Chapter 59
To promote the one-on-one tournament and get the budget approved, Pastel moved busily.
Not just busy playing around, she really had to run around frantically.
There was a mountain of work that couldn't be left to Ellie and Dustin, like persuading professors with decision-making power for additional budget and meeting annoyed administrative staff.
Uwaa.
"A situation where I'm dying from the calamity I brought..."
After finishing price negotiations with related trading companies, she returned to her quarters only when night fell.
Pastel in pajamas struggled painfully on the bed.
"Demon! Demon! Work in my place! I don't want to work! I don't want to work! I want to live as a jobless person!"
The demon massaging Pastel's thighs got kicked in the face and was extremely displeased.
『Just how much do you expect from me.』
How much?
"This much! This~ much!"
Pastel spread both arms as wide as possible while lying face down. When she waved them, a wide area like angel wings was left as marks on the bed.
"Everything!"
Just live in my place!
I want a happy life!
"An ideal life comes to mind right away! I make plans with friends and go out playing every day! Then since living expenses will be lacking, demon can work in my place! Just fill my pockets!"
『My goodness, now you're very brazen.』
The demon was dumbfounded.
Pastel's eyes shone as she envisioned a happy life.
Brain full rotation...!
Buzz buzz buzz buzz~!
"Of course it's difficult to handle my food expenses right? Magic stones at gold prices is ridiculous! Even demon can't handle it! But fortunately I have a smart idea!"
She turned her upper body while still lying face down to look at the demon at her feet.
"Aren't you curious? Curious! Totally curious! Oh I'm so curious! Hurry and ask, hurry!"
The demon raised one corner of his mouth as if sneering.
『Not curious.』
Huk.
He's not curious.
Pastel opened her mouth in shock.
Then she rolled her eyes and brightly shouted.
"I knew you'd be curious!"
『Don't interpret as you please.』
"I'll tell you! It's demon disguising as me and earning money just like now! So, like pink pink Pastel! No, pink pink demon!"
Pastel was speaking then imagined the image. Overlaying a pink dress on top of the demon in gloomy formal wear.
Oing.
Pink dress demon?
She dubbed a voice over the imagination.
"Not curious~"
Huk.
Totally doesn't suit him.
Ahaha!
Pastel hit the bed pang pang and laughed alone.
Pang pang! Pang pang!
Struggle struggle, thwack-!
The demon who got kicked in the face by Pastel's foot again sighed deeply. A red bare foot mark remained on the demon's face.
『Try developing independence. Somehow it's getting worse.』
Then he firmly pressed Pastel's thigh he was massaging with his palm. The muscle was twisted as it was pressed.
Eh.
My muscle got twisted?
Pain starting from her thigh rose to the top of her head then spread throughout her body.
"Kyaak-!"
Pastel who let out a death cry twisted her body.
Pain!
Paain!
Tears welled up in her eyes. She grasped the bedsheet with her hands. The bedsheet wrinkled as it crumpled.
"Demon! Demon! It hurts! It hurts!"
『Try enduring a bit.』
"Bad person! Bad person!"
Pastel spat out intense criticism.
The demon snorted.
『I am a bad person.』
"Ye, ye, ye, yees?!"
Now revealing your true colors?!
The demon's hand grabbed her other thigh. A merciless touch firmly pressed the muscle. The muscle twist-
Eh.
My muscle got twisted again?
"Kyaaak-!"
Pastel trembled and shed tears.
Bad person!
Completely bad person...!
#
Today Pastel was in a good mood.
Generally so, but today felt special?
Right right because she finished tournament preparations, is not it.
It's because the smuggling ships sent to the demon realm returned.
Waaaa~
My entire fortune returned with compound interest!
If it didn't return I would have been in danger of bankruptcy due to forcibly acquiring Fregie Trading Company, but I'm saved.
Pastel brought the trumpet used for welcoming transfer students. She blew the trumpet puu puu watching airships landing at the docking area.
Puu puu~!
"Welcome, welcome!"
Thump thump thump thump.
Pastel's cheeks flushed red. It was difficult to control her excited feelings. She inhaled deeply puffing up her cheeks then blew the trumpet earnestly.
Puu puu~!
Puu puu~!
Uwa, this isn't enough to express my current feelings.
She put her hand on her heart.
Thump thump thump thump.
Her heart beat abnormally fast. It must be due to excited feelings.
"Demon! Demon! Somehow I'm really excited! Why is this?"
『It's understandable since you successfully completed Craft Trading Company's first trade. You probably won't have to worry much about food expenses from now on.』
"Hut! That's right! That's right!"
Pastel realized her own feelings.
This excitement was the joy of unearned income!
The miracle of magic stone boxes piling up just by sending out trades without working.
The reassurance of accounts being filled just by sleeping and waking up.
Her mouth fell open.
"Is this the heartbeat of a landlord?!"
『It's similar, but an extremely materialistic sentiment. Try having childlike sentiments.』
She pretended not to hear the guardian's wish.
Uwa uwa.
Me, unearned income landlord.
Pastel put the trumpet to her mouth.
Intensely puu puu~!
She sent her sincerity toward the docked airship. Toward the airship that was the cause of this excitement.
But as if cause and effect were meeting, some blonde girl on the airship railing stared at Pastel.
It was a girl wearing a magician's robe and holding a staff in her hand.
Her name was Melissa Camelot.
Eh.
Pastel froze in her trumpet-blowing pose.
Somehow Melissa with disheveled hair looked ominous. The rough voyage seems to have had a bad influence on her gentle personality.
Her heart went thump thump.
Her mind went thump thump.
Uwaa?!
Pastel who still had a conscience suddenly began trembling violently. Cold sweat poured down.
If there was a greatest crisis in her life, it would be this moment.
Super crisis!
Uwaa.
Ho-ho-honestly I didn't know it would be this hard~
I sent Melissa with the light feeling of asking a friend for a delivery, I had no idea she'd have to suffer enough to take a leave of absence~
Well well, when I did smuggling I just had to overcome hardships like encountering pirates.
Of course of course, pirates are very scary beings but I had that kind of reassurance that Melissa is strong so she could easily handle it.
I, I only have the sin of trusting Melissa too much...!
Melissa who disembarked approached with the sound of shoes.
"Craft."
Uwaa.
Melissa who became close and called me Pastel without asking permission is calling me by surname again!
Tremble tremble tremble.
The trumpet in Pastel's mouth made a sound.
Puu puu...
Melissa glared. Then she spoke in a cold voice.
"You are greedy."
Her voice stabbed Pastel's heart.
The pink girl staggered wobble wobble.
Huk, greedy.
Kind Melissa giving such intense criticism...!
It feels like we went from close friends to strangers!
Pastel made a tearful face.
"Ho-how much~?"
"What?"
She asked back in a tearful voice.
"How greedy am I...?"
"What? Well..."
Melissa was flustered then fell into thought.
"Your greediness could be calculated by the difference in profit rates between regular trade and smuggling. To do that, we'd first need to know the actual tax rates applied to trade, not the legal tax rates. There are many ways to reduce taxes even without tax evasion after all."
The runner-up in written exams crossed her arms and pondered deeply.
"However, even knowing the actual tax rates doesn't mean we can immediately calculate your greediness. Since smuggling doesn't go through regular routes, additional costs would occur so we need to calculate separately. Right?"
A question came as if seeking an answer.
Pastel who was in a tearful state rolled her eyes.
I asked to gauge how hurt Melissa was but she's like this so it's perplexing.
"Umm, seems right."
"But additional costs need to reflect smuggling risks in addition to expenses calculated in monetary amounts. Legal and reputational risks that would occur if smuggling is discovered."
Melissa who said that tapped her crossed arms with her finger.
"But it's nonsense for me lacking field experience to accurately calculate such actual tax rates, income and expenses, and risks. In the end all I can do is rough estimation through inference."
Pastel who was listening blankly examined the trumpet.
Ing, there's saliva.
She wiped swish swish with her sleeve.
Sparkle sparkle.
Wow, clean.
"However, using rough estimation to calculate a person's greediness is an extremely rude act. So I can't do this either. Therefore, we can tentatively conclude that it's impossible to both accurately calculate and roughly estimate."
Melissa looked directly at her feeling slightly satisfied.
"The answer came out. 'Your greediness cannot be clearly calculated yet' is correct."
Pastel who was lost in thought blankly met her gaze.
"Ing, are you giving up on calculating?"
Melissa flinched at the top scorer's retort. She was flustered then retraced her thoughts.
"Wa-wait please. I'll think it through from the beginning again."
Pastel said blankly.
"Ing, you're thinking again?"
Melissa the runner-up flinched as if hearing a statement asking why she couldn't get it right immediately.
Her blue eyes rolled then looked around. The airship docking area and busy Craft Trading Company members were visible.
"That's right. There are many people with a lot of field experience here. Though brief conversations can't reflect clear on-site situations, we can improve the inaccuracy of rough estimation."
Melissa's eyes shone as if finding the answer.
"Craft, you were right. Improving the inaccuracy enough that rough estimation isn't rude. That's the answer. Please wait, I'll be right back."
The magician's robe fluttered and shoe sounds grew distant.
Melissa asked permission from nearby Craft Trading Company members and sought advice.
Pastel was left alone.
Eeng.
She rubbed her eyes blankly.
I don't know what but it seems the angry atmosphere is over?
If I apologize now are we close friends again?
Nod nod.
She put the trumpet to her mouth.
Puu puu~!
This is the friend power of a friend-making expert level 100!
Popular Pastel doesn't fight with friends~!
Puu puu~!