He smiled casually, knowing very well that he had caught an inconsistency in Hakuba’s story and as hard as he tried to play it off, it was obvious that the blond detective was just covering his tracks. He knew that Shinichi was suspicious of him and rightly so. Then again, Shinichi was suspicious of almost everyone nowadays.
“I greatly enjoy the Boscombe Valley Mystery. Watson was already married by that time as well,” he rambled on a little. “I particularly enjoy the ending. It was an interesting addition to Sherlock’s profile.”
“So you do know it’s actually The Sign of Four,” he remarked afterward, opening the door for him and fixing him with a hard smile, knowing very well he had caught him. “I’m glad you remember.”
The foreign detective, sufficiently mortified, nodded his thanks and concession as he moved into the cafe with a walk of shame. He knew better than to have tried to trick Kudou Shinichi, his senpai and idol. Once inside and out of the way, he looked back to the other detective and winced, forcing a smile that was nothing if not apologetic.
“Ah, you’re far too clever for me, Kudou-san, as to be expected. I’ll confess that I’m terribly nervous, finally getting to meet you face to face, and desperate for this to go well. Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Hakuba tilted his head at the admission, hopeful.
“Please pardon my faux pas; I’ll attempt to be more forthright. Ah, you’ve… been to London, right?"