Amai stood near the helm with her arms folded, tapping her foot impatiently. "We can talk about your guys' plan when you're all done cleaning."
Kenji blinked, confused. "Cleaning?"
Olorun let out an exhausted groan. "Please don't make us clean…"
Amai's expression sharpened. "My ship, my rules."
Timmy, perched on a barrel nearby, widened his eyes and gave her the softest, saddest look he could muster. His ears drooped slightly as he whispered, "You won't make me clean… right?"
Amai looked at him and immediately softened. She bent down and gently picked him up. "Oh, Timmy. Of course not. You can join me in my room."
Kenji raised an eyebrow. "Wait… what exactly are we cleaning?"
Amai turned to him. "You and Olorun are on dish duty."
Kenji groaned quietly under his breath.
She pointed to Eleo. "Eleo, clean up the deck. Just sweep up the dust, that's it. Keep it simple."
Then she looked to Tony. "Tony, clean the lower deck. And by that, I mean your rooms, the hallway, the library, the lounge, and the bathroom."
Eleo tilted his head. "Wait… we have a bathroom?"
Olorun blinked. "And a lounge?"
Amai shrugged like it was no big deal. "Yeah, I forgot to show you guys."
Tony gave her a suspicious look and laughed nervously. "Wait, wait, wait… Amai, please. Don't be that guy. I'm begging you."
She raised her hand slowly, eyes locked on him. "Oh, I'm definitely going to be that guy."
Snap.
In a flash, Tony and Eleo were holding brooms, and Kenji and Olorun had cleaning cloths in their hands. Everyone stood frozen for a second.
Amai turned with Timmy sitting comfortably on her head and Kawai waddling behind her. She headed toward the stairs leading to the lower deck. Just before disappearing from view, she glanced over her shoulder. "Well? Get to cleaning."
SLAM. The door closed behind her.
Kenji let out a slow sigh and rolled his shoulders. "Alright… come on, Olorun. Let's get this over with."
Olorun muttered, adjusting the cloth in his hand. "Yeah, yeah…"
Tony turned to Eleo with a sly grin and leaned in. "Hey… Eleo. My dear, fearless leader. How would you like to switch jobs? Just this once?"
Eleo gave him a look. "Tony, I may not be the smartest guy, but I'm not dumb enough to fall for your dirty little tricks."
Tony stared for a moment. "Wow. Okay. That hurt a little."
He sighed, dragging his broom behind him as he made his way to the lower deck. "Worth a shot…"
Eleo looked around the deck. The sea breeze rolled through, sweeping light dust across the floor. "Alright… just clean the deck. That's not bad."
He spotted a patch of dust collecting near the base of the mast. "Okay, there you are…"
With a sudden rush, he dashed forward and slammed the broom down hard. FWOMP. The dust scattered instantly.
He stood tall, holding the broom like a sword. "That was… easier than I thought."
He noticed another dusty corner by a barrel and jogged over. "Alright, let's knock all of this out. I used to do this at that one restaurant anyway."
As he kept sweeping, the sun caught the deck just right, casting warm light across the wood. The air was calm, and despite the chore, something about it felt peaceful.
Meanwhile, below deck, Tony looked around at the mess in the hallway—dust lining the corners, books stacked haphazardly in the library doorway, and an odd smell coming from the bathroom.
He shook his head slowly. "Of course. Of course this is what she meant…"
Tony wandered into the empty room assigned to him and the others, glancing around. "Huh. Not bad," he muttered. It was mostly dust and a few cobwebs. A couple of swipes with the broom, some rearranging of furniture, and it was spotless in minutes. He spun the broom like a staff, feeling proud.
"Too easy," he said with a grin.
Next stop: the weapon room.
He stepped in and was instantly greeted by rows of swords, spears, and gadgets hung carelessly on the walls and racks. Dust had settled over everything like a lazy blanket. Tony sighed. "Okay, this might take a minute." He got to work, careful not to trigger any sharp surprises. After some focused sweeping, he stepped back and admired the sparkle of polished metal. "Alright, now it looks like an actual armory, not a warzone from last week."
The library was next. Books stacked up to the ceiling, scrolls poking out of shelves at weird angles, and papers scattered on a desk. He groaned again. "Man, can we get like, a maid bot or something next time?"
Still, he organized the scrolls, dusted the shelves, and neatly stacked the books. It took time, but there was a calmness in the quiet hum of the ship and the smell of old pages.
Then the medical room. Surprisingly neat. Just some wiping down and sweeping up. Easy enough.
Tony tossed his rag aside, hands on his bony hips. "Alright. Time for the final boss…"
He opened the bathroom door and immediately squinted. "Okay… not bad…" He peeked into the toilet—and froze. "Yep. Nope. Hell no. Luckily, I'm a skeleton and can't smell."
He gagged out of habit anyway.
Still, he scrubbed and wiped until the bathroom sparkled. Just as he stepped back, feeling triumphant, a glowing pink message suddenly blinked into existence in the air.
"Tony, make sure to clean the toilet. I accidentally clogged it. - Amai"
He stared at it, deadpan. "Oh, for the love of—" He muttered curses under his breath, grabbed the plunger, and plunged back into war.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen…
Olorun stood at the sink, quietly rinsing off a plate. Steam wafted up from the warm water as he slowly wiped it clean and set it aside.
Kenji leaned against the counter. "You're going kind of slow there."
Olorun didn't look up. "I like to be thorough."
Kenji rolled his eyes. "At that rate, we'll be here until next week."
"You want to do it faster? Be my guest."
Kenji grabbed a rag and snatched the next plate. "Fine. I'll show you how it's done."
For a few minutes, there was peace. Kenji rinsed, Olorun dried. The system worked—until the forks.
"Did you just put a fork in with the clean stuff? You didn't even rinse it."
Kenji gave him a look. "It's a fork. You dip it in water. Boom. Clean."
"That's not how—ugh." Olorun grabbed it and scrubbed it again.
Kenji scowled. "You got something to say?"
"You're just sloppy."
"And you're obsessed with scrubbing every dish like it's made of gold."
"It's called standards."
"Oh, I'll show you standards!"
Kenji tossed a soapy sponge at Olorun, splatting it against his chest.
Olorun blinked, then slowly turned, gripping a sudsy plate. "You just declared war."
Kenji smirked. "Good. I was getting bored."
A moment later, bubbles filled the air as sponges flew like projectiles, and water splashed everywhere. Plates clattered, a mug broke, and a pot rolled across the floor.
"Damn it, Kenji!" Olorun yelled, slipping slightly as he tried to dodge another flying sponge.
"You started it!" Kenji yelled back, his hair soaked and shirt clinging to him.
Despite the chaos, they both fought hard to keep the dishes from breaking, arguing with every move. It was loud, messy, and ridiculous—but neither of them would admit they were actually enjoying it a little.
Meanwhile
The door swings open with a dramatic whoosh, and Amai struts in like she owns the universe—which, in her room at least, she definitely does. The space explodes with pink—sparkling wallpaper glistens under soft lighting, fluffy pastel rugs cushion every step, and shelves are lined with glittery trinkets, magical wands, and plush animals frozen mid-cuteness. A few posters of magical anime girls striking poses sparkle with actual glitter.
Timmy, perched on Amai's head, gasps like he's just seen a sacred treasure.
"Whoa…" he breathes, his tiny hands grabbing at her hair excitedly. "This place is like… a forest made of glitter and dreams!!"
Amai shrugs, brushing a finger through her bangs to look cool. "Eh. It's alright."
Kawai waddles in behind them, tripping immediately over the thick rug and face-planting with a soft fwump. She pops up with puffed cheeks and an irritated chirp.
Timmy's eyes sparkle. "Amai, this is the most amazing room I've ever been in! Look at this bed! It's like a mushroom nest but with sparkles!!"
He dashes across the room—well, more like a joyful zip—leaping into the folds of one of the canopy beds. His tiny body sinks into the plush blanket, arms spread wide as if embracing the whole universe. "I could live here forever! This is better than a hollow tree after spring rain!!"
Amai, hiding her amusement behind crossed arms and a faux-bored face, walks over and sits down beside him, eyes glancing sideways. "…You like it that much, huh?"
Timmy spins to look at her, eyes big and bright. "I love it. I didn't know humans liked stuff like this!"
Amai clicks her tongue. "I don't. This is just… practical combat camouflage for magical warfare."
Timmy tilts his head. "It's pink."
"Exactly."
Kawai stands in the doorway, seething.
She waddles in stiffly, staring at Timmy with daggers in her eyes. That smug, glitter-drunk plant boy. How dare he hog Amai's attention. She lets out a high-pitched growl and stomps over to Amai, falling again along the way with a THUD.
Amai looks down and scoops Kawai up absentmindedly, placing her on her lap like a grumpy stuffed animal.
"So," Amai says with a smirk, brushing Timmy's leaf-like hair, "wanna roleplay?"
Timmy's face lights up like fireflies under moonlight. "YES! What are we playing?! Fairy Rangers? Forest Princesses? Battle Beasts of the Glitter Zone?!"
Kawai glares at him with an expression that says, You unbelievable fungus.
Amai thinks for a second, then flicks Timmy on the forehead gently. "You're the shy forest spirit, and I'm the mighty sorceress who saved you."
Timmy gasps. "That's perfect! I am shy sometimes!"
Kawai tilts her head, eyes narrowing. A mighty sorceress? Really?
Timmy dramatically bows. "Oh great Sorceress Amai, you saved my roots and now I will dedicate my entire life to making you happy!"
Amai raises an eyebrow. "That's a bit much, forest shrimp."
Timmy nods solemnly. "I'm serious. I will sing for you. I will dust your windows. I will make the leaves sparkle with morning dew just for you."
Amai suppresses a snort. "Fine, but only if you do the voice."
Timmy clears his throat and switches to a high-pitched falsetto: "Oooohhh mighty Sorceress Amai, grant me your protection in this pink temple of fluffy glory!"
Kawai slaps her tiny paw to her face and groans out loud.
Amai's shoulders shake as she tries to hold in a laugh. "You're so weird, dude."
Timmy gives her a proud thumbs-up. "It's a Minari thing."
Kawai jumps off Amai's lap and waddles over to the closet, popping it open and dragging out a tiny tiara from under a pile of plushies. She slams it on her own head and strikes a pose.
Timmy gasps. "Oh no… she's challenging me for the role!"
Amai leans back, arms behind her, watching the chaos unfold with a rare smirk tugging at her lips. "Okay, okay. Duel it is. Whoever's the cutest wins."
Timmy straightens his leaf collar. "Bring it."
Kawai fluffs up all her fur, puffs out her chest, and wiggles her body dramatically.
Timmy spins and does a tiny twirl on the bed, glitter trailing from his sleeve vines.
They freeze.
Amai looks between them, chin in hand. "...Alright. You're both so cute I might puke. Tie."
Timmy beams, leaping into Amai's lap. "YES! We're both worthy!"
Kawai narrows her eyes. You just got lucky, leaf-boy.
Amai pats both of their heads, and despite everything, a warm smile creeps onto her face.
"…Maybe having weirdos on this ship ain't so bad."
The lights dim, the pink glow softening the edges of the room, and the three of them sit together—bitter rivals, reluctant roommates, and the most ridiculous, adorable trio on the ship.