Rin came downstairs alone, wanting to see what the commotion was about, as she couldn't possibly remember every plot-related case.
Just as she reached the outer area near the hot spring, she saw Conan surrounded by Genta and Mitsuhiko, one on each side, with curious expressions on their faces.
Genta nudged Conan with his elbow, winking as he whispered, "Hey, Conan, you saw it, right?"
Conan was taken aback by the question. "Saw? Saw what?"
Mitsuhiko also leaned in, his voice even lower, a slight blush on his face, "It's that... we all heard it outside, didn't Ayumi scream?"
Conan suddenly understood, thinking they were asking about the body, and naturally replied, "Oh, I saw it, and I saw it very clearly. Since it was a hot spring, they must have been completely naked."
"W-what?! You really saw it?!" Genta and Mitsuhiko simultaneously widened their eyes in shock, wishing they could have been in Conan's place.
Not far away, Ayumi and Haibara Ai, who had just gotten dressed and walked out, happened to overhear this conversation.
Ayumi's face instantly turned crimson, like a ripe apple. She stomped her foot in shame and anger, repeatedly shouting, "Conan! Idiot! Big idiot!"
Haibara Ai also blushed and yelled, "You, of all people!"
Conan was bewildered by their reaction and asked, puzzled, "Didn't you all see it too? The old man's body."
"B-body?!" Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Haibara Ai all instantly turned into dot eyes.
Conan looked at their strange expressions, even more confused. "If not that, then what are you talking about?"
Mitsuhiko and Genta exchanged glances and quickly explained, "We saw the old man's body too!"
"How is that possible?" Conan frowned, "You didn't go into the women's bath, so how could you see the body?"
"We saw it from over there!"
Mitsuhiko pointed to a ventilation fan high up on the side exterior wall of the bathroom.
"Next to that ventilation fan, there's a very narrow passage gap! As long as you step on the railing below, you can easily cross the low wall and see the balcony of the open-air hot spring and part of the inside of the bathroom!
That's where we saw the old man's body."
"What?! Take me there quickly!"
Conan instantly became excited. If what Mitsuhiko and the others said was true, then the so-called locked room wouldn't exist.
At this moment, Rin also walked over, and after hearing the children's conversation, she followed them.
Following the path Mitsuhiko pointed out, they indeed found a way to bypass to the balcony behind the open-air hot spring.
They crossed the low wall and, with a light jump, landed on the balcony.
"You guys! How did you get in?!" Officer Jugo Yokomizo was directing the investigation inside, and he was startled to suddenly see several people appear on the balcony.
Conan explained that they had entered through an external passage.
Haibara Ai calmly put forward a possibility.
"If only the deceased had entered the hot spring area before we arrived, then the culprit most likely hid in this narrow passage behind the ventilation fan after the hot spring closed for cleaning at 11 PM last night.
Then, when the deceased came to the hot spring alone this morning, he took the opportunity to commit the crime. After succeeding, he returned the same way and blended in with the tourists who came later after hearing the commotion."
Conan immediately took over, prompting Officer Yokomizo.
"That is to say, if we now gather all the tourists who came to the hot spring area immediately after us, the first discoverers, and who cannot prove their whereabouts and acted alone, the culprit is very likely among them!"
Although Jugo Yokomizo was still annoyed by Conan's intervention, this line of reasoning did sound plausible. He immediately ordered his subordinates to filter suspects according to these conditions.
Soon, the eligible individuals were gathered in the lounge, a total of three people: Natori Mishio, Tanzawa Junsaku, and Terado Unpei.
And they were all connected to the deceased, Tetsuyama Ganji.
Jugo Yokomizo crossed his arms and said sternly.
"According to preliminary judgment, the deceased's time of death was between 5 and 5:30 AM. Please state where you were and what you were doing during this period. At the same time, we need to inspect the items you are carrying."
Natori Mishio spoke first, wearing the inn's yukata, with just the right amount of panic on her face.
"I was sleeping in my room at the time and was only startled awake by the noise outside at 5:30 AM. Then I rushed over, wanting to relax in the hot spring, but I didn't expect..."
She showed what she was carrying, "I only have a towel and my room key."
Jugo Yokomizo stared at her and asked, "So, you and Tetsuyama-san, the deceased, are merely a screenwriter and actor relationship?"
Natori Mishio replied affirmatively, "Yes."
"Don't lie!"
Terado Unpei, standing nearby, let out a cold laugh, his tone full of sarcasm,
"With that old lecher Tetsuyama, Natori Mishio, how could you have gotten the leading role in crimson spring if you weren't his lover? Don't pretend to be pure here!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Natori Mishio's face turned ugly, and she retorted excitedly,
"I got this role entirely based on my acting and my own ability! It's you, Terado-san,
you're the one who got the male lead role by flattering Director Tetsuyama and secretly bribing him, aren't you! We are completely different!"
"What did you say?!" Terado Unpei's sore spot was hit, and he was instantly furious.
"Alright, alright, both of you, please calm down." Tanzawa Junsaku quickly stepped in to mediate.
When it was Terado Unpei's turn, his belongings also consisted of a key and a towel, with only an extra pack of cigarettes. He claimed that he also came over after hearing the commotion.
Finally, it was Tanzawa Junsaku, who was wearing casual clothes, looking a bit out of place.
"I only brought my room key and cell phone."
He explained, "Because I didn't plan to go to the hot spring, I didn't bring a towel. I woke up after four o'clock, watched TV in my room for a while, then felt a bit stuffy, so I went to the vending machine downstairs to buy a can of coffee."
He looked at Conan, "This little friend should have seen me then, right?"
Conan nodded, confirming, "Yes, around 4:50 AM, I bought a can of the new White Affairs Cola. At that time, I did see Tanzawa-san buying coffee at the vending machine."
Officer Jugo Yokomizo stroked his chin and analyzed, "If the culprit, as speculated, was hiding behind the hot spring wall in the ventilation fan position last night, waiting to commit the crime this morning... then it couldn't have been Tanzawa-san, who was still buying coffee outside after four o'clock. His alibi is very strong."
Upon hearing this, Terado Unpei immediately seemed to have found a handle, pointing at Natori Mishio and saying loudly.
"See! It's you after all! Natori Mishio! I overheard your call with Tetsuyama last night! Tetsuyama told you to go to the hot spring with him this morning! Did you kill him because you couldn't stand the harassment anymore?!"
Natori Mishio took a deep breath in response to the accusation, becoming somewhat calmer. She admitted.
"That's right, I told Director Tetsuyama that as long as he appeared naked in the women's bath before 5 AM this morning, I would join him in the hot spring."
At these words, everyone was shocked.
Rin, standing to the side, blushed slightly, thinking, "I don't understand anything at all."