Stay away from Conan.

"So, you went AWOL again, Haruna!"

Faced with such a situation, Osuga Shuhei, who was listening to all this, said angrily, and couldn't help but recall that on the day of the "eve of the festival", it was Shigeno Haruna, as the receptionist, who actually left her post and went to the party to present flowers to Akane, allowing a figure like Kusuda Rikuu to enter the main venue of the party.

As a result, such a thing happened again today, and this time the situation was so serious, which inevitably made Osuga Hidehei complain about Shigeno Haruna.

In response to this, Shigeno Haruna could only lower her head, not daring to look at the people in the orchestra.

As for Inspector Megure, since things have come to this, he can only ask the police to find out if there is anyone else who has seen Rikuu Kusuda enter the theater.

Of course, the handwriting on the sign-in book must also be taken to the forensic police officers for identification to confirm whether it was written by the deceased himself.

However, judging from the current situation and the clues in the sign-in book, Kusuda Rikuu entered the theater after 7pm, when the performance on stage had already started, which meant he was late.

"When listening to classical music concerts, being late is taboo because it will interfere with the performance and the enjoyment of other guests. However, there are still guests who are late, so they are only allowed to enter during the intermission."

After Gao Yuan's brief analysis, Shirozuka Hisui explained some rules regarding classical music concerts.

So Gao Yuan said:

"That means... the only time you can enter the concert hall after being late is when the first movement ends. Before that, all guests who arrive after the opening at 7 o'clock can only wait outside the venue, right?"

Having said that, Gao Yuan thought for a moment, and then said to Officer Megure:

"Officer Megure, can you look for those people who signed before and after Kusuda Rikuu in the autograph book? Maybe they have seen Kusuda Rikuu!"

So, regarding this point, Inspector Megure looked embarrassed:

"But... maybe those people have already gone back?"

After all, it had been a long time since the concert ended, and normally the audience should have left. There was no reason for them to stay in the theater.

However, regarding this, Hisui Shirozuka said:

"However, the people listed in the sign-in book are all invited guests or people related to music, so it shouldn't be too difficult for me to find them."

As someone who received a VIP ticket, Shirozuka Hisui knew roughly what kind of people were able to leave their names in the sign-in book.

Except for guys like Kusuda Rikuu who would deliberately leave their names in the sign-in book.

So, after receiving this news, Inspector Megure also sent people to investigate the matter, and then Gao Yuan accurately sorted out the timeline -

  By asking the theater staff, we determined the timeline of today's performance:

After the performance began, there was tuning and a speech by Osuga Shuhei. The music started at 7:15, followed by the first movement, which lasted about 30 minutes...

That is to say, at 7:45, after the end of the first movement, the intermission is the last opportunity to enter.

Logically speaking, even if the guests were late, they would not be too late and should be able to arrive before 7:45. In other words, the last guest to arrive would not be later than 7:45. Obviously, normally speaking, Kusuda Rikuu would have arrived between 7 and 7:45.

However, Akira Asabuki had already come on stage before the music began. If he was the murderer, then his only opportunity to commit the crime was between 7:00 and 7:15.

Although Asabuki Akira was the last to appear at the opening, to be honest, it was a bit urgent for Asabuki Akira to commit the crime away from everyone's eyes and ears in such a short time. Besides, how could he confirm the time when Kusuda Rikuu would arrive at the theater and where he would go after arriving... Then, just as Gao Yuan was thinking, the police officer who was sent to find the people on the sign-in book to ask for testimony had returned and briefly recounted the situation.

In this regard, after listening to all this, Inspector Megure couldn't help but analyze:

"Then based on what everyone said, especially the two people who signed before and after Kusuda's name... Kusuda should have signed in the sign-in book in the middle of the first movement. In terms of time, it should have been around 7:30...

"But still, no one witnessed Kusuda coming in?"

At this moment, based only on the sign-in order in the sign-in book, the time when Kusuda Luyou entered the venue can only be around 7:30. However, after asking so far, no one has stated that they have seen Kusuda Luyou, so...

"I compared the signature on the sign-in book with the handwriting on the notebook that Kusuda carried with him. It should be his own handwriting. Of course, for a more accurate conclusion, we still have to take it back for identification."

At this time, just as Gao Yuan was thinking, another police officer came over to report the situation.

Then, the preliminary examination results of the body have come out, and the estimated death event should be between 6 and 8:30, so -

"Taking all things into consideration, the crime should have taken place between 7:30 and 8:30..."

When Inspector Megure said this with a serious expression, Sonoko beside him said to Inspector Megure:

"Then Miss Wei is completely clear of suspicion! Because during that time, Miss Wei was always on the stage!"

As she said this, Sonoko walked over to Osuga Yui and Asabuki Akira, opened her arms and gestured:

"Not only Miss Wei, but also Mr. Xian. Everyone in the symphony orchestra is innocent! We, the audience, are all witnesses!"

  In this case, faced with such a situation, Inspector Megure could only smile bitterly, but after thinking about it, he still asked the band members:

"Yes... But before that, I would like to ask a question -

"Is it absolutely impossible for members of the orchestra to leave the stage during the performance? Is it possible for them to take turns or sneak off without being noticed?"

  When asked about this, Osuga Yui was about to respond, but Asabuki Akira blocked her way and seemed to be protecting her. He responded to Inspector Megure in a handsome manner:

"Oh, officer, you are really suspicious... Well, let me explain in detail..."

Just like that, Asabuki Akira began to tell Inspector Megure some knowledge related to concerts. He presented the facts eloquently and explained that during a classical concert, all orchestra members would not leave the stage, thus dispelling Inspector Megure's speculation.

So, facing such a situation, in the eyes of Gao Yuan and Shirozuka Hisui, Asabuki Xian's reaction at this moment was completely complacent, as if he was mocking the incompetence of the police.

In this regard, although it cannot be 100% certain that the murderer is Akira Asabuki, it is also possible that this is simply because of Takato and Shirozuka Hisui's preconceived notions about Akira Asabuki's character, but no matter what, for Takato and Shirozuka Hisui, there seems to be no one more suspicious than Akira Asabuki among the people present.

"Mr. Gao Yuan, what do you think?"

At this moment, Shirozuka Hisui couldn't help but ask this as she watched Asabuki Akira talking to Inspector Megure.

Gao Yuan thought about this question for a while, then glanced towards Mizuno Rena, noticing that Mizuno Rena also seemed to be looking at Asabuki Xian with some confusion -

For a moment, Gao Yuan had some guesses in his mind... (End of this chapter)