Morning light streamed through the cracks of the wooden cabin, spilling onto the worn floorboards where dust motes floated lazily. Outside, birds chirped as if announcing the start of another day—but inside, chaos was about to begin.
Kuro had already swept the front step, stacked firewood, and was quietly folding blankets with sharp, perfect edges.
He worked with the quiet grace of someone who had done this a thousand times before.
When the six brothers stumbled out of their beds, hair sticking in every direction, they stopped mid-yawn.
"Whoa, wait," mumbled Ryu, rubbing his eyes.
"Did… the blankets fold themselves overnight?"
Benjiro, the tallest and self-proclaimed leader, smirked.
"Nah. It's our mysterious guest." He nodded toward Kuro, who was now dusting a shelf without being asked.
"Guess the mask isn't the only thing hiding secrets."
"Secrets?" snorted Kaede, already reaching for a broom. "I bet he just woke up early to show off.
Let's see if he's actually good." He pointed at the others.
"Chore showdown".
Winner gets an extra dumpling tonight."
The brothers perked up instantly. Dumplings were sacred currency in their little world.
Kuro straightened and tilted his head slightly. "A competition?"
"Yeah," Benjiro said, grabbing a bucket and splashing water on the floor accidentally soaking his own foot.
"First to finish cleaning wins. Don't hold back."
At the shout of "Go!" the cabin erupted into bedlam.
Brooms clattered, buckets tipped, and someone probably Haruki stepped in the soap water and performed an unintentional dance before landing on his backside.
Ryu sneezed into a cloud of dust, while Kaede smacked the ceiling with the broom handle.
Kuro, however, moved like a shadow slipping through sunlight.
His sweeping strokes were smooth and deliberate, gathering dust into perfect piles. He wrung out the rag without spilling a drop, wiped down the table in one elegant motion, and slid open the window to let in a fresh breeze.
By the time Benjiro had fumbled with a mop head that refused to attach, Kuro had already polished the windows until they gleamed like water under the moon.
"Wait—what?!" shouted Riku, staring at the spotless shelf.
"He's… already done?!"
Haruki, still sitting in a puddle, gasped. "No way. I haven't even found the dustpan yet!"
Kuro quietly leaned the broom against the wall.
"You missed a corner," he said gently, pointing to a family of dust bunnies hiding under the bunk bed.
The brothers froze. Their cabin, which usually looked like a storm had passed through it, now shone brighter than it had in years.
The sunlight caught the freshly cleaned floor, and for a moment, the place felt almost magical.
Kenta said last time I seen freshly cleaned like this when our mother was with us she was house chores expert and needs cleanliness in everything, I am impressed by you Kuro .
"Is he secretly some kind of demon butler?" whispered Ryu.
"Or maybe a housekeeping god," Haruki muttered, wringing out his wet sleeves.
Benjiro groaned dramatically, throwing his rag to the floor. "This isn't fair. He made us all look lazy."
Kuro tilted his mask slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Maybe," he said calmly,
"you are lazy."
The brothers groaned louder, but their laughter filled the cabin.
Even in defeat, they couldn't stop grinning. Somehow, the place didn't just feel cleaner it felt warmer, too...