Chapter 18 – Third Time’s The Charm
by Polar Bear
“Whoosh~!”
Paper airplanes flew around.
“I’ll teach you how to write external official documents first. It’s not difficult.”
“Whoosh~!”
Paper airplanes swooshed.
“Wow, how do you know how to do all this?”
Swoosh swoosh.
“Just, you know. Look, this is the work manual Pastel made. Read it and if there’s anything you don’t understand or find difficult, ask. Me or Pastel.”
“Don’t go through me!”
Pastel, running with a paper airplane, shouted.
Swoosh swoosh.
Ellie and Dustin’s gazes turned and then scattered.
“That’s what she says. Ask me.”
“Uh, okay.”
Ellie took out several books.
“You don’t have to think of the work itself as difficult. It’s mostly paperwork, so we hardly have to step in. Pastel handles the rest.”
The books piled up in front of Dustin.
“You’ll probably mainly be doing document preparation. It’ll be difficult at first, but the work itself is simple. You just need to write content that matches the precedents according to the format and specifications.”
Ellie tapped the books.
“This is a collection of examples of documents the student council has processed so far. Pastel stayed up all night organizing them by field, item, and context.”
One book was opened.
“You just need to search the example collection for documents similar or identical to the one you need to write now, then modify the content to fit the current situation. Then show it to me, get Pastel’s approval, and if it’s rejected, do it again.”
Ellie added matter-of-factly.
“Easy, right?”
“E-easy…?”
Dustin was dumbfounded.
“Ellie! Don’t scold the newbie too much! It’s natural for newbies to not be able to do things!”
Pastel shouted while demonstrating a super ultra rotating acrobatic flight with her paper airplane.
Dustin looked at the work manual and document example collection. Then he turned to Pastel with wide eyes.
“Did Pastel really do all this? That innocent Pastel?”
“Innocent?”
Ellie looked at Dustin with a strange gaze.
“Boys.”
A sigh was heard.
“That’s right, she did it all by herself. Unlike how she looks, she’s also your superior who will coldly reject your documents.”
“Then.”
Dustin, impressed, looked at the approaching Pastel.
“Is that paper airplane also part of the work?”
“Wow! It’s going to crash!”
The paper airplane flew and stuck in Ellie’s black hair.
Poke.
“Uwaaah! Help! It crashed! Save the plane!”
The black hair was disheveled.
Ellie muttered with a low gaze.
“She’s just playing…”
#
Dustin’s handover was complete. He will diligently do student council work with Ellie.
The new dormitory construction proposal also passed without problems. Although she ran around fluttering her pink hair, there weren’t many difficulties.
And currently, Pastel was leaning on the airship railing.
“It’s the sky!”
The sky road stretched out.
Yay, smuggling time.
It feels like I can smell the fishy scent of sky mackerel.
Yay yay.
The demon looked at her with a subtle gaze from the side.
『Young Craft.』
Ugh.
Pastel awkwardly whistled.
“I-it’s the sky~”
Wow, it’s totally beautiful.
The demon’s eyes narrowed.
Ugh, is it not working?
Pastel cleared her throat with a small cough. Then she looked directly at the demon with a serious expression.
“Mr. Demon, I’ve realized something.”
A fantastic and great realization.
『Tell me.』
The demon crossed his arms and looked at her with a “let’s hear it” expression.
“If we’ve already crossed the line!”
Pastel smiled brightly.
“Let’s cross it boldly!”
She gave a thumbs up.
Nice.
Oh yeah.
『This troublemaker…』
The demon put his hand to his forehead.
Hehe.
Pastel twisted her body shyly. Then suddenly remembering something, she looked directly at the demon.
“Ah, that’s right! Mr. Demon! Mr. Demon! What’s our smuggling commission rate?”
『…20%.』
Uwah, that’s totally expensive.
Smuggling is a fantastic act that changes the 50% tax rate to 0%, but in fact, there’s also a smuggling commission here.
When you load the goods and arrive at the docking area, you go to the Demon Realm Corporation to trade the smuggled goods.
You sign normally and receive payment normally. In broad daylight, watched by the military and customs.
The reason this is possible is because the Demon Realm Corporation is spreading bribes.
Since it’s an expensive business, the Demon Realm Corporation also charges smugglers their own smuggling commission.
That’s 20%.
Pastel’s hands trembled.
Uwaaah.
20%, he says.
Is it okay to take 20% of a starving child’s rice bowl?
“S-smuggling isn’t smuggling.”
It’s just paying taxes cheaply.
No wonder it felt too easy.
There’s no way proper smuggling involves visiting normally, signing normally, and receiving payment normally.
I thought I had become a “life is too easy” Pastel, but I had actually become a “life is half easy” Pastel.
Gasp?
No wonder, no wonder!
When I flew paper airplanes in the student council room, Ellie’s gaze wasn’t good!
It was because I had become a Pastel whose life had only become half easy!
If I were a “life is too easy” Pastel, even Ellie would have considered it natural for me to play!
Uwaaah, cruel reality.
Pastel put on the resolute expression of a brave smuggler.
“I can’t accept 20%!”
The demon looked down at her with eyes that seemed to see a troublemaker.
『So?』
Pastel raised her arm high.
“We’re going for full-fledged smuggling that doesn’t depend on others!”
Aiming for a 0% tax rate!
Let’s achieve Pastel’s “life is too easy”!
Oh yeah.
The girl was excited by herself.
The demon blankly looked up at the sky.
『How did it come to this…』
#
Port city Blue Wave.
It was one of the demon realm cities affected by the Empire’s military reduction policy.
Although it was a strategic point for military and economy, with the end of the war, its priority had fallen, resulting in the military essentially withdrawing except for the bare minimum.
However, the economic power of the port city remained. Currently, with the security vacuum, ruffians, gangsters, and ambitious individuals were tangled up over gold.
It was Blue Wave, the holy land of crime and the starting point of trade.
“Wow!”
The cityscape of white buildings and blue roofs came into view.
“Totally fantastic!”
Pastel, leaning on the airship railing, gaped.
『The Empire put effort into building this city, so the scenery should be worth seeing.』
“Let’s go sightseeing! Sightseeing!”
『Sigh.』
Pastel docked the airship and ran around.
“Gasp! Grilled fish! Is it a port specialty?! One please! No no! Two please!”
She sprinkled magic stone powder on the grilled fish.
Before eating, she looked at the grilled fish with dreamy eyes.
“Mr. Demon, Mr. Demon! The Pastel who gave up on chicken skewers is no more! There’s a Pastel who eats when she wants to! Like this!”
She opened her mouth wide and chomped down with a “Woah!”
Munch munch.
The savory and plain fish meat burst in her mouth.
Gasp.
Is this the taste of the port?
Is this the taste of a money feast?
A life where you can sprinkle gold powder on snacks to your heart’s content is this happy.
“Mr. Demon! Mr. Demon! You eat too!”
The demon looked at the grilled fish in his hand with lifeless eyes.
『…I’m not in the mood to eat.』
Huh?
How can that be.
Well, well.
Then I’ll eat it!
“If you’re not eating, give it to me!”
She took the demon’s grilled fish and opened her mouth wide.
Her soft mouth opened and her pink tongue showed.
Woah chomp.
Munch munch.
Gasp, it’s totally delicious.
“One more please!”
『Stop eating. We need to have a meal soon.』
Huh.
Huuuh.
Hesitating, Pastel pretended not to hear and quickly shouted.
“Hurry and give me more!”
The demon put his hand to his forehead.
『Just eat this one.』
“Okay!”
Woah chomp.
A little while later, Pastel finished munching on the demon’s cooking on the airship and moved on.
She carefully looked around the warehouse buildings on the dock.
“In the end, we need local assistance, right?”
Whisper whisper.
『Yes, you have to stay on Sky Island anyway. We need to find someone who can help with smuggling each time while being based in the demon realm.』
A smuggling lecture filled with the experience of the one-hit instructor master.
This disciple will listen carefully.
Assistant, assistant.
It didn’t take long to find one.
Wandering around the dock warehouses, some fairly nice-looking adults approached.
A man with a scar on his lip opened his mouth.
“What are you doing here?”
Pastel put on an evil expression and spoke in a dark voice.
“Bad things. I’m looking for an assistant for smuggling.”
Wow.
The man was dumbfounded, then exchanged glances with his companions. Incomprehensible looks were exchanged.
After finishing their nonverbal conversation, the man scratched his ear and frowned.
“What an ignorant kid wandering around.”
The man’s chin jerked.
“Follow me!”
Oh?
She was guided to a shabby but decent-looking building.
The man knocked on the iron door in a certain rhythm. Someone inside looked out through a gap in the door, then opened it.
The heavy iron door made a noise.
A gloomy, dark interior was revealed.
“Wow, a crime base.”
Pastel gaped and followed closely.
Behind her, the iron door closed with a sharp noise. The outside light diminished and the interior became even gloomier.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Don’t your eyes get dim living like this? Is this just for receiving guests? You keep it bright usually, right?”
The doorkeeper looked at Pastel.
“What?”
“An ignorant kid.”
The guide said, shaking his head.
“I know the ways of the world well!”
Pastel added with a serious expression.
“This is a kidnapping situation, right?”
Wow wow.
A calm voice was heard.
『Hmm, not bad. Small scale, but you can feel the bond between members. No unnecessary pride battles either.』
Mr. Demon is totally reliable.
I can feel the presence of an experienced professional.
If it weren’t for Mr. Demon, I’d be going “Uwaaah” instead of “Wow wow” right now.
I should do it even now.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
Gazes turned to the pink girl.
The guide was incredibly dumbfounded. As if trying to judge the girl’s thought process, he blinked slowly, lost in thought, then gave up and turned around.
“Kid who knows the ways of the world, follow me.”
“Wow, you acknowledged it right away! Mister, you’re so nice!”
Is this the kindness of the world?
They went up to the third floor and were able to sit face to face with the boss alone.
The young man in a suit, with a tree branch in his mouth like a cigarette, gave her a look.
“What did you come here to do?”
Pastel’s eyes shone.
“Smuggling! I need local assistance!”
The boss silently nodded the tree branch in his mouth.
Then he stroked his neck and touched the tea set on one side of the table.
The teapot tilted.
Hot tea filled the teacups.
Teacups were placed in front of Pastel and the boss.
The boss quietly put his lips to the teacup.
Ooh, somehow a classic atmosphere.
Me too, me too, classically.
Pastel held the cup with both hands and lifted it. She blew on it gently, but it was hotter than expected, so she blew harder to cool it. Then she took a gulp.
Wow wow.
A bitter grass taste was felt.
Eh, it’s green tea?
Ugh, bitter.
Her expression twisted.
The boss calmly put down his cup.
Sharp eyes stared directly at the girl.
“Did you just realize? That’s right. I applied paralysis poison to the teacups. It’s a technique to make you let your guard down by sharing the same tea and put your lips to the cup.”
Gasp, what did you say?
Pastel’s eyes widened. She looked down at her hands. Her hands were trembling.
P-paralysis? Is that it?
Tremble tremble.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
『…Why are you panicking when you ate magic stone stimulants without a second thought? Drugs don’t work on you.』
Oh right!
She looked at her hands again. Now they were fine.
Oh?
Aha!
I guess I was just trembling from surprise.
Hehe, embarrassing.
A subordinate opened the door and entered. 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 home.”
“I guess so.”
The boss tidied up the tea set. As he did so, he met Pastel’s gaze.
“You understand it’s scary, right? Remember this, little miss. The dock warehouses are not a place to wander around alone.”
The boss’s hand flicked.
“Take her home when the paralysis wears off.”
“Yes.”
Huh.
『It’s not a lie. The group’s character is good too. Even if they dirty their hands, they should at least be kind to children if they’re human. It would be good to make them our assistants.』
Mr. Demon, forget assistance, it looks like we’re about to be kicked out.
How are we supposed to get assistance in the first place? Aren’t they a criminal organization?
『It’s easy.』
As if reading her doubts, the demon calmly said.
『Knock them all down.』
What?
The subordinate approached.
“I’ll carry you for a moment. We have to leave the boss’s room.”
It was an extremely kind expression and voice.
You can feel the warm consideration telling her not to be scared.
『Weaklings.』
What?
『Show these ignorant fellows the logic of power.』
What?
『Hurry.』
The master’s resolute voice fell.
Uwaaah.
Uwaaaah.
Pastel squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m sorry, everyone!”
And suddenly swung her fist.
Her fist struck the face of the subordinate who was hesitating about how to carefully carry her. His nose was crushed and a nosebleed burst out.
“I’m sorry!”
Merciless punches continued.
Because the master said to do so.
Impact sounds rang out one after another.
The subordinate lost consciousness and collapsed.
The girl rushed towards the dumbfounded boss.
Pink hair fluttered.
“I’m sorry!”
Her fist struck the dazed boss’s face.
His face was crushed and blood splattered.
Merciless violence descended upon the benevolent criminal organization.
You see… Demmy… even if you try to raise her right… her soul fits with the Craft ways!!! At least when money is involved!