Kaito headed out onto the balcony, thinking. The other stuff would have to be spaced out. He could also do some riddles, as a way of buying time without lying too badly. …But that didn’t turn out so well when dealing with Kudou being a shrimp.
New plan forming, one that involved spacing out the various other things in increments, so as to avoid having Hakuba have another breakdown or be storming off. (And him fainting up here while leaning on the rail would be incredibly bad. KID didn’t bring his hang glider to this excursion; it was a little hard to with civilian clothes, after all.)
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Hakuba flicked the lighter on, then off again, fingers moving in the practiced moment without any effort or thought at all. He glanced at Kaito, arching a brow, before looking back at the city.
“Were you aware that the penny in any modern-day country is not only nearly worthless, but actually costs a significant amount more to produce than its marked value?"
All the same, the detective offered a sort of half-hearted grin. But it faded not long after.
"I know you don’t need me to protect you. You don’t need anyone. But that doesn’t stop me from worrying about you."