“Heehee.”
Pastel, with her messy pink hair, was maneuvering a broomstick. The broom swayed as if it would crash but eventually landed on the deck.
Thud.
In the sky behind, a furious mother whale and a fleeing baby whale had a quarrel.
Both the mother whale and the baby whale were pink, and so was Pastel, but here I was, feeling like a little shrimp…
Pink pink shrimp shrimp.
“Your Excellency, are you alright?!”
People rushed over.
I want to shout “Not alright!” but I couldn’t make the one in charge panic, so I steadied myself.
“I’m fine.”
I stood up, rejecting the professors’ assistance.
Heehee.
Seems like my acting skills are the only thing growing.
I roughly tidied my tangled pink hair with my fingers.
“The mother whale seems extremely angry. Should we worry about damage on the Sky Island?”
The specialized professor observed the mother and child quarrel through a telescope.
The mother whale unleashed a massive laser breath, and the baby whale flung upwards from the impact. Surprisingly, the baby whale appeared unscathed despite being hit by such a high-powered beam.
“It’s unusual, but it seems the normally gentle mother whale wouldn’t take her frustrations out on innocent people. However, I can’t say for sure since her reasons remain unclear.”
“Looks like the baby whale is getting scolded for running away.”
Meanwhile, that little rascal was busy dodging Mom’s lasers without a care in the world.
“Oh.”
The professor seemed to be licking his lips. Realizing there wouldn’t be a groundbreaking academic opportunity from an impossible baby whale abduction, he looked disappointed.
Ugh.
Mad scientist vibes.
“If running away is the main issue, the baby whale wouldn’t fly all the way to the Sky Island. Sky whales are usually vast and gentle.”
Is it like how bears are surprisingly docile?
Being at the top of the food chain, they don’t often feel threatened, leading to a gentler disposition.
“I agree. This airship should stay put. The mother whale’s shots have been directed away from us. There’s no need to move and risk inviting danger.”
That makes sense.
It seemed that the mother whale periodically glanced our way.
Pastel noticed a few people marveling at the majestic scene, her eyes widening. She clapped to grab their attention.
“Everyone, focus! Stay at your designated positions!”
The chaos quickly settled.
Elshire came over, holding a wooden cup.
“Good job. Drink this.”
“Thanks!”
Pastel gulped down the orange juice.
“Ahh!”
What a rush of overcoming a crisis!
Like showering and drinking milk at the same time.
Heehee.
Saying that, it’s actually nothing special.
Ugh.
The whale quarrel didn’t last as long as expected.
The mother whale smacked the baby whale with her wing fin and turned away, signaling that it was all over.
The baby whale, smacked away by a mother several times its size, flew through the clouds, tracing a parabolic arc as it soared here.
“Oh?”
It crashed against the side of the airship. A loud bang echoed, and the airship swayed. The wooden hull shattered, scattering debris.
“Oiying!”
Pastel stumbled and dashed to the rail. She peered down at the hole in the hull.
“Whale friend!”
That impact could’ve turned any living creature into a water balloon…!
A wooden plank from the hull shook. The baby whale emerged, a few minor scratches visible, but its pink skin remained mostly unscathed.
Totally sturdy.
Pastel sighed in relief.
“Phew.”
Then she hurriedly pointed out the mother whale.
“Whale friend! Hurry back! Mom is leaving!”
The mother whale was indeed departing, showing no signs of stopping. She was getting further away, and the baby whale was just a tiny speck compared to her speed.
The baby whale shook its body, shaking off wood debris. It gazed blankly at the departing mother whale.
The pink eyes of the whale shimmered.
This might feel a little, no, quite disappointing.
Running away was wrong, but isn’t that a bit harsh…?
Pastel felt a tinge of disappointment herself.
It’s like leaving a kid stranded on the highway just because they threw a tantrum during the drive.
Ugh.
The baby whale slowly floated upward. It flew up onto the deck, looking down at the people on the airship.
Everyone’s expressions turned complicated.
The baby whale pointed its wing fin at the mother whale and then at its own belly, flapping its fin as if patting itself.
Slap slap.
What does that mean?
The baby whale lifted its head and emitted a sonar sound that seemed full of joy.
Oh?
Then it started wobbling its body and fins, showcasing a whale dance.
Flap flap flap flap.
Shake shake.
A victory dance for everyone to see!
I beat Mom!
Whale breath beam~!
A beam of joy shot up into the sky.
“Woah!”
Pastel finally grasped the situation.
“That’s not something to brag about!”
You little ungrateful whale!
#
Pastel gazed at the academy’s lake.
The pink baby whale swam gracefully, surrounded by students tossing it fruit. It looked like it was having the time of its life.
Crispy apple crunch.
Ugh.
“Are all pink creatures like this?”
A well-dressed demon pondered next to her.
“Seems like it.”
“Huh? Why aren’t you denying it?!”
I was joking!
“Taking into account you and your mother, that’s my answer.”
Ugh.
Mommy.
What did you do to the Demon Lord to earn such a reputation?
Even if I silently ask in my heart, no answers will come from someone who’s passed away.
Pastel let out a big sigh.
“A friend who doesn’t appreciate their parents.”
The demon’s mouth moved. He looked like he’d misspoken, slowly closing his red eyes and pondering how to fix it.
Pastel watched, shrugging and muttering loudly.
“Oh, if only I had inherited a rich legacy, I’d lounge around all day playing with friends~.”
Her blatant wish made the demon look incredulous.
Hehe.
Let’s not make things serious for no reason.
It’s just the cult’s tricks; it’s not the Demon Lord’s fault.
The sound of rustling grass reached her ears.
“Over here.”
Elshire approached. A stack of documents awkwardly in hand, looking out of place for the task at hand.
“The student council has finished the investigation on the knight order.”
“Oh! Thanks!”
Pastel reflexively took the documents. Then she noticed a typo and hesitated.
“Why did you bring this?”
It’s not Elly or Dustin or even my friends.
“Huh?”
Elshire looked perplexed.
“When I went to the student council, they told me to give it to you.”
Was the Duchess’s daughter really meant for errands? Or did Elly just give her something to do because she happened to be there.
“Why did the student council come? Is there some request?”
“Huh?”
Elshire looked even more bewildered, as if asking why she’d pose such a question after calling her over.
Huh?
I never did that!
As a popular person, Pastel suddenly had a wary feeling.
Heehee.
This chilling sensation.
It’s like being overly nice to someone with no friends, only for them to assume they’re your only friend and start making plans all over the place.
Even if you had to decline due to prior commitments, they’d take it as a rejection from a friend rather than the schedule.
Hmm hmm!
Someone who’s never had many friends is clearly struggling to accept that a busy schedule is a legitimate excuse to say no.
Pastel understood perfectly!
But if left unaddressed, rumors would spiral out, so she decided to be straightforward.
“Sorry, Elshire. While I’d love to drop by the student council now that we’re friends, I can’t always find the time. Can you understand?”
I can’t spend all my time on you.
Elshire looked confused.
“You and I were…friends?”
Huh?
Pastel was shocked.
“Weren’t we friends?”
Elshire tilted her head, her silver hair flowing.
“Since when were we friends?”
Both wore expressions of utter confusion.
A silence lingered.
“What kind of talk is that for someone with no friends? A forced rank can’t truly define friendship.”
A voice came from behind the garden trees, revealing a blonde girl who leaned out.
“Pastel, if you pressured Bellamont into backing you for the ducal heir competition, then you should take responsibility as a noble.”
Heehee, Melissa.
“What are you doing?”
Melissa flinched. She seemed somewhat embarrassed and stammered before fully stepping out from behind the tree.
“Well, I was being quite unrefined. My apologies.”
The future Grand Sorceress shook off her robe in embarrassment.
Elshire, having seen this, immediately commented.
“Unrefined.”
Melissa’s lips twitched.
Whoa!
It’s like when a Northern warlord suddenly confronts a Southern warlord!
“Wait! Wait!”
You guys better not fight!
I flailed my arms.
“What were we talking about? What were we talking about?”
I noticed the documents flapping along with my arms.
The knight order investigation report.
“Ah! Right! The knight order!”
Ignoring terror responses and labeling everything as internal issues, they were the bad knights attempting a power struggle against the Sky Whale.
“You two need to help with something!”
An evil knight order that needs changes through proper administration!
This is also a righteous act of the academy becoming the sole authority over the Sky Island!
Ahem.
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