10"Uaaahh~ I'm beat…" Having just spent an entire day walking, the young woman all but collapsed in her seat.
It was nearly midnight now, arguably the worst time to ride a taxi considering the extra fees that came with late-night service… but it was well worth being able to kick back while relying on someone else to take her home.
"This is the bessst~"
'Still... I can't help but feel lazy for doing this even though my legs have been killing me...' a familiar ache made itself known as she looked down with a grimace.
'...It also doesn't help that the outfit included shoes like these. But it's like the Americans say-'
"No pain, no gain!" She smiled as her favorite catchphrase rang throughout the small vehicle, bringing back a small echo as if to confirm it.
"Ehem..."
Whoops.
Realizing her mistake, Subaru reluctantly looked up into the rearview mirror and paled under the driver's irritated stare.
It was common knowledge that cab drivers working the late shift were less lenient on passengers if they proved to be a disturbance. There were even some articles online about people getting kicked out of taxis in the middle of nowhere.
"..."
Obviously she didn't take such stories at face value but considering the fact that she had to wait for over an hour just to get this ride...
"I'm sorry, please forgive me for the inconvenience!"
Translation: 'Please don't kick me off I promise I'll shut up now!'
Trying and failing miserably to execute a proper bow in the limited space provided, she resorted to simply lowering her head, silently begging him to look past the embarrassing outburst.
A moment of tense silence passed by as her back became sticky with sweat.
ーPuutto...
Then there was a snort
"...Eh?"
Quickly followed by barely suppressed laughter.
Slowly, Subaru looked back up only to hide her face in embarrassment seconds later as realization dawned on her.
"I've been played…" She groaned, mortified as the cab driver's boisterous laughter began to bounce off the walls, his previous glare having all but faded into a look of amusement.
"To be tricked by someone old enough to be my grandpa... my life has really gone downhill."
"Ow. Calm down miss, I was just poking fun at you."
As their respective embarrassment and laughter subsided back into calm silence, Subaru prepared to get cozy for the rest of her trip home but paused after feeling a pair of eyes stare at her once more, this time with curiosity.
"Yeah Ojiisan? Did you need something?"
"Ah. I'm sorry to bother you again so soon but I've been meaning to ask… Are you coming back from a convention just now?"
Startled by the spot-on question, she couldn't help grow a bit tense, "Yes actually... I get that what I'm wearing gave it away, but how did you know it was for a convention?"
"Well, my granddaughter has been rambling about it for over a week now so it just seemed to fit that's all."
"Ah…"
"Sorry to make you jump like that kid, it wasn't my place to be nosy with your business."
"No, no! It's fine, you just surprised me that's all."
Seemingly satisfied, the old man didn't ask any more questions as Subaru fell back into her seat.
'...On second thought, it wouldn't be surprising for even someone like Ojiisan to know about it.''
The convention he had been referring to was one she'd prepared for months in advance. After all, it was for one of the most popular mobile RPGs in Japan at the time: Fate/Grand Order.
Normally the cost for attendance would be sky-high, but tickets were surprisingly cheap this time around, something that definitely caught public eye judging by the amount of advertisement she had to sift through every time she visited a fan-forum. Even those that weren't related to Fate at all had people mention it once or twice - before getting banned by on-site moderators that is.
But what had really caught everyone's interest including hers was the competition, or rather, the prize to whoever took first place.
...
Fate/Grand Order Convention
Grand Prize Winner
Congratulations, honored Master~!
Thank you for your hard work and participation in our well-received cosplay competition!
Our judges were quite thrilled by your performance and would like to wish you further success in any future participation.
Please accept the following rewards as a token of our gratitude!
~Reward~
500x - Saint Quartz (Redeemable Code)
1x - A one-of-a-kind mystery gift based on last year's popularity poll! (Proper identification required)
...
"Heh."
My prize now~
Holding the proof of victory to her chest Subaru let out a content smile, her gaze trailing aimlessly to the roof as she thought about what she was going to do once she got home.
...
'Ahhh! How could I forget?!' A flash of guilt shot through her at the reminder, 'Mom and Dad must've been awfully worried about me.'
Unsurprisingly, Subaru's interest in the competition had boiled over into another obsession of hers. All those late nights spent studying, practicing, and perfecting the character act had done a number on her body in more ways than one, and as for her parents who had to watch their daughter stumble out of her room like the walking dead with bloodshot eyes each morning...
'I'll be sure to apologize to them once I get home, and if that's not enough...' She glanced at the oversized bag propped against her seat, 'Maybe offering up what I won would do it? It seemed to work last time… but what if they get fed up and refuse? I can't keep doing these things and expect them to go along with it...' Feeling an incoming headache, she temporarily pushed out such concerns from her mind.
'I'll take care of it when it gets to that point, but for now... time to relax~' Feeling the two bags and deciding which one could best serve as her pillow, Subaru leaned against the door before getting comfortable for the long ride.
"Mmm… hey Ojiisan. Could you wake me up when we get to my stop?"
"Ha? What do you mean kid, we're already here!"
"Thanks, I really appreciate- wait... Already?!" Bolting upright, Subaru stared at him in disbelief.
Scanning his face intently for any sign that this was another prank, the driver only raised an eyebrow before looking away a few seconds later with an awkward laugh.
"...You know, staring at someone my age with eyes like that might just send me to an early grave."
"Oh, sorry... I just wasn't sure if this was another joke or not."
"It's alright, I ain't going to judge you for being skeptical. But do me a favor, that over there is your address right?"
Following his finger, Subaru leaned over the seat gap and looked to where he was pointing through the window, confirming his guess much to her own confusion.
'But how did we get here so quickly. Did I fall asleep without realizing..? No that isn't it...' While Subaru was lost in thought she failed to notice the old man start to grow a bit restless.
ーThere was that look in her eyes again, and although it wasn't aimed at him this time, seeing it up close was a whole other experience that he preferred to forget by tomorrow.
'...Nevermind.'
Pushing past her growing sense of unease, Subaru gave the uncomfortable looking driver an apologetic smile.
"I guess I must've lost track of time. Thanks for the ride Ojiisan, you were great company!"
"S- So were you kid, make sure you don't leave any stuff behind on your way out and have a good night."
Giving a small wave to the kind-hearted man, Subaru grabbed her belongings and stepped out of the car; breathing in the brisk night air while doing so.
'Ahhh, damn… That means I couldn't come up with a plan to deal with mom and dad. I'm going to be so dea-'
"AHHHHH!" ...And was promptly blinded by a torrent of light.
'What- Oh- damn it! I knew something like this was going to happen. Who's the idiot that said the elderly couldn't be ruthless?!'
Spending the next few seconds rubbing the dancing spots from her eyes, the dazed girl blinked owlishly as the world slowly came back into focus.
'...Eh?'
She couldn't stop her jaw from dropping at the sight that met her.
There was an ocean of colors swimming before her eyes, or to be more specific, a multitude of people draped in every type of clothing, from every race she could think of in her gaming experience, was her first view after exiting the cab.
People with every type of conceivable animal appendages such as cat ears, tails, hoofs, or even paws.
People with hair that could fall into every color on the spectrum - though oddly enough though she couldn't spot any among them with black.
It obviously wasn't fake, all of it looked too real for that.
...And yet it seemed too cliche to be anything but an over-the-top imitation.
Blame it on the overflow of crappy isekai novels in the recent years
Running through a mental checklist, she had one last box to fill before confirming her theory.
"I swear if this is another one of your pranks Ojiisan..." Turning around, she half-expected the old man to be there sitting in his car, laughing at her reaction to some sort of extremely elaborate joke. She wasn't too disappointed when her eyes fell on empty space, the taxi and pavement having been replaced by another stream of people getting to where they needed to be.
She ticked the last remaining checkbox.
"Well, that settles it!" Clapping her hands as if she had just solved a confusing riddle, Subaru spun around and met the odd looks thrown at her with an excited grin.
"This has got to be one of those so-called 'I've been summoned to another world' deals, right?!" She said as an oxcart-like vehicle pulled by what looked like a giant lizard crossed in front of her.
I hope you enjoyed. o/
