"So that's how it is..." Inspector Megure thought for a moment, then had a flash of inspiration and decided to follow procedure. "Since the restaurant has only one entrance and exit, the murderer must still be among these guests. Let's first confirm their alibis." If they checked everyone and only one person lacked an alibi, wouldn't the murderer be identified on the spot?
As he spoke, he looked at Professor Iwama and Lecturer Arai nearby. "What were each of you doing at 7:50, when the victim died?"
Professor Iwama said, "I was in my private room the whole time—the Private Room No. 3 over there."
He pointed back toward his room, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Jiang Xia and Amuro Tooru. "I remember my contact lens happened to go missing then, so I searched carefully for a while. During that time, I accidentally knocked over a tray and made some noise."
Amuro Tooru nodded. Following those words, he recalled the scene: when he had poked his head out, he had happened to see the window of Professor Iwama's room snap shut. In other words, he had accidentally become a witness to Professor Iwama's alibi.
...Accidentally?
Amuro Tooru: "..." Damn it. His bad feeling was growing stronger and stronger.
Nearby, Inspector Megure failed to notice the complicated look in the Detective Agency owner's eyes. Seeing that Professor Iwama had an alibi, he turned to the victim's other companion, Lecturer Arai. "What about you?"
Lecturer Arai patted his pockets. "I wasn't in the restaurant then. I went out to buy cigarettes for the professor—look, here's my receipt."
The receptionist confirmed it. "We happened not to have the cigarettes this gentleman wanted, so I pointed him toward a nearby Convenience Store. This pack of cigarettes should have been bought there."
Lecturer