“Sky Whale~.”
Pastel doodled a whale on the back of the document.
Swirling her quill.
A round body swished.
Triangle tail fins tapped away.
She laid down the quill and examined her crooked whale drawing.
“Perfect!”
A picture worthy of hanging in an art gallery.
Am I, perhaps, an art genius?
Pastel marveled at her work when she suddenly gasped at the whale drawing again.
Oh no!
She forgot to draw the wing fins!
She drew the tail fins but left out the wing fins!
Grabbing her head in shock.
“Not perfect~!”
Ugh.
Shock.
Gasp.
I wasn’t an art genius after all?!
After a moment of astonishment, she grabbed the quill again.
“But failure is the mother of success!”
Effort-driven genius Pastel never gives up!
She raised the quill high.
“Mother, grant me strength!”
The sharp quill tip sparkled.
“Yahap!”
Pastel ignited her passion. She swung the quill across the whale drawing on the back of the paper.
“Yahap!”
A tremendous cheer!
Passion a million times over!
The quill moved fervently.
Triangle wing fins were hastily added atop the whale.
Crooked, swirly.
“Perfect!”
The super-duper art genius Pastel slammed her quill down. A shockwave rippled. The desk shook.
She held up the whale drawing triumphantly.
“This is the fruit of perseverance!”
The whale drawing shimmered.
Heaven and earth, just me!
Unprecedented, unparalleled!
The artisan’s skill created miracles, and the undying passion painted an era.
A masterpiece that will go down in history shone with its own light.
A golden illusion floated above the whale drawing.
[SSS-Rank Whale Drawing]
Wooah!
Light illuminated from the drawing~!
Is this the aura of a mythical artwork?!
Ugh.
Pastel, just an S-rank good kid, couldn’t withstand the grade difference!
“I think I’m going blind!”
Pastel squinted and twisted her head this way and that.
Art genius in extreme crisis!
About to become an unfortunate genius consumed by her own outstanding result!
Help me, A-rank guardian Demon Lord~!
Pastel prayed earnestly.
Not wanting to scold someone playing alone, the demon instead saw the black-haired girl approach the desk.
With a stack of approval documents in hand, Elly, looking like a walking dark circle, gazed at the whale drawing.
Demon-like appearance.
Pastel flinched.
Wow.
I wanted the Demon Lord, not a subordinate in such a dreadful state?
Feeling very guilty, Pastel subtly shook the papers she held.
The whale drawing on the back of the document rippled as if alive.
“Sky Whale~.”
Yay.
Elly glanced at her dismissively, looking haggard.
“Pastel, did you finish all the paperwork?”
Ugh.
Pastel, who had been goofing off drawing whales and snacking, was in true dire straits!
The irritated Elly’s rebellion, and the dethroned Pastel felt a rumble in her stomach.
With no chance for gem treats, all Pastel had left was a rumbly tumble.
Shivering.
Pastel trembled, looking shockingly pale, and as Elly’s expression turned serious, she subtly pointed at the corner of the desk.
There were organized piles of documents. If stacked, they would reach Pastel’s height.
“I finished everything.”
So it’s time to play now.
Elly stared blankly.
Alternating between her own work documents and the desk’s paperwork, she realized Pastel had done several times as much as her and was bewildered.
“Why is it only me who is busy?”
An unjust question filled with grievance.
Oh dear.
Pastel lifted her chin.
Pointing at herself.
“Pastel, super elite.”
Pointing at Elly.
“Elly, just elite.”
An overwhelming difference!
Not convinced, Elly rubbed her face, then handed Pastel the stack of documents with her haggard face.
“Please approve this….”
How regrettable.
Dustin, the second staff member, should have come by now.
Pastel looked over the paperwork regarding the Sky Whale’s visit to Sky Island.
The Sky Whale, by its mere existence, became a source of wealth, so numerous merchant guilds involved themselves when it flew to human habitats.
Let alone the event occurring yearly as the whale enjoyed visiting Sky Island, many merchant guilds prepared in anticipation, turning it into an event where money flows and everyone’s pockets fill.
The problem is that often, these guilds cause trouble just seeking profit. Especially during the whale’s flight over the academy, various inspections and vigilance are essential. It’s unacceptable to have unidentifiable merchant airships cruising above the academy.
While large matters would usually be resolved by the Knight Order and the Professors, smaller issues or those involving students tend to come to the student council.
“Has Leonard not shown up at school yet?”
We need to hire help.
“Some of the group is here, but Leonard is missing. When asked, he said he would arrive tomorrow via airship.”
Pastel nodded and swiftly completed the document approvals. She passed some rejected papers to Elly.
“Then I’ll handle the collaboration with Leonard, and we can do this again tomorrow. Let’s call it a day for now; it’s vacation!”
Elly examined the returned documents with a weary expression.
“I’ll do it today.”
“No, no! Elly, rest!”
Pastel sent Elly away and remained alone in the student council room. She organized the papers neatly and sat in a chair.
Sunlight poured in through the window.
“It’s a Sky Whale.”
『I see.』
“What makes it so profitable?”
『The Sky Whale, living for centuries, acts as a small ecosystem itself. Plants grow on its back over time, and birds come to nest. Life circulates, and with storms helping, nature draws a circle.』
Wow, that sounds like an ancient koan.
“There are various plants and animals on Sky Island that don’t exist here?”
『Exactly. The ecosystems change slightly each year depending on the Sky Whale’s travels, and if you’re lucky, you can make a good haul. Plus, the byproducts of the Sky Whale are very valuable, making them eye candy for the merchant guilds.』
Byproducts?
“Do they capture the whale?”
『Not exactly capturing; rather, due to its massive size, it’s more like scraping away some of its scales.』
Ooh.
Byproducts from the Sky Whale.
Pastel pondered with a peculiar expression.
Wasn’t one of the materials for the awakening gems spread by the cult the Sky Whale?
Since premium materials like the Sky Whale are limited in supply, it’s easy for traces to remain in the trading process.
It’s unlikely a named crime organization just haphazardly acquired high-grade materials, meaning there must be a connection with a merchant guild or a self-sustaining guild associated with the cult.
Could it be a guild linked to the cult?
That guild wouldn’t miss out on the easy material acquisition during this yearly event.
Pastel smirked a little.
Heh.
I see now.
She leaned back in her chair.
『Why do you look like that?』
“Just thinking.”
She shook her head.
Rubbing her mouth, she tapped her cheeks for a mood lift and then smiled brightly.
“I just thought that as the owner of the Craft Guild, I want to participate in this yearly event! It’s a totally great money-making opportunity!”
A bolt of luck that made its way to me.
She raised her arms in triumph.
“Yay! Yay!”
『That’s a nice thought, but the Craft Guild has already set off.』
Pastel froze.
Oh no.
And she even sent her best friend Melissa away.
Ugh.
Come back, Craft Guild.
『There’s no need to feel sad. This is clearly an opportunity where know-how must be accumulated for high profits. For a first-time venture, smuggling provides undeniably high returns.』
Demon’s rational calculations.
Alternatively, it was a nagging without any empathy.
“Don’t talk about opportunity costs! Greedy people want to have it all, you know!”
『Oh dear.』
Pastel schemed.
Money, money, money!
Hah!
A bright idea struck!
She examined the student council’s budget situation.
Thanks to someone whose name could not be mentioned, the student council’s budget was completely empty.
“I can’t believe it! The budget situation is this messy! What on earth happened?!”
『You made it this way. It’s looking ragged.』
Ragged.
I can’t believe this, I can’t believe this!
“As the Vice Student Council President, Treasurer, Planning Department Head, Public Relations Head, Volunteering Department Head, and Discipline Department Head, I can’t just sit back and do nothing!”
She kicked her chair back and stood.
“From today on, I’m declaring a state of emergency in the student council!”
『Oh ho.』
The demon expressed admiration.
『Is the culprit behind the budget embezzlement finally coming to light? Who is it? Vice Student Council President? Treasurer? Planning Department Head?』
It was a teasing tone.
Pastel narrowed her eyes.
“The culprit is the Demon Lord!”
Evading responsibility, of course.
『What did you just say……?』
The demon was taken aback.
Pastel boldly declared, cutting off her guardian’s speech.
“I can’t send the Demon Lord to prison, so a good person like me will find another way.”
She raised her arms high.
“From today on, the student council will devote all efforts to fundraising, I declare this right here!”
She thumped the table.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Pastel peeked at the Sky Island docking area.
Students descended from the airship. After enthusiastically greeting friends, she waited again as a well-built male student of an upper class stepped down.
Pastel smiled brightly and waved.
“Leonard!”
Leonard, who had been talking with his attendant, flinched and turned around.
“What’s up? Why are you here?”
“I was waiting for you!”
Beaming.
Leonard looked at her with a strange expression. He brushed off his attendant and raised an eyebrow.
“You came all the way to the dock to wait for me?”
“Yep!”
Pastel spread her arms wide. Then she twirled around. The sight of the lined-up airships entered her view.
“Wow, it’s the dock!”
She could feel the bustling atmosphere of people and cargo moving about.
It felt like a train station.
“The friends who wait for me like this are extremely rare, so feel free to treat me pleasantly!”
Pastel said that and leaned in close, whispering to Leonard.
“I like all my friends, but… I guess you’re a little bit of a special friend?”
Whisper, whisper.
Leonard flinched. He retreated, avoiding her gaze, then glared with a scrunched face.
“How rare are we talking?”
“Curious about that, huh?”
Pastel tilted her head.
It’s hard to calculate.
She began to count by folding her fingers.
“One, two, three….”
After folding all five fingers, she folded the fingers of the other hand. Coming up short, she began to straighten them one by one to count again. Then she folded them again and started over.
“Twenty, twenty-one….”
“That’s like totally at the back of the line!”
Leonard shouted, his face turning red.
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“No, no!”
She flapped her arms.
“I’m in the middle rank!”
Ranking with contractor bonuses added.
“Is that even something to say?”
Leonard fumed.
Ugh.
How cranky.
Guess I’ll have to be the big-hearted one and understand!
Ahem.
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