―Look at me, I’m amazing!
The Fairy confidently bragged.
“Wow! Fairy, you’re so cool!”
Pastel clapped enthusiastically.
―Ahem! Ahem!
The Fairy shook their shoulders proudly.
Then, noticing something was off, they quickly glanced at Pastel and added an explanation.
―This is a strategic plan just in case the Fairy Friend becomes corrupted! I trust that you won’t get hurt by mere vase shards! The Good Fairy possesses all of this!
“Wow!”
This felt like a story where the pink-haired hero wins against an evil and powerful enemy, relying on wisdom and trust in their companions!
Totally awesome!
Genius! Genius!
The pink eyes sparkled.
“Fairy, are you turning into pink-haired now?”
―Hmm? I wonder?
While spending time with Pastel, the Fairy learned that being pink was a good thing, and they flipped their hair arrogantly while looking up at the ceiling.
―I think pink-haired Fairies should become the standard of the world, don’t you?
Huff.
Absolutely arrogant!
But cool!
Pastel clenched their fists.
“I felt the beauty of the Fairy world today! Even in harsh conversations, there is love for comrades!”
They loved so much that they were even sticking a love talisman on themselves.
―W-was my speech harsh? I might have overdone it from excitement. Good Fairies like me typically don’t act like this, but perhaps I was just too happy!
The Fairy stammered while rummaging through their gem pouch, and a gem found its way into their mouth.
“Ah! Can I have one too?”
―Here. But, you’re able to eat it while I’m the Fairy? This is heavy metal, you know.
“I don’t know why either.”
―What’s that supposed to mean?
Pastel accepted the gem and munched on it.
The sweetness spread in their mouth.
But something felt off.
What was it?
As they looked around, they spotted a Fairy in a corner with a love talisman stuck on them.
Huff.
They forgot the Fairy!
“Fairy! There’s a Fairy!”
―Huh? Which Fairy?
The Fairy looked puzzled. Upon noticing the one in the corner, their eyes widened.
―Oh! I caught it!
It wasn’t the time to munch on gems.
Pastel scooped up the Fairy.
The Fairy gasped in astonishment.
―Don’t touch that dirty thing carelessly! If you’re not careful, it rots your flesh—wait, why isn’t it rotting?
“What?”
Pastel jumped back in shock. Rushing to see the Fairy, they immediately noticed the overwhelming black energy radiating from it.
Suddenly, it felt like holding a poisonous mushroom…!
Their hands trembled.
“Am I dying now?!”
They hadn’t even had a chance to date the Demon Lord yet and couldn’t just die like this!
The Fairy became serious.
―It should’ve been rotting, so the fact that it isn’t is even weirder, right? When I was alone, I felt something was off, but to be this consistent is surprising!
Realizing something, the Fairy’s face turned shocking.
―By the way, how did you figure out that this one was a Fairy?! It was clearly pretending to be a parrot! I had to rely on vague suspicions even though it looked like a parrot to me!
Oh?
“Fairy, you couldn’t see it properly either?”
Did it only look like a parrot squawking parrot noises?
It must have been cute.
―Of course! That seemed to be its specialty! Fairies receive a portion of the Great Fairy’s power, so we can’t see into each other’s domains!
The Fairy pointed lazily at the Fairy who had their talisman on, looking completely lifeless. It was a literal soul-less visage.
Eww?
Pastel shook the Fairy they held. The Fairy’s head and limbs flopped around pitifully. They looked like a corpse.
―This is clearly a serious anomaly. Humans shouldn’t have this kind of resistance.
The Fairy muttered, stuffing more gems into their mouth.
“Is this an anomaly?!”
―Yep.
Huff! So firm.
“Does that mean I’m suddenly gonna turn into a cherry blossom cake and die?!”
No wayyy!
“Just make me into a refreshing cherry blossom parfait instead!”
The Fairy pondered seriously.
―It’s possible.
Oh?
The pink eyes rolled around.
Cherry blossom parfait.
The name sounded similar to pink Pastel!
Could it be better than expected?
Pastel contemplated and then asked an important question.
“Will there be pink syrup on top?”
The Fairy thought seriously.
―That could be!
Huff.
“Is the ice cream made of milk instead of ice?”
―That could be too!
Wow.
A syrupy milk parfait is a million times better than a plain ice parfait.
Pastel felt satisfied with that. Their expression brightened as they jumped off the chair.
They clenched their fists tightly.
“I want to be a cherry blossom parfait!”
From now on, my dream is to be a cherry blossom parfait!
Oh yeah!
“Am I dead?”
The Fairy lay lifeless on a plate without a glimmer of life. Not even a poke could coax a response.
They never imagined the love talisman would be this powerful.
The Fairy who was wishing to the deity seemed more amazing than they thought!
But upon reflection, the love talisman was also borrowed from the Fairy.
Oh?
Maybe that Fairy is not such a remarkable being after all!
What a shocking realization.
Wow.
―I’m just dominating the mind too much. Hold on.
The Fairy stretched their hands toward the lifeless Fairy. The black energy surrounding them rippled.
―By the power of love, awaken the Corrupted Fairy! Hiyah!
The Fairy slowly lifted their body.
“Wow wow!”
They stood tall, but their gaze was empty, staring blankly at the Fairy. Their eyes looked devoid of consciousness.
Oh dear.
It seemed like the energy from the talisman made them resemble a zombie.
The outcome was not as expected, and the Fairy looked flustered.
―W-was my power too strong? This talisman was made by compressing a lot of power, so it might have been too burdensome for such a small Fairy body.
Ugh?
“So what happens now?”
The Fairy crossed their arms in thought.
―Well, it doesn’t matter! After all, this Fairy is a Corrupted Fairy, meaning purification was necessary! Although I won’t be able to hear their last words, the result doesn’t change!
Wait, really?
“So, if I purify them, will I gain another Fairy family member?”
A new addition to the family?
―No! You can’t bring back a Corrupted Fairy! Even for me, the Good Fairy, it’s truly regrettable, but I must end their existence.
The Fairy picked up a knife beside the plate. Whistling a little tune, they also grabbed a fork in their other hand. It wasn’t the most suitable size for the tiny Fairy body but seemed manageable.
“I can’t believe it. Is there really no other way?”
The knife pointed toward the Fairy’s black energy.
―Look at this wicked energy. There’s no chance at redemption. The only way to solve it is by eating it away. I really want to help, but fate won’t allow me.
The Fairy’s face turned very sad.
Oh no.
This felt like being forced to kill a friend controlled by a wizard and then needing to burn the body to prevent it from becoming undead.
How heartbreaking for the Fairy to kill their Fairy friend after finally meeting again.
Even without needing an explanation, it was easy to understand how they were going to remove the energy.
Many stories paint Fairies as not being corporeal beings but rather intangible spirits composed of pure energy.
Most likely, the Fairy intended to eat the Corrupted Fairy’s dark energy and purify it, turning it back into natural energy.
Oh dear.
From a human perspective, extracting energy from a spirit and restoring it to nature wouldn’t feel relatable. But for the Fairy, it would likely feel like murder.
It was unimaginable what emotions ran through their mind.
A faint humming filled the air.
It was a sound of releasing their emotions through song, much like how some sing to alleviate pain.
Oh dear.
The Fairy thrust the knife and fork vigorously, causing the chandelier to sparkle with the glow of the blades.
―Could you turn away, please? As a Good Fairy, I absolutely don’t want to do this, but I don’t want to show this to my partner.
Oh dear.
Pastel suddenly understood what the Fairy was feeling; they didn’t want to show the tears streaming down.
Their heart ached.
“I understand.”
Pastel turned away.
Their expression turned uncharacteristically gloomy.
It seemed they hadn’t thought enough from the Fairy’s perspective. How lonely and difficult must it have been to live separated from family and friends?
Even Pastel, who had people around, often found it hard to communicate and couldn’t imagine living a life hiding all day behind damp, dark curtains or in the cracks of sofas.
And now, they had to face the cruel fate of killing their Fairy friend.
Oh dear.
From now on, they really needed to do better by the Fairy.
Suddenly, faint sounds echoed from behind. The plate rattled. A moment of silence fell, then the sound of bones cracking followed in quick succession.
Pastel jolted in alarm.
Oh dear.
Could it be…?
While it was initially simplified as extracting the Fairy’s energy, reality would likely be far more complicated.
After all, if someone were to drain the blood of a living person, they would wither and die like a mummy, but that wouldn’t be the case. Muscles would involuntarily convulse and twitch instead.
Oh dear.
Pastel wrapped their trembling body.
The Fairy had to endure such a sight alone.
Had they been too harsh on the Good Fairy all this time? Their heart ached.
Pressuring the Fairy in their current situation to extract a wish was quite rude.
From now on, they would treat the Fairy as they should.
Pastel firmly resolved.
After a while, the sounds faded completely.
The Fairy began clapping.
―You can turn around now!
When Pastel turned back, they saw the Fairy.
The fork gently tapped the plate.
The plate was clean.
The Fairy’s cheeks were flushed, and they winked, giving a thumbs-up.
―See? The Good Fairy cleans up nicely! There’s a world of difference between me and a Corrupted Fairy!
Huff.
It felt like a forced cheerful demeanor.
Pastel’s eyes welled up with tears.
―Huh? Why are you crying?
They gently took the Fairy’s small hand.
“If there’s anything tough from now on, please tell me! Even if it’s a person or Fairy that’s bothering you!”
―Huh? Huh?
The Fairy looked bewildered.
―Um… there is definitely one person bothering me right now…
“Really?!”
Who could be bothering the Good Fairy?
What a horrible person!
“I’ll show them what’s what! Who are they?”
The Fairy stared at them in disbelief.
After a moment of thought, they broke into a smile.
―But the Good Fairy is kind, so I won’t snitch! Solving things through conversation is always better, right?
Huff.
The Good Fairy is too kind…!
Pastel reflected on themselves.
They felt totally unworthy of being popular.
Resolutely, Pastel decided to offer prayers for the deceased Fairy first.
They placed the now clean plate respectfully down.
Bowing their heads, they offered a moment of silence.
“May you live happily somewhere in nature.”
The Fairy nodded.
―I’ll do it too! Good Fairies know how to pray for the departed!
Then they joined in the moment of silence beside Pastel.
―May you live happily somewhere in nature.
A serene moment passed.
Then came a sudden burp.
The Fairy wiped their mouth and resumed the moment of silence.
