The Tale of Astro

Chapter 11: Case at the Precinct I

August 18

Sigrid's P.O.V.

Naalimpungatan ako matapos makarinig ng mga kaluskos mula sa labas ng kwarto. Dahan-dahan kong nilisan ang komportableng pwesto ko sa gitna ng bedsheets at blanket na halos tatlong linggo ko nang nami-miss.

I equipped myself with a baseball bat before leaving my room. Kuya Roro should be at the sofa right now but who's making all the noises?

Without making any sound, I checked the sofa to prove my hunch. The darkness didn't serve as a hurdle for me to see that a manly figure covered with a thick blanket is sleeping at the sofa. This means that someone else is inside our unit.

Halos atakihin ako sa puso matapos mapansin na bukas ang pintuan papunta sa terrace ng unit. That must've been the noise that I've heard earlier. Someone broke through that door but then, where could the invader be?

"Good evening, Mr. Villafuente."

"Ahhhh!!" The tip of the bat is one inch away from hitting Kuya Roro's face who's been standing outside all this time.

I gave him a peace sign and went to the kitchen to drink something. Mukhang kailangan ko na talagang magbawas ng kape just like what Master advised me yesterday. He told me that I'm being too nervous about everything for these past few days.

Halos magningning ang mga mata ko matapos makakita ng mga coffee drink sa loob ng fridge. It's case has Café del Lopez' logo which made me feel touched by Kuya's effort. Matapos kasi ng mini-cruise experience namin ay umuwi na agad kami sa Pilipinas. He went out earlier to fetch some groceries but I didn't expect that he'll go all the way to Liam's café just to buy this stuff. And yeah, it turns out that we've already reached Japan the day before yesterday.

There's this so called assembly that occurred on Japan the day we saw Kingsley's yacht sank before our eyes. Master allowed me to stay at my unit for the weekends since I have Kuya by my side. Hindi lang ako sure kung nakabalik na rin sa Pinas sina Master dahil isang araw na akong tulog nang dahil sa pagod. Feeling ko talaga na-drain na ang lahat ng natatagong energy sa katawan ko pagkatapos ng Kingsley incident na 'yon.

I averted my gaze to Kuya who's still on the phone. He seems really excited judging by his tone. Maybe it's his new assignment? Sa pagkakatanda ko kasi, this august ay tuluyan na siyang lilipat ng station after serving Ottawa's crime department for five years.

He suffered a lot just for this promotion to come and he proved me that being side by side with the Black Beast is nothing compared to his lifelong dream. His undying dream of bringing Tito Celestino's murderer to justice. It turns out that Kuya Roro, being himself, is aware of Tito's real cause of death the whole time. I'm the only one dumb enough to believe Dad's white lie.

"I appreciate it a lot, Mr. Villafuente. I'm looking forward to our meeting tomorrow." Then the call ended. After a few seconds of staring at his phone, he approached me. I could see the flaming determination in his eyes. He's never been this excited about something.

"I'll support you, Kuya," pahayag ko habang nginunguya ang cupcake na natagpuan ko sa loob ng fridge.

   He looks relieved after hearing my thoughts about his career. Siguro ay nagdadalawang-isip pa din siya dahil sa advise ni Dad na mag-stay na lang sa Canada. Ang sa akin kasi, para saan pa ang achievements na nakakamit ni Kuya kung hindi naman niya matutupad ang pangarap niya. Don't get me wrong, ah. I still believe that it's a huge honor for him to work with the biggest name in his field but hey, isn't fulfilling your dream the best thing that you can do in life?