Naked on the top, inside the bedroom half-lit by the sunlight outside, Triggs was deeply in slumber. His face was sunken deep on his pillow, as his cushioned snores filled the room.

Zzzz!! Zzzz!!

His worn clothes littered his messy room, and his shoes seemed to have been mindlessly thrown off before he jumped on the bed.

KRIIING!! KRIIING!!!

On a desk beside his bed, his phone vibrated; the alarm went off.

“Ugh……”

Still half-asleep, Triggs reached for his phone and put it in front of his face. The screen flashed and lit up his groggy face.

“Ugh… It’s 2 PM already?” he grunted.

After turning off the alarm, he set aside his phone and arduously lifted himself to the side of the body. Triggs was feeling lethargic; his body was still taxed by the events that happened the day before.

However, he knew he still had an obligation to finish. Even though he was feeling fatigued, Triggs forced himself to get ready for his tasks.

He went to the kitchen to fill his empty stomach with some light biscuits, and after taking a quick shower, he returned to his room to get a notebook in his drawer.

Turning the pages, he searched for something he had written the night before - it was another One-time Word for creating a Portal.

“UNO MODO REDIVUS!”

The Portal opened, and without further ado, Triggs entered.

A faint breeze welcomed him as he arrived at the Base’s Garden. For Triggs, the air felt somber that afternoon. The usual chirping birds were noticeably silent, and even the Hanziel Tree looked weary.

“Geez, what is this heavy aura?” he murmured.

“Uhm… Hi…” a bashful voice greeted him.

Triggs looked at the Garden Area and there, he saw Claire.

Claire was wearing a knee-length loose duster dress, exposing some skin of her petite body. Like before, she was barefooted and her hair was fixed with a headband and a braid.

Beside her was Isha, who was happily helping her harvest some vegetables.

“Uhm… He… hey! I didn’t notice you there,” Triggs replied with a stutter.

Claire then noticed something about Triggs. “Are… Are you okay?” she asked bashfully. “You look very stiff. And your heart… I can hear it - it’s beating too fast.”

“KRAAAA~” Isha seemed to agree.

They were right; Triggs was unusually stiff. “It’s just…” Triggs murmured as he tried his best not to look directly at the young lady. “... your clothes. It’s too revealing…”

Claire’s cheeks quickly turned rose. “Eek!” she shrieked out of embarrassment. In an attempt to cover her body, she shrank to the ground and tucked her body like a shrimp. “I’m very sorry!!!!” she apologized.

“No! No! It’s okay! I - I didn’t mean to…” Triggs was panicking; he felt guilty right away. “... It’s not your fault! I mean… as long as you're comfortable with your clothes, right?”

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“Uhm… I… I think so?” Claire replied timidly - her head still buried in her arms. “Um, sorry… I just feel more comfortable wearing loose clothes when I'm outside my room… and I also want to go barefooted.”

“That’s understandable! You don’t need to apologize for that. Hehe,” Triggs uttered while scratching his head. “Well, I can't blame you. It always feels nice to walk on grass with bare feet.”

“Yes… But, uhm…” A bit, Claire hesitated to continue her Words. But then, “... it’s actually for a different reason…”

Triggs was intrigued. He felt an internal turmoil; pressing Claire with questions might make her even more uncomfortable, but his curiosity was gnawing at him.

But luckily for Triggs, Claire decided to open up. The young lady let down her guard and returned to her normal sheepish stance. Although still a bit bashful, she continued what she was about to say.

“I think you already know I have extraordinary hearing, right?...”

“Uhm… yes…”

“I... I was born with this strange ability. I know, it’s been with me for a long time, but still... no matter how much I want to, I can’t get used to it. It’s so tiring to hear everything, even the things I don’t want to. It’s always so overwhelming for me. It feels more like a curse than a gift...”

“I see…” Triggs felt sympathy for Claire; he understood how taxing it could be to possess such an extraordinary ability.

Claire continued, “Th-that's why I always like to go outside with loose clothes and bare feet... I can feel the air so much more, and the grass under my feet with such ease... It's like... it's a time when my other senses take over my sensitive hearing. It's the only time I can divert my attention away from all the noises..”

“Ohh… It makes sense now…” Triggs murmured. After a while of contemplation, he tried to share an idea with Claire. “Aha! I have a suggestion!”

“Hmm? What is it?...”

“Why don’t you come with us on our next missions? Cause you know - you can ‘feel’ more things in the outside world…” Triggs suggested.

Claire didn’t expect the sudden idea. She replied with a quick widened gaze, and a soft chuckle after.

Triggs was confused by Claire’s reaction. “Uhm… Is there something wrong with my suggestion?”

“I appreciate the invitation, but mission assignments are still up to Lola Vega and the Giyas.”

“We can convince them!”

Claire giggled again. “Hmm... Yes, there are so many things I can 'feel' outside, but don’t you think the 'outside world' is much noisier than here?”

“Oooh…. Yes… That’s right…” Triggs replied. “Damn, I feel dumb for not thinking of that right away,” he criticized himself. “Well, it's so much better than just spending most of your time alone in your room. At least outside, you can do a lot more things to distract yourself from all the noise.”

“Hmm… yeah, you could be right…” By the sound of it, Claire seemed like she was starting to get persuaded. However, “But... even if Lola Vega agrees to give me a mission, I doubt Kuya Zaine will allow me to do so...”

“Now, THAT’S a problem,” Triggs uttered with a defeated tone. He knew well that it was true: convincing Zaine was always a daunting task. “Ugh... If only he weren't like that.,” he muttered.

“Kuya Zaine may be grumpy and overprotective of me, but I'm sure he has his reasons...”

“I know…” Triggs mumbled. “Welp… I tried my best to give a suggestion….”

“I know, Kuya Triggs! And I appreciate it. Hehe.”

Seeing the disappointment on Triggs' face, Claire felt empathy and tried to ease the situation by offering something to him, “Uhm... Ehh... Do you want some berries? They're ready to eat… They’re sweet too…”

Triggs accepted the offer and grabbed a handful of red pebble-sized berries from Claire’s rattan basket. “Thanks! Actually, I haven't had much today. Good thing you offered this to me,” he said as he threw a few pieces into his mouth.

“You’re welcome, Kuya. You like it? Isha helped me harvest them,” Claire said.

“KRAAAA~” the turtle approved.

Claire added, “Everyone's busy and working hard today, so I'm doing my best to be useful and contribute in my own way.”

Triggs got curious. “Mm? What do you mean ‘working hard’?” he asked while munching his berries.

“Uh... while you were on your mission at Mt. Iriga, Lola Vega discovered that monster sightings have drastically increased in other more places over the last few days. Their appearances have become quite worrisome...”

“Oh?... And then?...”

“Well... as early as this morning, everyone was immediately assigned missions. Kuya Zaine and Kuya Otto were sent to Baguio, Kuya Monty got a solo mission in Cebu, and even Ate Kloe had to take part - she was assigned to Bukidnon to deal with the monsters there…”

“Oh, so everyone’s on a mission now, huh?” Triggs mumbled. “Kinda sucks they went out without me.,” he uttered, sulking. “How about Lae and Calla? Are they on a mission too?”

“Ate Lae was asked to go back to Mt. Iriga to team up with that old Paranormal Investigator and explain the 'Ultimatum Situation' to the Followers of Bulan - I heard this mission is still our priority,” Claire stated. “As for Ate Calla…”

Just before Claire could finish her words, a sprightly energy suddenly arrived, completely trouncing the dull aura of the place.

“HALLOOOOO!~”

“KRAAAA!”

“Hello, Isha! Hello, Claire! And Hello, Triggs!”

It was Calla who arrived, looking very lively and excited, as if nothing disheartening had happened to her the day before.

And then she complimented Claire, “Wooow! You look cute and sexy in those clothes, Claire!”

As expected, the timid lady was surprised by the wild compliment. She blushed and curled into her shrimp position again.

Calla giggled mischievously at Claire’s reaction. Then, "Oh!" she exclaimed, her head bobbing excitedly as she remembered why she had come. "Triggs, Lola Vega wants to see you! She wants to talk to you about the Words!”

Upon hearing Calla's invitation, Triggs felt a surge of excitement. Finally, he would get the chance to share his experience at the lake and hopefully learn more about it. However, before he could react and ask another question, Calla abruptly pulled her arm away.

“She said she’s in a hurry, so let’s go!!” Calla said as she dragged Triggs towards the other side of the base.

“KRAAAAA!~”

“Don’t worry, Isha! I'll be back, and we'll play fetch together like I promised!” Calla’s farewell to the turtle.

Triggs and Calla proceeded to the Main Hall, leaving Claire and Isha in the garden.

…

…

…

“Panee already has Her statements about what happened to you at the lake……… For now, celebrate the fact that it was indeed you who made that powerful water attack.”