Although both sides agreed to the terms, they didn't sign a contract, as Sparrow didn't provide it. The girls showed Parita the way to their home, which was situated beyond the city walls.
On their way, Parrot gave Parita a jade bracelet.
"Put this on."
Parita received it and looked at the accessory. She tilted her head. "What is this?"
"A permit. Only those with the bracelet can enter our domain."
"Domain?"
Parrot gave Parita a weird look. "Didn't elders teach you? How did they let you out when you don't know domains?"
The motion capture suit manipulated Parita's voice again. "I forgot. It has been a long time."
Parita stopped worrying about how her clothes manipulated her body against her will, as it always made things easier for her. She shrugged and scratched her throat.
Parrot facepalmed. As a fellow elf, she reeducated her kin, whom she thought to be.
"This won't do. Listen. Domains, for us elves, are our most trustworthy barriers and sanctuaries. They are protective arrays that prevent intruders or monsters from entering our villages or cities. If an elf leaves, they can't get back in without the keys that the elders made."
Parita clapped her hands. She quickly picked up the idea. "So, this is the key?"
"Yeah. The key to our territory. Don't lose it."
"Okay!" She wore the bracelet as instructed.
They soon arrived at the hidden base, located two kilometers from the south wall. At a glance, it was a dirty swamp full of rotten trash, animal corpses, and dirty water. However, when they got close, their bracelets gleamed, and they no longer sensed the foul smell.
The illusion of the dirty swamp faded. They came upon a lone three-story mansion, enclosed by fences and a water-filled moat. Sparrow and others casually crossed the bridge and entered their 'domain'. Parita rushed after them.
After entering their domain, Sparrow and the others removed their earrings and revealed their long ears. They let out a long sigh, relieved of their restraints and facade.
They were all elf beauties!
Parita inwardly clicked her tongue in envy. She wished she had been born an elf so that she could enjoy a long life and eternal beauty. Though envious, her face was frozen in a half-smile.
The group entered their residence. However, as soon as they entered, their expressions turned dark.
The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, except for the areas that they always walked on. Parita noticed buckets full of dirty clothes, forming small mountains. Not far away, seven earth jars containing an abominable amount of rotten food and wet trash sat there, collecting flies, cockroaches, and bacteria.
Parita frowned and stared at the five elves. Meanwhile, the girls averted their eyes, embarrassed.
"Girls, you live like this?" Parita pointed at the mountains of dirty clothes and accumulated trash.
Parrot scratched her cheek and confessed. "There are more in our rooms… and in the kitchen."
Sparrow coughed. "Bathrooms and storage rooms… and our bedrooms."
Parita's smiling expression turned dark. She took a deep breath and asked. "Why haven't you called a housekeeper or hired anybody to clean your mess?"
Sparrow and the rest puffed their chests. "We're elves! We don't rely on other races! Besides, we can't let anyone find out about our hideout! We'll be in trouble if bandits and slave merchants hear about this!"
"…That's why you hire me."
"Yes! You're perfect for the task!"
Parita rolled her eyes. "And didn't your parents teach you how to clean your room and your mess?"
"W-We were busy, okay?! We were always questing and hunting monsters! We don't have time for trivial chores!"
Parita was speechless. She pondered the swamp and the bodies within, contemplating whether they were the byproducts of these awful women. It might not be just an illusion.
Unable to stand the mess, Parita stopped smiling. She pointed her finger and yelled.
"Bring all dirty clothes and trash outside! All of you!"
Sparrow was taken aback. "Umm, we hired you so you can…"
"I don't care! I will not take one step into your bedrooms! Bring everything outside! I will not sleep in your goddamn house until y'all get your shit together and do something about your trash!"
Although the elves were stronger than Parita, they shrank back in embarrassment and shame. Like children being scolded by their mom, they rushed to their bedrooms and their 'trash rooms', bringing their junk outside.
While the girls swallowed their elven pride and returned to their rooms, Parita grudgingly fetched her 'Idol Cleaning Tools' from her inventory. A housekeeping cart full of cleaning tools emerged. With the cart as her makeshift transport, she hauled the soiled clothes outside, setting them down on the front yard's parched earth.
The elves, one after another, carried their clothes baskets outside. The majority of them were stained with mold and monster blood, giving off a putrid stench. Parita shook her head at them.
When they had brought everything, Parita realized how terrible these girls were. The mountain of clothes was 2.5 meters high. Based on the estimation, there were about three thousand pieces of cloth, including towels, underwear, and rags. Next to the mountain was a lineup of earth jars, containing abominations of this world.
Parita flinched when she saw the rotten corpse of a half-eaten boar in one of the jars. She glanced at the five culprits.
"Why haven't you washed your clothes? Why are there so many?"
The girls were embarrassed. Parrot explained. "We simply buy new clothes every week. We discard the used ones every three to four days, depending on the conditions."
These elves acted like spoiled brats from a rich family. Parita's eyebrows twitched in irritation and envy while she pointed outside the mansion.
"I believe the swamp wasn't there when you first settled here, right?"
Sparrow confessed. "Yes. It was a beautiful prairie."
Parita inhaled deeply.
"Y'ALL DISGUSTING WOMEN! Go back to your rooms and bring out every piece of trash you've been collecting. If I go into your room and find any blasphemous wet junk in your trash closet, I'll call every inquisitor on this planet to cleanse your goddamn rat hole and your six orifices!"
Unlike her usual introvert self, Parita crashed out, screaming at the five adventurers. Again, she shrieked in shame and rushed back to their house, helping Parita take the trash out.
While they were at it, Sparrow paused to think. She smiled wryly and thought to herself.
'I was trying to hire a housekeeper. Did we just get ourselves a mom?'
For the entire afternoon, they carried every piece of furniture and hidden trash from their rooms outside. The accumulated dirty clothes and trash doubled because Parrot and Sparrow brought out forgotten items from their basement, which they had discarded for decades.
When they finished gathering all the junk outside the mansion, the elves asked Parita.
"So, what are you planning to do with them?"
Parita's mocap suit answered it for her. "I'll cast the Idol Meeting spell when I have recovered my mana. You girls should start preparing dinner. I'll start cleaning the place."
"Nice! So, can you clean my bedroom first?" Parrot grinned.
"No, y'all be sleeping on the floor tonight. I'll clean MY room first because I'll be busy cleaning your damn rat holes tomorrow!"
"Err… Y-You seem different from earlier. We thought you were very cheerful and friendly. You're now somehow… aggressive." Sparrow, her brow furrowed with worry, asked because Parita was acting differently from when she was live-streaming.
"…Anybody will be pissed if they find this… cockroach lair! Hell, I'd rather date AlmondGold and clean his cockroach house than work here! Now, move yo ass or I'll quit the job!"
The elves moaned in disappointment, yet nobody dared protest their only housekeeper. Somehow, they respected Parita's order and entered the house as instructed.
* * *
When the sun disappeared from the horizon, the five elves called it a day and went to cook their dinner. As for Parita, she began vacuuming her new room, using one of the cleaning tools.
All the cleaning tools were packaged with modern items, such as a vacuum cleaner, a mop, a plastic bucket, rubber gloves, and detergents.
While tidying her cleaning tools and preparing to scrub the floor, she looked at the message log.
[Congratulations! You have completed all tutorial quests!]
[Your CHARM attribute has increased by 1.]
[One gold coin has been deposited in your temporary inventory.]
[You have unlocked the Idol Store and Status Menu!]
Parita inspected her status and smiled bitterly.
Name: Parita Kestrel
Age: 22
Class: Vtuber Idol
Level: 0
Strength: 1
Fitness: 1
Magic: 1
Singing: 1
Dancing: 1
Charm: 7