After finishing his noodles and washing the dishes, Shu immediately dug out a backpack.
"A backpack?" Kiana held Rice Cake. The girl and the cat wore identical expressions of confusion as they stared at the empty backpack in Shu's hands.
"Shu, what do you need a backpack for? Are we going to buy books?"
"This is for carrying Rice Cake." Shu opened the backpack to inspect it, compared the size to the kitten, and nodded in approval.
"Uh..." Kiana and Rice Cake tilted their heads in unison, looking even more perplexed.
"Can't I just hold Rice Cake?"
"No, even holding it isn't completely safe. When you take a cat out, you either need to put it on a leash or use a cat carrier or backpack. We don't have any of those, so we'll just have to make do with this backpack."
Shu paused for a second, glancing at Rice Cake, who was looking incredibly reluctant.
"Actually, a leash isn't totally out of the question. We do have some rope in the house." Shu pointed toward the kitchen. An image of Rice Cake being hogtied with thick hemp rope instantly flashed through Kiana's mind.
"No, no, no, absolutely not!"
"Meow!!"
The girl and the cat immediately voiced their protests. Kiana hurriedly snatched the backpack from Shu's hands, opening it wide so Rice Cake could climb in.
"Here, Rice Cake, give it a try."
Rice Cake tilted its head at the backpack, reluctantly crawled inside, and poked its head out of the opening. It let out a highly dissatisfied meow directed squarely at Shu.
See?! Like I said, this Shu guy has a sick sense of humor!
Hmph! I knew my feline intuition was right. This white-haired idiot has clearly been fooled!
Rice Cake squirmed around in the backpack for a bit, but quickly realized the position was actually quite comfortable.
Fine. I guess I can barely forgive this guy.
"Wow! Shu, look!"
Kiana put the backpack on backward so it hung on her chest. Rice Cake nestled securely against her, with only its little white head and mismatched eyes poking out.
"Don't I look like a mommy kangaroo?"
"...What a vivid comparison."
Shu didn't dare answer properly, because a crystal-clear image of a real kangaroo had already popped into his head.
Yeah... definitely not cute.
This current setup was much more... Ahem...
Shu coughed awkwardly a couple of times, waved his hand dismissively, and got ready to head out.
Rice Cake let out a "Meow," though whether it was satisfied or dissatisfied remained unclear.
Kiana looked down at the kitten, her smile growing even brighter.
"Alright, let's go!"
At the doorway, Shu had already changed his shoes and was standing up.
He looked at the door that was about to open once more, a very strange feeling washing over him.
Yesterday's physical activity was already a full day's worth of exercise for Shu... And that wasn't an exaggeration. Shu genuinely felt like he had used up an entire week's worth of exercise quota yesterday.
To anyone else, that might sound like a joke, but for Shu, it was absolute reality.
And yet, today was day two, and he was actually going out again?!
Even if you counted taking out the trash, he usually only left the house about twice a week. This wasn't a gated community; delivery drivers could bring packages right to his door.
So he didn't even need to leave the house to get his mail.
This was simply too surreal.
It was so surreal that Shu was starting to wonder if he had been kidnapped or was acting under duress.
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the person beside him.
Kiana had her head bowed, playing with Rice Cake in the backpack. The two of them looked closer than most normal friends, or even family members.
Shu averted his gaze, a soft chuckle echoing in his heart.
How is this not being acting under duress?
However...
Shu tilted his head up slightly.
I'm happy to do it—
But nobody tell Kiana I said that. I still have some pride left.
"Shu."
Kiana's voice suddenly rang in his ear.
Shu turned his head, meeting Kiana's gaze.
Kiana blinked at him. Just now, while she was playing with Rice Cake, she felt someone staring at her.
And sure enough, it was Shu.
He looked like he was deep in thought, struggling to say something...
The gears in Kiana's little head turned, and then she had an epiphany.
She smiled, reached out, and naturally took Shu's hand.
"Don't worry, Shu." She gave him a smile as radiant as the sun itself. "This time, I absolutely won't let go!"
Shu froze.
He didn't look down at their clasped hands. He simply stared at Kiana's earnest face, seeing the hint of playfulness and the overwhelming sincerity in her eyes.
Shu ultimately couldn't hold it back; the tips of his ears flushed a faint red.
"...Oh."
He didn't dare argue, simply letting her hold his hand.
Kiana could feel Shu relax.
She laughed, squeezing his hand tighter. In the next moment, pulling Shu along and carrying Rice Cake, she took a decisive step forward and pushed the door open.
Sunlight poured down on them head-on, washing over them and driving away all the gloom.
Kiana raised her free hand, pointing a finger straight at the sun.
Look, she wasn't outshone by the sun in the slightest.
Look.
She was even more dazzling than the sun.
"Then let's hurry up and go!"
Shu snapped out of his daze, steadied his stumbling footsteps, and broke into a smile.
Kiana led Shu to the side of the road, staring blankly at the passing cars.
"Shu, how are we getting there?"
Shu pulled out his phone.
"We're taking a taxi. I already called a car."
"Huh? When did you do that?!" Kiana looked at him in shock.
"Uh... actually, I called it right before we left the house. Judging by the time, the car should be here right about..." Just as Shu finished speaking, he turned his head and saw a white sedan pulling up to the curb.
The driver rolled down the window and poked his head out. "Did you guys call for a car?"
Shu took a step forward, nodded at the driver, opened the back door, and slid into the backseat with Kiana.
"Alright, buckle up."
The car started.
Inside the car, Shu took one look out the window before lowering his head, his full attention glued to his phone.
Meanwhile, Kiana practically glued herself to the window, watching the streetscape flash by. For her, this was a long-lost sight.
"Wow—Shu, look, that building is so tall!"
"Yeah."
"What's that one? Is that a mall too?"
"Yeah."
"Over there, over there! So many people are lining up! What are they selling?"
"...I don't know."
"How do you not know anything?!"
"Because I don't go out," Shu said, lifting his head to look at Kiana with a pained expression. "I have to use a map just to leave the house."
Kiana paused for a second before bursting into laughter.
"Oh right, you're a hikkikomori."
A hikkikomori?
It's probably just being a hikkikomori.
Shu's face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging as he argued, "Not liking to go out doesn't make me a hikkikomori... Not liking to go out! ...Can the habits of a scholar be called being a hikkikomori?"
What followed was a string of incomprehensible phrases—things like "a gentleman is cautious when alone" and "a true hermit lives in the bustling city"—which made Kiana laugh even harder. The car was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Rice Cake let out a "Meow" from her embrace, as if to say—Can you two keep it down?
Kiana looked down and rubbed the kitten's head.
"Is Rice Cake getting impatient?"
"Meow."
"Don't worry, don't worry, we're almost there."
She lifted her head, looking out the window once more.
The sunlight was beautiful.
The car ride was smooth.
And her hand was still holding Shu's.
She hadn't let go.
Shu stopped arguing and simply stared blankly out the window. He occasionally muttered a few more phrases like, "Am I to be treated like a bitter gourd, hung up and never eaten..." but his words gradually grew indistinct.
Kiana smiled even more happily.