“Huh.”
The demon pressed around his eyes.
“First, sit down.”
A finger pointed to the chair.
“Huh.”
The pink eyes widened.
“Do you have any advice regarding my love life, demon?!”
Advice from a man who failed in unrequited love to the daughter of his crush is somewhat delicate, but it’s still worth listening to!
“What is it? You have a rather puzzled look in your eyes.”
Oh?
Pastel hadn’t thought of anything.
However, feeling immensely prodded, she obediently sat in the chair.
The demon rubbed his chin and walked back and forth.
“I thought a day like this would come someday. But I never imagined it would be now.”
“I thought it would be now!”
Pastel raised one arm enthusiastically.
“What do you know?”
The demon looked bewildered.
“It’s only natural for pink to face trials of love someday!”
Pastel waved her arms.
“Zoom zoom! Bang bang! Hooray hooray! Sparkle sparkle!”
The pink eyes sparkled.
So it was!
The demon rubbed his chin.
“I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”
Huh?
Pastel’s cheeks puffed up slightly as she lowered her arms.
“You see, that’s why you experience unrequited love.”
Could it be that he knows nothing about love?
“Oh dear?”
Pastel’s expression turned somewhat smug.
“Unfortunately, my confession success rate is set to be 100%, so my position is a bit different! You could say the levels are different! If I were in my mother’s generation, I would have given you special love advice!”
It’s much easier to give up against a femme fatale like mother!
“Confident, are we?”
The demon shook his head. He then walked back and forth in front of Pastel.
“But you should reconsider. At your age, emotional maturity is still lacking, leading to a common confusion where multiple feelings are mistaken for one another. Especially since the concept of love is more easily encountered compared to other feelings, it’s natural to think of love first when feeling uncertain about your emotions.”
Oh dear.
That sounds pretty plausible.
Oh dear.
The situation of Nathaniel, who became the clan leader at a young age due to his parents’ death and is wandering on, might have made her emotions swirl as they seemed similar to her own.
Kind Pastel had never set foot in a casino, yet she had diligently immersed herself in similar smuggling activities.
While she hadn’t been enchanted by cults or extremists like Nathaniel, her first words upon meeting the demon were, “Can you make a pact?!”
Had the demon really been a bad person, there was a high possibility her life could have sparkled!
No way, right?
Could it just be that the sympathy felt when stumbling across a fellow townsfolk abroad had mixed with feelings of affection?
Oh no…
Pastel calmed down a bit.
Yet, the fact that it was the demon who told her that her feelings weren’t love sparked a strange resistance within her.
Her lips pouted.
“No, I can distinguish my feelings well! I know very well that my feelings for you, demon, are admiration! And also! Also! I’m good at this!”
From the very beginning!
“The popular Pastel couldn’t possibly fail to distinguish love! If I can’t, then I have no right to be popular!”
If she couldn’t, it would turn into absolute chaos!
The demon spread his palms as if to calm her.
“You might find it hard to accept. But fundamentally, the ability to analyze others’ emotions and your ability to understand your own feelings are separate.”
“Pffft!”
No matter how she looked at it, the demon was definitely jealous!
So, so!
He had failed in unrequited love while Pastel was set for success!
Or maybe…
The situation of being exclusively for Pastel made him anxious due to the emergence of a rival!
Her heart raced.
Oh, it seemed right!
Pastel sprang up.
“You can’t bind me with words like that, demon! I’m not someone who would succumb to your suspicious intentions that can’t even form a pact! If you want to maintain the exclusive guardian status, you’d better make a pact!”
Her pink tongue stuck out.
“Bee!”
The demon looked flustered.
“First, calm down. Why are you so suddenly excited? Place your hand on your chest and breathe slowly—”
“No way! I’ve been obedient until now, but from here on, I won’t be! From today, Pastel is independent! Independent!”
The demon momentarily looked taken aback.
“When did you ever say you would be obedient—”
“Yay! I’m independent!”
Pastel dashed out of the room.
“Independence! Independence! Today, Pastel becomes a free spirit!”
She rushed through the completely rented hotel corridor.
“Freedom! Freedom!”
A door opened. Melissa, wearing a hotel gown with a wizard’s robe effortlessly thrown on, leaned out.
“Is something going on? There seems to be quite a commotion.”
“Melissa!”
Pastel hurried over.
“Listen! Listen! It’s a completely completely totally bad story!”
She reached Melissa and gasped for breath.
“Huh? Please come in. There’s no need to cause a stir in the corridor.”
She followed Melissa inside.
As she sat on the sofa, Melissa slowly prepared a tea set.
“I was just about to read a book and sleep, so please excuse the dim lighting.”
Just as she said, the lighting was generally soft.
As the teapot tilted, the tea poured into the cup, wrapping around the interior and spreading the scent of green tea.
Being with a calm friend calmed Pastel too, allowing her to quickly regain her composure.
“Ah, the smell of bad green tea.”
“If it doesn’t suit your taste, enjoy the aroma. Tea enjoyed from its place of origin is something special.”
The teapot was placed daintily down.
Melissa smiled gently.
“What happened? From your expression, it doesn’t seem like a major problem.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Pastel tilted her head.
“Is that so? No, it’s serious.”
“Then it could be serious.”
“Melissa, you’re so wishy-washy.”
“Is that so?”
Melissa smiled as she savored the scent of the tea.
Pastel grabbed a teaspoon and added sugar.
One spoonful, two spoonfuls, three spoonfuls.
Her lips moved but then closed tightly.
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”
“Well, it’s not that, but how should I put it? My thoughts are just tangled right now.”
The teaspoon stirred the tea, and the sugar granules swirled.
Pastel stared intently at the swirling sugar.
Melissa seemed slightly taken aback.
“Was it really a major issue? I must have made an unfounded assumption. I’m sorry.”
Oh?
“What makes you think that?”
“The attitude, perhaps? It might be a bit rude, and I could be wrong.”
“Huh, how are you so accurate? It wasn’t in the corridor, but until just now, you were right. But it’s not supposed to be now!”
“Huh? What is that?”
Melissa looked a little scared.
Shivers.
Pastel blew on the tea and took a sip.
Uh, it’s bitter.
No matter its origin, it still tasted bad, so she just set it down.
The pink eyes sparkled.
“Melissa! I think I have someone I like! What should I do?! Proposal, yip yip?!”
Melissa looked surprised.
“Congratulations! I never expected you would find someone you like! What a coincidence!”
Melissa turned to look behind her. Just as she said, there was a book on the rocking chair as she had tried to read before sleeping.
She went to grab it and proudly showed Pastel the fairy tale book with a bright smile.
“I was reading a related book too. I think I have something to tell you.”
Wow, a fairy tale book.
“You once asked me what free love is.”
Having heard that she was lower in priority than her mother returning to her father made her a bit miserable, she had asked around about that love.
Ah, a little embarrassing past!
“I explained arranged marriages well back then, but I felt bad for not properly explaining free love. It seems you’re more interested in that.”
Melissa proudly held up a fairy tale book with a big rabbit illustration.
“So I’ve been continuously looking for and reading about it.”
“Wow, wow.”
Pastel felt warm inside.
Warmth.
However, a question suddenly popped up, and she couldn’t help but ask.
“Why a fairy tale book?”
“Is something strange about it? I’ve heard of vulgar romance novels spread in high society, but I’ve never seen one, so I wasn’t sure. When I asked Belamont, he told me that a fairy tale book would be a more appropriate choice.”
Melissa beamed with pride.
Elshire…!
You knowingly answered like that…!
How could you treat the pure Melissa like that!
Anger! Anger! Anger!
“Given that the culture is vulgar in the north, there must be plenty of vulgar romance novels, so I thought Belamont would have read some, but it seems I made a good choice.”
Melissa is too much…!
Are you all really getting along?!
“Look.”
Excited, Melissa opened the fairy tale book with flushed cheeks. It seemed so thrilling to share interests with a friend.
A picture of two rabbits with their arms crossed was pointed out.
“Free love means building feelings through dates. If you want to practice free love, you should be dating instead of proposing.”
“Wow, surprising fact.”
Pastel learned a fact she hadn’t known at all.
Knowledge +1
“Right?”
Melissa smiled proudly.
“By the way, I think I have a date scheduled!”
I’m supposed to meet at the underground casino!
“Really? That’s great! Then it’s step two!”
Melissa fluttered the pages of the fairy tale book.
“If you’ve set up a date.”
A picture of a rabbit couple visiting adult rabbits was pointed out.
“You just need to seek your parents’ permission! For you, Pastel, you just need to get permission from the great demon.”
Uh.
Uh-oh.
A convenient fairy tale!
“I don’t have to ask for permission, do I?”
“You do.”
Melissa’s expression was resolute.
“Why?!”
Melissa’s expression turned smart.
“Smooth dating requires proper cash. Since asset management is handled by your parents, their cooperation is essential. While you might be able to pay on your own, money-related issues will ultimately arise in the long term. If the dating involves money problems, love will distort, and calculation will mix in. How is that different from an arranged marriage?”
Eh.
With the cash wallet managed by the demon, Pastel’s pink eyes spun around.
“Moreover, if you date without experience, the chances of having an enjoyable date become slim. You might plan a rushed schedule without knowing your partner or yourself, putting your heart before matters. Seeking advice from your parents, who are life seniors, before gaining experience is an excellent choice, especially at the beginning.”
Something, something plausible.
Why is this written so well?
Pastel cast a fearful gaze at the rabbit fairy tale book.
“Ugh, but I just came from arguing with the demon.”
Melissa smiled.
Oh, is it okay not to get permission since it’s an exceptional circumstance?
Her blue eyes firmed up.
“Still.”
So resolute!
