I Started a Lover-for-Hire Service, And For Some Reason, Only Beautiful Girls Are Requesting Me - Chapter 30: The Taxi Driver and Hazuki's Face

“Is the temperature inside the car okay? I can turn up the heater if you’d like! Right now, it’s set to level 2 out of 5!”

“Thanks for your concern. It’s just the right temperature.”

“Glad to hear that! Also… just to confirm, your destination is Grail Garden GR Tower, right? I wanted to double-check with you now that you’ve sobered up a little!”

“Yes, please take me there.”

“Understood!”

Inside the taxi, Hazuki felt completely at ease.

Normally, having a male driver wouldn’t be an issue, but tonight was different.

The fact that she happened to get a female driver while she was in this state—without the need for any extra caution—made her feel relieved.

Tonight, she thought, wasn’t such an unlucky night after all.

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Suzu! May I ask for your name, onee-san?”

“I’m Hazuki Kamishiro. Thank you so much for tonight.”

“Hazuki-san, got it! Now that we’ve introduced ourselves and you’re feeling well enough to hold a conversation, it’s time for my meddling session!”

“Y-Your… meddling session?”

With a lively “Papapapaaaan!” sound effect, the high-energy female driver Suzu made a dramatic announcement. It was impressive how she could maintain such enthusiasm this late at night.

And yet, despite her upbeat personality, her driving was careful, with meticulous checks before every turn.

“That’s right! As a fellow woman, I can’t help but worry! Especially since you’re such a beauty, Hazuki-san!”

“Um… what exactly do you mean?”

“You really need to be careful about how much you drink! Or at least make sure to drink water along with your alcohol! Passing out in a place like that is absolutely not okay! You could’ve easily been taken advantage of by some bad guy, you know? I feel like blasting the horn right now as a wake-up call!”

“I-I see… I really do regret it. I didn’t think I’d end up like that…”

“Good! Make sure you learn your lesson! And with that, the meddling session is officially over!”

“Fufu, thanks for looking out for me. I’ll take it to heart.”

“You’re very welcome!”

Clearly pleased that her advice had been appreciated, Suzu playfully activated the windshield washer fluid.

A liquid meant for cleaning the windshield—now used as a quirky way to express her emotions.

“Hazuki-san, were you at a drinking party today?”

“Drinking is the more accurate way to put it. I was listening to a coworker’s concerns.”

“You were giving advice!? You must be really capable at your job! That’s amazing at such a young age…!”

“‘At such a young age’? You’re plenty young yourself, aren’t you?”

“I’ll be 27 next year!”

“Oh, we’re the same age, then.”

“Whoa! What a crazy coincidence!”

As Suzu bounced in her driver’s seat a couple of times—almost like she was riding a mechanical rodeo bull—Hazuki watched her with a smile.

“So, you ended up drinking a lot while listening to your coworker’s troubles, huh?”

“Yes. That person can hold their liquor well, so—”

“—but you’re not a strong drinker, so you forced yourself to keep up so they wouldn’t feel bad!”

“That’s about right… But next time, I won’t push myself. I already got a scolding from my driver, after all.”

“Yes, please do!”

Suzu grinned, while Hazuki gave a small smile in return. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. Being the same age made it easy to close the distance between them.

“Hazuki-san, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why were you pretending to be drunk in front of that guy? By the time I got there, you had already sobered up, right? You looked completely out of it, but then you got into the taxi smooth as could be!”

“…You’re quite observant. As expected of a driver, I suppose.”

“Ahh, getting praised by you is flipping some kind of weird switch in me… I might just pounce on you!”

“P-Please don’t…? I don’t have the strength to resist right now.”

“Wait, wait! You can’t say that last part out loud!”

“Fufu, but I know you’re not the type of person who would actually do something like that, Suzu.”

Even though their conversation flowed easily, the effects of the alcohol still lingered. Hazuki’s head was foggy, and even when she clenched her fists, she had no strength in them.

“Going back to the topic… When I sobered up, I was shocked. A complete stranger was standing next to me. I had no idea what his intentions were, and I figured it was best not to provoke him unnecessarily. If he had tried anything, I wouldn’t have been able to do a thing.”

“Wait, wait! You mean you didn’t even know a taxi was coming!?”

“It was unclear… I wasn’t sure if he had called one or not. I only realized it when the taxi actually arrived at that spot.”

“Whoa… Alcohol is really something, huh?”

“It certainly is…”

“But you’re lucky, Hazuki-san. A kind person found you. If I had been in Shiba-san’s position, I would’ve either taken you home with me or secretly harassed you!”

“…Well, for all I know, he might have harassed me. It’s rude of me to say that after he called a taxi for me, though.”

Since Hazuki had been completely drunk, her memory of the time spent waiting for the taxi was almost nonexistent.

Because she had no concrete recollection, she could only speak in terms of possibilities.

“Don’t worry! I can say with 100% certainty that he didn’t do anything!”

“And how can you be so sure…?”

“Because Shiba-san specifically requested a female driver since you were drunk! Someone considerate enough to do that wouldn’t be the type to harass you!”

“…He did?”

This was the first time Hazuki realized that getting a female driver hadn’t just been a coincidence.

“Yep, yep! And when I arrived, Shiba-san was waiting for you at a slight distance. He could’ve easily sat right next to you and let you lean on him on purpose. If no one else had witnessed it, he could’ve just said, ‘She suddenly leaned on me!’ and there’d be no way to prove it wasn’t harassment.”

“…”

“Also… let’s see… He stood in the cold for a full 20 minutes waiting for me to arrive. In other words, he was protecting you from any other men who might have come along. And when I showed up, he didn’t seem annoyed or impatient at all. I thought, ‘Wow, this guy’s so responsible, even though he’s young!’ In terms of being dependable, I totally lose to him! Ahaha!”

As a taxi driver, Suzu had encountered countless people. That gave her words a certain weight.

And though she said it in a self-deprecating way, there was no doubt that she meant what she said.

Hazuki took in Suzu’s words calmly… and felt a pang of guilt.

(He went out of his way to look out for me, so why did I suspect him of harassment…?)

As she reached out and touched the cold bottle of natural mineral, her thoughts swirled.

“Oh! I know I made it sound like a heartwarming story, but maybe Shiba-san did have some ulterior motives—like, you know, the fact that you live in a luxury high-rise? Well, considering how quickly he let this taxi drive off, it was probably just a tiny bit, though!”

“Fufu, in the end, you’re still making it a heartwarming story.”

Hazuki couldn’t help but find it all a little ridiculous. She had been so wary of Ryoma, the man Suzu kept praising, that she had pretended to be drunk the entire time.

Yet, warmth filled her chest.

Without her even realizing it, he had done so much for her.

And then, as a working professional, another thought naturally arose.

“Suzu-san.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Suzu-san, you… know his—Shiba-san’s—contact information, don’t you? Since he called the taxi company, that means—”

“—I’m really sorry, but I can’t.”

Suzu, having instantly grasped what Hazuki wanted to say, cut her off and lowered her voice apologetically.

“I’m a working professional too, so I understand that you want to thank him. But customer information falls under personal data protection and confidentiality regulations. To avoid trouble and to ensure we treat every customer with respect, I can’t share that information.”

“…You’re right. I’m sorry for asking for something unreasonable.”

“No, no, I’m the one who’s sorry for not being more flexible!”

“Fufu, but aren’t you not supposed to be flexible in cases like this?”

“R-right! That’s true!”

Hazuki, a professional who managed subordinates, and Suzu, a driver who was friendly with everyone yet committed to safe driving.

That ability to swiftly shift from a heavy atmosphere to a lighthearted one—something skilled professionals shared—was not easy to imitate.

After that, their conversation remained cheerful, and before long, Suzu’s taxi arrived at Hazuki’s destination: the Glial Garden GR Tower.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“No, no! It’s my pleasure! Now, the fare is 1740 yen, please!”

“Please accept this. It’s my way of showing appreciation.”

“Huh?!”

Suzu froze when she saw the amount of money Hazuki was offering. In her hand was a 10,000-yen bill.

This was a first for Suzu—she had never been given a 10,000-yen note instead of the 5,000 yen for the fare.

“No, no, I can’t accept this much! Let me give you the change… Let me calculate it quickly…”

“I’d like to give you 8,260 yen’s worth of your business cards. From now on, I’ll request you personally.”

“Ah, my business cards aren’t worth that much though!? Here you go! They’re free!”

“Thank you for the cards… Also, you should just accept kindness when it’s offered.”

Hazuki received the business card with both hands, then, in a business-like exchange, smoothly placed the 10,000 yen into Suzu’s hand.

“Well then, I’ll see you again, Suzu-san.”

“Eh? Oh… y-yes! Thank you for using our service!”

After handing over the cash, Hazuki and Suzu bowed to each other, and Hazuki walked toward the entrance of her luxury high-rise.

(How can I get Suzu-san to spill some details…? She’s so dedicated to her job, this might be harder than I thought. All I know so far is his last name, Shiba…)

Despite having switched gears back then, Hazuki hadn’t completely given up.

(Fufu, I’m hopeless. Every time a man does something nice for me, I want to do this…)

As Hazuki took her card key and smartphone from her bag, she unlocked the security system while turning on her phone.

And as she entered the lobby of the high-rise, the screen of her phone displayed the website for a substitute lover service.