Chapter 90: Takao Ohga's Secret

Akikawa Kyousuke didn't stop just because Takao Ohga's upper body went limp.

He maintained his grip on Ohga's carotid artery, only letting go after confirming that Ohga had lost consciousness and fallen into a coma.

In Hotta Yoshitoki's private lounge, a dull thud echoed like a sandbag hitting the ground.

Takao Ohga collapsed to the floor like a lifeless body.

"The Sig Sauer P226 really is a popular model."

Akikawa Kyousuke crouched next to the unconscious Takao Ohga, glanced at the gun that had fallen to the floor, and made a mental note.

He stood up and scanned Hotta Yoshitoki's private lounge.

Then, he noticed a lighter and a candle on the table.

"Quite prepared, aren't we? Even thought about how to cover your fingerprints."

Akikawa Kyousuke walked over to the table, picked up the lighter, melted some candle wax, and applied it to his fingertips.

He carefully placed the used candle and lighter into his pocket.

Next, Kyousuke scraped off the paraffin from Takao Ohga's fingers.

After ensuring Ohga's fingerprints were no longer covered, Akikawa Kyousuke grasped Ohga's hand and made him hold the gun again.

To prevent Ohga from suddenly waking up while holding the weapon, Kyousuke kept his foot pressed on the middle of Ohga's forearm the entire time.

The human forearm is full of muscles and nerves that control hand movements. By stepping on this area, one can effectively inhibit strength and mobility in the hand.

At the same time, to avoid leaving shoe marks on Ohga's clothing, Akikawa Kyousuke deliberately rolled up his own sleeve and pressed his bare foot directly onto Ohga's arm.

Once he was sure that Ohga had properly left his fingerprints on the gun, Akikawa Kyousuke tossed the weapon onto the table and began searching Ohga's coat pockets.

The right pocket was empty.

In the left pocket, he found a small cardboard box and a syringe.

"Exactly as I suspected."

Akikawa Kyousuke thought to himself as he pulled out the syringe and box.

This entire case stemmed from the "accidental death" of Kosaka Tsunekazu.

At the dinner yesterday, Akikawa Kyousuke and Okino Yoko had greeted Kosaka Tsunekazu and others together.

Though the executives at the first table had vastly different personalities, Akikawa had noticed a shared "commonality" among them: all three showed signs of drug abuse.

When Kyousuke and Yoko greeted them, Kosaka Tsunekazu, the obese director, was the first to speak.

He appeared extremely excited as he spoke.

At the same time, Kyousuke noticed that the glass in front of Kosaka wasn't filled with premium foreign wine—but with beer.

For light drinkers, beer might be enough to quickly reach a state of euphoria.

However, another possibility was that Kosaka had recently been injected with drugs.

Then there was Soma Miho, who, after shaking hands with Akikawa, suddenly experienced severe back pain when standing up.

While muscle and joint pain can have various causes, one possibility is withdrawal symptoms occurring 24–48 hours after drug addiction.

Lastly, there was Ryo Sogabe, the third director.

He appeared drowsy from the start and even mentioned how he should've stayed at the hotel to rest.

Normally, insufficient sleep wouldn't manifest as sudden drowsiness during dinner.

Although his statement sounded plausible, Akikawa suspected Sogabe's words referred to something unexpected—like the onset of withdrawal symptoms.

While none of these symptoms alone confirmed drug use, the sudden death of Kosaka Tsunekazu provided more clarity.

Kosaka's symptoms, paired with the reactions of Masumi Sera and Conan, narrowed the cause of death to poisoning and asphyxiation.

Another suspicious point was Ohga's reaction after Kosaka collapsed.

Despite knowing little about Kosaka's condition, Ohga immediately performed CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, as though he already knew the cause of Kosaka's symptoms.

Furthermore, Ohga's exaggerated panic upon confirming Kosaka's death indicated he feared the incident might expose his own secrets.

One other detail stood out: yesterday, after the opening ceremony of the film festival, a group of people chose not to visit the exhibition area and instead returned to the hotel.

This group included Takao Ohga, Kosaka Tsunekazu, and others.

All these clues led Akikawa Kyousuke to a conclusion:

Kosaka and the others were drug abusers.

Considering that Takao Ohga owned a plastic surgery hospital, Kyousuke deduced that Ohga had been supplying morphine to the directors.

Opening the small box from Ohga's pocket confirmed it: inside were several vials of medical morphine and naloxone hydrochloride.

Medical morphine is primarily used as a powerful pain reliever for moderate to severe pain, especially post-surgery or in cases of chronic illnesses like cancer.

It acts on the brain and central nervous system, blocking pain signals and inducing both pain relief and euphoria.

However, prolonged use can lead to addiction, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms.

Kosaka's condition yesterday aligned perfectly with someone who had just been injected with morphine.

Morphine depresses the respiratory center, and when combined with alcohol, its effects on the nervous system can become significantly more dangerous, potentially leading to severe respiratory depression.

Given Kosaka's obesity and probable respiratory issues, even a single beer was enough to pose a fatal threat after a morphine injection.

Thus, Akikawa had deduced the cause of death: Kosaka Tsunekazu had died from severe respiratory depression after combining morphine with alcohol.

Following the autopsy, the abuse of morphine by Kosaka would naturally come to light.

Up until yesterday, Ohga Takao was still technically a "victim," as he hadn't directly caused Kosaka's death.

However, the death would inevitably bring scrutiny to Ohga's involvement.

Faced with this, Ohga had two options: trust that the other two addicts wouldn't expose him under police pressure or eliminate anyone who might reveal his secrets.

"Clearly, Mr. Ohga chose the latter," Kyousuke thought, drawing the conclusion.

He then opened a vial of medical morphine, extracted the liquid with the syringe, and prepared for his next move.

---

(End of Chapter)