Shortly following behind the others, Lyrica enters the residence. And while their meal for the day needs more time to be cooked, Lyrica tries to kill time by playing holen or marbles with Rona, Robert, and Nilo.
"Another miss. Do you even know how to shoot a holen, Rona?"
"Of course! Just you wait, I'll get holens out of that circle!"
Like usual, siblings bicker with one another. However, Lyrica's attention wasn't all into playing the game with the youngsters. Secretly, whenever she finishes her turn from shooting the holen towards the others inside a small circle, she glances at the kitchen area.
In the kitchen area are Nela and the old lady who are helping each other with the ulam for the day. Lyrica has figured out the reason why the feeling of her being followed by someone disappeared. And not only that, but she also has figured out who the stalker is, and that person is the one standing in the kitchen area, cooking their meal.
She just needs to find the right time to confront the stalker, and so she waited and waited. As time flew by like a cold breeze suddenly blowing out of nowhere, everyone finished their lunch.
Robert, Nilo, and Rona try to help Nela by cleaning the dining table and doing other chores before they all go out to play with their friends. Meanwhile, the old lady takes responsibility for cleaning the dishes. While this is all happening, Lyrica is in the back of the house, hanging all the clothes that Nela finished laundering in the sampayan or clothesline.
'Nela sure does work hard all day.' Lyrica mumbled as she continues to hang the clothes in the sampayan. 'I can't believe she did the lunch after doing all this. But she's still a kid, so she should also spend some time playing around as a kid should.'
A few moments later, Lyrica who managed to hang most of the clothes in the line, sees Rona and her brother running off to somewhere while Nela is leisurely walking and following from behind.
"Hey, you three! No running or you'll trip!"
Nela's distant voice echoed as they disappear from Lyrica's view. Going back, Lyrica takes the last clothe from the basket. And just when she's about to hang the clothe to the hanger, Lyrica felt the presence of someone standing behind her.
"I thought I should finish this before I can talk to you, but I'm glad you came. This saves me the trouble of confronting you myself."
The person behind Lyrica, the one who's been stalking the girl since the very beginning, is none other than the old lady—Esmeralda.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but you're way too old to be following us around, creeping from somewhere we can't see," Lyrica uttered towards the old lady. "If you have to say something, just say it. I'm all ears. Or maybe you can't?"
Right then, a malicious smirk morphed the old lady's face for a split second before telling Lyrica, "You're an interesting kid, just as I expected."
Lyrica asked herself why would Esmeralda say something to her in a vague way when they are perfectly safe inside their house. That's when she thought, maybe something is hindering her from saying anything. This idea was further reinforced as Lyrica interacted with Robert back in the streets not long ago.
"You're here."
Robert seemed like he wanted to say something to Lyrica back then, but for some reason, he instead gave her a vague reply. While Lyrica has an idea in mind, she knows she can't jump to conclusions without valid proof backing it. That is why...
"I'm only asking you this once, what's going on with this town? You and its people, why are you all acting strange, so much that I can't tell if you're all genuine or not."
Lyrica asked the old lady to give her the proof she needed.
"You know something, don't you? About this town. Now, spit it."
Lyrica demanded an answer from Esmeralda. However, as she already expected, she wouldn't get an answer so easily.
"You're a clever girl, so figure it out yourself."
It's not an answer Lyrica wanted to hear. However, the old lady's answer says a lot. Her vague words hint that there really is something going on in Takkot. And whatever it is that's causing them to behave in a way that Lyrica cannot read them at all, it's preventing the people from speaking about it as well.
'It's like they are being controlled, or being forced to do something. Oppression.'
But even after confirming that, the question remains unanswered. What is causing all this?
"To say that I need to figure it out myself... There's no way I can do that without information..."
Lyrica makes a troubled expression on her face as she crosses her arms together. She's in a pickle. Lyrica cannot progress without information, information that she expects to get from the old lady. However, it seems that Esmeralda cannot tell exactly what she has in mind.
'How troublesome...'
Whatever the case, for Lyrica, the town screams of trouble. The girl thought leaving the town and avoid getting involved in trouble is the best option she got.
But then, she asks herself, 'Where exactly do I go after that?'
Yet another question that gives the girl more trouble. Where would she go if she were to leave Takkot? No, what situation is more troublesome? Wandering in the middle of nowhere with a possibility of encountering powerful monsters, ultimately resulting in death, or staying in a place where she can eat and sleep, but her safety is uncertain?
Lyrica proceeds to ponder for a while longer. And as she does, the expression on her face becomes sour, and even more sour.
'This is troublesome, but I've made up my mind.'
Compared to the unknown wilderness, Lyrica knows that there is trouble in Takkot. So long as she avoids acting suspicious, Lyrica believes that she will be all right. With that being said, Lyrica decided to stay in Takkot for a while longer.
"I might as well find another way to get information if I can."
"You are one good kid. So pure and innocent, but so are you lost and confused."
"Huh?"
The old lady spoke out of nowhere, getting the girl by surprise.
"I can tell that you are a kind person." The old lady continued. "But, even the ones with the kindest of hearts can be the evilest."
"What are you–!"
Grab! Push!
All of a sudden, Esmeralda went and grabbed Lyrica's shoulders with a strength that's so uncharacteristic of an old lady, pushing the girl against the house's concrete wall.
"You, don't make me hurt you!"
Esmeralda pushes the girl to the wall one more time.
"Humanity is evil!" The old lady uttered hysterically as she pressed the tip of her index finger right in the middle of Lyrica's chest. "Do not succumb to your evil!"