Do you have a crush?
Don’t know what to do about it?
Here’s an item just for you!
―The Love Amulet~!
Just stick this on, and your target becomes a love slave!
P.S.: Real slave, though.
Uwaah!
Fairy, this is moving too fast!
That’s an item meant for the situation where you tempt the Demon Lord with tremendous effort, only to realize you’ll never surpass your deceased mother and end up giving it to Pastel, who has dead eyes!
If you just hand it over before I’ve done anything, Pastel won’t know what to do…!
“Fairy! I’m not Boorabola yet!”
Pastel trembled.
The amulet in the Fairy’s hand trembled as well, the heart design shaking.
―Huh? What does Boorabola mean?
“Sinful! Bad! Greedy! Tons of bad things! Guilt trip drama!”
A trembling hand pointed at the amulet.
“Brainwashing and totally evil, criminal actions can’t be performed with a clear mind!”
The Fairy’s eyes widened.
―I see! I thought this might be bad! This isn’t something a Fairy like me should do! I took it out because it seemed like an easy and quick way, but I didn’t think that far!
“That’s right! This isn’t something the Fairy should grant as a wish! There’s a high potential for misuse, and it’s a massive social issue!”
Totally serious!
―I finally made something that matches my talent…
The fingers crinkled the amulet for no reason.
―If I just stick this on, love problems would end in one shot…
The Fairy looked disappointed.
Then, shaking off the disappointment, she brightened up and smiled.
―Still, it’s wrong! A good Fairy like me doesn’t normally create such bad things! I created it just for a moment! I’ll eat something dangerous like this to get rid of it!
“Exactly! Exactly! Get rid of it!
The evil item that needs to disappear from the world!
―Got it! Aang~!
The Fairy opened her small mouth.
The amulet was about to go to her mouth, but then it suddenly stopped.
―Huh?
A girl’s finger had somehow grabbed the end of the amulet.
The Fairy’s gaze turned toward Pastel. The girl, not wanting to see the evil, terrible item any longer, turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut.
The Fairy tugged at the amulet.
The finger held on tight, resisting. The amulet crumpled from the pressure.
An exasperated gaze shot at the girl. She trembled, struggling to speak.
“Fairy, you got rid of it…?”
The Fairy looked at the finger tightly gripping the amulet.
Then her expression turned to shock.
―Thinking about it, if I eat paper, won’t I get a stomachache?!
The pink eyes widened, turning around.
“Ugh, that’s right! That really would happen!”
Today’s surprising fact.
Eating paper can cause stomachaches!
“And not to mention! If we try to get rid of an evil amulet full of wicked power without preparation, a huge problem could erupt, right?! Bang bang! Boom! Bang! At the very least, it could affect the Fairy’s health!”
Ugh, that sounds right!
―My health?! That can’t happen?! It’s more important than all of humanity!
The Fairy gasped, covering her mouth.
“To harm the Fairy’s health to get rid of an evil item! Such a dilemma isn’t a choice for a righteous party like ours!”
Pastel took on a righteous expression befitting the protagonist.
“I think this evil amulet should just be neatly sealed in my pocket for the time being!”
A solution so brilliant that no one is sad!
“This evil amulet!”
The heart amulet raised up high.
“I’ll seal you…!”
Haaahp!
With a shout, the amulet slipped into her pocket.
Amidst great tension, her precise movements swiftly closed the pocket.
Seal complete.
“Huh.”
To discover a third option in the dilemma where someone has to be sacrificed.
“It was a tough but fulfilling adventure.”
Wiping her forehead for no reason.
Maybe because she was sweating, Pastel felt like a worker who accidentally won the lottery and found her bank account secure.
The corners of her mouth crept up.
Secure~!
#
A fairy tale book turned its pages.
“And so, the witch who abused the love potion died painfully, revealing her ugly insides. She was boiled in a cauldron with her intestines torn and limbs broken.”
Under a gentle light, Melissa read the fairy tale in a light outfit.
“True love and a kind, righteous heart finally triumphed. Because these are valuable hearts that cannot be swayed by the love potion.”
The fairy tale book closed.
“The story ends here. It’s very enjoyable to read with a friend. We should have more times like this, Pastel?”
Pastel burst into tears.
“The witch is so pitiful!”
Waaah!
Melissa was flustered.
“Why are you empathizing with the witch? She’s blatantly a villain!”
“The witch has her circumstances too!”
“Everyone has their circumstances. Crime is crime, punishment is punishment, and a person is a person. This witch’s ugly traits are recorded without any relatable aspects for the reader.”
“Saying that with your own context is unconvincing!”
Pastel wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“Why is this fairy tale so cruel?! If it’s for kids, take out the part about boiling in a cauldron!”
Melissa was taken aback.
“Is this unusual? Most fairy tales do this. If it’s all flowers and sunshine, it’ll bore people and no one will read it.”
The fairy tale book hurriedly flipped open again.
“I skipped some parts, but there were things you’d like in there, Pastel.”
A finger pointed at the sentence.
“After their adventure, the rabbit hero and saint lived happily, giving birth to 700 children in their lifetime.”
700 children.
Because they’re rabbits.
“That’s weird in its own right…!”
Pastel put her head in her hands. The pink pigtails flailed around wildly.
Melissa skillfully moved back, avoiding the hair. The fairy tale book closed.
The sorceress tilted her head.
“Do you have some worries? It’s unusual for you to bring up romance again. Wasn’t yesterday’s date not that great?”
“Huh? Is it obvious? It’s not because of Nathaniel, but I’m really worried about what to do right now.”
Pastel rubbed her cheeks.
Melissa set the fairy tale book to the side. A graceful hand touched her chest.
“If there was something unsatisfactory, please feel free to consult me. I’ve heard the first date can blur the lines between excitement and displeasure. It’s important to set the boundaries from the start.”
“That’s not it. I don’t care about Nathaniel anymore. More importantly, I think I might have a crush!”
Hehe.
Pastel coiled her body up and blushed.
Melissa’s face filled with question marks. Then, as if she understood what was being said a beat too late, her expression changed.
Yesterday, you went out saying you had a crush, and today you’re saying you like someone else? Looking at this hopeless friend.
Ugh, not at all, but it’s somewhat true.
Uwaah!
Pastel suddenly felt unjust.
It’s true! It is true!
But whatever—!
“The love of a popular person is naturally fickle!”
“That’s a bad excuse.”
Ugh.
Pastel hung her head.
“I admit that last excuse was kind of weak…”
“Yes.”
Melissa was firm.
Phew.
“Still, it seems like no one’s getting hurt, so it should be fine.”
“That’s true.”
“Yup!”
Pastel raised her face with a bright expression. Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Anyway, I’m thinking of launching a confession dash attack at the Demon Lord, what’s the best way?!”
“Huh?! The target is the Great Demon?!”
Melissa looked genuinely shocked.
“Oops, I slipped.”
She had wanted to keep it secret until the confession dash attack.
But then again, it’s not like she can’t act, so maybe it’s okay with Melissa?
“I realized yesterday that having a demon who cooks for me daily and does the laundry is nice!”
She would think it would be great if he did that for a lifetime!
Wow.
“That’s a really unfortunate reason to tell the Great Demon.”
Melissa was flabbergasted.
“As a mere successor, it’s quite rude of me to offer advice to the head of a clan, but I think it’s right to make your own bed in the morning.”
Pastel pretended not to hear that.
Instead, she linked her fingers and placed them on the table. Then, clumsily adopting a shadowy pose, she dimmed the magical lights to make the atmosphere more mysterious and put on a serious expression.
“I’m preparing a grand operation to make the Demon Lord fall for me in one shot.”
She had gained enough experience to feel burdened by just barging in without proper etiquette; that’s definitely not the case.
“I’m not some amateur who gets swayed by emotions and straight away asks what their ideal type is!”
“That sounds rather specific. Have you already asked about their ideal type?”
Pastel paused, looking stiff for a moment. Then she casually added,
“The Demon Lord seems to like blonde hair, but I think pink hair makes the cut too?!”
“Congratulations.”
Melissa clapped gently with a smile.
“Yup! Yup!”
Pastel jumped up and started walking around humming.
“I have~! Pink hair!”
Pink hair flowing beautifully (thanks to the Demon Lord yawning and brushing it day and night).
Merit point: 1!
“Should I just confess now?! If 1 million points worth of popularity gets added to popular Pastel, wouldn’t the success rate be 100%?!”
I should do it right away!
“Demon Loord!”
Pastel jumped up abruptly.
As she tried to run out, Melissa hurriedly opened her mouth in panic.
“He probably won’t be available right now. He usually visits the palace around this time.”
Huh?
“Who is he meeting?”
Is it someone with shiny blonde hair?
Ugh.
“Is it a woman?”
“Well, she is indeed a woman… Elly is having a policy briefing—”
“Wahhh!”
Elly!
Pastel screamed.
“That makes no sense!”
There’s no way the Demon Lord could favor black-haired people!
I’ll confirm it with my own eyes!
“Waaah!”
Pastel dashed towards the terrace facing the palace.
As she prepared to jump straight down, the height made her balk for a moment.
The pink eyes rolled.
She took out the Gem Knife and, feeling the desperate state of her Knife Friend for not having enough fuel lately, gave it a little poke before putting it back.
Pastel quietly turned and left the terrace. She opened the room door and safely went down the hotel stairs.
Chop, chop, chop.
Going down the stairs.
And as she exited the hotel, she ran again towards the palace.
“Waaah! Demon Loord!”
He could never like black-haired people…!
