Birds, huh...
They were indeed more likely than snakes, toads, spiders, and the like.
But...
The ponytailed girl furrowed her brow.
"These animals..."
"What's there to hide?"
"Why won't Uncle and Auntie let Yaya tell anyone?"
Whether it was snakes, toads, spiders, or various kinds of birds, none of them explained why the child's parents had told her to keep it a secret.
The ponytailed girl grew more and more confused the more she thought about it.
She couldn't figure it out at all...
"Uncle and Auntie are so strange..."
The ponytailed girl sighed.
"Yeah."
The short-haired girl didn't understand it either.
"It's not even some strange animal..."
"What's there to hide?"
"Could it be..."
The ponytailed girl's eyes lit up. "A rare wild animal?"
"Like a giant panda?!"
The ponytailed girl's voice rose slightly.
"Even then, there's no reason to hide it."
The short-haired girl shook her head.
"They'd be too happy to keep quiet if they'd found a giant panda."
"But..."
"How could there be a wild giant panda here?"
"This isn't the mountains."
"Mm."
"There probably wouldn't be any in the mountains either."
"Giant pandas are so rare."
"If it were a giant panda that escaped from a zoo—"
"That seems unlikely."
The short-haired girl shook her head.
"It would've been major news by now."
"...True."
The ponytailed girl nodded.
"Argh!"
The ponytailed girl grew exasperated.
"Then what animal did she see that needed to be kept secret?"
The ponytailed girl's eyes slid toward the child.
"Unless..."
The short-haired girl's expression froze.
She had thought of something...
"Unless what?"
The ponytailed girl asked reflexively.
"Don't stop halfway."
"It's so frustrating."
"You're not saying you have to keep it a secret too, like Yaya, are you?"
The short-haired girl