While He Is Away

It was six o'clock in the evening, and Kimihito was supposed to be home from his job at Libido, a manga and anime store, two hours ago. Naturally, the girls were concerned. "Did another rival kidnap my Darling?!" Some for different reasons than others.

"Of all the things that could happen to him, that's what you're most worried about?!" Centorea asked.

"Honey is perfectly fine," Rachnera chimed in. "He just called, saying he's working some overtime." With this, the girls all shared a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to cook something special for Darling so it'll be ready when he gets home!" Miia said, hoping to be a better marriage candidate. She excitedly made a dash for the kitchen. The others looked at each other, and knew what had to be done.

A few minutes passed, and the girls' plan was set in motion. "Miia! Could you come in here for a second?" Centorea called.

"What is it?" Miia answered, stepping through the doorway, bowl in hand, mixing some abomination of nature inside. "Can't you see I'm making a special meal for Darling?" As soon as Miia was completely out of the doorway, she was trapped by Rachnera's web. As Rachnera lifted Miia higher, she dropped the bowl, spilling the most likely toxic contents on the floor. "Rachnee! Let me down!" Miia cried as she struggled against the web.

"You're not coming down until Honey gets home," Rachnera said. "Until then, you may wat to get comfortable." Rachnera began tightening the web binding Miia to counter the struggling.

As Miia's struggling became louder and louder, Suu came in the room to inspect the noise. "Suu," Centorea said, observing the trapped lamia from a safe distance, "Could you clean up that mess before Master comes home?" Centorea pointed at the blob of food underneath Miia.

"OK!" Suu said, walking over towards the kitchen door.

"NOOO!" Miia yelled. "I need that to show Darling how good of a wife I'll be! Please don't eat it, Suu!" Miia continued to struggle against Rachnera's web. The web, however, held fast.

Miia's pleading fell on deaf ears, however, as Suu began to absorb the concoction Miia made. "Should Suu clean the mess in the kitchen, too?" Suu asked as Miia was lamenting her lost work.

"Mess in the kitchen?" Centorea asked, a curious look in her eye. Centorea was afraid to look in the kitchen, but seeing as Rachnera was busy with Miia, Papi had left without Kimihito again, and Mero was in her pool, she knew she was the only one who could properly assess the situation. She hesitantly began towards the kitchen, being careful to avoid any of Rachnera's left-over web.

When Centorea arrived at the kitchen, she gasped in horror. Bits of food were on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. The various pots and pans on the stove were boiling over. Centorea briefly considered asking how Miia was able to do all this in such a short time, but then decided that she was better off not knowing. "Suu, could you please clean this?" Centorea asked. "I'd do it myself, but I wouldn't be able to get it as clean as you can."

"OK!" Suu said, seemingly excited at the prospect of cleaning. With that, Centorea left the kitchen, still avoiding any webs.

Suu began the cleaning process with the floors. She shrunk herself down and began gliding across the tiled surface, stopping only to absorb larger messes. After a few minutes, the floor was spotless.

Suu knew that the walls would be harder to clean, so she turned on the sink to absorb some water. As she absorbed the water, she began to grow. When she turned off the sink, she was able to reach the highest points of the wall without trouble. The walls took longer to clean than the floor. Somehow, the spills on the walls were stuck harder than the spills on the floor. By the time the walls were clean, it had been about an hour since she had started cleaning.

All that was left now was the ceiling. Somehow, these spills had defied the law of gravity itself. Suu began to clean the ceiling. She ran into trouble this time, however. These spills were stubborn. They weren't completely coming off. Suu decided that, in order to get rid of the mess completely, she would need more water in her system. She turned on the sink and began absorbing more water. She kept absorbing water for a few minutes, much longer than when she cleaned the walls. She grew in size to the point that she could barely fit in the kitchen.

Now that Suu was ready, she began to clean the ceiling. This time, the bits of food came off much easier. By the time Suu was done with the ceiling, she had spent a total of an hour and a half cleaning the kitchen.

Suu dehydrated herself down to normal size, and left the kitchen. Just above the doorway to the kitchen, Miia was still bound and struggling in Rachnera's web. Centorea was busy polishing her sword in a corner of the room, so as to not get caught in Rachnera's web. Papi, who had come home while Suu was cleaning, was playing her game. Mero was still in her pool, unable to get downstairs without assistance.

After another half an hour, Kimihito finally came home. "Uhh…what happened?" He asked upon seeing Miia tied up.

"Oh, nothing," Rachnera said, letting go of Miia. "I was just practicing some new techniques."

"DARLING!" Miia yelled, embracing Kimihito in a vice-like hug.

"Miia-" Kimihito choked. "Please, let me go."

"NO! I'll never let go, Darling!" Miia retorted, tightening her grip.

"Miia, if you don't let go of Honey, I'll have to put you back in my web," Rachnera threatened.

"I don't care what you do, Rachnee!" Miia said. "I love Darling, and I'm gonna show him that every day!"

"If you insist," Rachnera calmly said. In almost an instant, Kimhito was freed, and Miia was in another web. The other girls calmly watched as Miia struggled, once again, to get free.

"Is Mero still in her pool?" Kimihito asked.

"Yes, milord," Centorea replied. "We've all been busy, and weren't able to assist her. I apologize."

"Alright, I'll help her," Kimihito said. "You should all wash up, dinner shouldn't take too long." Kimihito headed upstairs before anyone could tell him about what had occurred in the kitchen.

After Mero was downstairs in her wheelchair, Kimihito entered the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Kimihito opened the refrigerator. "Where did all the food go?"