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Although the moment is overshadowed by using his gadgets and intellect to deduce the murderer is hidden inside the wardrobe, Sholmes must admit that when he enters Kazuma Asogi’s cabin to investigate a death, at least a little of his divided attention focuses on one of the sailors. Once the unconscious suspect is dragged from the wardrobe and handcuffed, Sholmes once again finds himself glancing at a specific man standing at the edge of the room. Something about this fellow intrigues him.
Firstly, the man looks nothing like the distinctly Russian sailors, and yet he wears their uniform. Sholmes wonders if it is possible that one of the sailors could be from Japan, or if it is more likely that this man is actually here for a different reason. Perhaps he might be undercover!
Secondly, the stranger is very handsome, which in hindsight is probably what drew Sholmes to him in the first place.
But with a murder to solve, Sholmes has no time to dwell on those thoughts. So, he puts the man out of his mind, and tries to solve the mystery.
---
The next time he sees the sailor is when Sholmes, Miss Susato and Mister Naruhodo investigate the victim’s cabin. And Sholmes is midway through regaling Miss Susato (a big fan of his) about one of his cases back in London, when the sailors change their guard shift and a familiar face walks into the room.
Except the fellow looks different. And not in a good way. Bruises and cuts litter his exposed skin, and the man’s posture and facial expression suggest he is in a lot of pain but trying his best to hide that fact.
“Hosonaga-san?!” He hears Miss Susato say, putting a name to the man’s handsome face.
She and Mister Naruhodo hurry to speak to Mister Hosonaga, speaking in Japanese as they worry about him. He replies in Japanese too, and Sholmes, who isn’t very fluent in Japanese, doesn’t fully follow the conversation. Although he does catch that Hosonaga lied to someone and got beaten up. From the way Mister Naruhodo and Miss Susato react, he wonders if it had something to do with them.
Anyway, staring at Hosonaga makes something twist in Sholmes’ stomach. They haven’t even spoken to each other, and yet… Sholmes is worried about this stranger. And this unusual concern for a stranger keeps him glancing at Hosonaga even throughout his investigation.
---
It’s incredibly easy to get distracted, especially with such a confusing yet interesting case happening around him. Although, to be fair, Sholmes can get distracted in any circumstance. Iris often says he has no attention span, which seems like a fair assessment. But even with his concentration flickering like a ball rebounding around his skull, his thoughts keep drifting back to Mister Hosonaga.
When he walks out into the hallway, travelling between the two cabins currently being investigated, Sholmes finds Hosonaga sitting on the chair beside the crew’s logbook. He hunches forwards in his seat, one hand pressed against his chest as he takes shallow, shaky breaths.
Instantly, Sholmes’ mind begins to whir with deductions. Hosonaga is injured, so perhaps his ribs were bruised in the incident that wounded him. That would certainly explain his difficulty breathing. Although Sholmes would need to see beneath his uniform to know for certain if he is wounded.
(And that is absolutely not an excuse to see a handsome man shirtless.)
“Can I help you?” Hosonaga says, startling Sholmes from his thoughts. His English is a little shaky, his accent thick, but he speaks English better than Sholmes speaks Japanese. But more than that, Sholmes focuses on the underlying pain in Hosonaga’s voice.
“O-Oh, I was wondering if… if I could get you anything?” Only when the words leave his mouth does it occur to Sholmes that he has no idea what to offer Hosonaga. He isn’t good at… helping people. (Iris recently said that he can barely look after himself, which isn’t even an insult, he soon realised, because it’s bloody well true.) “You appear to be… in pain.”
Congratulations, you win the Stating the Obvious Award, he thinks.
But Hosonaga doesn’t scoff or tell him to sod off, which are both outcomes he thought of. Instead, Hosonaga gives him a delightful, handsome smile (a bit strained as he struggles to move his lips without hurting the bruises around his mouth), and says, “I think I am fine. But… thank you for your concern.”
And when Sholmes feels his cheeks heating up, he makes up an excuse to leave before Hosonaga can notice.
Besides, the have many more days onboard this vessel. There will be many opportunities to talk to Hosonaga and try not to blush around him.