Though Diego had to admit that his pride was wounded after losing to her the last time, he couldn't plow forward as he heard her wheezing. So he kept his pace even as they rounded the tenth floor, then the eleventh, reaching the twelfth at the same time.
"Ah!" he spat, wiping his brow as he slowed to a stop, leaning against his knees as he looked to her. "I'm still not able to beat you!" he crowed with a laugh. "Oh, you'll be the death of me, Lotte. A man my age, I cannot take this stress!" He pressed a hand to his heart with a goofy smile. "Is too much, just too much."