R1 Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 

Screech. Thud.

Only after the bathroom door closed could I lift my head.

Baek Hwan’s piercing gaze beside me felt like it could bore holes through my face.

Baek Hwan… S-scary.

No, but I swear it wasn’t on purpose. Sure, I’m technically the homeowner here, but honestly, who would expect someone to pop out of the bathroom just because the house expanded?

Zzzzt! His glare grew sharper at my muttering.

Right. Forget it. No, I’ve already forgotten! What happened? Nothing! Haha.

Forcing a fake smile, I tried to erase the problematic scene seared into my memory.

Wow. There sure are a lot of system windows popping up.

Avoiding Baek Hwan’s gaze, I focused on the stack of system notifications in front of me.

“Time to check them~”

To change the subject, I spoke awkwardly as if reading from a textbook.

Well, I did need to check them. The house had expanded, and there were bound to be things to address.

 

[Cabin (Rank D)

▸ A medium-sized room has been created!

▸ A veranda has been added!

▸ A basement storage area has been added!]

 

The first notification described the upgraded cabin and changes to its structure.

It was no longer a studio with a kitchen but a legitimate two-room space with more features.

That was fortunate.

Since it was unclear how long we’d need to stay here to resolve Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan’s debuffs, having separate rooms would be convenient.

Except for the catastrophe during the process… the end result was necessary.

 

[Contamination has increased!

▸ Cabin Contamination (70%)]

 

Right. I was wondering when this would show up.

Sure enough, the contamination level had risen again.

As the house expanded, the dirty areas increased. The floors were so black that you could tell at a glance where the newly expanded spaces were.

It seemed this wouldn’t change no matter how much the grade improved.

Argh. They think cleaning is easy!

I rubbed my forehead from the incoming stress.

 

[<Quest> “Cleaning is the Best Way to Enjoy Sub-space!”

: Happy Cleaning Time~!

*Rewards will be given for every 5% decrease in contamination!]

 

As soon as I checked the quest, cleaning supplies dropped at my feet.

“…..”

Bleach, glass cleaner, scrub brushes, and so on.

It was very serious business.

I quietly crouched down and stuffed the cleaning supplies roughly into my inventory. I’d long since given up questioning the system’s tyranny.

I stood up holding only the Well-Sliding Broom(A).

What else could I do? Time to clean.

I looked at Baek Hwan to explain the situation. And I couldn’t help but be startled.

What the heck?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who received the quest.

It seemed the system had also provided cleaning supplies to Baek Hwan, who now held a mop in one hand.

But more importantly…

He was dressed in a pink rubber glove perfectly paired with his muscular arms, a frilly apron over his shirt, and, to top it off, a lace headscarf on his head.

It was a groundbreaking cleaning fashion statement.

“Uh, you look… good?”

Feigning composure, I shakily gave him a thumbs-up. It was a little funny.

No, it was really funny.

“Unbelievable.”

Thunk! Realizing his state, Baek Hwan yanked the headscarf off and threw it to the ground faster than anyone could react.

His neck and ears flushed red.

He was furiously undoing the apron’s straps when—

Bam! The bathroom door burst open.

Once again, I froze.

Shin Yeoul had dashed out in a hurry, barely drying himself. The customized pajamas (B) I had given him clung to his body, soaked and revealing.

Every contour of his figure was visible, the fabric clinging dangerously close to exposing too much. Not to mention the partially unbuttoned top…

Oh, no. Why’d he come out like that?!

Panicking, I pulled a towel from my inventory. At the very least, I needed to cover—

But then I froze again.

I suddenly understood why Shin Yeoul had rushed out.

Poof!

In the blink of an eye, a frilly apron and headscarf materialized on him as well.

The cat illustration on the chest of the apron met my gaze, and I froze in place.

Shin Yeoul’s expression gradually stiffened.

And so did Baek Hwan’s.

Somehow, the apron and headscarf had returned to him as well.

Auto-reattach.

The system’s tyranny knew no bounds.

I couldn’t say a word.

✦✦✦

“Shall we… clean?”

Emotionally drained, I averted my gaze and spoke to Shin Yeoul and Baek Hwan.

The two silently agreed.

Since the quest promised reduced debuffs for cleaning, we had no other choice.

Each of us trudged off to a separate area: me to the veranda, Shin Yeoul to the basement, and Baek Hwan to the newly added room.

It was an emergency measure to preserve everyone’s privacy.

As we cleaned, we silently agreed to erase all memories of the frilly aprons from our minds.

But those aprons…

No. No!

I quickly pushed away the resurfacing image of a stretched-out apron across a broad chest.

Focusing all my energy, I turned my attention to the new veranda.

The veranda was unbelievably filthy.

Mold covered the walls, water stains streaked the floor, and the giant glass door was smeared with grime.

And, of course, dirt and cobwebs were everywhere.

I let out a long sigh. When would I ever clean all this?

Wait a minute.

What’s that?

Amid the filth, I noticed something. My eyes widened.

Even covered in dust, the sleek white surface, rounded opening, and polished buttons were unmistakable.

A washing machine?!

Until now, the subspace only allowed handwashing. But here it was—a fully functional washing machine!

“This is, this is amazing!”

It was a moment of life getting more luxurious.

My lips curled up. I found myself humming happily.

 

[Appraisal: SS-Rank Subspace Washing Machine

▸ Clean, clear, and confident! Just spin it, and you’ll witness the pristine cleanliness of the very first day!]

 

When I used the appraisal skill on the washing machine, a system window popped up immediately.

And it was SS-grade? My eyes widened in excitement.

They’re just giving away something like this?

Even a basic washing machine would’ve been a blessing, but this one was of such a high grade. SS-rank was even higher than the S-rank, the best in the real world.

No stain could scare me now.

I covered my mouth, overwhelmed with excitement. I couldn’t hide my astonishment.

Suddenly, my motivation surged. I rolled up my sleeves with enthusiasm.

My mind was filled with thoughts of reducing the contamination level quickly to claim the rewards. If detergent appeared, I’d get to try out the washing machine immediately.

First, I lightly swept the dust and dirt out of the balcony with a broom.

Thankfully, the balcony wasn’t made of wood but regular tiles. The rest could be cleaned with water.

Whoosh! I turned on the hose in one corner. Water began flowing across the balcony floor.

Sweeping the floor vigorously with the broom along with the water quickly produced muddy water.

The dirty water drained away through the sewer.

 

[Contamination level reduced by 5%!

▸ Reward: Sunlight-absorbing Fluffy Drying Rack (A rank)]

 

The system window popped up almost instantly.

It was an excellent reward from the start. While a dryer would have been even better, a drying rack would suffice for drying clothes.

I swept and scrubbed the floor even harder, spraying bleach generously to eradicate the mold.

The tile grout, which had been almost black, gradually turned white.

 

[Reward: 10+10 durable and flexible hangers! A total of 20 hangers?!]

[Reward: Fluffy Peace-of-Mind Fabric Softener!]

[Reward: Remove that water! Water Squeegee!]

 

Labor truly deserved fair compensation.

I felt full without even eating, seeing the ever-growing rewards filling my inventory.

The cleaning was nearing its end. The balcony was starting to look presentable.

I stretched, straightening my sore back with a simple stretch.

Before I knew it, it was almost sunset. The entire house was bathed in an orange glow.

Hmm. I wonder how everyone else is doing?

I’d been so engrossed in cleaning that I hadn’t thought to check on the other two.

Should I go and see them now…?

 

[Would you like to view the guest information? (Current number of guests: 2)

Yes | No]

 

The system window popped up as if responding to my train of thought.

Guest information?

I pressed the accept button, curious to see what this feature offered.

 

[<Guest 1 ∎∎∎>

Ranking: 1st

Condition: Embarrassed by the apron.

Remaining Debuff: 91%

#Fatigue #Worry #Shame #Embarrassment #Concern #Hunger]

 

Shin Yeoul’s name was still garbled. I had no idea why.

I could only infer that Guest 1 was Shin Yeoul based on the 1st-place ranking.

But this information…

It’s oddly detailed.

While it was useful, it felt a little invasive, as though I were peeking into their thoughts.

Still, it was convenient to see how much of the debuff remained.

The remaining debuff was 91%. It seemed cleaning had helped reduce it somewhat.

The reduction rate was faster than expected. Maybe we’d be able to leave this place sooner than I thought.

Wait, hunger?

It was almost dinner time, after all. Even if it was a quest, they’d helped clean the house. It’d be nice to repay them with a good meal.

 

[<Guest 2> Baek Hwan (Angel)

Ranking: 2nd

Condition: What even is this place?

Remaining Debuff: 91.5%

#Bewilderment #Confusion #Shame #Realization #Curiosity]

 

Next was Baek Hwan. There wasn’t much to see.

I closed the system window.

That was enough for today. I finished up the balcony cleaning.

But where’s the detergent? I wanted to test out the washing machine.

 

[The cleanliness level has exceeded the contamination level of the veranda!

*Special reward will be given!]

 

Ding! As I sprayed water across the balcony one last time and wiped it down with the water squeegee I’d just received, the system announced a reward.

Oh?

A new reward had arrived.

I’ve picked up a new novel! If you like [Rank #1 Heals in My Space], you might also like this one!

The EX-Rank Hot Spring Owner Is on Strike
Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

Thank you for reading! ♡