Chapter 102: Could Akikawa Really Do It?

"Takao Ohga had been staying in Hotta Yoshitoki's private lounge ever since he killed Miho Soma. If a stranger appeared, he would never have opened the door.

Because once it was revealed that he had been in Hotta Yoshitoki's private lounge, his plan to frame Hotta Yoshitoki naturally couldn't proceed."

"So, according to the kid's reasoning, if there really was someone who disrupted Takao Ohga's plan, then Takao Ohga wouldn't have tried to protect them."

Sera Masumi's sharp eyes were fixed on Akikawa Kyousuke in front of her as she continued Conan's line of reasoning in her mind.

"Akikawa was Takao Ohga's target. If he had approached Takao Ohga beforehand, Takao Ohga definitely wouldn't have been on guard against him."

"Speaking of which, did Akikawa have an alibi for the time of Takao Ohga's accident?"

"Ran-Chan and Sonoko were with us at the time, and only Akikawa and her manager were in the projection room."

"But is it really possible for Akikawa to have done it?"

"Facing Takao Ohga, who harbored murderous intent toward him, did he subdue him with his own hands?"

Sera Masumi looked at Akikawa Kyousuke's slender figure and couldn't help but feel doubtful.

Akikawa Kyousuke's frailty was obvious to everyone.

No matter how she thought about it, Akikawa Kyousuke didn't seem capable of overpowering Takao Ohga.

Sera Masumi fell back into her earlier mental struggle.

That is—

The traits Akikawa Kyousuke displayed made her rationally deny the possibility of him attacking Takao Ohga.

But emotionally, Sera Masumi couldn't stop thinking about it.

Because she always recalled that slight but possible image of Akikawa Kyousuke—

Ruthless at heart, showing no pity for his body to achieve his goals.

His acting skills were so exceptional that neither she nor Conan could detect any flaws.

He had sharp observation skills and an extremely clever mind.

If Akikawa Kyousuke truly appeared to be a trained agent—

Sera Masumi suddenly felt:

He could have overpowered Takao Ohga with his own hands and, like him, was very familiar with methods of injecting substances such as morphine and naloxone.

"This possibility is too low, and there are too many inexplicable points."

"Besides, I can't imagine Akikawa's motive for attacking Takao Ohga."

"I've tried countless times before. No matter how I look at it, Akikawa is just an actor with limited acting skills but a very immature mental age."

Countless pieces of evidence denied the possibility Sera Masumi had in mind.

But perhaps it was because the previous car accident case hadn't been resolved for so long, a sliver of doubt about Akikawa Kyousuke still lingered in her heart.

"I should first ask Akikawa if he left the projection room during that time."

Sera Masumi thought to herself. Just as she was about to ask Akikawa Kyousuke about his alibi at noon, she suddenly noticed Yoko Okino, standing beside Akikawa Kyousuke, staring at her.

Sera Masumi then saw Yoko Okino intentionally slow her pace, waiting for her to catch up.

"Excuse me, Miss Sera, is there something you'd like to say?"

Sera Masumi caught a faint, pleasant scent from Yoko Okino as her soft, melodious voice reached her ears.

"Not at all, Miss Yoko. Is there something I can help you with?"

"It's nothing. I just noticed, Miss Sera, that you seemed to have been watching Akikawa-kun for quite some time."

Yoko Okino looked at Sera Masumi with her beautiful sapphire eyes and spoke with a smile.

"Although it's a bit rude to say, I can't help but feel that the way you were looking at Akikawa-kun earlier was as if you were staring at a suspect."

"I was wondering if there was something about Akikawa-kun that made you suspicious, Miss Sera."

Yoko Okino teased Sera Masumi.

"No, no! Miss Yoko, you misunderstood! That's impossible!"

Sera Masumi quickly denied it.

At the same time, she thought to herself that Yoko Okino truly deserved her reputation as Japan's top idol.

Her perception was far sharper than the average person's.

"Oh, I see. That's quite rude of me."

Yoko Okino paused and bowed slightly to Sera Masumi.

This startled Sera Masumi a little.

After Yoko Okino apologized to her, she continued walking alongside her.

"Speaking of which, Miss Sera, you're really amazing. You're no less skilled than Detective Mouri."

"Last time at the Imperial Theater and this time at the Film Festival, it was thanks to you that we caught the real culprit."

"Haha, that's too much praise. How could I dare to compare myself to Detective Mouri?"

"I'm just a little interested in reasoning. I'm happy to be able to help others."

Sera Masumi humbly responded to Yoko Okino's praise.

Since Yoko Okino had come to chat with her, there was no way for her to question Akikawa Kyousuke about his alibi.

This left Sera Masumi feeling quite frustrated.

But considering Yoko Okino's relationship with Akikawa Kyousuke,

Sera Masumi suddenly thought of asking Yoko Okino something.

"By the way, Miss Yoko, may I ask, what's your relationship with Mr. Akikawa?"

"Oh, it's just a simple senior-junior relationship between artists!"

"Is that really the case?"

Sera Masumi directly exposed Yoko Okino's lie.

"Judging by how much you care about Mr. Akikawa, and considering the same hair and eye color between the two of you, it must be more than just a senior-junior relationship, right?"

"You're Mr. Akikawa's biological sister, aren't you?"

Sera Masumi stared intently at Yoko Okino and softly spoke.

She then noticed Yoko Okino's ever-present smile vanish instantly, her clear, beautiful blue eyes widening in shock.

Her steps halted abruptly.

Sera Masumi glanced back and saw Yoko Okino staring at her in surprise before quickly denying it:

"What are you talking about, Miss Sera? Please stop joking."

"Don't worry, Miss Yoko. I won't go around spreading nonsense."

Sera Masumi observed Yoko Okino's panicked reaction after being exposed.

She guessed Yoko Okino wanted to keep this relationship hidden to avoid suspicions and protect Akikawa Kyousuke from rumors.

"That's all there is to it."

Yoko Okino finally admitted with some embarrassment.

After looking around cautiously, she leaned in close and whispered to Sera Masumi:

"Miss Sera, please don't tell anyone! If people start talking about Kou-chan, it'll be such a headache!"

"Don't worry, I promise."

Sera Masumi thought, I knew it, and reassured Yoko Okino.

"Then thank you, Miss Sera. If you weren't a girl, I might have been quite moved by you."

Yoko Okino joked with a smile before quickly returning to Akikawa Kyousuke and Misaki Itakura.

Sera Masumi, left blushing from Yoko Okino's words, noted that neither Akikawa Kyousuke nor Yoko Okino had asked anything further.

Meanwhile, Yoko Okino, now back at the front of the group, resumed her conversation with Misaki Itakura and Sonoko Suzuki, smiling as usual.

"Officer Takagi is so unreliable. He casually revealed my private matters and Kou-chan's."

Yoko Okino thought back to Wataru Takagi calling her after the car accident, his figure surfacing in her mind.

(End of Chapter)