Chapter 68
Huaa.
Why did I join the student council?
Should I have only had the mindset that students belong in the student council in a peaceful world?
This world with swords and guns flying around is too dangerous...
Pastel who escaped the demon race airship and boarded the Knight Order's airship collapsed with a thud on trembling legs. The cabin carpet cushioned her body somewhat comfortably.
"Life is too difficult Pastel."
Really difficult.
The magic sword at her waist scattered then changed into the demon in formal wear. The demon looked down suspiciously.
Uwaa, it's demon.
"Demon! Demon!"
Pastel spread her arms with a tearful face.
"Please comfort me who was threatened by a bad person!"
Gurgle.
Ah, I'm hungry!
"No no! Ice cream! Please make ice cream! A super big ice cream!"
An ice cream so huge I can go uwaaang!
Namely...
Uwaaang ice cream!
Huk.
The name is super long.
It'll be totally delicious!
The demon silently bent down and stretched out both hands. Strong hands squished and kneaded Pastel's cheeks.
Squish squish knead knead.
Pastel went uwaaang in a different sense!
Her cheeks turned slightly red as they kept being squished.
"My face isn't ice cream!"
Red eyes looked somewhat suspiciously.
『Young Craft.』
"Yes~!"
Pastel answered while her cheeks were grabbed then recalled something.
"Huk! Could this be that?! Like how putting ice on a painful area feels good and cool, you're making my cheeks hurt to make ice cream taste better!"
That must be it! That must be it!
I must be a genius!
The demon was dumbfounded then released her grabbed cheeks. Then he knelt on one knee and stared as if trying to match eye level.
『Young Craft, how much is 1 plus 1?』
Ing.
Suddenly?
Pastel rolled her eyes.
She pondered whether there was some tremendous principle or amazing nonsense hidden in 1 plus 1, then subtly answered with an uncertain expression.
"2..."
When she checked his reaction, the demon had no particular response. It was an attitude like there's no need to tell her since it's an obvious correct answer.
Seems I got it right.
『What's 11 plus 11?』
Pastel who already got one right had confidence welling up well well. She needlessly narrowed her brows with a serious expression.
"It's a difficult problem that can't be easily solved. But there are no mysteries before my brilliant mind!"
Pink eyes sparkled sparkle sparkle flash flash!
She raised her hand like lightning.
"22!"
Dun dun.
Perfect correct answer!
Am I perhaps a genius?
『Hmm.』
The demon crossed his arms. It was an expression of complex thoughts. As if he gave an intelligence test to his child but the results were miserable so he's worried about the future.
Eeng.
Could the correct answer not be 22?
No way no way did I not even get 11 plus 11 right?
Am I perhaps an idiot?
Pastel's mouth fell open.
Foolish foolish Pastel?!
That can't be~!
Huaa!
The demon opened his mouth as if to give a new problem.
Hut.
Focus focus!
I can't tolerate a stigma like foolish foolish Pastel anymore. I'll definitely get it right!
Brain full operation!
From today I'll start a life history of being called genius genius Pastel from here!
Haaaahp!
The demon said the problem.
『What's 791 times 546?』
Huk.
Pastel's breath stopped.
Chirp chirp peep peep.
Silence fell.
The demon sighed in relief.
『You're normal.』
A mind treating her like a fool was felt in his voice.
Uwaa.
Completely treated like a fool!
Pastel who suddenly became foolish foolish Pastel felt extremely unjust.
"The problem is wrong! How can I suddenly solve three-digit multiplication!"
She pointed at the demon.
"Demon too! Demon doesn't know the answer either right?! Smart me knows everything! You're feeling joy watching me unable to solve a difficult problem!"
『The answer is 431,886.』
Huk.
Pastel froze with her mouth open. Then she slowly became gloomy.
"How nice to be smart..."
I really am foolish foolish Pastel~
『My goodness.』
The demon got up dumbfounded. He dusted off his knees then smoothed his black formal wear.
『I checked because I was suspicious of your acting skills. The Craft family bloodline is so ominous after all.』
"What~?"
Pastel's expression became complex and subtle.
You mean you checked if my outside and inside are different?
Because the acting I did in front of the demon race mercenary captain was better than expected, you were suspicious if this might not be my true self?
Uwee.
I just happened to have an aptitude while speaking.
Demon you're too much.
How can you suspect me of being like a Craft, even if others might, demon.
Of course my name is Pastel Love Craft but still you're too much!
Pastel suddenly became sulky. But considering the demon's circumstances of being confined in the Craft mansion, she just pouted her lips.
"Would I hide my inner thoughts from you demon? I'm not hiding anything! I can be confident!"
As she spoke, feelings of resentment rose.
"Of course since I'm human there are times I hide some things! But if you hear it's really nothing, you know? For example."
She folded one finger.
"I secretly drank juice on the bed today but spilled it so I hid the wet pillow under the bed, and and...!"
Pastel was folding one more finger following rising memories then paused. Her eyes slowly widened.
Huuk!
I confessed!
It was a secret I was going to take to my grave...!
The demon was shocked.
『What did you say?』
Pastel avoided his gaze. She smoothly spread the finger she was folding as if it was nothing.
She awkwardly whistled.
"What?"
Hiding a dirty pillow under the bed. Who would do such a bad thing? Innocent Pastel has no idea.
The demon grabbed her shoulders. He looked down fiercely with red eyes.
『Tomboy, confess immediately if you don't want to be scolded. How many mischievous acts have you hidden to even spread your hand to fold fingers?』
Huaa!
Pastel trembled tremble tremble.
"I'm not hiding anything! Innocent! Completely innocent!"
『Don't lie.』
A firm voice.
Uwaa!
"Please respect my privacy...!"
Even that didn't work.
Pastel ended up confessing everything and getting scolded heavily.
I was caught.
Everything was caught.
Even jumping pang pang on the bed then dropping and breaking an empty glass, then burying it secretly in the dormitory yard out of fright.
Even the fact that she hid cookies demon made in her bedroom because they were delicious, then forgot about their existence so they got moldy and she secretly buried them in the yard.
"Uwang!"
Pastel cried sob sob.
"Uwang!"
Tears fell drop drop.
"I was wrong...!"
『Hmm.』
The demon seemed to soften seeing her tears, but perhaps because he heard a lot from her confession, he looked down firmly.
『Don't do it again. Why are you bringing food to bed? If you really want to eat, put it on the bedside table and eat calmly.』
"I'm sorry...!"
Tears burst sob sob.
#
Pastel sniffled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. When her tears were wiped, though her eyes were red, her face became a fairly okay state.
"What happened?"
The armored knight was perplexed for a moment seeing the condition of Marquis Your Excellency who seemed to have cried sob sob, then reported.
"We occupied and searched the airship the mercenary captain Tmaout was riding without losses. As Your Excellency said, we couldn't find any particular peculiarities besides the huge storage container in the hold."
A Knight Order is composed of one knight-class and subordinate personnel. Though Knight Order members were roughly called knights, knight and knight-class were clearly separate terms.
The knight speaking in front was more of a Knight Order member specialized in administrative work rather than knight-class.
However, though Tmaout was apprentice knight-class, resistance was almost impossible since the Knight Order rushed in.
"What about that huge storage container? When I argued with the mercenary captain, it seemed like some amazing and tremendous weapon. He even said innocent civilians would die."
Smuggled goods even wrapped in chains.
The Knight Order member was troubled.
"Though we're checking, there's magic processing inside the container so it's difficult to know its identity immediately. For now we think it's some kind of magic bomb."
"If it's possibly a bomb type, it would be bad to forcibly open it right?"
"Yes."
Since he even mentioned civilian massacres, did he plan to detonate the bomb in Sky Island's downtown while successfully killing the duke's daughter?
Uwa.
Radical demon race are scary.
The Knight Order member shook his head.
"Since they're demon race, they may have been bluffing."
Heeh.
Pastel crossed her arms and pondered deeply.
"Will it be difficult to figure out exactly what it is before the tournament event two days later?"
"That's right."
Bomb, bomb.
Pastel smiled freshly.
"Then let's roughly throw it in the sky!"
Since this is Sky Island anyway, if we throw it like tossing garbage from the edge of land it'll fall whoosh~!
Some amazing iron storage container?
Don't know.
Bye bye.
When talking with Tmaout, she was criticized for allowing it to be brought into the docking area even knowing the container's contents.
Then we just need to make it leave the docking area now.
Going beyond leaving, throwing it away is even safer!
"Did you capture that wicked Mr. Tmaout?"
"Yes, we're currently interrogating whether there are any backers or collaborators. Though he's not opening his mouth perhaps due to pride befitting a radical activist, he won't hold out long."
Ing.
Was that person so tight-lipped?
Pastel recalled memories of receiving various criticisms while acting splendidly. The content Tmaout subtly leaked along with criticism too.
Uwee.
How much did I grate on his nerves for a tight-lipped person to leak information while criticizing?
Feeling like I became a very bad person.
S-sorry~
I somehow found it suited me as I acted out Craft mode.
A feeling like I could even betray demon?
Huk.
Suddenly feeling wicked.
Feeling even more wicked since I just got heavily scolded by demon.
How thrilling would it be to betray demon who trusts me.
―Did you really trust Craft? Of course it was all lies. Our relationship and promises were all for this moment.
Hmm.
―To be fooled by innocent acting...
Kik kik.
―How foolish.
Shocked and hurt red eyes were seen.
Huk.
Extremely thrilling...
Pastel whose mouth fell open was startled by her own impressions.
Completely bad thoughts!
Bad thoughts!
She hurriedly shook her head. Pink hair fluttered flutter.
Flutter flutter.
The Knight Order member looked puzzled.
"Your Excellency?"
"It's not! It's not! It's nothing! Really it's not!"
Panic panic.
"Yes, yes."
Pastel jumped up from her seat.
"If there's important information while interrogating, please report to the student council! And please throw away the storage container! I'm counting on you!"
"Understood, Your Excellency."
Throw away bad imagination and tournament!
Going to the one-on-one tournament!