Ohga Takao's vision went dark, and he fainted from the weight of Megure Juzo's words.
Afterward, the forensic section officers conducted a careful inspection of Yoshitoki Hotta's personal lounge.
"This box of medication belonging to Takao Ohga is designed to hold eight ampoules, but two are missing.
Judging by the fragments on the floor, one was medical morphine, and the other was naloxone hydrochloride. This matches both the condition of the medication box and Ms. Sera's deductions."
A criminal officer reported the findings to Megure Juzo.
Subsequently, the forensic team shared the results of fingerprint extraction and comparison.
Two sets of fingerprints were found on the inner door handle of Yoshitoki Hotta's personal lounge.
One set belonged to Takao Ohga, and the other, as Sera Masumi speculated, likely belonged to Yoshitoki Hotta.
Because the festival staff clean the venue daily, including the directors' and writers' lounges, the door handles had been wiped clean.
Hotta visited his lounge this morning, leaving fingerprints on both the interior and exterior handles.
As for the outer door handle, two sets of prints were also found, though neither belonged to Takao Ohga.
One set likely belonged to Yoshitoki Hotta, and the other to Akikawa Kyousuke. This also indirectly proved that Ohga had taken measures to hide his tracks when entering the room.
The presence of Akikawa Kyousuke's fingerprints on the outer door handle did not raise suspicion among the police or detectives.
After all, Kyousuke had tried to enter the lounge earlier at one o'clock and had touched the handle then.
Akikawa Kyousuke watched as Takao Ohga, unconscious and limp as mud, was carried out on a stretcher by ambulance staff.
"There's still a bit of unease about this," Kyousuke thought.
He remembered the moment not long ago when he had entered Hotta Yoshitoki's lounge alone—Takao Ohga had pointed a gun directly at his head.
At that moment, Kyousuke realized that Ohga Takao must not have had time to cover his tracks after attacking Ryo Sogabe and Miho Souma.
Ohga's failure to address the gunpowder residue on his hands was a fatal oversight.
However, Kyousuke also noted that Ohga, as an excellent graduate of the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Medicine, should have been able to anticipate this problem.
This suggested that Ohga had been confident he would have time to deal with the residue after his planned actions, but Kyousuke's intervention disrupted this process, leaving behind a critical flaw.
In addition to the residue issue, the fingerprints were also questionable.
If someone is as intelligent as Takao Ohga, leaving fingerprints on crucial evidence seems remarkably careless.
Furthermore, considering his intent to frame Yoshitoki Hotta, he should have avoided leaving any trace of his own fingerprints on the gun or the medication box.
"But then again," Kyousuke mused, "beyond his overconfidence, there's little about Ohga that suggests true brilliance."
He silently compared Takao Ohga to Koichi Nishihara, finding little difference in their recklessness.
At the same time, Kyousuke recalled how the "handsome detective," as Megure had called him, had deduced the presence of gunpowder residue entirely on his own.
This, Kyousuke reasoned, meant the detective had no doubts about this conclusion.
"Still, the issue with the fingerprints is a bit more glaring," Kyousuke thought.
As for whether Takao Ohga would confess once brought to the Metropolitan Police Department, Kyousuke wasn't concerned.
This situation mirrored the case with Koichi Nishihara: the only witness was the perpetrator, whose malicious intent towards Kyousuke was evident.
Such confessions held little credibility or weight. Even if the Metropolitan Police detectives investigated Kyousuke based on the confession, he had nothing to fear.
After all, there was an overwhelming lack of witnesses, physical evidence, or motive.
"If anything, confessing might just worsen Ohga's situation and increase his sentence," Kyousuke thought.
"What a shame. If there weren't any detectives here, I would've liked to get my hands on that morphine.
With it, I could accomplish quite a bit."
Kyousuke sighed internally, touching the lighter and candle in his pocket.
In the end, aside from the system rewards, he had only obtained items readily available anywhere.
"If possible, I still want to improve my physical condition.
If I encounter someone with professional training next time, it might not be so easy to deal with them."
Kyousuke acknowledged his vulnerability.
In a world filled with individuals with severe mental problems, his inability to fully protect himself was a glaring weakness.
---
"Hey, kid, let's go. What are you thinking about?"
Sera Masumi lightly kicked Conan, who was deep in thought again, and smiled.
"I still feel there's something strange about this case," Conan murmured.
"What? Do you think Ohga isn't the killer?"
"No, he's definitely the killer, but…"
"Many of the details don't add up."
"Like what?" Sera asked.
"The first oddity is your speculation that Ohga overdosed on morphine due to withdrawal, impairing his judgment, and then injected himself with a large dose of naloxone, triggering severe withdrawal symptoms.
While it's true that many who sell drugs become addicted themselves and turn to dealing due to financial need, Takao Ohga is different.
He undoubtedly wasn't short on money.
Given that he supplied these substances to prominent figures in the Japanese entertainment industry, I doubt he would use them himself."
"But that's not absolute, right? For people like him, money might no longer excite them—they seek other thrills," Sera reasoned.
Conan didn't dismiss her argument but continued:
"The second issue is how carelessly he left fingerprints on the gun.
Considering his plan to frame Yoshitoki Hotta, leaving his prints on the weapon and medication box is out of character."
"Yes, that is quite strange. I even remarked earlier that it was too careless of him," Sera admitted.
"But perhaps his mental instability left gaps in his plan."
Despite her explanation, the furrow in Sera's brow remained.
---
(End of Chapter)
The author's note: Daily updates will now be posted in the evenings, so readers can check during the day. Writing is a slow process; I appreciate your patience and support. If possible, please consider giving this story a great review. Thank you!