The student council, starting earlier than others, was bustling with activity.
Dustin, who returned late after the vacation, and Ellie, who had already been working, were handling miscellaneous tasks without a moment’s rest.
“The broken window in the second-year dormitory still hasn’t been replaced. You know, the one that broke from the Skywhale’s wing flap.”
“What is the outsourcing guild doing?”
“They said due to the relocation of the flying creatures’ habitats, the supply of materials has been disrupted. They can make an emergency delivery, but they are asking for an additional contract fee since it’s difficult to proceed at the existing price.”
Ellie frowned, showing her tiredness.
“Tell them to either do it or not. They’ll have to replace the window immediately or change the guild.”
“Alright.”
Dustin nodded in agreement and started drafting a notice. As the quill moved, black ink formed letters one by one.
However, in the busy student council, the most active person wasn’t Ellie or Dustin.
“I’m so busy! Wow!”
A girl with pink hair darted back and forth in the middle of the student council. Each time, her autumn dress, a blend of white and pink tones, swayed.
“Hurry! Quick!”
Pastel flailed her arms as she rushed between desks. She seemed to be holding something, but it was just that she was busily moving around.
“I’m so busy!”
While sorting through papers, Ellie paused when she found a new agenda.
“A leave of absence application from Melissa Camerott? There’s a letter too. Hasn’t Camerott come to school yet? Which side did this come from?”
Dustin thought for a moment before speaking.
“It arrived by Scoff mail yesterday. It’s an airship from the demon realm, and it was sent through a guild they met there. But that guild also encountered pirates along the way and said most of the letters were lost.”
“Let me see. It says that due to some airships being damaged, she can’t return in time for the new semester and is applying for a few days of leave.”
“Wow! So busy!”
Pastel hurriedly passed by Ellie’s desk while flailing her arms. It seemed there was no particular reason; she just raced by busily.
As Ellie read the leave application, she tilted her head. Lost in thought, she bit her quill and looked back at Dustin.
“Have you finished the notice for the guild?”
“Not yet.”
“Stop drafting for now, and let’s check the status of the dormitory windows. We should also look into the areas the guild is responsible for, besides the second-year dormitory window.”
“To give them a proper warning?”
“Yes. There’s not much time, so borrow manpower from Leonard Tailor and handle it quickly.”
“Understood.”
Dustin organized his desk and hurried out of the student council.
Ellie watched him go then walked to the student council door to check the corridor before locking it. The click of the lock echoed quietly.
The black-and-white demon girl, who had created a secret room, glanced at Pastel with a subtle expression.
Pastel continued flailing her arms as she moved around the center of the student council. She looked somewhat unsteady.
“Ugh! I feel like I’m going to overwork myself!”
After working so hard, her arms ached in a way that felt abnormal.
This was muscle pain from too long spent on office work, causing her arm muscles to tense up and stiffen?!
How hard have I been working?!
Ugh.
Workaholic Pastel…!
She had become the busiest person in the world!
Ellie approached Pastel, carrying Melissa’s leave application.
“Pastel, look at this.”
Pastel jumped in surprise.
“Huh? What is it, Ellie?”
Ellie pointed to a section of the leave application with her finger.
“The student council guild, that is, the Craft guild, applied for a passage permit to secure materials for dormitory construction and set sail. But it hasn’t returned since the dormitory construction completed, as if it had another purpose.”
“Oh!”
“That’s true! How intriguing!”
Ellie stared intently.
A gaze that felt like watching a criminal~.
Eek.
Confused by the intense stare, Pastel suddenly got wide-eyed as she started to piece something together.
Hah!
Did I get caught for smuggling?
Ugh.
Handcuffs clanged.
Life feels dark.
Please see it as a necessity-driven crime…!
Shiver.
This time, Ellie brought papers related to the student council budget.
“The budget for the second semester is empty. The student council guild was formed, and while the remaining budget exists in paperwork, the physical amount is missing, as if someone embezzled it.”
Saying that, Ellie’s gaze fixed intensely.
A gaze that felt like watching a more serious criminal~.
Hah.
After creating the Craft guild and swapping the leftover budget for smuggled goods, I’ve been caught!
Double the shivering!
Pastel trembled vigorously as if left with traces of her action. Her pink hair fluttered.
Buzz buzz.
Then suddenly, she froze at a thought that struck her.
“No, no! Ellie is wrong about the budget!”
“Really?”
Pastel dashed to grab the new budget for the second semester. With pride, she unfolded the budget sheet.
“Look!”
Her finger pointed at the income section.
The numbers boosted by Skywhale harvesting!
“The student council may have been empty due to an unavoidable circumstance, but not anymore! Thanks to my contributions!”
Pastel put her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.
“I deserve to be praised instead!”
Yes, yes!
She raised both arms high.
“The hero who saved the student council!”
Pastel pointed to herself.
“That’s me!”
The magician of budget!
The Midas touch!
Oh yeah, oh yeah!
She jumped around cheerfully.
I am a hero!
Ellie looked at her in disbelief. She continued staring, as if it were a waste of breath to refute her.
Feel ashamed if you have a conscience, beam~.
Hah.
Suddenly feeling embarrassed!
Pastel, who had been jumping around, slowly shrank back.
She averted her gaze and awkwardly whistled.
“The vice president, general affairs manager, planning manager, promotion manager, service manager, and discipline manager know nothing~.”
“That’s a long title, but you shouldn’t not know.”
Hah.
That’s actually true?
Now that I think about it, it sounds like I just confessed?!
Shock.
Dee shock.
Pastel froze on the spot.
She became Ice Cube Pastel.
Since autumn is almost winter, it makes sense.
Ellie stared intensely and then, knowing it was Craft, she cleared away the budget-related documents with a strange attitude, as if she expected this.
Then she handed Melissa’s leave application and letter to Pastel.
“The letter is for you, so read it.”
Oh.
In fact, autumn is not winter at all, so as Pastel returned to her normal state, she approved the leave application and examined the letter.
Aside from the introduction, the main body and conclusion had been lost due to rough handling. The letter that arrived was just one sheet.
One sheet might be sufficient, but since it was originally a very long message, the received sheet had no content, only the formal greetings in the introduction.
“Wow.”
Real nobles write a whole page just for greetings.
“Is there no other letter?”
“None.”
Returning to her seat, Ellie answered casually.
Hee.
Did Melissa’s letter ultimately arrive with just a page of greetings?
As a close friend, she felt a sense of regret. Pastel diligently read through the now-arrived greeting.
It was a heartfelt letter expressing a longing to see her friend, Pastel. The tightly pressed quill marks seemed to represent the weight of emotion, and the lengthy adjectives and idioms felt like shyness trying to hide honest feelings.
Wow wow.
Real nobles write like this.
Just reading it makes it clear how much Melissa likes me!
At that moment, the quiet demon spoke up.
“I sense anger in her handwriting.”
Huh?
“It seems she wrote it trying to remain calm while suppressing her emotions, yet ultimately couldn’t restrain her hand. It feels like she scratched the letter paper with the quill. There is significant anger.”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Moreover, to maintain decorum, she should only write kind words in her greetings, but perhaps out of reluctance, she skillfully employed irony through lengthy adjectives and phrases.”
Huh?
Pastel stared hard at the letter paper. She read through the contents carefully again, rubbed her eyes, and peered at it with blurred vision.
Hmm.
Hmm.
I don’t understand at all!
“This irony can only be understood if you know the traditions and history of noble society. For example, when she referred to you as a tulip, she was talking about foolish nobles who lost their entire fortune to tulip gambling during the tulip price bubble.”
The demon explained calmly.
“Seems like the trading venture is quite taxing. Smuggling is a gamble, and you are being accused of being a gambler. You’ve spent your time as a fool, so you wouldn’t have received a proper noble education, making it hard for you to understand these nuances.”
Huh.
Is that so?
Pastel crossed her arms and fell into deep thought.
Deep thought, deep thought.
Then she smiled and opened the letter again.
Anyway, just reading it makes it clear how much Melissa likes me!
Wow wow!
Oh yeah!
While humming and reading the letter, she rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out letter paper.
I need to write back!
I’ll fill a page with just greetings, noble-style!
She diligently wrote the letter.
When the hour hand of the clock moved, Ellie approached. A bundle of documents was unceremoniously laid down.
“Sign this.”
“Oh, just a moment.”
Pastel pushed the letters aside on the desk.
“Is there anything specific I need to look at?”
“This one.”
Ellie pointed to the top document.
It was about the transfer students for the second semester.
Students who hadn’t been able to enroll in the first semester due to personal circumstances would be transferring starting in the second semester.
Since she had already heard about it, she tilted her head.
“Is there someone among the transfer students we need to be cautious of in the student council?”
She recalled that there hadn’t been any significant issues on the existing list.
As the documents were passed, her finger pointed to the updated list.
“One of the daughters of the duke, who was developing in the northern mountains, suddenly applied for transfer, perhaps due to some circumstances in the duke family.”
Huh.
Pastel fumbled with the unfamiliar term.
Duke.
Simple rank classifications floated in her mind.
Baron, viscount, count, viscount… duke.
Hah.
Higher rank than me.
How should I face a higher noble?!
The ruthlessness of the class system is descending upon an innocent child…!
Shiver shiver.
Seeing her reaction, Ellie hesitated.
“Furthermore, the duke’s daughter is in the same first year, and she’s of the knight rank… Could it shake the authority of the student council when she enrolls?”
Knight rank.
Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
First-year top Pastel → Just foolish Pastel
Huh?!
Huh?!
