Chapter 57 - Even If You Don't Study, a Student is Still a Student

The student council, facing an earlier start of school than others, was busy.

Dustin, who returned late just as vacation ended, and Ellie, who had been doing office work since coming to school early, handled miscellaneous tasks without rest.

"The broken window in the 2nd year dormitory still hasn't been replaced. The one broken by the sky whale's wing flap."

"What is the outsourced trading company doing?"

"I heard material supply isn't smooth due to sky routes changing from migration of flying creatures. They can do urgent delivery but are demanding additional contract fees, saying it's difficult with existing contract unit prices."

Ellie, looking tired, frowned.

"Tell them not to do it if they don't want to. Say they'll either replace the window immediately or we'll replace the trading company."

"I will."

Dustin agreed and began writing a notification. The quill pen moved, writing black ink letters one by one.

However, the busiest person in the busy student council was neither Ellie nor Dustin.

"Busy, busy! Uwaa!"

The pink-haired girl moved back and forth in the middle of the student council. Each time, her white-toned fall dress with pink accents swayed.

"Hurry scurry! Flurry flurry!"

Pastel ran around between desks frantically waving both arms. She wasn't holding anything, just, frantically running around.

"Busy, busy!"

Ellie who was shuffling papers paused finding a new agenda item.

"Melissa Camelot's leave of absence application? There's a letter too. Hasn't Camelot returned to school yet? Which mail did this come through?"

Dustin thought then said:

"It came by airship that arrived yesterday. It's a demon realm airship, said she sent it through a trading company met in the demon realm. But that trading company also met pirates en route so most of the letter was lost."

"Let's see. Due to some airships breaking down and needing repairs locally in the demon realm, it's difficult to return in time for school start. So she's applying for a few days leave of absence."

"Uwa uwa! So busy!"

Pastel busily passed by Ellie's desk waving both arms. There wasn't any particular reason, just... busily passed by.

Ellie tilted her head while reading the leave application. She bit the quill pen as if deep in thought then turned to Dustin.

"Did you finish writing the notification for the trading company?"

"Not yet."

"Stop writing and let's check the window status of the dormitories first. It would be good to look at other areas that trading company is in charge of besides the 2nd year dormitory windows."

"To properly warn them?"

"Yes. Since there's not much time, borrow manpower from Leonard Tyler and handle it quickly starting now."

"Got it."

Dustin organized his desk and hurriedly left the student council.

Ellie watched him go then walked to the student council door, checked the hallway, and locked the door. The sound of the door locking rang out quietly.

The black and white demon race girl who created a sealed room turned to Pastel with a subtle gaze.

Pastel was still running around the middle of the student council waving both arms. Somehow she seemed to be staggering a bit too.

"Huaa! I feel like I'll die from overwork at this rate~!"

She felt a sensation like her arms were sore from how hard she worked.

This is muscle pain from arm muscles tensing and stiffening after doing office work for too long, right?!

How hard did I work?!

Uwaa.

Workaholic Pastel...!

I've become the busiest person in the world!

Ellie gathered Melissa's leave application and approached Pastel.

"Pastel, look at this."

Pastel startled greatly.

"Huh? What's wrong, Ellie?"

Ellie pointed at one item on the leave application with her finger.

"The student council trading company, that is Craft Trading Company, departed with demon realm entry permits to secure materials for new dormitory construction. But they haven't returned even though dormitory construction is finished. As if there was another purpose."

Oing.

"That's right! How strange!"

Ellie stared intently.

A gaze looking at a criminal~

Ing.

Pastel who didn't understand the meaning of the intense gaze suddenly had her eyes go round as if realizing something.

Huk.

Was my smuggling discovered?

Uwaa.

Handcuffs go clink clink.

Life grows dark.

Please consider it survival crime...!

Tremble tremble tremble.

This time Ellie brought documents related to the student council budget.

"The 2nd semester budget is completely empty, gone somewhere. The student council trading company was established and though numbers exist on paper for the remaining budget, the actual funds don't exist. As if someone embezzled."

Ellie who said that stared intently.

A gaze looking at an even more serious criminal~

Huk.

Discovered that I scraped up even the remaining budget after establishing Craft Trading Company and changed it all to smuggled goods!

Double tremble tremble tremble!

Pastel shook her whole body so violently afterimages remained. Her pink hair vibrated.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz.

Then she paused at a thought that suddenly occurred.

"No no! You're wrong about the budget, Ellie!"

"Hm?"

Pastel quickly ran and brought the new 2nd semester budget document. She triumphantly held up and opened the budget document.

"Look look!"

Her finger pointed at the income section.

The numbers plus plus plussed from sky whale collection!

"The student council's coffers were empty due to an unavoidable and coincidental incident, but not anymore! Thanks to my efforts!"

Pastel put her hands on her sides and raised her chin.

"I deserve praise instead!"

Nod nod!

She raised both arms high.

"The hero who saved the student council!"

Pastel pointed at herself.

"That's me!"

Budget magician!

Midas touch!

Oh yeah oh yeah!

She jumped up and down excitedly.

Me, hero!

Ellie was dumbfounded. She kept staring with her mouth open as if not even worth refuting.

Beam to make you embarrassed if you have a conscience~

Huk.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed!

Pastel who was jumping up and down slowly shrank down.

She subtly avoided Ellie's gaze and awkwardly whistled.

"The vice president cum general affairs head cum planning head cum public relations head cum volunteer service head cum student guidance head knows nothing~"

"It's long to say but you shouldn't not know."

Huk.

That's really true?

Now that I say it, did I just confess?!

Shock.

Shooock.

Pastel froze just like that.

She became ice-cold frozen Pastel.

Since fall is almost winter, it's reasonable.

Ellie stared intently then cleared away the budget-related documents with a strange attitude as if she expected this from a Craft anyway.

Then she handed over Melissa's leave application and letter.

"The letter is for you so read it."

Ah.

Pastel who smoothly became normal since fall is actually not winter at all approved the leave application and examined the letter.

Excluding the introduction, the main body and conclusion at the end were lost in the rough voyage. The arrived letter was just one page.

One page might be enough, but it seemed the original was very long as there was no main text during the one page that arrived, just formal greetings that would be the introduction.

"Wow."

Real nobles write a whole page of greetings.

"Is there no other letter paper?"

"No."

Ellie who returned to her seat answered roughly.

Heeh.

So in the end only one page of greetings from Melissa's letter arrived?

As a close friend, she felt very disappointed. Pastel read the arrived greetings carefully anyway.

It was a heartfelt letter where feelings of wanting to see her friend Pastel dripped. The quill pen marks pressed hard seemed to show the weight of emotions, and the long modifiers and idioms felt like shyness hiding honest feelings.

Uwa uwa.

So this is how real nobles write.

I can tell how much Melissa likes me just from reading!

Then the demon who had been quiet spoke up.

『Anger is felt from the handwriting.』

What?

『Though it seems written as calmly as possible while suppressing emotions, ultimately hand strength wasn't controlled. It's written as if scratching the letter paper with the quill pen. Tremendous anger is felt.』

Pastel's eyes went round.

『Moreover, while formal greetings should only use good words, it vividly uses irony through long modifiers and idioms as if disliking that.』

Eeng?

Pastel stared intently at the letter paper. She read the contents carefully again then rubbed her eyes and looked with blurry eyes.

Hmm.

Hmmm.

I don't understand at all!

『It's irony that can only be understood knowing the traditions and history of noble society. For example, the part expressing you're like a tulip refers to foolish nobles who lost their entire fortune gambling on tulips during the tulip price bubble.』

The demon calmly explained.

『The voyage seems quite arduous. It's criticism that smuggling is gambling and you're a gambler. You wouldn't understand such nuances since you didn't receive proper noble education while living as a fool.』

Ing.

Is that so?

Pastel crossed her arms and fell into deep thought.

Deep thought, deep thought.

Then she smiled brightly and opened the letter paper again.

Anyway I can tell how much Melissa likes me just from reading!

Uwa uwa!

Oh yeah!

She hummed while reading the letter then rummaged through the desk drawer and took out letter paper.

I should write a letter too!

I'll try filling one page with just greetings like a noble!

She wrote the letter earnestly.

When the clock's hour hand moved, Ellie approached. A stack of documents was placed with a thud.

"Please approve these."

"Ah, just a moment."

She cleared away the letter to one side of the desk.

"Were there any agenda items I particularly need to examine?"

"This."

Ellie pointed at the topmost document.

It was about 2nd semester transfer students.

Students who couldn't enroll in 1st semester due to personal circumstances will transfer from 2nd semester.

She tilted her head since it was content she'd already heard.

"Is there someone among the transfer students the student council should pay attention to?"

I remember there weren't big issues in the existing list.

The document was turned and a finger pointed at the updated list.

"Whether there are internal circumstances in the ducal family, the second daughter of the ducal family pioneering the northern mountains suddenly applied to transfer."

Ing.

Pastel stumbled over the unfamiliar word.

Duke.

A simple rank hierarchy floated in her mind.

Baron, viscount, count, marquis... duke.

Huk.

Higher than me.

How should I deal with upper nobility?!

The harshness of the class system comes down on an innocent child...!

Tremble tremble tremble.

Seeing her reaction, Ellie hesitated slightly.

"Moreover, the duke's second daughter is apprentice knight-class despite being a 1st year... If she enrolls, won't the student council's authority be shaken a bit?"

Apprentice knight-class.

Pastel's mouth fell open.

1st year strongest Pastel → Just foolish Pastel

Uwee?

Uweee?!