I'm Telling You This as a Friend

Big trouble! Big trouble!

The greatest crisis of Pastel's life!

There was the matter of moderately bad Demonkind receiving orders from the wicked Demon King to commit terrorism against the good Kraft Trading Group's railroad, but that wasn't the problem right now!

That would just add massive Opportunity Cost and Pastel's heart-pounding Banjjakbanjjak experience anyway, but it would be possible to somehow overcome it by cooperating with the good Demonkind!

Should I say it just increased the workload?

Uwaah! I hate that too!

Anyway, it is what it is!

So what I'm saying is that a problem a million times harder, ten million times more complex, and a hundred million times blah-blah-blah had occurred!

Which was...

Ellie was sulking.

Gasp.

Ellie struck the ruined Round Table to gather attention. A declaration to close the meeting followed.

"Cooperate smoothly with Kraft to defend the railroad and ensure there are no disruptions to the development project. Even if everyone verbally praises how excellent the Demon King's insight is and how amazing his qualifications are, I am aware that you are all still inwardly wary of Kraft. Still, let's put our doubts aside and all work together for the future of the Demon Realm. Dismissed."

The attendees rose from their seats and scattered.

"Heigh-ho. Everything would be fine if they just didn't cause a nuisance."

"Don't be too harsh on fellow Demonkind. We just have different ways of thinking."

"Yes, Princess."

Ellie, who had mediated the bad feelings, also rose from her seat.

Pastel followed behind Ellie while whistling. She stealthily overtook Ellie, flailed her arms around to draw attention, and even made Bbu-bbu-bbu~! sounds for no particular reason.

During all this, Ellie didn't give a single glance to the overly conspicuous pink girl. It was a completely conscious action. Or perhaps her sulky feelings had reached their peak and her subconscious was expressing itself.

Uwaah!

She's really sulking!

The meeting had resumed after Nathaniel, the wicked Subordinate of the Demon King, visited and left.

Since the railway terrorism was a matter involving the Kraft Trading Group, Pastel had actively participated and submitted her opinions unlike before, but there was something that kept bothering her...

Ellie, whose habit was normally to stealthily keep Pastel under observation and watch her closely, hadn't given her a single glance.

Pastel, who had gone into work mode, also felt a chilling omen when the attention that felt like proof of being a Popular Person disappeared.

Should I call it a situation of evaporating halos?

Uh-oh.

Is Ellie, perhaps, sulking?

No way.

There's no way the usually totally cool, totally chic, and totally work-focused Ellie would sulk.

Surely not, surely not just because I threw a single purple handkerchief~.

There's no way she'd sulk just because I bluntly answered that she didn't need to know when she asked what the handkerchief meant~.

Gasp.

Looking back on it, it was worth sulking over.

Did the Popular Person Pastel say such cold words only to me?

That's totally picking a fight.

No, no! But-But!

I think just hinting that she didn't need to know was the best I could do as a friend!

Even if they were friends, for Pastel, who had even obtained the position of Sky Island Governor-General, to explain all the classified information to the Princess of the Demon Realm United Kingdom was an act that abandoned her official duties too much...!

Objectively speaking, just giving such a hint was a favor with a very high risk! The situation wasn't complicated in the first place, so she could deduce everything just by hearing the hint!

If I were to go any further than this!

Pastel: A handkerchief? The handkerchief is obviously a Sortie order for the Knights Order! I said in the meeting just now that there were no hidden Troops, but there actually are! Because, as a Governor-General, it is common sense for me to prepare Surprise Attack Troops if you find out about a meeting where dangerous individuals will gather!

Ellie: I see! I was expecting that!

Pastel: That's Ellie for you! I knew you'd know! Look! I have this many handkerchiefs in my pocket! It's stuffed full! Pink! Red! Blue! They all have different meanings! Among them, purple is a corrupted color, so I designated it for a scheming Covert Operation! I threw it at the fleeing Demon King's subordinate instead of the Meeting Place where good Demonkind gathered, so Ellie doesn't need to worry too much about it now!

Wouldn't this be an act that betrays my duties a bit too much!

If I'm going to explain things to this extent just because we're friends, I think it's only right to step down from the Governorship!

What do you think power is: letting public and private matters mix by bringing official business into a private relationship?

Unacceptable!

But since the Popular Person Pastel is slightly acceptable, giving a hint to a friend is...

Hehe.

So, so.

It's baffling that Ellie is sulking.

I did my best for our friendship.

You know that too, right?

But, but.

On the other hand, it might be understandable.

Even if that's true objectively, human hearts aren't originally divided as cleanly as a radish is cut.

Pastel even prepared a handkerchief? It's as expected, but now that I'm actually experiencing it, I can't control my feelings of disappointment.

Or it is something like that.

Gasp.

Pastel's chest tingled with a pang.

That does seem a bit harsh.

She hovered next to Ellie, who was trudging along.

"Ellieee, are you sulking?"

"What?"

Ellie was flustered. She looked bewildered, as if she truly hadn't expected that.

"No."

She answered like that and calmly walked on. It was a natural behavior, as if she really wasn't sulking.

However, even when Pastel loitered in front of her again and said things like La-la-la and Ppiong-ppiong, not even giving him a glance, she only walked while muttering about the tasks she had to handle going forward.

Here, the Popular Person Pastel could diagnose it more accurately than Ellie herself.

Uwaah.

This is an unconscious sulk!

She's focusing on the work that came up, but her heart is still in a state of disappointment, so it is expressing itself subconsciously!

Even if she denies it herself, she's definitely sulking!

Given Ellie's characteristics, her feelings would naturally resolve themselves as she did her work anyway, which was probably why Ellie mistakenly thought she wasn't sulking, but this still weighed heavily on Pastel's mind.

A Meonggameongga was feeling that something was wrong.

Pastel was definitely a Popular Person who only provided healing to everyone from the start. Since when did she become someone who was troublesome to be around?

I feel like I'm living my life very wrong. Is there something wrong with my usual behavior or attitude?

Pastel groaned and pondered over it.

I don't know.

Uwaa.

Is this the clash of Public and Private Matters?

It's the greatest crisis of my Popular Person life.

If this continues, I might have to lay down my Popular Person title.

I might have to consult Lord Demon.

"Try contacting Count Macenas to request cooperation. No, we have to go to the Demon Realm anyway, so it would be better to meet him. Pastel? Are you listening?"

"Ueh? What did you say?"

Ellie let out a deep sigh. It was a frustrated reaction since she had gone through the trouble of speaking but Pastel hadn't been listening.

But Pastel could tell. These were just her earlier disappointed feelings mixing in and coming out now.

Uwaa, a sulking Ellie is scary.

Pastel hurriedly answered.

"Yeah, yeah! I got it! Ellie is smart!"

Ellie looked at her suspiciously.

"What exactly do you get?"

Gasp.

That seems like a somewhat difficult question.

Pastel swiftly averted her gaze.

She saw a young man approaching from the other side of the corridor.

It was Mr. Penguin.

Oing, a penguin is walking around!

Oioing.

Come to think of it, penguins originally walked around!

Shocking.

"You haven't left yet. That's a relief."

Ellie frowned slightly.

"Redmond, you were too uncooperative at today's meeting. I had already talked to you before about cooperating with Kraft, so why did you do that?"

Mr. Penguin looked awkward.

"Everyone attended with a mindset to agree with whatever opinion the Princess, who achieved the result of finding the Demon King, put forward, so I just deliberately represented a different opinion."

"That did seem a bit excessive, though it was convenient for me."

"The times have changed, and everyone has changed, but..."

Mr. Penguin smiled bitterly as he adjusted his suit's dress shirt with his hand.

"When legends and myths became reality, everyone couldn't come to their senses as to what attitude to take. When you've lost your way, worship is an easy choice."

"Indeed."

Mr. Penguin looked at Pastel.

"Marquis Kraft, hmm. What title do you prefer?"

Uet, title?

Pastel thought for a moment before her pink eyes sparkled. She raised one arm high.

"Please call me the great Governor-General Pastel!"

"You can just call her Marquis Pastel. She prefers Pastel over Kraft."

Mr. Penguin nodded.

"Marquis Pastel, I'd like to have a brief chat over there to apologize for what happened at the meeting. How does that sound?"

Tilt.

"Sounds good!"

Pastel followed closely behind Mr. Penguin. Ellie followed as well, but she kept her distance, perhaps meaning for the two of them to talk.

The Corridor lost its chaotic atmosphere as the Demonkind filed out. Sunlight streamed in through the lined-up windows, creating a regular pattern.

"As I told the Princess, most of what I said at the meeting wasn't entirely my true feelings. I'm only human, so it's not like I have no resentment towards the Kraft Family, but I'm capable of distinguishing between the past and the future."

"I see."

Pastel's mind became complicated.

Does this mean even Mr. Penguin has some resentment towards me?

Hearing