“I see.” The irony was palpable to him. Subaru set the stew down on the table and sat down.
“No patdowns in case they’re worried I brought a knife with me and tricked you? I suppose being unmolested upon arrival is better than some of my travels involving United States airlines, at least." There were tales he could tell of what he’d personally seen and what agents told him. (The long hair, his hat, and skin tone at that time didn’t help in the slightest, by the way.)
"Anyway, being more serious, I would like to know if you angered an organized crime ring or not, at the very least.” Subaru clasped his hands together, frowning. “I determine it’s some sort of thing you don’t wish to divulge, but that is all I ask at the moment. I understand and sympathize, as I’ve ended up in a similar situation myself where I wasn’t able to tell anyone any details.” (Still an ongoing situation, but he didn’t need to explain that just yet.)
“They would have, had I asked them to refrain. I suppose you could be tricking me, and the thought had crossed my mind, but… honestly, I’m not that concerned at present.” Hakuba shook his head, pulling bowls from the cupboard behind the wet bar, and spoons.
“No, this has nothing to do with an organized crime ring. I almost wish that it was; I typically have much greater success dealing with those types.” He set the dishes on the table and took a seat afterward. “No, I’m afraid that this is a case of a religious nutcase that I put behind bars several years ago. He was up for parole this summer and I took a trip to London to testify against him. The man was denied and now he’s trying to stir up trouble from jail…”
Hakuba sighed. “Releasing a list of victims… which was leaked… I hadn’t put my name on the case originally, you see, so I wasn’t sure if he knew who had turned him in – until I showed up in court. It’s caused a bit of controversy, but I believe that it’s relatively localized and isolated.”
The detective pursed his lips. “Stew though, hm? It smells delicious. Thank you for bringing it all this way.”