Wowzah this wasn’t a charade even a little. He sounded a (lot) little uncomfortable on the phone, which almost made her laugh- instead, she just beamed and darted her tongue across her lower lip. “Not at all, Hakuba-sama, you’ven’t any reason t’be sorry. I was actually very… interested (?) to receive your mother’s message, eheh. And unusual’s my lifeblood in any case, so that’s hardly a reason to discount it."
She could hear Marion (shouting) whispering encouragement in the background, and couldn’t help a laugh at that, before pressing her lips against the knuckle of her index finger, shaking her head a slight. He was just as baffled by the situation as she was, it seemed.
"I’d be very interested in the chance to spend a day with you, Hakuba-sama— believe it or not, you’ve remained one of my favorite interviewees to date— and I think it’ll be nice to see you outside of such a grim atmosphere, hm?
Plus, I’d wager I’m much better company when I’m not attacking you with questions.
So, what about it? Sound alright?”
“Ah, thank you for the kind compliments, Himura-san! I’m very pleased to hear that. Yes, that sounds wonderful…” He smiled, and the tone of his voice reflected it. “You know, perhaps I could interview you for a change?"
Behind him, Marion whispered. ”Smoooooth, Saguru-chan…“
To which Hakuba rolled his eyes. "Ah. Tomorrow, then. Four pm? I could pick you up in my car."