CHAPTER 5
Cute Makes Right
Let me tell you about a strange city that I visited during my travels.
“Welcome—” No sooner had the gate guard seen my face than he froze in place. “H-how cute! Surely you’ll be the next big sensation! You’re the cute girl of the new generation! No question!”
“…Huh?’
“Please, go ahead and enter! We welcome you with our whole hearts!”
“Uh. S-sure…”
I passed through the gate, feeling utterly confused. The scene on the other side wasn’t any less bewildering.
“Guys! Look here! A cute traveler has shown up!”
“A cute witch? That’s the strongest combo!”
“She certainly is cute!”
“Look this way for me!”
“She’s really outstanding—one in a million!”
“I just want to smother her with love!”
I was set up on a stage in the town square, dragged out in front of the residents.
“…Ehhh.” I cringed at the crowd, to be honest.
What is this?
When I asked for the reason, I was told that whenever the townspeople find a cute person, they immediately put them on display and offer prayers to them. The whole city had been built around this practice evidently.
Is this what idolatry is?
I guess they wanted to know what kind of person I was, because a series of rapid-fire questions came flying at me. I offered extremely perfunctory answers.
“Hello! Please tell us your age!”
“No thanks.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?!”
“I don’t, and I never will.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?!”
“No.”
“Can I shake your hand?!”
“I hate touching strangers, so no thanks.”
“P-p-please marry me!”
“Please get lost.”
As you may have already surmised, my personality is not especially cute. Plus, I was already fed up with the whole terrible spectacle. I thought maybe if I made my displeasure clear, my questioners might get bored with it.
However—
“……Incredible!”
Too bad.
The citizens practically gushed with admiration at my harsh words. The more I admonished them, the more I was praised for my “cute abusive language!” If I tried to work a scheme over on them, I was worshiped for being “so adorably cunning!” To get straight to the point, as long as I was cute, apparently anything was fine. That’s the kind of culture it was.
But if you’re permitted to do anything, you start to get used to the idea that you can do whatever you like, right?
Taking advantage of the kindness of the people, I did exactly as I pleased for a little while. Admit it. Living in such a place is the ultimate dream, even for a billionaire, isn’t it? That’s what I thought, and I lapped it up for a while.
One day, however, I woke up, and all the citizens started criticizing my behavior.
“I’m tired of your abusive character.”
“Oh, you’re not trending anymore.”
“You’re old news.”
Uh-oh. What might have transpired here?
The reason was simple and clear. A new girl had come into town.
“She’s an angel…!”
“Look! A pure girl who doesn’t treat us poorly!”
“This is truly what a girl should be.”
“An outstanding specimen—one in a million!”
“I just want to smother her with love!”
The citizens took no further notice of me.
I had been left behind in a corner, relieved of all duties, as everyone actively ignored me. In the end, I was practically chased out of the city.
It seemed their policy was that “cute makes right.”
But their idea of right and their whole culture went through complete overhauls.
Just like the fashion cycle.
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