Chapter 76
"Therefore, everyone draw one!"
Pastel shook the paper box. The papers with tournament assignment numbers rustled.
"Just one! Even if you want to draw more, you can't take two! That would be greedy!"
Elsior who succumbed to the no-forfeiting clause hesitated then drew. After that, friends came up one by one and drew papers.
"Next next!"
Pastel waved her hand.
"It's my turn."
Dustin who was updating the assigned numbers behind the platform approached.
Oing.
Dustin?
Tournament A is divided by grades, but the student council's on-site errand boy Dustin is here?
Pastel's eyes went round.
"Weren't you here to do chores?"
Dustin who was about to put his hand in the paper box paused. Then he looked blankly while flustered.
Pastel brightened.
"Dustin! You worked hard!"
It's completely different from when he huffed at his low written exam score on the enrollment airship and chose to vent by challenging the weak and fragile girl - pink pink Pastel - to a duel!
She grabbed Dustin's hand that was about to go into the box. She raised their hands high and looked down from the platform.
"Everyone! Look at this!"
Gazes focused sharply.
Pastel smiled brightly.
"Dustin achieved top grades through effort! Most of you were excellent in combat or academics from enrollment, but Dustin wasn't, so this result is even more amazing!"
Uwa uwa!
"He's this tournament's dark horse! Dark horse! If you face Dustin without any preparation, you'll get your nose bloodied!"
Shook shook bam bam crack!
Dustin looked shocked. Then he looked around at the gazes of the kids below the platform and his face turned bright red.
A trembling mutter was heard.
"You sometimes do this, but surely you're not deliberately doing this out of grudge for the handkerchief incident at enrollment..."
"What?"
Pastel tilted her head.
When rippling pink eyes looked at him, Dustin's mouth moved then he turned his head while blushing in a different way.
"J-just let go of my hand first."
"Ah! You need to draw a number! Sorry!"
When she released his grabbed hand, Dustin quickly drew his number then returned to his original spot and updated the numbers.
"Alright! Next next!"
Leonard who was sitting crookedly with his feet on the table walked up. He stopped with his hands in his pockets in a delinquent pose, but didn't draw a number and glared at Dustin behind.
"Hey! Why are you showing off."
Dustin who was awkwardly standing after updating the numbers flinched.
Oing.
Pastel's eyes went round.
"Leonard, are you jealous right now?"
Leonard paused. He turned around with a shocked expression in many ways.
"What?"
Pastel spoke firmly.
"You shouldn't do that! Even if jealousy wells up in your heart, you can't express it like that! Dustin worked so hard to raise his grades! I who dueled him at enrollment know for sure! Dustin worked incredibly hard!"
Leonard briefly covered his forehead and closed his eyes. Then he pointed at Dustin and was dumbfounded.
"Why would I be jealous of that guy?! He's just a pushover!"
Eeng.
"Hey! Dustin! You tell him!"
"Huh? Huh?"
Dustin was flustered.
Eeyee.
To immediately try to yell at a friend.
This is why kids who have a hobby of playing boss are troublesome.
Pastel roughly drew a number from the paper box. She placed it in Leonard's hand and pushed him away.
"Alright alright! You drew so go back to your seat! Hurry hurry!"
Leonard with his upperclassman physique staggered from the superhuman strength.
"Why are you drawing, oh? Never mind. I'll take this."
The drawn number paper fluttered in his hand.
"Hey! Showoff! Look at this! Update the bracket! Let's fight!"
It was the number for Dustin's opponent.
Oiing.
Pastel's mouth opened in a triangle shape. She looked down at her own hand that drew the number and was shocked.
My hand, what number did you draw in this situation?
Dustin!
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you...
She couldn't bear to look at Dustin and turned her head.
Ellie in that direction looked with a gaze like seeing a villain. It was completely a gaze looking at an evil mastermind.
Ellie, why are you looking at me with those eyes?!
Pastel felt extremely wronged.
Wronged wronged.
Leonard went down and Melissa came up. Blue eyes suspiciously stared at Pastel.
A gentle voice was heard.
"You're not doing this on purpose, are you?"
Even Melissa?
What did I do!
Uwaa!
#
Tournament A's bracket was completed and dispersed. Student council members moved to Tournament B's waiting room.
Pastel turned to Ellie.
"It's Elsior vs Melissa. Even though their families are enemies, they won't fight too harshly in the duel, right?"
"I don't know how to fight since I'm an academic major, but I've heard about the bad blood between Bellamont and Camelot."
Eeng.
Surely the Craft family's ominous instigation isn't mixed into those rumors too~
Ellie pondered.
"Wouldn't it be good for you to standby as a mediator? Though professors will be there too, since both have formidable family prestige, it might be difficult to stop them in time."
Uwee.
"What do you think, Dustin? Dustin?"
"Huh?"
Dustin who was lost in thought alone woke up.
"Sorry I didn't hear. What did you say?"
Pastel tilted her head.
"Are you worried about facing Leonard?"
Well, since you met a difficult opponent. I'd win easily by going twosha twosha, but there's too much of a size difference to call you classmates, so it's troublesome.
"Why are you worrying so much."
Ellie looked at Dustin pitifully.
"There's no angel whose fate will be determined by your win or loss."
Dustin's ears turned red and he was embarrassed.
"No that's not it. I just have no idea how to handle him."
"Ellie! Though it's true Dustin usually does work clumsily since it's office administration, this is clearly the combat domain so don't scold him too much!"
Pastel hit her own chest pang pang.
"Dustin! If you have worries, consult me! I'll teach you the secret technique of twosha twosha pasha pasha!"
"Twosha twosha pasha pasha...?"
Dustin blanked out.
Then he unconsciously muttered softly.
"Cute."
Oing.
Pastel's eyes went round.
"Really? Thanks!"
Waa!
Compliments are always enjoyable to hear~!
I wish demon would compliment me often too!
Ellie looked at Dustin very pitifully.
"So innocent."
Dustin touched his ear while avoiding her gaze.
"Anyway, I don't know how to handle Leonard."
"Well!"
Pastel crossed her arms and pondered deeply.
"Leonard who has a hobby of playing boss and Dustin who has an aptitude for being a subordinate, their compatibility is bad."
They'd get along if they just hung out together!
Dustin stared blankly without speaking.
Nod nod!
I understand your heart!
It's too overwhelming!
"But if there's Pastel's special remedy, compatibility relationships can be easily overturned!"
Pastel rummaged in her chest and took out a glass bottle.
"Ta-da~!"
She held the glass bottle high. Yellow liquid sloshed inside the glass bottle.
Pastel's special remedy!
It can even paralyze opponents!
Uwang.
Dustin and Ellie blankly looked up at the super ultra special item.
Pastel boasted.
"As you've experienced, this can paralyze people!"
Probably even big Leonard in one shot!
Uwang.
She grabbed Dustin's hand.
"I learned something from master!"
Pink eyes sparkled innocently.
"A despicable victory is better than a miserable defeat!"
True teachings!
I'll always follow your example!
The quiet demon was dumbfounded.
『I didn't say it to that extent.』
Then he thought and added:
『But it's correct.』
#
Leonard examined the sword and shield given for the so-called tournament.
"Hah. Cheap."
Contrary to his words, the equipment was high quality. It wasn't practice equipment like feather swords, but proper swords and shields.
Though they were degraded in various ways for safety, like not being sharpened, they were still usable enough.
Still, he wasn't in a particularly good mood comparing them to personal equipment prepared with a count family's capital.
To think he prepared new equipment but has to use the same equipment as these dregs? What a combination.
"Hah."
If he was on the student council, he would have changed the regulations long ago. No, if he could have joined the student council that is.
"Why don't you accept student council applications?"
"Pwuru pwu papa~!"
Leonard looked up at the sky.
The girl who evaded with a strange answer was flying around riding a broom.
Pink hair flowed in the blue sky. The girl held a white broom and spun her body twirl.
"Uwang!"
A bright laugh rang out.
The girl of the Craft family.
She was a being who lived without revealing her inner thoughts, as befitting their infamy.
Lively actions and innocent expressions were actually followed by contradictory deeds like shadows.
Two-faced, contradictory.
What is true, which is a mask.
Even the reason for blocking student council applications is like that. Though she pretended to be lively and evaded, if you ponder deeply you can guess the reason.
Is it to concentrate authority in the student council for power monopolization and minimize personnel for smooth internal control?
The attempt to not share even a bit of obtained authority and keep it under control is typical behavior of a power addict.
"Uwaang!"
The girl performed tricks repeating vertical flight up and down. Joyful laughter rang out.
The audience cheered at Marquis Your Excellency's performance.
Managing public sentiment even at a time like this.
Such a damn insidious kid.
He turned his head. Dustin holding a sword with a complex dazed expression was visible in front.
Leonard's expression sharply frowned.
Why is a guy like that on the student council?
"Why not me but that guy on the student council?"
"Ing? Just because!"
As if it's just because.
Obviously she let him join because he's easy to handle since his head is bad.
That Ellie kid too was let in because she has the obvious weakness of being demon race.
But separate from guessing the reasons, Leonard was not in a good mood. Because an ignorant guy luckily got to hold power.
Why that guy of all people.
Minimizing student council personnel seems good at a glance, but it has a clear weakness. When someone who was working like a part drops out, there's a big disruption in work processing.
But it's a good opportunity since he happened to become a tournament opponent. He can properly inflict a big injury on an unqualified guy and fill the vacancy himself.
Whether as an apology for the inflicted injury.
Or as a temporary fix for the personnel gap.
The broom performance ended and duel time came.
Leonard pointed his sword at Dustin.
"Hey! I'm telling you in advance, I'm quite excited because there's a big audience? I might have difficulty controlling my strength so keep that in mind!"
Building justification.
But Dustin didn't even listen and looked up at Pastel. He desperately looked at the girl with hesitant eyes.
The girl smiled brightly and gave a thumbs up.
What's this.
Leonard pondered the signal exchange between judge and participant that looked like cheating no matter how you see it.
He could only know the actual reason after the duel started.
A glass bottle that suddenly flew over burst yellow gas.
"Kuaak!"
Leonard who was enveloped in gas was shocked to see Dustin charging while wearing a mask that anyone could see was prepared.
He hurriedly looked up at Pastel in the sky.
"Judge!"
That bastard is cheating!
It should be a disqualification loss!
Watching judge Pastel subtly turned her head.
"Uwang!"
The girl's finger pointed at clouds.
"Puppy cloud!"
The cloud is shaped like a puppy~
Leonard's eyes bulged.
You...!
This is biased judging!
Leonard who was innocently waiting for a disqualification loss declaration was helplessly hit by a sword.
"Kuuk!"
You insidious...!