By the time Hinata got back to the lobby and was shown to the restaurant on the other side, the party was already in full swing.
There were lots of people milling around, holding food and glasses in their hands, chatting and laughing. Hinata had begun to get used to the luxurious decor around the ship, but this was on a whole other level.
To one side of the restaurant, an array of colorful and delicious-looking dishes had been set out, and everyone was gathering around them.
“This is a buffet, so you can take whatever food you like and eat as much as you want,” Chihori explained. She grabbed a glass of orange juice from a nearby waiter’s platter. “I bet you’re thirsty. Try some of this.”
“Hinata, over here!” called out Mayuka from across the room.
Hinata took the juice and made his way toward her voice, where he found a table with six chairs tucked into one corner. The rest of his group were there, already eating.
Even Mito was with them, still in her red dress and silently munching on a salad. Hinata put his juice down on the table and addressed her.
“M-Mito, I thought your violin playing was incredible! I was really amazed. It sounded beautiful.”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and, without changing her expression, replied, “Thank you. I thought it was pretty good, by my standards.”
“Oh, you did?” said her father happily. “Mito, I’m so glad to hear that! You’re usually so hard on yourself.”
She lifted her nose in the air huffily and added, “But the venue was horrendous. The acoustics were terrible. Still, I was able to get a good tone from the violin.”
“I guess that’s the Str…Stra…Straburry…,” Mayuka said, stumbling over the name.
“Stradivarius!” snapped Mito. “It is not a strawberry!”
Kobayashi had been taking a sip of wine and nearly spit it out. Everyone at the table laughed. Even Mito’s mouth seemed like it might be curling into a smile.
“Well, sorry!” Mayuka shot back. “It’s the first time in my life I’ve ever even seen a violin. How can you expect me to remember such a complicated name?!” The group laughed even harder at that.
“Hmph! Fine! I’m going to get more roast beef!” Mayuka said, sliding out of her chair. She pointed at Hinata. “Listen up, Hinata! Don’t stick to food you can have any old day, like pizza. You need to pick the fancy food, or it’s not worth it!”
She stormed off to the buffet. Chihori, holding back her laughter, said that she would bring Hinata his portion and went to follow Mayuka.
That sounds like exactly the sort of thing Mom would say if she were here, Hinata thought wryly.
“Mayuka’s quite right, you know,” said Kobayashi. “I’ve never eaten anything like this before. This black stuff is caviar, right? It’s delicious.” He lifted the triangular glass in front of him. Inside it were tiny shrimp with little black dots sprinkled on top.
“Please, do eat as much as you like,” Mr. Sugisaki said with a smile.
Kobayashi leaned forward and pointed a thumb somewhere behind Mito. “By the way, is Mito really supposed to be eating over here with us, considering she’s the star of the show?”
His thumb was pointed at Soga, the owner of the Stradivarius, who was speaking loudly to a whole crowd of people. Nearby was a dais covered with a red velvet cloth, upon which the Stradivarius was displayed. Two burly security guards stood watch over the violin, which was attracting as much attention as Soga was.
“I suppose it would go for about three hundred million yen at auction in today’s market,” Soga’s voice boomed. The crowd around him marveled at the amount. “And that number will only go up with time. Simply insuring it costs a fortune.”
Mito glanced over her shoulder and said coldly, “It’s fine. All those people care about is the expensive violin. They couldn’t care less who used it to play what.”
Unsure of how to respond, Kobayashi flashed her a strained grin.
“…Mito, shall I bring you some chicken? Would you like that?” her father asked, hoping to improve her mood.
“Yes, please. I’m feeling hungry now that the recital is over. Also, another glass of juice and a bread roll.”
Kobayashi shot Hinata a look that said, “Sounds like she has it pretty rough, too.”
“Yeah,” Hinata returned with his eyes. Out loud, he said, “M-Mito, what does Mr. Soga mean by insurance?”
She looked up as she scooped a spoonful of soup into her mouth and said, “He took out an insurance policy in case the violin gets damaged, destroyed, or stolen. If anything happens to it, the insurance company will pay him the value of the policy. But because it’s such an expensive instrument, the premium he has to pay is also very high. Not that any of that has anything to do with me…”
Just then, an older man with a dignified air passed by the table and glanced at Mito. “Ah, Mito Sugisaki,” he said. “You were simply marvelous tonight! Thank you for that wonderful performance. May I shake your hand?”
Mito stood up and accepted the gesture. “Thank you very much for saying that. I appreciate it.”
Soga caught sight of the interaction out of the corner of his eye and boomed, “Ah! Young lady! There you are. Come over here. Please, tell the people what you thought of playing my Stradivarius!”
Mito crumpled up her napkin, placed it on the table, and made an ugly face that only the others around her could see before walking toward Soga.
“She’s so mature… But I’m kind of glad I didn’t become a violinist,” said Kobayashi with a sigh.
“Yeah, you’d need talent for that.” Hinata laughed, and the grown-up elbowed him playfully.
Meanwhile, Soga was introducing Mito to an elderly woman with purple hair. The woman had gold-rimmed glasses and stood, a little hunched over, with the help of a cane. Next to her stood the boy Hinata had met at the kennel. Based on the way he was speaking with the elderly woman, they were either acquaintances or family.
For a moment, Hinata and the boy’s eyes met. But once again, the boy quickly looked away. Hinata felt his heart jump. Did I do something wrong? But what could I have done…?
It was then that Mr. Sugisaki rushed back, his smartphone in hand. He was not carrying either chicken or a glass of juice.
“Er, where’s Mito?”
“Mr. Soga dragged her over there,” said Kobayashi with a shrug.
Mr. Sugisaki looked over at the crowd and touched a hand to his forehead. “Oh, dear… Well, there’s been some trouble…”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s Keito, my wife… She’s attending a rehearsal at a different venue, but she just called to tell me she has a headache.”
“She’s a pianist, right?” Kobayashi asked. “That doesn’t sound good. Is she sick?”
Mr. Sugisaki shook his head. “No, I think it’s likely a migraine. She gets them a lot. But when they’re especially bad, she can be out of commission for several days. I need to go pick her up so she can rest… Oh, dear…”
“Please go to her. We’ll get a taxi and take Mito with us. You can call for one in the lobby, right? It shouldn’t be too hard, since we’re just going home.”
Mr. Sugisaki put his hands together in a pose of gratitude. “Would you do that for us? Thank you so much. I’ll stop by the lobby and ask them to arrange it. We’re supposed to be borrowing the Stradivarius for the whole week, so keep that in mind. There are other belongings to take home, too, so I’ll make sure to hire a van taxi.”
With that, he hurried over to Mito. After exchanging a few words, Mito seemed to give his plan her blessing. She looked back at the table and nodded.
“Thank you again. Enjoy the party!” Mr. Sugisaki shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth like a megaphone. He then rushed out of the restaurant.
“A violinist, a pianist, and their manager,” said Kobayashi. “Sounds like a lot of trouble… Oh, and I nearly forgot! We have to take that three-hundred-million-yen violin home in the taxi. I guess they’re not the only ones who have it rough…”
Kobayashi stared at the wine left in his glass. He seemed to be debating whether to finish it. Hinata smiled; as long as they’d be able to go home, that was enough for him.
“Why would anyone expect us to be carrying something so valuable, anyway? It’s a good thing you’re just a broke detective, Mr. Kobayashi,” he teased. Kobayashi pretended to give him a clonk on the head.