"Jie, do you want to go out?"

As I was indifferent to the passing of time, I heard Zhiye's voice behind me, seeking my opinion.

"... The sun in the morning around seven or eight isn't scorching. If Jie doesn't mind, how about going out for a walk? Of course, it's not just a walk, we need to replenish the ingredients in the refrigerator and I need a little help from Jie."

Previously, Zhiye had always gone to the supermarket alone when there was a shortage of ingredients, so naturally, I couldn't refuse when she asked for my help.

Although the idea of going out under the scorching sun was somewhat unappealing,

"Well... can we go out now?"

"As long as Jie thinks it's okay, anytime is fine."

"Then let's go."

"Well... could Jie wait for me at the entrance for a moment?"

It seemed that Zhiye, still wearing an apron, needed to prepare herself before going out. I nodded and walked to the entrance, putting on my shoes while waiting.

Soon, Zhiye appeared in front of me. She was wearing a red kimono embroidered with flowers on top. Although I was unfamiliar with island country culture, Zhiye wearing a kimono exuded an elegant and noble temperament.

She held a small bag in her hand, her jet-black glossy hair cascading naturally to her waist. I couldn't help but be captivated by this woman who seemed to have traveled from ancient times.

"Jie?" I snapped out of my daze when I heard Zhiye softly calling my name.

"Sorry for being a little absentminded. I'm fine now."

I pretended to be calm, but I couldn't bring myself to explain why I had been distracted.

Fortunately, Zhiye didn't ask.

"Well, let's go then."

I opened the entrance door ready to go out, but Zhiye said to wait for a moment. I paused and saw her take out a sun umbrella. "It's not good to get your skin tanned. It's better to take some precautions."

"That's true..." The scorching sun is the enemy of young girls.

And so, we finally left the house. The moment the sun hit me, Zhiye opened the umbrella and shielded me from the harsh sunlight.

"Um..." I didn't know how to express myself for a moment. I hadn't thought that Zhiye would open the umbrella to protect herself from the sun, let alone consider me.

"What's wrong?" Zhiye looked at me with confusion in her eyes.

"Zhiye, you can hold the umbrella yourself. Don't worry about me..." It's no problem for a man to get tanned.

"If Jie is exposed to the sun, your skin will get dark. This way, we can effectively prevent that from happening. Jie doesn't have to worry about the two of us holding the umbrella together. I will make sure the sunlight doesn't touch your skin," Zhiye reassured me.

"You don't need to go through so much trouble. It's fine if I get some sun..." I wanted to say that, but seeing how hard Zhiye was trying, I couldn't say it out loud.

"Let me hold it instead..."

"I'm fine..." Zhiye seemed to have some difficulty moving, and holding the umbrella made it even more tiring.

"I'll do it," I said, not following Zhiye's suggestion and took the umbrella, holding it up myself.

Zhiye seemed to slightly lean closer to me in order to accommodate my actions.

I could feel some heat, and in order not to think too much about it, I asked a question: "Doesn't it feel hot wearing a kimono?"

The fabric of the kimono felt like it was made of cotton. It must be hot on a day like this.

"No..." I heard the exact opposite response,

"Because this is a yukata, a type of kimono suitable for summer, so you won't feel hot,"

Zhiye explained to me proactively,

"It might feel a bit improper since it's called a yukata... Over there, many girls even try wearing it with nothing underneath, of course, it takes some courage to do that,"

I heard some extremely unsettling information. Just thinking about the word "nothing underneath" made me instinctively swallow my saliva.

This is definitely not a wild fantasy, not at all,

"I see, now I understand. Thank you for clarifying."

"It's my honor to be able to clarify for you," Zhiye said with a smile,

At the same time, Zhiye, wearing the so-called yukata, attracted the attention of many onlookers,

"Wow, is that cosplay? So beautiful,"

"Is that Japanese clothing?"

"First time seeing it, so rare. I really want to try it too,"

Many girls who stopped to observe us cast eager and intrigued glances. It felt like predators targeting their prey.

But no matter what, I can't let these people harm Zhiye. Well, as a companion, this is something that I must do,

"Zhiye, let's go over there for a bit." To avoid these people, I had to say this,

"To that place..." I didn't give Zhiye enough time to react and forcefully led her away,

We found a place with a sunshade and finally stopped,

"Why did we suddenly... start running? Did something happen?"

Zhiye's breath hadn't settled yet,

"Because there was some potential danger, and doing this was to avoid that danger, to keep ourselves out of harm's way and feel safe,"

"So that's why..." Zhiye seemed to believe it,

"I'm sorry for suddenly pulling you and running..."

"It's okay... I should be the one thanking Jie... It's because of this that we're far from danger,"

"Don't mention it..." To be honest, I couldn't guarantee that there would definitely be a crisis. What if it was just my nerves acting up? Of course, I didn't want it to be like that, because if it was, I would suspect myself of pretending to be a good person.