[ Yeah... as a second year himself, he does know about the math -- and besides, one of the victims (ironically, the body that he himself inspected) was Shuichi's classmate who was only friends with Natsume's. So on that front, he's aware it's not a lie -- he doubts that the struggles the two were having with their exams could be forged or staged.

And without more direct proof than that... ]

...You're right. If those were the only things... then interviewing you like this would be enough. But, Sakasaki-kun... I think even a police officer might have changed their mind after seeing these.

[ His hand feels a little shaky, but even so he still reaches into his pocket -- pulling out the PDA he's had prepared. It's clear despite the hesitant moves, from the summary way he does things, that Shuichi anticipated he might have to bring this up. He unlocks the device with his fingers, then takes no more than a single tap to bring up the forum posts he'd already tabbed, turning the screen for Natsume to see. The thread dated two days after the murder, with messages like... ]

I'm going to kill you... and bury you beneath the wisteria tree. Touch my locker and see what happens. (...) If we made this same case in front of everyone who can read these boards, what do you think the consensus would be?

[ Isn't it better to nip this in the bud right now, when only a few people have made the connection? ]