Chapter 58
Airships flew to Sky Island's docking area. They surrounded the airship carrying transfer students as if escorting it.
When the whale-like airship moved its wing fins for a soft landing, strong winds blew. The clothes of academy personnel waiting at the docking area fluttered roughly.
Pastel, who stepped forward as the student council representative, trembled her hand facing the wind. She subtly spoke to Ellie waiting beside her on the right.
"Sh-she's a duke's daughter, how should I greet her? Hello? Good day to you?"
"Well I don't perfectly know imperial etiquette but..."
Ellie lightly rubbed her pointed demon race ears.
"Did I ever use honorifics with you?"
Recalling memories.
Never did!
"We're fellow students. It's true that after graduation is concerning, but it seems there's no need to stand out proactively."
Pastel's face brightened slightly.
"That's right that's right! There's no need for friends to be awkward! Like friends! No, we're already friends!"
At the similar yet somehow different conclusion, Ellie tilted her head slightly.
"Well and I don't think I've heard news of Elsior Bellamont receiving a title. Did she refuse though she could have received one? Wouldn't it be suitably proper to treat her like Melissa Camelot who's in the same situation? Dustin, what do you think?"
Dustin waiting on the left flinched. He clearly looked perplexed. It was a topic difficult to handle with experience born and raised in a marginal barony.
"That, but Bellamont has royal bloodline so how about mutual honorifics?"
The Bellamont ducal family was a royal family absorbed during the empire's unification war. They received the duke title out of respect for their bloodline, but were also given the duty of supervising the ducal territory that was part of their former kingdom.
"Mutual honorifics between friends?"
Pastel's eyes went round.
Completely new etiquette I'm hearing for the first time!
"I don't even use mutual honorifics with Melissa who's my closest friend in this world?!"
Pastel expressed how close she was with Melissa by spreading her arms wide.
"Melissa who's this~ close will be sad if I treat her differently!"
"I-is that so?"
Dustin was embarrassed. He seemed ashamed of his lacking knowledge.
Ah, I should comfort him.
"Dustin! You might not know! You can be awkward with these friend relationships since you have almost no friends!"
Nod nod!
Dustin's expression became like someone suddenly hit while passing by playing kids.
He must be unfamiliar even with this comfort since he has no friends.
Pastel became full of consideration. She made a bright laughing sound to prevent an awkward atmosphere.
Ahaha!
She gave a thumbs up.
"You're talented at taking care of others so it's fine even if you have no friends! You proved it doing miscellaneous work in the student council! Right Ellie?"
When she turned around, Ellie was shocked with her mouth slightly open. The demon race girl's gaze looked at Pastel then Dustin.
A gaze full of sympathy different from her usual frustrated and displeased attitude whenever looking at Dustin.
The demon race girl comforted Dustin sincerely.
"It's okay. Even if your only friend is like this, it's better than having none. You normally wouldn't associate with such a person in your lifetime anyway."
Eh.
Only friend?
Did Ellie just unconsciously declare she's not friends with Dustin...?
She turned to Dustin in shock and it was the finishing blow - Dustin had violently shrunken down. He was like a half-melted snowman with collapsed form.
The snowman was gloomy.
"I have no friends..."
Huk.
It's true but.
It's true but...!
You don't need to repeat that~!
"Ellie! How could you do this! This is a crime, crime! Friend crime!"
Huk, friend crime.
An unimaginable serious crime for Pastel!
"Huh? What? Did I do something wrong?"
Ellie was perplexed.
It took time to resolve Ellie's serious crime, but they were able to solve it by the time the duke's daughter disembarked from the airship.
The docking area instantly became noisy as the group of transfer students disembarked with their servants.
The most eye-catching among them was a silver-haired girl accompanied by personnel who could be called armed soldiers rather than servants. Spear tips pierced the sky as soldiers followed the girl. Cold silver eyes scanned the docking area.
The silver gaze stopped at a certain point. It was the gathered student council members for guiding and welcoming transfer students.
The pink-haired girl at the front blew a trumpet puu puu~
"All academy students welcome the transfer students!"
Pastel shouted then put the trumpet to her mouth.
Puu puu~!
Beside her, Dustin handed out guidebooks prepared by the student council to servants and explained. Ellie directly handled transfer students asking questions.
How's the schedule, how are the dormitories, what's the school atmosphere, etc.
Noisy conversations went back and forth.
Amidst the busyness, what role did Pastel play? Just blowing the trumpet and being in charge of standing out.
Puu puu~!
Everyone gave their attention to some pink girl doing this. It might have been because the Marquis was doing this without dignity.
Though she was just playing an instrument, it was a very important role since dropouts would occur if the guiding student council wasn't noticeable. It could even be called the most important role.
Surprisingly true.
Puu puu~!
When disembarkation procedures completely finished, they began full-scale movement. Since servants would handle trivial areas anyway, they just needed to guide transfer students to dormitories.
Pastel kept blowing the trumpet while leading the way, then stopped blowing reflecting Ellie's opinion that it was very embarrassing.
Ing.
She regretfully removed her mouth from the instrument and had nothing to do.
The group of transfer students followed in a line, but since Ellie pointed out and explained parts of campus they passed and Dustin handled minor matters, Pastel at the front didn't particularly have anything to do.
She subtly put the trumpet to her mouth again to raise a welcoming atmosphere, but gave up after just receiving a glare from Ellie.
Eeng.
It's a problem to hand over too well to subordinate staff.
Pastel walked at the front with nothing to do, hands behind her back.
Ahem.
I have nothing to do!
Me, completely capable.
Huhu.
Is this how department heads feel?
She looked back slightly arrogantly.
"The student cafeteria isn't just there, so it's good to use other places if you don't like the location."
Ellie earnestly explaining campus to the following group of transfer students.
She's doing well so not an important part.
"No matter how much you tell me to assign a good dormitory to your young master, I can't. If you're really dissatisfied, the student should come directly to the student council. I'd like you to understand it's troublesome as equal students if opinions are delivered through servants like this."
Dustin firmly refusing while sandwiched between troubled servants.
Nod nod.
Everyone's doing well!
Is this a situation where I can do some private matters?
Pastel examined the transfer student group. The silver-haired girl walking subtly apart from the group caught her eye.
It was an attitude where she couldn't tell if the girl was walking apart in advance since she'd leave the line midway to be assigned a good dormitory anyway, or if she just had no intention of mixing with the same student group.
Silver eyes examining the campus suddenly turned around. Silver hair was disheveled. A girl wrapped in white silver as if pulled from a blizzard in the northern mountains.
So this kind of girl is good at spear techniques and apprentice knight-class.
Pastel smiled brightly.
And my friend!
Hehe.
I should preciously add her to my friend list like Melissa!
"Hello, Elsior! It's been so long!"
Pastel who suddenly approached greeted as if they were really close friends.
"I'm so glad to see you! Waa!"
Hop hop!
Frantic pink covered the front of the girl.
Elsior seemed perplexed at the sudden situation and slightly blurred her gaze while searching her memories. Then she seemed to be certain they were absolutely not acquainted.
"When did we meet?"
Pastel's eyes went round.
"We weren't meeting after a long time?!"
Shock.
"Could it be my mistake?!"
Huk.
She took a surprised pose with both arms spread.
"No wonder no wonder! I thought something was strange! Thanks for telling me!"
Pastel said that while naturally walking beside her.
Elsior looked her over perplexedly at the narrowed distance.
"But Elsior do you know? The moment I first saw you I realized beep~!"
Beep~!
Pastel made a sound effect with her mouth then declared with her hands on her sides:
"It's the fact that we'll become close friends!"
Shocking truth.
She whispered in Elsior's ear as if telling an amazing secret.
"I felt like we were already close friends after confusing this realization. Huk. Amazing truth! Only you should know! It's a secret just between us!"
Elsior looked dumbfounded unable to follow the situation then turned to her servant. It was a gaze asking if they had met this girl somewhere.
The servant shook their head. Elsior turned back to Pastel dazedly again.
"When did we meet...?"
A reaction truly not understanding what this situation was.
Pastel whispered the secret with a serious face.
"We met at this moment just now."
Huk.
Complete close friend trigger.
Silence fell. The sounds of Ellie's guiding voice and bustle of the transfer student group from a short distance away didn't seem to interfere between the two.
Pastel savored the silence.
Ah, this atmosphere.
As a friend-making expert I can be certain. I feel an atmosphere not awkward even without conversation that only flows between close friends.
Pastel blurred her voice with a serious face.
"Since we're close, there's something I want to carefully ask. Will you listen?"
Elsior looked silently.
Sniff.
I know your heart too.
Your feelings must be to tell me anything.
But I don't make unreasonable requests to close friends.
Pastel slowly made her request.
"Let's have a practice match."
A chance to safely train with an apprentice knight-class.
Can't miss it.
Elsior was confused with a face completely unable to grasp what this situation was, then opened her mouth.
"I refuse."
Huk.
Rejected.
A cold rejection like the storm's snow flower...!
When they reached the fork to the assigned dormitory, Elsior left as if fleeing.
It was the appearance of frantically running away after suddenly receiving a friend attack from some strange kid, when she was unfamiliar with making same-age friends from living in the cold, unpopulated north.
Huk.
Pastel collapsed with a thud.
Ellie subtly gave a glance and Dustin approached worriedly.
"Pastel?"
"Dustiiiin."
Pastel with a tearful face clung to Dustin's leg. Dustin who was looking down flinched then turned his gaze away with a red face.
"Dustiiiin."
"S-say it."
"Teach me your rude duel challenging method!"
Suddenly throwing a handkerchief, totally necessary!
Dustin's face changed as if suddenly hit.
Ellie who was subtly watching burst into laughter slightly then hurriedly composed herself and pretended not to laugh.
Sniff.
Pastel despaired while touching the ground.
"But rudely challenging to duels like you or Leonard is probably bad after all."
Dustin's face changed as if hit once more.
"But originally people don't always match wavelengths. You can't be friends with everyone. That's why I prepared a definite sub-plan just in case!"
Pastel stood up vigorously.
She had the gaze of a cold-hearted vice president cum general affairs head cum planning head cum public relations head cum volunteer service head cum student guidance head.
If the friend hypnosis beam doesn't work!
She raised her arm high.
"From today the student council will promote one-on-one tournaments to improve students' skills and motivation!"
Let's see who's stronger!
Pastel who failed and became slightly embarrassed after pretending to be close at first sight activated abuse of power.
Abuse of power beam~!