***

Fischl resisted the urge to wrap her arms around Yomite in a tight embrace, her heart fluttering with a mix of relief and boundless affection.

She wanted to, but everyone was watching, so instead, she approached him with an air of nonchalance, doing her best to maintain her proud demeanor.

“Ah, Yomite, I see thou hast managed to survive the trials of this treacherous tower,” she proclaimed, her voice wavering only slightly. “The Prinzessin der Verurteilung is most pleased to find thee in good health.”

Yomite smiled, a knowing glint in his eyes as he observed Fischl’s struggle to maintain her composure. “Thank you, Fischl. I’m glad to see that you and your team made it through as well. Is everything alright though? What…happened to you…back then?”

“…”

Fischl immediately knew what he was referring to…back then, when the other person within her took control over her body and did the most embarrassing thing in her life.

“A-Ah, well,” She hesitated, searching for the right words, “Let us just say that the Prinzessin der Verurteilung momentarily lost control of her faculties, and…well, thou wert almost unwittingly initiated into the secret order of…posterior vulnerability. Yomite, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung humbly beseecheth thee for forgiveness for her most unseemly behavior in the previous encounter. Such an egregious error shall not befall mine actions henceforth.”

Yomite blinked, trying to decipher Fischl’s cryptic explanation, but in the end gave up and figured she just wanted to apologize to him.

“I don’t mind, I just…wasn’t sure what the hell was going on back then…”

Fischl nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. “Thy words have quelled the tempest in mine heart, Yomite. I am most appreciative of thy kindness and understanding.”

As Fischl stood before him, her heart threatened to betray her, and the desire to hug or even kiss him became almost overwhelming.

With a deep breath, she steeled herself and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Yomite in a brief, but meaningful hug.

Pulling back, she cleared her throat and looked away, feigning disinterest.

“Of course, as the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, it is mein duty to make up for mein mistakes,” she stated, trying to mask her true feelings. “But let us not waste any more time on such trivial matters. We must continue our ascent and fulfill our mission.”

Yomite, seeing the sincerity in Fischl’s eyes and appreciating her effort to make amends, decided to give her a warm and reassuring response.

He raised his hand gently to her cheek, his touch soft and tender. Fischl’s eyes widened in surprise, knowing what came next.

Before she could react, Yomite leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a tender, romantic kiss.

The sensation was delicate and sweet, causing Fischl’s heart to race and her thoughts to blur.

As they shared the moment, Fischl’s thoughts melted away into a sense of warmth and happiness that enveloped her entire being.

Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, and she allowed herself to be swept up in the embrace.

“…Yomite,” she whispered softly, her voice trembling with vulnerability.

He smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, whispering, “It’s okay, I really don’t mind what happened, Amy. I love you.”

“…”

Fischl lowered her head in embarrassment, unable to meet Yomite’s gaze after such a bold declaration.

She was a master of thick skin in a sense, where even the cringey stuff she often said didn’t bother her one bit, yet when it came to romance she was as weak as a water.

Her cheeks burned a brilliant shade of red, but her heart swelled with happiness.

Hu Tao, never one to pass up an opportunity to poke fun, smirked at the couple. “Well, well, look at you two lovebirds, leaving me out of the fun again!”

Barbara also pouted, feeling a twinge of jealousy at the difference in the kisses.

“Yum-Yum… you only kissed me on the forehead, and then you go and kiss Fischl so romantically in front of everyone! I gotta do my best!” Her tone was a mix of disbelief and mild irritation, though she respected his choice.

Rosaria rolled her eyes at Barbara’s declaration with disgust.

“Uwaah…Paimon’s not looking…!”

Paimon, ever the curious observer, hid her face behind her tiny fingers but peeked through, her eyes wide with interest as she took in the scene unfolding before her.

Lumine, standing off to the side, couldn’t help but wish for a romantic kiss as well, since she was glad he was unharmed in the short while they parted.

However, she remained silent, not wanting to steal the spotlight from their tender moment.

Yomite, noticing the fatigue in Fischl and her team, knew that it was time to continue, but not before they took a well-deserved break.

“Let’s all take a moment to rest and recover. Besides, I am also at my limit. Using this bracelet for hours without much break was a disaster, if it wasn’t for Barbara I would have mostly likely broken in half by now.”

“Hehehe.”

Barbara, once again happy he mentioned her name in the form of gratitude couldn’t help but giggle in delight.

In all of their previous battles up to the 12th floor, Yomite gave her a kiss on the forehead for doing a good job as a support in their battles and she was ecstatic.

It was almost like a tradition at this point.

And so the united teams decided to take a short break to catch their breath.