Shinichi thinks that everyone else expects him to be uncomfortable. Hakuba certainly looks uncomfortable. His face is brightly red, his eyes are constantly moving, and he keeps shifting in place like he expects someone to attack him.

Hattori looks less uncomfortable, but he's sure that's because Hattori is too focused interviewing the suspects and cataloging their accounts than paying attention to what they're wearing.

Or not wearing as seems to be the case.

It was supposedly a host club, so there's a certain expectation that goes with that. But this is a little more like those burlesque clubs that he'd seen in France.

In fact, the dancer talking with Hattori is likely wearing less than he would bet Hakuba wears in the shower.

There's a person lingering at the back of the room that Shinichi can't take his eyes off of. He knows it's not the murderer. That's the man with the really tight leather pants that Hakuba is blocking from the exit, but they need to establish that before they pack him away.

Plus, they're waiting on Division One to get here before uncovering the murderer.

So, Shinichi has no problem approaching the person at the back of the room. They're wearing a lace bodysuit, with dark pieces hiding small slivers of skin. A temptation of more to see. They're also wearing a lace mask, just a half mask that only covers their upper face. They have bright red lipstick and glitter shimmering over any exposed pieces of skin. Dangerously thin heels are hooked on the lower rung of their stool at the end of the bar.

They perk up as Shinichi approaches, angling slightly away from the bar, and their lips curl into a smile as Shinichi takes a seat on the stool next to them.

"Sorry bout all this. I'm sure we'll be able to wrap up this tragedy soon," he says, "How are you feeling?"

"Well," they say, drawing the word out, "I've never been hit on at a murder scene before, so I'm a little disturbed."

"Not hitting on you!" Shinichi yelps out, Hakuba startling over near the door as he notices Shinichi and his conversational partner. "I am genuinely asking how you are."

"To deduce the likelihood that I'm the murderer?"

"That was not you," Shinichi says, "We both know that."

"It wasn't," they say, "but you've all already figured this out, I gather."

"We did. Hopefully, Division One gets here soon."

They rock on their stool, drawing Shinichi's eyes as they cross their legs, glitter shimmering.

"You said you weren't hitting on me, but-"

"I'm sorry. I'm normally more professional!" Shinichi drops his eyes to the ground, trying to figure out what they doing that feels familiar. The murder mystery was simple, no mystery at all, but this person is scratching at the back of his brain.

"I guess I'm flattered the great Detective of the East is so distracted by me." They lean back against the bar on one arm, a lean line of muscle and curves.

"You know me?"

"I know all of you. Your Western counterpart and Mr. White Horse over there. What I don't know is what three high school detectives are doing at nearly three in the morning in Ni-Chome?"

Shinichi looks over his partner again, but if his more thorough lookover bothered them, they didn't show it. Everything about them was completely unfazed, though not when the murder had happened.

"We received a very reliable tip that something was going to happen tomorrow during the last day of the Rainbow Pride Festival," he says, noting the subtle widening of their eyes, skip of their heartbeat, the stutter in their breath, the relatively understated tensing of their body. "Since KID was purportedly going to be targeted, we thought that it may be a good idea to do some recon. And you can't be a high school detective out of high school. A university detective would be more accurate."

"You're all so pedantic," they complain under their breath, lifting their voice and saying, "KID's being targeted? Why hasn't anyone reported that?"

"I'd imagine because they want to catch him by surprise," Shinichi says, and he leans closer, "And the likelihood of KID being taken by surprise is higher if he thinks the attempt already happened."

"Division One is here," Hakuba says, startling both of them, "I see you at least kept him in one place."

"What?" they say, voice flat.

"You're an ass," Shinichi says, eyes narrowing as Hakuba unabashedly boxes KID in from the other side, purposefully trapping him against the bar.

There's a small chance that those heels are actually knives and KID is about to stab both of them and flee, but then Hattori plants himself in front, and even KID isn't more skilled with blades than Hattori.

"Have you convinced him to leave yet?" he asks, fixing Shinichi with an unhappy scowl.

"He had just started to let on that he was talking to KID," Hakuba says derisively, "We don't have the time to waste on gently breaking the news."

"I'm sorry, but you all seem to be under the impression that I'm KID. And unless one of you is very plain about why you're here, things will become very unpleasant."

KID certainly doesn't have room to disguise any of his usual tricks, but that only suggests that those he does have are all the more devastating.

"Since KID announced that he had a grand show planned for the Rainbow Pride Festival, a certain group of thieves and assassins decided to take a shot at KID and creating a public tragedy in one fell swoop." Shinichi pushes Hattori to the side, holding out his arm to KID. The thief regards his arm and telegraphs taking it slowly, far more deliberation in how he moves than usual. He's noticed that Shinichi gets distracted by the teasing shimmering bare skin and hidden panels. Shinichi coughs in his throat and leads KID away from the other detectives.

"And you three decided to track KID down first?"

"I decided to track KID down. Those two butted in," Shinichi says, looking back over his shoulder at the unapologetic pair trailing behind them. "Not that I didn't think that KID wouldn't escape, but the tip-off suggested the plan was to essentially frame KID in case of their failure to kill him."

"So you're all acting for the best of public interest? Why not pass along a little anonymous tip to the event organizers and police?"

"Oh, we did that as well, but thought we'd only be shifting the timeline. Like the attempt on you tonight."

"Gendo and Ryoji have been in a love-hate relationship as long as I've worked here."

"You don't expect a knife in the back if you think it's aimed at someone else. It was only chance that he missed getting you." Shinichi nods at the Division One officers as they let them through. "And I thought that maybe that razor-sharp mind could be turned on the real instigators."

"Well, zero out of ten for execution then," KID says, "You know, I really liked working here and now that it's been sullied by a bunch of busybodies, I'm going to have to find somewhere else."

There's a shift in his body language, something that was cautious and proper slowly changing to a smooth predatory glide. When KID twists his arm, Shinichi stills in surprise, a very sharp card pressed against his groin, held delicately in place by two slim fingers. He would bet that it just looks like a flirty lean to the two behind him, KID trying to fluster him.

Shinichi freezes in place, and KID turns in towards him, body blocking the razor card. KID smiles, all canines and menace, and presses his face into Shinichi's throat.

"I'm going to take you to my place and you'll share everything you know, and if you so much as hint to those assholes behind us, I'll cut you somewhere delicate and deal with this mess myself. My privacy is my most prized thing, and if you ever violate that again, well, I'm sure no threat can properly convey it." KID kisses his throat, sticky red lipstick feeling as cold as Shinichi currently does in his stomach.

"Inappropriate!" Hakuba shouts, and Shinichi catches KID's chin before he can turn to snarl at Hakuba.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help you," Shinichi says, trying to show KID how serious he means to treat this. That he's sorry to have stepped over a boundary.

"I'm assuming you were the one to ultimately find me?"

"Hakuba got the district right. Hattori thought a host club was most likely. I remembered how much you liked to dress as either gender, and how long your legs are."

KID's smile softened, and the razor card was gone somewhere into that lace bodysuit.

"This isn't inconspicuous at all," Hattori says, as KID does rather stickout now that they're on the street. It's not very revealing, but it definitely leaves little to the imagination.

Shinichi shrugs out of his jacket, letting KID pull it over his shoulders. It hangs shorter than his usual cape, and Shinichi's eyes are continually drawn to where the ends only brush KID's thighs.

"What a gentleman, tantei-kun," KID purrs, hugging Shinichi's arm a little tighter as they resume walking. "But I pick my audiences, and those two certainly don't have tickets for my private shows."

Shinichi laughs, heart speeding up as KID tugs him, subtly leading him further into the crowd to lose their unwanted companions. He can hear Hattori's loud protests, but KID's a lure and promise all in one. He's sure they'll figure out something from their end, and he can be a point of contact to coordinate their efforts without compromising any more of KID's boundaries.