Track position: 3 states to count the first 2 characters and reach the mandatory 'a' at position 3 (s0, s1, s2). If the 3rd character isn't 'a', go to a permanent trap/reject state (1 state) — the string can never be in L regardless of what follows, since w1's length is fixed at exactly 2. If it IS 'a', track how many characters have followed so far, saturating at 3 (t0, t1, t2, t≥3-accepting) — 4 states. Total = 3 + 1 + 4 = 8 states, and this is minimal since each state is reachable and distinguishable.