Ke Xue: Shinichi and I are childhood friends.

Inside the chapel.

The remaining six people formed a circle around the fire, all eyes focused on the coded papers.

But I still had no clue.

Amuro Tooru said in a low voice, "It would be great if there were any clues that could serve as hints."

Deciphering a code without any clues is quite difficult.

Nishino Sumire muttered, "What clues are there...?"

“That’s right…” Gu Puyu Hui also looked uneasy.

Fujita Yorito was still reeling from the shock of the dead man.

“Speaking of which,” Yuya said, resting his chin on his hand and glancing at the three of them before finally settling on Nishino Sumire, “when you were drawing lots, you said you used to be a captain. What club activities did you participate in back then?”

Kenjiro Wakita chimed in, "Yes, this might be a clue to deciphering the code."

The three of them looked troubled.

"Telling you isn't out of the question..."

Yuya's phone rang; it was Yamato Kansuke calling.

The signal was still a bit weak, but I could still make out what they were saying on the other end. The snow removal work in the tunnel would be finished in about an hour, and the police would arrive at the church in about three hours.

Upon hearing that the police would arrive in three hours, Nishino Sumi suddenly shouted angrily, "Are you kidding me? Three hours! The culprit might be hiding nearby. How can anyone wait here in peace?!"

"Who knows, someone else might be killed by the murderer in some other way during these three hours?!"

Gu Puyu Hui looked frightened, but she immediately shouted, "That's what they say, but when it came to the toilet, wasn't it you, Nishino, who drew lots to send Wada?"

"Kawasaki, who was poisoned in the bathhouse, was someone you came up with to decide which group to send, wasn't he?"

Nishino Sumi's expression visibly changed as he stared at Gu Puyu Hui in disbelief: "Hey, are you doubting me?!"

Yuya, who was staring intently at the cipher, suddenly looked up and asked, "Did you use Mr. Nishino's method of drawing lots to decide which group to send?"

Amuro Tooru nodded: "That's right. At that time, Mr. Nishino took three boxes of mints and emptied two of them. Whichever group drew the box with mints, that group would go."

"Of course, I got an empty box."

Fujita Yorito quickly chimed in, "I also got an empty box."

"Oh?" Yuya raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Nishino was the last to draw?"

Upon hearing this, Nishino Sumire excitedly shouted, "What do you mean? Do you suspect me of cheating?"

Yu didn't say anything, because whether it's the last draw or the first draw, it's the easiest to cheat in terms of technique.

Amuro Tooru had no reason to cheat, so the problem lies with Nishino Sumiya.

Amuro Tooru pondered, "When Mr. Nishino picked up the last box of mints and shook it, there was definitely a rattling sound inside. If there was any way to cheat..."

Suddenly, Nishino Sumire stood up abruptly, pointing at Amuro Tooru and then at Yuya: "You, you!"

He glared at the crowd: "Are you trying to frame me?"

Yu was taken aback, not understanding why he was so agitated. Was it because he was emotionally overwhelmed by the deaths of two people in succession?

But she still tried her best to explain: "No, I was just asking about the details..."

"Enough!" Nishino Sumi shouted angrily, grabbing her backpack and running away. "I won't trust any of you anymore! I'm going to protect myself!"

Without looking back, he ran out of the chapel, giving no one time to stop him.

Yu sighed, "Some people do lose control in these situations... Let's go over there, we can't really leave him alone."

After searching for a while, they finally found that the study door was closed.

"Mr. Nishino, are you inside?"

"Leave me alone!" Nishino Sumiya's angry voice rang out from inside.

"I absolutely will not open the door before the police arrive! I don't want to die in a place like this!"

Seeing this, everyone knew he wouldn't come out. As long as he hid in the study and didn't open the door, he was safe, provided that the murderer hadn't hidden inside beforehand.

At that moment, Kenjiro Wakita suddenly spoke up: "But don't you find it strange?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Why would the murderer specifically hire a detective? If the murderer was just seeking revenge for Yasuo Hihara's suicide here, wouldn't it have been enough to just call the rest of you? Calling a detective would only get in the way, wouldn't it?"

Yuya stroked his chin: "...I remember the letter specifically requested that four people come. Rather than calling a detective, the murderer is probably more concerned about the number of people, right?"

Amuro Tooru pondered, "There are nine of us in total, including the four of them. Does the number nine have any special meaning?"

The group began to ponder.

Yu closed her eyes and pondered.

With 9 people, the initial drawing of lots would perfectly divide a piece of paper into 9 equal parts...

Wait a minute, Yu was stunned. Who said you can't cheat when drawing lots? He seemed to know how the murderer had precisely made Wada Kohei go to the toilet.

In addition, the murderer deliberately gathered a total of 9 people, so there must be some reason why the number 9 was necessary.

So, what is it that requires nine people to do?

“Speaking of which,” Yuya looked up at Fujita Yorito, “we haven’t mentioned what club you guys belong to yet.”

Fujita Yorito paused for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "We, except for Tame, all participated in the baseball club..."

"Baseball?!" Yuya's eyes widened, and Conan, Amuro Tooru, and Wakita Kanenori were also shocked.

The four exchanged glances, and all showed expressions of understanding.

"Baseball also has 9 players."

Yu quickly took out four coded papers, looked them over one by one, and after a while, he sighed: "So that's how it is."

"What? What do you know?" Fujita Yorito asked anxiously.

Yu nodded and waved the paper in her hand: "Yes, I've deciphered the code on this."

"Really? What did the code say?! Is it related to Ari?" Fujita Yorito asked excitedly.

Yuya looked at Fujita Yorito and slowly said, "These codes... have nothing to do with Yasuyoshi Nihara's suicide, they are... a murderer's warning!"