Danganronpa: Until Proven Guilty

Chapter Two - 7: Court In Session

"Well," Yashira sighs, "Where are we gonna start?"
Amai smirks, slamming her hands on the podium. Her lip curls devilishly as all eyes turn to her, her stare hungry like a bird of prey
"How 'bout we start with the obvious." She says, her words tipped with venom, "Y'know, how obvious it is Kohi's the killer?"
"I'm likin' this," Kaso grins, his eye gleaming in the light, "Get to see the wimpy boy get fuckin' wrecked."
Kohi instantly tears up, his already pale skin turning ghostly. He cries, "Look, you've got it all wrong! I've been framed, I promise."
"He's right," Ayana says sharply, narrowing her cool brown eyes, "You guys are dumb. He was with me the entire night looking for his handbook." Her words echo through the air, soft like velvet yet so bitter underneath.
"But you're lying," Aki puffs her cheeks, "Kohi, you left her all alone in the dark. She must have been so scared of the monsters."
"What she said," Daiki nods, "Just without the monsters. Kohi came into the kitchen on his own, and then he said he was leaving for the bathroom. Did you watch him piss, Ayana?"
"Gross," She shakes her head, puckering her lips in disgust, "No way did I watch him do that."
Kohi's face noticeably saddens and I'm not entirely sure whether to feel sympathetic or thoroughly uncomfortable.
"Then you're lying," Daiki says, "Now tell us, how long was Kohi away for?"
"Hey," Mitsuharu says, "Look, I don't know why everyone's accusing this guy. Did I miss out? What proof do you have?"
"Uh, duh!" Amai yawns, though it's clearly faked, "My man's duffel bag was in the pool cabinet. Y'know, full of knives"
"And cotton of all things?" Kaso laughs, "You're a freak, y'know. Much easier to use a sock."
"What the hell are you even talking about?" Kohi yells, clutching his satchel tighter, "Look, I swear I didn't do anything! A-anyone could grab my bag. It's not like you need identification to take someone's bag."
"He does raise a good point," Shiro smirks, "Though it doesn't exactly cover for the note. That is awfully suspicious. Do you care to explain?"
I pull the note from my pocket, doing my best to smooth out those creases as I unfold it.
Those carefully penned words haunt me as I scan them again, knowing those could be the words of a murderer. A cold-blooded killer.
"You wrote this?" I gulp, showing Kohi the paper.
His eyes widen, "Y-yeah! I wrote that!"
Amai groans loudly, "Literally, he just admitted it. Let's just execute him already!"
"Weasel," Kaso smirks.
"You guys look more sus than him at this point," Yashira yells, "Just be quiet for more than a second!"
"So," Mitsuharu snaps, and Yashira instantly quietens, "You admit to writing 'you will die tonight' to Tory? Surely you're not that stupid."
"W-wait, hold on," Kohi protests, staring at his green wellies, "No, not that part. I wanted to write a letter to Tory to comfort her, but I left halfway through because I lost my handbook. I wrote it in the bar."
"That's just a cover-up!" Daiki growls, "C'mon, let's execute this twink right now."
"T-twink?" Kohi shrieks.
Kaso scoffs, "You're callin' him a twink? You're probably the gayest here."
"Sorry," Daiki mumbles.

"I-Is this true, Kohi?" Mamo says wearily, "I-I mean, looking at it, the last sentence's handwriting looks very...purposeful. Like it was forged."
"Y-yeah!" Kohi nods, "And look, they clearly didn't know how to use my special dip pen."
I look over the paper myself. He's not wrong - the last sentence is littered with specs of ink and small blotches. As if the user had no experience with a dip pen.
"I guess I just never noticed that part," I say, lowering the paper.
"Hm," Haruka frowns, "Is that really enough to clear him of suspicion? That evidence is a little circumstantial, is all."
"Girl's gotta point," Yashira nods, "Sorry, Kohi. Got nothin' against ya. Just ain't enough for me."
"Maybe a handwriting test would suffice?" Shiro smirks, "Providing Kohi has a pen and ink to hand."
"Who the hell even uses a dip pen anymore?" Daiki rolls his eyes, "That shit's 60s as fuck."
"I do!" Kuroko beams, "I like the little scratchy noises it makes."
"Scratch, scratch," Aki mumbles. Kuroko nods in return, as if she somehow understands her on a more profound level. Comprehending what goes through their heads would take hours just for one of them.
Kohi nods, immediately rummaging in his satchel. He pulls out a pen and a full pot of jet black ink, "Here! Does anyone have spare paper?"
Mitsuharu whips that same notepad from before from his pocket, tossing it to Kohi as if it were as meaningless as a tennis ball. Kohi snatches it from the air, kneeling on the floor as he begins to scrawl on the pad.
After a minute or so, he tears the sheet away, displaying his newly written piece, "I wrote the note out exactly. I-is this okay?"
He tosses it to Mamo, who carefully reads each word. Those eyes would be so focused if it weren't for his frantic blinking.
"Th-that last line doesn't match up. It's forged," He concludes, passing the note around the circle. When it lands in my hands, I take the time to analyse it. He's right, so many small differences that blend together into rather stark contrast.
"I suppose that clears you of suspicion in that area," Shiro smacks those glossy lips together, "We can prove you didn't write that part, but can we prove you didn't do it?"
Ayana groans, "I'm sick of this shit. You literally have all the evidence you need. I can back up his alibi, and the note is forged. Done."
"Kohi," Haruka turns to him, a gentle smile on her face, "Could you tell us exactly what happened with your handbook?"
He falters slightly, as if he's just suddenly been switched off.
"W-well," He finally utters, "I was in the bar writing my letter to Tory, until I noticed my handbook wasn't in my satchel, so I panicked and ran to Ayana. This was maybe 10 PM? The two of us spent all night looking for it, we barely left each other's side."
Ayana nods conclusively, puckering her sour lips.
"How do we know Yana isn't lyin?" Yashira raises an eyebrow, "She's been backin' him up the whole way, might be an accomplice."
"Ding dong!" Amai cackles with laughter, "You guys are dumb as rocks, we just need to vote him! Ayana's just a dumb, lying skank!"
"You dirty bitch," Ayana narrows her eyes, "I'll take being dumb, but I'm not a liar. Take that back."
Amai laughs again, "Ooh, scary. Save me! Ayana's gonna get her kid on me! But where's her daddy? I'm sure he isn't on your side."
Ayana freezes suddenly, her face draining of colour. Her eyes are blank, hollow like a conker shell. She grips the ribbon on her shirt, fumbling with it anxiously.
Kaso smirks, flashing a satisfied look at Amai, who only returns the expression. Something inside of me burns with rage looking at them both, their smug faces making my hands curl into fists.