Morning broke over the squad's barracks with all the subtlety of a marching band trapped in a blender. Sunlight streamed through the windows, hitting dust particles that swirled like glitter in the air. Liri, as usual, was the first awake, hovering above her bed with her tiny wings flapping in frantic circles.
"Ehh… what's the point of getting up so early?" she whined, spinning in midair. "Can't we just sparkle through the day?"
Celia Frostwind, already dressed in her perfectly tailored uniform, appeared in the doorway like a storm cloud shaped like a person. "Because, Liri, if you value hygiene and decency—even vaguely—you will get up and help with the morning chores."
The fairy blinked, then giggled. "Chores? I thought my main job was chaos." She zipped out of the window, leaving a trail of sparkling dust that drifted down onto Rina, who was still tangled in her blanket.
"Rina! Quit sleeping like a collapsed tank!" Celia barked.
"Five more minutes!" Rina grumbled, poking a fist out from under the blanket. "Or maybe five hours." She yawned and rolled over dramatically, sending her hair everywhere.
Mira Fontaine, already perched neatly on the edge of her bed, polished the tip of her sniper rifle while sipping tea. "I suggest five minutes is more than enough. We have limited time before morning training and…" she glanced at a tablet, "…the laundry must be done before deployment drills."
"Laundry?" Liri twirled in the air, wings sparkling like glittered flash bombs. "Who even put the clothes in the first place? Maybe they walked away on their own!"
Eira Moonveil stretched languidly, her staff balanced perfectly on her shoulder. "The socks are missing. Again. If we lose any more, I'm going to enchant them into a dimension where they'll never be found… permanently."
Celia groaned. "Not again. Liri, stop giggling and help us find the laundry before Rina decides the pile is a bed."
Rina, ignoring the orders, yanked a pillow over her head. "I don't know what you're talking about. Laundry? What laundry?"
Meanwhile, Mira sighed and began organizing the remaining clothes into neat stacks. "Celia, the fairy is the prime suspect," she stated flatly. "Her magic signature is all over the missing socks and shirts."
Liri swooped down, spinning circles around Mira. "Moi? I don't steal socks. I only… borrow them temporarily for scientific experiments." She disappeared behind a curtain, giggling.
Celia slammed a hand on the table. "This is a disaster waiting to happen. I'm assigning Rina, Mira, and Eira to a search squad. Liri, you will—" she hesitated, glaring at the tiny floating ball of energy, "—supervise with extreme caution. And I'll personally oversee this operation to ensure no one ends up floating into the next zip code."
"Yay! A mission!" Rina cheered, hopping up and accidentally knocking over a stack of neatly folded clothes. "I love missions! Destruction optional!"
"No destruction," Celia snapped. "Search and report only. We're not here to remake the world in chaos."
Liri floated behind Celia, whispering conspiratorially. "Chaos is subjective, Captain. What you call chaos, I call art."
---
The search began in the barracks. Rina immediately dove under the beds, sending dust clouds into the air like a tiny tornado. "I found… uh, nothing? Wait—maybe something smells suspicious…" She sniffed a sock, grimaced, and tossed it back into a pile.
Mira, armed with her analytical mind and a clipboard, checked each wardrobe systematically. "No missing socks here. Wait… the left side drawer of bunk three is empty. That's unusual."
Eira, as usual, moved slower than everyone else but spoke only when necessary. "Perhaps the missing laundry has been enchanted to float or teleport. I can perform a detection spell, but it might take a while."
"Take your time," Liri said, hovering above, "I have plenty of sparkles to keep us entertained in the meantime." She blew a puff of glitter that landed on Rina's face, causing her to sneeze violently.
"Liri! Stop turning my nostrils into a disco ball!" Rina shouted, rubbing her face.
Celia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why did I volunteer to lead this squad? Seriously. Why?"
Meanwhile, the tiny fairy zipped into the supply closet and emerged with a suspiciously full bundle of socks tied together with string. "Ah-ha! Science! I mean… I found them!"
Rina lunged, but Liri dodged effortlessly. "Catch me if you can!" She zipped around the barracks, trailing socks behind her like a glittery comet.
"LIRI!" Celia shouted, running after her. "Stop moving like a caffeinated squirrel!"
Mira sighed. "This is exactly why I keep a precise log of sock locations…"
Eira muttered under her breath, "I knew today would involve glitter and chaos. And socks."
---
By now, the barracks looked like a post-apocalyptic laundry factory. Socks hung from light fixtures, underwear floated midair, and Rina had somehow managed to get herself tangled in a line of drying clothes.
"Rina, stand up!" Celia ordered.
"Cannot… too comfy…" Rina groaned, swaying dangerously.
Mira carefully stepped around the chaos, recording each missing article. "If Liri continues, we will have to file a hazard report on floating clothing," she said calmly.
"Hazard report?" Liri squeaked, tossing a sock into the air. "I thought this was a fashion test!"
Celia growled. "This is not a fashion test. It's a disaster mitigation drill. And you're failing spectacularly!"
Eira, floating gracefully above the chaos, twirled her staff. "I could solve this in ten seconds if you would allow me to… but where's the fun in that?"
---
After an hour of chasing socks, dodging glitter, and saving Rina from a precarious tumble off the bunk, the squad finally cornered Liri near the supply closet. The fairy hovered above a tower of mismatched socks, wings fluttering like a tiny hurricane.
"Give them back!" Celia demanded.
"I will… eventually," Liri said innocently, "but first, you must answer the scientific question: which sock matches which foot?"
Rina groaned. "We are not doing a sock science quiz!"
Mira tilted her head. "Actually, the probability distribution of sock pairs could be… fascinating…"
Eira rolled her eyes. "We are going to die in a sock storm before any of you realize it."
Finally, Celia took a deep breath. "Liri. One last warning. Return the laundry, or I will—"
"Or you will what?" Liri interrupted, eyes sparkling. "Wave a finger at me? I'm terrified!"
Before Celia could respond, a gust of wind caused the tower of socks to collapse. Rina dove in heroically, attempting to rescue the pile, but only succeeded in creating an avalanche of socks over Mira, Eira, and herself.
"Ahhh!" Rina screamed. "They're everywhere!"
Mira muttered under the mound of laundry, "I… hate… glitter… socks…"
Eira, calmly untangling a sock from her staff, said, "I told you this would happen."
Liri floated above, clapping. "Science! Chaos! Success!"
Celia, standing amid the aftermath, crossed her arms. "Next time, we are installing a sock containment unit. And you, little fairy, will not be allowed near the laundry for at least… a week."
Liri pouted. "Week? That's cruel and unusual… but I'll comply… maybe."
Rina groaned, pulling socks off her head. "This is why I don't fold laundry."
Mira adjusted her apron and collected the remaining socks with precision. "Efficiency restored. Chaos mitigated… temporarily."
Eira sighed, twirling her staff to knock glitter off her uniform. "We survived. Barely. And I did not even cast a single offensive spell."
Celia finally exhaled. "Good. Lesson learned: never underestimate the fairy, the socks, or Rina's… enthusiasm."
Liri zipped around, scattering the last few socks into a neat pile. "Mission accomplished! Sort of! Scientific chaos complete!"
The squad stared at her, exhausted but somehow amused.
"Just… don't ever do that again," Celia muttered, shaking her head.
Liri winked. "No promises!"
---
By the end of the morning, the laundry was technically clean, mostly folded, and the barracks were only slightly covered in glitter. The squad sat down to a breakfast of slightly overcooked eggs and toast, sharing quiet chuckles over the chaos.
Rina grinned. "That was fun! Can we do it again tomorrow?"
Mira deadpanned, "Only if you enjoy headaches and glitter in your hair."
Eira smirked. "I might volunteer to enchant the socks next time. For safety."
Celia groaned, sipping her tea. "I need a vacation. And a miracle."
Liri, floating above with a satisfied smirk, added, "Next time, it'll be socks AND shirts! Science!"
The five girls laughed, the chaos already feeling like part of their daily rhythm. Somehow, even disasters could feel like home.
And somewhere in the glittering aftermath of socks and laughter, the squad knew this was just another normal day in their extraordinary, chaotic lives.
> To be continued in Chapter 12: Chaos Is a Full-Time Job!