Dr. Araide: "...Be myself?"
Conan nodded. "I don't know how good your acting is, but that impostor is a very convincing actor—at this point, all we can do is trust that her portrayal of you is flawless."
Dr. Araide froze for a moment before sorting out the logic behind it. He took a deep breath. "I understand."
In other words, this was no longer a matter of his acting versus Jiang Xia's powers of observation. It depended on whether the impostor's acting could hold up under Jiang Xia's scrutiny.
I hope she doesn't get found out...
A hapless doctor in the process of reclaiming his identity offered up a silent prayer.
Suzuki Sonoko and Mouri Ran failed to notice the subtle difference in Dr. Araide. Walking ahead, they soon led Jiang Xia and Dr. Araide to the Gymnasium's storage room.
"This is where the first incident happened." Suzuki Sonoko stared solemnly at the storage room ahead. She pushed open the door and introduced it eerily through the creak of the hinges, "—the Sports Warehouse where sighing could be heard."
"On a rainy morning, a girl from the gymnastics team came here to get some equipment for morning practice.
"But when she reached the door, she heard someone sobbing quietly inside the storage room.
"At that hour, the storage room should have been completely empty. Confused, she peered through the door crack and saw someone standing motionlessly in the middle of the room, constantly making crying sounds.
"She was so frightened that she ran away. When she returned with the other club members, the crying had vanished. And where that crying person had been standing—only this thing remained."
Suzuki Sonoko entered the storage room, grabbed the cloth covering the object in its center, and yanked it away with a rustle.