"Eula… actually, at the beginning,"
Yichen's voice echoed clearly through the quiet street.
"I was just like most people.
I thought you were exactly as the rumors described—arrogant, cold, impossible to approach…"
Eula's body tensed slightly.
A faint, nearly imperceptible sting flickered through her eyes.
"But then—"
Yichen's tone shifted.
He looked straight at her, as if trying to see past the frost surrounding her heart.
"After I truly got close to you—clumsily, shamelessly trying to understand you—after spending time with you…"
"I realized just how ridiculous those rumors were.
How shallow. How wrong."
"You're not that kind of person at all."
"You're strong. Resilient. You uphold your duties as a knight even while carrying the heaviest misunderstandings."
"You never once abandoned your path."
"In your own way—quiet, stubborn, unwavering—you protect Mondstadt and help those who need it."
"Patrolling in all weather.
Guarding innocent travelers with your blade…"
Each word landed like a warm current, washing over the years of frost in Eula's heart.
The efforts she thought no one noticed.
The grievances she bore alone.
All of them were being spoken now—clearly, respectfully, sincerely.
Her heart raced.
The icy façade she'd clung to had already melted away, leaving only surging emotion and—
Hope.
She lifted her head and met Yichen's gaze.
Something gentle shimmered in his eyes—something that made her heartbeat spiral out of control.
Like before.
Say it like before.
Say the words you've said a hundred times.
Now. Right now.
Just say it—
And I will absolutely… absolutely say yes.
Her fingers trembled from tension and anticipation.
Under the moonlight, her cheeks flushed a delicate red, her eyes shining brighter than they ever had before.
Yichen saw it all.
The expectation.
The nervousness.
The emotions nearly spilling out of her gaze.
He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and spoke solemnly:
"So…"
Eula held her breath.
"—let's be friends."
Time froze.
The blush on her face.
The starlight in her eyes.
The trembling of her fingers.
All of it solidified the instant the word "friends" landed.
Then—
Like a volcano erupting after endless pressure—
A visible wave of RAGE, blending extreme humiliation, crushing disappointment, furious disbelief, and absolute despair at the fact that this man is beyond saving, exploded from Eula's neck straight to the tips of her hair.
"YI—CHEN!!!"
A roar filled with murderous intent tore through the silent street, nearly cracking into distortion!
Eula lost the ability to think.
Her body reacted on pure instinct, driven by overwhelming emotion!
She twisted her waist, dropped her shoulder, and unleashed a vicious elbow strike infused with every ounce of strength a reconnaissance captain possessed—
Like a ballista bolt fired at point-blank range, screaming through the air—
CRASHING directly into Yichen's completely unguarded left ribs!
CRACK—!!!
A sickeningly clear sound of bone snapping echoed through the night.
"UGH—!!!"
Yichen let out a muffled grunt as his body was launched half a meter off the ground like a kite with its string cut—
Before slamming hard onto the cold stone pavement!
He curled in on himself, his face instantly draining pale as paper.
Pain like a tidal wave swallowed him whole—
But what shocked him even more was—
Why?!
Eula regretted it the moment her elbow landed.
Watching Yichen fly like a ragdoll, collapse on the ground, his handsome face twisted in agony, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth—
Her fury evaporated into sheer panic.
Yichen coughed violently, blood splattering onto the stone beneath him.
"Yichen!!"
Eula rushed forward like a startled rabbit, her voice breaking.
"Are you okay?! I'm sorry! I—I didn't mean to! I—I—!"
She hovered helplessly over him, afraid to touch him yet terrified not to.
Her icy pride was gone.
All that remained was panic and pain.
"Cough… cough…"
Yichen spat another trace of blood.
He struggled to lift his head and looked at Eula—tears welling, frantic, completely undone—
And somehow…
Somehow he twisted his face into a crooked, painful smile.
Almost… approving.
He sucked in a breath and spoke in broken gasps:
"I—I'm fine… Eula…"
"Th-that elbow… cough… the power… the angle…"
"Too… too precise…"
"Absolutely… cough… perfect… textbook-level…"
With great effort, he raised a trembling thumbs-up.
His eyes even sparkled a little.
"You've… really got talent… cough cough…"
Eula: "..."
Staring at this blood-spitting, bone-broken man who was seriously critiquing her elbow technique—
The regret in Eula's heart was instantly replaced by a stronger urge—
A powerful mix of:
"Is this man a sentient sandbag?!"
and
"I kind of want to elbow him again just to shut him up."
But reason—and concern—won in the end.
She swallowed the urge, biting back emotion as she reached to support him.
"Stop talking! You idiot!"
"I'm taking you to the Cathedral! Barbara can heal you! Hold on!"
Her voice trembled as she tried to lift him.
"D-don't… don't…"
Yichen wheezed, waving weakly.
"No need… no need to trouble Miss Barbara…"
"Really… just… help me over there…"
He pointed shakily toward a bench at the street corner, wearing the stubborn, suicidal expression of "I'll just lie down a bit."
Eula was furious, worried, and helpless all at once.
In the end, she could only carefully—like holding a fragile porcelain doll—support this still-gasping human punching bag, inch by inch, toward the bench.
Above them.
In the shadow of a rooftop.
A figure crouched silently.
Black hair stirred in the night breeze, and a signature green-tipped braid swayed behind him.
Venti's emerald eyes were wide as saucers.
He covered his mouth with both hands, shoulders shaking violently as he struggled not to laugh himself off the roof.
"Pfft—cough—"
He barely managed to contain himself.
Lowering his hands, his face was filled with shock… and sincere admiration.
Looking down at Yichen—grimacing in pain yet stubbornly standing—then at Eula, torn between guilt, concern, and the urge to hit him again—
Venti whispered in awe:
"My Archons above…"
"This guy…"
"He's really… using his life to flirt."
"The technique… the courage… the sheer artistry of self-destruction…"
"Tsk tsk tsk…"
Rubbing his chin, Venti grinned as if discovering a priceless treasure.
"No wonder…"
"He's the one who managed to wake me up with this level of nonsense."