
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
A square with side length  $2$  cm is placed next to a square with side length  $6$  cm, as shown in the diagram. Find the shaded area, in cm $^2$ .
![Image](https://cdn.artofproblemsolving.com/attachments/5/7/ceb4912a6e73ca751113b2b5c92cbfdbb6e0d1.png)

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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