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Chapter 54
‘Is this supposed to be a place where people live? Looks more like a pigsty.’
Trash scattered all over the hallway, and the sheer stupidity of people who didn’t seem to know what “separating waste” even meant—
it was chaos beyond belief.
“Seriously, you’re supposed to separate the trash by type! Why throw it all in one pile?!”
Even though no one was listening, my irritation boiled over and came out loud and clear.
“Ha, unbelievable.”
Letting out a short sigh, I shook my head and immediately got to work sorting the garbage.
Paper, cloth, glass, metal—each in its own pile.
I didn’t know how waste separation worked in this world, but at the very least, they could separate burnable from non-burnable, couldn’t they?
Wow, they even threw food waste in here?
“Whoever did this, if I find you, you’re dead.”
After sweeping and scrubbing the trash-filled corridor and sorting all the garbage, the fourth-floor hallway finally looked halfway livable.
“Whew, now it actually looks like people live here.”
Even back when I was living as Kang Hyun-soo, I wasn’t obsessed with cleaning or anything.
But at the very least, I always kept the place I lived in tidy.
‘Alright. No point talking about it.’
People who don’t clean won’t change no matter how many times you tell them.
How do I know? Because I’ve seen plenty of it firsthand.
Back when I lived in gosiwon (cramped study rooms), or when I shared a place with roommates—it was all the same.
“What the hell? Why are the rooms clean but not the hallway, you bastards…”
To my surprise, the rooms themselves were actually quite tidy.
Some even smelled nice, meaning whoever lived there at least cared a bit about cleanliness.
“So why the hell is the shared hallway such a mess, you selfish pricks?”
Maybe this was why they did “general cleaning” every semester.
I muttered curses about whoever owned the rooms as I wiped down the floors, ceilings, and window frames.
According to the other students, the so-called “inspection” was usually just for show, and they rarely checked thoroughly…
but still—
‘I’m not falling for that again. Better to do it properly now than get caught later.’
If they didn’t inspect, then I’d just have cleaned thoroughly for no reason—no harm done.
But if they did check, I’d be the one coming out on top.
There were six rooms total in the 4th floor’s B section.
After finishing the first, second, and even the third—which was far filthier than the others—
“Three left.”
If I kept up the pace, I could probably finish all of them in time.
With that thought, I entered the fourth room.
And then—
“Huh? What the…”
From the moment I opened the door, I felt something strange.
This room’s owner either had a severe case of OCD or some kind of symmetry obsession.
Everything was arranged perfectly straight, not a single item out of place.
“Is this guy a symmetry maniac or what?”
It was even cleaner than the first or second rooms—so spotless it looked like there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.
Something about it gave me the strong feeling that I really didn’t want to get involved with whoever lived here.
“Rond Malion Galera?”
Reading the name written on the desk, I figured that must be the owner.
“Well, not much to clean here anyway.”
It was so clean that I figured I didn’t need to touch anything, so I turned to leave—
Thunk!
“Ow!”
I bumped my leg on a shelf above the bed.
And then—
“Huh?”
One part of the shelf—something that should’ve been perfectly aligned—was sticking out slightly, like a thin drawer.
Without thinking, I reached over and opened the hidden drawer built into the headboard.
“Photos?”
Inside were dozens of photographs.
“What… is this?”
They were pictures of all sorts of people from Flines Royal Academy—students and faculty alike.
The dean, Professor Pellen, Kyle, Princess Francia, the student council president Elric, Diana, Chelsea—and even…
“Wait, that’s… me?”
It was a picture of Kamon Bede, from before I’d possessed this body—before the princess incident.
‘Judging by the angles, none of them posed for these. They look like they were taken secretly from afar.’
They looked exactly like the kind of shots paparazzi would take.
Feeling a chill run down my spine, I quickly shoved the photos back in and shut the drawer.
‘Nope. Not getting involved. Probably just a stalker. Or maybe a creepy otaku type who loves digging into people’s business.’
Suppressing a shudder, I hurriedly left the room.
After quickly cleaning the fifth and sixth rooms, I headed straight to the maid supervisor’s office on the first floor.
“I’ve finished cleaning. Please check.”
“Ma’am, I’m done too.”
“Me too!”
“Can we go now since we’re finished?”
Smiling softly, the maid supervisor nodded.
“Good work, everyone. Now then—shall we begin the inspection?”
“…Huh?”
“I–inspection?”
At her ominous tone, the grinning students froze.
“Yes, as I mentioned earlier, once you finish cleaning, you’ll have to get it checked.”
Snap!
Pulling out a pair of white gloves from her drawer, the maid supervisor’s face looked almost demonic in its familiarity.
And at that moment—
‘Knew it.’
I silently cheered, pretending to stay calm.
“Quite dusty, isn’t it?”
“Are you sure you finished cleaning?”
“Do it again.”
“Again.”
“Again!”
“AGAIN!”
The further the inspection went—from the first floor onward—the shorter the maid’s sentences became.
And the paler the students’ faces grew.
“…What the hell. Didn’t they say they don’t check?”
“They said we could half-ass it!”
The students whispered in panic, but there was no turning back.
“Haa… really…”
The maid let out a long sigh, and the room went silent. Everyone watched her nervously.
Then, with a chillingly sweet smile, she said:
“It seems the students assigned to this semester’s cleaning don’t quite understand the meaning of the word ‘cleaning.’ Before you redo it, I think some additional training is in order.”
“A–additional training?”
“Yes. Additional training. It’s better than receiving demerits, don’t you think?”
Her calm, flat tone sent a visible shiver down everyone’s spine.
Anyone could tell she was furious—but suppressing it coldly.
“Students responsible for the first and second floors, please head to my office. We’ll begin your training shortly. Now, let’s move on to the third floor, shall we?”
“……”
With her icy tone, the 1st and 2nd floor students bowed their heads and trudged down the stairs.
Those assigned to the 3rd floor looked like prisoners headed to execution.
Snap!
Changing into a new pair of gloves, the maid rubbed her fingers together, staring at the dust coating them.
“No need for me to say what comes next, right?”
The 3rd-floor students lowered their heads and shuffled away like condemned criminals.
‘Tsk. Should’ve done it right the first time.’
After finishing the 3rd-floor inspection, the maid climbed the stairs to the next floor.
“Now then, let’s check the 4th floor.”
She began inspecting section A first.
But then—
Tap.
She paused, staring at her glove.
For the first time, it wasn’t dirty.
“…Huh? Why isn’t there any dust?”
“W–wait, someone actually cleaned properly?”
“No way…”
The students watching whispered in shock.
Then—
Swipe. Rub rub!
The maid started checking more thoroughly—columns, corners, window gaps—yet no matter where she wiped, the glove remained white.
“No dust at all?”
Her gloves stayed spotless. Everyone stared in disbelief.
“That area over there has all the trash sorted by type,” I said casually. “Please check that too.”
Tap tap.
The maid rushed to the end of the hall, where piles of neatly separated trash sat waiting.
She just stood there, dumbfounded.
“……”
I walked up beside her and asked quietly:
“Inspection complete?”
“Ah—yes. Complete.”
Snapping out of it, she turned toward me, studying me carefully.
Then she said:
“You’re… quite good at cleaning, Mr. Kamon.”
Though she smiled, her expression was twisted, strained.
‘If you’re gonna compliment me, do it properly! That sounds more like sarcasm!’
Suppressing a laugh, I shrugged.
“I wouldn’t say I’m good, but I can handle it.”
“I see. Well done, Mr. Kamon. Since your inspection is complete, you may return to your room.”
“Oh? Really?”
It was the first time anyone had been dismissed after an inspection.
The students watching looked absolutely stunned.
“Kamon Bede actually cleaned?”
“And even passed inspection?!”
“Unbelievable…”
Satisfied with the expected outcome, I nodded with quiet pride.
“Then I’ll be going. Thank you for your time, ma’am.”
“Yes, of course. Please… return safely, Mr. Kamon.”
Her tone wavered slightly, but I could practically taste victory.
Clenching my fist, I grinned.
‘Heh. That’s right. Got her good this time!’
Creak—thud!
Back in my room, I threw myself onto the bed.
“Ahh, feels good.”
I didn’t really think the maid had it out for me personally,
but there had been a few suspicious times she’d deliberately messed with me or framed me for minor things.
So finally turning the tables like this—it was deeply satisfying.
“Yeah, she probably couldn’t do anything except smile awkwardly like that. Ha!”
Still basking in the memory of her stunned face, I glanced around my room.
“Hm, not bad. Looks clean.”
Whoever handled my room must’ve been a bit more diligent than most—everything looked neat.
“And it even smells nice. Hah, perfect.”
Maybe it was the lingering satisfaction, or maybe the cleaning really worked—
but as I lay there in my now spotless room,
I felt more relaxed and comfortable than ever.
Slowly, I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
