Chapter 18
“Shooong~!”
A Paper Airplane flew around.
“I’ll teach you the External Official Document Drafting Method first. It’s not difficult.”
“Shooooong~!”
A Paper Airplane swooshes.
“Wow, how do you know how to do all this?”
Shooong-swoosh.
“Just because. Look, this is the Work Manual that Pastel made. Read it, and if there’s anything you don’t understand or find difficult, ask a question. Either to me or to Pastel.”
“Don’t go through me!”
Pastel, who was Running around holding the Paper Airplane, shouted.
Swoosh-swoosh.
Ellie and Dustin’s gazes gathered on her, then scattered.
“So she says. Ask me.”
“Uh, yeah.”
Ellie pulled out a few books.
“You don’t have to Think of the work itself as difficult. It’s mostly Paperwork, so there’s rarely anything we need to step up for. Pastel handles the rest.”
The books piled up in front of Dustin.
“Your work will probably be centered around Document Creation. It might be difficult at first, but the task itself is simple. You just need to write down the content that fits the precedent, according to the format and standards.”
Ellie tapped the books.
“This is a casebook of the documents the Student Council has processed so far. Pastel stayed up all night organizing them by field, item, and context.”
One of the books was opened.
“You just flip through the casebook, find a document similar or identical to the one you need to write now, and then modify the content to fit the current situation. Then show it to me, get it approved by Pastel, and if it gets rejected, do it again.”
Ellie added calmly.
“Easy, right?”
“E-Easy…?”
Dustin was bewildered.
“Ellie! Don’t scold the Newcomer too much! It’s natural for a Newcomer to not be able to do it!”
Pastel shouted while showing off a Super Ultra Spinning Aerobatic Flight with her Paper Airplane.
Dustin looked over the Work Manual and the document casebook. Then he looked back at Pastel with widened eyes.
“Did Pastel really do all this? That Innocent Pastel?”
“Innocent?”
Ellie looked at Dustin with a Strange Gaze.
“Boys.”
A sigh rang out.
“That’s right, she did it all by herself. Despite how she looks, she’s also the Superior who will coldly reject your documents.”
“Then.”
Admiring Dustin looked at the approaching Pastel.
“Is that Paper Airplane also a type of work?”
“Uwaaah! It’s crashing!”
The Paper Airplane flew over and stuck in Ellie’s Black Hair.
Pook.
“Uwaaah! Save Me! It crashed! Save the airplane!”
The Black Hair was messed up.
Ellie muttered with a gloomy look in her eyes.
“She’s just playing around…”
#
Dustin’s Handover was finished. He would diligently handle Student Council Work alongside Ellie.
The Dormitory New Construction Proposal also passed without issue. She ran around with her Pink Hair Fluttering, but there were no major difficulties.
And currently, Pastel was leaning against the Airship Railing.
“It’s the sky!”
The Sky Path unfolded.
Yahoo, it’s Smuggling.
I feel like I can smell the fishiness of the Sky Mackerel.
Yahoo, yahoo.
The Demon looked at her from the side with a Subtle Gaze.
“Young Craft.”
Ugh.
Pastel whistled awkwardly.
“I-It’s the sky~.”
Uwaaah, it’s totally beautiful.
The Demon’s eyes narrowed.
Eueh, is it not working?
Pastel cleared her throat with a small cough. Then she looked straight at the Demon with a Serious Expression.
“Lord Demon, I’ve realized something.”
A fantastic and great realization.
“Speak.”
The Demon crossed his arms and looked at her with a Gaze that said, 'let’s hear it'.
“If we’ve crossed the line anyway!”
Pastel smiled refreshingly.
“Let’s Cross it boldly!”
She Gave a Thumbs Up.
Thumbs Up.
Oh yeah.
“This tomboy…”
The Demon rubbed his forehead.
Hehe.
Pastel twisted her body in Embarrassment. Then she Suddenly remembered something and looked straight at the Demon.
“Ah, that’s right! Lord Demon! Lord Demon! What is our Smuggling Fee?”
“…It’s 20%.”
Uwaaah, that’s totally expensive.
Smuggling was a fantastic act of changing a 50% tax rate to 0%, but in reality, a Smuggling Fee existed here too.
Once you load the goods and arrive at the Anchorage, you go to the Demon World Corporation to trade the Smuggled Goods.
In broad daylight, you normally Sign and normally Receive the payment, watched by the Military Authorities and Customs.
The reason this is possible is that the Demon World Corporation is scattering bribes.
Since it costs a lot of money, the Demon World Corporation also collects its own Smuggling Fee from the smuggler.
That is 20%.
Pastel’s hands trembled.
Uwaaah.
20%, they say.
Is it right To Take the last Bite from a hungry child?
“S-Smuggling isn’t Smuggling.”
It’s just paying taxes cheaply.
No wonder it was too easy.
Visiting normally, signing normally, and receiving payment normally couldn’t possibly be proper Smuggling.
I thought I had become Life's Too Easy Pastel, but I had become Life’s half-easy Pastel.
Gasp?
No wonder, no wonder!
No wonder Ellie’s Gaze was bad when I flew paper airplanes in the Student Council Room!
This was all because I was a Pastel whose life had become only half easy!
If I were Life's Too Easy Pastel, Ellie would have taken it for granted that I was playing!
Uwaaah, Ruthless Reality.
Pastel put on the determined expression of a brave smuggler.
“I cannot tolerate 20%!”
The Demon looked down at her with eyes meant for a tomboy.
“So?”
Pastel raised her arm high.
“We’re going for full-scale Smuggling that doesn’t rely on others!”
Aiming for a 0% tax rate!
Let’s say 'Pastel’s life is too easy!'
Oh yeah.
The girl was excited all by herself.
The Demon looked up at the sky blankly.
“How did it come to this…”
#
Port City Blue Wave.
It was one of the Demon Realm cities affected by the Empire’s Disarmament Policy.
Although it was a military and economic Strategic Point, its priority dropped now that the war was over, causing the Army to practically withdraw except for a minimum presence.
However, the Port City’s economic power remained the same. Currently, taking advantage of the Security Vacuum, ruffians, profiteers, and ambitious persons are tangled up over gold.
The Holy Land of crime and the starting point of trade was Blue Wave.
“Uwaaah!”
The City landscape of white buildings and blue roofs could be seen.
“Totally fantastic!”
Pastel, leaning on the Airship Railing, had her mouth wide open.
“It’s a City the Empire put effort into building, so the scenery should be worth seeing.”
“Let’s go sightseeing! Sightseeing!”
“Haa.”
Pastel anchored the airship and ran around.
“Heok! Grilled Fish! Is it a Port specialty?! Please give me one! No, no! Please give me two!”
Sprinkling Magic Stone Powder on the Grilled Fish.
Before eating, she looked at the Grilled Fish with a dreamy Gaze.
“Lord Demon, Lord Demon! The Pastel who gave up chicken skewers is no more! There is only the Pastel who eats when she wants to eat! Just like this!”
Opening her mouth wide, she uwaaanged and chomped.
Mumbling/Chewing Sound.
The savory and mild fish meat burst in her mouth.
Heok.
Is this the taste of the Port?
Is this the taste of a Money Feast?
A life where you can Sprinkle Gold Dust on your snacks to your heart’s content is this happy.
“Lord Demon! Lord Demon! You eat too, Lord Demon!”
The Demon looked at the Grilled Fish Thrust into his hand with drained eyes.
“…I’m not in the mood to eat.”
Euing.
How could this be?
Such, such.
Then I should eat it!
“If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me!”
She took over the Demon’s Grilled Fish and opened her mouth wide.
Her soft mouth opened, and her Pink Tongue was revealed.
Uwaaang, chomp.
Mumbling/Chewing Sound.
Heok, it’s totally delicious.
“Please give me one more!”
“Stop eating. We have to have a meal in a bit.”
Ing.
Iing.
Hesitating, Pastel quickly shouted, pretending not to hear.
“Hurry and give me more!”
The Demon rubbed his forehead.
“Eat just this one.”
“Yes!”
Uwaaang, chomp.
A little later, Pastel ate the Demon's Cooking on the airship and proceeded.
She Carefully looked around the Warehouse buildings on the Wharf.
“In the end, we need Local Assistance, right?”
Whispering.
“Yes, you have to stay on the Sky Island anyway. We need to find a helper who is settled in the Demon Realm and will Help us every time we smuggle.”
A lecture on Smuggling featuring the experience of a renowned Master.
This Disciple will listen Carefully.
Helper, Helper.
It didn’t take a long time to find one.
As she wandered around the Wharf warehouses, adults who looked reasonably nice approached her.
A man with a knife scar on his lip opened his mouth.
“What are you doing here?”
Pastel made an Evil expression and spoke in a dark voice.
“A Misdeed. I’m looking for a helper for Smuggling.”
Uwoah.
The man was flabbergasted then met eyes with his companions. Incomprehensible glances went back and forth.
The man, having finished the non-verbal conversation, flicked his ear and frowned.
“Some kid who doesn’t know how the World works is wandering around.”
The man’s chin jerked.
“Follow me!”
Oing.
She was guided to a Shabby but well-equipped building.
The man knocked on the iron door in a steady rhythm. From the Inside, someone looked outside through a gap in the door, then opened it.
The Heavy iron door made a noise.
A gloomily dark interior was revealed.
“Uwaaah, a Crime Base.”
Pastel followed closely behind with her mouth hanging open.
The iron door on the back side closed, making a Sharp Noise. The outside light decreased, and the interior turned even gloomier.
Pastel’s Eyes Widened.
“Doesn’t your vision get dim living like this? Is it just for welcoming guests? You usually keep it bright, right?”
The Gatekeeper looked at Pastel.
“What’s this?”
“A kid who doesn’t know how the World works.”
The guide said, shaking his head.
“I know how the World works very well!”
Pastel was added with a Serious Expression.
“This is a Kidnapping situation, isn’t it?”
Woowaoowa.
A Calm Voice was heard.
“Hmm, not bad. The scale is small, yet a bond can be felt among the members. I don’t see any useless Clash of Egos either.”
Lord Demon is totally reliable.
The aura of an experienced professional can be felt.
If it weren’t for Lord Demon, I would be going uwaaah instead of Woowaoowa right now.
I should do it even now.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
Gazes gathered on the pink girl.
The guide was extremely flabbergasted. He Blinked slowly, lost in thought as if trying To Judge the girl’s thinking, then gave up and turned his body.
“Kid who well knows how the World works, follow me.”
“Wow, you acknowledged it right away! You’re nice, mister!”
Is this the kindness of the World?
Going up to the 3rd Floor, she was able to sit face-to-face with the boss alone.
The young man in Suit Attire had a Tree Trunk in his mouth like a cigarette and gave her a look.
“What did you say you came to do?”
Pastel’s eyes sparkled.
“Smuggling! I need a Local Helper!”
The boss silently bobbed the Tree Trunk in his mouth.
Then he stroked his neck and reached for the Teacup Set on one side of the table.
The Teapot was tilted.
Hot tea filled the teacups.
The teacups were placed in front of Pastel and the boss, respectively.
The boss quietly brought the teacup to his lips.
Ooh, a somewhat antique atmosphere.
Me too, me too, antiquely.
Pastel grabbed the cup with both hands and lifted it. She began to Blow to Cool it, but it was hotter than expected, so she blew on it with a 'hoo-hoo' to cool it down. Then she took a gulp.
Woah-Woah.
A bitter grass taste was felt.
Eh, it’s green tea?
Euek, bitter.
Her expression distorted.
The boss calmly put down his cup.
His sharp eyes looked straight at the girl.
“Did you finally notice? That’s right. I applied paralyzing poison to the teacup. It’s a trick to make you let your Guard down by sharing the same tea and get you to put your lips to the cup.”
Heok, what did you say?
Pastel’s Eyes Widened. She looked down at her own hands. Her hands were trembling.
P-Paralysis? Is that it?
Tremble, tremble.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
“…Why are you panicking when you even ate the Magic Stone Stimulant Without Hesitation? Drugs don’t work on you.”
Ah, right!
She examined her hands again. They were fine now.
Oing.
Aha!
I guess they just trembled because I was surprised.
Hehe, Embarrassing.
A Subordinate opened the door and came in. The Subordinate looked at the Girl.
“Boss, what should we do with her?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? We have to send her back home.”
“I figured as much.”
The boss cleaned up the Teacup Set. As he did, he met eyes with Pastel.
“You understand it’s scary, right? Carve it into your heart, Little Young Lady. The Wharf Warehouses are not a place To wander around alone as you please.”
The boss’s hand gestured.
“Take her home when the paralysis wears off.”
“Yes.”
Ing.
“So it’s not a lie. The Organization’s character is decent too. If they are Human, even if they dirty their hands, they should at least be nice to a kid. We can make this place our helper.”
Lord Demon, let alone getting Help, I’m about To Be Kicked out.
How am I supposed to get Help in the first place? Aren’t they a Criminal Organization?
“It’s easy.”
As if reading her doubts, the Demon Said Calmly.
“Beat them all down.”
What?
The Subordinate approached.
“I’ll carry you on my back for a moment since we have to leave the Boss's Room.”
It was a very kind expression and voice.
A Warm consideration telling her not to be scared could be felt.
“Weaklings.”
What?
“Show the logic of power to these guys who don’t know how the World works.”
What?
“Hurry.”
The Master’s Resolute Voice fell.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
Pastel squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m sorry, everyone!”
And she abruptly swung her fist.
The fist struck the face of the Subordinate, who was hesitating how to carry the woman Carefully on his back. His nose was crushed, and a nosebleed burst out.
“I’m sorry!”
Relentless Punching continued.
Because the Master/Teacher told me to do so.
Sounds of impact rang out in Succession.
The Subordinate lost consciousness and collapsed.
The Girl lunged toward the dumbfounded boss.
Her Pink Hair fluttered.
“I’m soooorry!”
Her fist struck the dazed boss’s face.
His face was crushed, and blood splattered.
Merciless violence descended upon the good-natured Criminal Organization.