Monthly Archives: June 2013

by

phantom-thief-kid:

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“We don’t have to.” KID let go of Hakuba’s hand and walked over to the rooftop access door. He grinned slightly and pulled a small lockpick out, working quickly on the lock. “It is a simple matter and there is an elevator in this building.”

The lock clicked and KID turned the door, then stowed the lockpicks away. He didn’t comment on the chosen venue, as he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Beckoning Hakuba, he headed down the staircase and to the elevator. This place was actually an apartment complex, but it would be fine as long as Hakuba didn’t act like they weren’t supposed to be here if someone showed up.

Hakuba watched KID pick the lock but made no comment. The last thing he wanted to do was to get into an argument and, well, he really didn’t want to have to climb down the fire escape, either. Beside, he’d busied himself with the phone.

“Yes, this is Hakuba Saguru… I need to make a reservation." 

He followed after the thief, casual and calm as if they were supposed to be walking through the apartment building. The detective gave his membership number, and stepped into the elevator. 

"That should be fine, yes. Thank you. That is the correct card on file. Ah – yes, if you wouldn’t mind… The usual. Thank you.”

The detective ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket, glancing over at KID afterward. Elevators. It was always elevators. He let out a nervous breath and pushed a lop-sided smirk.

“It’s all arranged. And, ah, I don’t suppose I could ask you to… not use my membership number to book hotels as you fancy, could I? Not that that the expense is any concern, but should I turn up in two Hyatts across the world on the same night, it could be a little bit awkward to explain." 

Actually, he wouldn’t have minded at all. Helping KID – no, Kuroba, with something would actually be a pleasure. He wanted to be useful to him. And then, being in that elevator, he wanted to be closer, too. But he stayed where he was. Just… looking.

by

detectivephiliac:

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Not much, to be honest. The evidence was destroyed well – certainly not the work of an amateur. Even the body didn’t give much, especially since there wasn’t any identification at the time. We carried out the investigation before the officials got there and left afterwards, as Hattori-kun had something he had to attend to.

But the body hadn’t been found until that day, so it presumably was in that dumpster since the day of the murder. Decomposing hurt the evidence and it became difficult to determine even the cause of death… And Hattori-kun admittedly became little help because of the odor and the infestation of bugs.

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As said, the cafe was literally nothing but ashes… Nothing was recognizable… Except… except for a cell phone, which Hattori-kun identified as his. It wasn’t functioning – perhaps just a dead battery – but it was among the ash and didn’t appear to have been caught in the fire due to its condition…

The odor gave Hattori problems? Hakuba hadn’t been aware of this tidbit of information. Not that it was terribly uncommon; all decomposing bodies gave off a rather pungent odor once it reached a certain stage… that was just part of the chemical process. Still, he noted that for later, and nodded once again to Kyouko.

“There’s much here that suggests quite a few things to Hattori’s – as you put it so aptly – unreliable testimony. Am I correct in assuming that your current theory is that Hattori-san had something to do with the death of that man that you found, as well as the fire? Perhaps being the cause…”

Hakuba finished his tea and set it on the table, reaching for the kettle to make another cup.

“Also, your tea is getting cold, Kirigiri-san…" 

by

phantom-thief-kid:

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“I have had to master the art of changing costume rather quickly. It is a useful skill for a phantom thief, yes?” He gave a slight grin. “So, whereabouts is the hotel?”

That was good neutral ground, actually. Meant that Hakuba couldn’t do any tricks involving stuff where he was more familiar with the layout than KID. This put the suspicions in the back of his mind at ease.

“There are three that I frequent who won’t give me any trouble,” Hakuba explained, using his free hand to pull out his phone. “The closest is…” he looked back out to the nighttime city skyline. “…the Hyatt Regency, actually." 

This pleased Hakuba as he had built up an insane amount of membership rewards between the Hyatt Regencies in Japan, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere overseas. Standardized, conventional, and perfect for his particular tastes. 

"I’ll call them on the way.”  He paused. “Do… we have to go back down the fire escape?”

by

detectivephiliac:

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A separate case brought me to the hospital Hattori-kun was staying at. While looking for someone else, I found out he was staying there.

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I had… never exactly met a famous detective before, you see. I much prefer to work in the shadows – but I recognized his name and impulsively decided to check it out myself. He told me about his case and I said I was willing to help, so when he was discharged, he called me and requested my services.

“Understandably…” Hakuba wondered if Kyouko thought of him as a famous detective as well, then… If Hattori-san was worth visiting, perhaps…?  Not that that mattered. He chided himself inwardly. And drank more tea.

“So what is your next step from this juncture, Kirigiri-san? What did you learn when you visited the site?”

by

kazuha–toyama:

Kazuha turned to him – walking backwards as she spoke, every so often turning her head to make sure she was going the right direction.

“Well- ‘f there from muh Aikido class then, we could be in serious trouble” Kazuha said concernedly as she’d watched him carefully and listened to yet another theory.

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“A-A prank?” Kazuha raised a brow ignoring the fact Hakuba had willingly said he’d get a hold of Heiji… Kazuha couldn’t help but contemplate the entire situation in her mind… “Who’d do such’a thin’?” Kazuha asked angrily bawling a fist as in one swift movement she turned and faced forward again.

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Kazuha without thinking further more about the other possibilities began to run towards the Aikido practice area – she’d sworn if this was some kind of a sick joke, there’d be hell to pay!

“That’s what we’re going to find out." 

Ah, that temper. Perhaps it had something to do regionally? He would have to begin compiling some data on Osaka, specifically the area where Hattori and Toyama were from. Wasn’t Hattori Heizo also violent and hot-tempered? Hmm..

"I suppose if there is an actual threat, we will just have to call for backup. But I do not think that we need to worry; one of my specialties is diplomatic communication to diffuse anger.”

Not that anyone would guess that with how often he made people angry, but… 

“At any rate, let us check on the status of the note.”

by

Send me ‘Spin’ and see what you get:

kuroneko-ciel:

  • 1st Person gets: A hug
  • 2nd Person gets: A kiss
  • 3rd Person gets: Make out session
  • 4th Person gets: A Date
  • 5th Person gets: To seduce my muse and they’ll willingly comply.
  • 6th Person gets: A heartfelt confession
  • 7th Person gets: A lap dance
  • 8th Person gets: Married to my muse for a week
  • 9th Person gets: Chained to my muse for three days
  • 10th Person gets: My muse at your muse’s beck and call
by

detectivephiliac:

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… There’s no point in blaming yourself. You couldn’t have forseen it. It’s not as if you neglected to give that possibility a single thought even though it had been staring at you in the face. The possibility didn’t even enter your mind…

*She stopped, some sort of distress or regret flashing on her face for a few moments.*

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I feel… the corpse was not responsible for the fire. Culprits wouldn’t exactly return to a scene where they know a fire will start at. They must have approached the fire afterwards for some reason. And if, they happened to be an assailant of Hattori-kun… who ended up unconscious a couple blocks away from the fire…

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Hakuba couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded as if the girl were blaming him. At least, making him partially responsible. Had she meant to sound sarcastic, or was that his own insecurity making him think that? The half-brit wasn’t certain. So he drank more tea. 

After a moment, he lowered the cup again and nodded to her.

“And now with no recollection of what happened…" 

There were a lot of things about this case that bothered him, aside from being all about Hattori and partially about the argument that they’d had. Things weren’t adding up.

"May I ask how you came to be on this case, Kirigiri-san? Specifically – if you know why Hattori-san asked you for your help…”

by

kazuha–toyama:

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As she was pulled away from him – she couldn’t help but look up to him as he’d spoke, somewhat of a glimmer in her eyes.

“Hai” Kazuha responded as she backed away from him slowly and looked down – her cheeks burning as she’d began to walk past him. “It’s ‘dis way” Kazuha stated “Jus’ follow meh?" 

Kazuha had merely began to walk in front of him hoping he wouldn’t of said a thing about her blush. It was okay when Heiji did it – she’d supposed, after all they’d always teased but if Hakuba-kun did it… It made her strange feelings all the more real and she hadn’t known the way she would have reacted.

"Oi…” Kazuha said her eyes still glued to the ground as she spoke “Wha’ ‘f somethin’ bad happens?” Kazuha questioned thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to them – especially if this person had been involved with Aikido as well. 

Kazuha wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she’d gotten Hakuba hurt over her charm – no matter how important it was to her, it was never worth someones life and this could be potentially dangerous.

After all the times Hakuba had been teased for his English complexion and very easy blush, he didn’t feel it right to bring it up about others. Not unless he knew them well enough to tease and get a good reaction from them. For the time being, all the detective did was make a mental note of how cute it had been on her, and left it at that. Instead, he followed after her.

“If something bad happens?” Hakuba asked, raising a brow. “That’s what your 2-dan in Aikido supposed to come in handy, isn’t it?” He smiled after the tease, and slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Not to worry. I can hold my own, and we can call for Hattori-san if we absolutely must. I would be very surprised if there were anything truly sinister afoot. In all likelihood, it’s a prank…”

by

detectivephiliac:

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I see. So you didn’t know… You seem to be fearing the worst – that he is the culprit for this specific incident. He claims he doesn’t remember anything after entering the cafe with you.

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We also found a decomposing body not far from there. It was slightly scorched – the clothes at least – and looked like it had been there… well, at least since the incident. Hattori-kun claimed to not know him, but the location of the corpse and the condition seem to suggest he was at the scene of the fire while it was still burning. So… that gives us a witness to the fire.

“No, I wasn’t aware of the building’s demise.” Hakuba scrolled through his phone with one hand, tapping buttons and screens, while reaching for his teacup with the other. 

“Doesn’t remember our interaction… found singed body… Hattori’s injuries…" 

The detective took a sip of tea, then finally glanced back at Kyouko. 

"When I visited Hattori-san in the hospital on the insistence of one of our mutual friends, I did show him the lighter, which seemed to cause him some amount of distress. Whether he was the cause, or the corpse, or someone/thing else entirely… I feel somehow responsible.”