Huh? Where am I?
I'm pretty sure I just got hit by a truck. Like, legit Truck-kun himself. But why am I still here? Why am I lying face down in the mud? And why... is everything so HUGE?
I'm literally drowning in this thick, nasty mud. Gross. Everything around me looks like it's been zoomed in a hundred times.
Then suddenly—bam! A giant finger comes poking at me. It's attached to some random poor-looking kid. His clothes are torn, and he looks like he hasn't eaten in days. Who the heck is this?
"Mama! Look! It's a shiny ring! Can I have it?" the boy says, picking me up like some treasure.
Wait—ring?
Hold on. What do you mean "shiny ring"? You mean me?!
"Don't, Zack! That must belong to a noble! It looks expensive!" his mother says, rushing over and trying to stop him.
So... I'm a ring now?! Huh?? I really got isekai'd into another world as a ring?
From the look of it, I must be in the slums. The ground smells, the air stinks, and everything's a mess. Great. Just great.
And to make it worse, this filthy little kid slips me onto his thumb. His thumb. I can literally feel it sliding in. I gotta admit, I moaned because it feels...ya know.
Note to readers: Yes, I'm a ring now. Do NOT get dirty-minded. You filthy degenerates. This ain't that kind of story. (Yes, I'm breaking the fourth wall. Sue me.)
Anyway—back to the chaos.
The moment the kid wears me, something magical happens. I suddenly have a voice.
"Yo! Kid! Hi! I'm Arlo!" I shout.
The boy freaks out and looks around in panic.
His mom looks at him, concerned. "Zack? Are you okay?"
I try to get his attention again. "Hey! It's me—the ring! Right here, genius."
The boy stutters, wide-eyed. "A… a… a talking ring…"
Then boom! He falls to his knees and starts pulling at me, trying to take me off.
"Zack, are you okay, honey? Who are you talking to?" the mom asks, clearly confused.
The poor kid just sobs louder. "WAAAAAAH!"
Ugh. This kid's got pipes.
"Shut up!" I snap without thinking.
Yeah. Bad move. He cries louder.
His mom hugs him tight, trying to calm him down, but it's not helping. I yell again, hoping the mom hears me.
"You! Woman! Can you hear me? Shut him up, for goodness' sake!"
No reaction. Just more screaming.
I groan internally. Time to switch gears.
I clear my throat—well, I imagine I do. I'm a ring now, remember?
Then, I try the nice guy voice. You know, the soft one I used with my ex when things were sweet. "Kiddo… hey, hello. Can you hear me?"
The kid slows down his crying. He wipes his tears and snot. Finally.
He nods.
The mom frowns. "Honey? Why are you nodding?"
"Your name is Zack, right?" I ask.
He nods again, more calm now.
"How old are you, Zack?" I ask, keeping my voice gentle.
"Eight..." he whispers.
Alright. Not bad. He's old enough to understand things. And that's when it hits me.
Before I became a ring, this weird little fairy appeared and told me something strange. She said, "You can turn someone into a cleaning maniac." I didn't believe it. I thought she was drunk.
But she also gave me a magic phrase. She said if I say CLEAN, the person wearing me would gain super cleaning powers. Like, mop-summoning level powers. She said that if I want the person to wear me to summon something, all they have to say "By the power vested in me, I summon you..." Then name the cleaning material like a mop or a brush.
Back then, I thought it was useless. But now? Looking at this dirty, muddy, messed-up world—I'm kind of tempted.
WAHAHAHA! I could finally have someone do all the cleaning while I just chill on their finger like royalty! After 15 years of being treated like garbage, this is my revenge!
But… ugh. The kid is innocent.
Still… the dirt here is driving me nuts.
I whisper sweetly, "Hey, kiddo." My voice is smooth, but inside, I'm screaming.
There's this dark side of me that wants revenge. I try to hold it back, but the filth in this place is awakening something evil in me.
So I give in.
"CLEAN." I say it with a deep, commanding tone.
The result?
INSANE.
Zack's body stiffens. His eyes turn blue and glow like neon lights. His aura changes. The air around him shimmers. Even I start glowing like some magical legendary item.
I almost scream, "WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"
The mom backs away, shaking. "Zack… are you okay?!"
Zack looks straight at her, completely serious. Then he speaks.
"It's time to clean, mama."
BOOM.
To be continued…
T
"Hey, kiddo." The kid muttered "Yes?" The mother look more confused as she finally let go of him. "CLEAN" I said with deep commandA.g voice and all of a sudN" I said with deep commanding voice and all of a sudden,