BREAKING INTO HER CLASSMATE'S BEDROOM in the middle of the night isn't the worst idea Hu Tao has come up with. Under the dim moonlight, she stands, balancing on a tree branch. A gentle breeze ruffles the greenery around her, carrying with it the faint scent of silk flowers and leaves. This is what she loved; this boundless sense of freedom.
Perhaps what she's doing is partly an excuse to sneak out again and pursue another midnight adventure. Hu Tao always itches to escape the controlling environment of her home. Being there sickens her. It feels like a prison. The atmosphere of bitter loneliness sucks up any life from her. She's is a free spirit—being tied down every day is suffocating. These late-night escapades are often the only thing that keeps her soul alive.
They provide her with what she needs: freedom.
She glances down at the dark lawn below and inhales a breath of the warm summer air. The ground seems a little too far away for her liking. How she is going to get down from here, she doesn't know. Regardless, it's something she could figure out later. Right now, her mind is focused on retrieving something very dear to her.
It's no surprise that Hu Tao's reckless antics have gotten her into trouble in the past. Though most of her pranks could rarely be traced back to the girl, her fellow peers often assumed that she was the cause behind whatever mischief had arisen—whether there was evidence of her involvement or not. Everyone knows how clever the girl is.
Knowing this, one would expect her to be a little more cautious about causing trouble, both to minimize the chances of being caught, and to keep her victims from suspecting whatever tricks she planned. Besides, what's the fun in tricking someone when they already see it coming?
Even with her daring attitude, she should've known better than to screw with Childe in the middle of the hallway right before first period. Unlike most of the unsuspecting individuals that Hu Tao picked on—such as Xiangling or Chongyun—Childe was one of the few who was bold enough to retaliate. But despite this, her childish impulses got the better of her.
Hu Tao had attempted to yank the boy's mask-shaped hair pin off of him, but failed—missing entirely and accidentally pulling his hair instead. The redhead barely flinched, simply turning to her with an amused smirk before grabbing her hat and lifting it out of her reach.
"Hey! Give that back!" Hu Tao whines, reaching towards the item only for it to be pulled further from her reach.
"Not a chance," he chuckles back, throwing her a shit-eating grin before shoving it into a random backpack. The brunette cringes at the sight of her precious hat being manhandled so vicariously. The bag's owner—a dark-haired boy with teal undertones—turns around in confusion, face morphing into a glare once his amber eyes land on the male behind him.
