The following day Lozo could only describe it in one term.
Chores!
He woke up, his body aching from the minor tasks he did the day before. He never realized how hard it was to pick up a mop and clean an entire hall alone. His body was sending ripples of stings all over telling him not to get up. But unluckily for him he was no longer a patient. He was a janitor.
His clothes were all set up when he woke up. Not a new batch just the same old ones he wore from the day before. His food was served cold and in a dish undiscernible from a can. The menu hadn't changed but tasted a little bit staler.
The chores he was assigned had grown. The day before it was just two and the hall. Now it was all the rooms and the hall. In each room the mess didn't disappoint. Every door he opened he was paraded with a new and vomit provoking smell. It was as if each room had housed a different beast with terrible hygiene and etiquette.
He didn't complain though. The chores took his mind of a thought that was bothering him.
His inevitable answer would align his future path differently from how he saw his life roll out. He had thought that he would live out the rest of his in orphanage and take over if the old man ever died. But then the incident happened. The orphanage, Hinari even himself. They all changed in a single day. An explosion in his past that shook his life even now.
What was he to do? He wondered as he opened another door.
But this door had a different air in it.
The air was flowery aroma a steep contrast to the usual alcohol or beastly murk he had been experiencing all morning.
Inside he could hear some noise. Chattering. The voices had a cursing tone. They were unjoyful and tired yet it was early in the morning.
"Argh…"
"When's this shift going to end. I need to get back home." A voice lazily commenced.
"I hear you. If I see another patient I'll faint for sure." Another voice answered back.
"And why are there so many. I thought they are supposed to be soldiers not some weak toys that break every time. You know I can swear that I have seen some of them more than five times in the past two weeks." The first voice said, its laziness spiking up to anger.
"I know…" the voice sigh before continuing." But there isn't much a normal man can do when a Domain is involved. It's like trying to fight a ghost. You're the only one who's going to get hurt."
"Also, there are some rumors that some domains are leaking into the village. No where is safe nowadays."
"So where the hell are those Himo Vassals! I thought it was their job to handle these things." The first voice said.
"I don't know. I haven't seen any of them for the past few months. Maybe they are on holiday."
"To hell with that! It their job!"
"You know sometimes I just wish that they didn't exist. You know. Most of this is— "a sudden beeping sound interrupted their talk.
"Oh, look at that. Time to go back to that shit hole." The final voice said.
Their footsteps matched to the door Lozo was ever so keenly eavesdropping by. They opened it only to find the back of a janitor cleaning close it the room. They stared for a while before walking away and out of the hall.
Lozo sighed as he picked up his bucket and entered the room. Now that he was closer, he noticed another smell that tainted the previous flower smell. He looked at one of the windows and saw some burnt cigars that were still smoking.
He put it out and went back to his work.
***them.
The day drifted faster than he noticed. He'd thought he had more time to think about but that was a dream given that he had only hours remaining.
Lozo was strolling back to his room when he heard some footsteps. They were loud and moved in synchronous with one another. By the way they reverbed it felt like they had a purpose. Like an army matching into enemy grounds.
His eyes raised and met those of a group of nurses on the other side of the hall. They were three in total and wore casual clothes.
'Guess their shift is over. Good for them. They really hate this job.'
The nurses lingered with one of the looking at her watch then querying the others.
'Are they waiting for someone? A nurse perhaps.'
"Hi there, unknown 12." A voice called behind Lozo.
"Or is it Lozo now?"
Lozo recognized that voice.
Behind him she stood with a look on her face that was far from benevolent. Her hair-pin was as shiny as ever with that signature chime following her everywhere she went.
Just like before that jingle acted as a signal… Lozo already knew what those other transitions were. As for today it meant something different.
Before he could even move, his favorite nurse, hooked on his ears and began to pull. On hearing Lozo's scream the other nurses started walking towards them.
"So, this is him, huh? the self-righteous patient." One of the nurses said. Two of them were the one Lozo was acquittanced to earlier.
"What should we do to him?"
"The janitors closet." Lozo's nurse said.
And with that they four nurses hauled Lozo to the janitor's closet.
"I… I didn't— "Lozo tried to plea but his mouth was instantly gagged with his smudged shirt.
Next, they ripped apart his overall and stretched it into long strands of rope. Two held him down and the other two tied his hands and feet. A few minutes latter Lozo lay on the floor of the closet, arms and legs tied together, shirtless and gagged, in nothing but his ripped overalls.
His nurse stood holding the door and giving him her signature glares.
She then smirked before closing the closet door with a bang.