All the people complaining about the progress aren’t noticing the subtleties. The progression is mostly about their emotions. We have Yakumo becoming more and more smitten with Yamato and seeing him as more of a man and Yamato getting better at accepting the lows as well as the highs.
I might...
The first time I read this I knew this was a sad moment but it didn’t really hit me. However this time I genuinely teared up, her little grin mixed with the blush and the passionate gaze really hit my heart. This series really is just as good if not better this second time around!