detectivephiliac:

*Kirigiri didn’t make a move to grab the tea once it had been brought in – but she watched the woman curiously and said a polite “thank you” when the tray had been set down. She eyed the woman as she left, and once gone, she turned her attention to the other detective once more.*

As you were saying, Hakuba-san?

Hakuba waited until the door finished closing with an audible click, leaving the two to their privacy. They would not be interrupted again for at least two hours, as per usual procedure. The blonde detective checked his watch to take note of the time, then leaned forward again to begin preparing the tea for himself and his guest.

“Thank you for your patience,” he said at first. “Where was I… ah, the topic of conversation.”

Truthfully, Hakuba did not want to explain what they’d been discussing, nor to divulge any of the secrets that the Osakan had managed to uncover that night. But now that another detective had been involved, he knew it would be wise to be forthcoming. After all, evasiveness only hindered accurate deduction and wasted time – which was a crime in and of itself. 

“From what I recall, the majority of our discussion was foolish name-calling and a ridiculous amount of focus on my heritage and his behavior.”  While that was true, it wasn’t exactly accurate either. Hakuba bit his lip, then poured water into the cups.

“Somehow, Hattori-san managed to uncover the fact that I am, in fact, a practicing Christian – at least by some definition of such – and made it a point to reprimand me for my personal and private beliefs. Of which he really knows nothing about. I have no intentions of making this knowledge commonly available, so you’ll have to forgive me if I ask you to keep that on a need to know basis only.”

Hakuba set the kettle down on the table a little too hard to be silent, which startled him. “If it hadn’t been for the cursed Japanese weather, he wouldn’t have found out in the first place! Why had I not thought to bring an umbrella?”

detectivephiliac:

…

I see. I’m… not entirely sure I see Hattori-kun as someone who would do such a thing, but I don’t know your relationship. Nor have I known him for particularly long, for that matter. But… if you don’t mind, could you tell me the subject of your discussion?

“I seem to bring that particular trait out of him more easily than most,” Hakuba admitted casually, shrugging his shoulders as if he were helpless in that regard. Completely innocent, of course.  He sighed again.

“Yes, of course I will divulge…”

There was a knock at the door. Hakuba paused and glanced over, before looking back at Kyouko. 

“Ah, I apologize for the interruption… that will be Baaya with the tea." He looked back to the door again. "Come in.”

The door opened and emitted the elderly woman from before, carrying a tray with tea kettle, two cups, plates, spoons, and an assortment of accompaniments for the tea. She moved into the room briskly, nodding her head to the two detectives as she made her way to the coffee table.She set the tray there, then nodded once more, before heading back toward the door.

detectivephiliac:

Yes, Hattori-kun said something similar to that. Please continue.

*She listened intently; holding back any comments relating to what Heiji had told her. She wanted the story from Hakuba before she openly tried to compare them – just in case they had contrasting points…*

“Hattori-san and I don’t exactly see eye to eye on many things, as I’m certain he’s already relayed to you-”  that bastard “-and we soon got into a heated discussion. Granted, I did say some things that were out of line, which I did apologize for later, but… Of course, things got physical as Hattori-san is wont to do, and threw me to the ground with his hand around my throat.”

Hakuba frowned at this, not entirely enjoying the admission that he was bested by the Osakan brute… but it did seem like important information to convey the savagery of the beast, as it were. His pride could suffer for the greater good.

“He released me after that, and told me to go. Attempts at smoothing things over with him were unsuccessful, and I left.”

Ah, if only that had been the end of the story.

detectivephiliac:

I’d like as much as you can offer, please, no matter how seemingly insignificant. One way or another, his testimony is completely unreliable and the crime scenes were relatively bare.

Completely unreliable? The words garnered an amused smirk from Hakuba, who leaned forward in his chair.

“Certainly, Kirigiri-san. I understand more than most how difficult it is to work with that particular colleague of mine…”  Hakuba tried to repress the smile, and cleared his throat with a small, polite cough into a fist. “Ahem.

"The night of the inciting incident found both myself and Hattori-san on the same case, but through different districts as it had crossed some boundaries as far as territory is concerned. In the spirit of erring on the side of caution – redundancy routines, you see – I was asked to make a record of whatever details I could find regarding the culprit’s whereabouts. More of a fact-checking affair, you understand.

"Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily, and I took shelter in an abandoned cafe that just so happened to be the… exact same that Hattori-san found fitting as he sought respite from the rain.”

Hakuba sighed. “Be it luck or terrible misfortune, I can’t be sure.”

detectivephiliac:

*She hadn’t pulled away when the other detective kiss her hand, but her expression didn’t change in the slightest either. She took a careful seat; keeping herself at the edge of the chair.*

Yes, thank you, Hakuba-san. You see, this case is concerning another detective that I hear you know… A certain Hattori Heiji-kun? There was an incident and he ended up in the hospital, and he requested my help for it. He said you had been at the scene, and visited him later… Do you have any details about that?

Hakuba waited for the lady to be seated first before stepping around to the opposite armchair. He took his seat with hesitance, however, upon hearing that name in conjunction with his present guest. 

Still, the male detective nodded, and then sighed. So much for a pleasant interruption. Of the things that resided under the ‘bad’ column, Hattori was one of the few that made ‘interesting’ not worth it. Yet, for Kirigiri’s sake…

“Ah… Hattori-san. My colleague does seem to have a knack for getting himself into trouble, doesn’t he? I will share whatever information I have-” to a point “-but I’m afraid that I don’t have all that much. Did you need details about the original incident at the scene of the crime, the hospital visit, or both?”

detectivephiliac:

The pleasure is all mine, Hakuba-san. And it was no trouble at all – this place might almost be bigger than my school. It was quite easy to locate.

*She took the hand and shook it – doing the same as the detective opposite to her. Her eyes were scanning the room and glancing over the person in front of her.*

This certainly is… an impressive estate. I would expect no less from the Hakuba name.

The compliment was well-received, and Hakuba lifted the young woman’s hand to kiss it, if permitted, before releasing her and gesturing to the assortment of chairs around the fireplace and coffee table.

“Thank you. My father may be Japanese, but it does seem that he still appreciates the English idea of comfort.  Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable, Kirigiri-san… I was most intrigued by your phone call earlier, and should very much like to assist you in any way that I can.”

detectivephiliac:

Well, since it’s clearly liked, I’ll accept green tea – thank you, miss.

After bowing again, Baaya opened the door to the room and stepped inside, leaving room for the girl.

“Young Master, your guest has arrived. I will bring tea presently." 

She nodded once more, then turned to go, leaving Kyouko alone with the other detective. He stood from his chair and approached with a small, polite smile.

"Kirigiri-san, a pleasure. I trust that you had no trouble finding the estate?" 

He offered his hand to her, arm outstretched for a handshake, but even as he did he was evaluating her, keen eyes taking in the details from head to foot. 

detectivephiliac:

Ah, yes… My name is Kirigiri Kyouko. I’ve come to discuss a certain case with Hakuba Saguru-san. I believe he was expecting me?

At the introduction, the older woman smiled and stepped aside. “Yes, he is. Please follow me, Kirigiri-san… he’s waiting for you in the drawing room.”

Asking visitors to state their business was a precautionary measure. Not a terribly difficult one to get around, but at least it left a trail. Baaya would make note in the record books once she’d seen Kyouko safely to Saguru.