Spare Time (3)
The children's faces went blank the moment they heard the word "cleaning."
Even the director looked at me with a faintly flustered expression.
"Director, is it all right if I clean?"
"Huh? Uh... of course."
Permission granted. Time to start cleaning.
The director had clearly put in decent effort on a regular basis; there wasn't much dust. What there was, however, was an absolute chaos of toys and belongings the children had scattered to every corner of the room.
Maid's Technique: Cleaning
"Whoa, big sis, your eyes are glowing!"
"Sparkle sparkle!"
A few of the kids who were still watching me reacted the instant I activated the skill.
So using a skill makes my eyes light up, huh.
It wasn't exactly unheard of. Plenty of Awakened showed some kind of physical mark when they used their abilities.
Still... how do they actually look?
I walked over to one of the children staring at me and asked.
"How do my eyes look when they glow?"
"They're bright blue, like a traffic light!"
Pretty good metaphor for someone so young. I still couldn't quite picture it, so I checked with my phone camera.
My eyes on the screen shone with a blue luminescence, exactly like a cat's eyes at night.
Yeah, that's going to stand out.
Someone might see me at night and bolt, thinking they'd spotted a ghost.
I left the eye check at that and got to work. This time the problem wasn't trash so much as the toys strewn everywhere, so the afterimages guided me toward the abandoned playthings first. I moved the way I always did—following the residual images.
"Huh?"
The afterimages, which until now had stayed perfectly steady, suddenly shifted right in front of my face. I looked and saw a child had picked up the very toy I was about to put away and started playing with it.
B-Class skill really does earn its keep. Real-time feedback, no less.
I put the toys away, wiped away dust, scrubbed out stains and grime, and before I knew it the cleaning was finished.
Not a single child remained around me...
"Huh?"
One was still there.
A tiny girl with short black hair sat quietly watching me—just her.
"Have you been watching the whole time?"
"Yes..."
She couldn't quite meet my eyes and answered in a small voice.
So cute!!
"How did big sis look while she was cleaning?"
"It was amazing. You were so fast..."
She's already using polite speech at that age?
Most of the orphanage kids spoke casually, but this one had used honorifics from the start.
"What's your name, little friend?"
"Yoo Seoyeon..."
Seoyeon? Same given name as that master of mine.
"Aww, our little Seoyeon is so adorable. Want to play with big sis?"
"Yes! I'd like that."
Seoyeon looked into my eyes for the first time.
Still so cute!
Unlike my master, this Seoyeon was pure, unfiltered cuteness.
That master of mine could stand to take a few notes.
"What should we play, Seoyeon?"
"Please read me a book."
She took my hand and led me toward a bookshelf in the corner. After carefully scanning the shelves, she tried to pull out a volume from the very top: The Paper Bag Princess and the Prince.
Her fingers couldn't quite reach, so she rose onto her tiptoes and groped for it.
"Big sis will get it for you."
I plucked the book down in one smooth motion.
"This one, right?"
"Thank you..."
She still couldn't meet my gaze as she thanked me. I gave her hair a gentle pat and looked around for somewhere to sit. There were no chairs or sofas, but safety mats covered the floor, so I settled into an empty spot. Once Seoyeon sat down beside me, I opened the book.
"Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a paper bag..."
I read aloud at a measured pace, slipping in little sound effects and flourishes here and there. Seoyeon never took her eyes off the pages. Every time I glanced over, her focused little face was almost painfully adorable.
Guess I really do like kids.
About halfway through, a few more children quietly drifted over and sat in a circle around us.
Cute little rascals. Heh heh heh.
By the time I reached the end, quite a crowd had gathered.
"And so the Paper Bag Princess defeated the black dragon and married the prince from the neighboring kingdom."
"Wooooow!"
The kids listening around us burst into cheers. The director, who had somehow appeared without my noticing, spoke up.
"All right, everyone—time for lunch. Before we eat...?"
"Wash our hands!!!"
"Line up outside the bathroom, please."
"Yes!!!"
The children raced each other toward the restroom.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, I didn't really do anything."
"To be honest, I was a little taken aback when you first said you wanted to clean."
"Pardon?"
"You're the first volunteer who's ever come here and asked to clean."
"Ah..."
I'd been so focused on finding a place to practice cleaning that the thought hadn't even crossed my mind.
"Still, you played so well with the children, and the cleaning itself was... almost unnaturally good."
"I am an Awakened, after all."
"Lifestyle-type Awakened like you are rare. Wealthy households snatch them up in a heartbeat."
"Why is that?"
"Because if an Awakened does the housework, something about it just feels different. And often enough, it actually is."
"Ah..."
"You've done wonderfully so far. Please take good care of the rest of the day as well."
"Yes!"
"Shall we go eat, then?"
The orphanage meal was better than I'd expected. Simply put, it was a little tastier than school cafeteria food.
Free food this good is a steal.
Once the children finished eating, they latched onto me again. Some brought books; others wanted different games. Active play still felt awkward in a skirt, so I went back to reading. One book after another, the time flew by.
"Children, it's time to say goodbye. Everyone thank Siyu for all her hard work today!"
"Bye-bye!!!"
Seoyeon quietly approached and caught hold of my sleeve.
"Will you come again, big sis?"
"Of course. Be good and I'll be back."
Receiving the children's farewells, I headed for the entrance with the director.
"Siyu, thank you so much for today. Next time you want to come, just call me directly."
She handed me a small slip of paper with a phone number on it.
"I'll be looking forward to seeing you again."
"I had fun too. Until next time, Director."
I finished the volunteer work and headed home on foot.
Why? Because I feel good.
The distance wasn't that far, so it would be fine. Leaving the orphanage left me with a strange, warm feeling. I'd only signed up because I needed a place to clean, yet the volunteering itself had been enjoyable. The children's smiling faces would be hard to forget.
I'll definitely come again.
I looked up without thinking. The sky after sunset was pitch black, without a single star.
It's been a long time since I last saw stars.
My life had been as empty of vitality as that starless sky, but lately I at least had reasons to move. That damn master of mine was still a pain, yet it was an undeniable fact that Awakening had gotten my creaking life moving again.
"All right—let's live hard!!"
I shouted it at the top of my lungs without thinking. Instantly every eye on the street turned toward me.
Aaaagh—
Mortified beyond words, I fled the scene.
"Hah... hah..."
Getting home took far longer than expected.
Idiot. Walking that far with stats lower than an ordinary woman's...
After a full hour and a half on foot, the clock read 10:47 p.m.
"Time to sleep, I guess."
This damn maid uniform still took forever to get out of. At least practice had sped me up a little; it didn't take quite as long as before. Once I changed into comfortable clothes and lay down on the bed, my eyes slid shut almost immediately.
Ugh, my body's really tired today...
When I opened my eyes, bright sunlight was filtering through the curtains. Feeling refreshed, I blinked a few times and pulled them open. Even though I'd fallen asleep without washing the night before, I didn't feel particularly sticky.
Still ought to wash up, though.
I dragged my half-asleep body to the bathroom. Stripped bare, the body I saw in the mirror was genuinely beautiful.
How is there not a single blemish?
After washing and stepping out, the clock already read nine in the morning.
So what do I do today?
I thawed a frozen bun for a simple breakfast while I thought it over. I'd trained the Cleaning skill plenty yesterday.
And more importantly, I've genuinely run out of places to clean.
Not many people would let a complete stranger clean their private space. Who casually invites outsiders into their personal rooms?
I'll just have to settle for going to the orphanage once or twice.
"Heeheehee."
Remembering yesterday's volunteer work made a laugh slip out.
"What did you just say? The Dongjak-gu Gate still hasn't been cleared?"
"Yes, sir. That's correct."
The man with hair like living flame slammed his fist into the wall.
Bang.
The wall shuddered.
"Didn't a combat-type Awakened team already go in?"
"About that... they've been out of contact for thirteen hours."
"Hah... so they're dead. Keep the press under control and summon the elite Awakened."
The subordinate bowed and left.
"Damn it. A whole pack of combat types piles in and they still can't crack one A-Class?"
The red-haired man—Park Cheolgwon, President of the National Awakened Management Association—let out a long sigh.
"Looks like overtime tonight."
The massive Association President rose from his seat.
"Guess I'll be seeing some faces I really didn't want to see again."
He rode the elevator down and stepped into an enormous conference room. More than twenty people sat around the table, each radiating their own distinct presence. The President walked to the center.
"As you've all heard, the assault on the Dongjak-gu Gate has failed."
A few of the Awakened present gave small nods.
"This is under embargo, so keep your mouths shut. In any case, we're deciding here and now who takes responsibility for clearing that Gate."
A long yawn came from a woman lounging in the corner.
"You dragged everyone here just for that, Association President?"
"Got a problem, Black Moon Princess?"
His gaze landed on Kim Seoyeon—Kwon Siyu's master.
"Of course I do. You called every single person in this room over one measly A-Class dungeon."
"Then our Black Moon Princess can handle it herself."
"Fine. But you're coming with me, Association President. It's been a while—let's take a little walk together."
"What?"
"I picked up a new subordinate recently. I want to level her up a bit."
Kim Seoyeon let out a soft laugh.
Crazy woman...
The Association President pressed a hand to his throbbing temples and continued the conversation.