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I escorted the drunken Duchess Nastasha into the hotel.

“Wow, wow, what is this smell of alcohol?”

Pastel sniffed while strolling down the empty hallway. Even though I hadn’t had a sip, I felt slightly tipsy from the alcohol fumes.

Suddenly, the Fairy peeked out from behind me and perched on my shoulder.

—Did that Demon get tricked or something?

“I was confined by my mother.”

But honestly, it might have been a misunderstanding, and Dad could be the culprit?

—Don’t you like the Demon? What’s the relationship there?

“Exactly!”

Why does fate throw such challenging trials our way?

I believe that the personified god who rules this world must feel responsible to save the poor pink-haired soul.

—Oh? But thanks to your mom’s confinement, you could get closer to the one you like, so that’s a good thing, right? Normally, the age difference would have kept you apart!

The Fairy gave me a thumbs up.

Oh?

The Fairy’s fantastically positive attitude.

“Wow! That’s really true!”

It seems I should be thankful that the Demon was confined!

Persuaded, Pastel’s face brightened.

Then, suddenly coming to her senses, she shook her head vigorously.

“No! No way! I wish for the Demon’s happiness! That kind of mindset is only possible for a bad pink-haired person who uses the Demon’s weak spot for personal gain! It doesn’t match with a good fourth pink-haired like me!”

Pastel defended her noble spirit.

“And! And! I think that comment is not what a Good Fairy would say! Talking like that, there’s no way I could relate to such nonsense calculations! I’d swear you were a Corrupted Fairy!”

No way.

Is the Fairy corrupted now?

—Huh? Did I just say something un-Fairy-like?

The Fairy looked shocked.

—No way! I’m a Good Fairy! How did that happen?! I must be tipsy from the smell of alcohol!

Wow.

Getting tipsy from the smell of alcohol.

That could definitely happen.

Was the feeling that Pastel herself was tempted to be calculating also due to the alcohol smell?

Seems like it.

“Let’s open the window first! It feels weird since it’s not ventilated!”

—Yeah! Let’s!

Pastel hurriedly opened several windows in the hallway. The windows the Demon had closed for temperature control flung wide open.

Cold winter wind rushed in. My pink hair stuck to my face.

“Brr! It’s cold!”

Something feels off!

—Ugh! Exactly! Let’s close the windows quickly!

The Fairy was trembling.

Pastel shut the various hallway windows again. The wind disappeared, and the coldness faded.

—Phew! We’re alive.

Pastel pulled her hair out of her mouth, tasting the cherry blossom fragrance that lingered.

“My hair doesn’t taste good.”

—Isn’t it supposed to taste good? Let’s ask the Demon tomorrow to sprinkle some sugar on it when he brushes the fragrance!

Wow.

Sprinkling sugar on fragrant oil.

Can that simply evolve from Pastel to Sugar Pastel?

“That sounds like a brilliant idea!”

No, not tomorrow, I should head to the kitchen right now and pour sugar on my hair!

Wow, wow.

“What are you doing here?”

Oh?

A voice came from behind.

Turning around, I saw Elly, dressed in a scarf as if she had just gotten off work at the palace.

“Ah, hi Elly…”

Pastel was about to welcome her but suddenly paused, as if she had forgotten something.

What was it?

Fairy sparkle.

Oh right!

The Fairy!

I should hide so that the Cult, which is likely tracking the runaway Fairy, doesn’t catch on. But I was being entirely too loud.

I quickly glanced back at the Fairy on my shoulder. She, too, was frozen, caught off guard.

Oh no.

Oh no.

Fairy!

Even if I forget, the Fairy should have ducked for cover since it’s her life on the line!

What do we do?!

“What’s that awful feeling?”

Elly shifted her gaze and looked uneasy.

Fairy = awful feeling.

With the Black Energy swirling around, it did look objectively sinister.

“So, um, this is…”

My brain raced quickly.

“Ah! Right! It’s a doll! It’s a doll!”

A Fairy doll~.

Wow~.

Pastel picked up the Fairy with one hand. The Fairy flinched but then remained still, pretending to be a doll.

“Doll! Cute doll!”

“Is it one of those automatic dolls they sell in the marketplace these days? I honestly didn’t expect such a creepy product.”

Elly frowned.

Usually, she tried to repress her feelings regarding Pastel, but something from the depths of her soul seemed to bubble up, leading to an unrestrained reaction.

“Yes! Yes! It’s not exactly the same, but it’s like an automatic doll! See! See!”

Pastel held the Fairy up like showing off a toy.

“This toy doll makes sounds when you press it!”

Two fingers pressed against the Fairy’s chest.

Press.

The Fairy seemed startled and twitched.

Fairy! Sound! Sound!

The fingers pressed down again.

Finally aware of what was going on, the Fairy opened her mouth.

—Grrr.

The sound of a pig being slaughtered echoed softly in the hallway.

Pastel’s mouth twitched.

That’s not it!

What kind of toy makes a grunting noise when you press it?!

The fingers pressed down again.

—Grrr.

The Fairy performed her best acting.

Wow!

What terrible acting!

This is totally not a toy that a pink-haired person would want to play with!

“The sound is creepy.”

Elly reached out, seeming to want to touch it. Her fingers approached the small Fairy’s arm.

The previously still Fairy suddenly moved her arm. Her tiny hands reached for the approaching fingers. The distance closed rapidly.

Oh no.

“Whoa!”

Pastel quickly pulled the Fairy away.

—Grrk!

The half-folded Fairy made noise. Elly’s fingers swirled in the air.

“Brr! Suddenly, I have a hangover!”

Pastel spun around and fell flat on the floor.

“Huh?”

Elly looked surprised. She had a puzzled expression as if wondering whether the doll just moved, but since she didn’t think it was that important, she glanced at Pastel.

“Did you drink a whole bottle of wine? Do you need help?”

“No! I’m fine! I’ll go in first!”

“Okay, sure.”

Pastel dashed away. She entered her designated room and shut the door. The sound of the door clicking closed echoed.

She looked at the Fairy in her hands.

“Fairy!”

—Huh?

The Fairy was dizzy, her head and eyes swirling around.

“Whoa, are you alright?”

—If you carry a tiny Fairy like that while running, it’ll feel like being hit by a wild storm and make you nauseous.

“Sorry about that.”

Pastel seemed to be failing as a navigator.

Apologizing, she looked back at the Fairy.

“But Fairy! What happens if you try to shake hands with Elly?”

—What’s the problem with that?

The Fairy looked confused.

—If the other person extends their hand in greeting, it’s basic etiquette to reciprocate. I’m such a Good Fairy that I forgot to pretend to be a doll and just used etiquette, but I won’t regret it! Because I’m a Good Fairy!

Wow, I see.

The Good Fairy is so good that she unconsciously wanted to stick to etiquette.

I could empathize with that since I sometimes do the same.

“Please be careful, Fairy. If Elly becomes Elly (not), there’s no turning back.”

—What?

The Fairy’s eyes widened.

—Ah! I see! If I touch her, I could die! I completely didn’t think about that!

Perhaps fearing the consequences, the Fairy trembled.

—Fairies are excessively pure beings, and if beings bound to the mortal realm touch them, they could end up dying, and I almost maintained the etiquette of the Fairy world. A Fairy that’s too good like me could be a big problem.

Oh no.

Our Fairy is too good.

Pastel could relate to that again. She nodded.

“That happens in life. Let’s be careful together.”

—Yeah! Let’s do that!

Pastel made a pinky promise with the Fairy.

Promises, promises.

Pastel tiptoed around in front of the Demon Lord’s room. I heard the Demon’s head was a mess when the Duchess opened the bottle. I wasn’t sure if he was okay now.

“Knock knock.”

I knocked on the door and waited. No reply came from inside.

What to do…

—Shouldn’t you comfort him?

The Fairy hidden in my hair whispered.

“That sounds right, huh?”

Being the daughter of the culprit, my mom, I wondered if it was correct to go deep inside, but I wanted to comfort him. Thinking about the time we spent together, I felt qualified regardless of being my mom’s daughter.

Pastel gently turned the doorknob. It wasn’t locked; the door creaked open. The silence within was calm, without a hint of noise.

Oh wow.

I quietly entered. The spacious interior typical of VIP rooms opened up before me. Ornate furniture filled the space, but there were no signs of life, leaving it desolate like a borrowed state.

I walked toward the bedroom. Again, the doorknob turned—it wasn’t locked.

Peeking in, I saw the soft lighting surrounding the bed. The Demon, with his forehead pressed against his arm, lay down. He hadn’t changed out of his suit.

I waited for a moment, but there was no sound or movement.

I hesitated and slowly opened my mouth.

“Are you sleeping, Demon?”

No response.

I shifted my head back, unsure whether to knock or go out, but I peeked back in again.

“Are you sleeping, Demon?”

Silence hung in the air.

Then a deep voice finally replied.

『…I’m not sleeping.』

Ah.

The pink eyes rolled back.

“Can I come in?”

A faint sigh escaped.

『You’re already in.』

Oh, true.

Pastel confidently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Entrance complete!

Hehe.