EPISODE CONTEXT

Coming off the class rivalry and vanishing person case in Episode 16, this episode opens a new investigation arc with a markedly different atmosphere, moving the team out of familiar settings and into isolated, legend-haunted territory. At the series' midpoint, Class Q is well-established enough that the show can afford to stretch into longer, multi-episode cases like this one. Episode 18, 'The Conclusive Moment! The Corpse that Disappears into the Sky,' picks up directly from here, meaning this episode functions as an opening chapter — laying groundwork rather than delivering resolution.