Tao Yao stood in the yard of the orphanage, sunlight pouring down on her, casting a warm halo around her.
Her smile was gentle and kind, her eyes sparkling with a loving light.
The surrounding children gathered around her, filled with laughter and cheer.
"Tao Yao sister, let's play hide and seek!"
An excited little boy suggested.
Tao Yao gently shook her head and smiled, "Today, let's do something different. How about guessing riddles? I'll ask a question, and if you guess it right, there will be a reward."
The children nodded enthusiastically, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Tao Yao looked around and said gently, "Good, let's begin. The first riddle: I have a mouth, but I don't speak; I have four legs, but I don't walk; I have a back, but I don't feel pain. What am I? Guess a common object."
The children began to discuss among themselves, some furrowing their brows in thought, while others exchanged opinions.
At that moment, a little girl noticed Hiyakura, who was standing not far away.
"Tao Yao sister," the little girl gently tugged at Tao Yao's clothing, "that strange red-haired sister over there seems to be looking for you?"
Tao Yao followed the direction the little girl was pointing and met Hiyakura's gaze.
She smiled faintly and said to the little girl, "It seems she's looking for me. Do you want to go over and invite her to join us?"
The little girl nodded excitedly, "Okay, okay!!"
After saying that, the little girl bounced over to Hiyakura, looked up with a brilliant smile and said, "Red-haired sister, do you want to play with us? Tao Yao sister is giving us riddles!"
Hiyakura looked surprised, clearly not expecting the situation.
After a brief hesitation, she nodded in agreement.
"Okay…"
The little girl took Hiyakura's hand and brought her to Tao Yao and the other children.
Tao Yao smiled and nodded at Hiyakura, "Welcome to join us. Since you're here, I just posed a riddle. Would you like to guess it too?"
Hiyakura nodded and listened carefully as Tao Yao repeated the riddle.
After thinking for a moment, she tentatively answered, "Is it a chair?"
Tao Yao clapped her hands and smiled, "Correct! It seems our new friend is very smart."
The children also clapped along.
"The red-haired sister is amazing!"
Next, Tao Yao continued with the questions:
"Now, for the next riddle: I have teeth but cannot bite; I have feet but cannot walk, and I'm often held by people by the hair. What am I?"
This time, a little boy jumped in to answer first: "I know! It's a comb!"
"Nonsense, it's obviously a brush!"
"No, no, it should be a toothbrush!"
Several children began to argue.
Seeing this scene, Tao Yao smiled and interrupted, "Alright, there are many possible answers, and you're all very smart; you all got it right."
She took out a few small candies from her pocket and handed them to several children who had answered correctly.
The game continued, with Tao Yao presenting various interesting riddles.
The children and Hiyakura enthusiastically participated.
Sometimes it was the children who answered correctly first, and sometimes Hiyakura provided the right answer.
Whenever someone got it right, Tao Yao would give a small reward, making the game even more enjoyable.
"This next riddle is a bit difficult," Tao Yao smiled at everyone, "I travel across mountains and rivers but always stay in the same place. So… who am I?"
The children furrowed their brows, discussing it animatedly.
Especially Hiyakura, she too was lost in thought.
For some reason, she felt as if Tao Yao was hinting at something.
But what exactly it was, she couldn't quite put her finger on…
At that moment, a little girl timidly raised her hand:
"Tao Yao sister, is the answer a map? A map shows various places around the world, but the map itself has never been anywhere."
Tao Yao squatted down and gently hugged the little girl, "So smart, you got it right!"
The game continued, filled with laughter and cheer.
Every so often, Tao Yao glanced at Hiyakura and found her completely immersed in the game, a happy smile on her face.
Just then, the headmaster of the orphanage came out, calling out loudly:
"Children, it's time for dinner!"
Upon hearing the news of dinner, the children cheered with excitement.
Tao Yao smiled and turned to her maid, Shiro: "Shiro, please take the children over."
Shiro nodded in response and began leading the children toward the dining room.
The children waved goodbye to Tao Yao with reluctance.
Some even looked back several times.
Soon, only Tao Yao and Hiyakura were left in the yard.
The sunlight remained warm, and a gentle breeze blew, bringing a faint scent of flowers.
The two stood opposite each other, and for a moment, neither spoke.
Tao Yao smiled at Hiyakura, her eyes sparkling with an elusive light.
She seemed to be waiting for Hiyakura to speak first, or perhaps just enjoying the moment of silence.
Hiyakura appeared a bit awkward.
Her gaze flitted between Tao Yao and the surrounding environment, as if searching for words.
She opened her mouth, but then closed it again, as if she had many things to say but didn't know how to begin.
Hiyakura took a deep breath, finally mustering the courage to break the silence.
Her voice trembled slightly, but her gaze fixed firmly on Tao Yao: "I... I have many questions I want to ask you."
Tao Yao smiled gently, her eyes shining with understanding and warmth.
"Of course," she said softly, "I'm happy to answer the beautiful girl's questions. Go ahead and ask, and as long as I know, I can answer you."
Her tone was gentle and kind, as if soothing a frightened little animal.
Tao Yao's voice was like a gentle spring breeze, softly caressing Hiyakura's tense heartstrings.
Touched by Tao Yao's demeanor, Hiyakura's tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
However, her inner turmoil remained filled with questions and unease.
She looked down, her eyes fixed on the grass beneath her feet, as if searching for courage there.
Silence enveloped the two once more.
The only sounds in the yard were the gentle rustling of leaves stirred by the breeze and the distant muffled laughter of children.
Hiyakura's fingers intertwined unconsciously, her thoughts bobbing like a small boat in a storm, tossed about by various questions.
Finally, after this long silence, Hiyakura lifted her gaze and looked directly into Tao Yao's eyes.
Her voice was low but filled with determination:
"Who exactly are you? What do you want to do?"
This question felt like a stone, heavily dropping into a calm lake, creating ripples upon ripples.
Tao Yao's smile remained warm, but a fleeting, elusive light flickered in her eyes.
She gently shook her head, a hint of playfulness in her tone:
"You should have learned my identity from your companions, right? I am Tao Yao, an apostle of the fairies, a member of the Apostle Church, engaging in activities related to awakening the sleeping fairies."
At this point, she paused, a glimmer of mischievousness flashing in her eyes as she continued:
"As for whether I have any other undisclosed motives… the answer is yes. However, that's a girl's secret! I don't want you to know."
"The main thing is, I like how curious you are about me."
"Of course, if you're willing to help me with something, I'd be happy to share a secret with you, a girl's secret."