CHAPTER 78: THE ROYAL GARDENS TOURNAMENT, PART II

Today was unusually warm. The sun shone brightly in the pale sky, with a few lazy clouds drifting across the horizon.

Shion the Second looked up at them, then lowered his head again as he sat on the bench beside Yuri and Asahi.

"So what are we playing now?" Asahi asked.

"Hmmm, are we doing a draw again?" Maldie asked, standing by the bench together with Sayaka, Gari, and Lánshuò.

"I think that’s a good idea," Sayaka said with a smile. "Sadly, Asahi and I won’t be playing this time, we already finished our categories, hehe."

"All right, come here then!" Maldie called.

Yuri and Shion got up from the bench, and Sayaka sat down in their place. Together with Asahi, she watched the results of a round of rock–paper–scissors.

After a few minutes, the winner turned out to be Lánshuò.

Lánshuò paused to think.

"Just pick something we can actually win!" Yuri said.

"What does my lady say... to riddles?" she replied.

"That sounds awesome!" Yuri beamed.

"I think that’s a good idea too," Maldie said, smiling.

"Oh my gosh, boooring!" Gari groaned.

"Exactly," Asahi agreed.

"No way, riddles are great!" Shion the Second said. "Okay, who goes first? Maldie, did you get the lots ready?"

"Looks like we’re all even," Sayaka added, laughing a little at her own joke.

"Yes. This time I’ve got a few stiff threads of different lengths that I made last night," Maldie said proudly. "Mostly so we don’t keep ripping grass out of the ground."

"Nice! I think that’ll be useful too," Sayaka said, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out the hourglass. "I figured I might as well bring this along so I wouldn’t have to run back for it."

"Ooh, guessing on a timer will be fun," Maldie said. "So, ready to draw the order?"

"Wait, we didn’t say the rules yet, did we?" Yuri said. "Lánshuò, what do you suggest?"

"I propose that each person says their riddle in turn. Whoever guesses first wins a point for their team. Let’s add a little chaos," she added with a smile.

"Great. So we’ll all yell over each other. Fantastic," Shion the Second muttered, without noticing he had just pulled the shortest thread.

"Oh, looks like you’re going first," Maldie said.

"Huh?" he blinked. "Oh crap! I need to think of something fast... not too hard but not too easy..."

"I also suggest that each team gets three attempts. If they use them all and still don’t guess it, they’re out and the point goes to the other team," Lánshuò added.

"That’s horrible!" Gari argued.

"Well, kind of, but it also makes sense. At least the round won’t drag on forever if none of us can figure out the answer," Sayaka said. "When Shion finishes saying the riddle, I’ll flip the hourglass."

Shion the Second furrowed his brows and grabbed his chin, thinking hard.

Finally, after a few minutes, something came to him.

"I’ve got it! I’m as light as a feather, but even the strongest person can’t hold me for long," he said with a grin. "Sorry if it’s hard, nothing else came to mind."

Sayaka flipped the hourglass.

"Hmmm..." Maldie thought.

"Falling feather!" Asahi blurted.

"No. Think a little before you yell stuff, or we’ll waste our guesses and they’ll win!" Shion snapped, irritated by his brother’s carelessness.

"Cloud!" Yuri tried.

"Nope," Shion said.

Good. We’re tied, and it looks like they won’t catch up that easily, he thought, letting out a breath of relief.

"A pile of leaves," Gari said.

"Auntie, no! Grandma, please, guess it..." Shion begged, looking at Maldie, who seemed deep in thought.

"Breath," Lánshuò said at the very moment the sand was nearly gone.

"Yes," Shion sighed. "...unfortunately, they won."

"Oh well, that’s fine. We’ll catch up," Maldie said. "That answer didn’t even cross my mind, honestly."

"Same," Asahi added.

"Me neither," Gari said.

"Really? I thought it was easy..." Shion muttered, a bit disappointed.

"Don’t worry," Maldie said gently. "We’ll make up for it. It’s only one point."

"Right."

Now it was Lánshuò’s turn.

She spent even longer thinking than Shion, but finally she spoke:

"I am always hungry. I must constantly eat. But if you give me something to drink, I will die. What am I?" she asked, glancing meaningfully at Yuri, though nobody noticed.

"And I thought the previous one was hard..." Asahi mumbled. "Hmmmm..."

"Well, I’d be lying if I said I expected you to come up with something simple," Sayaka said with a smile, letting out a soft laugh.

"An undead?" Shion guessed.

"No."

"Yeah, I figured I was overthinking it," he sighed.

Silence fell. Only the occasional soft breeze moved through the garden.

"Fire," Yuri said after a moment.

"Yes, my lady. I knew you’d get it," Lánshuò replied, and Yuri let out a cheerful laugh.

"Oh come on!" Asahi clutched his head. "Maldie, Shion, do something! They already have two points and you’re way smarter than me!"

"And what about me, huh?" Gari asked, surprised.

"Auntie, you too — just... not as much."

Gari froze like a statue.

That burst of childlike honesty stung her a little.

Maldie burst into laughter, then gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don’t take it personally. Just treat it like a joke," she said, trying to lift her mood.

Meanwhile, Lánshuò switched places with Asahi.

"Uuugh! I don’t know any good riddles!" the boy blurted out.

"You can do it, we believe in you. Maybe give something simple – the sooner we can guess it, the better," Maldie encouraged him.

"I only know this one... It has an eye but cannot see. What is it?"

The sand in the hourglass began to fall again.

"Window," Yuri said.

"No," Asahi replied.

"This is confusing..." Shion admitted. "Let me think–" he grabbed his chin again.

"A scepter," Lánshuò said.

"Also no. You’d better think really hard on your last guess, or you’re out and the point goes to us!" Asahi warned with a grin.

"Hmmm. A needle?" Maldie guessed.

"Yes! Nice job, Grandma! It was a needle! Two to one, hehehe! We’re catching up!"

"I was gonna say that..." Shion murmured. "But whatever. We got the point."

Next up was Gari.

"Okay, give me a moment. I don’t know that many, same as Asahi," she said, thinking deeply.

A few minutes passed before something struck her. "Heh, this one’ll be pretty funny. I wear a white crown and a golden dress, and I fit perfectly among people. What am I?"

"A princess!" Yuri said.

"Unfortunately, no," Gari replied proudly.

"I’ve got nothing..." Asahi said, puffing his cheek.

"Me neither," Shion admitted.

"White crown and a golden dress..." Maldie repeated under her breath. Then she cringed, her face betraying it. "Oh, knowing you, you’d link those colors with only one thing. The answer is beer."

"Correct, sweetheart!"

"Seriously?! But we don’t drink beer!" Yuri argued. "That’s not fair, Auntie!"

"Well, Sayaka or Lánshuò could’ve guessed it. They’re adults."

"Lánshuò, did you ever drink beer?" Yuri asked curiously.

"Yes, but it was a very long time ago. Humans existed, but nations did not yet. Or something like that," she said after thinking a bit.

"Huh? Humanity made something that amazing that early? Awesome!" Gari cheered as she switched with Sayaka.

Sayaka handed the hourglass to Asahi, who was still sitting on the bench. Yuri took Sayaka’s place next to him.

"It’s two to two. I need something good so we can take the lead," Sayaka thought. "Oh! I’ve got one. I walk without legs, and I cry without eyes. What am I?"

"A blind fish!" Asahi blurted out and everyone burst into laughter. "What? Was that wrong?"

"Well... kinda," Shion answered. "A blind fish can still have eyes."

"Hm. True," Asahi admitted. "Sorry, I wasted one again... Riddles are dumb, I hate them!" he said, puffing his cheek again.

"It’s fine. We just need to guess it," Shion said.

"Time?" Maldie asked.

"No, it’s not it," Sayaka replied. "I can give a hint – we’ve said this word already today," she added with a small smile.

"That’s not fair! Hints are cheating!" Asahi protested.

"She didn’t just tell us, she told everyone. So it’s fair," Yuri replied.

"Cloud," Lánshuò said after a moment.

"Yes! Great! Yaaay, three to two!" Sayaka cheered softly but enthusiastically.

She walked toward the bench and traded places with Yuri. Sayaka took the hourglass back from Asahi.

"We have to win this!" Shion said, full of determination. "If we lose now, we basically lose the whole game!"

"Right," Maldie agreed. "My riddle won’t matter then."

"The more you take away from me, the bigger I get. What am I?" Yuri asked.

"Water?" Shion guessed.

"Nope."

"Hair," Lánshuò said.

"Also no," Yuri replied.

"A hole?" Asahi said.

A moment of silence filled the air.

"Ugh, seriously, could you maybe think for more than one second before blurting random stuff–" Shion began to scold him.

"No, he’s right," Yuri said, surprised. "I didn’t think Asahi would get this one."

Asahi laughed cheerfully.

Then came the last, final round. Maldie traded places with Yuri.

"Three to three! Now it’s all or nothing!" Gari grinned. Yuri, Asahi, and Sayaka laughed at the joke.

Maldie – probably longer than anyone else – took her time thinking.

At last, she drew in a deep breath to say the final riddle.

The last round began.