“Come along, then.” He headed back inside and said, “As you are aware of the circumstances surrounding Kudou, I’ll explain this now. I currently reside in the Kudou house, for the apartment I was living in burned down and he permitted me to stay here. I keep watch over the area for those crows we talked about in passing before.”
He headed to the kitchen and adjusted his glasses once. “Anyway, would you like something to eat or drink? This will be a long story, Hakuba-kun.” He still had the strong urge to bite into Hakuba’s neck and drink his blood, but this wasn’t quite the time. He needed to do so when Hakuba was sufficiently distracted.
The young detective followed along obediently, pace brisk and light. Once they were inside, he opened his mouth to inquire but quickly found it unnecessary. “Oh,” Hakuba said, blinking once as he came into the kitchen. “I was just about to ask, actually. So you know Kudou-san personally, then? And you live here?” The half-brit whistled, impressed, taking that moment to look around. “I’ve always wondered what it was like in here… Ah, how long have you been here? Have you met Kudou-san’s parents? Oh, I’ve read all of Kudou Yuusaku’s novels and-”
Hakuba cut himself off with a sheepish laugh, raising his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “Ah hah, my apologies. I’m getting ahead of myself. Some tea would be wonderful, yes, unless- ah, wait,” he glanced at his wrist watch. “It’s far too early to drink, isn’t it? Tea is more than sufficient.”