Dungeon Refrigerator 258

 Test

Dungeon Stampede 2.0 The Bathroom

"I have something I want to show Coach, too."

After the excitement from all the presents, Ruu said that.

"Huh? I'm already happy with this extra armor, but there's still more?"

"Well, I can't show you unless we go outside, so we need to change into our suits too."

I looked at Nina-san to see if she knew what this was about, but she just smiled and told me to look forward to it. Hmm, well, since they said they'd be changing, I decided to clean the bathroom while waiting.

Yep, it always takes time for girls to change.

"Oh my, sorry about that, Nakihito, making you do this and all."

"Oh no, not at all. With so many of us imposing, it's the least I can do."

Ruu's mom was being considerate, but I continued cleaning the bathroom. Yeah, I might be an otaku, but I’m an adult too, so I can manage this much. Though I’m terrible at building relationships through witty conversation, I cover for it with cleaning instead.

After all, acting like I'm 'protecting' them or anything would be the worst thing to do here. As someone who naturally attracts hate, it's crucial to avoid doing anything that would make Ruu's family dislike me.

"Man, but why are bathrooms always so prone to getting dirty…?"

The bathroom at the Kateshina house was relatively clean, but there was still some limescale clinging to the door area and floor. Especially the vent at the bottom of the door, where dust mixed with the limescale, was completely stuck.

Hmm, it feels like this place is designed to get dirty easily, doesn't it? With Japan's industrial technology today, they could easily make bathroom doors that don't get so grimy.

"Well, I guess it's convenient to have the vent at the bottom, so the steam doesn't flow into the sink area, but they could at least make it detachable for easier cleaning..."

The limescale was rock solid.

"Ha… don't underestimate me. With my skills of [Salt], [Strong Acid], and [Mucus], you’re all toast! Take this!!"

[ZUGIGIGIGIGI...!]

First, I scraped off the hardened limescale with a salt rock scraper.

Yes, a physical attack. However, this method also carries the risk of damaging the bathroom door. But by adjusting the hardness of the salt rock scraper, I can work without damaging it.

For example, if the bathroom door has a hardness of 6 and the limescale has a hardness of 3, then adjusting the salt scraper to a hardness of 4 or 5 should do the trick.

"Alright, that’s most of it. Now for the next step, acidic mucus! Acid Mucus!" [SPLAT! SPLURT!!]

The acidic mucus covered the limescale and soap scum completely. After letting it sit for a while, the limescale and soap scum started to break down.

[SCRUB SCRUB!!]

For the final blow, I attached salt grains to a brush or sponge and scrubbed the faucets until they were sparkling.

[(... SHINE!)]

"Oh my, it's gotten so clean! You must be tired, Nakihito, I made some tea. Please take a break."

"Oh, thank you."

This is nothing. But yeah, using all my skills for a simple bathroom cleaning is a bit overkill.

………

"(Sipping... haa…)"

Ahh, tea after hard work tastes great. Especially when the job was done well.

"(Sniff... ugh... uuu…)"

As I was sipping my tea, Ruu’s mom, who was sitting across from me drinking tea too, suddenly started crying.

"Wait... huh? Ruu’s mom!?"

"Oh... no, I’m sorry, it’s just... Ruu… my shy, timid Ruu has become so bright and positive… it makes me so happy…"

Phew, so that's it. For a moment, I was worried.

"It’s all thanks to you, Nakihito... really, thank you. Please continue being good to Ruu from now on."

"Ah, no, thank you."

Just then, Ruu and the others, having finished changing, arrived.

"Coach, sorry to keep you waiting. Huh? Mom, what’s wrong...?"

"Ah, it’s nothing… you're going out now, right? Be careful, Ruu, it’s dangerous out there."

"Yeah, but don’t worry, Mom, Coach, and Machi-chan are with me today!"

"Yes, of course, well then, take care of them, Nakihito."

"Of course, I’ll protect everyone."

"Well, there probably aren’t any monsters left around here that could challenge the four of us anyway~"

"Machi, don’t get cocky before we even leave!"

"Hehe, sorry~"

"So, where are we headed, Ruu?"

"Well, we’ll patrol around the mansion and check the aqueduct park for any monsters."

"I see. Alright, let’s head out." 

"Hehe, it's been a while since the Dungeon Savers were all together! I’m pumped!"

Hmm, everyone seems excited. But what on earth is Ruu going to show me? I’m really looking forward to it.