No longer vanished? His disappearance had caused a stir closets to him but other than that the police kept the media’s rumor at bay for the most part. It was a little unnerving to have a stranger, even if he was a fellow detective, to know about that. Shinichi eyed him carefully before gesturing for the other to sit across from him. “Formally? Have we met before?”
Now that it was out in the open he could have sworn he had seen him before as himself.
Hakuba gratefully took the seat offered, easing himself down and leaning the cane against the bench next to him. It took a few moments more to answer, getting settled and checking on Twig, who had happily settled on the floor at his feet. “Yes, we have, but it was only for a brief moment, Kudou-san, I don’t expect that you’d remember it…"
Finally comfortable, he looked over at Shinichi and tilted his head, studying the other young man carefully. Evaluating. Feeling him out by taking note of those careful glances, the minutes of tension in regard to key words. Interesting, interesting… puzzle pieces, all of them.
"It was some years ago, now, when I first returned to Japan at seventeen years-old. My father, the Superintendent General, gave me a brief tour through the station, and along the way saw you. I’d been following your career off and on already, mostly through Japanese newsnets, but also from word of my father – he likes to pay attention to the young ones with promise – and had been quite eager to meet you…”
Hakuba sighed, feeling a little sheepish to be making the admission. “When I saw you there, you were discussing a case with Megure-keibu, I believe. I hurried up to you and introduced myself, shook your hand, perhaps did an awkward bow, and then scurried off again to catch up with my father and his secretary… so it was just a brief, and fittingly forgetful meeting… so do not fret if you can’t recall it, it was seconds at best, and you were receiving so much media attention at the time, yourself…"
He laughed then, mostly at himself and shrugged. "I tried to catch you at your home many times after that, but you’d just disappeared. Busy with cases, as to be expected from someone of your calibre, but it did make me wonder…” For that, Hakuba lowered his voice, frowning. “But, it does seem that you’re here, now, so… I would love to hear your adventures.”