Pastel walked alone through the apple farm.
After being treated to apple pie, apple juice, and apple wine, she had asked Melissa for permission to explore on her own.
Melissa hesitated as if she wanted to say something, but Pastel, distracted by her secret stash, ignored her.
“I’m sorry, Melissa.
For someone as popular as me, I need to organize my friends’ schedules. I don’t have time for you today. I’m hanging out with my secret friend.”
“Heh.”
“Secret friend.”
“A friend who makes my heart race!”
Her secret friend had called for help from beneath the ground of the farm.
“Help me~! Help me~.”
“Get me out of here~.”
“Ugh.”
“My friend is in danger!”
“Just wait a moment! I’ll save you!”
Pastel wore a serious expression. She placed her hand on her eyebrow and scanned the farm with a sharp gaze.
“Apple trees, apple trees, apple trees.”
“Heh.”
“All apple trees.”
The very large farm was filled with disordered apple trees and unkempt plants. It was perfect for getting lost, not to mention a secret stash. It seemed there were quite a few victims, as signs were placed here and there to guide the way.
“Ugh.”
“I think I’m going to become a missing person.”
“I feel like I’m going to cry out for the devil.”
“Wait a minute, friend! I’m not giving up!”
Pastel bent down and listened to the ground. After hearing her secret friend’s voice, she tried to sniff the air.
Sniff, sniff.
“Help me, roasted pig, inside my belly!”
Sniff, sniff.
“What am I doing?”
Startled.
Pastel took a deeper scent of her secret friend before rising and awkwardly whistling.
“This is absolutely not the result of despair due to the overwhelming size of the farm.”
Nod, nod.
“By the way! Isn’t it too big here?”
She spread her arms. As she spun around, her vision showed that all around was the farm. The scale seemed so natural that it felt like the apple tree forest merely had a fence around it and was calling itself a farm.
“It’s a scale that even if my secret friend is crying, I can’t find them!”
Pastel also cried out.
“How am I supposed to dig up a hidden stash in a place like this? Especially on someone else’s farm.”
“There’s no helping it. Great yields come from diligent efforts.”
The devil stopped for a moment.
“Finding a secret stash is definitely not diligent effort, though.”
“Heh.”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“That’s right! Diligent effort is needed!”
“No, it’s not diligent. Don’t misinterpret what I’m saying.”
“Diligent Pastel……! I will live diligently!”
“What nonsense is this while trying to dig up someone else’s farm?”
Pastel, taking the devil’s advice, diligently searched for the secret stash. She inspected the ground for any remnants left when buried and checked for any artificial vegetation.
Then she spotted a rock. The size was about knee-height for Pastel, and there seemed to be a faint artificial pattern on it. It was subtle enough that if one didn’t inspect it closely, it would feel like a natural mark.
“Oooh.”
Detective Pastel’s instincts were tingling.
As a result of her outstanding detective brain, she inferred that there was a clue to the secret stash here!
Pastel crossed her arms and looked down at the rock. With a serious face, she arrogantly opened her mouth.
“No deception or disguise can stand before Detective Pastel!”
Ahem.
“The deduction that breaks through deception and disguise!”
She placed her index fingers on her temples.
“Holistic deduction……!”
Tada!
All kinds of clues swirled in her mind. After going through metaphysical logic, she created a high-level conclusion.
Zing~!
The solution revealed itself!
Detective Pastel confidently pointed at the rock.
“This is……!”
“It must be beneath this.”
The devil said, oblivious.
Pastel froze while still pointing at the rock.
“You should dig a little on the surface to check, and it would be good to come back at night with a shovel. I suspect the buried contents won’t be that big. I imagine there might be some gold coins and promissory notes.”
The unrelenting explanation.
“Aaah.”
Pastel, who couldn’t become a detective, flailed her arms.
“You’re so bad, Devil! Evil! The very definition of a devil!”
“Why, why is that?”
The devil looked puzzled.
“What do you mean why? I just called you a devil! Ebe, ebe, ebe~!”
“Why are you saying this?”
Pastel ignored the devil and started digging below the rock.
She dug into the ground with both hands.
“Creating laundry!”
Dirt splattered everywhere, dirtying her white clothes.
“Young Craft?”
The devil was shocked.
Pastel felt proud.
“This is how to create laundry with countless experiences.”
“I can tease my guardian~.”
The feeling of guilt is a service~.
Oh yeah.
While heeding the devil’s whispers, she continued to dig. After digging to a depth that submerged her ankles, she dusted off her hands.
“I dug a bit on the surface, but what can I check?”
“No, haah. Wait a moment, I’ll check. Hmm. The soil is magically treated. There’s a high chance that the secret stash is buried here.”
Magically treated?
Now that she mentioned it, it seemed like there was a fine blend of black magic stone powder in the soil.
“It’s earth that has the effect of blocking exploration magic, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Heh.”
Pastel covered the shallow pit again. She stomped on it with her foot and casually examined it. The damp inner soil seemed darker as it had been overturned.
“Let’s finish this quickly!”
Nighttime digging!
Oh yeah.
#
Melissa stared at the moon blankly.
—Even if Craft is someone you can’t trust, what if you coldly reject a peer friend who keeps approaching you? You might end up with a grudge you didn’t have.
Her mother from her memories smiled as if she found it cute.
—If you can’t maintain distance like strangers, try to get along moderately. When I say not to step on shadows, I’m not talking about human shadows. It means not getting entangled in dark circumstances.
Was it not a human shadow?
Melissa was engulfed in shock. How much effort had she put into avoiding Pastel’s shadow all this time?
She was meticulous, watching the direction of the sun to guard against the direction the shadow stretched. Since Pastel had a habit of running over and greeting her, it was a very tough task, but she managed to do it perfectly except for a few mistakes. It was a result of carefully observing Pastel’s shadow, which came too close.
But it was in vain.
Melissa pressed her forehead and staggered. She grabbed the terrace railing to find her balance. The apple farm next to the mansion came into view.
Her mother was right this time too.
No matter how Craft was, he couldn’t possibly do bad things habitually.
Today was the same. He had come all the way to the territory just to see her. It was not polite to escape from such a friend like a plague.
Melissa clenched her fists.
Let’s be friends.
No matter how Craft was, he couldn’t possibly do bad things as if breathing.
Meanwhile, at that moment, Pastel was hiding in the apple orchard, digging beneath a rock.
“Heh.”
A perfect crime.
#
Pastel, through diligent effort, was able to reap the fruits of her labor. She set down the shovel she had been digging with. Wiping the sweat from her forehead.
“Huuh.”
Is this true labor?
I feel like I could do this every day as if breathing.
Feeling pleased.
She retrieved a wooden box that had partially emerged from the ground. It was roughly the size of her palm.
“It’s small.”
There probably aren’t any gold bars.
“Gold is excellent for burying, but this is certainly within the Camelot territory.”
Well.
She dusted off the dirt and carefully opened the box.
Thump, thump.
What first caught her attention was a pouch of gold coins. Even though it filled the box with gold coins, considering the size, it seemed to be for emergency funds.
After taking the pouch, she examined the inside. There were promissory notes wrapped in leather.
Thump, thump.
Her heart raced.
The promissory notes were securely divided among various trading guilds and institutions that seemed unrelated to Craft by several people.
Upon summing the amounts, a long number caught her mental attention.
Huh?
How many zeros, how many commas…….
As the amount gradually registered, Pastel’s mouth fell open.
“Heh.”
Ten times my entire fortune……!
Pastel’s ten portions……!
She raised her arms high.
“Woooah!”
A gasp split the night sky.
What a refreshing day!
Oh yeah.
Then she flinched.
“Hmm.”
Right, this is someone else’s apple farm.
I’m a burglar.
She gripped the shovel again and hurriedly covered the hole. She shoveled the dirt into piles and filled it carefully, patting it down with her shovel.
Clean without a trace.
She carefully treasured the promissory notes against her chest. Holding the completely suspicious shovel, she ran through the apple farm. Somewhere, the sound of hunting dogs could be heard.
Woooah.
Hurry, hurry.
“I’m not doing anything!
I just really liked moonlit walks……!”
She passed countless apple trees. A wooden fence came into view. Immediately, she dashed to the fence, grabbed it, and leaped over. Her body floated for a moment before landing.
Pastel raced onward, hiding the shovel in the planned bushes, and with an awkward whistle, she stepped onto the mansion’s pathway.
Now she just had to return to the mansion.
Feeling the need to glance back.
There was no one chasing her.
The corners of Pastel’s mouth rose.
A completely perfect crime.
“Devil! Devil! I feel like I’m completely talented at this!”
The divine of burglars!
Oh yeah.
The devil looked incredulous.
“……That’s not something to brag about.”
“Heh.”
Oh, that’s right!
Shock.
Shocking.
Ahahaha.
Pastel chuckled to herself and pulled out the promissory notes from her possession. As she peeled off the leather wrapping, splendid numbers danced in her view.
“Oh! My heart is skipping!”
She hugged the promissory notes and spun around.
“The world is beautiful~.”
“You too, I too, are beautiful~.”
Accompanying the song, voices echoed from somewhere.
“Craft?”
“That’s right! My name is Pastel Love in this beautiful world, huh?!”
Pastel jumped in surprise.
Melissa, in light clothing, was walking on the pathway.
“M-M-Melissa?!”
Pastel trembled and stuffed the promissory notes into her chest, whistling awkwardly.
“What’s up, Melissa?”
I really don’t know.
Melissa blushed slightly, hesitating.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Ah!”
It really was nothing at all.
Phew.
Pastel adjusted her voice tone for her sleepless friend. With a lower tension than usual, she spoke up.
“I’m the same, so do you want to walk together?”
“……Sure.”
They walked down the pathway. Since Pastel deliberately refrained from starting a conversation considering the nighttime, a quiet walking time ensued.
The chirping of insects could be heard.
A cool breeze blew in.
Before they knew it, the mansion came closer.
Melissa glanced over.
“Craft, there’s something I want to say.”
“Anytime! Oh, anytime.”
Melissa bowed her head slightly.
“I apologize for my behavior of pushing you away during this time. It was rude. Can you forgive me for this? I want to be friends with you now.”
Friends?
Pastel tilted her head.
“We were originally friends, right?”
“That’s….”
Melissa hesitated, then smiled gently.
“I guess so.”
And she looked up at the moon.
“I think I misunderstood you too much during this time. No matter how Craft is, it wouldn’t be possible for him to do bad things just like breathing. He’s human, after all.”
In that moment, Pastel froze. The pouch of gold coins and the promissory notes felt heavy against her.
“Heh.”
Suddenly, her conscience pricked at her.
Pastel ← A kid who does bad things as if breathing.
Ugh.
An undeniable fact……!
Please see this as necessity-driven corruption!
Pastel flailed her arms. She grabbed Melissa’s chin. Melissa looked on with wide eyes.
“Craft?”
“N-N-No need to apologize! We’re friends!”
Feeling her conscience prick her all over.
It felt like she had come to build a friendship while acting like a totally bad kid who was digging up a farm.
But it wasn’t just a feeling; it was a fact……!
“From tomorrow, let’s really be friends! Ah, right! Let’s spend time sharing your daily life, Melissa! Forgetting past worries and hesitations, together!”
Having a tea party, laughing together.
“Heh.”
Water boiling.
Cookies nom, nom.
It’s a complete noble lady’s daily life.
“Together.”
Melissa was flustered.
“Craft, then tomorrow we’ll….”
The heir of the southern commander said.
“Should we go hunt the wild boar? There’s news that they’ve been wandering near the villages.”
Hunt?
Oh?
The next day, Pastel was forcibly awakened by Melissa before the sun had even risen.
And she was taken to the stable in a disheveled state and assigned a horse.
Drizzling rain began to fall.
Oh no.
Where’s my tea party?!
Water boiling, cookies nom, nom……?!
