Standstill (Erityian Tribes Novella, #3)

01: Departure

I observed her tiny movements and the moment her eyes opened, I stood beside her bed.

"It's 6:07:43, Kana. The exact time you woke up," I said and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Oh, shut up."

Tumalikod siya sa akin at tinalukbungan niya ang sarili niya ng kumot kaya agad ko naman 'yong hinatak. She groaned while trying to pull back her blanket but I already threw it on the side.

"Bumangon ka na d'yan! We still need to pack our things," sabi ko naman. After 3.4 seconds, she finally sat up while glaring at me.

"Goddamnit, J, it's just 6 AM. Are you nuts?"

"Technically, it's 6:08:06 AM but—"

"Fine, fine! Just stop with those numbers!"

Tuluyan naman siyang tumayo at dumiretso sa banyo habang ako ay nakangiti lang habang pinapanood siya. Ang cute niya 'pag naaasar pero minsan natatakot ako dahil gumaganti siya sa akin. It has been a year since she started living here but it seemed like it was just a few days ago.

Nilabas ko naman ang maleta na nasa ilalim ng kama namin at muli akong napangiti. Thinking about living in the world of humdrums made me too excited that I couldn't sleep at all. Yes, we get out during Fielding classes but only for a couple of hours. After solving the crime, we are immediately sent back to the campus. However, as part of the requirements to graduate, we need to catch a criminal and we can only do that if we live in their domain—the humdrum's world.

I suddenly heard a buzzing sound behind me, a reminder that those guys were already awake.

"Morning," Hiroshi said, his hologram walking around our room.

"Himala. Ang n'yong nagising," sabi ko naman.

"I slept early while Hayate's busy with his current project," sagot niya.

"He has a project?"

"Some sort of a collaboration, I think."

Nasa kalagitnaan kami ng pag-uusap nang biglang bumukas ang pinto sa banyo at lumabas si Kana na naka-towel lang ang katawan at buhok.

"Oops. Gotta go," sabi ni Hiroshi at tumaas naman ang kilay ni Kana.

"What the heck are you doing here? Pervert," she said and that made Hiroshi turn around.

"I'm not. Be thankful Hayate isn't the one who's here or else, he'll see through that piece of absorbent fabric. Anyway, bye."

Pagkasabi niya no'n ay nawala ang hologram niya at huminga nang malalim si Kana para kumalma. Both of them are good with mechanisms and are competitive that's why they see each other as rivals. Hence, they always fight.

"That meganerd," she grumbled while putting her clothes on.

I remembered her saying that word for the first time when she was just living here for a week. When she saw those two with their glasses as they talked about complicated stuff, she labeled them as meganerds—a play on megane and nerd.

Nagsimula naman kaming mag-impake at nakita ko na naman ang bagay na 'yon sa mga gamit niya. She saw me staring at it so she threw it at my direction.

"Still can't believe it?"

Looking at her FBI identification card still amazed me. Yes, she's an FBI agent of the Cyber Division, someone who has been living in the humdrum's world, upholding and enforcing criminal laws using her sixth sense and abilities. When she was introduced to us last year, we thought she was just a transferee from a Senshin family who lives in the humdrum world.