Chapter 104: Doubt

"This Oda Ema, every time she hears Hota Yoshi choosing to trust Ohga Takao, she gets extremely emotional."

Akikawa Kyousuke, who was sitting on the side, noticed Oda Ema's rather peculiar reaction.

'Oda Ema not only disagreed that the medical accident involving Hota Yoshitoki was an accident, but she also never considered Ohga Takao a good person from beginning to end.'

However, when asked about her reasoning, she either remained silent or used the excuse of a "sixth sense" to be vague.

Although Oda Ema claimed to have known Hota Yoshitoki and Ohga Takao for a long time, Akikawa Kyousuke could infer from comparing their ages that it was clear Ohga Takao and Hota Yoshitoki had met first. Oda Ema must have met Ohga Takao later through Hota Yoshitoki.

Furthermore, while Oda Ema often argued with Hota Yoshitoki and clearly distrusted Ohga Takao, she continued to harbor doubts about the medical accident from years ago.

Even though ten years had passed since the medical incident involving Hota Yoshitoki, Oda Ema still grew extremely emotional when the topic came up.

'The unwavering belief Oda Ema holds that Ohga Takao isn't a good person seems worth investigating further.'

'Moreover, Oda Ema appeared more concerned about the incident than Hota Yoshitoki himself.'

This situation wasn't too difficult to comprehend.

From the first time Akikawa Kyousuke met Oda Ema, he noticed signs of a "relationship beyond friendship" between her and Hota Yoshitoki.

Whenever Oda Ema met Hota Yoshitoki, she deliberately removed the wedding ring she wore year-round.

Additionally, the admiration and respect she exhibited when talking to Hota Yoshitoki weren't fabricated.

With this in mind, Oda Ema's earlier reactions became easier to understand.

Of course, this matter didn't directly involve Akikawa Kyousuke, but he couldn't ignore one particular aspect.

It was Oda Ema's reaction upon hearing about Ohga Takao's actions.

'For Hota Yoshitoki, who has always trusted Ohga Takao, it's reasonable to see such shock on his face when he learns that Ohga Takao not only committed murder but also tried to frame him.'

'However, Oda Ema clearly dislikes Ohga Takao, and their relationship is obviously not close, so her reaction seemed a bit over the top.'

Ordinary people rarely encounter murder cases in their lifetime.

Thus, it was entirely normal for Oda Ema to feel frightened.

But still...

Although the direct cause of Ryo Sogabe and Miho Souma's deaths was Ohga Takao, the indirect cause lay with Kosaka Tsunekazu.

Initially, Akikawa Kyousuke speculated that perhaps Yoshitoki Hota's desire for revenge against Ohga Takao contributed to Kosaka Tsunekazu's death.

However, after noticing Oda Ema's reaction, that thought began to change.

---

"Did Ohga Takao really kill Director Sogabe and Souma? Why?!"

Oda Ema's face went pale as she stammered this question to Sera Masumi.

Sera Masumi observed Oda Ema but chose not to respond.

At that moment, Megure Juzo spoke up.

"Have you heard about Ohga Takao supplying morphine to prominent figures in Japan's entertainment industry?"

"What?!"

Both Hota Yoshitoki and Oda Ema displayed shock simultaneously.

Conan silently observed their reactions, though his focus lingered more on Oda Ema.

"Morphine? Isn't that a painkiller?"

Hota Yoshitoki appeared genuinely astonished by Megure Juzo's words.

"But morphine also induces euphoria and can lead to addiction," Megure Juzo explained.

"No... I had no idea... Dahe... he actually did such a thing."

Hota Yoshitoki's expression conveyed disbelief.

Megure Juzo then turned to Oda Ema, who offered the same answer, claiming she was unaware of this matter.

"Please... please tell me," Oda Ema suddenly said in a trembling voice.

"Could it be that our director and Souma were recipients of the morphine supplied by Ohga Takao?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't disclose that information," Megure Juzo replied firmly.

Oda Ema's face grew paler upon hearing this response.

Conan scrutinized her reaction before hopping off his chair.

"Conan, where are you going?" Mouri Ran asked.

"To the bathroom," Conan replied as he made his way out.

---

'Oda Ema's reaction was indeed peculiar, especially after hearing about the deaths of Sogabe Ryo and Souma Miho.'

'There's a high likelihood she's connected to Kosaka Tsunekazu's death. But how?'

'Kosaka Tsunekazu clearly died after consuming alcohol, yet there was no sign of tampering...'

'Could Oda Ema have added something to Kosaka Tsunekazu's drink? But she wasn't even seated at the same table, so executing such a plan would be extremely difficult.'

'Besides, Kosaka Tsunekazu drank alcohol after being injected with morphine, which is strange in itself.'

Conan's thoughts raced as he walked. Suddenly, he overheard people talking nearby:

"By the way, why didn't Director Tanaka show up today? And no one can reach him on his phone. Is something wrong?"

"Well, I heard the traffic police arrested Tanaka for drunk driving last night. He's probably still at the police station."

"What?! He drove after drinking?"

"Who knows? Normally, Tanaka wouldn't make such a stupid mistake. He usually avoids drinking if he has to drive..."

---

'I see!'

A light bulb went off in Conan's mind.

He quickly rushed toward the elevator, pressed the button, and headed to the banquet hall from the previous evening.

The banquet hall had been closed off due to yesterday's murder, and everything remained untouched.

Conan entered the room and made his way straight to the self-service beer machine.

Although the banquet hall had a bartender dedicated to preparing drinks, beer was served in a self-service format.

The Suzuki Foundation had provided bottled beer and draft beer for guests to choose from.

Kosaka Tsunekazu had drunk draft beer from the self-service machine using a large special glass.

---

'Ohga Takao clearly knew about Kosaka Tsunekazu's respiratory issues, so it's unlikely he wouldn't warn him about consuming alcohol.'

'Since it's life-threatening, Kosaka Tsunekazu wouldn't have been careless about it.'

'And yet, he still endangered himself by drinking alcohol, which means...'

'He didn't believe he was consuming alcohol.'

Conan's eyes fixated on the beer machine in front of him.

He noticed several options listed on the display:

[Asahi], [Kirin], [Suntory]—all common beer brands in Japan.

His gaze stopped at the last button:

[Non-Alcoholic Beer].

---

End of Chapter