Chapter 28
“Next week is vacation! Great job in the first semester, everyone!”
Pastel placed both hands on her hips and looked at Ellie and Dustin.
“Did you make your vacation plans well? As the Top Scorer in Research, I’d like to give you some advice: Diligent Effort is what creates results, just as Melissa acknowledged!”
Hehe.
“Kraft, you are elegant.”
Indeed..
I’m an Elegant Swan.
“Don’t just let the vacation pass by; you guys should work hard too! Who knows if you’ll be the next Top Scorer in Research? Though of course, the next one will be me too!”
“True, it was my first time seeing you give up on Image Management and Focus so intensely.”
Ellie took a moment to Think, then agreed.
“I knew that deliberately avoiding Student Council Work was the Kraft style, but when you actually did it, you were really Amazing. I didn’t know you were at the level of writing a whole paper in such a short time.”
The Kraft style?
Pastel tilted her head.
Is she talking about betrayal and division?
Gasp.
Is pastel Evil?
“What do you mean by Image Management?”
Dustin Was Perplexed.
Ellie glared at Dustin with the look of someone watching a pathetic boy bewitched by a girl’s outward Appearance.
“You wouldn’t understand even if you heard it.”
“Ellie, you shouldn’t act like that between friends! Dustin just has a talent for Serving Others. He’s not a fool!”
Dustin’s expression became Complex and Subtle.
“Dustin, who is not a fool, I’ll explain it to you!”
Pastel pointed at herself.
“Right now, I’m a managed Pastel! Look! My hair is flowing and my skin is moist!”
Lord Demon manages it for me every morning.
“But how was it when I was writing the paper? The deadline was tight, so I went around without proper management! My hair was frizzy, my skin lacked vitality, and my eyes were dull! I was just like a graduate Student!”
Uwaah.
Pastel marveled to herself.
She, a graduate Student, says…!
graduate Student Pastel…!
Although it was in a different Sense, she lacked vitality while doing the Writing/Completion for the Professor’s paper, so she truly was in a graduate Student state.
“Cherry Blossom Pastel was walking around as Not Cherry Blossom Pastel!”
Gasp.
Not Cherry Blossom Pastel…!
Pastel’s hands trembled.
Tremble, tremble.
“There was this much of a difference between managing and not managing! I’m never going to be Not Cherry Blossom Pastel again!”
Uwaah.
“Ah! So you meant the difference in Appearance caused by a Lack of Free Time when you said Image Management. I wondered what you meant. I understand.”
Dustin nodded.
Ellie glared at Dustin with the look of someone watching a pathetic boy who was bewitched by a girl’s Pretending to be Innocent and fooled by a few words.
Hmm.
I guess Ellie just doesn’t have good chemistry with Dustin.
Well, even between friends, that can happen!
As someone with a lot of understanding, I completely understand!
After finishing her Farewell with the Student Council Member before the vacation, Pastel moved busily.
She would need to spend a few days to exchange farewells with every friend. There was a week left until vacation, but she had To Move quickly To Finish within her schedule.
She spent her time exchanging farewells with every friend she ran into.
“Bye! Bye!”
Having too many friends is also a problem.
You could call it a hardship only a Popular person experiences.
Of course, for some reason, the friends here didn’t hang out deeply with Pastel in private, just like Melissa.
They would accept her Greetings with a smile and acknowledge her as a friend, but should she say they were Reluctant to have a Deep Conversation?
It strongly felt like an attitude of only wanting to see the pretty things from afar, since it’s a comedy from afar but a tragedy up close.
I like Pastel but getting close is a Reluctance Beam~.
Uwaah.
The Beam Ray is blinding.
For better or worse, she felt like she had become an Idol.
“Ah! Renard! Hiii!”
Renard, who had been examining something with his Subordinates in front of the First-year Student Dormitory, looked back.
“What, what’s going on?”
“I came to say Farewell to my friends before vacation!”
“You don’t have any friends here. Just go.”
Pastel refreshingly ignored Renard’s words.
“Friends, hi! Did you Prepare well for vacation?”
Renard’s Subordinates, who were also Pastel’s friends, responded favorably.
As expected of my friends!
They just ignore Renard’s words!
“You guys! If you act like this, how can I Save face! Do you not know who is more important between me and her?!”
Hmm.
“Isn’t it obviously me, because we’re friend friends! It literally has twice as many letters as friend!”
Twice as many, twice!
Oh yeah.
Renard was dumbfounded.
“What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? Do you know you’re really Shameless?”
“Yep!”
Pastel Cheerfully affirmed.
“Wow, shit, you really are Shameless?!”
Renard was left speechless.
“I’m a Shameless Pastel~.”
But I have a lot of friends.
Ahaha.
Pastel began To Laugh Alone before turning her Gaze.
“By the way, what were your friends doing?”
Renard let out a sigh.
“An Upperclassman was installing something in my area, so we were examining it.”
Installing?
It was a large, square Wooden Device.
“What is this?”
“We’re examining it because we don’t know. Do you not know either?”
“Let me take a look.”
Pastel examined the Wooden Device with a Serious Face. It had the size and shape of a large box, but gears could be glimpsed on the outside and Inside.
Hmm.
“Do you Think you know what it is?”
Renard asked, placing Subtle expectations on the Top Scorer in Research. The expectant gazes of the Friend Friends followed as well.
Fufu.
“Of course I know!”
Pastel put on a Confident Expression.
And quickly tapped her Magic sword.
Lord Demon! Lord Demon!
I have no Idea!
Uwaah.
The honor of the Top Scorer in Research is…!
The Demon calmly opened his mouth.
“It’s an Ejection Device.”
Pastel spoke confidently.
“It’s an Ejection Device!”
Hmph.
“Ooh!”
Renard and the Friend Friends marveled.
“To figure it out at once!”
“As expected of the Top Scorer in Research!”
Hehe.
Renard looked at the device.
“An Ejection Device, huh. Do you know what it’s used for?”
“Of course I know!”
Pastel answered confidently.
Then she examined the Ejection Device. It had the shape of a large Wooden Box, with gears glimpsed Here and There.
“Aha!”
She quickly tapped the Magic sword.
Lord Demon! Lord Demon!
I have no Idea!
Uwaah.
“The thing it ejects seems to be a Small Hot Air Balloon.”
Pastel spoke confidently.
“A Small Hot Air Balloon!”
Hmph.
“Ooh! Top Scorer in Research! Top Scorer in Research!”
Renard crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
“A Small Hot Air Balloon? What’s the intention behind putting it in someone else’s area? You know this too, right?”
“Of Course!”
The smart Pastel is a fast learner.
She didn’t agonize over it anymore.
She immediately tapped the Magic sword, tap-tap-tap.
Lord Demon! Lord Demon!
Uwaah.
“…Usually, it’s For Events. The operators hang a cloth with writing under the hot air balloon and eject it.”
“It’s For Events!”
Hmph.
“Ooh!”
“An extreme application would be something like Gas Dispersion. Given the visible structure, this is more likely.”
“And Gas Dispersion! This is more likely!”
Hmph.
“Ooh! Oh…?”
The marveling friends Flinched.
Pastel, who had been speaking without passing it through her brain, also Flinched.
Oh.
Everyone looked down at the Ejection Device.
Silence flowed.
From the other side, a new friend came Running.
“Leader! An Upperclassman installed something Suspicious in our area and left! What’s this? There’s one here too?”
Uh oh.
“It might not be, but the possibility of terrorism is high. It’s a Bold move. Are they trying to make it Double as Faction Promotion?”
Terrorism?
“Uwaah!”
Pastel grabbed her head and let out a Scream. She began To rummage through her hair as if pouring out all her confusion and emotions at once, then stopped and let out rough breaths.
Then, she slowly put on a Serious Face.
I’m on the Student Council.
The Control Tower operates in emergencies.
It was a position that required Taking the Initiative.
She rubbed her trembling hands to calm them down.
“Renard, start the Evacuation of the students Inside the Dormitory and grab your weapons! I’ll check this out, so move right now!”
At the Stern order, Renard Flinched, then nodded.
“Got it. You guys! You heard the Student Council’s order, right? Move right now! Right now!”
Footsteps echoed in a rush.
Left alone, Pastel examined the device.
“Can I Break it?”
“Structurally, it’s not an explosive.”
When she grabbed and tore it, it broke apart, revealing the Inside.
There was a Small Hot Air Balloon made of cloth and a small Magical Device. There was also a Medicine Bottle that seemed to be for gas.
“Judging by the color, it’s a paralysis scent. It’s not instantaneous, but it’s effective.”
“Let’s inform the Faculty right away.”
“There’s no need for that. With a move this Bold, they’ve already been caught.”
Just as he said, bells rang out across the entire Academy. It was an Infiltration alarm.
Destroying the Ejection Device with Force, Pastel quickly scanned her Surroundings. She saw students Running around In Confusion.
“Go into the Dormitory! Into the Dormitory!”
As she guided them, she was able To Carry Out the Evacuation without major confusion.
An armed Renard and his Group came Running.
“Student Council, what should we do now?”
“That depends on the purpose of the terrorism…”
Pastel crossed her arms and fell into thought.
Right after, a series of explosions was heard. small hot air balloons rose up and spewed colorful smoke. The smoke must have been heavier than air, as it began To Spread, settling on the Ground.
“Riding the wind it will fly over. It’s not safe here either.”
From somewhere, a beast’s Crying Sound could be heard. Did they Release beasts To cause confusion?
“First, go into the Dormitory building!”
“Without fighting?”
“There’s no need To Fight a field battle when a siege is possible! A stand-off is the right choice! Let’s go in! Hurry, hurry!”
She pushed the Bold Renard’s back.
Pastel came Inside the Dormitory and closed the main gate. She examined the Lock Mechanism. The padlock looked Sturdy.
“Good. The Dormitory should be reasonably safe. Renard, Maintain the standoff while watching out for window Infiltration. There’s no particular reason to Attack the Dormitory, so as long as we give the impression that it’s a difficult Strategy, we’ll be safe.”
“Got it. Did everyone hear that?! Count the number of 1st Floor windows and do a Personnel Distribution! We’ll Block the places we can with furniture and keep Guard on the places we can’t! The remaining Personnel check the back door and Secret Passage!”
Renard took Command of his Subordinates. The confusion subsided, and the response was carried out quickly.
He’s doing well.
She felt relieved.
Pastel watched that, then opened the main gate. The wind blew in, and her Pink Hair fluttered. Gazes gathered on her.
“Renard! I’ll be going now. I leave the Command to you here. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“What?”
Turning his head, Renard widened his eyes.
“You’re going alone?!”
“Yeah, because I’m on the Student Council.”
“Then we should all go - “
A beast’s sound was heard. Piercing through the Paralysis Smoke, a starving wolf lunged.
Pastel took a step without even looking back. The wolf brushed past her hem, and a Sword Strike flashed. A spray of blood erupted.
Blood stained the main gate. The girl kicked the wolf’s corpse out the door. Bloodstains were left on the floor.
“Renard, the Playing Leader is fine. As such, make sure you fulfill the responsibilities that fit the position.”
Blood dripped down her Pink Hair.
“Calm your emotions and regain your reason. Gather opinions and do your best.”
The Girl looked straight at Renard.
“You can do it, right?”
She held out her fist.
Renard hesitated.
A moment later, their fists bumped.
Pastel began To Laugh and left the Safe Zone.
Footsteps echoed.
With a body that transcended a Human, the Girl walked through the Paralysis Smoke for a while. She stopped walking at a location where she couldn’t be seen from the Dormitory.
Suddenly, she grabbed her head.
Uwaah.
I shouldn’t have joined the Student Council…!
Pastel, who has to walk into a death trap…!
Life is too hard for Pastel…!