Beautification Project!
Thanks for the training session, Captain!
Do you have a moment?
What's up?
There's something I need to do today.
It's public cleaning duty!
Right.
I just have to clean from here all the way to the end of the plaza.
...I see.
...
Thanks for offering to help.
I never said I would!
Aw, that's so mean, Captain! You got my hopes up like that...!
When did I ever?!
Ah, I dreamed we'd be cleaning together, smiling and cheering each other on...
This is beyond disappointing.
It was getting hard to say anything, so I decided to change the subject.
Why are you on public cleaning duty...?
It's like a trial that a genius like me must endure before the world accepts my brilliance.
People can't accept revolutionary theories because they're stuck in old ways of thinking!
That's why geniuses ahead of their time always face resistance from society—
...Can you just tell me why you're doing cleaning duty?
Oh! That's because...!
...During a very important equation verification experiment!
I may have caused a teensy, tiny bit of disruption and traffic congestion on the south road in NOA!
I could already guess what incident she was talking about.
Trash spilled out and rolled onto the road...
Huh?! What the?!
I was so close to the finish line!
Runners in a road race tripped over the scattered trash, falling one after another...
Ah! My water bottle!
...I didn't need to hear the details. I was there.
I consider it a necessary cost to complete the equation for the advancement of humanity!
I was told, "An incident report alone won't cut it this time."
...Yeah, I can see why.
If you're busy, you don't have to help! It's fine! I'll just be grateful for the thought!
S-sure...
Then!
The moment I turned to leave, I had a sudden, ominous feeling.
Naru...? Cleaning the city on her own?
I looked back and saw her frozen mid-sweep, lost in thought.
...No way. She wouldn't...
Mm!
I think I just came up with a brilliant new equation... to boost cleaning efficiency and finish everything in one go!
HOLD IT! I'll help! Let's clean together!
Leaving Naru alone was just... too risky!
Thanks for helping out!
Spray some water first to keep the dust down... then sweep the ground...
Could you pass me that bucket? Yes, that one.
To clean graffiti, just use this magic detergent and scrub—hmm? What is it?
You're... surprisingly good at this.
Hehe! Of course! A genius like me can do anything!
I've cleaned the Polaris Assembly Hall more times than I can count because of all my disciplinary actions.
I had to get good.
So it's from experience...
Anyway, let's finish before sunset!
I'll buy you juice after we finish! Thank you! Hehe!
Ugh... I let my guard down...
The trash piles up fast because there are so many people in the plaza...
Even with the two of us, the trash just keeps coming... Ugh...
Just like Naru said, with all the foot traffic, the trash cans showed no signs of emptying.
We'd empty one, and two more would fill. Empty two, and five more took their place...
We could have just reported that we did our best give the circumstances, but...
A Polaris Observer can't settle for "we tried." We need real results and tangible achievements!
This is going to take forever!
Naru started gathering the plaza's trash cans all into one spot.
Cleaning one at a time will never end! We need to do it all at once!
This is how a genius works! Behold the result of my mass cleanup processing equation! What do you think, Captain?
W-wait. Even if it might take longer, I think it'll be safer to clean them one by one...
True innovation starts by breaking outdated habits!
What we need is...
Before I could stop her, Naru flipped the cans over and dumped the trash into a single pile.
A bold step toward a glorious future!
Wh-what are you trying to do?
Hehe, feast your eyes on this!
Naru adjusted her sextant and aimed it at the trash heap.
A gust of wind blew in from somewhere, gathering the trash into a neat pile.
Wow...!
The wind swirled like a small cyclone, bundling the trash together until it formed a massive ball.
See? Now all we have to do is bag this giant trash ball!
Nice! You've got this, Naru!
Hehe, it's as easy as stew!
I'll make sure Lady Alicia hears all about this amazing feat by the genius Naru—
Huh? There's dust in my nose...!
A... A...!
No! Hold it in...!
I-I'm trying to, but...!
Not... A...?! Even a super genius elite like me can't—A... AAAA!
ACHOO!
...Ah!
Ouch!
What was that...?
Is that... trash? Why is trash falling from the sky?!
Whoaaaa! RUN!
After the commotion settled...
A wrecked streetlamp with trash covering the road. The scene looked like a slice of hell, with groaning and moaning people piled on top of it all.
...Wait. Why does this feel so horribly familiar?!
...Huh?
Wait... Are we responsible for this too?
...We?!
Uuuuugh...!
If it weren't for that wind, it would've been perfect... Not another incident report...!
...Well, it was only the first test run!
Mistakes happen. That's just how it is.
What matters is not repeating those mistakes!
I'll finish all two hundred reports in no time! I'm ambidextrous, after all!
Why do I have to write reports again...?
Hehe! But you're the Captain, right? We're teammates!
They say shared joy is doubled, and shared responsibility is halved!
Ah! You misspelled that word there. And while you're fixing it, could you also write this whole section for me? Thanks!
Did... did she just sneak that in?!
The incident reports continued late into the night.
We finally finished them just before sunrise the next day, then enjoyed some warm stew together before heading back.