“Whoosh~!”
A paper airplane flew through the air.
“I’ll teach you how to write official documents. It’s not hard.”
“Whoosh~!”
The paper airplane zoomed past.
“Wow, how do you know how to do all this?”
Whoosh.
“Just, you know. Look, this is the work manual that Pastel made. If you read it and find something you don’t understand or find difficult, ask me or ask Pastel.”
“Don’t involve me!”
Pastel, who was running with a paper airplane, shouted.
Zoom.
Eli and Dustyn’s gazes shifted and then scattered.
“That’s right. Ask me.”
“Uh-huh.”
Eli pulled out a few books.
“You don’t have to think of the work itself as difficult. Most of it is paperwork, so there’s not much for us to do. The rest Pastel will handle.”
The books piled up in front of Dustyn.
“The work will probably mostly be writing documents. It might be hard at first, but the tasks themselves are simple. You just have to write the relevant content according to the format and standard.”
Eli tapped on the books.
“This is a collection of documents that the student council has handled so far. Pastel organized it overnight by field, category, and context.”
One book opened.
“Flip through the collection to find documents that are similar or identical to what you need to write now, then just update the content for the present time. After that, show it to me, then get it approved by Pastel, and if it’s returned, do it again.”
Eli added matter-of-factly.
“Easy, right?”
“Is it easy…?”
Dustyn was flustered.
“Eli! Don’t be too harsh on the newcomer! It’s normal for a newcomer not to know anything!”
Pastel exclaimed while showcasing a super ultra rotating flight with the paper airplane.
Dustyn examined the work manual and the document collection with wide eyes as he turned to look at Pastel.
“Did Pastel really do all of this? That innocent Pastel?”
“Innocent?”
Eli looked at Dustyn with a strange gaze.
“Boys are like that.”
A sigh echoed.
“That’s right, she did it all by herself. Despite her appearance, she’s also your superior who can coldly return your documents.”
“Then…”
Dustyn looked at the approaching Pastel in admiration.
“Is that paper airplane also a type of work?”
“Whoa! It’s going to crash!”
The paper airplane flew in and hit Eli’s black hair.
Thud.
“Ah! Save me! It crashed! Save the airplane!”
Eli’s black hair was disheveled.
Eli mumbled with a lackluster gaze.
“I’m just playing….”
#
Dustyn’s handover was completed. He would faithfully work on student council tasks alongside Eli.
The proposal for the dormitory construction also passed without issues. Although she ran around with her pink hair flying, there weren’t any major difficulties.
And currently, Pastel was leaning against the railing of the flying vessel.
“It’s the sky!”
The sky path unfolded.
Yay, it’s smuggling!
It smells like sky mackerel.
Yay yay.
A demon looked at her with a subtle gaze beside her.
“Young Craft.”
Ugh.
Pastel awkwardly whistled.
“H-Hey, it’s the sky~.”
Wow, it’s so beautiful.
The demon’s eyes narrowed.
Ugh, is it not getting through?
Pastel cleared her throat and stared seriously at the demon.
“Sir Demon, I’ve come to a realization.”
A fantastic and great realization.
“Go ahead.”
The demon crossed its arms, looking at her with curiosity.
“If I’ve already crossed the line!”
Pastel smiled brightly.
“Let’s boldly cross it!”
She raised her thumb.
Thumbs up.
Oh yeah.
The demon sighed inwardly.
“This mischievous girl….”
Pastel twirled shyly. Then she suddenly recalled something and stared at the demon.
“Ah, right! Sir Demon! Sir Demon! What’s the commission for our smuggling?”
“…It’s 20%.”
Ugh, that’s super expensive.
Smuggling is a fantastic act of changing a 50% tax rate to 0%, but in reality, there was still a smuggling commission.
Once the goods are loaded and you arrive at the docking area, you go to the Demon Corporation to trade smuggled goods.
Sign normally and receive payments normally. In broad daylight, while the military and customs are watching.
The reason this is possible is that the Demon Corporation is bribing the authorities.
Since it involves a lot of money, the corporation also charges its own smuggling commission.
And that’s 20%.
Pastel’s hands trembled slightly.
Ugh.
20%.
Can they take 20% of a starving child’s bowl of rice?
“Sm-Smuggling isn’t smuggling.”
It’s just paying low taxes.
No wonder it seemed too easy.
There’s no way that visiting normally, signing normally, and receiving payments normally could be real smuggling.
I thought life became so easy because I became Pastel, but it’s actually half-easy Pastel.
Huh?
No wonder, no wonder!
When I flew paper airplanes in the student council room, Eli’s gaze was unpleasant!
It’s all because life became only half-easy for Pastel!
If life were so easy for Pastel, Eli would have taken it for granted that I’m playing!
Ugh, cruel reality.
Pastel made a resolute expression as a brave smuggler.
“I cannot accept 20%!”
The demon looked down at the mischievous girl.
“So?”
Pastel raised her arm high.
“I’m going for a full-fledged smuggling that doesn’t rely on others!”
Aiming for a 0% tax rate!
Let’s achieve Pastel’s life where everything is super easy!
Oh yeah.
The girl was elated on her own.
The demon stared blankly at the sky.
“How did it end up like this….”
#
The harbor city of Blue Wave.
It was one of the demon cities influenced by the empire’s military downsizing policy.
A crucial point for military and economy, but after the war ended, its priority dropped, causing the military to effectively withdraw except for a minimum presence.
However, the economic power of the harbor city remained the same. Currently, it was a situation where roughnecks, thugs, and ambition-seekers tangled over gold, taking advantage of the security vacuum.
It was the holy land of crime and the starting point of trade, Blue Wave.
“Wow!”
The cityscape of white buildings and blue roofs was visible.
“It’s totally fantastic!”
Leaning against the railing of the flying vessel, Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
“The empire made this city with care, so the scenery should be worth seeing.”
“Let’s go sightseeing! Sightseeing!”
“Sigh.”
Pastel docked the flying vessel and ran around.
“Whoa! Grilled fish! Is it a harbor specialty?! One please! No, no! Two please!”
Sprinkling magic stone powder over the grilled fish.
Before eating, she stared at the grilled fish with a dazed gaze.
“Sir Demon, Sir Demon! Pastel no longer gives up on chicken skewers! There is a Pastel that eats when she wants to eat! Just like this!”
She opened her mouth wide and chomped down.
Munch munch.
The savory and light taste of fish burst in her mouth.
Whoa.
Is this the taste of the harbor?
Is this the taste of a money feast?
How happiness is it to sprinkle gold powder freely on snacks?
“Sir Demon! Sir Demon! You eat too!”
The demon looked at the grilled fish in its hand with a tired gaze.
“I’m not in the mood to eat.”
Huh?
No way.
Then I’ll have to eat it!
“If you’re not eating, then give it to me!”
Pastel took the demon’s grilled fish and opened her mouth wide.
Her soft mouth opened, revealing a pink tongue.
Whoa, chomp.
Munch munch.
Whoa, it tastes super delicious.
“One more please!”
“Stop eating. We need to have a meal soon.”
Huh.
Wow.
Reluctant, Pastel pretended not to hear and swiftly shouted.
“Faster, give me more!”
The demon rubbed its forehead.
“Just eat this one.”
“Yes!”
Whoa, chomp.
After a while, Pastel had moved on to eating the demon’s cooking on the flying vessel.
She carefully surveyed the warehouse buildings at the dock.
“So in the end, we need local assistance, right?”
Whisper whisper.
“Yes, you will have to stay in Sky Island anyway. You need to find someone to assist you every time you smuggle while being established in the demon realm.”
The first-class instructor’s experience-filled smuggling lecture.
This disciple will remember it well.
Assistants, assistants.
It didn’t take long to find one.
While wandering the dock warehouses, some seemingly kind adults approached.
A man with a scar on his lips spoke up.
“What are you doing here?”
Pastel made a wicked expression and said in a dark voice.
“I’m doing bad things. I’m looking for a smuggling assistant.”
Whoa.
The man looked bewildered at her and exchanged glances with his companions. Confused eyes met each other.
After finishing their non-verbal communication, the man shook his ears and frowned.
“What kind of clueless kid is wandering around?”
The man’s chin tilted.
“Follow me!”
Whoa.
She was led to a shabby but adequately-equipped building.
The man tapped a rhythm on the iron door. Inside, someone looked out through a gap in the door and opened it.
The heavy iron door creaked loudly.
A dimly lit interior was revealed.
“Wow, a crime base.”
Pastel followed with her mouth agape.
The iron door closed behind them with a sharp noise. The light from outside decreased, and the interior became even gloomier.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Wouldn’t your eyes get dim in here? Is it just for welcoming guests? It should be bright normally, right?”
The doorman looked at Pastel.
“What is it?”
“A kid who doesn’t know how the world works.”
The guide shook his head as he said this.
“I know how the world works well!”
Pastel added seriously.
“This is a kidnapping situation, right?”
Wow wow.
A calm voice emerged.
“Hmm, not bad. It’s small-scale, and you can feel a bond among the members. There’s no useless pride struggle.”
The demon was completely reliable.
You could feel the aura of experienced professionals.
If it weren’t for the demon, I would have been in a situation where I wasn’t “wow wow” but “ahhh” instead.
I should do it now.
Ahhh.
Ahhh.
Eyes shifted to the pink girl.
The guide looked extremely bewildered. As if trying to make a judgment on the girl’s reasoning, he slowly blinked his eyes in thought before giving up and turning away.
“A kid who knows how the world works, follow me.”
“Wow, he admitted it right away! You’re a nice uncle!”
Is this the kindness of the world?
After climbing to the third floor, she could sit face-to-face with the boss.
The young man in a suit, holding a stick like a cigarette, gave her a gaze.
“What do you want to do here?”
Pastel’s eyes shone.
“Smuggling! I need a local assistant!”
The boss nodded lightly, still holding the stick.
Then he cleaned his neck and reached for a teacup set on one side of the table.
The teapot tilted.
Hot tea poured into the cups.
The cups were placed in front of Pastel and the boss.
The boss quietly sipped from his cup.
Ooh, there’s a certain elegant atmosphere.
I want to be elegant too.
Pastel lifted the cup with both hands. After blowing on it a bit, it was hotter than she thought, so she blew on it until it cooled down. Then she took a gulp.
Wow wow.
A bitter grassy taste filled her mouth.
Eh, it’s green tea?
Ugh, gross.
Her face distorted.
The boss calmly set the cup down.
His sharp gaze fixed on the girl.
“Did you finally catch on? Right. I coated the teacup with paralysis poison. The method is to share the same tea to lower your guard and get you to sip from the cup.”
What? Are you kidding me?
Pastel’s eyes bulged as she looked at her trembling hands.
Paralysis? Is that what it is?
Tremble tremble.
Ugh, no!
No!
“…Why are you flustered? You ate the awakening stone and didn’t get affected.”
Oh right!
She looked at her hands again. They were fine now.
Oh?
Aha!
I must have just been surprised and trembling.
Hehe, how embarrassing.
A subordinate entered the room. The subordinate looked at the girl.
“What should we do with her, boss?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? We’ll send her home.”
“Of course.”
The boss cleared the tea set. Then he met Pastel’s gaze.
“You understand it’s scary, right? Remember, little girl. The dock warehouse isn’t a place you can roam around freely.”
The boss’s hand gestured dismissively.
“When it wears off, take her home.”
“Yes.”
Ugh.
“That’s not a lie. The organization seems to be decent. Even if it gets dirty, as a person, they should at least be nice to kids. We can make her our assistant.”
Demon, you’re saying that I’m about to be kicked out, right?
How am I supposed to find an assistant in the first place? Isn’t this a crime organization?
“It’s simple.”
The demon spoke calmly as if reading her thoughts.
“Knock them all out.”
Huh?
A subordinate approached.
“I’ll carry you. You need to leave the boss’s room.”
It was a very kind expression and voice.
There’s a warm consideration that says not to be scared.
“Weaklings.”
Huh?
“Show these clueless kids the logic of power.”
Huh?
“Hurry.”
The master’s decisive voice fell.
Ahhh.
Ahhh.
Pastel squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m sorry, everyone!”
And she suddenly swung her fist.
The subordinate, who had been hesitating about how to gently carry her, got hit by her fist. His nose got smashed, and he bled.
“I’m sorry!”
The relentless punching continued.
Since the master told her to do it.
The sound of impact echoed repeatedly.
The subordinate lost consciousness and fell.
The girl charged at the bewildered boss.
Her pink hair billowed.
“I’m so sorry!”
The punch hit the boss’s dazed face.
His face got smashed, and blood splattered.
Relentless violence struck the innocent crime organization.
