ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Intermission | Cultural Exchange

April 30

Custefai, Altian Empire

A month had passed since the Governorate-General established on the destroyer Ise seized real power in the country. The provisional government under the control of the Govenorate-General, headed by Savia, is working hard day and night to handle the demands of the Japanese government.

As a result of the destruction of the Capital Guard that had been protecting the security of the capital city of Custefai during the landing operations, the security situation in the city has deteriorated drastically. Therefore, under the direction of the Governorate-General, the Altian soldiers who had not been mobilized for the war against Japan, such as the Security Forces of the territories, were gathered and the capital's security forces were reorganized. As a result, Custefai's security has been largely restored, and people can walk around during the daytime without any problems. One day, two bureaucrats sent from Japan were walking the streets looking exhausted.

"Aaah, I'm so tired..."

"Jeez. It's tougher than when I was in the homeland."

Their names are Yoshikazu Ichikawa and Shinobu Okouchi, both bureaucrats dispatched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Governorate-General. While complaining about their hard work, they were walking around the city and taking in the fresh air to energize themselves for their next job.

"Sir! I'm in trouble!"

"?"

At that moment, they heard arguing voices in one of the stores in town, and they looked in the direction of the voices.

"We're full right now, so you'll have to wait a little while..."

The waiter stood in front of three male customers, bowing. It appears that three men are trying to force their way into a packed bar.

"What the hell, those blokes. There are people like that everywhere in the world, it seems," Okouchi mumbled, seemingly not very interested.

The clerk was struggling to deal with the troublesome customers. Then the three men pushed him out of the way and forced their way into the store. They looked around the store and, finding something, strode to the seats where five men and women were sitting.

"Not open? No, there's a seat here, right?"

One man said so and pointed to the seat, which was already full with five people seated. The waiter and the customers seated there tilted their heads. At that moment, the complainer man suddenly yanked the hair of a female customer, who was sitting at the table.

"!?"

"What is the matter with you Altians, a third-rate nation that lost a war to an uncivilized barbarian country in the Far East, that you won't give up your chair!? Get lost!"

The man yelled and yanked the woman up by her hair, knocking her to the floor by her chair.

"Kyaaaaah!?"

"Ngh!!"

The woman's screams echoed through the air. The male guest who was accompanying her got up from his seat and immediately rushed to her as she collapsed on the floor. The other guests were also startled by the sudden commotion and turned their gazes in their direction at once.

"...! What the hell are you doing!?"

Another male customer asked the men in a hoarse voice. The three men, however, do not answer anything with sneers on their faces.

"Damn... the people who have been the subjects of the empire are lording over the place...!"

A male guest who was running up to the woman looked up at the three of them with eyes filled with frustration. The fact that the Altian Empire had been completely defeated by an "uncivilized" country far from the continent had caused an inversion of the hierarchy that had been established between the citizens of the Altian Empire and its former subjects.