NOVEL NEXT Chapter 146: Chapter 146: The Key to Trust
"By the way, has Mr. Akikawa thought about his next job after recovering?"
"Do you need me to introduce you to a role, Mr. Akikawa?"
Suzuki Sonoko looked at Akikawa Kyousuke and asked curiously.
She believed that if Akikawa Kyousuke had been targeted by Ohga Takao before, and this time attacked by Kyouji Toda, it must be connected to her invitation for Akikawa Kyousuke to participate in the film exhibition.
Feeling guilty about what had happened, Suzuki Sonoko thought about expressing her apologies by helping Akikawa Kyousuke find another job.
However, Suzuki Sonoko heard Akikawa Kyousuke reject her offer with a hint of hesitation:
"That won't be necessary."
"Miss Yoko and Miss Itakura will help me find a job, so I wouldn't want to trouble you, Miss Suzuki."
"It seems Mr. Akikawa is still shaken by what happened before," Sonoko thought to herself with some disappointment.
'But if you think about it, it's understandable. After all, Mr. Akikawa was almost stabbed to death by that terrible police officer.'
Despite her disappointment, Suzuki Sonoko quickly brightened up and smiled at Akikawa Kyousuke.
"I'll definitely come back to watch any future productions you're part of, Mr. Akikawa!"
Although Suzuki Sonoko believed Akikawa Kyousuke's rejection was entirely his decision, Sera Masumi, who had been observing the situation, thought otherwise.
She had clearly noticed Akikawa Kyousuke secretly glancing at Okino Yoko when he turned down Sonoko's offer.
---
"It seems Akikawa's hesitation isn't about Sonoko, but about Okino Yoko."
'There's a strong chance Okino Yoko told Akikawa not to accept any future work introductions from Sonoko.
'She's a good sister who genuinely cares about her younger brother. Okino Yoko probably realized that incidents seem to happen wherever Sonoko is.'
Sera Masumi thought quietly.
---
The group chatted for about ten more minutes when Okino Yoko's phone rang again.
This time, it seemed Okino Yoko decided to step outside to take the call, so as not to disturb the conversation in the room.
Sera Masumi noticed it was a good opportunity and, after waiting for a short while, also got up and left the room.
---
In the hospital corridor, Sera Masumi saw Okino Yoko standing by the window, holding the phone to her ear and whispering something to the person on the other end.
Sera Masumi had no intention of eavesdropping on Okino Yoko's phone call.
She pretended to simply want some fresh air and stood about three or four meters away from her.
With her hands in her pockets, Sera Masumi gazed at the people hurrying up and down the stairs.
---
From Yoko's earlier phone conversation, Sera Masumi had learned that Yoko had missed four consecutive days of filming last year when Akikawa Kyousuke and Akikawa Ryoko had their car accident.
This led Sera Masumi to suspect that Yoko might have some connection to the car accident.
Her first thought was that Yoko might be the perpetrator behind the accident.
However, Sera Masumi quickly dismissed the idea.
---
If Yoko were the culprit, it would mean she either wanted to kill her mother and younger brother or wanted to save her brother by killing her mother.
The first scenario lacked motive, as Yoko neither lacked money nor bore any animosity toward her brother.
The latter scenario was equally illogical.
If she had been at the scene of the accident, suspicion would inevitably fall on Akikawa Kyousuke.
Moreover, Yoko had rushed to Yoshitoki Hotta's personal exhibition hall to save Akikawa Kyousuke, even risking her own safety.
This convinced Sera Masumi that Yoko would never do anything to harm Akikawa Kyousuke.
---
Eliminating the possibility of Yoko being the culprit, Sera Masumi believed that Yoko might instead hold critical knowledge about the accident.
A moment later, Sera Masumi saw Yoko hang up the phone and turn to head back to the room.
---
"Miss Yoko, please wait a moment."
Sera Masumi quickly stepped forward and stopped Yoko.
"Miss Sera, what is it?"
Yoko's face showed no annoyance, only a warm smile.
---
"Miss Yoko, I'm truly sorry about the death of your mother in the car accident, but I believe you might know something about that case, don't you?"
Sera Masumi locked eyes with Yoko and spoke in a voice low enough for only the two of them to hear.
---
"Eh? I don't know anything."
The smile on Yoko's face vanished, replaced by a look of surprise.
Her expression made it seem as though she was genuinely bewildered by Sera Masumi's sudden and blunt question.
---
"What a natural performance. If someone judged only by her reaction, they might be fooled," thought Sera Masumi.
Then she said, "On August 23rd of last year, the day your mother and Mr. Akikawa had their car accident, you were absent from filming, weren't you?"
---
"What's your point?" Yoko countered.
"I made it very clear to Officer Takagi at the time that I hadn't had any contact with my mother or Kou-chan for many years.
"Are you suggesting that my absence from filming on the day of my mother's accident makes me a suspect?"
---
"No, I don't suspect you, Miss Yoko," said Sera Masumi.
"You being absent from filming last year when your mother's accident occurred doesn't mean anything on its own.
"But, Miss Yoko, it seems you've been deliberately hiding your relationship with Mr. Akikawa."
---
"Didn't I explain to you before, Miss Sera? If people find out I'm Kou-chan's sister, it could negatively impact his career as an artist."
Yoko frowned.
---
"Given your relationships with Miss Ran and Sonoko, keeping that secret should have been as simple as a word from you," Sera Masumi said.
"Miss Yoko, are you really worried that Ran and Sonoko might affect Mr. Akikawa's career, or are you trying to protect your brother and keep others from knowing about your connection to him?"
---
Sera Masumi stared at Yoko as she asked.
'If we rule out the possibility that Yoko skipped filming to commit the crime, she must have learned about the accident through the Metropolitan Police Department and missed filming to check on her mother and brother.
'Considering how much she cares about Kyousuke, she must hope to uncover the real culprit deep down.
'Earning her trust is the key to obtaining vital information about the car accident case.'
---
And the key to earning Yoko's trust was undoubtedly Akikawa Kyousuke.
---
"Miss Yoko, I'm still investigating last year's car accident.
"I deeply regret suspecting Mr. Akikawa back then, and I'm furious that Officer Toda accused him of being the culprit in that case.
"I want to uncover the truth, not only to make amends for my mistakes but also to clear Mr. Akikawa's name as soon as possible and prevent a repeat of what happened yesterday!"
---
Sera Masumi played her final card with a sincere tone.
This time, she finally saw a flicker of emotion in Yoko's blue eyes.
---
"Miss Sera, let's discuss this somewhere else."
Hearing Yoko's response, Sera Masumi suddenly felt a sense of relief.
It seemed her intuition was correct—Yoko did know something.
(End of Chapter)