Chapter 121
"A special opportunity available only today!"
Pastel raised her hand high in the middle of the Student Council Room.
"Who wants to go to the auction with Pastel~!"
Hands! Hands!
"Me first! I'm Pastel, so I can't be left out!"
Melissa, who had been organizing her desk upon arriving at the Student Council Room as if still awkward in her seat, looked over.
"We aren't going there to play, are we?"
"That's true, but there's no way it won't feel like playing when you're going with Pastel! I completely understand, as long as we do the work properly!"
"What incredible confidence."
The silver-haired girl sitting next to Melissa muttered.
Oing.
"You don't think you'd feel that way, Alcier?"
"Yeah."
It was an immediate reply, as if she didn't even need to think about it.
"Then that's great!"
Pastel clapped her hands together, her face brightening. She scurried over, grabbed Alcier's arm, and raised it high.
"Hand! Hand! Wow, Alcier raised her hand! Alcier is the winner!"
"Huh? I raised it?"
Alcier looked somewhat bewildered.
"Yep! It's raised, so you raised it! Let's go bid together! Actually, since we're working, it wouldn't be good if it felt like we were playing!"
Ellie, who had been quietly drinking green tea to soothe her dazed mind, glanced over. Then she muttered quietly to herself.
"Her words are contradicting each other again."
Pastel turned her head.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
Ellie observed the leaves floating in her green tea. This observation reflected an attitude of putting work off for a moment and focusing on mental healing.
Dustin answered instead.
"She said your words are contradictory again."
Ellie looked at Dustin and found him pathetic.
"Don't butt in for any reason and just do your work."
Dustin looked puzzled.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"I don't know about that, but it's probably true that Dustin did something wrong!"
Yeah, yeah!
"Pastel, you know you're secretly harsh on me, right?"
Dustin felt wronged.
However, since Pastel spent most of her life feeling wronged, she didn't particularly sympathize with him.
It absolutely wasn't because she still held a grudge over things that happened more than half a year ago, like their duel during the entrance exam and his refusal to accept defeat.
The kind Pastel didn't hold grudges against her friends!
It wasn't like she had calculated that forgiving line-crossing behavior too easily would make her look like a pushover and an easy target as a popular person!
She was just being appropriately considerate, knowing that if Dustin—who was clearly the only male in the Student Council—got too close to the popular Pastel, he'd be the perfect target to get dragged into an alleyway.
"Mhm, perfect."
Melissa precisely leveled her inkwell and finished organizing her seat.
"Did your negotiations with the Count go well, though Auction Collusion isn't exactly an honorable act?"
"Of course! Of course!"
Pastel made a V-sign with her fingers.
"I just finished an honorable Secret Contract filled with Merchant Ethics!"
Not only that, but there was also talk of investing in the Kraft Merchant Guild, though it was a bit ambiguous to call that Student Council work!
Melissa looked somewhat uncomfortable.
"A Secret Contract isn't an honorable act either. If we go by your logic, Pastel, that's double the dishonor."
As if to emphasize, Melissa held up two fingers.
Gasp.
Double the dishonor.
Her pink eyes went round.
"Then is it fire-fire-honor-honor? Burn-burn honor-honor! Since the fire part all burns away and flies off, all that's left is honor-honor!"
Wow.
An Honorable Pastel.
"How does that even make sense?"
Melissa was dumbfounded.
Ellie, having finished her green tea, cleared her cup.
"Whether it's honorable or not, let's get to work. Throughout this morning, we're going to review the scenario where the Imperial Bank emotionally refuses to accept the Auction Collusion."
"Which part specifically?"
"The scenario where it abuses the regulation stating that in the event of an Act of God, the auction can be postponed or canceled upon agreement between the Organizer and the Bidders."
Ellie handed out the documents she had prepared.
"The Imperial Bank is holding out and refusing to hand over the Winning Bid Item, using the excuse that the auction must be canceled due to an Act of God. The presence of an Act of God would have to be determined in a Court of Law, and during the trial, the bankrupt merchant guild would be left in limbo without an owner, causing its Assets Held to gradually deteriorate. For us, who need to normalize the Railway Merchant Guild before it gets ruined beyond repair, we'd have to pay the Imperial Bank an appropriate price separate from the winning bid."
"We aren't exactly in the right for colluding, but isn't that too petty of a response? Is there really a possibility of that happening?"
"I did confirm they wouldn't do that against a Great Noble, but I thought it was a necessary matter to review just in case. Right, Pastel?"
"Yep! I strongly agree! Work hard, everyone!"
Pastel trotted over to her seat.
Gazes filled with the implication of 'aren't you going to work?' poured onto her, but she ignored them and pulled out a piece of paper.
Paper, paper.
The paper was folded neatly into an airplane.
Pastel lifted the paper airplane.
"Paper airplane!"
An experienced pilot folds an airplane in a flash!
The paper airplane in her hand performed acrobatics.
"Swoooosh!"
Ellie watched the sight with a complex and subtle expression. Then, as if realizing something, she pondered deeply before closing and opening her eyes.
"Is that, like...?"
For some reason, Ellie's eyes turned slightly soulless.
"Keep reading the contents. I'm going to drink one more cup of green tea."
"Go ahead."
Melissa, who had readily agreed to her superior's remark about taking a break right after saying they should work, spoke firmly to Pastel.
"As a newcomer who doesn't know the work well, I feel it's not my place to meddle in the work atmosphere, but since no one else is saying anything, I will. It's not good for you to be the only one playing while your subordinate is working. How about showing an example fitting for your position?"
Gasp.
Pastel's eyes went round.
She must have been caught playing!
"This is, this is!"
She flailed her arms.
"It's a highly advanced work task that's hard for a newcomer to understand!"
For real!
"Making ridiculous excuses is even worse. I may still be inexperienced with Student Council work, but I can definitely tell that you're playing."
The newcomer Melissa was resolute.
Melissa is too smart!
She saw right through Pastel, who was trying to play by herself while the others had a meeting...!
Pastel flailed both arms.
"No! No! This is super ultra highly advanced work! It's something only an elite like me can do!"
A Newcomer just can't understand!
Melissa snorted.
"More excuses. Even though I lack social experience, I can tell for sure. I can guarantee it."
Melissa spoke quietly but firmly.
"That does not work."
Gasp.
"Playing during work hours doesn't set a good example. Refusing to admit your fault is even worse."
Pastel lost her energy.
The Newcomer is too smart.
She hasn't even been here long, yet she has already realized that Pastel plays the most.
Does this mean I can't be a lazy-lazy Pastel from now on?
Do I have to live in full-power, serious work mode?
"Waaah!"
Pastel clutched her head.
"That's not Cherry Blossom Pastel!"
It's just as important a point as wearing only white or pink clothes every day!
Cherry blossoms don't work for a living in the first place!
I just want to gain power and not work too...!
I just want to photosynthesize under the sunlight...!
"You don't need to dwell on that; you're already like a cherry blossom."
Melissa gave a gentle smile.
"So how about you start by apologizing for playing during work? It's about setting an example as a superior."
Ugh.
She's so right.
Pastel felt sad and hung her head low.
"I'm sorry, guys. It was actually an excuse. Pastel is a friend who doesn't work and just plays by flying paper airplanes."
I'm sorry for not being helpful so far.
"Good job. See, you can do it."
Melissa looked proud.
It was the reaction of a new employee who had broken the outdated bad habits of the workplace with cool-headed reason and excellent knowledge.
Ellie stared blankly at the sight.
Her face was full of question marks.
#
Thump-thump Auction Bid.
The Banquet Hall, with its sparkling chandelier, quickly transformed into an auction house as soon as the banquet ended.
Heavy meals like meat were cleared away, and simple desserts took their place. As the ladies and gentlemen each held a wine glass, this place immediately became an auction house.
Dressed in a suit, Pastel sat on a chair at her designated round table and crossed her legs.
She glanced at the open wine bottle, but since Lord Demon wasn't here to tease anyway and there was no reason to get drunk during business, she lost interest.
"Do you think he'll betray us?"
Alcier, who had dressed up in a semi-formal dress due to Melissa's meddling, asked while sniffing the aroma of the wine.
It was a somewhat unexpected question.
When she showed interest—when usually she just helped out as if following orders when asked, acting like it wasn't her business—it seemed she had developed some sense of belonging to the Student Council while working.
"Well."
An Administrative Staff member headed to the Podium carrying the envelope where Pastel had written her bid price. The envelope was handed over to the Imperial Bank's Host.
It was a Sealed Bid Method where everyone wrote down their bid price, and the person who wrote the highest amount won.
"If Count Macenas writes down an amount even slightly higher than what we colluded on, it's over. He'd be keeping his promise to the Imperial Bank while getting a better deal. For a Merchant, keeping the promise made first does align with business ethics."
"It's a Secret Contract, so he could betray us at the last minute."
Personnel from the company's side also came forward and delivered their envelope.
The Host made a few remarks to hype up the atmosphere for the spectating ladies and gentlemen, then began the Bid Price Disclosure.
"However."
The company's envelope was opened first, and the Host pulled out the paper.
"In betrayal, the aftermath is more important than the success."
The Host, who was about to shout the bid price loudly, froze right as he tried to read the number.
"Just saying."
The Host's eyes looked toward the company's side and the Imperial Bank's side as if to confirm, then turned toward this side.
A trembling voice rang out.
―Z-Zero gold coins.
The gazes of the ladies and gentlemen wandered like the Host's before turning toward Kraft.
The girl smiled. She raised both hands and quietly clapped.
In the silence-filled confusion, only the sound of clapping rang out.
"Looks like a new regulation will be made saying you can't write zero for a bid price."
It was a tranquil voice.