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"Ah, Suzuki-san. I just received a call from North Chikuzengawa Street. Could you head over there?" Hirakawa asked, looking up as Kiryu exited the staff room. He bowed briefly in acknowledgement.
"Alright. See you later."
Kiryu exited the Nagasu Taxi building. It was evening, the moon casting a gentle glow over the city of Nagasugai. He shut the glass door behind him and walked onto the parking lot. He walked towards the blue taxi, unlocked it, then opened the trunk. Kiryu took his gray jacket off, put it in the trunk, then closed it again. He made his way around the car to the right, then entered the car. He turned the key to start it up before backing up and turning to the parking lot's exit.
The quiet music coming from his radio was mere background noise, as sounds of the bustling public enjoying themselves after a long day of work filled his ears, along with the humming of the taxi's engines. Kiryu drove the short distance north, where a girl held her hand up for him to stop the car, which he did. Kiryu exited the vehicle to stand in front of her. He bowed his head briefly.
"I'm from Nagasu Taxi. Sorry for the wait."
The girl seemed to be in high school, likely Haruka's age. She fidgeted with her school bag a little.
"To Fukuhaku Street, please."
Kiryu opened the back door for her to enter, then went to his seat behind the wheel and started the taxi back up. As he began driving, the radio started playing quietly. Kiryu didn't really care about what was on, but the girl leaned forward in her seat a little.
"I'm sorry, sir, but could you turn up the music? This is my favourite song."
Kiryu obliged and turned the music up. The familiar notes of So Much More! filled his ears, recognizing it as the song Haruka would be singing in the Princess League Finals soon. He hoped she was doing alright, that she was safe.
In the backseat, the girl started quietly singing along. She didn't have a bad voice, in fact, Kiryu found her quite talented, speaking as a karaoke fan. Once the song went back to instrumentals, Kiryu decided to strike up a conversation with his customer.
"Do you listen to idol music often?"
The girl looked at the back of the driver's head before nodding.
"Yes. I really like the songs, they're just so catchy and fun to sing along to!" she responded, excitement evident in her tone, "I like a lot of idols, but my favourite is Haruka Sawamura. I watched all her rounds in the Princess League and watched a lot of interviews. She's super sweet!"
Kiryu nodded in comprehension before following up on her answer as he pushed down any feelings of missing the kids at Morning Glory for now, keeping his tone neutral. "Is there anything you like about her specifically?"
"Well... I guess that she feels real."
"In what sense?"
"A lot of idols, especially in the Princess League, have their faces stuffed to the brim with make-up and their clothes are either more colours than you knew existed, large, revealing or all three, while Haruka feels more... Natural, I think. She still looks like a normal girl that us fans can relate to." The girl thought about how to word her next thoughts, then spoke up once more.
"Also, she sings like she means it! I remember seeing a lot of other girls on TV singing that sounded forced, like they're only there for the fame and not to express themselves. You can actually feel the emotion Haruka puts into her singing, which I think is awesome!"
Kiryu nodded, following her explanation. He was proud of how far Haruka had come, and was happy to see how much her fans seemed to adore her.
"You seem to admire her a lot," he commented as he stopped in front of a traffic light at the crossroads of Nagasu Boulevard.
The girl nodded in response. "I look up to her a lot. It's my dream to be just like her! But... I know I can't do it," she spoke in a quiet tone.
"What makes you think you can't do it?"
"My vocal coach tells me my voice is too deep for a girl."
So that's what she's worried about, Kiryu thought, it's not her fault her coach is a boring asshole.
"Has anyone else told you that?" Kiryu asked.
"No... Just him. Why?"
"If it's just him, wouldn't you say it's just him verbalizing his own preferences?"
"Huh?"
"There are plenty of female singers who have a deep voice, and their audiences love it."
The girl took his words in for a moment, thinking them through, before responding.
"What if my audience doesn't like it, though?" she asked, voicing her insecurity. Kiryu shook his head.
"Then they're not your audience. Your audience will be people who appreciate listening to voices like yours."
"Hey... You're right! Thank you..."
"Suzuki."
"Thank you, Suzuki-san! Maybe I'll start looking for a different vocal coach who can adjust to me... I'll work hard so I can be the singer I always wanted to be!"
Kiryu slowed the taxi before parking in the spot in front of Udon West on Fukuhaku Street. He pressed the button to open the door on the side where the girl sat, and she exited. Kiryu left the car too and shut the door. The girl bowed to him.
"Thank you for the ride, Suzuki-san. And thank you for helping me overcome my insecurity. You're a great taxi driver, I hope you get good clientele!" she said with a smile.
"Thank you," Kiryu responded with a nod. The girl reached into her pocket to get out her wallet in order to pay the fare. She handed him the 1000 yen bill, along with 500 yen coin as tip.
"I'm sorry... I wish I could give you more, but working part-time at M Store doesn't pay much."
Kiryu shook his head. "This is plenty. Thank you very much. Have a nice day."
The girl nodded and smiled, then waved before leaving. Kiryu got back into the taxi and took a deep breath. He was glad Haruka had so many good people as her fans. He internally wished the girl the best on her journey to become a singer as he drove back to Nagasu Taxi.