“Friend Friends!”
Pastel stood in front of the friends that Leonard had gathered. She was on top of a wooden crate.
“I’m sorry to have to share some unfortunate news with you!”
With a sad expression, she wiped her eyes.
“Ugh.”
Murmurs.
Pastel shouted as if making a confession.
“I mistakenly considered Melissa to be a Friend!”
She ruffled her hair.
“The uniqueness of the Friend title has vanished!”
Boom.
“Ahhh.”
The Friends looked puzzled and began whispering to each other.
Murmurs.
Although she couldn’t hear what they were discussing, she could imagine it well enough.
—No way! We’re no longer special Friends?!
—Pastel lied to us! We wanted the unique Friend title, but now it’s not unique anymore!
Ugh.
Pastel clutched her heart painfully.
“I’m sorry, guys! Please forgive me for disappointing you! I’ll call Melissa my best friend from now on!”
Leonard, who had his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. Then he glanced at his subordinate.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Boss, don’t you understand? She just wants us to cheer her on.”
His subordinate cheered.
“I forgive you, Pastel!”
When one person shouted, the Friends echoed.
“I forgive you!”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
Gasp.
Emotion.
“Truly, you are my Friends! I feel like we can overcome any adversity together if we’re with each other!”
Pastel pulled out the student council budget proposal.
“And just in time, we have a challenge to overcome together! The student council’s budget is in trouble due to unforeseen circumstances! The student council for the students might go bankrupt at this rate! That can’t happen!”
She looked around at her Friends.
“The student council plans to go aboard the Skywhale to gather plants and animals to raise funds!”
She raised her hand high.
“Brave souls to help save the student council with Pastel! Gather here!”
Hands went up.
“Not enough, not enough.”
“A once-in-a-lifetime chance to spend the break with Pastel!”
They continued speaking in whispers.
“Who knows? You might become a slightly special hero.”
As she made eye contact with each of her Friends, their faces turned red. Hands shot up.
Good, good.
“Wait a moment.”
Leonard furrowed his brow.
“What’s wrong?”
Pastel tilted her head.
“There are only three of us in the student council.”
“Yeah!”
“Even if three of us work hard, how much can we actually accomplish? Ultimately, the work is on us, right? Then we’re the ones who make the money? So why would the student council get to keep the money we earn?”
Huh?
Pastel thought about this seriously, then placed her hands on her hips and gazed intently.
“Leonard! Friends don’t nitpick like that! If we start calculating benefits with friends, it will only drive us apart!”
What a terrible friend!
Leonard’s jaw dropped.
“That’s unpaid labor! How shameless?! Just because you think you’re cute, you’re acting like this?!”
“No, no, no, no.”
Pastel shook her index finger side to side.
“It’s not about being cute; it’s about being popular!”
It’s the merit of being a popular person.
She turned to her Friends.
“Right, guys~!”
The Friends exchanged glances and hesitated.
Huh?
Why are you hesitating?
Pastel surveyed her Friends with a cute face.
Meow~.
Then they hurriedly agreed.
“Pastel is popular!”
“Popular Pastel! Popular Pastel!”
I knew it would be like this!
Pastel turned back to Leonard.
“See? Leonard, since you view your friends as subordinates, you probably feel out of touch with this, but the reality is like this!”
Leonard held the back of his neck.
“This is absurd?”
Really, is playing the boss that enjoyable?
She shook her head.
She looked down at her Friends.
“The student council belongs to the students! Let’s all work hard together for the student council!”
Fighting!
#
After finishing the recruitment of personnel, Pastel moved busily.
During the visit to the Skywhale, the operation of the airship was strictly regulated.
To make money during the Skywhale’s visit, they first needed to resolve the issue of the operating permit.
Since the Sky Island Governor’s Office had been disbanded, many matters concerning the Sky Island were managed by the Academy and the Knight Corps. The Skywhale permit was no exception.
Pastel went to find her reliable smuggling senior, carrying a basket of fruits.
“Senior~!”
Upon visiting the professor’s office, Professor Horace turned around.
“Oh! Junior!”
Professor Horace greeted her warmly.
“Did you find a proxy? I’m sorry I couldn’t assist, I lost sleep over it.”
“I found one! My best friend Melissa went in my place!”
Hmm.
“A student from Camerott…?”
Professor Horace appeared taken aback.
“That Melissa Camerott student?”
“Yes!”
Pastel nodded cheerfully.
“Hmhm.”
Professor Horace seemed flustered.
“I see! That’s good!”
“Exactly! We are total best friends!”
Smiling.
“Oh, right! That’s not why I’m here! Please accept this!”
Pastel handed the basket to the professor. It was filled with red apples.
“Oh?”
“I visited Camerott’s apple farm, and their apples were incredibly delicious! I thought of you and brought some!”
“Thank you.”
Professor Horace marveled at the gift, then subtly pushed aside an apple in the basket, revealing a hidden gold bar underneath.
The gold glimmered.
“Oh! This is indeed Camerott’s apple! It’s so sweet it shines like gold!”
The professor’s face lit up with excitement.
“Yes! They’re really delicious!”
“Now that I’ve received the fruit, I can’t just ignore my junior! Is there anything inconvenient in the running of the student council? I can help actively as a professor!”
“Aah!”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Indeed, Senior! How did you know I was in trouble?!”
A calm voice was heard.
『He probably figured it out from the gold bar. Sigh, how did I end up giving a bribe so naturally?』
Gasp.
What do you mean, devil?
This is a pure apple gift.
Please stop with such devilish remarks.
Pastel quickly consulted Professor Horace about the Skywhale permit.
After hearing the plan, Professor Horace nodded.
“Excellent judgment. The budget gap of the student council is unavoidable, but we can’t keep ignoring it. You are diligent!”
“I knew you would understand!”
“However, this operation should be managed not by a permit but by auditing rights.”
“Auditing rights?”
“The student council has auditing rights in almost all areas related to the Academy. While it is somewhat limited, you can expand the authority a bit and accomplish many things.”
Abuse of power.
Gasp.
Professor Horace pointed toward the ceiling of the office seriously.
“The Skywhale traverses above the Academy. So isn’t the collection of organisms from the Skywhale a matter the student council should audit?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“W-What do you mean?”
Professor Horace smiled brightly.
“To conduct an audit, they need to use the airship, and of course, they’ll have to board the Skywhale, and while they’re at it, they can also do various things.”
Totally agree.
“That’s right, right? To conduct a proper audit, we need to experience the guild’s work firsthand!”
“Exactly! You are a smart student!”
They high-fived.
Clap-!
『What exactly are we teaching so confidently?』
Hurray.
We’ve realized that we, as a legitimate student council, do not need an operating permit!
Yay~!
After resolving the permit issue, Pastel prepared for the visit to the Skywhale.
As a student council, she needed to ensure the safety of Academy students, so she handled the affairs carefully and meticulously.
On the day of the Skywhale’s visit, she walked to the docking station at the edge of the Sky Island. Leonard and his subordinates followed closely behind.
Pastel led the way carrying a collection bag. She turned around and shouted.
“Friend Friends! We are about to begin the safety audit for students! Let’s tackle this with pride!”
Leonard, who was also carrying a bag and following closely, looked incredulous.
“Why are you so shameless? Are you trying to be like Craft?”
Ignoring Leonard’s comment, Pastel took out a booklet.
It was a guidebook written by an experienced merchant knowledgeable about collecting from the Skywhale. It contained illustrations and descriptions of various profitable plants and animals. The merchant had been introduced by Grace’s Guild.
“Did you all read this thoroughly? To conduct a proper audit, you need to read it carefully!”
“Is it not for money?”
Pastel glanced at Leonard with a sulky expression.
“Leonard! It’s because of that attitude that your subordinates don’t respectfully call you boss, but refer to you as captain! Right, guys?”
The Friends following Pastel, who were also Leonard’s subordinates, nodded.
“What she said is right, boss!”
“You treat Pastel like that, so you’re not called boss, captain!”
“Not worth respecting, captain!”
Leonard looked exasperated.
“No, the reason you call him captain is because he requested to change the title so it wouldn’t be confusing when I call him boss!”
He pointed at Pastel.
“Huh.”
Did I ever request a title change?
Well, it is indeed confusing when compared to Preston Boss from the Demon Realm.
Feeling cornered, Pastel swiftly changed the subject.
“Anyway, I’ll trust that you all read it! Let’s go, Friend Friends!”
Yay~!
Jumping along.
“Really shameless, I can’t believe it?!”
They arrived at the airship docking station. Various airships from different guilds lined up. Perhaps because they mimicked the Skywhale, their arrangement resembled a pod of whales.
How cute.
As the student council arrived at the busy docking station where people and cargo were moving, they attracted attention.
“The Academy airship…”
Pastel glanced around.
From in front of the largest airship, an armed mercenary who was commanding the merchants closed his notebook and approached them.
The merchant scanned Pastel and her group.
“Are you from the student council?”
Pastel mentally opened a directory of names. It was details she had learned from Grace Guild’s master.
After surveying the atmosphere and hierarchy of the docking station and comparing it against the names she recalled, she inferred who the merchant was.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Sinclair.”
The Guild Master of the Prezi Guild.
The guild accounted for a significant portion of the distribution of the Skywhale on the Sky Island. It was also the largest guild granted permission for this airship voyage.
She extended her hand.
“I’m Pastel Love Craft. I hope for your active cooperation in the student council’s audit.”
Guild Master Sinclair’s eyes lit up.
“I’m Sinclair. If there’s anything to audit, I’ll cooperate actively.”
Really?
Pastel smirked inside.
After exchanging pleasantries with other merchants, they parted ways.
As they walked toward the Academy airship, Leonard caught up with her, giving her a strange look.
“Hey, why can you speak so calmly like this, but you’re like that usually?”
“Huh? Are you saying you don’t like normal Pastel? That’s too much.”
Pastel made a pouty face as she boarded the airship. A flustered Leonard received a scolding from his subordinates.
After a brief insurrection and reestablishment of hierarchy, the airship deck was organized.
With many thoughts occupying her mind, Pastel leaned against the railing and spent some time alone.
After a while, a small shadow appeared over the horizon. A whale swimming through the sky broke through the clouds.
The whale glided gracefully, gradually approaching the Sky Island, revealing its massive form.
The sky beyond was obscured by the whale, turning dark. Groups of nature and plants stacked on the whale’s back came into view, signaling the arrival of a small ecosystem.
As the pectoral fins moved leisurely, a strong wind erupted. All the clouds visible were pushed away as if being confronted by a typhoon.
The wind not only drove away the clouds but also reached the docking station. All the airships swayed in the gust.
“Ahhh!”
She was pushed by the force of the wind. Pastel grabbed onto the railing. Her pink hair and garments flew wildly in the air.
As if reversing the wind, all the guild’s airships flew up in unison. It resembled small whales swimming towards their mother whale.
“We, we need to depart!”
The airship lifted off. They needed to ascend before the Skywhale completely obscured the sky and cast shadows on the ground.
In welcoming the visit of humans, the nature on the whale responded. Three beings soared up and raced toward the Sky Island. It was a gigantic creature.
Wow.
Feeling the responsibility, Pastel turned around. She saw a dumbfounded Leonard and his subordinates.
“Friend Friends! Safety first! And again, safety first! Let’s all be careful!”
She waved her arms vigorously.
“Especially the birds! They can be as big as a person, so we absolutely cannot be caught! Fortunately, they don’t usually eat people, so it’s a rare occurrence, but if you get caught in their nest, it’s immediate trouble! Be extra careful!”
A calm voice was heard.
『It’s coming.』
Huh?
Pastel froze and turned around.
The monstrous bird swooped down like a bolt. It snatched up the girl with the distinctly pink hair.
“Ahh?”
The girl got caught by the creature.
“Ahhh!”
The airship quickly drifted away. Leonard and the Friends, with mouths agape, began to shrink in her view.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel, save me!
