidental Harem Magnet - ACTIVE]

They stayed frozen in that position for a moment too long. Then Rosa seemed to realize she was essentially straddling him and scrambled back, her usual confidence cracking.

"Right! Next move!" She said too brightly. "Let’s work on your footwork. You move like you’re walking through mud."

She demonstrated a series of quick steps. "Light on your feet, like dancing. Come on, I’ll lead."

She grabbed his hands, positioning them properly—one on her waist, one holding hers. "Basic combat footwork is just like Latin dancing. Forward, back, side, together."

"I don’t know how to dance," Jin admitted.

"Lucky for you, I’m an excellent teacher." She pulled him closer. "Just follow my lead."

What followed was possibly the strangest combat training session Jin had ever experienced. Rosa taught him footwork through dance, occasionally throwing in an attack to keep him on his toes. More than once, their movements brought them dangerously close together.

"See? You’re getting it," Rosa said as they moved in sync. "Combat is just another kind of dance. You need to read your partner—I mean, opponent."

"You’re a good teacher," Jin said, meaning it.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, hero." But her smile was genuine. "One more thing I want to show you."

She guided him through a complex defensive sequence, their bodies moving together in perfect harmony. It required trust—leaving himself open at certain points, knowing she’d cover him.

"In a real fight, you might need to trust your teammates completely," she explained. "Even when it feels wrong to leave yourself vulnerable."

"I trust you," Jin said simply.

Rosa stopped mid-movement, looking at him with an unreadable expression. "You really mean that, don’t you?"

"Of course. You’re... important to me. All of you are."

"Damn it, Jin," she muttered, looking away. "You can’t just say things like that."

Before he could ask what she meant, she stepped back, clapping her hands. "Alright, hero. Training’s over. You’ve officially graduated from Rosa’s School of Not Dying."

Jin opened his mouth to respond—but a soft chime echoed in his neural HUD.

________

[PHOENIX CORE SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Skill Acquisition: Emergency Evasion

Source: Combat Training – Rosalie Thorne

Skill Type: Active Combat

Cooldown: 60 seconds

Stamina Cost: 30

Description:

A rapid dash in any direction with a brief afterimage. Grants 0.5 seconds of invincibility, allowing the user to avoid attacks or reposition. Usable in mid-air or while stunned.

Skill Effects:

• Dash Distance: 3 meters

• Invincibility Duration: 0.5s

• Afterimage Duration: 1s

• 15% chance to break enemy lock

• Can interrupt stagger state

Acquisition Note:

"When you’re outnumbered 30-to-1, you don’t fight—you dance." – Rosalie Thorne

Current Mastery: Level 1 (0%)

• Mastery improves with use

• Reduced cooldown and cost at higher levels

• Unlocks ’Shadow Step’ at Level 5

Tactical Advisory – Asha:

"This technique could save your life. Rosa taught you well—now dodge like your life depends on it. Because it does."

Mission Tag: High Priority – Survival Synergy Confirmed

[UPDATE COMPLETE]

____________

"Thank you," Jin said sincerely. "For teaching me. And for... sharing. About your past."

Rosa waved him off, but he caught the pleased flush on her cheeks. "Yeah, well, someone needs to make sure you don’t trip over your own feet out there."

As they cleaned up the training equipment, Rosa kept sneaking glances at him. Finally, she spoke up. "Jin? That promise you made... about coming back..."

"I meant it."

"I know. That’s what scares me." She took a breath. "Just... be careful, okay? For me?"

"I will."

She nodded, then her usual grin returned. "Good. Because I was serious about that kiss. Can’t collect if you’re a crawler."

Jin blushed but smiled back. "I’ll keep that in mind."

Jin made his way to the command center, still feeling the warmth of Rosa’s hand in his and the promise in her parting words. The bruise on his forehead from their collision throbbed slightly, which he tried to hide by adjusting his hair.

Three hours until the mission. The weight of it pressed down on him as he walked through the quiet corridors. Soon, he’d be surrounded by nightmares with only a modified baton.

The command center door stood open, blue light spilling into the hallway. Sera’s silhouette cut a sharp figure against the holographic displays, her silver hair catching the ambient glow. She hadn’t noticed him yet, completely absorbed in the tactical readouts floating before her.

As he approached, he could hear her muttering.

"If they cluster here, we could... no, that leaves the eastern approach exposed." She traced a path with her finger, brow furrowed. "But if Jin moves through this section... The timing has to be perfect. Seven seconds between suppression and Clara’s burst, or they’ll adapt."

"Sera," Jin called softly.

She spun around, hand instinctively reaching for her weapon. When she saw him, her shoulders relaxed slightly before her expression hardened into irritation.

"What are you doing here?" She turned back to the displays. "You should be resting. Or did you forget you need full strength in—" she checked her chronometer, "—two hours and forty-three minutes?"

"I could ask you the same thing. When’s the last time you took a break?"

"I don’t need breaks." Her fingers flew across the interface. "Someone has to ensure this plan works. The probability matrices alone require constant adjustment—"

"Sera."

"—based on environmental factors showing 3.7% deviation every—"

"Sera."

"—hour, which shifts the optimal window by—"

Jin reached over and powered down the display. The tactical maps vanished, leaving them in softer lighting.

"What are you—give that back!" Sera lunged for the controls, but Jin caught her wrists gently.

"You’ve been at this for hours. The plan is already solid enough."

"It’s not enough!" The words exploded from her.

"It’s never enough! The margin for error is less than two percent! One mistimed distraction, one system failure, one second of hesitation, and you—"

She cut herself off, yanking free and turning away.

"And what?" Jin prompted gently.

"Nothing. Forget it." She moved toward the panel again, but Jin stepped between them.

"Sera, talk to me."

"Move, Jin."

"No."

Her amber eyes flashed. "That’s an order."

"I don’t take orders from someone who’s shaking."

Sera looked down at her trembling hands. She clenched them into fists, making it worse.

"I’m fine," she insisted, voice cracking.

"You’re terrified. Just like the rest of us."

"I don’t get terrified!" She snapped. "They don’t get to be weak. They don’t fail, and they definitely don’t get to—"

"To be human?"

Something in Sera’s expression cracked. She sank into a chair, suddenly looking younger.

"At Yamashiro, during the outbreak..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I was the President of the Student Council..... everyone looked to me for help... Out of the seventy-three students in the building, only four of us.....four o-of us made it— when the Phoenix Corps showed up.."

"Sera..."

"Every choice I made killed someone. Every order I gave led to another scream, another—" Her voice broke. "And Aoi... she opened that door because I was too slow.."

"You did everything, and that’s enough," Jin said firmly.

"But not her!" The name tore from her throat. "Not my friend who trusted me!"

Jin had never seen Sera cry. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms. She stiffened immediately.

"Let go of me, idiot!"

But her hands were clutched at his uniform desperately.

"Not until you stop carrying everything alone," Jin said softly.

"If I lose you tomorrow—" She caught herself, eyes widening.

"You won’t."

"You can’t promise that!"

"I got this. I’ve got Clara’s awesome weapon, Rosa’s killer traps, and the best tactical mind on my side and.." He paused, aware of how close they were. "Because I promised to come back. A Tsurugi never breaks a promise."

Sera’s eyes searched his face, tears still wet on her cheeks. "You’re an idiot. A reckless, optimistic fool who makes impossible promises."

"I hate how you make me feel," she continued, hands fisted in his shirt. "Hate how you smile at me like I’m not a failure. Hate how you became—"

"Became what?"

"Important," she whispered. "You became important, and I can’t lose anyone important again."

The admission hung between them. Sera’s face was so close, her amber eyes vulnerable in a way he’d never seen.

______

Authors thoughts:

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