He was a bit surprised that Hakuba hadn’t even introduced himself. Well, if he wanted to be anti-social, he could be. Maybe he’d introduce him next time. If there was one.
He snerked at Hakuba’s mispronunciation, but sobered quickly when he realized the atmosphere. Katsura-han was giving Hakuba an exasperated look. The restaurant owner then continued to prompt the Brit by asking what kind of okonomiyaki he wanted. He even noticed Katsura’s speech slowing a bit. That…wasn’t good. And the Brit looked near to an anxiety attack.
“If yer jus’ lookin’ ta try it out, I recommend th’ basic,” he said, pointing to a selection on menu, attempting to provide a very belated rescue. Great, now he felt guilty about the way he treated the other detective earlier.
That pale English complexion took on a bright shade of red as things progressed. Hakuba hadn’t even realized that there were different kinds of okonomiyaki, let alone that he was supposed to pick one. Though, now that he looked at the menu again, it was obvious.
“Ah… right, of course.”
Great. Just… brilliant, really. It didn’t take long at all to make himself look like a complete idiot in front of Hattori and this new associate, did it? There was really only one card to play at that point, loathe as he was to do in front of his detective colleague.
He bowed and offered a formal apology. “Please excuse my ignorance… I am, unfortunately, a foreigner and still have much to learn.”
This was said politely and sincerely… because he really hadn’t meant to make things harder for Katsura in any way. (Also, a little self-deprecation went a long way with the nationalistic types, so it never hurt to try.)
“I’m very sorry for the inconvenience, Katsura-han. I think I’d like to take Hattori-san’s suggestion and get the basic one… if that is all right.”