✔️More Than a Game (Oumasai/Saiouma)

27- Scarred

Saihara's POV:
It hurts.

It hurts me to call him out.

But why? Why does it hurt? I've done this with Kaede, so it shouldn't feel any different. So then why do I feel my heart ache? Why does my mouth want to say "Just kidding!" with a nervous smile? Why do I want to give Kokichi a hug? Should I give Kokichi a hug? Why does is feel different...With him?

"Seriously, Shuichi? You think I'm the culprit?" Ouma laughs, but still... something about it seems... I don't know, forced..? "Don't you remember? We have an alibi."

"An alibi?"

"Could Shuichi be wrong...?"

"Shuichi ain't wrong! Kokichi's a piece of shit and a jerk! Of course he killed Tsumugi! Trust my sidekick, won't you?" Kaito exclaims in annoyance.

I stare at Kaito. What... did he say? Why does it hurt when I hear that? Why do I want to...

Why do I want to protect Kokichi?!

I don't know him. I've only known him for a week or so. Yet we've already spent so much time together. He's not even that nice. He's a liar. He's a-

Why am I thinking like this?!

"Kaito, stop! Kokichi did nothing wrong!" I found the words spilling out of my mouth.

"Huh? Didn't you just call him out as the culprit?" Kaito asks, lines appearing on his forehead as he furrows his eyebrows.

"Oh, please. Like I would kill someone!" Ouma argues. "Anyway, we had an alibi because we slept together at nighttime, right?"

"Ah, right..." I trail off. Was I wrong? I want to be wrong. I don't want Ouma to be the culprit.

"See? So I'm obviously not the culprit!" he says with a grin. But even through that grin, I sensed something terribly off.

"So... why were you dropping hints?" I ask.

"Hints? What hint?" Ouma questions.

"During the investigation. You... you said something like, 'Looks like a girl's handwriting. So, Tsumugi's.' It was when we found the note," I explain.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ouma counters back. He's easily hiding behind a wall of nothing... countering with no evidence to justify. I'm an Ultimate Detective... I can do this.

But even if I can do this... do I want to do this?

"You assumed the culprit wasn't a girl, despite no evidence proving so. I believe that is was Shuichi meant," Korekiyo states.

"Exactly."

"C'mon! I expected something less boring!" Ouma complains. "Assumptions are the only reason we found out Kaede was the culprit, Kirumi killed Ryoma... of course I had to assume something to find out the culprit."

"There's another time you did that too. I was pointing out how it was odd the culprit disposed of evidence so badly, and you said, 'Yeah. Almost like they wanted us to find it.'"

"Only the culprit would know something like that!" Tenko exclaims.

"That was just another assumption as well," Ouma tells us.

"Maybe... Maybe Kokichi not culprit?" Gonta wonders.

"You can't fall for his lies that easily! He has to be the culprit!" Kaito exclaims.