"N-no!"
Barbara waved her hands quickly. Realizing she was still holding his wrist, she yanked her hand back as if burned, clasping her hands nervously in front of her and lowering her head.
"…About this morning… thank you very much."
She peeked up at him briefly, then looked away again, ears completely red.
"I saw it… you used wind to help me escape… didn't you? Thank you… I really didn't know how long I'd be trapped otherwise…"
So that's what this was about.
Yi Chen smiled casually.
"Oh, that? No big deal. I couldn't just watch Mondstadt's biggest star get surrounded like that. And, well… my method was a bit special. Hope it didn't scare you."
"No, not at all!"
Barbara shook her head quickly, smiling sincerely.
"It was… impressive. And kind of… fun."
She hesitated, then pulled out a small, neatly wrapped bundle from behind her back and offered it with both hands.
"I baked these cookies myself… they're not expensive or anything, but—please take them! It's my way of saying thank you!"
Yi Chen glanced at the package, still warm and faintly scented with butter and sweetness, then at Barbara's hopeful expression.
He laughed and accepted it immediately.
"Then I won't hold back! I skipped breakfast anyway. Thanks—your baking's gotta be good!"
He opened the cloth and popped a rabbit-shaped cookie into his mouth.
Crunch.
"Wow—this is great!"
Barbara's smile lit up instantly.
"I'm glad you like it!"
She then added shyly,
"…Please don't tell anyone it was from me…"
"No problem! Our secret!"
Yi Chen mimed zipping his lips and grabbed another cookie.
Afterwards, he left the cathedral feeling oddly cheerful and continued to the Knights' headquarters.
He knocked on the Grand Master's office door. At Jean's familiar "Please come in," he entered.
Jean sat behind her desk buried in documents, fatigue evident—but the moment she saw Yi Chen, her eyes lit up.
"Yi Chen! You're here!"
She rushed over.
"Did everything go well? You weren't injured again, were you? And Stormterror—"
"All good, all good!"
Yi Chen interrupted with a grin, patting his chest.
"Stormterror's fully recovered. The Abyss Order's base in Stormterror's Lair is gone. I'll give you the details…"
He summarized the events—his talks with Dvalin and the dragon's promise—conveniently skipping over the part where he erased the entire area.
As Jean listened, her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Relief and disbelief replaced her worry.
Mondstadt's greatest crisis… had really been resolved.
Overwhelmed, her long-held tension finally snapped.
Before she realized it, she stepped forward and wrapped Yi Chen in a tight embrace.
"That's wonderful… truly…"
"Thank you, Yi Chen… for everything you've done for Mondstadt…"
Yi Chen froze for a moment, feeling the sincerity in her grip.
He relaxed, gently patting her back.
"It's alright. It's over now."
Only then did Jean realize what she'd done.
She jumped back as if shocked, face flushing scarlet all the way to her ears.
She coughed lightly, forcing a professional tone.
"A-That was… a victory celebration hug! Yes! Nothing else!"
Yi Chen's mischievous side immediately surfaced.
"Oh? Just official business?"
He clutched his chest dramatically.
"So the Grand Master was just bullying her poor assistant under the excuse of work? How scary! I'm telling Lisa!"
Jean sputtered, mortified.
"S-stop teasing! Or I'll—dock your pay!"
She hastily grabbed the top document from her stack and shoved it into his arms.
"Since you're back, get to work immediately! Your desk's still there!"
Then, softer—
"After this… maybe we can go see Stormterror together. He's suffered a lot…"
"…And maybe… catch up."
Yi Chen chuckled.
"Yes, ma'am, Grand Master~"
"Work first, then 'catching up.' Mission accepted."
Humming off-key, he carried the documents back to his long-unused desk.