Student Council Room.
Thanks to cleaning and organizing the dusty interior, it became a place fit for people to live.
Here, Ellie sat calmly, moving her quill. Every time the demon girl moved her quill, a piece of paperwork related to the festival was completed.
Minutes of meetings, expense reports, outcome reports. External official documents, student satisfaction surveys.
The practical tasks of the student council were neatly carried out under the demon girl’s touch.
If this black-and-white girl weren’t in the student council, wouldn’t there be no grand festival organized by the student council?
Someone has to handle the practical tasks, after all.
“Ellie! Ellie! Look at this!”
Pastel was running around the room.
In her hand was a folded paper airplane. The airplane danced through the air according to her gestures.
“Whoosh!”
The airplane flew in a dazzling arc and headed towards Ellie.
“Phew!”
The paper airplane jabbed at Ellie’s head, messing up her black hair.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel exaggeratedly expressed her astonishment.
“The airplane crashed!”
The airplane wobbled in her hand.
“Help! It’s a super ultra airplane, so it didn’t explode, but it stuck in your head!”
Aaaaah.
Pastel was astonished and moved a half-step to the side before assuming a serious expression.
“Don’t worry! The rescue team has arrived! Please wait a moment! Rescue team deployed~!”
With her other hand, she maneuvered a new paper airplane.
“Whoosh!”
It was doing acrobatics.
Whoosh.
Suddenly, Ellie’s hand grabbed the airplane stuck in her hair.
Huh?
Her hand moved quickly, and the paper airplane was sent flying.
The airplane dashed through the room at high speed. It passed through the open window and soared into the distance on the outdoor breeze.
Whoosh.
“Wow!”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
She turned to Ellie.
“Ellie! Ellie! You have a talent for this?! I’ll fold more airplanes for you! Let’s sharpen our skills!”
For the victory in the paper airplane contest!
Participants would only be me and Ellie, so it’s gonna be a final showdown right away!
I, Pastel, will not lose!
Ellie calmly organized the papers. They were neatly arranged on the table and handed over to Pastel.
“Review and approve this.”
Pastel stopped.
“Oh, is it done?”
She looked over the documents.
“Wow, just as I expected, Ellie. It’s systematic and elegant.”
Ellie stared at her superior with a tense gaze.
Pastel’s hand flipped through the papers and pulled out the expense report. She handed it to Ellie.
“This one’s rejected. The figures are wrong.”
Her finger pointed at the location where the calculations were incorrect.
Ellie’s gaze twitched as she confirmed it.
“Uh, how do you catch all of this?”
Pastel stamped the remaining documents for approval.
Then, pointing to herself, she proclaimed proudly.
“Pastel, top of the written exams!”
Just a smart kid who scored zero in practical combat.
Hehe.
Ellie looked at her with a puzzled expression before taking the rejected report back.
“I’ll fix it.”
“Okay.”
Yay, work’s done.
It was too difficult.
Pastel cleaned up the paper airplanes and collapsed onto the sofa, humming happily.
“I’m the top of the written exams~.”
So smart.
“But I’m not good at fighting~.”
Between her songs, there was a sound of knocking on the door.
Knock knock.
Huh?
Ellie, who had been toying with her quill, got up and opened the door.
The visitor was a small first-year student. The first-year appeared pale and quivering.
Ellie greeted the guest.
“What’s wrong?”
“Th-there’s a g-g-ghost in the d-dorms.”
Huh?
The first-year turned even paler as they spoke. Ellie comforted the guest and brought out some warm tea.
“Did you hear wrong? People don’t become ghosts when they die. They return to nature.”
“B-but I definitely heard something moving around in the corridor at night.”
Ellie calmly countered.
“Then it’s probably a person, right? That’s much more likely than a ghost.”
“Th-that’s….”
The first-year began to calm down gradually.
“Y-you’re right? It must be a person.”
Huh?
Pastel sprang up from the sofa.
With a confident stride, she approached the two.
Tap tap tap.
The gaze turned toward her.
Pastel opened her mouth with a serious face.
“There are ghosts.”
Dun dun.
Pastel declares.
“Eek!”
The first-year turned pale again.
#
Pastel took the first-year toward the old dormitory.
The dorms weren’t assigned uniformly.
Viscount Pastel Love Craft received a personal dormitory.
Melissa, the daughter of a sub-branch family, also received a decent personal dorm, although it wasn’t as good as Pastel’s.
But for the majority, the situation wasn’t so good.
Real estate on Sky Island is expensive. There isn’t enough budget to provide personal dorms for most students, who are usually from branch families, illegitimate children, or commoners.
Fortunately, there was a group dormitory that used to be an officer training academy, so there were enough shared lodgings.
This was one of those group dormitories. It was a multi-story building with personal rooms assigned along the corridor.
“Wow, so this is how it looks.”
Pastel looked around with curiosity.
It was quite shabby, but clean.
The first-year trembled as they followed behind, their quivering gaze wandering aimlessly down the corridor.
“D-d-does that mean there are ghosts?”
Pastel smiled brightly.
“Of course! I guarantee it!”
Totally confident.
“Eek!”
The first-year turned pale again.
Pastel cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
“Ghost! Are you there?!”
“Eek!”
“Ghost! Ghost! We can be friends!”
The first-year trembled.
“I-I don’t want to be friends.”
Pastel smiled cheerfully.
“I do want to, so it’s okay!”
The first-year turned pale again, their expression becoming one of sheer panic.
Huh.
“Are you okay? Is it that scary? If it’s too scary, you can go back. I’ll tell you the outcome later.”
“Y-yeah! I-I understand!”
The first-year perked up and quickly ran away.
Huh, the ghost will feel sad.
“Ghost! Please don’t be upset! I’m here! Friend, friend!”
Footsteps could be heard.
Oh? Is that the ghost?
A senior boy with a sturdy build walked down the end of the corridor.
Leonard Tyler.
Behind him, a swarm of first-years followed.
Wow, looks like they’re playing leader.
Leonard spotted Pastel. He flinched, approached, and stopped.
“What’s up with you? Why are you here?”
“Hey, you living here?”
Leonard frowned.
“Do you think I would stay in this outdated dorm? It’s a place for leftovers.”
Oh wow.
Isn’t that a bit harsh for a dorm that’s for other students?
Glancing behind him, a few of them looked uncomfortable. But, perhaps intimidated by his presence, they seemed more subdued than angry.
That’s a shame.
“You can’t say things like that to friends.”
Leonard turned to the followers, chuckled, and shook his head.
“Friends? What friends?”
Then he shook his head dismissively.
“Eh, whatever! I can’t talk to someone like you. Let’s go, guys!”
Leonard quickened his pace and walked away. The first-years followed.
Oh dear.
There are always kids like him.
Pastel let out a heavy sigh.
Then she froze at the sudden sweet scent.
Magic stone scent?
But magic stones typically don’t smell like this. It’s a processed fragrance.
The sweet smell dissipated like perfume.
Pastel looked back at Leonard, the most likely source.
Her instincts were fluttering.
Are you guys up to something bad?
Is the ghostly presence in the night also your doing?
Pastel chased after Leonard. She grabbed the arm of a first-year trailing behind and turned back to run.
“I’ll borrow a subordinate!”
“What?!”
Ignoring Leonard’s surprise, she ran.
“Come on, friend!”
She turned the corner and headed towards a secluded spot. Once they reached the shaded area, she released the grabbed arm.
Dustin, who had been pulled along, panted heavily.
When Pastel’s gaze met his, she smiled brightly.
“Hi, friend. Good to see you again.”
“Uh-huh.”
He looked dazed.
“By any chance…”
Pastel moved closer and whispered.
“Is Leonard up to something bad?”
Dustin flinched at her voice. Then he stepped back, avoiding her gaze.
Gotcha! Gotcha!
“I, uh… don’t know.”
Dustin’s face turned red as he fidgeted.
“Come on, don’t say that.”
Pastel took two steps closer. The distance closed rapidly. Their shadows intertwined.
Startled, Dustin backed away until his back hit the wall. A shadow fell between them.
Pastel leaned in closely and tilted her head.
“Aren’t we friends? Are we not? Was I mistaken? Really…?”
The girl’s whisper created a breath. A faint warmth hovered in the air, reaching the boy.
Dustin’s ears turned bright red.
He shrank back and pressed against the wall, his gaze fixed on the distant wall, avoiding Pastel’s face.
“F-friend….”
His lips trembled as he muttered.
“Yeah, that’s right….”
Pastel smiled brightly.
“Wow!”
You’re definitely my friend!
Oh yeah.
#
Magic Stone Awakening Agent.
After the festival, an awakening agent of unknown origin began to circulate.
Initially spread among the upperclassmen due to frequent combat requests, it was now also spreading to first-years centered around Leonard.
Drug abuse?
Eek, what a serious issue.
“Such a bad!”
Pastel awkwardly became furious with complicated feelings.
“You shouldn’t rely on things like the magic stone awakening agent! You need to hone your pure strength!”
Oh dear.
Why does it prick my conscience more the more I talk?
Huh?
Images of the pink girl gorging on meat pudding flashed through her mind.
Then memories of her eating magic stones came forward.
Could it be a coincidence that someone whose physical strength increases every time they eat a magic stone is thanks to the demon king’s legacy?
Oh dear.
What’s the difference between a magic stone and a magic stone awakening agent?
The top student Pastel doesn’t know.
Pastel awkwardly whistled.
“Well, anyhow, we can’t allow drug abuse as the student council! Let’s raid the scene!”
Fighting spirit.
Time flew by rapidly.
As night fell, Pastel lay in wait near the dormitory garden.
She took hold of a leafy branch, perfecting her disguise.
“…Hmm, well, it’s just kids.”
Pastel flinched.
“I-I know this is a funny disguise. But how am I supposed to hide completely in the garden with a pink appearance?”
After all, it’s not a life-or-death situation, and she didn’t want to get her clothes and body dirty.
“Hmm.”
“If you keep this up, I’ll roll around on the dirt and create a whole load of laundry.”
Oh?
Thinking about it could be fun?
Pastel brightened up.
“Not that.”
The demon nervously scowled.
Huh.
A little while later, a first-year, looking like a customer, entered the garden.
They looked around nervously.
From the other side, Leonard’s gang approached.
The customer handed over a heavy pouch, looking tense. Leonard’s underling took the pouch, examined it, and nodded.
Leonard grinned and nodded. Another underling pulled out a small box and handed it to the customer.
The crow cawed.
A perfect crime scene that even the mafia would envy.
Pastel sprang up.
“Scene caught!”
Gazes instantly shifted. Faces turned rapidly bewildered.
Pastel dashed forward and came to a halt.
“Here comes the just student council!”
The leafy branch aimed at the criminals.
“I shall judge you!”
Leonard looked at her with a stupefied expression.
“What?”
“Student Council!”
“No, no.”
Leonard, bewildered, shook his head. Then his expression twisted, glaring at Pastel.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see our numbers? Just pretend you didn’t see us and walk away?”
His thumb pointed at his underlings. The first-years looked at their boss with blank expressions.
Mew.
Gulp.
Totally menacing.
Is this what it feels like to be a police officer facing the mafia?
But it’s okay.
“What do I trust?”
Pastel threw the branch aside.
She pointed to herself.
“Talent.”
Hehe.
There’s no way I’ll lose to these guys.
Leonard’s jaw dropped. He looked quite incredulous, glancing back at his underlings.
“What nonsense is that? No, why did you get convinced by that?”
The underlings, who were starting to get it, quickly averted their gaze from their boss.
“No, you guys! Don’t change your expressions?! Ugh, whatever! Hand over the awakening agent!”
Leonard snatched the box away. He pulled out a pill and popped it in his mouth.
Huh.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
Can you just eat it like that?
Leonard let out a pained groan. He rolled up his arms and bared his forearms. His veins bulged and pulsed.
Oh, wow?
The glimmering gaze of Leonard turned toward Pastel.
“Last time, the shield was so old-fashioned that it crumpled under one punch, but.”
Leonard crushed the awakening agent box in both hands.
The noise continued.
When he shook off his hands, wood debris fell out.
“This time it’s different.”
His underlings cheered. Then they looked at Pastel with confidence.
Huh.
Pastel paused, sweeping her gaze over the garden floor. She spotted a discarded metal fork and picked it up.
Holding the fork high, she exclaimed.
“Fork!”
With both hands, she powerfully smashed the fork. A bizarre noise erupted. The contents began to form into a ball.
Raising the finished ironwork.
“Not a fork!”
The ironwork glinted in the moonlight.
Leonard and his gang gaped in disbelief.
The confidence drained from the eyes of the underlings, leaving them blank again.
Leonard looked back and forth between the box he had destroyed and the now-not fork.
He measured it with his hands, muttering.
“No way, that’s cheating….”
An aggrieved voice echoed in the garden.
Caw caw.
A little later, Pastel was able to receive the boxes.
“Justice of the student council will confiscate all of it!”
Her resolute gaze bore down on the criminals.
“Next time, don’t rely on things like drugs, friends! Skills should be built through honest effort!”
Got it?
Ahem.
Then she gathered the boxes and cheerfully made her way back.
Awakening agent?
Isn’t it ultimately made from magic stones?
Hehe, it’s gold.
I’ll eat it all.
Oh yeah.
