“Friends!”
Pastel stood in front of the friends gathered by Leonard, perched on a wooden box.
“I’m sorry, but I have some unfortunate news to share!”
She wiped her eyes with a sad expression.
“Ugh.”
Murmurs filled the air.
Pastel shouted as if confessing her sins.
“I mistakenly thought Melissa was a friend!”
She messed up her hair.
“The uniqueness of the friend title has disappeared!”
Boom.
“Ahhh.”
The friends looked bewildered, glancing at each other while whispering.
Murmurs.
I could imagine what they were discussing.
—No way! We’re no longer unique friends?!
—Pastel lied to us! We wanted a unique friend title, but now it’s not unique anymore!
Ugh.
Pastel clutched her heart in agony.
“I’m sorry, guys! Please forgive me for disappointing you! From now on, Melissa will be my best friend, not a friend!”
Leonard, who had his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow and looked at his subordinate.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Boss, it just means she wants some support.”
The subordinate cheered.
“Pastel, we forgive you!”
As one person shouted, the friends echoed.
“We forgive you!”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
Ugh.
So touching.
“Indeed, friends! If I’m with you, I feel like we can overcome any adversity and hardship!”
Pastel pulled out the student council budget plan.
“And coincidentally, we have a hardship to overcome together! The student council is in trouble due to an unavoidable situation! If the council for the students goes bankrupt, that can’t happen!”
She looked around at her friends.
“The student council plans to ride the Sky Whale to gather plants and animals to raise our budget!”
She raised her hand high.
“Brave heroes who will help save the student council with Pastel! Gather here!”
Hands shot up.
“Not enough, not enough.”
“Only one chance to spend the vacation with Pastel!”
They whispered among themselves.
“What if? You could become a slightly special hero.”
As she made eye contact, her friend’s faces turned red. Hands went up everywhere.
“Good, good.”
“Hey, wait a second.”
Leonard frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Pastel tilted her head.
“It’s just three people in the student council.”
“Yeah!”
“Even if three people work hard every day, it won’t matter in the end; we’ll be the ones doing the work, right? So why would the earned money go to the student council?”
Oh?
Pastel pondered deeply.
Then she placed her hands on her hips and looked seriously at him.
“Leonard! Friends don’t analyze matters like that! If you consider give-and-take among friends, you’ll only drift apart!”
What a terrible friend!
Leonard’s mouth fell open.
“It’s unpaid labor! How shameless could you be?! Just because you think you’re cute, you act all high and mighty?!”
“No, no, no, no.”
Pastel shook her finger side to side.
“It’s not about being cute, it’s about being popular!”
Shall I call it the appeal of a popular person?
She looked around at her friends.
“Isn’t that right, guys~?”
The friends hesitated, looking at each other.
Huh?
Why are you hesitating?
Pastel inspected her friends with a sly face.
Sly~.
Then the friends hurriedly agreed.
“Pastel is popular!”
“Popular Pastel! Popular Pastel!”
I knew it!
Pastel turned to Leonard.
“See! Leonard, you being a friend and treating your friends like subordinates means you can’t relate since you lack popularity, but the reality is this!”
Leonard held the back of his neck.
“This is ridiculous?”
Seriously, is being the boss that enjoyable?
He shook his 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!
Pastel finished recruiting and began to move busily.
During the Sky Whale visitation period, airship operations are strictly monitored.
To earn money from the Sky Whale visit, they needed to solve the issue of the operation permit first.
With the Sky Island Governor’s office being disbanded, many matters of Sky Island were managed by the Academy and the Knight Order. The Sky Whale permit was one of them.
Pastel went to find a reliable smuggling senior with a fruit basket in hand.
“Senior~!”
Upon entering the professor’s office, Professor Horace turned to her.
“Oh! Junior!”
Professor Horace greeted her warmly.
“Did you get the proxy? I couldn’t help but lose sleep over not being able to help you.”
“I got it! My best friend Melissa went instead of me!”
“Camorot student…?”
Professor Horace looked stunned.
“That Melissa, the Camorot student?”
“Yes!”
Pastel affirmed brightly.
“Uh-huh.”
Professor Horace seemed confused.
“Is that so? That’s good news!”
“Right? We’re super close friends, you know!”
So pleased.
“Oh, by the way! Wait! Take this!”
Pastel quickly handed the fruit basket to the professor. It was filled with bright red apples.
“Oh?”
“I visited the apple farm in Camorot, and their apples were delicious! I thought of you and brought them back!”
“Thank you.”
Professor Horace marveled as he casually pushed aside the apples in the basket. Gold bars revealed themselves underneath.
Sparkle, sparkle.
“Oh! So this is Camorot’s apple! Its sweetness is so high that it shines golden!”
Professor’s face lit up instantly.
“Right? It really is tasty!”
“Now that I’ve received fruit, I can’t ignore the issues in the student council, can I? Is there anything bothering you with the operations? I can help actively as a professor!”
“Oh!”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Indeed, senior! How could you know that your junior was in trouble!”
A calm voice came through.
“I guessed it by looking at the gold bars. Sigh, how did it come to giving a bribe so naturally?”
Ugh.
Demon Lord, what do you mean by that?
This is just a pure apple gift.
Please stop with those devilish remarks.
Pastel then consulted Professor Horace about the Sky Whale permit.
Once she explained her plan, he nodded.
“An excellent decision. The budget gap in the student council is an unavoidable issue, but it can’t be ignored. You’re diligent, junior!”
“I knew you would understand!”
“However, this operation should be conducted under auditing rights, not permits.”
“Auditing rights?”
“The student council holds auditing rights in almost every area related to the Academy. While limited, broadening your authority a little allows you to accomplish many things.”
Abuse of power.
Whoa.
Professor Horace pointed toward the ceiling of his office with a serious expression.
“The Sky Whale passes through the Academy skies. So isn’t it a matter for the student council to audit the collection from the Sky Whale?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“W-What do you mean?”
Professor Horace smiled widely.
“To audit, you’d need to use the airship, and of course, you’d have to board the Sky Whale! While doing that, you can also take care of various tasks!”
Completely relatable.
“Absolutely! We need to experience the upper management’s work in the field for a proper audit!”
“Exactly! You’re a smart student!”
They high-fived each other.
Smack-!
“What on earth is this teaching with such confidence?”
Hooray!
We realized that as a legitimate student council, we don’t need an operation permit!
Yay~!
Having solved the permit issue, Pastel prepared for the Sky Whale visit.
Since the student council must also ensure the safety of the Academy students, she handled tasks and carefully reviewed everything.
As the day of the Sky Whale visit arrived, she walked to the dock at the edge of Sky Island. Leonard and his subordinates followed behind.
Pastel took the collection bags and led the way. Glancing back, she shouted.
“Friends! We’re starting the safety audit for students! Let’s do this with pride!”
Leonard, who was following along with a bag just like hers, looked incredulous.
“Why are you so shameless? Are you acting like you’re Craft?”
She ignored Leonard’s words and took out a booklet.
It was a guide written by a merchant experienced in collecting from the Sky Whale. It contained illustrations and descriptions of various money-making flora and fauna. The merchant was introduced by Grace.
“Did everyone read it carefully? For a proper audit, you need to read it thoroughly!”
“Is it not for the money?”
Pastel glared at Leonard sulkily.
“Leonard! It’s because you act this way that your subordinates don’t respect you as a boss, but rather call you leader! Right, guys?”
The friends following them nodded in agreement.
“That’s true, leader!”
“It’s because you treat Pastel that way that they don’t think of you as a boss. You’re just the leader!”
“You’re not worth respecting, leader!”
Leonard looked dumbfounded.
“No, you calling me leader is because I asked you to do it instead of confusing you with a boss!”
He pointed a finger at Pastel.
“Eh.”
Did I ever say to change the title?
I guess it can get confusing with the boss, Preston from the Demon realm.
Seeing Pastel put in a difficult position, she quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway, I’ll trust that you all read it! Let’s go, friends!”
Yay~!
Jumping around.
“Seriously, what a shameless person?!”
They arrived at the airship dock. The merchant airships lined up, each differing in size. It was as if they resembled a pod of whales.
So cute.
As the student council arrived at the busy dock where people and cargo were moving, all eyes turned towards them.
“The Academy airship…”
Pastel looked around.
An armed mercenary leading the way approached the merchant, who had just closed his notebook in front of the largest airship.
The merchant scanned Pastel and her group.
“Are you from the student council?”
Pastel opened a directory in her mind. It was the information provided by Grace about notable people.
After assessing the atmosphere and hierarchy of the dock, along with the size of the merchants, she deduced who he was.
“Nice to meet you, Sinclair.”
The high merchant of the Presidency of the Sinclair trade group.
A significant portion of the distribution of the Sky Whale’s resources came from this merchant group. They were also the largest group that received permission for this airship journey.
She extended her hand.
“I am Pastel Love Craft. I hope you’ll actively cooperate with the student council’s audit.”
Sinclair’s eyes glimmered.
“I am Sinclair. If there’s an auditing matter, I’m willing to cooperate.”
Really?
Pastel grinned slyly in her heart.
She exchanged pleasantries with other merchants and parted ways.
As she walked towards the Academy airship, Leonard caught up, looking at her strangely.
“Hey, why are you being so calm and speaking so well now? Why are you like that usually?”
“Huh? You don’t like the usual Pastel? That’s so mean.”
Pastel pouted and boarded the airship, leaving a startled Leonard to be scolded by his subordinates.
After a brief rebellion and restructuring of hierarchies, the airship deck was organized.
With many thoughts on her mind, Pastel leaned against the railing and spent some time alone.
After a while, a small shadow appeared far beyond the edge of the sky. A whale swam through the clouds and emerged.
The whale swam gracefully, slowly approaching the Sky Island, showcasing its massive body.
The horizon above was covered by the whale, turning dark. Piles of nature and plants resting on its back hinted at the arrival of a small ecosystem.
As the wing fins moved lazily, a powerful wind blew. All visible clouds seemed to retreat as if caught in a typhoon.
The wind not only pushed the clouds but swirled toward the dock. All airships began to sway in the gust.
“Ahhh!”
Pastel was knocked back. She grabbed onto the railing as her pink hair and clothing whipped chaotically.
In a reverse direction, the merchant airships all took off. It looked as if a small pod of whales was flying toward their mother whale.
“We, we need to depart too!”
The airship lifted off. They had to get onto the Sky Whale before it completely overshadowed the sky and darkened the ground.
As if welcoming people, the nature on the whale’s back responded. Mountains took off, rushing towards the Sky Island, resembling a giant monster bird.
Wow.
Feeling the responsibility, Pastel turned around. She saw Leonard and his subordinates, who looked shocked.
“Friends! Safety first! Safety first! Everyone, be careful!”
She frantically waved her arms.
“Especially the birds! They’re as big as a person, so if you get caught, it’s a definite no-go! Fortunately, they rarely eat people, but it’s still something you should watch out for! If you get too close to their nest, it could lead to disaster! Be careful, be careful!”
A calm voice echoed.
“It’s coming.”
What?
Pastel paused and looked back.
A monster bird swooped down like a flash. It snatched up a girl with a noticeable bright pink hue in an instant.
Ah?
The girl was taken away by the monster bird.
Ahhh!
The airship quickly distanced itself. Her shocked friends and Leonard gradually became smaller.
Ahhhh!
Pastel, help!
