The Fear of the Past //Saiouma (Pregame)

Chapter 23 prt.1

It was a laugh that would be engraved into the memory of everyone forever. The laugh of a child who won a game.

Kokichi's whole body was shaking from laughter. He had to bite his lips to deafen the laughter. A look of confusion and fear was on everyone's faces.

"What's so funny?" Miu asked, looking away slightly.

"You... are..all..idiots!' Kokichi struggled to speak between his laughter. After a while, he managed to calm himself down.

"What do you mean?" Kaito asked.

"Kirumi isn't the culprit! It's so obvious!" Kokichi said smiling eerily.

"Nyeh, she's not? Why?" Himiko asked confused.

"Hey, Monokuma!" Kokichi said. "When the body is discovered, is the murderer included in the three who discover the body?"

"Mmm no, I don't belive so." He replied. "Why?"

Kokichi muttered a thanks before turning back to the rest. "So, who's going to take a shot and guess why Kirumi can't be the culprit? Anybody? Not even the detective? Man, I am disappointed."

Shuichi had a look of confusion, suddenly, his face lit up.

"The reason Kirumi can't be the culprit..." Kokichi started while looking at Shuichi.

"Is because the announcement played." Shuichi finished.

"What does that mean?" Maki asked them.

"Uh okay." Shuichi got ready to explain while Kokichi just smirked. "Monokuma said that the killer isn't included in the three that find the body, right? There was three people who found the body. Gonta, Kokichi and... Kirumi. If Kirumi was the killer, the dead body discoverment announcement wouldn't play. But it did. That's because Kirumi isn't the one who killed Angie."

A look of relief and gratitude washed over Kirumi's face. "I haven't thought of that, thank you Kokichi and Shuichi." She turned to look at Himiko. "There you have it. Solid proof that points the blame away from me."

"Nyeh, so I was wrong." Himiko said, looking down. "Sorry, I thought I was right."

"Himiko, don't be like that! At least you tried..." Tenko looked away nervously before looking back and smiling.

"It's great and all that Kirumi isn't the culprit. But we don't have any more leads." Kiibo said which earned him a glare from Kokichi. "What?!"

"Learn to read the air." Kokichi sighed. "Even so, we have nothing to go on anymore. Let me ask again. Has any of you see any suspicious behavior?"

"The only suspicious behavior I've seen is Kokichi being friendly with Kirumi and Gonta." Miu said.

"We have already established that Gonta, Kirumi or I can't be the culprit." Kokichi said annoyed. "Or have you not been paying attention, you filthy sex machine. So just shut up, would ya?"

Miu opened her mouth to say something but decided against it.

"I don't think any of us have seen any suspicious behavior." Kaede said. "Even if we did, I believe that we would've spoken up. It'd be wrong to keep something that crucial to ourselves, wouldn't you agree?"

Tenko bit her lip nervously.

"Yes, I agree. Keeping any information to ourselves during the trial can very much put our lives at risk." Kiibo said.

Tenko turned her hand into a fist.

"What Keeboy said." Kokichi looked at his hand while saying that.