Irhaboggle Pride (2020) Quarantine Edition

Overcleaning

"Kirumi, I'm fairly sure you've sanitized and sterilized this entire house at least four times already, and it isn't even noon!" Kaede smiled and shook her head at the aptly-titled Ultimate Maid as she began to scrub the floor yet again.

"One can never be too cautious, Kaede," Kirumi replied calmly as she continued to work. In reply, Kaede's smile disappeared.

"I mean it, Kirumi, you're overcleaning. All of... this?" the Ultimate Pianist gestured to the room around them. "It's unnecessary!"

"One can never be too cautious, Kaede," Kirumi repeated patiently, although she spoke with more force this time. "With Covid-19 being such an omnipresent danger, I must take all measures and precautions to protect you from it."

Upon saying this, the maid began to scrub the floor with renewed vigor. Kaede heaved a sigh, trying to choose her words carefully.

"I appreciate the concern," she began. "But it really isn't necessary. One deep-clean per day is enough. Four is just overkill!"

"I am sorry, Kaede, but that is a request I cannot take," Kirumi didn't look up from her floor-scrubbing. "It is my pride, honor and duty as your maid to care for, and serve you, to the best of my ability. If this is what I must do to fulfill that duty, then so be it, for this is my selfless devotion!"

Kaede heaved another sigh. She'd tried many times before to break Kirumi out of her one-track-minded devotion to being the Ultimate Maid, but after the Corona virus started, it felt like all of Kaede's work had just gone down the drain. Kirumi reverted to her usual slavishly devoted self only a few days after the pandemic began. Kaede was glad that Kirumi enjoyed a life of service, but surely there was more to her than just that, right? After all, Kaede was the Ultimate Pianist! But there was more to her than just music.

But try as Kaede did, driving even the smallest wedge between Kirumi and her identity as the Ultimate Maid was nigh impossible. And again, the Corona virus only made everything worse. Already, every plate and platter, and every piece of silverware, had been totally sterilized twice. And Kirumi did this before and after every single meal. Those meals were, of course, completely prepared by her, using only the freshest, safest, healthiest ingredients. And every piece of cloth in their house was thoroughly washed, dried and hand-pressed daily. From clothes to rags to towels to bedsheets to curtains, Kirumi did it all. And of course, there were the floors...

Kirumi had already swept, vacuumed and mopped them, but now she was on her hands and knees, scrubbing as well.

"Kirumi, please!" Kaede finally took a more aggressive approach. It worked, and Kirumi actually stopped cleaning long enough to look up at Kaede.

"Do you have a request?" she asked. It was a sincere question, but the wrong one to ask at that time.

"Aww jeez!" Kaede crossed her arms and pouted. "Like I said, I appreciate your devotion and care, and I'm glad you enjoy being the Ultimate Maid, but I'm not kidding when I say that the overcleaning is an issue!"

"Ah, there is no need for you to worry about that," Kirumi promised reassuringly, missing the point. "I've already taken that into account, so although I have been cleaning often, I have been using techniques to minimize the detrimental effects of overcleaning!"

"That's not what I mean!" Kaede cried. "I mean that you need to look after yourself, too! Not just me!" In reply, Kirumi's face softened.

"Kaede, I appreciate the sentiment, but you need not worry! I am taking care of myself. I know I must be in peak condition in order to serve you to the best of my ability, so I-" but that was as far as Kirumi got before Kaede interrupted her.