When Asakura stepped out of the police station, several reporters were already gathered at the entrance.
Flashes exploded in unison. Someone thrust a microphone toward him and shouted,
“Doctor, how do you respond to this incident? Are you saying this was a false accusation?”
Asakura did not stop walking. He turned his face only slightly and answered in a quiet, steady voice.
“I have done nothing wrong. …Please believe that.”
Leaving those words behind, he pushed past the reporters and walked away at a brisk pace.
When he returned to his apartment by taxi, a few reporters were waiting there as well. Seeing them, Asakura lowered his gaze and said nothing. He passed through the auto-lock entrance and disappeared into the building.
On the lobby floor lay a discarded tabloid newspaper. His photograph stared back at him beneath a lurid headline:
“Sexual Assault Suspect?”
Asakura picked it up, scanned the page with a bitter expression, and let out a quiet sigh.
“…Tabloids,” he murmured. “Always trouble.”
The words echoed faintly, spoken to no one but himself.
He stepped into the elevator and rode it up to his apartment.
Exposure
That evening, the press conference hall at Globear Pharma’s headquarters was filled with reporters from Japan and abroad, their voices blending into a restless murmur as they waited.
On the stage stood the company president and the head of development. After a formal opening statement, the president began to speak.
“We take this series of events extremely seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation. Today, we would like to report on our findings—”
At that moment, the doors at the back of the hall slammed open.
A young researcher in a suit entered, carrying a large case. It was Takizawa. Behind him stood Mishima, his face drawn with fatigue.
The hall erupted in noise. Camera flashes flew.
Takizawa walked straight to the microphone and spoke clearly, his voice carrying across the room.
“My name is Takizawa, from the Research and Development Division. Today, a critical fact has come to light. This morning, tissue samples from patients who received the trial drug were examined—and traces of a carcinogenic substance were detected.”
The audience stirred.
“Those samples,” Takizawa continued, “belonged to patients who were officially classified as the non-treatment group. However, the carcinogenic substance we detected exists only in the active drug, not in the placebo.”
A wave of shock rippled through the hall.
Takizawa paused, then pressed on.
“In other words, it appears that the treatment and non-treatment groups were deliberately switched. The data may have been intentionally manipulated. The patients reported as having received the dummy drug were, in reality, given the real medication.”
His gaze dropped briefly.
“I confirmed this by examining the frozen tissue sample of the patient who later developed a malignant tumor. However… I must also acknowledge my own responsibility. During manufacturing, I made an error in the formulation of one component.”
The noise vanished. The room fell dead silent.
“I realized the mistake immediately and reported it to Development Director Washio. But I was told, ‘It’s too late to stop now. Proceed as planned.’ I could not defy that order.”
Takizawa bowed deeply.
“I am truly sorry.”
At that instant, Washio leapt to his feet, his face flushed red.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” he shouted. “I never gave such an order! This is a complete lie!”
His voice echoed through the hall.
But Takizawa did not flinch.
“Director Washio, your instructions were recorded. They remain on my recorder. And the company’s security system also shows footage of me reporting directly to you.”
Washio opened his mouth to shout again—
“Do not move.”
Police officers entered from both sides of the hall. One stepped forward and spoke calmly.
“Mr. Washio, you are under arrest on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in injury, and falsification of clinical trial data.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Washio yelled, struggling—but his arms were quickly restrained, and he was led out of the hall.
Onstage, the company president stood frozen, his face drained of color, unable to utter a single word.
Headlines
The following morning, commuters unfolded their newspapers to find the front pages filled with shocking headlines.
“Globear Pharma Accused of Administering Carcinogenic Trial Drug”
“Cover-Up and False Records—Development Director Implicated”
“Doctor Ruined by Scandal Cleared of Charges—Pharmaceutical Giant in the Shadows”
National dailies, financial papers, and even local newspapers carried the story in unison. Public attention shifted rapidly toward the possibility of large-scale corporate misconduct.
The articles detailed allegations that a clinical trial conducted by Globear Pharma involved drugs contaminated with a carcinogenic substance—something that should never have been used. They explained how internal whistleblowing and scientific verification of tissue samples had brought the truth to light.
Many papers also described how a male physician at St. Louis International Hospital—Asakura—had been falsely portrayed as a sexual assault suspect during the course of the cover-up.
Most media outlets concluded that the development director had likely orchestrated the scandal to silence those involved, and reported that police had begun extensive follow-up investigations.
The case sent shockwaves through both the medical and pharmaceutical industries. That same day, the Ministry of Health announced the formation of an independent third-party investigative committee.
Aftermath
Subsequent investigations revealed further truths.
The man known as Z, who had aimed a handgun at Dr. Mishima on the research facility rooftop, was arrested at the scene and formally charged with:
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Attempted murder and fabrication of evidence
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Illegal possession of firearms and bladed weapons
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Violation of the Unauthorized Computer Access Law
A search of his home uncovered high-performance communication devices, wiretapping equipment, and computers equipped with encryption software. Logs showed multiple attempts to illegally access hospital and pharmaceutical company systems.
There was also a major development regarding the woman who had filed a false sexual assault complaint against Asakura.
She turned herself in.
During questioning, she confessed that she had acted under the development director’s instructions and participated in the false accusation scheme. She was arrested on charges of:
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Filing a false criminal complaint
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Fabrication of evidence and attempted fraud
Asked why she surrendered, she stated plainly:
“I was the director’s lover. I was asked to take part in the setup—but the money I was promised was less than agreed. That’s when I decided to confess.”
In response, police announced they would expand the investigation to include allegations of witness bribery and conspiracy instigation by the development director.
It was also revealed that the man apprehended earlier for a snatch-and-run incident while pursuing Mishima was Kaneda, a laboratory employee at the pharmaceutical company.
The truth, long buried, had finally surfaced.
And with it, the cost of silence became painfully clear.
