Chapter 87: Making a Decision

'The private lounge is a certain distance from the screening room. If someone fired a gun here, there's a high chance the sound wouldn't reach the screening room, but tourists in the exhibition hall would definitely hear it.'

'Since none of the moviegoers who just exited showed signs of shock, does that mean the gun was equipped with a silencer?'

As Akikawa Kyousuke deduced the murder weapon Takao Ohga used to kill Ryo Sogabe, he felt a small sense of exasperation.

'That's outrageous. Isn't gun ownership and usage strictly controlled in Japan? How could even a doctor manage to obtain a gun, let alone one with a silencer?'

'But considering the "business" he does secretly, it doesn't seem too difficult for him to acquire one.'

Akikawa Kyousuke headed toward Ryo Sogabe's private lounge.

Instead of returning to the screening room, he walked directly through the hallway to Ryo Sogabe's private exhibition area.

'To completely erase his "evidence," Takao Ohga definitely wouldn't stop at just killing Ryo Sogabe.'

'Miho Souma should also be one of his targets.'

Akikawa Kyousuke pulled out his phone and checked the time.

[11:44]

'Oda Ema's film ended at 10:30, and Miss Itakura and I met Takao Ohga at the screening room door afterward.'

'Then, I chatted with Takao Ohga and Ms. Suzuki for about ten minutes before heading to the B-2 exhibition hall.'

'If Takao Ohga went directly to Ryo Sogabe's lounge and killed him after parting ways with me, the time of the murder should be after 10:50.'

'It's been at least 54 minutes since Ryo Sogabe was killed, plenty of time for Ohga to have moved on to Miho Souma.'

Akikawa Kyousuke speculated as he checked the festival website for Miho Souma's screening schedule.

[First session: 9:00–10:15]

[Second session: 10:30–11:45]

[Third session: 12:00–13:15]

'If my guess is correct, Miho Souma has likely been murdered by now.'

'Her body should be discovered just as the third movie begins.'

'In other words, Miho Souma's shooting will be discovered within 10 to 25 minutes.'

'Takao Ohga scheduled our meeting at 1:00 PM in Hotta Yoshitoki's private exhibition room.'

—'So, his purpose couldn't have been to have me create an alibi for him.'

'Framing me wouldn't work either because I have no "connection" to them and no capacity to commit such crimes in front of strangers.'

—'That leaves only one plausible reason: Takao Ohga intends to use the fact that I have no connection to these people to conceal the real motive behind his murders.'

'If the police find three victims with the same cause of death on the same day, they will undoubtedly search for connections between them.'

'My presence could mislead the police and detectives in their investigation.'

'Covering his secrets with an even more scandalous crime—that's Takao Ohga's plan.'

This logic might seem absurd to others, but Akikawa Kyousuke had already concluded that Takao Ohga would kill even his "friends" to protect his "secret."

In such a case, killing a complete stranger like him would be no psychological burden.

'This is the top student of the University of Tokyo's Medical School. We met by chance in the morning, and he had already planned everything.'

Akikawa Kyousuke couldn't help but sigh, finding the situation almost laughable.

'Still, Mr. Ohga seems to underestimate the skills of detectives. Does he really think this tactic can fool them?'

Akikawa Kyousuke knew he had reached a conclusion before Sera Masumi and Conan not because he was smarter but because he had more information.

He had seen Tsunekazu Kosaka, Ryo Sogabe, and Miho Souma when they were defenseless in life.

---

Ding!

A familiar mechanical sound echoed in his mind.

A translucent blue screen appeared before Akikawa Kyousuke's eyes.

[Cause of death remains unknown for Tsunekazu Kosaka and Ryo Sogabe (killed by gunfire). Miho Souma's status is unclear.]

[Faced with Takao Ohga's invitation to die, what choice will you make?]

[1. Decline the invitation, do nothing, and wait for the detective to uncover the truth.]

[Reward: Recovery Card x1]

[2. Decline the invitation, give clues to the detective, and help solve the case.]

[Reward: +3 Physique, Temporary Trait Card x1]

[3. Personally reveal the truth of the case and resolve it completely.]

[Reward: Skill Card x1, Trait Card x1]

[4. Accept the invitation.]

[Reward: +3 Agility, Temporary Skill Card x1]

[5. Punish the true culprit.]

[Reward: Specific Card x1 (Allows selection of specific unlocked skills or traits using temporary cards)]

'This system only activates when I face a significant life-altering decision, huh?'

Faced with the sudden system notification, Akikawa Kyousuke murmured inwardly.

Solving the case personally was out of the question.

That would make it obvious he wasn't as naive as he appeared.

Akikawa Kyousuke wasn't the type to intervene unless his own interests were at stake.

Moreover, he had confidence in the detectives of this world.

Even if Sera Masumi and Conan couldn't deduce the truth immediately due to a lack of information, the results of the forensic autopsy would lead them to the culprit.

It was just a matter of time.

The fourth and fifth options were even more absurd.

Would a normal person knowingly endanger themselves when the other party had murderous intent and a gun?

'Under normal circumstances, I'd choose the first option without hesitation.'

Akikawa Kyousuke stared at the system prompts and pondered.

'But that Takao Ohga actually wants to kill me.'

'Despite me having nothing to do with him, he wants to murder an innocent person just to complete his flawed plan.'

'I thought what happened at the Empire Theatre was bad enough—being framed for murder out of jealousy. But this time, the reasoning is even more ridiculous.'

'Do people here all have a screw loose?'

In normal situations, Akikawa Kyousuke would avoid hostility.

But when faced with malice, especially murderous intent, it was a different story.

'Still, I am curious.'

'If I complete multiple options at once, how will the rewards be calculated?'

As this thought crossed his mind, the corners of Akikawa Kyousuke's lips curled into a smirk.

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Author's Note: Please vote daily! Thank you, dear readers!

(End of Chapter)