Resonance Harem: I Level Up Through Sincerity

Ch 2. Wingwoman

I nearly dropped the phone. “What the—?”

[User Identified: Evan Cross. Baseline scan in progress.]

The glow dimmed into a black screen filled with… stats?

Presence (PRC): 6

Resonance (RSN): 4

Adaptability (ADP): 7

Endurance (END): 5

[Module Slots: Locked]

[Synergy Links: None]

I stared, water dripping off my hair into my collar. “…Is this a scam app? Did Marcus put you up to this?”

Then the device started to drip the words from the screen right in my head in a woman’s robotic voice.

[Congratulations, Evan. You have been… upgraded.]

“Yeah, I’ve seen enough anime to know this is how the guy dies in episode one.”

[Not if you stop whining and start linking.]

“Linking what—?”

A sharp crack of thunder cut me off. A flash of movement at the far end of the street caught my eye. A woman stepped out of the alley, shaking rain from her ponytail. Even through the sheets of water, I recognized her.

Jade Kwon.

We had never spoken, but she lived two floors above me, and I had seen her at the mailboxes in martial arts gear more times than I could count. Always looked like she could bench-press me and then use me as a jump rope.

She was heading toward the crosswalk when a delivery van took the corner too fast, tires hissing on wet asphalt.

“Hey!” I shouted.

The van came swinging around the corner too fast, windshield wipers thrashing like they were trying to beat the rain into submission. A faded delivery logo was peeling off the side, the letters half-vanished, and the driver’s head was tilted down at something in his lap.

Don’t get involved, my brain said. Not your problem. But the next thought hit harder, if she gets hit and I just stand here…

My feet were already splashing forward before I could even finish thinking it. Cold rain slapped my face, the hiss of tires slicing through water rushing toward the curb loud in my ears.

Jade turned just in time for me to grab her arm and yank her back. My foot hit a slick patch, and we both went down hard. Me first, her half on top of me. Pain jolted through my elbow, and my breath caught at the sudden weight pressing into my chest.

Don’t make it weird, don’t make it weird, don’t—

Rainwater dripped from her hair onto my cheek, and a clean, faintly floral scent cut straight through the stink of wet asphalt. I could feel the heat of her body through her soaked jacket, which somehow made the cold everywhere else feel sharper, more biting. My heart wasn’t sure if it was reacting to the near-death moment or… her.

Her eyes, sharp and dark, locked on mine. “The hell are you doing?”

“Saving you from… vehicular manslaughter?” I winced as she pushed herself up. “Womanslaughter?”

She glanced toward the van disappearing down the block, then back at me. “I had it handled.”

“Right. Sure. You looked like you were about to crane-kick the bumper.”

That earned me the tiniest quirk at the corner of her mouth, but it was gone before I could decide if I had imagined it.

Something in the air shifted, a faint pulse thudding inside my skull, like a bass note. The gray rain around sharpened, colors snapping into focus. For a split second, Jade’s eyes caught the light in a way that didn’t belong in this world.

A flicker of translucent text flashed in my vision, then the full notification slammed into my senses.

[Synergy Link Established: Jade Kwon — Combat Path]

[+5 END, +3 RSN]

[Skill Seed Acquired: Iron Will (Locked)]

“What the hell,” I muttered. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” she asked, already standing. 

She extended a hand to haul me up. Her grip was firm, warm even in the rain. My stats screen flickered like a slot machine over my vision.

[Warning: Synergy Links feed on sincerity. Fake it, lose it.]

I glanced at Jade. She was already walking away. 

“Uh, thanks for… not letting me drown in the gutter,” I called lamely.

She lifted a hand in a lazy wave without looking back.

I watched her disappear into the curtain of rain, still trying to piece together what the hell had just happened. The UI hovered at the edge of my vision, pulsing faintly like it was tapping its foot, waiting for me to catch up.

Part of me expected her to turn around and toss some final remark over her shoulder. She didn’t.

The cold finally started worming its way through my adrenaline, settling into my bones. Shivering, I shoved my hands into my pockets and headed home.

Once back in my apartment, I sat on the couch in damp clothes, staring at the floating UI that apparently only I could see.

Presence: 6

Resonance: 4 → 7

Adaptability: 7

Endurance: 5 → 10

My jaw actually dropped. “No way.”

[Believe it, rookie.]

I jumped. “Okay, you… who are you?”

[Call me Mira. Your guide. Your wingwoman. Your—]

“My… what now?”

[Never mind. You want more boosts? You’ll need to build trust with your links. Quests, challenges, emotional investment. No skipping the grind.]

I rubbed my temples. “This is insane.”

[Insane is doing the same thing every day and expecting not to get stomped by meatheads named Marcus.]

“…Fair point.”

[Let me be clear. Fake compliments, false bravado, pretending to care when you don’t, any of that will not only weaken your Link, it’ll actively punish you. We’re talking temporary stat drains, skill locks, the works.]

“So I can’t just sweet-talk my way to free skills?” I asked, laying the sarcasm on thick.

[Sure you can. If you also enjoy watching your numbers nosedive into the negatives.]

That shut me up.

A chime sounded in my skull.

[Quest Unlocked: Sparring Session with Jade — Reward: Iron Will (Active)]

[Objective: Survive full training round without quitting.]

I groaned. “I haven’t exercised since high school.”

[Then you’ll be adorable when you puke.]