Chapter 101: A Man-Made Accident

After thinking for a moment, Sera Masumi turned to Conan.

"If you think the fingerprint issue is inexplicable, kid, then the matter of the gunpowder residue is as well."

"Takao Ohga isn't a fool. He should have considered the presence of gunpowder residue after shooting."

"When he fainted after Officer Megure mentioned gunpowder residue, I can tentatively conclude that he didn't deal with it on his body."

Conan listened silently to Sera Masumi's explanation and slowly nodded.

"He's an excellent student who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. He also had access to a gun, so he must have known there would be gunpowder residue after firing."

"So, I believe the reason he didn't handle the gunpowder residue on his body is the same as why he left fingerprints behind."

"It was due to unexpected withdrawal symptoms that he couldn't move freely. Naturally, he had no way to deal with the gunpowder residue on his body."

"Actually, there's another possibility."

Conan spoke up at that moment.

"That is, whether it's the fingerprints or the gunpowder residue, Takao Ohga's plan was originally set up to be executed perfectly."

"But because of an 'unexpected' situation, he couldn't follow through."

"The accident I'm referring to isn't the sudden withdrawal symptoms you mentioned, Miss Sera."

"Because, in my opinion, it's incredibly foolish for someone of Takao Ohga's status to abuse morphine."

"If we consider that he didn't abuse morphine at all, then it's possible that someone interfered with Takao Ohga's plan. Due to 'man-made accidents,' he was unable to proceed as planned."

"After all, if you want to eliminate gunpowder residue from your body, all you need to do is take a shower and wash your clothes afterward."

Although it was also an accident, Conan provided an explanation in a completely different direction from Sera Masumi.

Sera Masumi was surprised to hear Conan's reasoning.

"A man-made accident?! Kid, are you suggesting someone injected morphine and naloxone into Takao Ohga's body?"

"If Takao Ohga wasn't addicted to morphine..."

Conan nodded.

"My speculation isn't baseless."

"Akikawa Kyousuke mentioned earlier that he received an invitation from Takao Ohga this morning."

"And after watching the morning film, Takao Ohga directly went to kill Ryo Sogabe and then Miho Soma. He waited in Hotta Yoshitoki's personal lounge for Akikawa's arrival."

"That means he must have brought a gun into the festival venue in the morning, ready to carry out his murder plan."

"If he was addicted to morphine, wouldn't he have considered the possibility of withdrawal symptoms when planning a murder in advance?"

"Furthermore, the morphine was obtained through his own hospital."

"So I think the reasoning that Takao Ohga experienced withdrawal symptoms by accident, ultimately causing the plan to fail, doesn't align with his image as an excellent student."

Hearing Conan's reasoning, Sera Masumi found it convincing.

However, there was still something she couldn't understand.

"Then what was 'his' motivation? Why did he do this?"

"That..."

Conan frowned, making a thoughtful expression.

"I have a few guesses."

"First, he was displeased with the criminal and wanted to punish him."

"Second, he wanted to help us and seek justice. That person might have realized that if Takao Ohga was allowed to carry out his plan, not only would more people die, but identifying him as the murderer after he eliminated the gunpowder residue would be much more difficult."

"Third, the person who was originally chosen as Takao Ohga's target fought back in self-defense."

"Why do I feel like your reasoning is even more far-fetched?"

Sera Masumi sighed helplessly.

"Come on, you have to remember that Takao Ohga had a gun!"

"According to what you said, this person must have a close relationship with Takao Ohga and didn't raise his guard against him."

"And this person would also need considerable pharmaceutical knowledge."

"Because Takao Ohga only had two injection marks on his body, meaning the other party knew from the start to inject morphine intravenously and naloxone intramuscularly."

"Is there such a person here?"

Sera Masumi analyzed thoughtfully.

"As of now, the only person who fits these conditions is Hotta Yoshitoki."

"Hotta Yoshitoki has a close relationship with Takao Ohga, and he could have acquired relevant knowledge through direct exposure."

"He changed his plan and returned to the lounge midway. He found out that Takao Ohga intended to frame him, so he killed Takao Ohga and escaped again."

"It's possible." Conan nodded.

"Anyway, there shouldn't be any doubt that Hotta Yoshitoki had the motive to kill Takao Ohga."

"If someone really attacked him, why didn't Takao Ohga directly name the person who attacked him? What was he secretly doing?"

"Because he'd been trying to distance himself from the gun and drugs. Wouldn't revealing this make him look like the killer?"

"That seems reasonable."

Sera Masumi thought for a moment before responding.

Then she went to Megure Juzo to share Conan's reasoning.

Before long, Conan saw Megure Juzo pat Sera Masumi on the shoulder with his large hand, say something with a smile, and then Sera Masumi returned.

"How did it go?" Conan asked.

"I feel like Officer Megure doesn't completely believe your reasoning, kid. His attitude is a bit casual. I don't know if you noticed."

Sera Masumi sighed helplessly.

"It would be great if we could observe the interrogation of the prisoner."

"That's impossible, no matter how you think about it."

Conan complained.

Beyond that, there wasn't much else they could do.

"Sera~ Conan~ let's go~!"

Mouri Ran's voice called out from not far away.

"Okay, Ran-sister!"

Conan responded and then ran toward Mouri Ran, who was waving at them.

Sera Masumi clasped her hands behind her head, casually following the group.

She noticed that as soon as Conan reached Mouri Ran's side, he reverted to his usual innocent elementary school demeanor.

"This kid, his acting skills are even better when he's in front of Ran-neechan."

Sera Masumi inwardly commented before her gaze shifted to Suzuki Sonoko.

She saw Suzuki Sonoko, as usual, looking starstruck after seeing a handsome guy and chatting happily with Akikawa Kyousuke.

"If Kyogoku-san sees this, I bet he'd be jealous again."

Sera Masumi thought, unable to suppress a slight smile.

She always found it amusing to see the strong Kyogoku Makoto getting jealous of the slender Akikawa Kyousuke.

"This Akikawa has such bad luck. He almost got turned into a scapegoat again this time."

Her inner musings suddenly stopped.

"Speaking of which, there seems to be another person who is even less likely to be protected by Takao Ohga than Hotta Yoshitoki."

"That is Akikawa Kyousuke, who was also chosen as Takao Ohga's target."

The smile disappeared from Sera Masumi's face.

At that moment, her green eyes reflected the image of the actor, smiling as he chatted with Suzuki Sonoko.

(End of Chapter)