As the morning light filtered through the curtains of her room in Gaxa's underground water laboratory, Raika groaned softly and winced, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She reached for the digital clock embedded in her hand, squinting at the bright display. "7:00 a.m. already? Ugh… I overslept!" she mumbled, her voice a mix of surprise and frustration.
Realizing she was running late, Raika jumped out of bed, her mind racing as she hurriedly packed her shoulder bag. "Come on, come on… where's my datapad? Ah, there it is!" she muttered to herself, shoving her essentials into the bag with the precision of someone who had done this a thousand times before. In her haste, she nearly tripped over her own feet as she dashed out of her room and into the dimly lit hallway.
As she sped through the corridor, Raika almost collided with Dr. Aquinas, who was leisurely walking in the opposite direction. "Whoa! Slow down there!" Aquinas exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.
