"Dr. Araide" came over to the fallen female teacher. He had barely crouched down when, in the dim light, he noticed something strange—a kana "mi" had been written on the back of Teacher Yonehara's right hand in a color like fresh blood.
As he studied the kana in confusion, the cabinet behind him silently slid open. A figure emerged, clutching a handkerchief soaked in anesthetic, and clamped it over "Dr. Araide's" mouth.
Vermouth: "..."
Good thing they hadn't stabbed her directly, or they would have exposed the fact that she was wearing stab-resistant clothing and a Bulletproof Vest... But since they'd used anesthetic, it seemed "Dr. Araide's" role today wasn't that of an unlucky corpse, but something else?
As that thought flashed through her mind, Gin's voice suddenly echoed in Vermouth's head—"Uzo still has some restraint."
She secretly nodded. While pretending to be anesthetized and collapse, she reluctantly agreed with that assessment. But then, the person behind her gave a sinister smile and took out a length of hemp rope, looping it around her neck.
Vermouth: "..."
Outside the door.
Mouri Ran stood in the corridor, listening closely as she uncertainly asked several classmates, "Did Teacher Araide suddenly shout just now?"
Jiang Xia nodded. "It sounded like he was calling for Teacher Yonehara."
"Could something have happened?" Suzuki Sonoko had heard it too. "He sounded really anxious."
As an experienced Detective, Conan was especially sensitive to screams. Without saying anything more, he ran toward where the sound had come from.
The others quickly followed.
They crossed the long corridor and arrived at the guest room. One of the doors was tightly shut, looking highly suspicious.
Jiang Xia walked over and politely knocked. "Teacher Yonehara? Dr. Araide?"
No one answered, and the door had been locked from the inside.
Mouri