Finding Love (China x Female Reader x Japan)

A Day Out with a Good Friend

"The food was so delicious! Thank you very much for the treat, Yao," I said as we walked out of the restaurant.

He chuckled. "I told you this one's the best Chinese restaurant around here, aru. Although, it's no match for the food in Chinatown."
"Really? Can you tell me more about it?"
"Sure, aru!"

We walked on the sidewalk under the shade of the overhead trees. Yao talked about his homeland while I listened to each of the vivid details that he gave me.

China...I didn't know much about Chinese tradition nor about the country. I was so absorbed in learning about Japanese culture that I never bothered to acquire knowledge about the other nations. I felt ashamed of myself.

"Is there something wrong, (Y/n) aru?"

Yao must have noticed my reverie. I quickly shook my head. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just having some thoughts."
"What thoughts, aru?" Yao blinked.

"I want to know more about you all. Every country has their own way of life and I want to learn each and every one of them. That way, maybe I can show my appreciation towards them," I smiled.

The Chinese man stared at me and then started laughing all of a sudden. I looked at him, confused. He raised his hand and gently patted on my head.

"Do you always think too much, (Y/n)?"
"Umm...no, well...I..." I looked down, embarrassed.

What he said wasn't wrong. I tend to think too much sometimes.

"As long as you're happy...we don't need any kind of appreciation, aru. Countries keep on existing so long as the people remain happy and satisfied," Yao said. He sounded like a wise man. No...he was a wise man. I understood his point.

"So? Since we're here, why don't we go to the arcade, aru? You couldn't go last time because of me."
"Sure!"

We soon found ourselves in a bustling area with many tall buildings and shopping malls. People moved in swarms from one side to another. As we were crossing the road, I almost got pushed back by the people coming from the other side.

"(Y/n)!"

Yao grasped my hand before we could get separated. He firmly held on to my hand and led me across the busy street.

I never realized this before...but he was actually quite strong. His grip was tight but he was careful not to hurt me. I don't know why but I felt a strange sensation in my heart. My cheeks felt hot too.

On reaching the other side, Yao turned to me. "(Y/n), are you oka‐...(Y/n), why is your face red, aru?!"

"W‐What?"

I used my other hand to feel my face. It was indeed hot.

"Maybe it's because of the heat," I smiled nervously.
"Are you having a heatstroke, aru?!" he cried out.
"No, no, I'm alright!"

I could see Yao was worried but I convinced him that I was okay.

"Alright, aru. Anyways, we're here. Look!" He pointed at a huge building which was covered with enlarged posters of games and merchandise for sale. On top of it was a structure of the globe with the words imprinted on it 'The World Arcade'.

We walked into the building. The indoor area was filled with many coin‐operated game machines and gift shops. I noticed a store which sold cute accessories for girls.

"Yao, can we go see that store," I asked him.
"Shì! Let's go, aru!"

The place had adorable pendants, ribbons, hairclips and many more. Some even had faces of cute animals on them. I looked at each one of the items as I always had a liking for cute things.

"(Y/n), look at this, aru!"

Yao showed me a bracelet with a smiling blue moon dangling at the end.

"So pretty," I smiled.
"Do you like it, aru?"
"Yes, of course."
"Okay then. Excuse me!"

The salesgirl came up to us. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"We want to buy this, aru," Yao said, pointing at the bracelet.
"Excellent choice, sir. Would you like to see anything else for your girlfriend?" she turned to me.

Wait...did she think that Yao and I...were a couple?

My breath got caught in my throat as I felt giddy from inside. I blushed as I turned to look at Yao. His face almost matched his red clothes. He too glanced over to look at me. Just as our eyes met, I felt a gentle squeeze in my heart. I quickly looked down, embarrassed.

"I‐It's nothing like that, aru! We aren't dating!" Yao explained to the woman.
"Oh, I see. That's too bad. You two would make a really cute couple," she said playfully.

We didn't know how to respond to that. So we thanked her and after paying, we hurried out of the shop.

Was it me or was it actually getting warmer? I felt sweat trickle on my skin as I sat on a bench.

"T‐That was weird, wasn't it aru?" Yao said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"Umm, yes..." I smiled, still nervous.

I took out my handkerchief and wiped off the sweat on my forehead. I hope I'm not having a fever.

"I'll be right back, aru!"

Yao suddenly ran off and disappeared in the crowd.
"Where did he go?" I wondered.

A few minutes later, he came back with three ice‐cream cones in his hands. He handed me one.

"It's really hot today, aru. Have some ice‐cream. It will keep you cool, aru," he said cheerfully.

Yao...He noticed that I was feeling uncomfortable...

"Thank you very much, Yao."

I noticed that he had an extra ice‐cream cone in his hand. "Yao, who is that one for?"
"Oh, it's for ‐ "

All of a sudden, something black and white crawled out of his long sleeve.

Yao's panda!

The small panda reached out for the ice‐cream. I petted it as Yao fed the little one. We were smiling as we watched it eat when all of a sudden, Yao's eyes went wide while looking past me.

"Oh no, aru! It's Spain!"