Chapter 116
"Phew."
Pastel walked listlessly.
As the moon peacefully floated in the sky, she looked like an office worker getting off work after working overtime. Since she was wearing a suit she didn't normally wear, there really wasn't much difference.
"That was so hard."
They were just dispersing to their Guest Rooms after attending the Briefing Session and finishing their discussions.
The friends, having completely returned to their private relationship after the public situation ended, walked together.
Melissa smiled softly.
"Banquets naturally consume a lot of stamina, especially if it's your first time. Arriving late and skipping the banquet to focus on the Briefing Session was a strategically good choice."
That was a Battle of Wills, though.
Pastel weakly waved her arms.
"I didn't know there would be another banquet after the Briefing Session ended."
Dealing with the approaching nobles completely drained my energy.
Even though I like talking, I can't just enjoy it when quiet probing or wars of nerves are exchanged.
Is it because they're all older? Just being in the same space is a tense situation.
Ppu-ppu.
The demerit of being a popular person. Usually, it's fun when a lot of people approach me, but it's troublesome when they frequently approach me while I'm working.
Even if we're friends privately, if we meet publicly, they're just civil complainants.
"That's more of a simple time to unwind rather than a banquet. It doesn't have an official name, but it's a schedule everyone implicitly keeps in mind."
"Ppu-woo."
Pastel stuck her lips out like a duck.
"Isn't it too long to be called a simple time?"
Walking to the corridor window sill and looking up at the sky, she noticed the moon was still there. The soft moonlight covered her pink hair like a veil.
"Haaah."
It's really past midnight.
Melissa smiled. True to an orthodox noble who had experienced banquets since childhood, she showed no signs of exhaustion.
"Because the main character arrived late, the people who wanted to talk to you at least once, Pastel, finally spoke to you."
"If the purpose of their talking to me is a probing battle, I caaan't accept it happily."
"That is true. Still, you handled it well. Everyone was deeply impressed by the first impression of the Head of the Craft Family, you know? Even though you didn't have a debutante ball, you can proudly say you've made a splendid debut in High Society with this. Since the talk of your first impression will spread, next time, it probably won't take this long."
"Ah~! My first impression wearing a suit?"
Pastel walked a little faster to widen the distance. Then she looked back at Melissa, Alcier, and Ellie.
A bright smile appeared.
"Friends! Now you can finally feel your special relationship with me, right? You have to reach the level of getting on the Friend Ranking to taste Pastel's true heart."
"Are you making that official? To add a bit of personal feeling, I don't think it's good to rank friendship."
"Ding! Ding! Ding! It's a deception to say that for the 1st place in the ranking!"
Especially someone like Renard, who is furious whenever I mention the rankings as a pastime, about always being in the middle ranks, would get mad.
"Anyway! Our friends who didn't start with the suit-wearing, acting-tone Pastel deserve to feel proud of this truthful relationship!"
Is this the deceit-free close relationship that's only possible during school days?
Clap! Clap!
Clap, clap, clap!
"Yahoo~!"
Pastel clapped by herself.
"Our truthful relationship without acting!"
After seeing the pitiful Pastel working hard on her Mastermind Acting in the banquet hall, which is completely different from her true nature, you can feel it right away, can't you?
Strange gazes came her way.
Oing.
Melissa looked slightly embarrassed on their behalf.
"Even if you have a bad reputation, we've spent time together so I'm not doubting you, but you're good at acting."
Isn't the excuse modifier attached to the front too long to say you're not doubting me?
"I believe you."
Pastel, who was about to cry, widened her eyes at Alcier's remark.
As expected of Alcier!
Sometimes you're ahead of Melissa!
I didn't expect it at all, but thank you!
Alcier added.
"Your acting skills."
Uwaaah!
"Why would you believe that...!"
Pastel grabbed her head.
"This is all because of the suit! If I had worn my usual flowy white clothes, you would have felt my truthful heart through the Pink-Pink White-White effect!"
Melissa looked at her somewhat suspiciously.
"That remark is very Kraft-like. Do you usually care about things like that? I'm not doubting my friend at all, but how about realizing objectively that it's a mindset prone to being doubted?"
"It's not a mindset prone to being doubted; it's a mindset that deserves to be doubted."
"So unfair!"
Pastel looked ready to cry.
I shouldn't have worn the suit!
In the first place, pink hair and a suit can't help but remind people of a demon!
I should have avoided the good and Her Excellency, the Great Pastel being perceived as a demon!
"Young Lady."
A maid approached Melissa and spoke to her. Melissa looked up at the moon outside the window.
"It's getting late. I'll be heading back now."
Her blue eyes gazed affectionately.
"Pastel, you should go to sleep now too. Even though I said it, don't worry too much about this issue. Everyone has their own personality, after all. We don't doubt our relationship because of personality."
Don't worry too much.
In other words, worry about it a little.
Uwaaah!
"I'll be going too."
Melissa and Alcier left.
Ellie, who had been quiet, turned her body stealthily following the mood.
"Ah, Ellie, wait a second."
Pastel reached out her hand. Her eyes met the Demonkind girl's.
"Don't we have something to talk about?"
The Princess I didn't even know about?
Ellie bit her lip slightly.
#
"Lord Demon! Two cups of cocoa! Cocoa because it's night! Cocoa that makes you sleep well! Cocoa with lots of sugar!"
Pastel hummed.
The demon brought the cups. A white liquid sloshed inside.
“Drink milk without sugar since it's night. If you keep eating only sugar in the middle of the night, your teeth will rot.”
Gasp.
The Milk Friend arrived instead of the Cocoa Friend.
Pastel dejectedly grabbed the cup. Warm and cozy steam rose.
"Drinking milk while wearing a suit."
Challenge~.
Gulp.
White milk got on the corners of her mouth. She stuck her tongue out and licked it off.
My body and mind relaxing from the warm milk seems better than cocoa in the middle of the night.
The Magic Stone Powder mixed in secretly is sweet too.
"One more cup!"
“Take off your coat first. If you stay in your work clothes, your mental fatigue won't be relieved.”
"Yeees!"
Pastel swiftly took it off and handed it over. She was now in a white dress shirt.
"Wow! Now that I have taken off the coat, the color tone is similar to my usual fashion!"
With this, I've changed my image from a demon to an office worker, even if it's not cherry blossom-cherry blossom!
"Right, Ellie?"
Ellie awkwardly fiddled with her cup. The milk steam rose in wisps.
"It is similar to the usual."
"Eeeh? Does that remark mean I'm usually stiff too?"
Is that how she took it?
"Not that, just."
I received a new cup of milk.
Pastel took the opportunity while Lord Demon went to secure the Guest Room windows to put plenty of sugar in her milk.
A million times more delicious~.
The teaspoon created a whirlpool.
"What title do you prefer to be called? Princess Ellishita? Or just Princess? Or Her Great Highness the Princess?"
"What's with the last one."
Ellie was somewhat dumbfounded.
"Call me like usual."
"Yeah, yeah!"
She... why did Ellie deceive me?
Did she not know that you have to disclose all your history when getting a job.
Pastel hummed. The teaspoon, having been used to melt all the sugar, stirred the milk for no reason.
Ellie's hand awkwardly rubbed the cup.
"I wasn't trying to deceive you."
A hesitant silence flowed.
"I enrolled using a sub-identity because of unspeakable official duties, and that's just been maintained."
"Yeah, yeah! I see!"
Pastel smiled brightly.
"I wasn't deceived either!"
A clear voice rang out.
"I already did a background check on Ellie!"
Ellie probably didn't know, but Ellie was the reason I created a separate Inspection Department not under the Student Council!
There are many coincidences in the world, and I always feel wronged too, but...
There are times when it's not a coincidence!
"Huh?"
The Demonkind girl looked blank.
"As a result of reviewing your identity, whereabouts, and contacts, Spy Suspicion is indicated, but there is no Terror Suspicion. The individual is presumed to be a figure of the Dovish Faction, separate from the Hawks who carried out the radical terrorism."
The teaspoon was put down.
"The reason for infiltrating is highly likely to find the Demon King Successor in a space where talents of a certain age group gather. As evidence, the Access Records for the Student Roster and whereabouts were suspiciously numerous."
For reference, these access records are different from the records meticulously manipulated by Ellie, the person in charge.
Pastel, who only flies paper airplanes every day, actually wasn't playing around and every day checked and wrote down the access and bringing in of all documents!
I'm not doubting my subordinates, but Mutual Recording and Review are effective for security procedures. I've been doing it since the first semester!
Originally, it would be right to disclose the Security Procedure to block bad intentions themselves, but.
This is a bleak and scary world of swords and magic, so I kept it to myself and tried making a trap!
"I'm Her Excellency, the Great Pastel~."
The girl in the dress shirt laughed, ahaha.
"But I didn't expect you to be a Princess!"
The Inspection Department is a private intelligence organization made by Renard and Friend Friend, so it hasn't reached deep into the political world yet.
If there was a Terror Suspicion and I proceeded with the Confinement procedure first, it almost escalated into a Diplomatic issue.
Princess Status must be treated carefully, no matter how much it's an issue of student safety and it would have been troublesome if she were a Radical Faction Spy.
Actually, even the Moderate Faction Demonkind should be guarded against by an Imperial Noble in that they support the Demon King, but...
Because I am that Next Demon King!
Even if it doesn't suit me, I'm a Demon King Candidate~!
Ahem.
"Ah?"
The Demonkind girl stared blankly.