'If he's such an extremely righteous type of detective, maybe I can use that to strike a deal with him.'
Ohga Takao thought to himself before speaking:
"Sorry, Officer Toda. Although your words are very convincing, I still feel there's no benefit in telling you the truth."
"After all, I've already been caught. To be honest, whether other criminals are caught or not has little to do with me."
"And what other benefits do you think you, a criminal, are entitled to?"
Toda Kyouji asked with a frown.
"Help me detach myself from the case involving Kosaka Tsune and several others abusing morphine."
"You're joking, right? Do you think you're in any position to negotiate with me now?"
Kyouji Toda smiled as he heard this, an interesting expression appearing on his face.
Even his eyes, as they looked at Ohga Takao, showed a trace of amusement.
"If that's the case, then I guess there's no need for me to reveal the truth to you, right?"
Ohga Takao smiled back at Toda Kyouji.
"After all, the smoke reaction and the gun have already tied me to the two murder cases. Whether or not the morphine charges stick doesn't really matter, right?"
"Besides, in Japan, morphine isn't even classified as a drug but rather as an anesthetic."
"Thinking about it, I'll still be punished, but you might be able to identify another potential criminal."
Ohga Takao was deliberately provoking Toda Kyouji.
Toda Kyouji frowned and seemed to ponder for a moment. After a short while, his expression relaxed, and a smile returned to his face.
"It seems we've reached an agreement."
Kyouji Toda extended his hand to Ohga Takao.
Ohga Takao also extended his hand and shook Toda Kyouji's, then said:
"Sorry, Officer Toda, please don't call me meddlesome."
"Right now, the promises between the two of us are just empty words. You'll need to provide me with some guarantees to make me believe you'll keep your promises, right?"
"What if, after I tell you the truth, you suddenly go back on your word, Officer Toda? There'd be nothing I could do about it, right?"
"Very cautious."
Toda Kyouji smiled.
"If you want your confession to lead to an arrest warrant, the prerequisite is that what you say must have legal weight."
"When I formally interrogate you later, I'll first ask about the morphine and help you review your confession."
"If you find that I haven't kept my promise, you can then refuse to reveal the facts on record."
"What do you think of this proposal?"
Kyouji Toda looked at Ohga Takao with a smile.
"Fine, it's settled."
The two shook hands again, and then Toda Kyouji sat back down in front of Ohga Takao.
"Please start by telling me why you chose Akikawa Kyousuke as your target.
"Do you hold a grudge against him, is he one of your morphine clients, or, as the detectives suggested, was it simply because you saw Akikawa Kyousuke had no connection to you?"
"It's the same as what the detectives said."
Ohga Takao replied.
"After watching Oda Ema's movie in the morning, I saw Akikawa Kyousuke at the entrance of the screening room as he was also leaving."
"Since he looked foolish and I judged him to be an artist who had just entered the industry, I assumed he came to the film festival looking for a chance to make a name for himself."
"So I thought about using Hota Yoshitoki's reputation to trick him."
Ohga Takao explained.
"That's stupid. How did you come to that conclusion?" Toda Kyouji asked curiously.
"Based on his appearance—because he didn't doubt anything I said."
"So I thought he was a naïve and somewhat foolish type."
"I see."
Kyouji Toda wrote down Ohga Takao's statement in his notebook and then continued:
"Second question: Are you abusing morphine, or are you addicted to it?"
"How is that even possible? I wouldn't touch such things."
"Then you're only selling it to others, correct?"
Toda Kyouji chuckled.
He didn't doubt it.
After all, during his time in the Organized Crime Countermeasures Division, he had encountered many drug dealers.
And dealers with any status almost never used the products themselves.
Toda Kyouji recorded this information in his notebook again.
Then, lifting his head, he looked at Ohga Takao.
"Since you claim not to be addicted to morphine, the statement in the case file suggesting you suffered withdrawal symptoms is unreliable."
"So, as the tomboy detective deduced, someone else interrupted your plan and injected you with morphine. Is that correct?"
Toda Kyouji used Ohga Takao's denial of morphine abuse to confirm that the incident had unfolded as Sera Masumi had hypothesized.
Ohga Takao looked at Toda Kyouji in front of him, found him intriguing, and then nodded.
"That's correct."
"Who was it?"
"It was Akikawa Kyousuke."
"As expected."
Toda Kyouji sighed.
He had already formed a theory in his mind, so he wasn't surprised at all when he heard the name.
"Why... you don't seem surprised at all. Is it possible you know this Akikawa Kyousuke?"
Observing Toda Kyouji's reaction, Ohga Takao sensed something unusual.
"Yes, there was a criminal in a similar situation to yours. He said he originally planned to frame Akikawa Kyousuke, but it turned out Akikawa Kyousuke altered the crime scene and framed him instead."
"By the way, according to the criminal, Akikawa Kyousuke deliberately injured himself to worsen his charge."
"Unfortunately, Akikawa Kyousuke left no evidence in that case. The only witness was the criminal who attacked him, so..."
Toda Kyouji spread his hands and put on a helpless expression.
"Surprisingly... such a thing exists..."
Toda Kyouji's words horrified Ohga Takao.
He had long realized Akikawa Kyousuke was abnormal, but he never expected Akikawa Kyousuke to be this abnormal.
Isn't the first reaction to being framed calling the police, not seeking revenge?
This way, it was easy to understand why Akikawa Kyousuke had taken the initiative to approach him and inject him with morphine and naloxone.
Because the other party had sensed his murderous intent and decided to strike first.
Even though the other party had time to call the police and even though he had a gun and was in an advantageous position...
Akikawa Kyousuke still decided to risk his life.
"Madman... He's definitely a madman! He has a mental illness! How can someone like this even exist?"
Ohga Takao cursed loudly, trying to conceal the hesitation and fear in his heart.
(End of the chapter)