I bound the upperclassman I had subdued tightly with ropes.
“Senpai! How could you commit such a wicked act? I’m disappointed!”
Pastel felt let down by a senpai she didn’t even know the name of.
The upperclassman, wrapped up like a mummy, looked dumbfounded.
“What wicked thing did I do?”
“Are you trying to deny it?!”
Ugh.
A typical of a wicked criminal!
The audacity overflowing with immorality.
Pastel opened her mouth with a determined expression.
“Senpai, you did something wicked, uh….”
Gasp.
I don’t know what this senpai did.
I glanced at the first-year student who was sneaking up. The first-year hurriedly replied.
“I found a secret warehouse. Right as I found it, senpai was there and ran away.”
Gasp, a secret warehouse.
Just hearing the name exudes wickedness.
“That’s right! A wicked secret warehouse! I’m disappointed! A wicked secret warehouse!”
Shiver, a wicked secret warehouse.
How many magic stones awakening agents could there be? I felt my mouth watering. I hurriedly swallowed and declared strongly.
“I will confiscate everything immediately!”
I moved with the upperclassman to the secret warehouse. Since the ropes were too tight, I loosened the bindings on his feet so he could walk.
“Is this it?”
“Exactly.”
Pastel arrived at a storage unit that didn’t seem too secretive. It was a small warehouse behind a shopping complex.
How open can it be?
“How did you find the secret warehouse? Surely, not through some clandestine lobbying? A criminal network connected to the shopping district?”
“I just rented the warehouse.”
The upperclassman bound in ropes looked embarrassed.
Eh, is that possible…?
Feeling somewhat disappointed, Pastel began searching the warehouse.
In front was a desk piled with wooden boxes and sacks of awakening agent pills. One wall was densely covered with completed awakening agent boxes.
“Wow.”
It was a perfect scene for awakening agent commercialization.
Is there that much to eat?
My saliva prickled.
Pastel quickly wiped her mouth before anyone saw.
And then swiftly shouted.
“All of it is confiscated! All of it is confiscated!”
My arms flailed with excitement.
Everything, straight into my belly!
The awakening agent friends would surely want this too.
Oh yeah.
The upperclassman suffered.
“Isn’t that a bit excessive? I bought this at a high price.”
“It’s also for punitive reasons!”
“Could you make an exception just this once?”
“No exceptions! Right, friends?”
The friends who had already been confiscated nodded.
Pastel looked firmly at the upperclassman.
“Senpai! Everyone can make a mistake once. But skills are built through honest effort. You shouldn’t rely on drug doping. It prevents you from honing your essence!”
Ahem.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“It’s a fair point, but listen.”
The upperclassman began to counter.
“There are no side effects and it’s not addictive. Yet, the effects are definite. The only issue is the price—it’s an excellent product that has been confirmed by professors.”
Hmm, is that so? It might actually be a good product?
“Of course, it seems to have the know-how of the cult. It’s a bit unsettling.”
The upperclassman shrugged.
“But what does that matter? The cult is already dead anyway. Isn’t someone equipped with the skills to survive just doing business with awakening agents? This product is just for promotion.”
A logical voice echoed.
“Isn’t dealing in awakening agents a bit trivial? Should we be wary of even small businesses tied to the cult that has collapsed? No way. Using a drug with no side effects and not addictive during life-risking battlefield situations isn’t wrong, is it? This too isn’t wrong.”
Oh.
Thinking about it, that makes sense.
Oh dear.
Am I misunderstanding the culture and history of this world?
In this world, is drug use really not that serious of an issue?
Is it just me, Pastel, who is aghast at the word ‘evil’?
If you think about it, cigarettes and alcohol are also drugs.
I quickly tapped my magic sword.
Oh dear! Oh dear!
『Well, that’s somewhat right.』
Gasp.
『Even the royal elite soldiers use magic stone drugs. They use them very well. Even a student focused on achievements might consider it during combat requests. Life is rarely more important than that.』
Oh dear.
Pastel’s eyes trembled violently.
Why is this world like this?
Am I mistaken?
『However, underestimating the dangers of the cult is wrong. The generation born after the cult collapsed must feel differently. Confiscating awakening agents is a justified measure. This is related to the cult.』
Oh.
Indeed, the majesty of the demon.
Support my “everything into my belly” sentiment!
Pastel’s face regained its confidence.
“Senpai, you were wrong!”
I don’t know what the cult is, but I mimicked the demon’s words like a parrot.
Blabber blabber blabber.
Ahem.
I shrugged my shoulders.
The upperclassman lowered his head as he was listening.
“Well, it must be a decision from the faculty. Take it, sigh.”
This is the persuasive power of the top student.
Hehehe.
“Friends, collect it all! All is confiscated! Confiscated!”
The first-year students moved busily.
Pastel smiled and turned to the upperclassman.
“But what is your name?”
I need to know to write the report properly.
The upperclassman, tightly bound by the rope, watched me with changing eyes.
“My name?”
Suddenly, the rope slipped off. The upperclassman moved his unbound hands. A black sphere emerged from his robe.
“Of course, I can’t tell you. Why would I want to get scolded?”
Eh.
The sphere collided with the ground. Smoke exploded.
Wow.
Startled, Pastel was stunned by the overpowering scent of onions.
Ew.
My eyes stung suddenly. Tears flowed. Breathing hurt my nose.
“I’ll give you that, but exclude it from the report!”
The voice echoed and faded away.
Smoke filled the warehouse.
Ahh.
What is this onion smoke?
Waving my arms in a panic, I rushed out of the warehouse.
I inhaled the fresh air. I started coughing repeatedly. My eyes were stinging, and my nose was in pain.
Onion!
Unconsciously rubbing my eyes, I suddenly jolted. The residue of smoke that was on my hands touched my eyes.
The pain surged fiercely.
“Wowaaah!”
Pastel cried out in a different sense than usual.
“Wowaaah!”
Chaos ensued.
The smell of onions lingered heavily.
From somewhere, a calm voice could be heard.
『This is a good experience. You’ll encounter such things occasionally in real life. Experiencing them ahead of time in safety is invaluable.』
The merciless advice came with zero empathy.
『Calm down and try holding your breath. As you are beyond human, you don’t need to breathe. Besides, the ingredients won’t affect you anyway. Calm your mind. It’s not dangerous.』
What advice is this in the middle of an onion cough situation?
Absolutely wicked demon!
A devilish devil!
Amidst the tears, Pastel shouted with strength.
“Cold-hearted! Shameless! Zero empathy!”
Totally demonic!
The demon itself!
The demon was taken aback.
『Ahem, I’m sorry. But you must be feeling sensation. Asking you to endure pain during a non-combat situation is excessive. Don’t rub your eyes and open your arms. Use the clean air to blow away the residue. It will pass soon enough.』
Pastel spread her arms.
Breeze, breeze.
Then, in a frenzy, she flapped her arms.
Flap flap flap flap.
Uwaah.
Unable to hold it any longer, she spun around.
Spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning.
Wowaaah, the world is spinning.
Pastel spins too.
The center twisted and she collapsed to the ground.
Pastel hung her head with a dazed expression. Her eyes and nose were red.
The onion scent still vibrated.
I absolutely hate onions.
The worst ingredient in my life.
“I won’t ever eat that onion.”
For life.
Please exclude it from future cooking.
『Hmm.』
The demon thought for a moment.
『That would be a bit difficult for cooking. No, you need a balanced diet. Fussy eating isn’t good.』
Uwaah, cold-hearted.
Someone who would sneak ground anchovy into a hamburger steak!
Someone who would shamelessly force me to eat even after being caught!
Gasp, the demon itself.
After a while, the situation was sorted.
Dustin, who rushed over, led the first-years in cleaning up the warehouse and retrieving the awakening agents, of course keeping a thorough watch to ensure no one hid some away.
Pastel, having washed up, calmly and meticulously assessed the scene. After confirming it again, she admired.
“Wow! Impeccable handling!”
Unlike Ellie, who was good with paperwork, Dustin was indeed suited for the field.
“Dustin! Dustin!”
While munching on chicken skewers bought from a nearby shop, Pastel spoke.
“Surely, you’re suited to take care of others! You’re overflowing with talent!”
Munch munch chicken skewer.
Dustin’s expression became complicated.
Looks like he doesn’t like compliments.
Is he shy?
I, the very understanding one, must understand him!
#
“I confiscated a considerable amount of awakening agents. Unfortunately, most got wet during the warehouse raid and had to be discarded.”
Pastel reported while savoring the taste of a premium candy.
Professor Carlow looked up from the report he was reading.
“Did you gain the cooperation of the department?”
“Yes, since tackling underground trades will require a joint response. I intend to root it out before it becomes chronic. I also request the cooperation of the faculty on this matter.”
The report he was reading landed on the desk.
“The Student Council doesn’t need to put in that much effort.”
“Huh?”
“A subsequent analysis of the awakening agents showed there are still no issues with its components. Leaving the underground trade alone should be alright.”
Pastel was perplexed.
Huh, is that correct?
Professor Carlow took out a document from the drawer.
It was the external request data for all enrolled students.
Since the drug distribution, the quality of requests had increased, and the quantity completed had grown.
Huh.
“It wouldn’t be good to rely on it, but if they’re using personal funds, there’s no reason to stop them. There are no side effects, after all.”
The Academy chose performance between student health and institutional results.
Huh?
“What about the cult? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“It seems you’re concerned about Craft. We’ll discuss that in the next faculty meeting. It’s a collapsed organization, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Professor Carlow took out another document.
“By the way, the Magic Tower sent a public document. It’s not something to be overly concerned about as it’s a minor regular exchange, but the Student Council should be informed in advance.”
Pastel received the document and returned to the Student Council.
Huh.
Reality is too cold.
I sprawled on the sofa and skimmed through the document.
It was a simple message saying the Magic Tower would be visiting as per usual for regular exchanges.
Hmm.
“Ellie! Ellie! They’re coming from the Magic Tower, do you know what exactly they’re doing?”
Ellie, who was focusing on her quill, looked up.
“It’s probably a new student exchange. Since there were no new students last year, they couldn’t do it, but it seems they’re planning to this time. It’ll probably just end after gathering in the auditorium for a brief look.”
Heh, I see.
Pastel secretly took out a pill and popped it in her mouth.
Instead of swallowing, I chewed, tasting the sweet candy flavor.
Wow.
The chef’s magic stone cocktail.
On a different level from raw magic stones.
My lips curled.
As Ellie considered with the quill, she opened her mouth again.
“Pastel, rather than just observing, you’ll have to stand as the representative for the new students in front of the current students. You’re going to have a hard time.”
Huh.
Performing in the auditorium?
Heh, sounds fun.
“What do I have to do? Sing a song?”
Wow.
Here goes Pastel’s song.
“Aren’t you the top student?”
“That’s right!”
Hehehe.
Ellie said nonchalantly.
“Then it’ll be an academic debate.”
An academic debate?
Pastel pondered the words that just came through.
Academic debate.
Gasp.
An academic debate?
I jumped up from the sofa.
“W-What’s the topic?”
Surely, it’s a topic that capable Pastel can answer smoothly, right?
Administrative tasks or practical administration, maybe.
Oh dear.
It doesn’t sound like a topic suitable for a debate in front of everyone.
“It probably won’t be limited to any field. Just like during the written exam.”
Ellie rummaged through the Student Council drawer. She found the topic from two years ago.
“Discuss the impact of wild boar habitat relocation on the secondary forest ecosystem from a defensive perspective.”
Ugh.
Completely unfamiliar content!
Top student Pastel, into a crisis…!
