Pastel strolled alone through the apple orchard.
After being served treats like apple pie, apple juice, and apple wine, she had requested to explore on her own while Melissa was giving her a tour of the farm.
Melissa seemed to be hesitant about something, but Pastel, lost in thoughts of hidden funds, pretended not to notice.
“Sorry, Melissa.
A popular person like me needs to manage friend schedules! I don’t have time for you today. I’m hanging out with my Hidden Funds Friend.”
Huh.
Hidden Funds Friend.
A friend who makes my heart race!
The Hidden Funds Friend called for help from beneath the farm soil.
“Help me~, help me~.
Get me out~.
Ugh!”
My friend is in danger!
“Just wait! I’ll save you!”
Pastel put on a serious expression. She placed her hand on her brow and scanned the orchard with a sharp gaze.
“Apple tree, apple tree, apple tree.”
Huh.
All apple trees.
The vast farm was crowded with disorderly apple trees and uncultivated plants. It was perfect for getting lost, let alone finding hidden funds. There were tree signs here and there indicating streets and paths—there could be many victims.
“Ugh.
I feel like I’m going to be a lost child.
I might end up crying for the Demon Lord.”
“Hang on, friend! I’m never giving up!”
Pastel crouched down and listened to the ground. She tried to smell for her Hidden Funds friend this time.
Sniff sniff.
“Help, friend, I’m inside a roasted pig!”
Sniff sniff.
“What is she doing?”
Startled.
Pastel sniffed more of the Hidden Funds scent, then stood up and awkwardly whistled.
“I’m absolutely not doing anything strange because I’m hopeless due to the vastness of the farm.”
Nod nod.
“But aren’t there too many apple trees here?”
She spread her arms. As she spun around, the entire world was just the orchard. The scale of it made it seem more like a forest of apple trees with a fence, claiming to be a farm.
“If my Hidden Funds Friend is crying, I won’t be able to find them at this size!”
Pastel joined in crying.
How on earth would someone unearth hidden funds in a place like this? Especially in someone else’s farm.
“There’s nothing I can do. Exceptional results come from diligent effort, after all.”
The demon spoke, then paused.
“Though, looking for hidden funds isn’t exactly diligent effort.”
Huh.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Right! Diligent effort is essential!”
“No, it’s not diligent effort. Don’t misinterpret.”
“Diligent Pastel…! I will live diligently!”
“What are you talking about trying to dig in someone else’s farm?”
Pastel took the advice to heart and diligently searched for the Hidden Funds. She examined the ground, looking for any remaining traces that might hint at where the funds were buried.
Then she spotted a rock. The rock was about knee-high, with what appeared to be artificial markings. It was a subtle pattern that, if you didn’t inspect closely, could easily be mistaken for natural markings.
“Oooh.
Detective Pastel’s instincts are sparkling.”
Pastel, using her excellent detective mind, deduced that the Hidden Funds’ clues were likely right there!
She crossed her arms and looked down at the rock with a serious face, speaking with an air of arrogance.
“Any deception or disguise is worthless in front of Detective Pastel!”
Ahem.
“To unravel deception and disguise!
She placed both pointer fingers on her head.
“Detective reasoning…!”
Ta-da!
Clues swirled in her mind. After navigating through metaphysical logic, she reached a high-dimensional conclusion.
Zoom~!
The answer appeared!
Detective Pastel confidently pointed at the rock.
“This is…!”
“It must be beneath here.”
The demon carelessly chimed in.
Pastel froze while still pointing at the rock.
“You should lightly dig the surface to check. It’s better to come back tonight with a shovel. The buried contents likely won’t be very large. I suspect there’s a pouch of gold coins or some banknotes.”
Such a brutal explanation.
“Uwaah!”
Pastel, unable to become a detective, flailed her arms.
“Demon Lord, you’re totally bad! Evil! The very embodiment of a demon!”
“W-Why?”
The demon looked bewildered.
“Why do I say that? Because I simply called you a demon Lord! Ebeebe!”
“Why are you doing this?”
Ignoring the demon, Pastel started digging beneath the rock.
She used both hands to claw at the dirt.
“Making laundry~!”
Dirt flew up, splattering onto her white clothes.
“Little Craft?”
The demon was horrified.
Pastel felt a sense of accomplishment.
“Look at me, seasoned expert at making laundry!”
With a hint of pride, she could annoy her guardian.
The guilty pleasure was my service.
Oh yeah.
Ignoring the demon’s whisper, she continued digging, making the hole deep enough to reach her ankles before shaking off her hands.
“I’ve dug the surface, but what can I verify?”
“No, wait. Let me inspect. Hmm. The soil is magically treated. It’s very likely that hidden funds are buried here.”
Magically treated?
Now that she thought about it, that black gemstone powder seemed to be mixed into the soil on closer inspection.
“Is it soil with scouting magic blocks?”
“Exactly.”
“Heh.”
Pastel covered the shallow pit back up. She stomped on it and glanced over. The darkened soil’s inner side seemed to be overturned, hence the coloring.
“Let’s wrap this up swiftly!”
Tonight, she would dig!
Oh yeah.
Melissa stared vacantly at the moon.
Though Craft might be untrustworthy, what if she coldly rejected an approaching friend? That would create undeserved enmity.
The memory of her mother smiled sweetly.
—As long as you can’t act like strangers, try to get along. Don’t step on shadows means not to get tangled in dark circumstances.
Wasn’t it just referring to human shadows?
Melissa was shocked. How hard had she worked to avoid Pastel’s shadow?
Watching the shadow elongate with the sun’s position and making sure to avoid it was a very difficult task, especially given Pastel’s habit of sprinting over to greet her. But she had managed flawlessly except for a few mistakes. Looking out for the approaching Pastel’s shadow was an exhausting but necessary effort.
How foolish it all has been!
Melissa pressed her forehead and staggered a bit. She held onto the terrace railing to regain her balance. She could see the apple farm beside her mansion.
Once again, her mother was right.
No matter how Craft is, there’s no way she could do bad things naturally.
Today was the same. Purely to meet her, she had come to her territory. Running away from such a friend was simply rude.
Melissa clenched her fist.
Let’s become friends.
No matter how Craft turns, there’s no way she’d do bad things naturally.
Meanwhile, at that moment, Pastel was sneaking into the apple orchard, digging beneath a rock.
Huh.
A perfect crime.
#
After diligent effort, Pastel could harvest her fruits. She placed her shovel down, wiping the sweat from her brow.
“Phew.
Is this true labor?
I could do this every day, just like breathing.”
Proud.
She pulled out a small wooden box partially revealed from the soil. It was roughly the size of her palm.
“It’s small.”
There probably weren’t any gold bars in it.
“Gold is excellent for burying, but this is definitely part of Camelot territory.”
Ah, true.
She brushed off the dirt and carefully opened the box.
Her heart raced.
First, she saw a pouch of gold coins. Though it was filled with gold, the size of the box made it feel more like emergency money.
She grabbed the pouch and examined the inside. Wrapped in leather were several banknotes.
Her heart raced.
Thump thump.
The banknotes were safely divided by names that seemed unrelated to Craft and various organizations.
Summing up the amounts revealed an enormous number.
Huh.
How many zeros and commas were there…?
As she began to realize the amount, Pastel’s mouth dropped open.
Huh.
It’s ten times my entire fortune…!
It’s worth ten of me…!
She raised both arms up high.
“Wow!”
A gasp tore through the night sky.
What a refreshing day!
Oh yeah.
Then she suddenly froze.
That’s right.
This is someone else’s apple farm.
I’m a robber.
She gripped the shovel again and hurriedly covered the hole. She scooped soil and meticulously piled it, patting it down with the shovel.
Completely smooth without a trace.
She carefully stored the banknotes in her arms. Holding the very suspicious shovel, she sprinted through the apple orchard. She thought she heard the sound of hounds barking from somewhere.
“Wahh!”
Zooming away.
“I didn’t do anything!”
“I was just enjoying a nice night walk…!”
She dashed past myriad apple trees. She spotted the wooden fence. In an instant, she ran up to the fence and jumped over.
She floated in the air before landing.
Pastel took off, running away. She went to hide the shovel in the planned thicket and walked down the estate path, whistling awkwardly.
She just needed to return to the mansion.
She couldn’t help but glance back.
Nobody was chasing her.
A grin crept across Pastel’s face.
A perfect crime.
“Demon Lord! Demon Lord! I think I’m really good at this!”
The divine being of the robbing world!
Oh yeah.
The demon looked dumbfounded.
“…That’s not something to brag about.”
Huh.
Oh right!
What a shock.
Shocking!
Aha!
Pastel laughed to herself and pulled the banknotes out from her clothes. When she peeled off the leather wrapping, the dazzling numbers dazzled her eyes.
“Ah! My heart is tingling!”
Holding the banknotes, she twirled around.
“This world is beautiful~.”
You and I are beautiful~.
As she sang, a voice echoed from somewhere.
“Craft?”
“Yup! My name is Pastel Love in this beautiful world, huh?!”
Pastel jumped in surprise.
Melissa walked down the path in light clothing.
“M-M-Melissa?!”
Pastel trembled, quickly shoving the banknotes into her clothes. She whistled awkwardly.
“What’s up, Melissa?”
She genuinely had no idea.
Melissa seemed slightly shy and hesitated.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh, I see!”
So it was nothing much.
Phew.
Pastel lowered her voice, tuning it for her sleepless friend. She began to talk with a toned-down tension.
“I’m also a bit restless. Want to walk together?”
“…Sure.”
They walked along the path. Since Pastel deliberately avoided chatting so as to consider the nighttime, a tranquil moment stretched between them.
The sounds of insects filled the air.
A cool breeze brushed by.
Eventually, they neared the mansion.
Melissa glanced over.
“Craft, there’s something I want to say.”
“Anything! Oh, anything at all.”
Melissa bowed her head.
“I apologize for pushing you away all this time. It was rude. Can you forgive me? I want to be friends now, even if it’s late.”
Friends?
Pastel tilted her head.
“We were friends to begin with.”
“Uh… that…”
Melissa hesitated, then smiled softly.
“Is that so?”
Then she looked up at the moon.
“I think I’ve misunderstood you. No matter how Craft may be, you can’t be bad all the time. You’re human, after all.”
Pastel stiffened for a moment. The pouch of gold coins and banknotes felt heavier in her arms.
Huh.
Suddenly, a pang of conscience.
Pastel ← A person who does bad things like breathing.
Aaaah!
An undeniable fact…!
Please see me as a survival-driven swindler!
Pastel flailed her arms. She grabbed Melissa’s chin. Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Craft?”
“No need to apologize! We’re friends!”
What a shocking pang of conscience.
Coming to build friendships and doing something completely wrong felt like becoming the bad person who robs a farm.
But this was not just a feeling… it was the truth!
“Let’s truly be friends starting tomorrow! Oh, right! We can spend time living out Melissa’s daily life. Forget past worries and hesitations and be together!”
Having tea parties, laughing together.
“Huh.”
“Pouring tea.”
“Yummy cookies.”
The perfect life of a noble girl.
“Together.”
Melissa blushed.
“Craft, then tomorrow can we…?”
The heir of the Southern Commander said.
“Shall we go hunt wild boars? I’ve heard they’ve been lurking around villages.”
Hunt?
Oh?
The next day, Pastel was forcibly woken up by Melissa before the sun even rose.
Still disheveled, she was dragged to the stables to be assigned a horse.
It was drizzling.
Where’s my tea party?!
Where’s the pouring tea and yummy cookies?!
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