Ketto finished cleaning the pool and went to report to the manager. The manager walked over, inspected the pool carefully, and gave a satisfied nod. "Not bad. It's almost clean and tidy now." Then he looked toward the changing room and shower area, pointing in that direction. "You two can go there now to continue the cleaning."
Ketto nodded and headed toward the changing room. Hanky followed behind him.
The moment Ketto stepped inside, he sneezed. Hanky gave him a strange look. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Ketto muttered.
"Pretending," Hanky said under his breath.
There was an odd smell in the changing room—not exactly unpleasant, but strange. Ketto couldn't figure out what it was or where it was coming from, so he pinched his nose with one hand and shot Hanky a glare. "Just ignore me, you disgusting man."
Hanky raised an eyebrow. "I'm giving you a chance. Speak properly. Or I'll beat you up—my fist doesn't know who you are."
Ketto rolled his eyes and walked off without another word.
The changing room was thick with steam, the air foggy and dim. Even with the lights on, visibility was poor. Ketto started sweeping, deciding that whatever was on the floor, he'd just sweep it into his dustpan. He spotted a pair of underwear and some socks lying abandoned. Assuming they had been left behind or thrown out—since no one seemed to be around them—he used a clip to pick them up and dumped them into the dustpan.
A moment later, a man emerged from the shower area, freshly cleaned and dressed. He was packing up his dirty clothes when he realized something was missing. "Where are my underwear?" he exclaimed, looking around frantically.
Ketto didn't hear him. He continued sweeping, focused on getting the job done. Once he thought the floor was clean enough, he headed toward the trash bin to empty his dustpan.
Just then, the pool manager appeared. "What are you doing?" he asked.
Ketto stopped. "Throwing these away."
The manager frowned. "Those clothes belong to someone. Don't throw them out."
Ketto shook his head. "But I didn't see anyone around them."
Their voices carried, and the man searching for his underwear came rushing over. When he spotted his belongings in the dustpan, his face twisted with anger. "Are you crazy?! What's wrong with you? You dare to sweep away my underwear!"
He raised his arm, ready to strike Ketto. Before the blow could land, Hanky suddenly appeared, grabbing the man's wrist and stopping him cold.
The man whipped his head around, glaring fiercely. "Who are you?"
Hanky stared back, unflinching. "Don't hurt him. If you lay a hand on him, I won't let it go."
The man hesitated. He could tell Hanky wasn't someone he could easily handle. Grumbling under his breath, he snatched his underwear and socks from the dustpan and stormed off.
Ketto let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. He looked at Hanky. "Thank you."
The manager scolded him instead. "Next time, don't sweep up clothes. Remember—anything that looks like personal belongings, leave it alone."
Ketto nodded silently. The manager left, and Hanky let out a laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Ketto asked, irritated.
Hanky just shrugged, saying nothing.
Ketto had no choice but to continue cleaning. He hated this place. The strange smell, the steam, the naked men walking around—it all made him deeply uncomfortable. Every time someone passed him, he turned away, avoiding looking at their bodies. It felt disgusting to him.
All he wanted was to finish as quickly as possible. He muttered complaints under his breath as he worked. At some point, he noticed Hanky had disappeared, but he didn't bother looking for him—tracking him down would only delay the work.
Outside the changing room, Hanky had run into a friend who had just finished swimming and showering. The two of them stood chatting, completely oblivious to what was happening inside.
Meanwhile, Ketto grew more frustrated. He was cleaning the entire room by himself. To make matters worse, some of the men coming out of the showers mistook him for a regular cleaner. They pointed and gestured, ordering him to clean certain spots.
Ketto said nothing. He just gave a small nod and a quiet "Oh" each time, but inside, anger and anxiety were boiling. He hated being treated like that. He hated this whole situation.