(a/n) Every chapter will be a one-shot dedicated to each digidestined.
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[TAXI DRIVER]
sora
elegant sports fanatic
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"Tokyo is experiencing the hottest summer of the decade."
The driver wordlessly nodded to himself, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief to soak up the perspiration from his forehead.
He couldn't agree more with the forecaster, as he knew from first hand experience how dramatic the changes in weather had been over the years.
Everybody blamed it on climate change; but despite people pointing their finger at this reason, there was never any action done about it. The driver could blame it on the Japanese government as they were passive whenever addressing pressing issues. In all honestly, it was like that pink elephant in the room that people failed to address. Regardless of it all, other countries fell under the same category. Big governments all over the world yapped on about climate change; but nobody acted on it.
Years of driving around in the taxi had constantly caused him to discern the weather, as it became ingrained into his job requirements. The weather would always be a safe topic to talk about; especially when taxi drivers dealt with a broad range of customers as the weather naturally impacted on everybody's lives.
Through the sun's glare, from the corner of his eyes the taxi driver spotted a lady across the other side of the intersection. She frantically waved her pastel peach uchiwa at him to get his attention, not like she needed to anyway. Amongst the bustling business people that flocked around Shinjuku Station, the lady's clothing contrasted against the dull greys, blacks and whites.
She wore a yukata, a very odd feat considering that there were no festivals to be celebrated that day. The yukata's thin fabric was styled with an intricate floral print of cherry blossoms, mainly coloured with a light beige and deep burgundy. Throughout the yukata, the colours were accompanied with dashes of gold that added a uniqueness to the design. A golden obi was tied around her thin waist, accenting the yukata even more. In fact, the driver thought that the lady had particularly chosen the styled yukata because it matched well with her shoulder-length fiery auburn hair.
As the driver did a u-turn, vehicle lurching to the opposite side of the road. As he drove towards the woman, the driver noticed another taxi slide into the right lane besides him. It was when the other taxi in the next lane began to rev up, the driver sped in front of him.
The other taxi was trying to steal his customer!
Gritting his teeth, the driver stepped harder onto the accelerator and immediately braked when he was in front of his subject.
"Serves you right!"
The taxi driver couldn't help but give a smug smirk as he watched the younger disgruntled taxi driver drive past him. The other driver may have had youth on his side, but the older taxi driver definitely had the experience. Nevertheless, the young driver had no respect to snag his passenger when he clearly had set eyes on her first.
It wasn't that the taxi driver was being biased because the customer was a lady; it was just that he was tired of driving around angry, stiff, drunk or boring office-men that day. The driver's company had stationed him around the business district for the day, and he had enough of it. At least this lady looked interesting and was less likely to start trouble than the few drunks had almost vomited inside the vehicle from the previous trip.
The passenger door opened and the lady slid in, one leg after the other. She wiped the back of her hand against her forehead and commented, "Boy, it's humid outside!"
"Would you like me to make the AC colder?" The driver offered.
"Don't worry about it, sir. I just need to cool down a bit and I'm sure it'll be fine," she reassured him. Her cheeks were pink from the heat, but instead of feeling flat from the weather, a huge smile plastered on her face.
"Where to, miss?"
"Hm...I'm not sure of the address or the name of the place, but I do know a few landmarks where it is near." She spoke up, "Do you know the Starbucks that is a bit out of Shibuya and is across Lawson and Yoshinoya? It's on the same block."
The driver thought for a minute before giving a slow nod. "Yes...I think I know of it. Is the Starbucks next to Softbank?"
"That's it!" The passenger grinned, "I would usually make my way there from Shibuya station, but it's about a fifteen minute walk and it's too boiling to be pushing amongst the crowds right now."
"Quite understandable, miss," the driver replied.
Despite the air-conditioning almost on full blast, he could feel sweat soaking the back of his shirt from the friction between the leather seat and his back.
They drove in silence at first, until the driver observed that the lady was a fidgeter.
At the beginning of the ride, the lady had been sitting upright on the backseat. Yet, as they progressed down the street, from the rearview mirror, the driver noticed that she was slowly slipping down the seat in a more comfortable position. Her fingers then started to tap against the seat, making a dull rhythm of thuds that – in time – the driver would find irritating. But what had almost caused the driver to gape, was when she unthinkingly spread her legs out and began to roughly fan herself with the uchiwa.
The driver letted out a sigh of relief when he noted that the lady was actually wearing black pants under the yukata. He hadn't meant to look, but he found himself curious about his passenger. For one, the lady was wearing a yukata and the driver couldn't help but stare at her actions because she was peculiar. Although she was garbed in traditional clothing, her movements were of a middle-aged man.
"Sir, can you please turn the radio on?" The passenger politely requested, but her voice was laced with restrained urgency.
"Any particular station?"
"178 please."
The driver raised an eyebrow at her, almost certain that he had misheard her. "Are you sure? It's not a music station, miss."
"I know," she replied, bluntly.
Shrugging, the taxi driver followed the lady's command and switched the volume up.
"...passes to Honda. Australia's Smith is trying to intervene, but wait! Honda's slipped it to Haraguchi. They're a metre from the goal post now!"
The driver watched as the lady was at the edge of her seat. Jaw tight, and hands gripping each other in prayer, she continued to intently listen to the commentator.
"-Goal keeper, Ryan, is intent on blocking Haraguchi – but wait! Haraguchi's kicked it! He scores!"
"YESSSSSS!" The lady bellowed.
The car swerved. Immediately, the taxi driver skilfully retained control of the car. It was lucky that her screaming hadn't landed them into an accident, as she had completely disrupted the driver's concentration. By her shrieking her lungs out over the goal, it was a miracle that the driver's eardrums hadn't sustained any permanent trauma.
"We have a goal! Japan – 1. Australia – O."
As if not learning from the verge of their almost car accident, the lady began excitedly jumping on her seat like a five-year old.
Where was the mysterious lady the driver thought she was? She looked ridiculous carrying on the way she did, especially when she was attired in a yukata. How was it possible that this woman was an avid soccer fan?
The driver scratched the back of his head. He was now beginning to regret racing against the younger taxi driver for this customer. Although he was old; he valued his life, thank you very much. This lady was loopy. She lady had the potential to trigger him to have a heart attack if she had suddenly yelled out of nowhere when Japan had had scored.
He'd have to take extra precautions driving this lady, even though they would make her destination within the next five minutes.
"The game's only just started and we've already scored! We're going to beat them, sir! We're going to kill Australia in this match!"
Heaven's forbid, he wished they could arrive at their location sooner. He didn't know if he could withstand her obsessive raving on about her fanatics.
The lady reached into her brown handbag, manoeuvring a small water bottle out of it. She uncapped it, gulping down almost half the bottle in one go. It was amusing that she appeared lady like all dressed in her yukata, but the driver mused that she was anything but as she had unmannerly chugged down the water like a thirsty camel. She let out a satisfied, refreshed sigh, brushing the sleeve of her yukata to dry her mouth.
"Nishikawa has the ball. He kicks it to Sakai. Sakai dribbles past Luongo and Yamaguchi receives it. Looks like Kobayashi is about to – no, actually...Giannou is now in possession. Australia's got the ball!"
The lady frowns, fist connecting lightly to the window. For a moment the driver was frightened she would break it.
"-Hasebe snatches the ball from Juric! Japan's back in possession!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" The lady cried out.
Her feet was now pattering on the base of the vehicle, causing the car to shake.
He needed her to calm down. As the driver didn't know what to do and halt her from rowdily acting the way she did, so he resorted to giving a gruff cough. This tactic usually worked for him. It saved the driver from sounding too bossy, without actually anybody off.
The lady reactively blinked. It was like she been home, watching the game on TV instead, having completely forgotten that she was still actually in the taxi.
"I think we have a chance. Japan might possibly win this one!" She said, prodding him to participate in this one-sided conversation, "Don't you think, sir?"
The taxi driver wasn't sure how to reply to her. "Uh..."
"You don't follow soccer?" The lady looked at him disappointedly, picking up on his hesitation.
The driver admitted, "No. I'm more of a baseball fan. When it comes to soccer I have no idea, but on the other hand if you're talking about the Hanshin Tigers and I can go on and on about them for days."
"That baseball team's from the Kansai area," she pointed out.
He gave a wry smile. "I was born and raised in Osaka."
It wasn't often he talked about his hometown to his customers, as he had moved to the big city – Tokyo – when he was in his early twenties after he had wedded. He had adjusted to residing in the Kanto area now and was more familiar with it than the Kansai area. The last time he had been back in Osaka was years ago when he had to attend his mother's funeral. The taxi driver spent most of his annual leave staying in Tokyo with his family because it was convenient, and meant he wouldn't have to worry about traveling fees and expenses.
"You must own a takoyaki maker then," The woman said, off-handedly.
Even though the driver knew that she was stereotyping him, he had seen the way her lips quirked slightly upwards. She was intending for him to take offence at her sly comment. Tokyo and Osaka always had a rivalry, and the more time the driver spent with the lady, the more he realised how competitive she really was.
The driver chuckled. "Of course I do. The takoyaki here will never be as good as the takoyaki back in Osaka."
She laughed.
"I have to say though, Kyoto does produce good fabric. I make and design yukatas for a living. I actually bought this fabric, that I'm wearing, from Kyoto last month."
"Really?" The driver said, surprised. "I wouldn't think that. I thought you had been to a special event today. You must be gifted if you made that? It looks great."
"That's what good about yukatas," she smiled. "They're loose, comfortable, light and perfect for nice weather. They make you look elegant without trying."
The driver was about to say that her yukata had given him quite the impression, and that he would have never have linked her to being quite the tomboy – especially when it came to soccer. Yet, as he was about so speak of it, from the reflection in the mirror, the driver bit his tongue as could see that the lady was back in a trance as she eagerly listened to the radio.
"-blocks to goal. Australia's got one great goal keeper!"
Her laughter is diminished when the lady heard the recent update. She was glowering as she swore out loud, "Damn it!"
The driver was amused, allowing the lady to savour the rest of the commentary on the radio as they were a corner away from where she wished to be dropped off.
"Sainsbury's making his way down to centre. He slides it to McGowan. Ryan's blocking Kagawa from attacking. McGowan sails past Morishige – and nice save from Yoshida!"
Parking the vehicle on the side of the road, the driver turned around to her, "It's such a gripping match, but we're here now, miss."
"Oh...oh!" The lady replied, uncertain why the vehicle had stopped because she had been immersed in the game. She pried inside her purse, tapping her card to the machine. She gave a grateful bow. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!"
She didn't wait for him to reply, as she was already hurrying out of the taxi. One hand was holding her handbag, the other was holding a phone against her ear.
The driver turned off the engine. He didn't know why he hadn't left, but he felt like it was his duty to watch over her. He wanted to make sure she'd get into the building in one piece. The lady's mind was already scatterbrained from the excitement and adrenaline from listening to the game, so he wanted to at least ensure his customer's safety.
"A sports bar?" The driver spoke to himself.
He chuckled, not even surprised at the lady's selected destination.
At the entrance, fanatics garbed up in Japan's colours huddled into the building. The lady continued to stand there until a group of men began to surround her.
The taxi driver looked on, slightly alarmed by the influx of men that were in the lady's presence.
He laughed when he found the lady only react to the men by bringing them in all into a tight group hug. With a bundle of arms around everybody's shoulders, they chanted a tune that the taxi driver had no idea of, before jumping up and down in loud, boisterous excitement. One man with untameable brown hair gave the lady a celebratory hug, while a taller man with dirty blond hair diligently made his way to wrap his own soccer scarf around the lady's neck. She looked up at the man and shyly simpered.
Together, the group proceeded to walk inside the bar. The taxi driver assumed that they were going to finish watching the remainder of the soccer game.
Oddly enough, the lady looked at home surrounded with the fanatic soccer goons...even if she was dressed in a floral patterned yukata.
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(a/n) Perfect timing that the Japan x Australian game was on this week. It reminded me that I needed to update this story because I was always going to have Sora go sport-fanatic crazy at some point. It's been something I've wanted to do for a while. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it ;)
** Lots of Kansai references here (because I couldn't help myself)...
Kyoto/Osaka are cities that fall in the Kansai area.
Hanshin Tigers are a popular baseball team, also hailing from the Kansai area.
& Osaka is known for their takoyaki.
Next chapter: Daisuke and Ken :D