Chapter 83 - Is There a Difference Between a Friend And a Subordinate?

The tournament event was suspended.

Though the problem was eliminated by slicing the terrorists' necks swish swish, it was unreasonable to continue anyway.

Regrettably, they couldn't determine who was the strongest first year, but Pastel didn't actually care much.

Because hormone friend declared "Apprentice knight-class? Not scary." and went bang bang with a shotgun on the demon race terrorist Mr. Tmaout.

Huk.

Hormone friend!

I knew you could do it!

So I faced the terrorist with a shotgun without an ounce of fear! Because I trusted my friend!

Nod nod!

Pastel who tasted the power of connections decided to increase her friends.

Namely, the solar system planet friends.

Since she beat an apprentice knight-class, she should nom nom the rank of existence.

"Good Pastel lives for her friends~"

The magic stone knife placed on her pink head wobbled.

"Though I'm too busy being popular, I help without a bit of self-interest~"

The demon in formal wear crossed his arms and silently stared. It was a face of disapproval.

Huk.

Pastel's eyes went round.

"Demon, why are you looking at me with those eyes?"

A gaze completely looking at a shameless delinquent.

How could this be.

Could it be even demon believed Mr. Tmaout's (deceased) rumors?

But I didn't instigate terrorism or threaten Elsior to make her a subordinate.

Huk.

Surely surely it can't be that nom nomming rank of existence looks dangerous?

Pastel remotely controlled the magic stone knife placed on her head to rotate.

Spin spin.

The knife blade brushed her pink hair. Several strands of hair fell flutter flutter.

Oing.

Pastel grabbed her hair. She blankly looked at the pink strands then her mouth fell open.

"Uwaa!"

My hair!

My hair...

"Demon! Demon!"

She held up the cut hair.

"My hair was cut because of demon!"

The demon was dumbfounded.

『How is that my fault.』

"If demon had properly combed my hair nicely, my hair wouldn't have been cut even if I spun knife friend round and round!"

Shock.

Shooock.

Poor Pastel whose hair was cut because of demon staggered. She wobbled and walked a few steps to the side then leaned her head against the bedroom wall.

She muttered like reading a fairy tale.

"Once upon a time, there was a good girl living on a fluffy fluffy floating floating island."

『A good girl doesn't disobey like this.』

Pastel pretended not to hear.

"Demon said. You shouldn't eat rank of existence. It's a very bad thing that ruins your mind. Even worse than sugar!"

Huk.

To think it's worse than sugar...

Pastel covered her mouth in surprise.

Then she suddenly became calm.

"But the good girl didn't listen."

Nod nod.

『You know that well.』

The demon tapped his forearm with his crossed arms. He seemed displeased.

"The reason she didn't listen was..."

Pastel who removed her head from the wall became triumphant.

She pointed at her guardian with an overflowing attitude.

"Because you shouldn't follow a demon's words!"

She ran to the bed and jumped in. Pink hair and white clothes spread out.

"Uwang!"

The bed rippled as she fell.

"Totally good! Totally good!"

Pastel rolled around on the bed. Then she roughly lay down in wrinkled clothes and fiddled with the magic stone knife.

Black mucus oozed from the knife blade. It floated up and clumped together, forming a jelly-like shape.

"Demon look at this~"

She pointed at the rank of existence.

"Now Pastel who does well on her own without demon's help!"

As demon sometimes says, since I've become able to do well on my own, isn't this excellent growth?

The demon walked to the bedside.

Hut.

Pastel warily grasped the jelly jelly in her hand.

A bad adult trying to take away snacks. But Pastel with million-fold wariness won't be easily fooled.

The demon with crossed arms looked down.

Puu puu.

『Young Craft.』

The demon's hand stretched out. Pastel who flinched moved her arm far away to escape with the black jelly.

But it seems he wasn't trying to take it away. The hand covered Pastel's forehead. The warmth of calluses was felt.

『Haven't you been feeling mentally confused lately?』

It was a serious voice.

Pastel who became calm from the hand's warmth rolled her eyes.

"Because of consuming others' ranks?"

『That too, but your eating habits are more of a problem now. You can't eat food so it can't be helped, but consistently consuming magic stones has a bad influence on your brain. You don't believe strengthening your body with magic stone consumption has no effect on your head, do you?』

Is that so?

She thought for a moment.

"Not particularly."

The demon slightly narrowed his brow.

Pastel grabbed the demon's hand and rubbed her forehead. Then she smiled coyly.

"Could it be because I talk about insubordination and power?"

Though demon didn't say much, it seems to be roughly because of such statements.

"Demon, demon."

Pastel chuckled chuckle chuckle.

"That's just my true nature coming out because I got money and power."

Nod nod.

She put the black jelly in her mouth.

A bad sweet taste spread in her mouth.

The demon removed his hand from her forehead. He looked down with complex red eyes.

"But demon."

She swallowed the sweetness.

"Until when am I young Craft?"

Pastel pointed at herself.

"Isn't the modifier 'young' too mismatched for an authority figure?"

That's right that's right.

The demon sighed deeply. He silently pointed at Pastel's stomach with his finger.

Her wrinkled clothes from rolling around had risen up, revealing her stomach.

Oing.

Pastel alternately looked at her stomach and the demon.

The demon opened his mouth.

『Fix your clothes neatly first.』

Oiing.

I can't refute...!

Pastel pressed her cheeks and despaired.

Uwang!

"The standard is too high...!"

『How low must it go for you to be satisfied.』

Is this the duty of an authority figure?

The hurdle is too high for Pastel!

#

Pastel floated float float in the universe of her inner world.

The blazing black sun and solar system friends were visible. Ignoring the black sun, she looked at Mercury and Venus.

She waved both arms.

"Mercury friend! Venus friend! Hello hello! Did you miss me? You must have! Sorry sorry!"

Then she paused.

Uweh.

Sound comes out in space.

She rolled her eyes then decided it doesn't matter since it's not real space anyway.

"Pupu pu."

Pastel rubbed her hands rub rub.

"Mercury friend, Venus friend. No, saying it like this is too long."

She pressed her cheek with her finger.

"Shortening it to Soo-geum friend..."

Huk.

Soo-geum friend?

Isn't there too much room for misunderstanding if you put a word meaning "collect money" in front of friend?

Soo-geum friend means "give me money" friend...!

Flustered Pastel waved both arms.

"I didn't say anything! Really! Really!"

Believe me.

"Anyway friends! It's time to add Earth to the solar system family! Earth, Earth! Everyone clap! Clap clap! Clap clap!"

Pastel clapped her hands.

Actually Mercury and Venus didn't clap and just went round and round around the sun.

Because...

They're planets.

Planets couldn't clap.

Huk.

I see!

Pastel's mouth fell open.

Then she pressed her chin with her hand to close her mouth and looked around the space.

Where could the consumed rank of existence be?

A group of rock fragments was visible on the far side of space. It seemed enough to make Earth and have some left over.

Apprentice knight-class is a lot indeed.

Could it be enough to make Mars friend too?

Pastel decided to make Earth first for now.

Earth Earth.

She moved her hands to control the rock fragments. The rocks collided and clumped together, forming a huge rocky planet.

Pastel pointed at the planet with both hands.

The most important planet in the solar system.

"Earth!"

You're Earth from now on.

She floated the planet in an orbit further than Venus. The rocky planet settled in gravity and started revolving around the sun.

"Earth friend, hurry and introduce yourself! What's your hobby? Are you good at anything? If so, show it now!"

Mercury and Venus are waiting too!

Yahoo yahoo.

Pastel stared intently at Earth with anticipation thump thump.

Earth that was silently revolving reacted like a transfer student who had to perform in front of everyone during recreation time after transferring right before a school trip.

The rocky planet collapsed and broke apart just like that.

Crumble.

Rock fragments scattered powerlessly.

"Earth friend!"

Pastel clutched her head.

"I'm sorry! Actually this is the third planet collapse so I knew you'd do this, but I forgot and asked for a self-introduction!"

Please forgive this me.

Earth: I forgive you!

Nod nod! Thank you!

She gathered the fragments again. She made them collide into a rocky planet then slowly observed.

But why didn't it work?

It wasn't that fragments were lacking. Maybe it's because something Earth-like was missing.

Venus friend is just a gold lump now, but the inner world recognized it because it's Venus (gold star).

Pastel pondered what Earth is.

It should have life, right?

Life, life.

Rational intervention of external intelligence. The current process can be seen as the divine being Pastel of the inner universe attempting life creation in a creationist way...

Hut.

This is too smart a thought!

Pastel quickly shook her head. Her pink hair fluttered flutter.

She focused her mind again.

Life, life.

Considering the current world where magic exists, though the possibility of creationism has increased quite a bit, the possibility of evolutionism is greater for Earth itself.

Then if we adopt evolutionary theory in an intelligent design way as a dialectical compromise, the two views can be mixed without major contradiction.

If we apply the evolutionary research results that lightning striking the sea synthesizes inorganic compounds into organic compounds, and organic compounds evolve over a long time to become living organisms, and the divine being Pastel creates sea and lightning to induce evolution...

Huet.

Her mind suddenly cleared.

This is really too smart a thought!

Uwaa!

Pastel tightly closed her eyes.

"It's all wrong! You don't make friends with your head!"

She clenched both fists.

"Earth friend, Earth friend! You shouldn't make friends that way!"

This won't do.

I'll ask demon!

She waved both arms. The space crumbled as if rubbing a universe crayon drawing.

Pastel woke up from sleep at some point.

With a face not fully awake, she roughly wiped swish the drool that flowed from her mouth.

Uwee.

The demon drinking coffee with a complex expression approached.

『You woke up early. Did something not work properly?』

She suddenly raised her upper body.

"Demon! Demon!"

Pastel made a tearful face.

"How is life born?!"

The coffee cup fell.