CHAPTER 3
The Day’s Newspaper
Hello! I’m Elaina! The Ashen Witch, Elaina!
I’ve been on the road for several years, and for the past several days, I’ve been staying in this country!
I’m a beautiful young witch whose most outstanding characteristics are my lovely ash-colored hair and my lapis-blue eyes! I’m always wearing a pointy black hat and a black robe. If you see me around town, say something to me, okay? Oh-ho-ho!
By the way, this country is incredible, isn’t it?
The food is delicious, I don’t care what anyone says! This is the first time I’ve been to a country with food this good! No doubt about it, the food here is the best in the world! It’s exquisite! I give everything five stars! You can boast that everything—from the dishes served at restaurants, to the coffee in the cafés, not to mention the bread in the street stalls—is undoubtedly the most delicious in the world.
What’s more, the scenery you can take in from town is just wonderful! If you look up, the sky is as clear as can be, and at night, you can gaze at a whole canopy of stars.
Looking at the snowcapped mountains from the viewing platform is a sight to behold, and when you listen carefully, you can hear the rustling breeze.
It’s too wonderful!
Even though the food and the scenery are more than incredible in their own right, this country has so much more to offer!
The breathtaking landscape and the people living here are amazing enough to overshadow the food and sights!
Between the rows and rows of historic buildings, happy residents all greet me with smiling faces. They quickly come to my assistance anytime I get lost or run into trouble, and the shop owners all treat their customers like royalty.
This is the first place I’ve ever tried to leave a tip after my meal at a restaurant only to have it refused. My server told me, “There’s no need for that. We don’t do that here!” Amazing! What service!
I am moved beyond words!
What’s more, every man living in this country is so handsome! There are nothing but good-looking guys in every direction!
This is especially tough because I’m not in the market to fall in love right now! Oh-ho-ho!
All things considered, I’ve enjoyed the several days I’ve stayed here immensely.
Ah, the memories.
I don’t think I’ll encounter a country as amazing as this one ever again!
“……”
Newspapers were lined up near the counter of the café, and I was trying to read them all in order, starting at one end and working my way to the other.
I like to gather as much information as possible, and it’s interesting because, depending on the newspaper company, their stances regarding certain stories are always different, and sometimes they even write the exact opposite opinions. It’s the best way to kill time while waiting for my coffee to arrive.
Plus, some places get the newspapers of neighboring countries as well, though that practice varies from place to place.
“……”
It looked like the country I had arrived in that day was one of the aforementioned places, and the newspaper of the neighboring country—one I had visited a few days earlier—was there on the shelf.
I read it, of course.
“…What is this?”
I was shocked, to say the least.
You could even say it made my blood boil.
I was livid and balled up the newspaper with all my might. My expression must have also turned quite severe, because the waitress who brought my coffee over said, “Thank you for waiting aaah!” and shrieked.
“…Oh, sorry. Thank you.” I laid the newspaper down for the moment and took a deep breath.
“Um, no problem… Is there something wrong with that paper?” The waitress set the coffee down on the table.
“I’ve visited the country in this article before.”
“Oh my. You have? Ha-ha, I see, I see.” As if she understood something I didn’t, the waitress held her tray in both hands and nodded steadily. “I don’t suppose you were invited to fill out a survey upon leaving the country, too?”
Hmm?
“Too, you say?”
Sure enough, I do recall being forced to write one.
They’d pushed it on me with the promotional line We’ve recently been publishing visitor feedback in a newspaper column.
“I’ve also been there before, and, well…the next day, when I came back here, there was a similar article filled with lies written in the paper.”
“……”
I see. That newspaper must be nothing but a hoax. It isn’t the least bit trustworthy, is it? There’s no point reading a newspaper without any credibility. Might as well toss it into a roaring fireplace.
“You know, that country was rather isolated until quite recently. That’s why I went to check it out. It was a rare opportunity. Seems like they really care about their reputation abroad. On my survey, I’m certain I wrote, I didn’t see anything particularly novel, but it was changed to look like I had said, It’s like something out of a novel!”
“…Huhhh? Order? Just fill out the sales slip! What, you wanna complain? You pig!” An angry ruckus rang out across the room.
After taking quick stock of the situation, the girl in front of me shrugged and said, “…I bet that even if you had an attitude like that guy, they would just twist your words.”
“……” After confirming the expression of the offended waitress at the other end of the counter, I pulled the brim of my pointy black hat down low and said, “But what’s the point of changing visitors’ feedback so drastically?”
“Who knows? Not me, that’s for sure.”
“Hmm…”
“By the way, this is just something I heard, but…,” the waitress started, “…the people in that country have opened their borders, yet not a single person has left.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Maybe it’s because they like thinking that their homeland is the best.”
“……”
They don’t want to leave their country. They don’t have the courage.
In order to hide their fear, perhaps, the locals falsify their newspaper articles to make their home sound really amazing. That way, since they’re already living somewhere so incredible, there’s no need to go out to see the world.
“By the way, has anyone actually immigrated to there?”
In response to my question, the waitress smiled and gave the obvious answer.
“Nope. I don’t know of a single one.”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login