akaikujixyaku:

He had a very nice laugh- and hey! At least she was making him laugh.. right? Oh goodness it was hard to know what to do with herself in such an uncustomary atmosphere. (Nobody ever mentioned how hard dates were why). The tilted grin that settled on his features ran a flock of butterflies up her spine, her anxiousness slipping away for at least the moment.

“And I’m quite pleased, as well as impressed, that you were able to divine— no, deduce— My interest, Hakuba-sama. Reading the preferences of people is no small feat, least of all, I think, individuals like myself." She wasn’t quiet, persay, but she did little about making herself  available in conversations, doing her best to divert all attention away from the lady behind the steno-notepad.

His next question earned the slight lull of her head to one side, in curious contemplation over the inquiry, but with a smile remaining set on her soft, partially agape lips (just giving a peek at well-kept, painstakingly-braces-straightened teeth).

"My favorite phase.. I think I’d have to go with the new moon, if I think about it, though it’s just barely inching out a waning crescent.”

“Ah! Perfect,” Hakuba said, once again laughing – soft, only a step above a chuckle. “More validation for myself, I must confess. Somehow I knew that you would have an answer. I’ve compiled a list of some of the most unique questions that I could think of, and I’m intent on stumping you. I do hope that you disappoint me by not disappointing me…”

Into the city, Hakuba paid far more attention to the road. Not that he’d been neglectful on the highway, but there were far more hazards on common roads than there were in one-direction traffic flumes. 

“And as for the museum, I’ll confess something there, as well… We’ve always gotten along so well together, you and I, that I imagined that you might share very common interests. With your bright wit, it seemed clear to me that such a museum would not be amiss. It was an educated guess… and I am nonetheless so very pleased to have been correct.”

The detective didn’t usually talk this much all at once, even in interviews. Really, the only time he did was when soap boxing, and even that was reserved for ‘privileged’ audiences. The tactic of paying attention to Himura-kun and not himself had, thus far, paid off in droves.

“Regardless!” Hakuba went on, chancing a sideways glance at his date with that same smile. “The next question is this: Which character from the Wizard of Oz do you most relate to or identify with?”

Then, after a brief pause, “…assuming you’ve seen the film or read the books, anyway.”