Chapter Text
My name is Nijika Ijichi, attorney at law. I work under Starry Law Offices together with my sister, who is also a lawyer. Today is my first ever trial, and she’s gonna be there to help me out in a pinch. With her on my side, I’m gonna give it all I’ve got!
***
September 20th, 9:32 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 4
Gosh, trial’s about to start and I’m already a nervous wreck. What’s taking her so long?
Nijika was lost in thought as she fidgeted with her hair in restlessness. Just as she was about to pace around the room for the 50th time, the lobby door swung open. "Heya," Seika greeted with a small wave to a worried Nijika.
"Where were you?! I thought you were gonna flake out on me!"
"Hey, now. I wouldn’t miss out on your first trial for the world. Although, you looked awfully confident yesterday when you wanted to take on a murder case as your first trial…as crazy as that sounded."
Nijika crossed her arms in frustration, though she couldn’t deny what her sister said. A murder case? For a first trial? She was so insistent on it too…
Seika knew full well how tense Nijika can get when she gets put on the spot like this. It took her back, bringing back memories of her first time in court.
"Don’t sweat it, I’ll be right by your side. Just don’t play with your hair in front of the judge and we’ll be fine," Seika teased. Nijika jabbed her sister on the shoulder.
"You two seem to be in high spirits," a calm voice murmured to the sisters.
A woman in a gray dress, and a black coat with sleeves long enough to cover her hands completely, appeared from behind.
"PA-san!" Nijika replied. Ever since she was little, Seika would tell Nijika to address this mysterious woman as 'PA-san'. She never knew why, she thought it was a weird nickname for a sound engineer.
"Don’t worry PA-san, I’ll help you clear your name, you just sit tight!"
"Your voice cracked," Seika chuckled. Nijika jabbed her sister on her shoulder once more. PA-san laughed, "You have my trust, Nijika."
Name aside, PA-san was a good friend of Nijika, and her client. She was recently accused of murder, so Nijika took it upon herself to lead the defense. Despite her prior confidence, she was sweating bullets, intimidated over what awaited behind those grand wooden doors.
But one thing remained constant: she knew PA-san would never hurt a soul.
***
September 20th, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 2
Nijika and Seika went and stood near the defense’s bench, waiting for the trial to commence. Her legs turning into jelly, her heart skipping a beat, Nijika felt like she could pass out any moment. She couldn’t keep up with the tense courtroom atmosphere, and all she could hear was the faint susurration of voices in the gallery. The judge finally pounded his gavel, silencing the gallery and snapping Nijika out of her trance.
"Court is now in session for the trial of… Ms. PA." The judge announced.
A man in a gray suit stood across Nijika, wearing a pair of opaque, rectangular glasses as if he was hiding his eyes from the rest of the world. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," Prosecutor Payne said.
"The… defense is ready, Your Honor," Nijika uttered.
"The defense for today is… Ms. Nijika Ijichi, is that right?"
"Right, Your Honor… is uh, something wrong?" Nijika stammered.
"I’m sorry, I was just under the impression that Ms. Seika Ijichi was going to be the lead defense for this case."
"She was pretty head-on about taking this case, Your Honor. I simply couldn’t refuse," Seika replied as she turned her head towards Nijika with an eyebrow raised.
"Are you sure you’ll be fine? You look unwell," The judge observed as he glanced over a distraught Nijika.
Ugh, he’s right. I feel like I could puke my insides out any second now.
Nijika slammed her desk, "I-I’m okay! I can handle it!" She was scared out of her wits, but she couldn’t let the judge intimidate her.
"Hmm…very well. Mr. Payne, your opening statement, please."
"Thank you, your Honor. The crime occured at Shelter, a live house in Shimokitazawa. The defendant works there as a sound engineer, tasked with mixing audio, checking equipment and whatnot. That night, the defendant struck someone real hard. We found out that the murder weapon was one of the green microphones from the live house."
"The court accepts the microphone as evidence," The judge announced. "And what about the victim?"
"The victim, Kyo Gishiro, was another sound engineer working at Shelter. He suffered a fatal blow to the head, presumably from the microphone. His body was found in the establishment’s recording studio from across the door at one end of the room. According to the autopsy report, the time of death was sometime after 8PM."
"So, the victim worked together with the defendant? Why murder, if I may ask?" The judge questioned Payne.
"The prosecution would like to call the defendant to the stand to help us answer that question, Your Honor."
***
PA-san walked up to the witness stand. "Ms. PA, can you let the court know what you were doing with the victim that night?" Payne asked PA-san.
"We were recording a vinyl record into a computer, a single-sided record." PA-san answered.
"Uh…a single-sided record?" Nijika contemplated as she rubbed her chin.
"Yeah, we could only play the record on one side. It had a yellow label on the playable side, and a blue label on the other." PA-san explained.
"…Ms. Ijichi, do you think this vinyl record is important to this case?" The judge asked Nijika.
"Erm…I don’t think-"
"I’d take it if I were you."
"Huh?"
"Evidence is everything," Seika butted in. "Even if it seems like it barely matters now."
Nijika was confused, though she went along with it anyway. "Y-Yes, Your Honor! In fact, That vinyl record is the key to this whole case!"
…
…
"…she’s scarily confident about this," the judge muttered as he looked at Seika.
"I’m…just as lost as you are, Your Honor," Seika replied as she tried to pretend she didn’t know the fumbling blonde next to her.
Nijika felt a pang to her side.
I…I bombed…
"I suppose the court will accept it as evidence," the judge reluctantly announced.
"Now Ms. PA, is it true that you knew the victim as a newbie on the job?" Payne asked PA-san.
"Yes, he was a trainee under me," PA-san confirmed.
"…and it’s only natural that he made mistakes, correct?" Payne added.
"…I guess so," PA-san was puzzled over this line of questioning. "What are you getting at?"
"Have you ever felt frustrated over Mr. Gishiro’s mistakes?"
"Well, uh…" PA-san didn’t want to answer that.
"Your Honor, the prosecution believes that the victim was murdered over his own incompetence at work. It seemed like our defendant had had enough, then one thing led to another and wham!"
Oh boy, he’s making PA-san out to be the killer. What should we do?
"Don’t get your hair into a twist. we’re just getting started," Seika suggested to Nijika, who was fidgeting with her hair again.
Seika turned to face the prosecution’s bench and interjected, "Assuming this isn’t all just speculation, do you have solid evidence proving that my client is guilty Mr. Payne?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. After a brief analysis, we found out that the microphone that was used for murder…had the defendant's fingerprints!"
OBJECTION!
Seika rebutted, "Well that’s hardly evidence, how could you have known that her fingerprints wound up on that microphone during the night of the crime?"
"Incidentally, the live house had special holders to keep their microphones, so we had them all checked," Payne bragged. "Apparently the only microphone that had the defendant’s fingerprints…were on the one that was used in this case."
"Whaaaat?!" Nijika exclaimed. The gallery fell into a cacophony of chatter. The judge pounded his gavel, "Order! Order in the court!"
Nijika shot a glare at PA-san. "D-Don’t look at me like that!" PA-san scoffed. "I just happened to find it on the floor so I had to repair it-"
OBJECTION!
"Your Honor, the prosecution would like to call in a witness that can attest to the defendant’s crime," Payne interjected. "He saw the brutal aftermath of the murder!"
The gallery fell into a commotion again. "Order! I will have order!" The judge announced as he beat his gavel to silence the noise. "Very well, Mr. Payne. You may call your witness to the stand."
"Sis! What do we do now?!" Nijika whispered in distress to Seika.
"This witness could make or break our case, so pay close attention…and quit fidgeting while you’re at it," Seika uneasily replied.
This isn’t gonna end well for me…
***
A man in a rather cozy looking green sweater and a fedora walked up to the witness stand.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation for the record," The judge asked.
"My name is Wai Yudai, I’m a vinyl record salesman," The witness replied.
"Mr. Yudai, please testify to the court about what you were doing at the time of the murder," The judge announced. "As for the defense, please be ready for your cross-examination."
"Y-Yes, Your Honor," Nijika hastily replied.
"Uh…Sis?"
"If you’re gonna ask me 'what’s a cross-examination' I’m leaving."
Ack!
She read her little sister like a book. "I-It’s not like I forgot! I-I was just gonna ask you to help me refresh my mind a tiny bit!"
Seika looked at Nijika with an eyebrow raised in disapproval. "Seriously?"
"Come on, cut me some slack! I’ve seen you do it a ton of times but I’ve never done it myself!"
"…Fine," Seika sighed. "Look, when the witness lays out his testimony to the court, you’re gonna have to look out for lies or inconsistencies."
"…inconsistencies?" Nijika cluelessly stared at Seika.
"Statements that won’t make sense when you compare them to the evidence you have. Once you hear one, you’ll have to present the evidence that contradicts it."
"…Uh, okay…" Nijika was trying to process it all at once. "…but what if I can’t find an inconsistency?"
"Then, you can try pressing the witness for more information. Sooner or later, the witness will mess up and say something that contradicts the evidence we have," Seika advised. "That’s it. Point out inconsistencies with evidence, and press the witness for more information if you’re lost. Easy, right?"
"Uhh…sure," Nijika grimaced as sweat poured off her face.
I dunno about ‘easy’, but I guess I’ll give it a try…
***
Testimony
"So there I was at Shelter, just selling my usual stock of vinyl-"
HOLD IT!
…
…
"…Ms. Ijichi? Did you have a question for the witness or…?" The judge asked in concern.
…
"Ah- uh…a-are you maybe uh…selling any records right now?" Nijika asked with a nervous smile on her face as she scratched the back of her head.
…
"Do…you wanna buy one or something?" Wai doubtfully replied.
…
Seika pinched the bridge of her nose as she furrowed her eyebrows.
PA-san was…at a loss. This was the person she trusted to prove her innocence?
"…Ms. Ijichi, perhaps you should think about your questions before you interrupt the witness?" The judge suggested out of pity.
"Right…sorry…" Nijika weakly uttered. She shrank away from her desk as her face engulfed in a shade of red.
…
"…Anyway, I was at Shelter selling vinyl records, that’s when I heard a loud thud from the back. I went and checked to see what happened. I pushed the door open and lo and behold, the defendant was there, holding a blue microphone while the victim was out cold on the floor!"
"Psst, hey, Nijika… did you catch that?" Seika nudged Nijika’s shoulder.
"…Eh? Umm…"
"Uh…"
…
Ah!
OBJECTION!
...
…
…
"…What is it now, Ms Ijichi?" The judge sighed.
Her eyes locked towards the witness, her finger outstretched, her posture as confident as her cry of objection. The feeling was exhilarating, almost as if all of her embarrassment had washed away, leaving her ready to push forward.
"Mr. Yudai! You said you saw the defendant holding a blue microphone. Are you sure about that?" Nijika questioned.
"Sure as sure can be."
Nijika shook her head. "Really? I could’ve sworn that the murder weapon used…was a green microphone. It even has the defendant’s fingerprints! How do you explain this inconsistency?"
"Ah! Er…I uh-"
OBJECTION!
"Blue, green, does it matter?" Payne rebutted. "The witness saw the murder happen regardless!"
OBJECTION!
"The witness just said that he was sure that the microphone was blue! Were there any blue microphones at the scene of the crime Mr. Payne?" Nijika called to Payne.
"Y-Yes, there were…but that still doesn’t change-"
"Weren’t you the one who said that the other microphones didn’t have the defendant’s fingerprints?" Nijika probed even further with a proud smirk on her face.
"Ack!" The prosecutor winced in pain.
"That is quite strange…" The judge nodded. "Mr. Yudai, could you please explain yourself?"
"Uhh, well, you see…"
"Nice one, Nijika. You got him on the ropes. Just keep at it and you’ll do just fine," Seika reassured Nijika.
"W-Wait! I remember! Sorry, I had a little mix up there!" Wai yelped as he tried to regain his composure.
"Mr. Yudai, could you please testify to the court as to what you got mixed up with?" The judge asked.
***
Testimony
"There was something else there that caught my eye after I pushed the door open, a vinyl record! It was on a record player by the door in the room, and I remember it having a blue coloured label. That’s why I had the colors mixed up with the microphone-"
OBJECTION!
…
Again, purely on instinct, she whipped her finger out like it came naturally to her. Seika had a smug look on her face, acting like a proud parent. Things are finally coming up Nijika.
"Mr. Yudai! I’d like you to clarify something for me."
"H-Huh? About what?"
"The vinyl record you just mentioned, it had a blue label, correct?"
"Yes, I’m sure of it!" Wai confirmed.
"…But that wouldn’t make much sense now would it?" Nijika wondered. "You see, the vinyl record in question, it’s one-sided."
"Eh?"
"Earlier that night, the defendant was recording a track from a vinyl record. That record had a yellow label on the front, and a blue label on the back," Nijika slammed her desk. "How do you explain that the vinyl record was upside-down!?"
"Ack! Uhm, that is weird…yes…"
OBJECTION!
"Your Honor, the defense is steering us off-topic here!" Payne asserted. "What does the record have to do with the murder anyway? It’s irrelevant!"
OBJECTION!
"Irrelevant?" Nijika rebutted. "The witness is clearly hiding something about this record!"
OBJECTION!
"P-P-Perhaps it was the defendant who turned the record over-"
OBJECTION!
"The defendant herself stated that the record was one-sided," Seika interjected. "Do you really think that she would make such a mistake?"
"Urk!" Payne was instantly silenced.
"Another contradiction, you’re on a roll here," Seika smiled.
"Thanks, but… where does that get us?" Nijika pondered.
"If the witness knows something about this record that we don’t know about, how about we take a closer look?" Seika turned towards the judge. "Your Honor, the defense requests that we further examine this vinyl record."
"Very well. Bailiff! Send a team to the crime scene to retrieve the vinyl record!" The judge announced.
"It seems that the matter of this vinyl record needs to be further deliberated. While we wait, court is adjourned for a brief recess!" The judge pounded his gavel.
***
September 20th, 11:56 AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 4
Nijika let out a sigh of relief as she dropped herself on the lobby couch. All that talking and pointing she did completely drained her.
"Hey, we’re not done yet y’know," Seika retorted as she sat down next to her deflated sister.
…
"So, you still wanna buy a record later?"
"WHA- N-NO!" Nijika punched her sister in the shoulder with her face red like a tomato. Seika laughed.
PA-san walked up to the two. "Wow, I was on the edge of my seat watching you two out there! I’m glad I have you as my lawyer Nijika."
"All in a day’s work!" Nijika replied with a satisfied grin, looking like she just went through a war.
"…Though I was a little concerned when you asked for a record from Mr. Yudai, haha…"
Nijika buried her red mess of a face in the sofa cushions. "Aaarghhh! Please let it go…"
"Speaking of records, do you maybe have any clues about that vinyl record you were recording?" Seika questioned PA-san.
"Mmm… no I don’t think so, sorry."
"How about the computer? Any details?"
"Well, we can find out timestamps of when we start or stop recording stuff… I don’t know if it’ll help though," PA-san sighed. She was a little disappointed.
"I’m sure it’ll help. Evidence is everything, after all. Right, Nijika?"
Nijika looked up, done with her little tantrum. "Yeah! Don’t worry PA-san, we’re almost there!"
PA-san nodded. She truly was grateful to have such aspiring friends by her side.
***
September 20th, 12:16 PM
District Court
Courtroom No. 2
The judge pounded his gavel. "Court will now reconvene."
"By the defense’s request, we’ve retrieved the vinyl record from Shelter. The court accepts it as evidence."
Seika received the record from the bailiff and handed it over to Nijika. "Alright Nijika, moment of truth."
Nijika nodded, nervous about what she was about to uncover. She examined the record.
…
…
"Huh?"
She noticed a red splotch of something on the front. Could it be…
…Blood?
"Is there something you’d like to share, Ms. Ijichi?" The judge asked.
"The record… i-it’s got blood on it!"
"What!?" Both the judge and Payne cried.
The gallery went into an uproar.
"Well, I’ll be. Looks like our witness has some explaining to do," Seika folded her arms in contentment.
"Order! Order! Mr. Yudai! Why were you hiding this from the court!?" The judge reprimanded Wai as he pummeled his gavel.
"I-I’m sorry! I-I didn’t think it was that important!" Wai whimpered with his hands pressed firmly together as if he was seeking forgiveness. "Please, hear me out!"
"Please testify about this secret you kept immediately!" The judge demanded.
***
Testimony
"Actually, when I went to the room, I saw that the defendant hit the victim by the door! Some of the blood must’ve gotten onto the record, and they hit the victim again just to make sure! I think the defendant turned the record over to hide it-"
OBJECTION!
Nijika was starting to get used to it. Everytime she objected, everytime she pointed out a contradiction, she felt like her presence became more profound.
"Hold it right there! The victim couldn’t have been hit twice! It says right here in the autopsy report that he was only hit once!"
"Ah! Uhh…" Wai was overwhelmed.
The judge shook his head. "Mr. Yudai, your credibility as a witness is very questionable at this point. Are you still hiding something?"
There’s no use hiding anything now! Fess up to your crime! Nijika thought with a smirk on her face.
"This isn’t getting us anywhere," Seika muttered.
"Eh? Why not? I found a contradiction, didn’t I? Nijika replied as her smug face instantly disappeared.
"Look, Nijika, I’m glad you’re having fun and all, but this guy is just gonna keep lying until he worms his way out."
"…I guess you’re right," Nijika nodded in agreement. "What should we do?"
"Instead of wasting time cross-examining a lying witness, let’s try to find an explanation ourselves. Why was there blood on the vinyl record?"
"H-Huh? How on earth do we explain that?" Nijika pondered.
"Try to think outside the box. If there was blood on the vinyl record, that means that the victim was hit near the record, right?"
"Mhm," Nijika hesitantly nodded, carefully listening to every word her sister uttered.
"However, Mr. Payne said that the body was found facing the door at the other end of the room. How did the body get there in the first place?"
Hmm… how did it get there? It couldn’t have moved by itself, that’d be silly.
…
…
"Ah!"
"Somebody moved the body!" Nijika felt her ahoge brighten up like a lightbulb.
"That’s possible, but why would someone do that?" Seika asked Nijika.
"Uhhh… what if… err…" Nijika’s brain was working overtime.
If the body was found near the door, PA-san wouldn’t have been caught looking like a murderer…
…
"Aha!"
"Does the defense have anything to add to this matter? I will have to end this cross-examination if we don’t gain anything fruitful out of this." The judge called.
"Your Honor! The defense would like to propose a theory that can explain the blood on the vinyl record," Nijika suggested.
"Really? Let’s hear your explanation then."
"Let’s assume that the victim was hit near the doorway of the room, that would explain how the blood got onto the vinyl record."
"That is a possibility, but the body was found on the opposite side of the room, no?" The judge wondered.
"Correct," Nijika nodded. "The victim couldn’t have moved himself then. That would only mean that the body was moved by the killer!"
"That does make sense, but why would the killer move the body?"
"If the victim was hit in front of the door, the doorway would’ve been blocked by the body, making it impossible for anyone to enter. On top of that, the killer would’ve needed to plant the microphone next to the victim!"
"P-Plant the microphone? You don’t mean…" Payne stuttered.
Nijika slammed her desk. "My client wasn’t the murderer… she was framed!"
The gallery fell into another commotion.
"O-Order! Order!" The judge pummeled his gavel. "Please continue, Ms. Ijichi."
"Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Yudai, it was you who turned the vinyl record, wasn’t it?"
"Ah-!" Wai was left speechless.
"It was you who hid the splotch of blood on the vinyl record just to pin the crime on my client!"
"N-No! You’re wrong!" Wai tried to refute.
"You tried to throw suspicion onto my client. Little did you know, you made one crucial mistake! You didn’t know the record was upside-down!"
"Grrraaaaggghhh!" Wai threw his fedora on the ground in a fit of rage.
"All this talk about this bloody vinyl record, it’s driving me insane!" Wai blurted out. "Where’s your proof then? Where’s your proof that this vinyl record was turned that night!?"
"Urk? P-Proof?"
"Without proof, all your claims of me framing someone else for the murder can’t hold water!" Wai growled.
Uh oh, I was so caught up in making up a theory, I haven’t thought about the evidence!
"U-Uh, well…"
"That’s what I thought! All of these baseless accusations!" Wai heaved.
"Erm, Uh…the evidence…" Nijika stammered as she fumbled with documents from the court record, desperately looking for an answer.
I’ve come so far! What do I do now!?
"I’m sorry Ms. Ijichi, but if you don’t have any evidence to prove your claims… then I will have to end the cross-examination here," The judge declared.
No, we were so close! We would’ve had it!
"…I-I understand, Your Honor…" Nijika reluctantly agreed with her head facing down onto her desk, with a look of defeat. Her eyes started to water.
PA-san, I’m sorry… I couldn’t do it…
"Now, if you’re finished painting me a criminal, I’d like to go home," Wai complained. "I have some business to get back to, if you don’t mind."
The judge nodded. "Very well. This ends the cross-examination of Mr. Yuda-"
OBJECTION!
…
"H-Huh?" Nijika looked up next to her.
"Please wait, Your Honor!" Seika begged.
"S-Sis?"
"Nijika! What do you think you’re doing!?" Seika reprimanded her sister. "You can’t throw this away!"
"B-But I can’t prove that the record was turned the day of the murder-"
"Yes you can! Evidence is everything! Look into everything you know so far, any clues you might be missing!" Seika exclaimed as she gripped her sister’s shoulders.
"Ms. Ijichi, did you have something to add?" The judge urged.
"S-Sorry Your Honor, uhh… the defense… uhh…"
…
…
"AH! The d-defense would like to prove their claim!" The thought hit her like a truck.
"You’re bluffing, you don’t have anything of the sort!" Wai scoffed.
"Ms. Ijichi, this is your last chance. What evidence proves your claim of the witness framing the defendant?" The judge firmly asked.
"Th-The computer! The one the defendant used to record the vinyl record!" Nijika uttered.
The judge was confused. "How does that help us exactly?"
"Incidentally, the computer used here stores timestamps whenever it starts or stops recording a track! If the vinyl record was turned, that would stop the recording, wouldn’t it?"
"…and if the recording was stopped at the time of the murder…" Seika added.
"That would leave a timestamp of the time of the murder!" Nijika asserted. "Your Honor, the defense requests that we check the computer for timestamps. If the time and dates match up, then I’d say this case is solved, isn’t it Mr. Yudai!?"
…
"…N-N-N…"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Wai cried as he fell to the ground in shock.
***
"Well, this has been quite an eventful trial. How is your witness, Mr. Payne?" The judge asked.
"He…has uh, admitted to his crime," Payne reluctantly replied. "We’re currently processing his arrest now."
Apparently, Wai Yudai was a common frequenter of live houses, including Shelter. He would go about his business of selling vinyl records, though that was a front to what he really did: burglary. The intent to steal from live houses. Unfortunately for him, the victim must’ve caught him in the act. That of course, lead to the murder. A spur-of-the-moment decision, as Mr. Yudai grabbed the heaviest thing he could find…and struck the victim hard.
The judge nodded. "Very well. Ms. Ijichi?"
"Yes, Your Honor?" Nijika perked up.
"I say, I’m quite impressed over how quickly you overturned this case. It must run in the family," The judge commented as he shifted his gaze to Seika. Seika smiled.
"Thank you, Your Honor," Nijika replied.
"In any case, I would like to hand down my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Ms. PA… not guilty!"
"Court is adjourned!" The judge pounded his gavel.
***
September 20th, 1:38 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 4
Nijika walked out of the courtroom brimming with pride. She did it. Her first case as a lawyer. It didn’t go as smoothly as she thought it would, but things seemed to have turned out well in the end regardless.
"Not bad," Seika followed behind. "Keep this up and you’ll be as good as me… maybe not as good though."
Nijika pouted. "Come on, can’t you at least be happy for me?"
Seika laughed as she ruffled her little sister’s hair. She wasn’t so little anymore.
PA-san sauntered towards the two. "You guys were really amazing out there, thank you both so much."
Nijika was on cloud nine. She felt like her dreams were finally starting to come true, her dreams of having Starry Law Offices become the best law firm people would know. Slowly but surely, her dreams would be the light to guide her way.
"Hey, how about dinner? My treat," Seika chimed in. "To PA-san’s innocence! …and Nijika’s first case I guess."
"Haha, very funny…" Nijika sarcastically remarked as the three walked out of the lobby doors.
***
And that pretty much wraps up my first trial. I’ll be honest, I found it hard to believe I pulled through. But that’s all I had to do, believe. I had to believe in the evidence, and I had to believe in my client. I really learned a lot that day. As I moved forward, I couldn’t wait for what the future had in store for me. New cases, new faces, I’ll give it my all!
Notes:
This idea of an ace attorney crossover sprung out of my head after I finished rewatching the series a couple times. Right now, I’m just writing for fun, and this’ll be my first work so I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.
Chapter 2: Turnabout Encore - Set The Stage
Chapter Text
The sun, a ball of light in the big blue sky. Like a ray of hope, it drives the optimism inside of all of us.
The moon, a rock hiding in starry nights. As a symbol of change, it reminds us that for every light, a shadow forms.
That is where our story begins, with two direct opposites. Although together, they help to balance the light and dark of the world, with their unity. The sun and moon, much like hot and cold, or yin and yang…
…or lawyer and prosecutor.
***
October 1st
Starry Law Offices
The bright office ceiling lights filled the room with fluorescence. A bittersweet aroma wafted through the air. The door swung open.
"I’m back~"
Nijika cheered as she carried a plastic bag of convenience store food. She caught a whiff of a fresh espresso brew.
"You’re still drinking coffee? That’s like your fourth cup today," Nijika mentioned as she furrowed her eyebrows at Seika.
"And? It’s just coffee," Seika replied between her sips. "Besides, it’s international coffee day."
"Sounds like you’re just making up excuses to drink more coffee…" Nijika teased. Seika glared at her as she downed her cup of joe.
The door swung open once more, and a familiar figure garbed in black emerged. "Yoohoo~" PA-san greeted.
"PA-san!" Nijika set down her bag. "What brings you here?"
"Well, I came here looking for help."
"Eh? You need help?" Nijika wondered.
"Actually, I’m asking for a friend. She got herself in trouble somehow, and I thought that you guys could represent her in court."
"Ehhh!? You mean… you have a case for us!?" Nijika perked up.
PA-san nodded. "You should come by the detention center. She’ll be expecting you."
Nijika’s eyes glimmered in excitement.
"I figured you needed some more cases under your belt, so I trust that you’ll get her off the hook," PA-san smiled.
"You can count on us!" Nijika rejoiced. "Did you hear that Sis? We got… uh, Sis?" Nijika turned her back to face her sister, but she was nowhere to be found.
Just then, Nijika could hear groans coming from the bathroom. She sighed and shook her head.
She really shouldn’t have drank all that coffee…
***
October 1st
Detention Center
Visitor’s Room
The sisters sat waiting in front of a large glass pane. The pale grey walls and the industrial-grade metal bars had a very unwelcoming theme to them. Other than the small doses of sunlight passing through the grates, the room was intensely lit with a familiar fluorescence, along with a buzzing noise impossible to ignore. The gloomy atmosphere was enough to dampen Nijika’s resolve as she sat infront of the glass wall, the only thing separating those accused from the rest of the world.
Gosh, this place is miserable.
Just after she was done scanning the room, a woman with brown hair, part of it tied to the side of her head, sat on the other side of the glass pane.
"Uh, hello…PA-san called you, right?" The woman gloomily asked as she started bawling her eyes out. "I-I’m sorry, this is all my fault! I…"
"Ah, please don’t cry! Uhh…" Nijika spared a glance at Seika, trying to signal for help. She shrugged in response.
Some help you are!
Nijika turned back to the sobbing lady. "Uhm! It’s gonna be fine miss uh…sorry, what was your name?" Nijika asked.
"Nene…Oyama…" Nene bawled.
"Right! Don’t worry, Oyama-san! We’re here for you! Please, stop crying…" Nijika tried to console her. "Could you tell us what happened?"
"Okay…" Nene mumbled. "It was yesterday, we were in the middle of rehearsing a play. One of the actors, she was dead! Someone killed her! In the dressing room!"
Nene clenched her fists to her chin, tears still pouring out of her eyes. "…I…I-I’m no murderer! You gotta believe meeee!"
"Eek! W-We believe you! Uh…" Nijika was a little taken aback.
"E-E-Everyone thinks I did it…I swear it wasn’t me…" Nene wiped her tears. "Why won’t they believe me…"
Nijika couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Nobody believed her, she was stuck here, she looked miserable. No one was left to help her…outside of PA-san, of course. Regardless, someone had to look out for her, and Nijika felt more than ready for that. She knew that lonely feeling all too well. She wanted to believe in her, and no doubt in her mind was going to change that.
Nijika placed the palm of her hand on the glass pane. "We’re on your side, Oyama-san."
"Oh, th-thank you…" Nene tried to regain her composure.
"Anyway, uh…how do you know PA-san? Is she a friend of yours?" Nijika asked.
"Yeah…I actually used to work part-time at Shelter. That’s where I got to know her…" Nene sniffled. "I’m a student at Shuka University. I’m a finance major."
"Oh? Why were you at the theatre then?" Nijika raised her eyebrow.
"I’m actually part of the backstage crew, we’re supposed to keep things running smoothly whenever there’s a performance."
"So, you were helping with a play at the time of the murder?" Seika asked.
Nene’s eyes lit up. "Yeah! We were doing rehearsals on this old play called 'The Merchant of Venice'."
"Hm? What’s it about-"
"Allow me to explain!" Nene shot a thumbs up.
"Eek! O-Okay…" Nijika was startled.
"So there was this guy, right? He wanted to help his friend with impressing a woman he liked! But, he didn’t have any money, so he took a loan from this evil merchant! But then, he couldn’t pay back the merchant in time. Because of that, the merchant wanted a pound of flesh from him!"
"A-A pound of flesh…?"
Nene nodded. "There’s way more to it than just that, but that’s the gist of it!"
"So, you’ve always wanted to work in the showbiz?" Seika asked.
"Nah, I was just doing it for school points. Just grinding out, y’know? I’m also part of the school’s basketball team, the school’s band-"
"Woah, woah, isn’t that super stressful!?" Nijika was flabbergasted.
"I dunno. I’ve got good grades, so…" Nene shrugged.
I guess everyone’s got their own dreams… even insane ones.
Nijika shook her head from the cumbersome thought. "So, where were you at the time of the murder?"
"Well…" Nene sighed. "We were going to start with another rerun of the play, but one of the actors went missing. Her name was Akuto Haiko, she’s to play the part of the lady who saves the main guy from the whole 'pound of flesh' problem."
"That’s when you left to look for her?"
"Yeah, but then the cops started storming in and arrested me…" Nene looked down.
"So, the crime happened at Shuka University…mind giving us directions?" Nijika asked.
"Sure thing, Coach!" Nene saluted.
C-Coach…?
"Oh! Be sure to tell Mr. Kijo I said hi! He’s the one supervising the play!"
Nijika threw a thumbs up. "Alright! Let’s get going, Sis!"
***
October 1st
Shuka University
Main Theatre
The two sisters found themselves…in the past. A colossal hall, brilliantly lit by stunning wall lamps mounted on every side, as well as a massive golden chandelier hanging at the center of it all. Nijika took her time to soak in the extravagance of the main theatre as she walked pass rows of velvet folding seats.
"Nice place," Seika deadpanned.
"Isn’t this a school theatre?" Nijika wondered. "Seems pretty overkill."
As she approached the stage, Nijika noticed a man with brown curly hair sporting a vest and tie, scribbling on a notebook of sorts.
Nijika waved at the man. "Ah, excuse me-"
"Oh no, no, no, this won’t do…" The man mumbled to himself as he ripped out a page. "I can’t think straight without my afternoon tea…"
At least it ain’t coffee…
"Uh, sir?" Nijika called once more.
"Ah! Sorry, I didn’t see you there," The man uttered. "I’m a little caught up in brainstorming, see."
"Uh, okay…" Nijika replied.
"Oh where are my manners…" The man bowed as he closed his notebook. "I’m Zeita Kijo, I’m the head of theatre and arts."
"Oh, you’re Mr. Kijo? We’re Oyama-san’s lawyers! She says hi, by the way."
"Ah, Ms. Oyama. It’s quite a tragedy what happened…" Zeita sighed. "What can I do for you?"
"Oyama-san said that there was a play happening, The Merchant of Venice, was it?" Nijika asked.
"Ah, yes. It’s for the school’s cultural festival, see. Students in the theatre department volunteered to take up roles in our casting. But…" Zeita sighed. "The rehearsals ended half-finished because of what happened. What’s worse is that I have to deal with the board of directors chasing me for a fix! As if I didn’t have my hands tied already…"
Looks like Ms. Haiko wasn’t the only victim here. Poor Mr. Kijo.
"Is there anything you can maybe tell us about the murder?" Nijika began.
"Sorry, there’s not much I can say. I was taking a short leave of absence, see."
"A leave?" Nijika probed. "So, you had no idea about the murder until yesterday?"
"I still can’t believe I got forced into this mess…" Zeita grumbled as he fiddled with his pencil. "…Just because I’m the subject head…why can’t they think for themselves for a change!?"
Nijika shot a concerned glance at Seika. Everyone seemed too busy pointing fingers.
"Sorry, I must be heading off now," Zeita sighed. "I just remembered that I had mounds of paperwork to look forward to in my office. Take care."
The man rushed out of the theatre, notebook in hand.
"Paperwork? I feel that," Seika remarked as she sipped on a paper espresso cup.
"We should get going- H-Hey! Where’d you get that!?" Nijika did a double take.
"Come on," Seika walked to a corridor, abandoning Nijika. "Dressing room’s this way."
"Oi! Don’t ignore me!"
***
October 1st
Shuka University
Dressing Room
To the crime scene they went. It was a large fitting room, cluttered with closets, chairs and clothing racks. There was a pile of broken glass on one spot in the room.
Near the pile of glass, there was a vanity table with lights surrounding a large mirror. The table was… a mess. You could see white powder coating most of the top. Nijika could make out a message written backwards in the powder:
'NENE'.
"Uh oh," Seika’s eyes widened.
"I-I’m sure there are other Nene’s in Shuka University, right?" Nijika forced a laugh.
Seika’s stomach growled.
"I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Be right back," Seika waved as she briskly walked out to the corridor.
She must really love coffee if she’s willing to do this to herself…
"I guess I should start looking for clues…" Nijika muttered to herself. She began to carefully navigate across the room. The broken glass on the ground, the powder, the furniture, it was like walking through a minefield. Upon closer inspection, Nijika could see white tape outlined in the shape of what looked like a body on a chair infront of the vanity table.
It’s kinda eerie now that I think about it…
Above the table was a wall shelf that had traces of white powder, similar to that of the powder on the table.
I wonder if something fell off of this shelf?
…
"…Ahem, and you are?"
Startled, Nijika turned her head to the doorway. A woman with long, black hair in a pink sweater had her arms folded. She raised an eyebrow at the frozen blonde.
"You got any business trespassing a crime scene?"
"W-Wait! It’s not what it looks like!" Nijika tried to reason with the woman.
The woman scrutinised Nijika’s appearance. "What, you think I’m just gonna let some yellow-tailed rando tamper with evidence?"
Y-Yellow-tailed…?
"Come on kid, shoo. Unless, you want to get arrested."
"H-Hey, listen! I’m a lawyer!" Nijika frantically waved her hands at the woman. "O-Or more specifically, Ms. Oyama’s lawyer…I’m just here to investigate!"
"Uh huh, sure…like I’m gonna trust you-"
"Hey, you found anything yet?" Seika’s voice could be heard, muffled behind the dressing room walls. She gently opened the door. "I was thinking of getting dinner after thi-"
Seika’s eyes widened as she stood before the black-haired woman. She paused her train of thought, while the woman relentlessly stared at the tall blonde.
…
"…Aiko?"
"S-S-Seika!?" Aiko leaned back in shock.
Aiko…?
"I haven’t seen you in months! Where ya been?" Aiko grinned. "I thought you quit or something…"
"Why the hell would you think that?" Seika furrowed her eyebrows. "Besides, I’ve got my sister to take care of," She patted Nijika on the back.
"Y-Your sister!? So, you really ARE a lawyer!" Aiko leaned back in shock.
"That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time!" Nijika uttered.
"Well, I guess I could let you take a look around. I’m detective Aiko Sato. I’m in charge of taking care of the crime scene," Aiko stretched her hand out.
Nijika shook her hand. "I’m Nijika. So, you know my sister?"
"Yeah, we worked on a few cases. She used to work at a law firm in Ochanomizu. Everybody called her 'The Devil of Ochanomizu' back then," Aiko smiled as she reminisced.
"D-Devil?" Nijika tilted her head in confusion.
"She was a monster in court… she even got the whole prosecutor’s office afraid of her!" Aiko laughed.
Nijika gave Seika an unamused look. "What in the world did you do?"
Seika folded her arms. "My job. All I did was point the finger of justice in the right direction."
Did your job include traumatising people?
"Hm…" Nijika turned to Aiko. "So, you’re a detective?"
"Yep. I’m also a freelance writer."
"Eh? Do you write about crimes or something?" Nijika wondered.
"Nah, none of that boring stuff. I write about music bands! Usually up-and-coming ones that I can highlight in my blog. Speaking of, you should totally check out my blog, I write under the name Poison Yami!" She chirped as she shoved her lit phone screen in Nijika’s face.
"O-Okay, okay, I’ll check it out later…" Nijika muttered. "Why bands, though?"
"I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty good at judging bands," Aiko smirked. "It’s like a sixth sense I have. It’s not just the skills that make the music, y’know. A band also needs strong ties, a good sense of unity."
Hm, I guess I never thought of it that way.
"So, Detective Sato-"
"Yami."
"Uh, Detective Yami…could you tell us what happened?" Nijika asked unamusingly.
"We took the body in for an autopsy, the report came in yesterday. Apparently, the victim was strangled to death by a red scarf. Oh, before I forget…" Aiko pulled out a file. "Here’s the autopsy report. I’ve got copies."
"Thanks. By the way, do you know the reason behind all this powder?" Nijika asked as she took the report.
"No idea. We found an empty can of cooling powder in the trash over there," Aiko pointed to a small empty basket in a corner. "We had it checked for fingerprints. Unfortunately, we got nothing out of it."
No fingerprints? Hmm…
"Why was Oyama-san arrested anyway?"
"There’s that, isn’t there?" Aiko pointed to the writing on the table.
"Oh…right."
Although, something’s been bothering me about that writing. Maybe I should point it out in court tomorrow…
"Plus, we’ve got a witness…but I can’t talk about that!" Aiko pointed. "Last thing I want is for her to start docking my pay."
"Um…her?"
"Prosecutor Yamada. She’s in charge of the investigation," Aiko folded her arms. "Sorry, but I’m not interested in getting on her bad side, what with her being a Yamada and all."
Nijika’s eyes widened.
"…Yamada? Like…Ryo Yamada?"
"Yeah, she’s pretty ruthless when it comes to stuff like this. I guess she’s one of the top prosecutors for a reason," Aiko murmured.
Ryo Yamada, how long had it been since she last heard that name? Two childhood friends, one could say that their dreams were destined to overlap. One wanted to be a lawyer, while the other wanted to be a prosecutor. Two opposites.
They would go to the same classes together. They would have lunch together. They would even go against each other in mock trials together. Two opposites, together. Two sides of the same coin.
After the two graduated from high school, Ryo decided to pursue her dreams overseas at the very young age of 18. She had made quite a name for herself as an international prosecutor.
The Yamadas were an exceptional family. Whether it be high luck or skill, those of the Yamada bloodline would excel in any career they pursued, whatever it may be. This phenomenon was known as the Yamada Fortune, those most likely to succeed. They could be an ace detective, an ace pilot, an ace doctor, an ace attorney.
Nijika never expected that she would be meeting her so soon, standing as her opponent in court for tomorrow’s trial.
"Hello? Earth to Nijika?" Seika waved her hand infront of Nijika’s face.
"Ah! Sorry, I got a little lost in thought, heh…" Nijika scratched her head as she returned to reality.
"Anyway, I think it’s about time we wrapped up. Thanks for the deets, Aiko," Seika waved. "We should go drinking sometime."
"My name is Poison Yami! Ugh…but, thanks. I’ll be seeing you two," Aiko replied.
***
October 1st
Shuka University
Foyer
"What are we gonna do now?" Nijika asked.
"Dinner. I’m starved. Come on, let’s hit the usual joint," Seika declared.
"Huh?" Nijika stopped in her tracks.
"What?" Seika followed.
"Shouldn’t we like…plan our next steps or something?"
Nijika’s stomach started to growl intensely, her cheeks flushed into a deep red the minute she heard it. Seika stifled a laugh.
"I…guess I could eat…"
"That’s the spirit," Seika smiled at the blushing blonde.
Just then, a faint strumming of a guitar could be heard from a distance. The sisters walked closer to the source, only to find a man with long brown hair and a full beard. He was standing next to the university entrance sporting an oversized tie dye shirt and black jogger pants.
He looks like a hippie.
"Hey! Good evening…and namaste," The man noticed the two as he adjusted his rose-tinted glassed. He presed his palms together.
"Um, hello. Are you waiting for something?" Nijika asked.
"Oh, I’m waitin’ for my taxi to come. Just jammin’ out a little to tune out the bad vibes. Somethin’ about music that really speaks to people, y’know? Love is a friendship set to music, man."
He’s definitely a hippie…
"Kind of a bummer though, I won’t get to jam out during the festival. You heard about the murder, right? So violent. Plus, the police asked me to like, come for questioning or whatever…" The man shook his head.
Questioning? Wait…
"You mean, you’re a witness?"
"Is that what that’s called?" The man asked as he strummed his guitar. "They told me to come to court tomorrow to uh…testify or somethin’."
Nijika’s eyes widened. "Hey, maybe you could-"
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a car horn.
"Oh hey, my ride! Sorry, I gotta go. The name’s Tomiro Hisuri, by the way. Peace out," Tomiro waved as he rushed to the taxi.
As Nijika watched Tomiro leave through the entrance, she sighed. "Shoot. There goes our only lead."
"Don’t worry, we’ll get our chance tomorrow. In the meantime…" Seika rubbed her belly.
"But what about the case-"
Nijika’s stomach viciously growled, somehow even louder than before. Her face reddened in embarrassment.
"Ugh, fine…" Nijika grumbled.
I guess all my complaining won’t do much. I better rest up for tomorrow, then.
As the sun was setting, Nijika wondered how tomorrow’s trial would end. Was she ready? Could she win? Her head was swimming with questions, though it all boiled down to the witness: just what exactly did he see that day?
I’ll get to the bottom of this…if it’s the last thing I do!
Chapter Text
October 2nd, 9:46 AM
District Court
Courtroom Lobby No. 2
"…You okay?" Seika noticed her sister fidgeting with her hair more than usual.
"H-Huh? Yeah, I’m fine! I’m f- Ack! *cough* oh god-" Nijika sputtered as she choked on her own spit.
"Hey, hey, take it easy…here, drink up…" Seika gave the nervous blonde a water bottle.
"…Ugh…sorry," Nijika wiped her mouth. The thought of facing off against the one and only Ryo Yamada had her incredibly tense. It had been quite some time since they last saw each other. Plus, she was a well-known prosecutor. How was she going to manage?
"Relax, you’ve done this before. It won’t be any different…hopefully," Seika tried to console Nijika.
"You’re not even sure yourself!" Nijika squeaked. "And this is Ryo we’re talking about!"
"Hey, I’m here too, aren’t I?" Seika smiled as she pat Nijika’s back. "Don’t worry about it."
Yeah, she did help me out the last trial…
"Morning, Coach!" A loud, boisterous voice emitted from the lobby doors.
"Ah! G-Good morning, Oyama-san!" Nijika waved.
"Oh, are you sick? Your voice sounds kinda raspy…" Nene asked.
"N-No, I’m good…I just choked on something," Nijika cleared her throat. "Sorry, I’m feeling pretty nervous myself…"
"Ooh…you know what’ll help? If I ever get antsy, I just shout at the top of my lungs!" Nene cheered as she placed her hands on her hips.
I don’t think my poor little throat could handle it…
The bailiff called. "Court will begin shortly, please proceed to the courtroom."
"Looks like It’s time. Shall we?" Seika noted.
Nijika nodded. "Okay, let’s do this!"
***
October 2nd, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
Back at the defense’s bench again, Nijika’s pre-court jitters never failed to keep her company. This wasn’t her first rodeo however, and she had her sister by her side as well, so she was feeling slightly more confident in making it out alive.
That was… until a woman with short blue hair dressed in a sleek grey and black suit walked up to the prosecutor’s bench with her hands in her pockets and her face void of any emotion. Like the moon reflecting the light of the sun, her golden eyes reflected Nijika’s gaze.
Ryo Yamada… long time no see.
Bearing the Yamada name, Ryo had a lot to live up to as a prosecutor. Needless to say, she was a real professional. Out of all the lawyers she had fought against in court, very few were able to properly counter her deductions. Nijika wondered if she was even up to the task. Her heart sank a little.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Nene Oyama," The judge announced as he pummeled his gavel.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor!" Nijika responded.
"The prosecution…is ready, Your Honor," Ryo acknowledged with her back on the wall.
"Prosecutor Yamada, your opening statement, if you will."
"The victim…Ms. Akuto Haiko, was killed in a dressing room near the theatre of Shuka University. We’ve got evidence, a witness, the usual. All of it pointing to the defendant, of course."
The judge nodded. "Thank you, Prosecutor Yamada. You may call your first witness."
"First, Let’s call the detective in charge of the case, Ms. Aiko Sato to the stand."
***
"Your name and occupation, witness," Ryo asked.
"Aiko Sato, detective by day, and Poison Yami, freelance writer by night!" Aiko cheered.
"…Er, so which one is it?" The judge asked.
"Oh, you can call me Detective Yami or Poison Yami… or Poizun Yami…"
…
"Ahem. Detective Sato will do. Just share the details of the murder to the court," Ryo said.
"Tsk, alright…" Aiko rolled her eyes.
"We found the body resting on one of those tables with the big mirror and lightbulbs in the room. Apparently, the victim was strangled to death with a scarf, which had some of the victim’s lipstick on it," Aiko explained as she pulled out a photo. "Here’s a close-up picture of the body."
"Very well. The court accepts it as evidence," The judge nodded. "I say, was there a performance happening at the time?"
"The murder happened while everybody else in the theatre was about to rehearse a play, 'The Merchant of Venice'. I’d also like to note that the time of death was around 4PM," Aiko added.
The judge nodded. "Well then, Detective Sato. Please testify to the court about the circumstances of the arrest."
"You know what to do," Seika smiled.
"I got this," Nijika cracked her knuckles. "Just spot out lies and press for info!"
"…and maybe try pressing with actual questions this time," Seika smirked.
Nijika pouted. "I know, I know… please don’t remind me…"
***
Testimony
"My team arrived at about 6PM, one of the students phoned us in. We went into the dressing room and found the victim sitting on a chair with her head on the dressing table. It’s weird, there was powder on the victim’s back and head. What’s even weirder was that there was a writing of the defendant’s name on the table in powder! The victim must’ve written the killer’s name before she died-"
HOLD IT!
"Uh…are you absolutely sure it was the victim who wrote that?" Nijika pressed.
"Oh, I’m pretty sure!" Aiko smirked. "We found some powder under the victim’s nail of the finger she used to write that. It’s clear as day!"
OBJECTION!
"Clear as day? I don’t know about that…is something seriously not bothering you?" Nijika raised an eyebrow.
"Eh?" Aiko was confused.
"This writing…it’s backwards. That’s pretty weird, don’t you think?" Nijika pressed.
"Uhm, well uh-"
OBJECTION!
…
Ryo shrugged. "Who cares?"
"Huh?" Nijika was taken aback from her response.
"So, the letters are backwards," Ryo said. "Big deal."
"Hey! Of course it’s a big deal! Nobody writes their names like that!" Nijika slammed her desk.
"Okay…why?" Ryo shot back at Nijika.
"H-Huh?"
"Why is it such a big deal?" Ryo asked.
"B-Because…Uhh…"
"Does it change anything? Is the name any different?"
"Well…I-"
"The victim still wrote it, didn’t she? Unless, you think somebody else wrote it? If you do, where’s your proof?"
…
Nijika felt overwhelmed from Ryo’s line of questioning. She tried to get her words out of her mouth, but it was like her voice was hiding out of fear in her throat, afraid that Ryo would cut whatever she would say down to size.
The judge shook his head. "Hm, intriguing. The writing does indict the defendant for the crime. It is still quite strange, however."
The judge pummeled his gavel. "I’m sorry, Ms. Ijichi. Unless we have an explanation for this issue, I’m afraid we’ll have to carry on with the trial for now."
"Huh!?"
"Heh heh…score one for Ryo," Ryo did a little fist pump.
But…my contradiction…
"Don’t fret yet," Seika said. "You’ll get your chance to turn it around soon."
I don’t feel so good…
"Your Honor, I’d like to call my next witness," Ryo requested. "He was the first person there to discover the body."
The judge nodded. "Understood. Please bring in your next witness."
***
"State your name and occupation for the court," Ryo asked once more.
"I…am Tomiro Hisuri," Tomiro nonchalantly replied. "I’m a spirit of nature, on a mission to share the gifts of life. No one is free, even the birds are chained from the sky."
"Erm…I beg your pardon?" The judge was dumbfounded.
"He’s a student at Shuka University, a music major," Ryo said. "He was helping out with playing songs for the play that day."
Tomiro strummed random chords on his guitar. "Somethin’ about music that really speaks to people, y’know? Love is a friendship set to music, man."
That’s the same line he gave yesterday…
"Oh hey! It’s you!" Tomiro waved at the defense’s bench. "Never thought I’d see you here. Long time no see!"
"We only just met yesterday…" Nijika said.
"Very well witness, please testify about what you saw," The judge said.
***
Testimony
"So like, I was on my way to the dressing room to check if Akuto was still there, heard she was still missin’. Then, I saw Oyama-san walking out of the dressing room! The door wasn’t closed, so I took a lil’ peek inside and saw Akuto slumped over the dressing table! I thought she was like asleep or somethin’, but when I tried to wake her up, she was totally like…dead! Her neck looked kinda weird too-"
HOLD IT!
"So… was there anything else you found unusual in the room?" Nijika pressed.
"Uhh, there was some glass on the floor with some water," Tomiro said. "It looked like a broken snow globe. Other than that, I don’t think-"
"A…snow globe?" Nijika interjected. "You’re saying you saw a broken snow globe?"
"Right on."
"That’s weird…" Nijika pulls out the photo of the shards of glass. "…this doesn’t remind me of a snow globe."
"H-Huh?" Tomiro was confused.
"These shards of glass, they’re broken beyond recognition!" Nijika slammed her desk. "How would you know it was a snow globe?"
"H-Hey man, I know it was a snowglobe!" Tomiro was befuddled over this line of questioning. "It had like…a black thingy with a snowman, or somethin’."
Nice try… but I can see through your lies!
*CRUNCH*
…
"Huh?" Nijika turned to the prosecutor’s bench.
*MUNCH* *MUNCH*
Ryo was busy biting down on some freshly picked greens she found near the courthouse this morning.
"W-What are you…eating?" Nijika asked, unamused over the prosecutor’s antics.
"Weeds," Ryo deadpanned after she swallowed. "Want some?"
"Ms. Yamada! We’re in the middle of a trial, here!" The judge said.
"I haven’t had my lunch yet," Ryo said as she took another bite. "…and I had to snag them before anybody else got the chance."
I don’t think you have to worry about anyone taking your yummy weeds away.
"But more importantly…" Ryo stashed her weeds away and pulled out a small, black object, the broken base. A miniature top-hatted snowman stood at the top for all the court to see. "This thing familiar?"
"Hey, yeah! That black thingy!" Tomiro said.
"Eh? Where did you…" Nijika was shocked.
"I conducted my own investigation and had it analysed for fingerprints," Ryo explained. "As it turned out, we found fingerprints… belonging to the defendant, Ms. Nene Oyama!"
"N-No way!" Nijika gasped with her mouth wide open as the gallery fell into a commotion.
The judge pounded his gavel. "Order, order in the court! Ms. Yamada, what does this mean!?"
"Your Honor. The defendant’s fingerprints were on this snow globe, and this snow globe was found broken at the scene of the crime. Adding the two statements together…" Ryo pummeled her desk with her fist. "…it’s safe to say that the defendant met with the victim on the day of the murder!"
OBJECTION!
Nijika tried to refute. "Maybe the victim received the snow globe from Ms. Oyama! Like a gift!"
OBJECTION!
"That still doesn’t change the fact that they met on the day of the murder," Ryo rebutted as she raised an eyebrow and casually pointed her finger towards the defense’s bench. "Unless, you think they met some other time for Ms. Oyama to gift that snow globe. Can you prove that?"
"Argh…" Nijika was speechless.
"Heh heh, score two for Ryo," Ryo said under her breath.
That Ryo… she played me like a fiddle!
"If you want, you can check the broken glass pieces for prints," Ryo smirked. "Look out though, they’re sharp."
The thought of going up to the prosecutor’s bench just to wipe the smug look off of Ryo’s face with a tight slap was tempting Nijika.
"I’d like to submit the broken snow globe as evidence, Your Honor."
"Very well, the court accepts it as evidence," The judge said.
"Gotta hand it to Ryo, she knows how to pull an audience to her favour," Seika said.
She also knows how to make me pull my hair out, that’s for sure.
"I believe this calls for more testimony," The judge announced. "Mr. Hisuri, please do not leave any details untold about what you witnessed."
***
Testimony
"Anyway like I said, when I opened the door, her head and arms were like, on the dressing table, and she had a weird red neck! There was also that snow globe that broke. It was super messy, really-"
HOLD IT!
"You’re absolutely sure that you saw the broken snow globe?" Nijika pressed.
"Uh, yeah! And you called me a liar…" Tomiro heaved. "Uncool, dude."
"Hey, I’m sorry! I would’ve known if someone didn’t take the broken snow globe base from the scene of the crime!" Nijika glared at Ryo.
"It’s your fault that you came last. You should’ve came earlier," Ryo said as she folded her arms.
"MY fault!? Listen here you blue-headed buffoon-"
"Ms. Ijichi! The defense will refrain from insulting the prosecution! Please get a hold of yourself!" The judge reprimanded Nijika as he banged his gavel.
"Ack!" She started it!
"Come on, Nijika," Seika sighed. "It’s old news, let’s move on."
"But that’s not fair! I can’t just let it go!" Nijika grumbled.
Ryo smirked as she wagged her finger. "I agree, let’s all get along now."
Nijika was just about ready to set the whole courtroom on fire.
"…Aside from the broken snow globe…" Nijika sneered, speaking through her teeth. "…was there anything else you found out of place?"
"Uhh…" Tomiro thought long and hard as he rubbed his temples. "Nah, I’m far out."
"What about the body? Anything strange?"
"Uhh…her neck was red…" Tomiro shrugged. "…but that’s all I got, man."
The judge nodded. "Is that so? Please continue-"
OBJECTION!
"Wait just one moment, Your Honor!" Nijika swiftly pointed her finger to the witness stand. "Mr. Hisuri, it looks like you’ve overlooked something."
"W-What now?"
"Nothing else really stood out? This picture begs to differ!" Nijika pulls out the photo of the body. "There’s powder on the back of the body! How on earth did you miss that?"
*CRUNCH*
"Powder? That’s kinda weird," Tomiro replied. "I don’t remember any powder on the body…"
*MUNCH* *MUNCH*
Nijika slammed her desk. "Don’t you lie to me you hippie! This photo tells all-"
*CRUNCH* *MUNCH* *MUNCH*
"Ryo, would you PLEASE stop eating those!?" Nijika begged. She was about to go insane from her grassy shenanigans.
Ryo swallowed her weeds and shed a tear. "Do you want me to starve, Nijika? How cruel…"
You’re doing this on purpose! And what kind of crunchy weeds are you eating, anyway!?
Nijika slammed her desk. "We’ve got bigger problems here, like this contradiction!"
Ryo pummeled her desk. "Fine, why don’t you explain to us what this contradiction means then?"
"Right…that’s because…uh…" Nijika stuttered as she tried to come up with something to say.
Jeez, give a girl some time to think…
"If the witness isn’t lying, there is another possibility," Seika added.
"Another…?"
"If he didn’t see the powder on the body, that would only mean that it wasn’t there when he entered the room," Seika explained. "In other words…"
…
"Ah! Someone would’ve powdered the body after he entered!" Nijika uttered.
"But… why would they do that?" The judge wondered.
"Uhh… that is the question, isn’t it?" Nijika smiled nervously as she scratched the back of her head.
"That is besides the point, Your Honor," Ryo jumped in.
"Hm? What do you mean, Prosecutor Yamada?"
"This opens up a whole new possibility," Ryo said with her finger outstretched. "Someone else was at the scene of the crime!"
The gallery went into an uproar. "Order! Order!" The judge exclaimed as he pounded his gavel. "I hadn’t even thought of that! Brilliant deduction, Prosecutor Yamada!"
Ryo put her hands on her cheeks. "Blush~"
H-Hey! That was gonna be my deduction!
"Any…Anyway!" Nijika cut in. "If someone else entered the room to powder the victim, who’s to say that the name written with the same powder was a fake!?"
"That’s right," Seika said. "If the body was powdered after Mr. Hisuri walked in, someone else could’ve easily written the defendant’s name using the victim’s finger."
"Your Honor!" Nijika said to the judge. "In light of this new information, the defense believes that declaring a verdict would be impossible until we find out who this other person is!"
"Hm…I have to agree with the defense," The judge contemplated.
Tomiro began to strum his guitar. "Always trust those searching for The Truth, never those who have found it."
"Hm? Something you’d like to add, Mr. Hisuri?" The judge asked.
"Now that you mentioned it, somethin’ just hit me…"
Oh boy, what’s he up to now?
"Just maybe… I think I might know who powdered the body!"
"W-Whaaaat!?" Nijika exclaimed.
The gallery fell into another commotion. "O-Order! I will have order!" The judge pounded his gavel.
This has to be a joke…
"Looks like we aren’t done here yet…" Ryo folded her arms. "…Your Honor, if you may?"
The judge nodded. "Let’s hear your testimony then."
***
Testimony
"Yeah… that day, I definitely saw Oyama-san carrying around a can of cooling powder! She’s like… pretty sporty, right? So like, It makes sense for her to be using that stuff-"
HOLD IT!
Nijika pointed furiously. "And you’re only telling us this now!?"
"Listen man, I didn’t think you were gonna make such a big deal about it!" Tomiro fumed. "I’ve got some songwriting to do so like, can we speed this up?"
Ryo folded her arms. "I agree, I actually wanted to nap a little after this trial was over. In fact…" Ryo rubbed her chin. "…Your Honor, how about an early ruling-"
OBJECTION!
"Oi! Take your naps after I’m done here!" Nijika grumbled through gritted teeth.
The judge pounded his gavel. "In any case, let’s try our best to expedite this trial, shall we? Now then, please continue your testimony."
"Anyway, I think she used some of her cooling powder on the body! I dunno why, but how else would there be powder-"
OBJECTION!
"Hold it right there!" Nijika pointed her index finger once more. "The defense still believes that someone else could’ve powdered the body!"
"Is that so?" The judge asked.
"Have a look at this," Nijika pulled out an empty can of cooling powder. "This was found in a trash can in the dressing room!"
"You… dug from a trash can?" Ryo asked, concerned for the blonde.
The judge shook his head. "Ms. Ijichi, I can’t say this bodes well for your case… or your hygiene."
"Remind me to never shake your hand," Tomiro said.
"H-Hey, I wasn’t even the one who took it!" Nijika grumbled. "The point is, it’s possible that this can was used by someone else to powder the body! How about it, Ryo?"
"Challenging me, eh? Okay then…" Ryo folded her arms. Things were starting to get competitive. "Who’s to say that the defendant threw this can away after she was done powdering the body? Doesn’t really prove much."
OBJECTION!
"Oh, it proves a lot," Nijika refuted. "As a matter of fact, this can bears no fingerprints!"
OBJECTION!
"Maybe the defendant was wearing gloves at the time," Ryo rebutted once more. "…Or maybe she wiped them off."
OBJECTION!
"But that wouldn’t make sense…" Nijika rubbed her chin in thought. "If there weren’t any prints here, then why would she leave her prints on the broken base of the snow globe? She couldn’t have worn any gloves, nor could she have wiped her prints off!"
"Gnk! …Uh, ahem. I admit that it is possible…" Ryo said as she tried to keep her cool.
Haha! Score one for Nijika!
"However!" Ryo pummeled her desk as she cleared her throat. "How do you know that this can was thrown away at the time of the murder?"
The judge nodded. "The prosecution has a point. If this extra can wasn’t thrown away right after the time of the murder, I’m afraid I will have to deny the defense’s claims of another person entering the dressing room."
"Huh!? J-Just like that!?" Nijika gulped.
How am I gonna prove such an exact time!?
"I’ll take that score back, thank you very much," Ryo said.
"B-But…what about the backwards name in the powder?" Nijika desperately asked. "How can you explain that?"
Ryo shook her head once more. "Do you have proof that the name and the powder on the table was there exactly after the body was discovered? Maybe the powder on the table existed before then. That would give the victim time to write it herself before she died."
"Th-There’s no proof that that happened either!" Nijika cried.
"I don’t have to prove anything," Ryo said. "You’re the one doing the proving, here."
"B-But…Guh…" Nijika felt like her mouth was taped shut.
No! We were doing so well!
This… this can’t be it!
Nijika grasped the sides of her head as she tried to come up with something, just something to say.
…
"Nijika."
"H-Huh?" She turned to face her sister.
"Looks like we’ve finally hit a road block."
Sis?
"Y’know what I would do if I was stuck? I’d switch lanes," Seika smiled.
"W-What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
"Let’s back it up for a minute," Seika turned her head to face the witness. "This case isn’t over yet. There’s still one question left unanswered, a looming doubt hanging over everybody’s heads: why would the killer powder the body?"
"Why…did they do it?"
Seika nodded. "If we can figure that out, it should tie everything together."
"H-How are we gonna answer that!?"
"Think outside of the box," Seika pointed to her left temple. "Let’s assume that the can was there."
Nijika nodded in confusion.
"If you tried to strangle someone, there would be evidence of a struggle, right? What if…the killer faked that too?"
What? The killer…faked it?
"Ahem, does the defense have anything else to add?" The judge asked.
"Your Honor! …Uh… the defense has a theory!" Nijika uttered.
I have no idea what I’m doing…
"A theory? Very well, please share your thoughts with the rest of us."
"We still lack a valid reason behind the powdered body! So… here’s what I think…" Nijika rubbed her chin.
"…Maybe…maybe the killer…faked it too?" Nijika winced.
…
…
…
"…Erm, they 'faked it'? Please elaborate," The judge asked.
"…Well…if you think about it, the killer probably tried to hide the fact that they had been there, and pin the crime on Ms. Oyama at the same time…right?"
"I see…but what were they trying to fake?" The judge was puzzled.
"…M-Maybe they powdered the body to make it look like an accident! Like…it fell off a shelf…or something?" Nijika said as she scratched the back of her head. "I mean, it couldn’t have been an accident, since Mr. Hisuri didn’t see any powder then…right?"
…
…
Wait a minute…
"Hm…" The judge shook his head. "To be honest, while it sounds like a stretch, I cannot deny the possibility. The court acknowledges the defense’s theory."
No way… we actually pulled that off!?
*CRUNCH* *MUNCH* *MUNCH*
"Ryo, I swear to god…" Nijika pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Sorry. *MUNCH* It’s snack time…but hold on," Ryo said with her mouth full of weeds. "Do you *MUNCH* have any proof that *MUNCH* there was a can of powder *MUNCH* in the dressing room at the time of the murder?"
"Ahem. Back at the scene of the crime, there’s a shelf hanging above the dressing room table. We found traces of white powder on the shelf. If this is the same powder we are all familiar with…it’s proof that there could’ve been a can of powder in the dressing room at the time of the murder!" Nijika said as she pointed towards the prosecutor’s bench.
The gallery went into another uproar. "Order! O-Order!" The judge pounded his gavel.
Nijika slammed her desk. "Your Honor, the defense believes that this contradiction opens up the possibility of another suspect!"
OBJECTION!
"You really want to pin the crime on this fourth person, huh?" Ryo objected after she gulped down her weeds. "Maybe you can explain the backwards writing, then."
"This is it, Nijika. The home stretch," Seika folded her arms.
"H-Huh? How can I explain that!?" Nijika jolted.
"It’s time to look for a new angle. We just proved a new possibility, another person could’ve entered the room then. If the writing feels out of place right now, then try to think of a way it couldn’t have felt out of place, in the eyes of the true killer!"
"Eh…?"
How in the world could this mirrored writing look normal!?
…
…
Wait.
…Mirrored?
…
"AAAHHH!" Nijika shrieked.
"Wh-What’s the matter, Ms. Ijichi!?" The judge was startled.
"Your Honor! I think I might have solved it! The backwards writing!" Nijika pointed with all her might. The gallery started chattering.
"Order! Order! Order!" The judge pounded his gavel.
Ryo pummeled her desk, her fist full of weeds. "Let’s hear it then, why was the writing backwards?"
"Look!" Nijika brought out the photo of the body once more. "See that there’s a big mirror facing the victim?"
"Something wrong with it?" Ryo scrutinized the photo.
"…Ah!" Ryo leaned back in shock. "N-No way…"
Nijika nodded. "Your Honor! Someone else could’ve entered the room and forged this writing. They could’ve mistakenly written the defendant’s name according to what they saw reflected in the mirror! When reflected, the name is shown to be written normally!"
"I see…it’s becoming clear now!" The judge said.
"They must’ve been in quite a hurry to have left such an obvious mistake behind," Seika smirked as she set her hands on her hips.
Nijika slammed her desk. "Your Honor! The defense will continue to pursue our claim: there was in fact, another person that day!"
…
"Hmm…I see," The judge nodded. "I do believe that the defense’s reasoning behind the powdered body and the writing has merit to it. However! We still lack the critical evidence to support or refute this possibility. I would like both the defense and the prosecution to investigate this matter fully. Am I clear?"
Yes, Your Honor!" Nijika nodded.
"Of course, Your Honor," Ryo said with her back against the wall.
We did it… we pulled through!
"Very well, court is adjourned for today!" The judge pummeled his gavel.
Notes:
First of all, I just want to thank you guys for the support on the first chapter. I’ve been trying to write to the best of my abilities and I’d like to get better.
Second, sorry I haven’t updated the story at all since the first chapter. I’ve been really busy as of late, but I do have a lot planned for upcoming chapters. I figured I would leave notes inbetween every one investigation and one trial segment, since that’s how I’m probably going to update this story from now on.
Once again, thank you for reading! Feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Edit: I had to change most of Ryo’s dialogue, I didn’t really like how one-dimensional she sounded. So, instead of an Edgeworth clone, we got a dry grassfed Godot. A goofy, weed-eating yet highly skilled prosecutor.
Chapter 4: Turnabout Encore - Change Of Scene
Chapter Text
October 2nd
Starry Law Offices
Nijika kicked the office door wide open. Her legs were about to give out, she felt like she had been standing in that courtroom for what seemed like an eternity. The trial she spent grasping for the judge’s approval was finally over…for now.
I wanna go home…
"That was way too close…" Nijika deflated.
"I don’t know…I think you did just fine," Seika said.
Nijika rubbed her face. "I still can’t believe we made it out alive…and what was up with Ryo!? She was out to get me!"
"Come on, she was just doing her job. She’s good at what she does."
Good at what? Ticking me off?
"Anyway, we better get to investigating," Seika said. "Now that we bought some time in court, let’s use it wisely."
"Okay…" Nijika sighed as she tried to get up.
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Foyer
"Hey, is that Mr. Kijo?" Nijika asked as the two arrived at the campus entrance.
"Wonder who’s he talking to," Seika said. Standing with Zeita was a woman sporting a black blouse with suspenders, a white long sleeve shirt, a pair of sunglasses, and a big white sun hat to top it all off.
"Anyway, I’ll see you later, Mr. Kijo," The woman waved goodbye.
Nijika walked up to Zeita. "Mr. Kijo!"
"Ah, it’s you two. That was quite the performance you did back there!" Zeita said.
"Oh? You were watching in the gallery?"
"Of course, Ms. Oyama is my responsibility. At least, according to the board…" Zeita grumbled. "Though I am grateful that you took up her defense. Thank you."
"All in a day’s work!" Nijika flashed a thumbs up.
"That prosecutor too, she looked so lax, so intimidating. I’m not much of an expert in law, but you two make a fine team. Always throwing words back and forth…" Zeita said.
"Uh, if you say so."
A team? With her? As if!
"By the way, who was that you were talking to just now?" Nijika asked.
"Ah, she’s one of the actors of our play, Ochiru Hoshi," Zeita said. "She’s quite a gem, being one of our top drama students!"
"Drama? So, she’s your student?"
"She’s a natural, that one. It’s like she was born to be an actress, surpassing even my expectations!" Zeita added. "Honestly, she might even make it big when she graduates. I can already see every talent agency just begging her to take their deals!"
"Did she like…have a big role in that play you guys were having?" Nijika asked.
"It’s a minor role, but a very important one nonetheless," Zeita nodded. "She was to play as the lady who left the merchant, her father, for a man she was in love with. She also happened to steal her father’s gold at the same time. This of course, sets the merchant’s plan into motion: His ‘pound of flesh’ plan, see."
Nijika scratched her head. "I…see."
I don’t see…
Seika whispered to Nijika. "They say that good actors make good liars."
"Where did you even hear that from?" Nijika said, unamused.
Still, we should probably ask her about the murder. It’s not like we have any leads to begin with…
"She’s quite interesting, that one. What with her background and all," Zeita twirled his pencil around.
"Her background?" Nijika’s eyes widened.
"I still can’t believe it, to say the least," Zeita said. "With talent like that, you’d have to wonder how she wasn’t well-to-do."
"…What do you mean?"
"Her and her family were an unfortunate bunch," Zeita sighed. "Her father is currently out of a job, her mother passed long ago. It’s… a delicate situation, to say the least. I can’t help but feel sorry for her."
"O-Oh…"
"Considering the university fees, I’m not sure how she even afforded to get in in the first place," Zeita said.
That is pretty strange…where did the money come from?
"Well, nobody can be that badly off, right?" Nijika said. "I’m sure her luck will turn around eventually."
Zeita nodded. "I can only hope that you’re right."
"Thanks, Mr. Kijo. I guess we’ll be on our way- Uh…Sis? You okay?" Nijika turned to the sobbing blonde.
"Uh huh, *sniffle* yeah," Seika said as she wiped her cheeks. "I just *ahem* got something in my eye."
They’re called ‘tears’, y’know…
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Dressing Room
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. You got a lot of nerve coming back here," Aiko fumed.
"Are we in trouble or something?" Seika asked.
"I’m the one in trouble! What with your ‘contradictions’ and whatever…" Aiko folded her arms. "Who cares if the writing was backwards?"
"Hey, come on! First of all, I was just doing my job. Second, that writing ended up being important anyway!"
"Well, I hope you’re happy. Thanks to you, I have Prosecutor Yamada’s evaluation to look forward to next month…" Aiko pouted. "She’s gonna pay me with weeds, I just know it!"
Is she even allowed to do that??
"Anyway, you aren’t thinking of talking to that student, are ya?" Aiko asked.
"Huh? Oh, you mean Ms. Hoshi? What’s wrong?"
Aiko looked to her side. "…She’s gonna be a witness for tomorrow’s trial."
"W-Witness? You mean, she’s testifying!? Why only now?"
Aiko shrugged. "Prosecutor Yamada did some digging and found a lead. Seemed like she had a lot to ask."
"You have to wonder what Ryo is up to," Seika said.
Maybe it’s time we had a little chat with Ms. Hoshi…
"Lemme guess," Aiko raised an eyebrow. "You wanna go talk to her."
"Would…that be okay?" Nijika asked.
Aiko sighed. "Go ahead. She should be in the main theatre somewhere."
"Thanks, Yami-san!"
"Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it, kid…" Aiko folded her arms.
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Main Theatre
The two sisters returned to the main stage. They spotted a woman in a familiar white sun hat scrolling through her phone.
She’s really pretty upclose.
…
"…Anyone ever tell you it’s rude to stare?"
"H-Huh? Oh, uh…sorry. Ms. Hoshi, was it?" Nijika tried to keep her cool.
How the heck did she notice me?
Ochiru shut her phone off and turned to look at the blonde. "Can I help you with something? I don’t got all day."
"R-Right! W-W-Well, you see…uh…"
Why am I so nervous all of a sudden!?
"We just wanna talk. About the murder," Seika said as she patted Nijika on her shoulder. "Right, Nijika?"
"Y-Yeah! If there’s anything you can tell us, it’d be great!" Nijika said. "You guys were rehearsing a play, right? The merchant of…venus, was it?"
"…Venice. The Merchant of Venice," Oshiru took off her sunglasses. "…And you are?"
"Ah, we’re Oyama-san’s lawyers. I’m Nijika. This is my sister, Seika. Nice to meet you!" Nijika stretched her hand out for a handshake.
"…Thanks," She resumed her phone scrolling. "Yeah, we were rehearsing a play."
"…Mr. Kijo told us you’re a pretty good actor," Seika took over her sister who felt dejected.
"I’m just trying to make it big. I’m good at what I do, I’ll get my degree and move on to other things," Ochiru said.
"Did you ever know Ms. Haiko?" Nijika asked.
"Akuto-chan? She was a nice friend. Shame she’s gone, though," Ochiru sighed. "If you ask me, I’m thinkin’ Nene-chan did it."
"Huh? What makes you say that?" Nijika asked.
"She was there, wasn’t she?" Ochiru smiled.
"W-Well, yeah…"
"So, you’ll be testifying tomorrow?" Seika asked. Ochiru simply nodded.
"But…how did you witness anything if you were busy rehearsing?" Nijika asked.
"We still had a bit of free time before we had to start our next round of rehearsals. We weren’t actually doing anything then."
I guess she could’ve seen something then…
"I think I’ve said enough…still got a testimony to give tomorrow."
"One last thing, why didn’t you come to testify earlier?" Nijika asked.
"…That’s none of your business," Ochiru folded her arms. "If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading down to the police station. Right, Ms. Yami?"
Nijika turned her back to find Aiko standing behind.
"D-Detective Yami?"
"Sorry kid, time’s up," Aiko sighed.
"What’s going on…?" Nijika asked.
"Prosecutor Yamada called. Said she wanted to talk with the witness," Aiko said. "You’re gonna have to save your questions for tomorrow."
"See you soon~" Ochiru waved goodbye. The two left for the exit.
…
"Great…Now what?" Nijika asked.
"…Let’s go talk to Oyama-san," Seika said. "We’ll go over what we know so far with her."
I guess that’s all we can do at this point…
***
October 2nd
Detention Center
Visitor’s Room
"Coach!" Nene exclaimed. "Man, am I glad you’re my lawyer. You were so cool today!"
"Aw, don’t mention it," Nijika waved her hand bashfully.
"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Nene asked.
"Right, you don’t happen to know a Ms. Hoshi, do you?" Nijika asked.
"Wait, you guys know Hoshi-senpai!?" Nene gasped.
"We met her at the campus just now," Nijika said. "Mr. Kijo told us she’s a pretty good actor apparently."
"Oh, she’s amazing, coach!" Nene gushed as her eyes sparkled. "She’s a natural on stage, and she’s really pretty too…Oh! One time I even got her to sign my arm, I never washed it for a week! Then, there was this other time-"
"Okay, okay, calm down!" Nijika uttered.
"Sorry, she’s just…so cool! I’m like her biggest fan!" Nene exclaimed.
No kidding…
"So…you don’t know then?" Nijika asked.
"Huh?"
"…She’s gonna be testifying tomorrow for the prosecution," Seika said.
…
"WHAT???"
That’s the loudest I’ve heard her…
"But…why??" Nene asked as she pressed her palms on the glass pane.
"We…don’t really know yet, but don’t worry!" Nijika reassured Nene. "If she tries to incriminate you, we’ll be ready!"
"I-Incriminate…?" Nene stuttered. "She wouldn’t do that, right? She’s…probably just looking out for me! Y-Yeah! I’m sure she’ll vouch for me!"
Poor Oyama-san…
"Either way, things are about to go down," Seika added. "A new witness this late in the game? I don’t trust it."
"What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
…
Oh…
"Sis, you’re not suspecting her…are you?"
Seika nodded. "It’s too convenient. Too obvious. You’ll learn to develop an intuition for this sort of thing someday."
Intuition…?
"W-Wait…she’s the murderer??" Nene exclaimed. "No way, I don’t believe it!"
"Do we even have anything to use to convict her?" Nijika asked.
"No, but we can’t rule her out as a possibility, can we?" Seika said.
"I guess not…"
"C-Can we talk about something else, please!?" Nene begged.
"Uh…Oh! I was just wondering…" Nijika said. "How did your fingerprints wind up on that broken snow globe, Oyama-san?"
"The one with the little snowman?" Nene asked. "Well…Hoshi-senpai gave it to me. She told me to hold on to it for a while."
"She asked you that?" Seika smirked. "Interesting…"
"I swear, every time she says something, you always have that smug look on your face," Nijika sighed.
"Listen," Seika whispered. "If she asked her to hold on to it, we could interpret that as her wanting to plant her fingerprints on the snow globe. The reason for that is…"
"…It would’ve made Oyama-san suspicious!" Nijika whispered back. "She wanted to frame her from the very beginning!"
"Um, is something wrong?" Nene asked.
"A-Ah, sorry, it’s nothing!" Nijika laughed nervously.
"But then, how did it wind up at the dressing room?" Seika asked.
"Did you not keep the snow globe?" Nijika asked Nene.
"I did, but I left it somewhere backstage. I guess someone must’ve taken it…"
"Someone took it, huh?" Seika smirked.
There’s that smug face of hers again…
"Sounds like we need to investigate backstage," Seika said. "We’ll see you in court tomorrow."
"Alright. Thanks again, Oyama-san. Hang in there!" Nijika assured.
"Will do!" Nene saluted.
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Backstage Corridor
The two sisters found themselves behind the scenes, in a long and dimly-lit corridor cluttered with all kinds of stage props and equipment…and dust.
"Ah…Ahh…ACHOO!"
Lots of dust.
"Ugh…someone oughta clean this place up," Nijika sniffed.
"Eh, it’s not so bad," Seika said through her disposable face mask.
"Easy for you to say…where’d you even get a…ah…ACHOO!"
"An attorney always comes prepared," Seika said as she pulled out another mask for her dying sister.
"Th-Thanks…"
The two proceeded to investigate…and do a little bit of spring-cleaning. More specifically, Nijika went through the hassle of dusting every nook and cranny with a feather duster she found in a cleaning closet.
"Ugh…What’s the point of having a cleaning closet if nobody is gonna bother taking care of the place!?" Nijika grumbled.
"You don’t have to trouble yourself, y’know," Seika said.
"If I’m not doing it, nobody else will," Nijika said.
Not that Seika was surprised, Nijika did all the cleaning back at the office. A coffee spill or a messy desk would earn her a brief nagging session from her sister, almost like a mother scolding a child.
"Jeez, all these props scattered everywhere, someone could trip and fall! How do they get anything done with all this clutter? Doesn’t anyone know how to organize? It’s a mess! What’s this, a receipt? For a snow globe, huh? How did this even get here? Whoever bought this, I oughta shove this feather duster up their-"
"Wait," Seika cut off her sister’s ramblings. "Did you say snow globe?"
"Yeah?" Nijika said. "It says right here, one snow globe. What’s wrong?"
"…Doesn’t that ring any bells to you?" Seika raised an eyebrow.
"Uhh…"
…
…
"Oh…OH!" Nijika’s eyes widened.
"Ryo must be rubbing off on you," Seika shook her head.
"Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!?"
"Let’s just stay quiet about it for now. It might just be another random clue, so let’s not jump to conclusions yet," Seika said.
"Right, we’ll keep it a secret."
"Keep what a secret?"
Nijika looked behind her to see a man with familiar long brown hair and a beard.
"A-Ah… it’s you!" Nijika said.
"How goes it? And namaste…" Tomiro pressed his palms together.
"What are you doing back here?" Nijika asked.
"I was just getting Baby over here…" Tomiro showed off his acoustic guitar. "I left her behind while I was on my way to the bathroom. Gotta have my privacy, y’know?"
"Uh…right," Nijika said.
It’s just a guitar…
"Anyway, what are you guys doin’ here?" Tomiro asked.
"Oh, we were just investigating for the case…sorry again for putting you on the spot like that," Nijika scratched the back of her head.
"Hey, it’s no biggie. Make love, not war, am I right?" Tomiro said as he formed a peace sign with his hand. "I’m too busy jammin’ out to hold a grudge, anyway. Isn’t that right, Baby?" He kissed his guitar on the neck.
Getting weirder…
"Um… I was wondering if you knew Ms. Ochiru Hoshi?" Nijika asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, everybody knows Ochiru," Tomiro said. "She’s got like a million fans here…kinda annoying though."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
"She keeps tellin’ me to change my notes and stuff. She gets all mad and I’m like, cool off, man. Just because you’re some big star or whatever… I wouldn’t go yappin’ around if I had all these rumors flyin’ about, y’know."
"Right… wait, rumors?" Nijika asked.
"Yeah, rumors," Tomiro toned his voice down to a whisper. "You ever like, wonder how she got the dough to get in here? Apparently…" He pulled out an article. "…she made a deal with Akuto."
Nijika narrowed her eyes as she read through the article. "…Famed Student Actor Turned To Borrowing Money… is this the school paper?"
"Right on, The Shuka Digest. It’s only like, a theory though, so don’t keep your hopes up," Tomiro said.
"Why do you even have this on you anyway?" Seika asked.
"Oh, I’m actually like, part of the news team. Just wanna spread the word, y’know?" Tomiro said with a peace sign.
"Oh… well, thanks! This’ll be a big help-"
"That’ll be $1."
"Eh?"
"Come on, I gotta meet my quota," Tomiro said.
…
Nijika sighed as she pulled out a dollar for the hippie.
"Pleasure doing business with you guys," Tomiro bowed.
"So she asked the victim to lend her a bit of money?" Nijika said.
"$50,000 isn’t exactly ‘a bit’ Nijika," Seika said as she read through the article.
"Fifty- what!?" Nijika’s jaw dropped. "Who the heck has that much money!?"
"Oh yeah, Akuto was always rollin’ in the money," Tomiro said. "Makes sense that Ochiru would ask her to… y’know."
"Looks like we just got ourselves a motive," Seika nudged Nijika.
"Can you tell us more about this?" Nijika asked Tomiro.
"Mmm…my memory is a lil’ hazy on that, sorry," Tomiro said. "You should talk to like, Mr. Kijo. Show him the paper and I’m sure he’ll remember. I think I saw him in like, the sick bay just now?"
"Got it. Wow, thanks for all the info! This is a great help," Nijika said.
"Hey, I’m just your friendly neighbourhood keeper of the peace," Tomiro pressed his palms together. "I’m gonna head out, good luck with your investigation thing!"
…
"Alright, to Mr. Kijo!" Nijika pumped her fist in the air.
"I thought you wanted to clean this place up-"
"To Mr. Kijo!" Nijika grabbed her sister’s arm as the two left for the sick bay.
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Sick Bay
Nijika poked her head through the doorway.
The room was what you’d expect out of a normal sick bay, with medicine cabinets lining the walls and a few white-sheeted beds occupying most of the room. Nijika spotted a familiar curly-haired man wrapping a bandage around one hand.
"Mr. Kijo!"
"Gah!"
Zeita accidentally knocked over a plastic jar of bandages from a shelf.
"Please, don’t jump from the door like that…" Zeita said as he caught his breath.
"Sorry! Sorry, I’ll clean that up for you…"
"What are you doing in here?" Seika asked.
"I…happened to burn myself while I was trying to make my afternoon tea, see. I was just wrapping up my hand here," Zeita sheepishly laughed.
Nijika placed the jar of bandages back on the shelf. "There. Like it never happened!"
…
"Hm?"
"What’s up?" Seika asked.
Nijika felt something silky on her fingertips.
"…There’s some white stuff on this jar."
"What?" Seika looked at the jar. "White powder…in the shape of a handprint."
If this is the same powder from before…what does this mean for us?
"Can we find out whose handprint this belongs to?" Nijika asked.
"I don’t know," Seika rubbed her chin in thought. "Those fingerprints are all smudged in powder. I doubt we’ll get a good reading off of them anyway."
"Darn…" Nijika sighed in dissapointment. "Well, it ended up being a dead end after all-"
"I wouldn’t jump to that conclusion, Nijika."
"Huh?" Nijika turned to her sister.
Seika raised an eyebrow. "Evidence is everything. Remember?"
"Ohh, yeah!" Nijika said as she was reminded of her last trial.
"Y’know, I bet we could find more evidence if we looked around here. Is that okay with you, Mr. Kijo?" Seika asked.
"I don’t see why not," Zeita said. "Anything to help your investigation, I suppose."
And invesitgate they did. There wasn’t much else to look at, they scanned the whole room for any traces of powder or anything relevant to their case. Nijika even looked in the trash can by the door.
"What’s with you and trash cans these days?" Seika asked.
"Shut up! I’m just checking for stuff!" Nijika grumbled. "There’s nothing in here anyway- OW-"
Nijika somehow hit her head on the doorknob as she got up.
"Oh my, are you alright?" Zeita asked.
"Oww…" Nijika whimpered in pain.
"I don’t even know what to say," Seika sighed…until she noticed something on the doorknob.
"…Is that a card reader?" Seika asked.
"Ah, yes. Some doors here have a built in card reader above the doorknob. If you wanted to get in, you’d need a key card. I must’ve left it slightly open without knowing," Zeita said.
"Would it be okay if we looked at the logs?" Seika asked.
"Of course. Let me go ahead and check…" Zeita booted up a computer next to the door.
"What are you lookin' for?" Nijika rubbed her head where the sore spot was.
"You’ll see."
"Here we are, help yourselves," Zeita gestured to the computer. There was a list of names and dates on display.
"Thanks," Seika said. She glued her eyes to the screen as she scrolled through.
…
…
"I knew it."
"Knew what?" Nijika asked.
"Look," Seika highlighted a name, date and time on the list:
"OCHIRU HOSHI 16:15 30/09"
"Okay…" Nijika said, unconvinced. "She went to the sick bay when the murder happened. So?"
"The question is 'why'," Seika said as she pulled out her phone to take a picture of the list. "So…we’ll have to drag the truth out of her tomorrow."
"If you say so," Nijika shrugged. "By the way Mr. Kijo, do you know anything about uh, this?" Nijika showed the school article to Zeita.
"What’s this? …Ah," Zeita sighed as he read the headlines.
"We think it has something to do with the case," Nijika said. "Can you tell us more?"
"…I see," Zeita said. "Well, Ms. Haiko’s family was always very affluent to begin with. Her parents are movie producers, famous ones at that. They remain at the top of the industry with their iconic titles, like that one with the guy that could shoot spider webs out of his hands, I think."
"What!? They made-"
"Nijika," Seika cut her off.
"Right, sorry."
"Anyway, I always figured she had lent someone money. I don’t mean to sound weird, but I could always overhear her talking to the other students about how she hadn’t gotten it back from someone? If that was the case, then I suppose this whole ordeal was to be expected…"
"What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
"To be honest, her parents wouldn’t have gotten so famous if they had never been blessed by a fortune. The Yamada Fortune."
Nijika’s eyes widened.
"They saw potential in them, so they decided to invest in them," Zeita said. "Looking at past events, it’s almost like a pattern. Something bad always happens when it comes to The Yamada Fortune, be it a crime like murder. It all started with that one incident. I’m sure Ms. Seika knows what I’m referring to."
"Uh…Sis?" Nijika asked.
"It’s nothing but a coincidence," Seika said. "I screwed that case shut long ago."
"Of course, I don’t think they would actively sabotage people," Zeita sheepishly laughed. "Just a little trend I noticed."
I feel like I’m really missing something here…
"There was also that prosecutor you were working with," Zeita said.
"E-Eh?"
"She’s a Yamada, right?" Zeita asked. "Though, something about her seemed…different."
"I…don’t follow," Nijika was clueless.
"I’m sure you’ll understand sooner or later," Zeita said. "It’s getting quite late, you two should head back. Campus grounds usually close around 7PM."
"Huh? O-Oh, time really flies," Nijika looked at her phone. It was 6:57PM.
"Let’s go, Nijika…and thank you for your time, Mr. Kijo," Seika said.
"You’re welcome. All the best for the trial tomorrow," Zeita bowed.
***
October 2nd
Shuka University
Foyer
"…Hey, Sis?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you know what Mr. Kijo was talking about? About Ryo?"
"…You’re thinking into it too much. Worry about the case first."
"Fine…"
"We’ve got all we need for the trial. Let’s get some rest for tomorrow."
…
"…and trust me, you’ll see." Seika smiled.
Chapter Text
October 3rd, 10:00 AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
"Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Nene Oyama. Are the defense and prosecution ready?" The judge asked.
Nijika squinted at the blue-haired woman standing near the prosecutor’s bench…who was somehow dozing off.
How is she sleeping like that…?
…
"Ms. Ijichi! Are you ready or not!?" The judge exclaimed.
"Huh? Oh, y-yes, Your Honor!"
Why is he mad at me??
Ryo stood up straight and rubbed her eyes. "The prosecution is…*yawn* ready, Your Honor."
"Let’s begin with a brief recap," The judge said. "Yesterday, the possibility of another person present at the scene was brought up. The powder on the victim’s body…and the writing on the table were proven to exist after yesterday’s witness discovered the body."
"In other words, they could’ve been fake," Seika added.
"Ms. Yamada, perhaps you would like to state the prosecution’s position," The judge said.
"My case is the same, my evidence at bay. My witness is ready, what more can I say?" Ryo shrugged.
Who is she, Dr. Seuss??
The judge nodded. "Very well, Ms. Yamada. You may call your witness."
***
"Witness, your name and occupation," Ryo asked.
"…Ochiru Hoshi. Drama student," Ochiru said as she scrolled through her phone. "Could we hurry along, please? I don’t have all day."
OBJECTION!
"Not so fast!" Nijika slammed her desk. "I think this court demands an explanation from you. Why didn’t you come to testify yesterday!?"
"Now, now, Ms. Ijichi. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves," The judge said. "Ms. Hoshi?"
"What can I say? I’m a star. I’m busy," Ochiru said. "Of course, it’s not like I’d expect a lowly lawyer like you to understand."
Nijika felt a vein on her forehead popping.
"Anyway, Prosecutor Yamada promised me grade points if I came here to testify," Ochiru smirked. "I couldn’t pass up the opportunity now, could I?"
"Can you even do that?" Nijika raised an eyebrow at Ryo.
"…I’m the quintessential prosecutor of Shimokitazawa," Ryo struck a pose.
I’d love to know where you get all that confidence…
"In any case, let’s begin with your testimony. Please testify to the court about what you saw," The judge asked.
***
Testimony
"As you all know, we were about to start a run-through of the whole play. Akuto-chan wasn’t there, so I went to go look for her. That’s when I saw Oyama-san walking out of the dressing room. I opened the door, and I saw Akuto-chan lying on the table-"
HOLD IT!
"So, you were in the room? Did you see the writing on the table then?" Nijika pressed.
"Yes, along with everything else."
"Everything…else?" Nijika asked.
"The room, duh. It was a complete mess."
"Can you maybe describe the room in more detail?" Nijika asked.
"…Do I have to?" Ochiru sighed as she scrolled through her phone. "Or did you forget? Must be hard for someone of your age, Ms. Ijichi."
"Don’t talk to me like that, I’m only 24!" Nijika grumbled. "I just wanna know what YOU saw!"
"Well, if I must. There was powder everywhere, the furniture was all tipped over and there was broken glass on the floor," Ochiru said. "It must’ve been from that brown snow globe she kept."
"Hmm, I do remember hearing about a snow globe…" The judge thought out loud.
"It looked so nice too, had a cute little christmas tree and everything. It’s a shame it broke-"
OBJECTION!
"…Ms. Hoshi. For an actor, you’re a terrible liar," Nijika smirked.
"…What are you going on about?" Ochiru raised an eyebrow.
"You testified that you saw a brown snow globe. Yet at the crime scene," Nijika slammed her desk. "A black snow globe was found!"
"Shoot! I mean…uh…" Ochiru vigorously scrolled through her phone. "I…must’ve thought it was brown when I saw it! Right! It’s easy to make that sort of mistake!"
OBJECTION!
Nijika shook her head. "I’m not done. Now, you also testified that the snow globe had a small christmas tree. However…" Nijika pulled out the black snow globe. "…this black snow globe has a tiny snowman! Are you telling me you mistook it for a christmas tree!?"
"Gnk!" Ochiru squeezed her phone in frustration. The gallery fell into a commotion.
"Order! Order in the court! Hmm…I do find it hard to believe that any normal person could make such a mistake," The judge said.
"Ms. Yamada! Was a brown snow globe found at the scene of the crime?" Nijika pointed at the prosecutor who was…somehow dozing off again.
…
"OI! RYO!" Nijika shouted.
Ryo opened her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows. "…Can’t you let me nap in peace?"
Are you kidding?? And why isn’t the judge saying anything??
"…No, there wasn’t a brown snow globe. But, *yawn* who cares?" Ryo said.
"Y-Yeah! It’s just a snow globe, right? What’s the big deal?" Ochiru folded her arms.
Hmm…what does it change, I wonder?
"I think we’ve found our opening," Seika chimed in.
"Sis?"
"She was oddly specific, talking about this missing brown snow globe. Which means, it must’ve existed. Which means…"
"…Someone took it!" Nijika finished her sister’s sentence.
"Right. But why would they do that, and why did it change to a black snow globe?" Seika asked.
Was there something important about that black snow globe?
"Ms. Ijichi, have you an explanation?" The judge asked.
"I…think I do, Your Honor," Nijika said "Assuming this brown snow globe was at the scene, someone must’ve taken it and swapped it with the black snow globe."
"I see, but why would they do that?" The judge asked.
"First, let’s take a look at the black snow globe again. It’s glass sphere broken, with the defendant’s fingerprints on the black base," Nijika said.
"I’m familiar with that, yes," The judge said.
"Now, let’s reconsider the facts," Nijika rubbed her chin. "Who could’ve been in the dressing room, strangled the victim, broke the brown snow globe, and replaced it with a black snow globe with the defendant’s fingerprints?"
"So, you’re saying that the killer wanted to frame the defendant by swapping the snow globes?" Ryo asked.
"Exactly!" Nijika slammed her desk. "The only person who could’ve done all of this…is the only person here that knows about the brown snow globe. You, Ms. Hoshi!"
"No! That’s not true!" Ochiru tried to refute.
Ryo yawned. "Uhm…Nijika."
"What now?"
"Wouldn’t that make anyone who knew about the brown snow globe before the murder a suspect?" Ryo asked. "Are you gonna question everyone who knew about it?"
"R-Right!" Ochiru stammered. "It could be anyone! It’s not just me, y’know!"
OBJECTION!
"True," Seika said. "We could name anyone as a suspect. That is, unless this witness has nothing to do with the victim in the first place."
"W-What?" Ochiru asked.
"What if…there was a connection between Ms. Hoshi and the victim?" Nijika suggested.
"That would certainly narrow it down to our witness," The judge said. "But can you prove that, Ms. Ijichi?"
"Yes, Your Honor. Please take a look at this," Nijika pulled out a newspaper article. "This is an article taken from the school press of Shuka University. This article talks about a rumor, a certain ‘deal’ that was made four years ago. A loan between two people, Your Honor."
"Let me have a look at that," The judge read the article. "Let’s see…Akuto Haiko, Ochiru Hoshi, a loan of…$50,000!?"
The gallery went into an uproar. "O-Order! Ms. Ijichi, what does this mean!?" The judge exclaimed as he pummeled his gavel.
"Our victim lived a wealthy life. The same could not be said for our witness, however," Nijika said. "When you think about it, it’s hard to imagine that she could afford to maintain a life in university as a well-to-do student. That’s why she had to take a loan, a loan from Ms. Haiko herself. Isn’t that right, Ms. Hoshi!?"
"H-Hey! Wait! Are you seriously trusting the school press over this!? It’s all conjecture!" Ochiru stammered. "They’re nothing but a bunch of amateur writers!"
"…There is some bias to this news article," Ryo scrutinised the article. "Are you sure we can even trust this? It’s not very reliable."
OBJECTION!
"It may be sketchy, but you can’t write this off as a coincidence!" Nijika pointed.
OBJECTION!
"It’s circumstantial, My dear Nijika…" Ryo smirked. "…not enough to throw shade."
"B-But…Nghhh…"
I hate it when she’s right…
The judge pounded his gavel. "Perhaps it’s best if we heard it straight from the horse’s mouth. Ms. Hoshi, please testify to the court about this ‘deal’ you struck with the victim."
Ochiru sighed. "…Ugh, fine."
"Looks like Ryo’s on the offensive on this one. Watch your step, Nijika," Seika said.
…I liked it better when she was sleeping, to be honest.
***
Testimony
"…I admit it, I did borrow money from Akuto-chan, and I did meet with her that day to talk about it-"
HOLD IT!
"You met with the victim!?" Nijika pressed. "Why didn’t you say so earlier!? That would make you a prime suspect!"
OBJECTION!
"…Nijika," Ryo sighed. "Nijika, Nijika, Nijika."
"What now!?"
"Did you forget about the black snow globe?" Ryo asked. "It had the defendant’s fingerprints, didn’t it? You’re gonna need something stronger to counter that."
OBJECTION!
"B-But that was a phoney!" Nijika rebutted. "We just established that!"
OBJECTION!
"You haven’t established squat," Ryo said. "You didn’t even prove that it happened."
"That is true. It’s merely a possibility, Ms. Ijichi," The judge said. "Unless you have any corroborating evidence, the prosecution’s case holds."
Crud…
"Another point to me, Ms. Nijika Ijichi," Ryo smirked. "Hey, that rhymed. Another point to me, Ms. Niji-"
"Would you stop that!?" Nijika shouted.
"Let’s take our time with this testimony," Seika said. "We don’t have the evidence yet, so listen carefully and draw more info out of her."
I guess that’s all I can do…
"Like I was saying, I went to meet with Akuto-chan to talk about it…but we weren’t in the dressing room then! You don’t even have proof that I murdered her, nor did I have a reason to! That article is straight up conjecture-"
HOLD IT!
"Okay, but what about the brown snow globe!?" Nijika pressed. "You took it didn’t you!?"
"So what?" Ochiru folded her arms. "Does that mean I did it? You think I swapped the two snow globes?"
"W-Well, you could’ve!"
"That’s what you say at least," Ochiru smirked. "What if I picked it up some other time just because I wanted to clean up the mess? I can’t just leave broken glass behind, y’know."
OBJECTION!
"Okay, but that still leaves us with a random black snow globe! Mr. Hisuri pointed it out quite clearly yesterday!" Nijika pointed.
"Uh huh, and you’re gonna believe that hippie’s words?" Ochiru asked. "Maybe he was mistaken."
OBJECTION!
"But we know for a fact that it was there!" Nijika slammed her desk. "We can’t just write that off as him being ‘mistaken’!"
Ryo pummeled her desk, weeds in hand. "If you’re so obsessed with this snow globe, why don’t you marry it?"
…
"…Uh, excuse me?"
"We know that there was a black snow globe, but where did it come from?" Ryo asked. "Can you show us? Or is your line of questioning blander than my weeds?"
"Well, Ms. Ijichi?" The judge asked. "Do you perhaps know where this black snow globe came from?"
Now’s my chance!
"Yes, Your Honor!" Nijika pulled out a piece of paper. "I have here a receipt…about the purchase of a certain black snow globe. The date of purchase reads, 'September 29'."
"Ah! Why that’s…the day before the murder!" The judge exclaimed.
"W-Wait! Where did you get that??" Ochiru asked.
"Aha! So it IS yours!" Nijika pointed.
"Ack! Uhh…I-I mean-"
Nijika slammed her desk. "I think I’ve given more than enough reasons to suspect you. The only person that could’ve bought a black snow globe, only to bring it to school and swap it with the brown snow globe, was you…Ms. Hoshi!"
"N-NOOOO!" Ochiru dropped her phone in shock. The gallery went into an uproar.
"Order! Order!" The judge pounded his gavel. "Ms. Hoshi! You didn’t…"
"W-Wait! It’s true, I bought the snow globe, but that has nothing to do with this!" Ochiru fumed. "Ms. Yamada! Say something!"
"…She’s right, we’re straying off course," Ryo said. "She lied, but is this really related to the case?"
OBJECTION!
"She bought the black snow globe, that much is clear," Seika interjected. "So the question is, how did Ms. Oyama’s fingerprints get on the snow globe?"
"W-Well, that’s simple!" Ochiru stammered. "I asked her to hold on to it, it was a gift for Akuto-chan! That’s when she did it!"
OBJECTION!
"Don’t play dumb, Ms. Hoshi!" Nijika pointed. "We know what you’re up to! You had her hold the snow globe just to plant her fingerprints on it, didn’t you?"
"That’s ridiculous!" Ochiru said. "Why on earth would I even do such a thing?"
"Isn’t it obvious?" Nijika asked. "You wanted to frame her for the murder!"
"But…why did it have to be the defendant?" The judge asked. "Did she have any connections with her?"
"My client told me something about herself yesterday," Nijika said. "Apparently, she was a die hard fan of your work, Ms. Hoshi."
"…She manipulated her," Ryo said.
Nijika nodded. "That’s exactly what happened! My client had no idea the snow globe would’ve ended up broken in the dressing room."
"So she planned this from the very beginning?" The judge asked. "To think that she would take advantage of a fan just like that!"
HOLD IT!
…
"Eh?"
"You can’t do this, Coach! Hoshi-senpai is innocent!"
Oh boy…
"Look, Oyama-san, I’m really sorry-"
"Y-You’re wrong! There’s no way she’d do such a thing!" Nene exclaimed. "Come on, Hoshi-senpai! Tell them!"
…
"S-Senpai?"
The judge beat his gavel. "Order! Order! Ms. Oyama, get back to your seat!!"
"Alright, now it’s getting good," Ryo said as she reached for her weeds.
What is this, a movie??
The judge sighed as the courtroom settled down. "It seems that we need to hear a bit more about your side of the story. Ms. Hoshi, your testimony please."
"…Fine. I’ll explain myself," Ochiru said.
"Here we are, the truth of the matter," Seika said. "No turning back now."
We’re almost there…I can feel it!
***
Testimony
"It didn’t occur to me before…but I just remembered I was at the sick bay patching up an injury. I accidentally burned myself during rehearsals-"
HOLD IT!
"You…forgot you burned yourself??" Nijika was dumbfounded.
"It wasn’t anything serious, and I didn’t think I needed to bring it up today. It was small and insignificant. Kind of like you, actually," Ochiru snickered.
"Oh yeah!? Well you’re a…uhh…y-you’re a butt! Yeah!"
…
…
…
Seika covered her face with her palm in embarrassment.
"If I could penalise you for that, I would, Ms. Ijichi," The judge shook his head.
"Nice one, Nijika. A for effort," Ryo clapped her hands, breaking the awkward silence left in the courtroom.
"…Th-Thanks…" Nijika weakly uttered. Her face fell into a shade of red. Maybe she hadn’t learnt her lesson from last time.
"…U-Uhm, how did you burn yourself anyway?" Nijika brushed her blush aside.
"I was ironing out my costume for the play,
and I accidentally laid a finger on the iron," Ochiru showed her ring finger wrapped in a small brown bandage.
Ouch…Hey, wait a sec!
"You used the iron in the dressing room!?That means you were there!" Nijika pointed.
"Ha! I knew you would say that," Ochiru said. "I actually used the one backstage."
Drat, it was worth a shot…
"Like I said, I went to the sick bay to fix a burn on my finger. You can’t prove I had time to spare just to go to the dressing room! That’s why I asked Oyama-san to hold on to that snow globe-"
OBJECTION!
"No time to spare, you say? That’s impossible," Nijika smirked.
"W-What?" Ochiru asked.
"Have a look at this," Nijika pulled out a photo. "This is a record of those who entered the sick bay on the day of the murder. The door to the room requires a key card to enter, so it keeps a log of who entered the room then."
"I see…Ah!" The judge exclaimed. "According to this, the witness entered the sick bay at exactly 4:15 PM!" The gallery fell into a commotion.
"This is news to me," Ryo said.
"The time of death was around 4PM… I think 15 minutes is plenty of time for you to stick around the dressing room. Don’t you agree, Ms. Hoshi!?" Nijika pointed.
"…I don’t think I do, Ms. Ijichi," Ochiru said. "Just because I went in late, doesn’t make me a murderer, does it?"
"What exactly were you doing then??" Nijika asked.
"I told you, I burned my finger ironing my costume. Can’t you get that into your thick skull already? Or was that too much for a bimbo like you?" Ochiru asked.
"Heh, bimbo," Ryo snickered.
What are you laughing at, Miss Weeds??
The judge nodded. "Yes, the possibility is there…"
"…but does it have anything to do with the case?" Seika asked. "We’re gonna have to connect it to the crime ourselves."
I’m pretty sure about this one, I just have to prove a link!
"Your Honor, I have here a jar of bandages from the sick bay. We found some white powder in the shape of a handprint. It’s yours isn’t it, Ms. Hoshi?" Nijika smirked. Ochiru raised an eyebrow.
"I think it’s safe to say that when you entered the room that day…" Nijika slammed her desk. "…you left a handprint of powder on this jar. The very same powder that was found at the scene of the crime!" The gallery went into an uproar.
"Order! Order!" The judge pounded his gavel. "Intriguing, please continue, Ms. Ijichi."
"Yes, Your Honor. Naturally, the court is familiar with the white powder on the victim’s body. I’m willing to bet that a simple analysis can prove that it’s that same powder!" Nijika put her hands to her hips. "This not only proves that you were there at the time of the crime, it also proves that you could’ve powdered the body to frame my client! And who else could’ve done that…but the murderer!"
…
…
"Hmph. That’s a nice little story you have there," Ochiru smiled. "So, I killed Akuto-chan?"
"Umm, yeah…?"
"Where’s your proof then?" Ochiru folded her arms.
"What?" Nijika asked. "But I just-"
"So I left a handprint at the sick bay. So what?" Ochiru asked. "Just because it’s the same powder doesn’t mean I was there."
"What do you mean? Of course it means you were there!" Nijika pointed.
"Actually, I just remembered I brought my own cooling powder to school," Oshiru said. "I must’ve gotten some of it on the jar, whoopsie!"
Oh no you don’t!
"W-What about the door record? The black snow globe??"
"What about them? They don’t prove that I did it, do they?" Ochiru scrolled through her phone. "What was it that Ms. Yamada said? It’s all circumstantial, right?"
"B-But…"
"Hmm, she has a point, Ms. Ijichi," The judge said. "It’s a valid theory, but do you have any evidence to support it? Otherwise, I cannot allow you to indict the witness."
What!? But I know I’m right!
"S-Sis! What do we do!? Come on, we gotta turn things around!" Nijika said as she fumbled with the court record.
All Seika did was look at Ryo.
"Would you like to add anything else, Ms. Ijichi?" The judge asked.
"Uhh…I…"
It’s no good…I can’t back it up!
"How about you, Ms. Yamada?" The judge asked.
Everyone turned to the prosecutor who was busy snacking on her usual greens.
…
"Sorry," Ryo gulped. "Got hungry."
…
…
"…Erm, is that all?" The judge asked.
…
"Actually, I have a question. For the witness."
Eh…?
"You do?" The judge asked.
"You said you had a small burn injury on your finger, yet you went for a jar of bandages. Why?" Ryo asked.
"W-What?" Ochiru stammered.
"Hmm, that is true…" The judge said. "If it really was a small burn, why did she need to wrap it in such a big bandage?"
"Well, I-"
"Before you answer…" Ryo cut her off. "…I want you testify about it. Loud and clear."
"W-What’s with you?" Ochiru asked. "Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?"
"Don’t care, didn’t ask," Ryo said. "Your Honor?"
The judge nodded. "Very well. You will testify for us, Ms. Hoshi."
"…Fine," Ochiru heaved.
What’s up with Ryo? Is she…helping us?
Nijika could’ve sworn she saw her sister smile a little.
***
Testimony
"After I left from the sick bay, I walked by the dressing room. That was when I saw Akuto-chan lying on the table. I didn’t know what to do, so I went back to the sick bay to look for a first aid kit! It was next to that jar, so I moved it out of the way to grab it-"
OBJECTION!
"Looks like you’ve forgotten something, Ms. Hoshi," Nijika said as she pulled out the record from before. "Remember this?"
"What about it?" Ochiru asked.
"You said that you entered the sick bay twice, yet this record only shows that you entered once that day!" Nijika pointed.
"Ack! W-Wait…I didn’t…"
"…Ms. Hoshi, these constant contradictions have proven that your testimony is quite unreliable," The judge sighed. "It doesn’t speak well of your acting career."
"What!? I’m no cheat!" Ochiru took offense to that. "I’m standing by my testimony here!"
"In that case, I’m afraid we’ve hit a dead end," The judge shook his head. "Ms. Yamada, how would you like to proceed?"
"…I wanna hear what the defense thinks," Ryo shrugged.
"H-Huh? Me? Um…"
Ryo’s giving me a chance…I better not waste this!
"…Well, we’re still kinda left in the dark about what Ms. Hoshi did in the sick bay," Nijika said.
"We should be able to piece together an explanation for that," Seika said.
"What else even is there to explain?" Ochiru asked. "All I did was fix a burn injury!"
OBJECTION!
Nijika slammed her desk. "But you went for a jar of bandages! I know you’re still hiding something!"
"It seems that the defense has an idea," The judge said. "Can you explain this, Ms. Ijichi?"
Okay, time to think outside the box!
"I think I do, Your Honor," Nijika nodded. "What if…she had another injury?"
"Another injury?" The judge asked.
"She didn’t need to wrap her finger with a bandage so big. In that case…what exactly did she need to wrap? That leaves us with another injury!" Nijika pointed.
OBJECTION!
"Good thinking," Ryo said. "I take it you know how she got this other injury?"
"…Uh, I-I’m…still thinking about that…" Nijika stammered.
"…Huh," Seika was lost in thought.
"…Sis?"
"I just thought of something," Seika turned to her sister. "what would you do if someone tried to strangle you?"
"Uh, I guess…I would maybe try to fight them back?" Nijika said. "Why?"
"Our victim probably did the same thing then. Take a look at the evidence, what do you think could’ve been used to strike back at the killer?"
"Ms. Ijichi, the court’s all ears," The judge said. "Was there something else that could’ve injured our witness?"
"…Yes, Your Honor," Nijika nodded. "Back at the dressing room, recall that our witness testified that there was a broken brown snow globe. What if…that snow globe broke because the victim used it to hit the murderer?"
"Hmm…that is a plausible explanation," The judge nodded.
"They must’ve ran off to the sick bay to dress whatever wound they had in bandages," Nijika said. "That must be when the handprint was left…by none other than Ms. Hoshi herself!"
The judge beat his gavel to silence the commotion in the gallery. "Order! Order- Ms. Hoshi, what do you have to say to this!?"
…
"…So, let me get this straight," Ochiru said. "You think I went into that dressing room to strangle Akuto-chan. Then, she hit me with a snow globe. After that, I ran to the sick bay for some bandages. Is that right?"
"…Uh, is there a problem?" Nijika asked.
"There is, actually. Tell me…where is this other ‘injury’ I have?"
…
The realisation hit Nijika like a truck as she watched her case crumble from one simple question.
"Indeed…if this witness doesn’t have another injury, I’m afraid this casts a massive doubt on your claim, Ms. Ijichi," The judge said.
"Urk…" Nijika felt butterflies in her stomach.
Crud, our whole case was riding on that!
"Come on, Nijika. Let’s finish this," Seika said.
"B-But how?? I can’t see another injury on her anywhere!"
"Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there, y’know," Seika shook her head. "In other words…"
"…She’s hiding it!?" Nijika asked.
"That’s the only path we can take. Otherwise, we’re finished. Where do you think she hid her injury?"
She’s pulling the hat over our eyes…she has to be hiding it somewhere!
…
…
Hat?
"Ms. Ijichi, do you have anything else to add?" The judge asked.
"…Allow me to ask the witness one final question, Your Honor," Nijika said.
"Very well, you may," The judge nodded.
…
"Ms. Hoshi, mind taking your hat off?"
…
"Why should I?" Ochiru raised an eyebrow.
"…It’s under there, isn’t it. Your injury."
…
"What makes you say that?" Ochiru asked.
"…Just checking. That’s a pretty big hat you’re wearing, don’t you think? It’s like you’re trying to hide that head of yours."
…
"You got hit on the back of your head, didn’t you? That’s why you went to the sick bay to wrap your injury with a bandage big enough to cover it."
…
"If you’re gonna tell me you got it from somewhere else, I’m sure we could ask your lecturers if you had an injury beforehand."
…
"Admit it, Ms. Hoshi. I’ll bet my career as a lawyer that that injury of yours is under there. Please…take off your hat."
…
…
Ochiru held the edge of her sun hat. She slowly pulled it down to her face.
Please be there… Please…
…
…
"Heh…I guess there’s no use hiding it anymore."
Her hat was off. Nijika’s eyes widened as she saw a white cloth wrapped on the top of her brown, shiny hair.
"Th-That’s…the bandage!" The judge said. The court fell into another commotion. "That means…"
"…I admit it. It was me." Ochiru sighed. "I murdered Akuto-chan."
…
"So, are we right to believe the article then?" The judge asked.
"That’s right. I didn’t have the money," Ochiru said. "Every day she kept demanding it, but I didn’t have any other way out of it. She even wanted to sue me over it that day,"
"It was her pound of flesh," Nijika said. "She had every right to ask you to pay her back."
"I’m sorry…but she was asking the impossible from me. I didn’t have a choice," Ochiru admitted. "That’s why…I did what I had to do."
…
"Dare I ask what exactly happened that day?" The judge asked.
"Actually, I think we can piece it all together at this point," Nijika said. "Ms. Hoshi wanted to meet with Ms. Haiko, with the intent to murder. She went to strangle her, but she got hit in the head with the brown snow globe."
"She had the broken black snow globe bearing Ms. Oyama’s fingerprints, ready to be swapped with the brown one," Seika added.
"After she was finished, she went to the sick bay to patch up her injury," Nijika said.
"Hmm…that must’ve been when that other witness found the body," The judge nodded.
"Ms. Hoshi then came back to the dressing room to powder the body and wrote Ms. Oyama’s name in powder on the dressing table," Nijika said. "She must’ve been in a hurry, since she forgot to check that the writing was upside down."
…
"…Looks like you’ve got it all figured out," Ochiru sighed. "I’m sorry, Nene-chan. I’m sorry, Ms. Ijichi."
"Hm?"
"I was wrong about you, you’re actually a pretty good lawyer. I wish you good luck. I’ve never had any of it my whole life, so I hope you’ll be more fortunate than I ever was," Ochiru said as the bailiff escorted her out of the courtroom.
…
"…I see no reason to further prolong this trial," The judge said. "Well, Ms. Yamada? I believe we’ve cleared up the remaining questions…erm…"
The judge looked at the sleeping beauty standing near the prosecutor’s bench.
She was asleep the whole time…?
The judge sighed. "In any case, I would like to hand down my verdict. I find the defendant, Ms. Nene Oyama…"
NOT GUILTY
"Court is adjourned!" The judge pummeled his gavel.
***
October 3rd, 3:08 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 2
"Another day, another dollar," Seika said.
"You say that like this is a normal thing for you," Nijika sighed, plopping her body on the lobby couch.
"Nijika, I’ve been a lawyer since you were a kid."
"Yeah, but how can you get sick of this feeling?" Nijika asked. "It’s so…thrilling! Also, aren’t you proud of me? This is only my second case!"
"You were a mess. You still got a long way to go," Seika said. "Ryo did great, though."
"Hey! I tried my best…" Nijika pouted.
…
"Looking forward to your next trial."
"…Hehe, thanks, Sis."
As Tsundere as ever…
"Hey Coach…"
Nijika noticed her brown-haired client shuffling towards her.
"Oyama-san…"
…
"I…uh-"
"…It’s okay, Coach. I don’t blame you," Nene sighed. "I think it’s for the best that I move on."
"R-Really?"
She’s taking this pretty well…
"I mean, celebrities come and go, right? I guess that’s just how it is," Nene scratched her head. "And besides, I’ve got someone else to look up to!"
"Hm? Who’s that?"
"Only the coolest lawyer ever! Thank you so much, Coach!" Nene shook Nijika’s hand.
"M-Me? W-Well, I was… just doing my job," Nijika bashfully waved her hand.
"I’m serious! I might just be YOUR biggest fan!" Nene beamed. "I don’t know what I’d do without your help, you’re amazing!"
"W-Will you cut it out already? Jeez…" Nijika stammered as she covered her red-tinged face.
"Congratulations, Ms. Oyama," A curly-haired man appeared from behind.
"Mr. Kijo!"
"It looks like the curtains have closed in your favour," Zeita bowed. "Though it’s a shame to see Ms. Hoshi under arrest…"
…
"Regardless," Zeita sighed. "The show must go on. We still have a school festival to run, after all."
"Oh? Wasn’t it cancelled?" Nijika asked.
"According to the board, they’ll be hosting it next week in memory of Ms. Haiko, see."
"Wow…but who’s gonna be taking her place?" Nene asked. "Hey, I know! Why don’t you do it, Coach?"
"H-Huh?"
"Yes, about that…I’ll have to come up with something," Zeita scratched his chin. "Although I wouldn’t mind if you took up the role given your stellar performance today, Ms. Ijichi."
"I-I’ll stick with being a lawyer, thanks…" Nijika said.
"Maybe you should think about a career change," Seika teased.
"Y’know, if I’m too busy acting, I won’t have time to cook or clean for you at home," Nijika shot back.
"Pssshhh, I can do all that myself," Seika scoffed.
"Yeah, yeah, you can’t even fry an egg right!" Nijika folded her arms.
"Hey, is this the thanks I get for getting so beat up for you?"
That’s just because you suck at cooking!
"Well, I suppose this is where we part ways," Zeita said. "I’m once again grateful for your services, Ms. Ijichi. If we do ever find ourselves in trouble again, I won’t hesitate to ask for an encore!"
"See ya around, Coach! Thanks for everything!" Nene waved goodbye as the two left the courthouse.
…
"Man, I still can’t believe it…" Nijika stretched her weary arms. Just like that, her second case came to a close.
"Stay here, I’ll go get the car real quick. Can’t keep PA-san waiting for an afterparty," Seika said.
"Mkay~"
…
"Nijika."
Nijika’s eyes widened as she turned to face the voice she heard.
"…Ryo?"
Her vermilion eyes reflected the blue-haired prosecutor’s gaze.
…
…
…Am I supposed to say something?
"Um, you look…taller," Nijika said.
…
"…I see you’re still wearing that ribbon," Ryo said.
…
…
Nijika sighed.
"Thanks…for saving me out there."
…
"…No problem."
…
"Anyway, now that I’ve helped you," Ryo shot a thumbs up. "I’m hungry. Treat me for dinner, alright?"
Nijika gave her a look of disgust.
"…Is that all you have to say to me??"
"I’m tired of snacking on weeds, girl’s gotta eat. Unless… you want me to starve, Nijika? That’s inhumane…" Ryo sniffled.
"Wha- We finally see each other again after all these years and the first thing you ask is for food!?" Nijika snapped. "You’re unbelievable, you know that?"
"You’re too kind."
"That wasn’t a compliment!" Nijika pouted as she folded her arms. Ryo stifled a laugh.
…
…
"All those years I spent studying abroad… I promised myself that I’d come back stronger."
…
"Your dream."
"H-Huh?" Nijika was taken aback.
"You’re still chasing it, aren’t you. I don’t think you’ll make it… if you’re thinking of going it alone."
Nijika’s eyes widened. Did she hear that right?
The prosecutor’s path wasn’t exactly a smooth one for Ryo. As a Yamada, it was in her blood to succeed. She hated it. She hated it so much she even thought about quitting completely. She wanted to be a prosecuting attorney, but the reputation she had to maintain caused her to doubt even her own dreams. What was in it for her anyway? What exactly was she working tirelessly for?
…
"Hey. If you got time, wanna stand in court with me?"
"…Why?"
"Because I love the way you prosecute!"
…
Ultimately, she came to understand Nijika’s dream. Since she helped Ryo achieve hers, she wanted to return the favor. She didn’t want to admit it, though.
She wasn’t one to abandon her uniqueness, after all.
…
Ryo…After all these years…You still remembered?
Ryo might still be the same irritating goofball Nijika knew back in high school, but she really did grow as a person. It threw her off for the most part. The self-proclaimed ‘cool and lonesome’ Ryo Yamada wanted to help her? She was never usually this honest to anyone. It’s moments like this Nijika used to treasure back in the day, considering how rare it was for her to see this side of Ryo.
"Nijika…" Ryo smiled.
"Let me mooch off of you, from now until eternity."
…
"Are you serious or are you just trying to get something out of me?" Nijika raised an eyebrow.
"I was actually trying to be sincere and yet you’re being mean to me…" Ryo tried to shed a few crocodile tears. "You’re unbelievable, you know that?"
"You dare use my own words against me, Yamada!?" Nijika bonked her weed-addicted friend in the head.
"Oww…"
"Well…" Nijika sighed, then smiled. "I guess I won’t be lonely then."
…
Nijika put her hands on her hips. "But don’t think I’m gonna go easy on you from now on! The baby gloves are off!"
"Ok, baby Nijika."
"Shut up, weed eater."
"Shortie."
"Sleepyhead."
"Yellow tail."
"You stole that from Detective Yami."
"Nuh uh, I came up with it. All me. Yamada certified. Patent pending."
Nijika laughed as the two left through the lobby doors. She missed this. She missed this banter, this deep bond she shared with her childhood friend. It’s like they were picking up right where they left off in high school. Two aspiring attorneys trying to make it big.
Nijika learned a valuable lesson that day. Prosecutors…never were her enemies. Sure, it was their job to cast their doubts on the defendant, but they also trust that the defense can answer these doubts. Like the drums and bass of a song, they form a strong foundation. It is with this foundation that would allow both sides to find the truth.
Two opposites, their paths intertwining to form a new destiny, together.
…
It’s good to see you again, Ryo.
Notes:
17 years later and I finally finished chapter 2. Sorry about the wait, I’ve been very busy with life and slowly forgot to work on this. I’ve decided to just post whenever I feel like it for this, thinking of the plot as well as the logic of these cases is a lot harder than I thought.
Once again, thanks for reading. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments.
Chapter 6: Turnabout Summer - Be Right There
Chapter Text
The judge pummeled his gavel. "It seems that this trial has reached its conclusion. With the testimony we’ve heard and the evidence presented, I see no room in misinterpreting the facts."
"But we just started! Where…?"
"It is quite a shame, however I cannot tolerate any wastage of time in my court," The judge said. "After all…"
"…without a defense attorney to prove their case, this court finds the defendant…"
GUILTY
"…where is she?? Where did she…"
"This court is adjourned!"
The sound of the judge hitting his gavel echoed through the halls of justice.
…
"…Where did you go… Kita?"
***
October 10th
Starry Law Offices
Another dull afternoon back at the office, another hour spent cleaning and tidying up the place. More specifically, Nijika cleaning and tidying up the place.
"I’ll be back in a moment. Scrub the toilet while I’m gone," Seika’s words rang in Nijika’s head.
Am I lawyer or a cleaning maid?
About a week had past since the incident at Shuka University. It became the talk of the town for a while, garnering Nijika some attention. News had spread about the great return of The Devil Of Ochanomizu, along with her rising successor: The Archangel Of Shimokitazawa… or at least, that’s what Poison Yami had to say under her latest article.
I thought she said she only wrote about bands…
Nevertheless, things were looking up for Starry Law Offices. Nijika felt like her dreams were closer to becoming reality one small step at a time, even if she was stuck scrubbing a toilet bowl clean.
… It’s the effort that counts, okay?
The office door swung open. "Nijika, I’m back," Seika greeted. "Get over here, I got someone I want you to meet."
"Just a second!" Nijika got out of the bathroom, only to be greeted by a woman with long maroon hair wearing a white shirt, long black pants and a black coat slinging on her back.
Woah…
"Nijika, I want you to meet Komina Seigi, chairperson of the bar association," Seika said.
"Ch-Chairperson!?"
"It’s nice to finally see you in person, Nijika. I’ve heard a lot about you," Komina smiled.
Her voice… why is it so…
Komina’s deep, seductive voice left Nijika stunned in a blush.
…
"Nijika? Hello?" Seika snapped her fingers infront of Nijika’s face.
"Ah- Uh-" Nijika shook her head. "I-It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am!"
"Seika told me you solved two homicide cases in a row, that’s quite impressive," Komina praised.
"W-Well, that’s… I mean, i-it was my sister… who-"
"I hope you don’t mind me asking for your help. I have a case open and ready to go for you."
…
"…H-Huh!? Really!?"
"Really," Komina smiled.
"…Sis?" Nijika turned to look at Seika.
"It’s all yours," Seika shrugged.
"I… I don’t know what to say…"
"You can start by heading down to the detention center," Komina walked to the door. "Your client’s waiting for you."
…
"W-Wait, right now??"
"Sorry for the late notice. I’m in kind of a rush to find a replacement," Komina said.
Replacement…?
"You mean, there was another lawyer?" Nijika asked. "What happened?"
"They ran away," Seika butted in. "Right as the trial started."
"R-Ran away??" Nijika was shocked.
"The defendant was found guilty, but I was able to pull some strings and ask for a retrial. That’s where you come in," Komina said. "I’m gonna need your help with screwing this case shut."
"M-My help? Uhh…"
That’s a lot of responsibility…
"Of course, I could always just hand the case over to your sister…"
"No no no, it’s fine! I-I can do it!" Nijika stammered.
"Alright then, I’ll be giving your name to the investigators," Komina opened the door. "I’m counting on you, Nijika."
…
Nijika slumped onto the office couch.
"Ughhhh…"
"You could’ve just given it to me y’know," Seika said. "Come on, your client’s waiting."
"…You’re not coming!?" Nijika exclaimed.
"I said it’s all yours, didn’t I?" Seika said. "I’ve got some business to take care of with Komina-san anyway. You go on ahead."
"H-Hey! Wait! I can’t do this by myself!"
"Relax, you’ll be fine," Seika said. "If you need me, I’m just a phone call away, okay?"
"O-Okay…"
"Okay… I’m off," Seika went for the door after she ruffled her sister’s hair. "Good luck out there."
…
What have I done…
***
October 10th
Detention Center
Visitor’s Room
Nijika sat in the middle of the visitor’s room once again, anxiously waiting for her client’s arrival. She squirmed in her seat as her mind raced over how things would go for her. One lone Ijichi against the world.
I’m too young to die…
Just then, a woman with short, olive green hair entered the room and sat across Nijika. She had a puzzled look on her face.
"…Uh, hello. Are you waiting for someone?"
"You’re the client, right? I heard you needed a lawyer?" Nijika asked.
"I…already have a lawyer though. Is Kita with you or something?" The woman asked.
Who’s Kita?
"Well uh… I hate to break to you, but your other lawyer has been gone for a while," Nijika scratched the back of her head. "I’m sort of their replacement, heh."
"Oh…" The woman sighed. "I guess she really did leave me behind…"
"Hey, It’s gonna be okay! I’ll get you outta here, I promise," Nijika said. "I’m Nijika Ijichi, attorney at law!"
"I’m Tsuguko Sasaki," The woman said. "…and, thanks."
"No problem! So, tell me what happened…" Nijika asked.
"Right," Sasaki nodded. "It was two days ago, I was heading to Enoshima to meet up with Kita. We were gonna eat shirasu-don at some popular place that just opened there. I got there a little too early, so I decided to walk around the island and explore while she was on her way. I went to check out the observation deck first, I heard the view was pretty neat up there. I took the elevator up, and that’s when I saw something really weird…"
"What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
"When I got to the top… someone fell off it."
"…Eh?"
"Like as soon as I stepped out of the elevator, someone just… fell out of the observation deck. It’s kinda hard to explain…" Sasaki said.
"So… it was a suicide?" Nijika asked.
"Maybe… but once I got back down, I got arrested," Sasaki sighed. "Apparently someone saw me push someone off the deck?"
"A witness? But… how?" Nijika asked.
"That’s what I wanna know! Why the heck would I wanna push some rando off a tower?" Sasaki fumed.
"So, you didn’t know the victim?" Nijika asked.
"Nope. I figured I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Sasaki sighed.
Maybe I oughta check out the crime scene to get a better understanding…
"By the way, do you know where I can find your friend? I’d like to hear what she knows," Nijika said.
"Kita? I… haven’t seen her around since the day before the trial…"
"Jeez, what happened anyway?" Nijika asked.
"She didn’t show up the morning before the trial. Maybe she got scared or something? I dunno…" Sasaki sighed.
A runaway attorney…
"Maybe I could try to look for your friend. How does she look like?" Nijika asked.
"She’s got really red hair… uh, she usually ties a side tail next to her head… you’ll probably know it’s her when you find her," Sasaki said.
"Got it," Nijika got up from her chair. "I guess I’m heading for Enoshima. You just hang in there, Sasaki-san!"
"See ya later. Hope you find her," Sasaki waved.
***
October 10th
Enoshima Shrine
Main Entrance
After a brief car ride straight from the detention center courtesy of Seika, Nijika found herself at the base of Enoshima Shrine. She could feel beads of sweat running down her cheek already as she felt the relentless heat from the sun on her skin. A perpetual summer without mercy.
Jeez, Sasaki-san wasn’t kidding about the heat…
Nijika’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the staircase that never seemed to end right infront of her. It was only the starting line, and the journey to the top would be an uphill battle yet to come.
You gotta be kidding me.
…
A couple flights of stairs later left Nijika drained of energy. She plopped herself on the ground behind a pillar. Nearly halfway there.
Why… did it have to be… up here…
While she was trying to gather what little resolve she had left, she noticed a familiar woman sporting an oversized pink shirt coming down at the corner of her eye.
"Oh, hey kid," Aiko greeted. "I was just about to go look for you."
"Detective Yami! What are you doing here?" Nijika asked as she got up from the ground.
"What do you think? Someone has to take care of the crime scene… even in this damn weather," Aiko heaved. "Chief Prosecutor’s orders. You’re the replacement, right? You might wanna have this."
Aiko gave Nijika a file containing a few documents, including a map of Enoshima Island and an autopsy report.
"We’re running a delicate operation right now because of that runaway attorney," Aiko folded her arms. "The whole police department’s a mess trying to fix it… I’m just glad to be out here than in there, to be honest."
I didn’t think it’d be that bad…
"If you need anything, just ask," Aiko said. "The faster you clear up this case, the better. If you even think about running away…"
"I-I’m not gonna run away! Promise!"
"Good," Aiko said. "Now come on, let’s head on up."
"W-We’re climbing? All the way up?" Nijika gulped.
"Are you crazy? We’re taking the escalator!"
"Escalator?"
"Right here," Aiko stood infront of a massive signboard that showed the map of the island. "There’s an escalator we can ride up to the top. The summit is off limits to the public until this case is over, so you’re gonna need one of these to get up there," Aiko pulled out a lanyard containing a special keycard.
"What’s that?" Nijika asked.
"Your ticket to the crime scene," Aiko said. "It’ll let you use the escalator whenever you want. I’m trusting you with this, kid."
"Woah… thanks, Detective Yami," Nijika smiled. "You sure you’re okay with giving me all this stuff?"
"Consider yourself lucky. If this was any other case, I doubt Prosecutor Yamada would let me help you," Aiko said.
"Ryo’s on this case too?" Nijika asked.
"You shoulda seen her face when the other attorney didn’t show up. She went back to the prosecutor’s office so pissed off she didn’t talk to anyone for the rest of the day! It was kinda scary," Aiko chuckled.
Ryo was… angry?
"Anyhoo, come on. Let’s head on up," Aiko said. The two went on the escalator. "Where’s your sister, by the way?"
"She’s… busy. I’m kinda on my own for this case," Nijika scratched the back of her neck.
"On your own, huh. Well, good luck with that. I dunno how you’re gonna turn this case around, kid."
"What, you think I’m not up for it?" Nijika nudged the detective.
"I’m just saying, it’s gonna be hard to try and overturn a guilty verdict," Aiko shrugged. "You sure you’re up for this?"
"Ah-" Nijika paused. She never even thought about the fact that the judge had already made up his mind all because of that runaway attorney, and It was up to her to clean up the mess. This wasn’t another toilet she could just scrub clean and call it a day, unfortunately. Was she really up for this? Nijika looked down in thought.
…
"Hey, I…didn’t mean to worry you," Aiko said. "Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that."
"No no, it’s fine. You’re right," Nijika smiled. "It won’t be easy, and I won’t have my sister with me. But… I believe in my client. She’s innocent, and that’s all that matters."
…
Aiko smiled. "You really do take after your sister, huh."
***
October 10th
Enoshima Shrine
Main Complex
The two finally arrived at the summit of the hill. Other than a few police officers patrolling around, the place was empty. Aiko went and took Nijika to the observation tower where the crime took place. Nijika noticed an outline of white tape on the ground near the tower, in the shape of what looked like a person lying down. It was sectioned off with yellow police tape, and there was broken glass everywhere.
Looking up at the top of the tower, she saw that one of the glass panes of the observation deck was broken. Nijika squinted her eyes.
"…They really did fall off a tower."
"We took the body in for an autopsy, but it was pretty obvious what happened anyway. The fall practically broke every bone in the victim’s body. We couldn’t really draw any other conclusions from it," Aiko said.
"Who was the victim?" Nijika asked.
"Tori Kataru, a journalist," Aiko said. "She used to operate around Enoshima, wrote whatever news she could find on the island."
"Is she a friend of yours?"
"You could say that. We worked on an article together one time about a rock festival they held at one of the beaches here," Aiko said. "Sad to see her go out like this, though."
"…Hm. What do you guys think happened?" Nijika asked.
"Someone broke the glass and threw the victim out. Can’t get much simpler than that, especially when someone saw your client fleeing the scene."
"Right, a witness…" Nijika groaned.
"By the way, the observation deck is completely off limits right now," Aiko said. "The park managers aren’t taking any chances until that hole gets fixed, wouldn’t want another accident to happen. So in the meantime, we’re grounded."
"Eh? Isn’t there anything worth checking out up there?" Nijika asked.
"I dunno," Aiko shrugged. "I haven’t been up there yet, and neither has Ms. Yamada."
I guess it’ll have to wait till tomorrow…
"Do you have any uh… leftover evidence I could take a look at?" Nijika asked.
Aiko grimaced. "Sorry, kid. They took everything into custody. I wasn’t kidding when I said they were running a delicate operation. That, and one other reason…"
"What else is there?" Nijika asked.
"We’re also currently investigating a drug trafficking case here, someone’s been smuggling something. There’s just way too much evidence going around."
"Two cases? Is that why you guys are in such a hurry?" Nijika asked.
"Let me tell you, it is not a good week for the police department," Aiko heaved. "Here’s a newspaper article of the case. We found it on the victim’s body."
"The victim? Is it okay for me to have this?" Nijika asked.
"There’s nothing really important on it other than her fingerprints… and hey, if you can prove that the two cases are related, it would be a big help for us."
"Do you… think that they’re related?" Nijika asked.
"Maybe, but we’re too busy trying to sort everything out. For now, evidence is off the table."
Nijika sighed. "Can you at least tell me anything about the witness? Or is Ryo gonna turn your salary into weeds if you do?"
"Hey, I’m not the one prepping the witnesses, okay? If you wanna know what the witness saw, you gotta go through her," Aiko sighed. "Now, if you wanna know what I think, you should talk to the witness yourself."
"Eh? they’re here?"
"I saw them wandering about at the main entrance while I was on my way here. You should go ahead, see if they’re still there," Aiko said. "I gotta warn you though, they’re… kinda delusional."
"What do you mean?" Nijika asked.
"They’re a middle schooler. They took them in for questioning and it was interesting… to say the least," Aiko shrugged.
Oh boy…
"I’m sure it’s nothing The Archangel Of Shimokitazawa can’t handle! You’ll be fine," Aiko smirked.
"Y-Yeah…Right," Nijika nervously laughed. "Thanks for the article, by the way."
"Don’t mention it. I’ll be seeing you," Aiko waved.
***
October 10th
Enoshima Shrine
Main Entrance
20 minutes of walking down the hill later, Nijika returned to the base of the shrine. Her stomach growled.
I could really go for some of that Shirasu-don Sasaki-san was talking about…
At the corner of her eye, she noticed a woman with vibrant, red hair with a side tail tied next to her head. She was sporting a white short-sleeved shirt with a black high-waisted skirt. She looked like she was in a daze, contemplating something. What captured Nijika’s attention the most was the bright, shining attorney’s badge pinned to her collar. Nijika’s eyes widened.
…
"RUNAWAY ATTORNEY!"
The redhead turned to the direction where she heard Nijika’s voice, only to be startled by the blonde running towards her.
"E-Excuse me?" The woman stuttered.
Nijika caught her breath. "You’re… You’re Kita, right?"
"Eh!? H-How do you know me!?" She started to panic. "P-Please don’t arrest me! I-I-I’m sorry for running away! I’ll do anything to make up for it!! I give you permission to rough me up good!!!"
"W-Woah, keep it down! You’ll give people the wrong idea!" Nijika put out her arms in protest.
The redhead dropped to her knees. "Go ahead… unleash whatever punishment you were saving for me… I deserve it…"
"L-Look, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m on your side!" Nijika tried to console her.
"H-Huh?"
"Your friend, Sasaki-san, right? She seemed pretty worried about you," Nijika said.
"Sasaki…? Oh gosh, Sattsu… I-I didn’t mean to-"
"Hey, it’s okay! She’s with me now," Nijika smiled.
"Eh? W-With you?"
"Yeah! I’m Nijika Ijichi, attorney at law!" Nijika put her hand out. "It’s nice to meet you, Kita-chan. You don’t mind me calling you that, right?"
…
"W-Why are you so nice to me?" Kita-chan asked.
"Hm?"
"I-I ran away, I ditched my best friend…everyone’s probably really mad at me, so…"
…
"Let me ask you something, Kita-chan," Nijika sat next to the redhead. "Why did you wanna defend your friend in court?"
"I… I don’t think she did it. There’s no way! But…"
"I get it, it’s scary. That’s… why you ran away, right?" Nijika asked.
…
"Y’know, I’m also pretty new at this myself… I’ve still got a long ways to go. But… if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my career so far… is that I have to believe. Believe in my client. Believe in you, Kita-chan."
The red-haired girl’s eyes widened.
"Everytime I see someone in pain, suffering all alone with no one else to turn to, it’s depressing. It’s a horrible feeling, and I don’t want anyone else to feel like that. As a lawyer, I wanna help those who can’t help themselves. If I can’t do that, who else will?"
All the redhead could do was listen.
"You could be the smartest, coolest attorney in the world, Kita-chan. You could solve any case, fight crime so easily… but what’s there to fight if you’ve got nothing to fight for, right?"
…
"…Y-You’re right," Kita said. "W-Wow… thank you, miss… sorry, I didn’t get your name."
"Nijika Ijichi. I’m glad I found you, Kita-chan," Nijika smiled.
"Right. Thank you, Ijichi-senpai. It’s been kinda hectic for me these past few days, heh."
…
"Wait, did you say you were Nijika Ijichi?" Kita asked.
"Yeah? Do you know me?" Nijika asked.
"You’re the Archangel Of Shimokitazawa!?"
"…Yeah, that’s me," Nijika sighed.
"Aahh! I can’t believe it! I read about you through a blog, you must be a real pro solving two cases like it was nothing!"
"R-Right, thanks," Nijika said.
I don’t think that’s how it went, though…
Kita gasped. "Ijichi-senpai!"
"Y-Yes?"
Kita pressed her palms together. "Please, teach me! Teach me your ways!" She said as a blinding light mysteriously and spontaneously appeared around her.
What the…!?
Nijika shielded her eyes. It was like looking straight at the sun, somehow.
"H-Hey, I’m still just a rookie!" Nijika said. "There’s no way I can teach you!"
"Please! At least let me help you today! It’s the least I can do!" Kita begged as her blinding aura got stronger.
My eyes…
"O-Okay! Okay! You can come!" Nijika conceded.
"Yes!" Kita pumped a fist in the air. "I promise you won’t regret this, Ijichi-senpai!"
I’m starting to think I will soon…
"Okay… first order of business!" Nijika clapped her hands. "Let’s look for our witness. Did you see a middle schooler pass by around here, Kita-chan?"
"Hmmm…" Kita thought hard and traced her steps. "Well… there was this one girl… she was running around the main gate picking fights with birds."
"O-Oh? What happened after?"
"I think I saw her running off to that big beach area. And then… that’s when you came running to me!" Kita smiled.
"Alright, to the beach then!" Nijika punched the air.
***
October 10th
Enoshima Coast
East Beach
The two attorneys found themselves walking along a massive beach facing the island. The sun was about to set, and tourists were starting to pack up and leave. The harsh, merciless heat from before had been replaced with a welcoming, cooling breeze from the sea.
"Wooow… this view is to die for…" Kita pulled out her phone and snapped a couple beachfront pictures, occasionally throwing in a selfie. "hashtag beach vibes… and send!"
"I didn’t take you for a social media influencer, Kita-chan," Nijika smirked.
"It’s like giving people a piece of the fun, y’know? Everything’s more fun when you share it with your friends on Isosta!" Kita smiled, emitting her glaring trademark aura.
"H-How do you even do that?" Nijika asked as she averted her eyes.
"Hm? Do what?"
"The… nevermind," Nijika shook her head. Perhaps some things are best left unexplained. "How many followers do you have on Isosta anyway?"
"Oh, only like, a thousand… it’s not much," Kita-chan replied.
Nijika’s jaw dropped. "Not much?? That’s totally some celebrities’ follower count!"
"I mean, it’s probably because I post quite often, see?" Kita showed her phone to Nijika.
"five hundred posts…" Nijika squinted her eyes. It was like she documented her whole life on the internet. "…Don’t tell me you became a lawyer just because you thought it was good for your Isosta."
"Come on, Ijichi-senpai! I have more dignity than that!" Kita pouted.
"Hey, I was just kidding," Nijika chuckled. "Why’d you become a lawyer anyway?" Kita paused.
…
"Kita-chan…"
"Give me a minute!" Kita fumed.
"Okay, okay!" Nijika laughed.
Kita sighed. "Well… my mom’s a lawyer too. She showed me a lot about what it took to defend people. She brought me to court most of the time and let me watch her do her thing. She’s one of the best lawyers in our firm, so I thought I’d go and study law myself! Honor the family name, y’know?"
"So, most of your relatives are lawyers?" Nijika asked.
"Yeah! It’s… actually a family business, heh," Kita said. "The office is really old, it’s been passed down for generations."
"Did you talk to your mom about… all this?" Nijika asked.
"…She got really mad at me. She said she needed to talk to the bar association to… lessen my punishment, heheh," Kita nervously laughed. "What was I thinking… running away from court? So much for honoring the family name…"
…
"…Hey, why don’t you come to court with me tomorrow?" Nijika smiled.
"Eh? R-Really?"
"I dunno if I can teach you anything, but if it’ll help you clear your mind… then we can solve this case together! What do you think, kita-chAUGHH…"
Kita tackled Nijika with a tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, senpai!" Kita smiled.
"Haha… you’re welcome," Nijika pat the redhead’s arm around her.
Kita let go of Nijika. "Thank you for giving me this chance, I’ll try my best to help you! No running away this time!"
"That’s the spirit!" Nijika cheered. "Now let’s-"
"Look kid, we’re closing up shop. The sun’s setting too, time for you to get going."
Eh…?
"Hah! A mere sunset isn’t going to stop me from fighting you!"
Nijika turned to where the voices came from. The two attorneys were facing a restaurant that was in the middle of closing.
"Bonsai Bay," Nijika read the sign at the top of the restaurant.
"Hey! It’s that new Shirasu-don place that just opened!" Kita said. "I heard it’s got great reviews!"
Nijika turned to one of the people there, a tall, muscular man in a grey T-shirt, blue jeans, short white hair and… a prosthetic metal arm attached to his right shoulder.
Woah…
Nijika turned to the other person there, a girl as tall as her in a high school uniform. She had long, black hair with a red beanie, a backpack and a jumbo-sized novelty pen she was holding on to.
"Can you stop coming back here, already? Why don’t you go bother someone else with your delusions?" The man retorted.
"I’m not moving another muscle until we do battle! Fight me, you coward!" The girl valiantly declared.
I think we found our witness…
"Excuse me, is something wrong?" Nijika waved to the bickering pair.
"Hey, could you get this kid outta here? I’ve been trying to clean up but she keeps trying to pick a fight with me," The man fumed.
"Um, why do you wanna fight him?" Nijika asked the girl.
"Well, if you must know, I am a budding mage of the golden realm, seeking the true divine order that blessed me with this knowledge. I recently learnt a couple of spells I would like to try," The girl waved her jumbo pen around. "Of course, I’d need to test them out on real humans, and who else I could test on but the great one armed giant!"
…
What is she going on about…?
"It is I, Aki Tekina, who will grow to be one of the greatest mages of the golden realm!" The girl raised her fist in the air.
"Ooooh!" Kita happily clapped. "So, you’re like a magician! Do you have any tricks you could show us?"
"They’re not just silly magic tricks, They’re powers of gilded strength! And they’re not to be meddled with!" Aki fumed.
"Aw, please? I’m sure one wouldn’t hurt! I bet it’d look really cool!" Kita had her aura set to blinding again.
"Argh!! Wh-What is this sorcery??" Aki shielded her eyes. "Back off, demon! I won’t hesitate to start casting!"
"L-Look, we just wanna know if you’re a witness for an upcoming trial," Nijika butted in. "Did they tell you to come tomorrow or something?"
"Yes, I have been told about that. I was called by a detective earlier to answer their questions once again," Aki rubbed her chin. "What was her name… Detective Yummy?"
"Can you tell us anything about what you saw? Anything at all?" Nijika asked.
"No way! I swore an oath to the grandmaster sorcerer!" Aiko waved her jumbo pen. "If I told anyone, I wouldn’t be a certified mage anymore!"
"Come on, you can whisper it to me. I won’t tell anyone!" Nijika pleaded.
"You’re not getting anything out of me, I have to stay loyal to Sorceress Yamada!"
Sorceress… Yamada? What the heck did you do, Ryo?
Aki looked at her watch. "Wah! It’s dinner time! I gotta go… smoke bomb!" She threw a smoke bomb on the ground, clouding the area in a thick mist.
"Huh? H-Hey! Wait!" Nijika called out, but the girl was gone already. "Man… there goes our lead…"
"Woah, she really is a magician!" Kita smiled. "And she’s gonna be a witness? I’m so excited for tomorrow!"
I really wish I could say the same…
"Do you happen to know anything about that girl, Sir?" Nijika turned to the restaurant, but the man was gone too. "Uh, where did he…"
"He must’ve left a while ago…" Kita said. "It’s getting pretty dark, Ijichi-senpai. Should we finish up?"
"Yeah… I think we’re done here," Nijika sighed. "What are you gonna do now, Kita-chan?"
"Um… is it okay if I stay at your place… until we’re done with this case? I don’t know if I can stomach talking to my mom back home…" Kita fidgeted with her hands.
"No problem! You’re always welcome at the Ijichi household," Nijika shot a thumbs up.
"Heheh, thank you, Ijichi-senpai."
Nijika heard a car honking in the distance. It was Seika. "Nijika!" She shouted.
The two walked over to the car. "Hey, Sis. I… got a friend who wants to stay over at our place, if you don’t mind,"
"Sure. Who’s your friend?" Seika looked at the redhead standing next to Nijika.
"A-Ah, you can call me Kita-chan! You must be Ms. Seika Ijichi, right? I read about you and your sister in an article… it’s nice to meet such a legendary attorney!"
"Well, I don’t know about ‘legendary’…" Seika chuckled…and then looked at Kita.
"…What’s wrong?" Kita asked.
"I don’t know why… but I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…" Seika squinted her eyes.
Nijika sighed and folded her arms. "Jeez, you’re getting pretty forgetful these days, Sis. Must be old age."
"Oi. Quiet you," Seika glared at her sister. "Just get in the car."
"Okay~" Nijika gave Kita a wink. Kita sighed in relief.
"So, how’d it go?" Seika asked.
"Fine, I guess," Nijika shrugged. "There wasn’t whole a lot to look at since… they took all the evidence away."
"You came out empty-handed?" Seika asked. "You gotta have at least something, right?"
"Well…" Nijika pulled out the file Aiko gave to her earlier. "We got an autopsy report and a map of the place… huh?"
"What?" Seika asked.
Nijika pulled out a piece of paper from the file. It was a construction warrant detailing about reinforcing one of the observation deck’s support beams. They had to make a few temporary walls to cover the faulty beam, in between the elevator doors and the door to the women’s restroom. The red lines indicate where the temporary walls are.
"Something tells me I’m not supposed to have this," Nijika raised an eyebrow.
"Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll help," Seika added. "You should rest up for tomorrow."
Nijika sighed in thought as Seika drove them back to Shimokitazawa. Tomorrow would be her first trial without her sister’s guidance. The training wheels were off, and she came up short with evidence regardless. But, even when things were looking down, nothing was going to stop her from believing. Believing in Sasaki-san, Kita-chan, and herself.
Tomorrow… let’s do our best.
Chapter Text
October 11th, 9:41AM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
"I didn’t take you for such a Ryo fanatic, Kita-chan…" Nijika scratched her head.
"Ryo-senpai is the coolest! I’ve been to almost all of her trials, she never fails to make me squee!" Kita gushed. "I didn’t know you two were childhood friends! That’s so cool!"
It was the morning before the trial, and the two lawyers were up and ready to go… at least Kita was. When she heard from Nijika last night that Ryo was gonna be leading the prosecution for this case, she got a little too excited. She made sure to wake up at 3 in the morning and drag Nijika out of bed to get ready, much to her dismay.
"Meeting her face to face like this…" Kita’s eyes sparkled. "It feels like a dream!"
"It feels like a nightmare…" Nijika sighed as she looked inside her near-empty case file. She could’ve sworn she saw a moth flying out of it.
"Hey, Nijika-san," a calm and cool voice came from the lobby doors. It was Sasaki. "Hope I’m not too late-"
Her eyes widened as she saw the head of red hair standing next to Nijika.
…
"Kita?"
"H-Hi, Sattsu…"
"Never thought I’d see you here… where you been?" Sasaki folded her arms.
"I-I’ve been helping out Ijichi-senpai! I… I know I was suppose to help you… and I know what I did was horrible… I’m really sorry, Sattsu," Kita said with her head down. "I didn’t think to call you or visit you, so… I understand if you don’t wanna be friends anymore. I’m really sorry…"
Kita-chan…
…
Sasaki sighed. "After all we’ve been through… I can’t stay mad, can I? I forgive you."
"Sattsu… thank you!" Kita gave her a big hug.
"You can get pretty crazy sometimes, Kita. Maybe you should treat me after you’re done," Sasaki smirked.
"Of course! You just sit tight and let us handle it!" Kita cheered.
Nice of them to finally reconcile…
"So, how’s it going, Nijika-san?" Sasaki asked.
"Uhh… it’s not looking too good," Nijika mumbled. "You’re the only likely suspect right now, and the police took all the evidence away."
"O-Oh…" Sasaki’s heart dropped.
"B-But it’s okay! We still have a chance with the witness, so don’t worry!"
"Hey, I’m just glad to have a lawyer this time, let alone two," Sasaki chuckled. "You guys go do your best."
"Thanks. Let’s go, Kita-chan!" Nijika cheered.
"See you later, Sattsu!" Kita waved.
***
October 11th, 10:00AM
District Court
Courtroom No. 2
The judge pounded his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Tsuguko Sasaki."
"The defense is ready, Your Honor," Nijika said.
"The prosecution *MUNCH* is ready *MUNCH* Your Honor," Ryo said as she snacked on her premium weed stash.
Could you talk without your mouth full?
"Senpai is so wild!" Kita gushed.
"During the last trial, we arrived at a verdict without a proper counsel for the defendant. This retrial aims to rectify this, and I hope for your sake Ms. Ijichi, that you don’t intend to run away again."
"Huh? W-Wait, it wasn’t me who ran away!" Nijika exclaimed.
The judge shook his head. "The court will not hear the defense’s excuses. I will not tolerate any more stalling in my court, am I clear?"
"Y-Yes, Your Honor…" Nijika uttered.
"Sorry, Ijichi-senpai…" Kita tried to console her.
"Let us begin, then. Ms. Yamada, your opening statement-"
"Let’s just get this over with and call Detective Sato up here," Ryo butted in.
"I-I see…" The judge stuttered. "Very well, let’s not waste any more time, then."
***
"Your name and occupation, witness," Ryo asked.
"Aiko Sato, detective and journalist," Aiko said. "I’ll be laying down the facts of the case… again. The victim was Ms. Tori Kataru, a journalist who worked around Enoshima. Her body was found near the observation tower at the top of Enoshima Shrine. The victim fell from a height of approximately 200 feet from the top of the tower. Examining the body was difficult, but we figured the cause of death was the impact from the fall… since it basically broke every bone in her body. We found the defendant up at the observation deck at the time of the murder, and we have an eyewitness who saw the defendant pushing the victim off the tower."
"Falling off a tower… it’s quite a rough way to go," The judge said.
"There weren’t that many people on the ground, so no one else got hurt," Aiko said. "As for the observation deck, it was just the victim, the defendant and the witness."
The judge nodded. "Very well, Detective Sato. Please testify to the court about the circumstances of the arrest."
***
Testimony
"We first got told about the incident from a bunch of people phoning us from Enoshima Shrine. We took the accounts of everyone there, and they all mentioned shards of glass and the body falling from the tower. Like I said, nobody else got hurt-"
HOLD IT!
"Could you be more specific about the accounts you took?" Nijika asked.
"Sure. Just a sec…" Aiko pulled out her phone. "To sum things up, 'The sound of glass breaking could be heard briefly, and the victim got thrown off the tower several minutes after.'"
"Several minutes…? What’s with the delay?" Nijika asked.
"Well, the glass used for the observation deck’s windows are pretty sturdy," Aiko folded her arms. "I’d imagine whoever was up there would’ve been there for a while to break the glass."
"The court accepts the accounts as evidence," The judge declared. "Please continue."
"After we interviewed everyone, we went ahead and arrested Ms. Sasaki. She was the last person to use the elevator, so she was pretty suspicious right off the gate-"
HOLD IT!
"So… you mean to tell me that Ms. Sasaki broke the sturdy glass all by herself?" Nijika pressed.
"…Hammer."
Eh?
"There was a hammer… at the scene of the crime," Ryo said.
"A-A hammer?" Nijika asked.
"One of those emergency hammers, to be specific," Aiko said. "They’re for breaking windows in case the exits were blocked by like a fire or something. Apparently, the defendant had it."
"Oh… w-wait, what did you say!?" Nijika’s heart dropped.
"When we arrested Ms. Sasaki, we found her holding onto an emergency hammer," Aiko clarified. "We don’t exactly know why, but it’s enough to suspect her of breaking the glass… and committing the murder."
"You’re kidding!!" Nijika’s jaw dropped as the gallery started chattering.
"Your Honor, the hammer," Ryo showed off the emergency hammer. "Fingerprints are still intact."
The judge nodded. "Accepted into evidence."
"Ryo-senpai really is a woman of few words, huh?" Kita asked.
"U-Um… couldn’t the killer have just hit the victim with the hammer? Why go through the trouble of throwing them out?" Nijika asked.
"We didn’t find any traces of blood on the hammer, so that’s a no-go," Aiko shrugged.
"Hmm, was there anything of interest on the observation deck itself?" The judge asked.
"We haven’t carried out a full investigation of the tower yet since it was off-limits for safety reasons, but I can least explain the layout of the tower. Take a look at this," Aiko pulled out a diagram of the observation deck. "The observation deck is basically a ring of glass windows with an elevator in the middle, and the broken window directly faces the elevator doors. There’s also a door behind the elevator that leads to a spiral staircase back down."
"Thank you for the overview, Detective Sato," The judge nodded. "Now that we have the facts of this case, I’d like to hear from the witness again. Ms. Yamada?"
Ryo nodded. "The prosecution calls to the stand… a young girl who happened to witness the crime from above."
***
"State your name and occupation," Ryo asked.
"Aki Tekina, mage of the golden realm!" Aki announced as she waved her jumbo pen around. "I hear that my services are needed once again?"
"We would like to hear your testimony once more, witness," The judge said. "Were you at the observation deck at the time of the incident?"
"Yes! My sorceress eyes do not deceive… though why do I have to repeat myself?" Aki asked.
"Sorry, Aki… but It’s the fault of the yellow devil standing over there," Ryo pointed.
"Hey!! How is it MY fault!?" Nijika slammed her desk.
"Eep! Back off, foul beast!" Aki was about ready to throw down.
"Have no fear, Aki," Ryo said. "I’ll blast this yellow devil back to hell if she tries anything."
"Ah! As expected of Sorceress Yamada!" Aki clapped her hands.
"Sorceress Yamada… I like the sound of that!" Kita smiled.
Do I get a say in any of this??
"Ms. Ijichi, please remember that you are talking to a child. Try to be gentle," The judge said.
"…Yes, Your Honor," Nijika spoke through gritted teeth.
"Now then, please tell the court about what you saw, witness," The judge said.
***
Testimony
"I was up at the observation deck using the bathroom, until I heard a loud smashing sound, like glass breaking-"
HOLD IT!
"Why did you go to observation deck?" Nijika pressed.
"It was super hot outside! The sun was practically draining me of my powers, so I had to recharge under the blissful air-conditioning of the tower…"
"The weather’s been awful nowadays, Huh? No wonder it wasn’t that crowded," Kita said.
"Why did you stick around if the weather was too hot?" Nijika asked.
"If you must know, I was busy practicing my magic!" Aki said. "Enoshima has plenty of birds for me to test my spells on!"
"O-Oh…"
"So that’s what she was doing yesterday…" Kita rubbed her chin.
"I also had a pretty bad tummy ache all of a sudden… so I took the elevator to get to the top to use the bathroom," Aki said.
"Where are the bathrooms on the deck?" Nijika asked.
"They’re next to where the elevator doors are. One for boys, one for girls. You can only go one at a time, though."
"I see, what happened next?" The judge asked.
"After I heard that sound, I rushed out of the bathroom as fast as I could. I opened the door and saw that green-haired witch standing infront of a broken window! There was also someone dangling off the railing! Within a matter of seconds, I saw the person fall off the tower while that witch just stood there watching-"
HOLD IT!
"Are you absolutely sure you saw the defendant push the body out herself?" Nijika pressed.
"I definitely saw her do it! I swear to the divine order!" Aki waved her jumbo pen around.
"But you said that the body was dangling off the railing, and that the body just fell out…" Nijika slammed her desk. "How can you say that for certain!?"
"W-Well, I-I uh…" Aki stuttered. "I-I guess I didn’t-"
OBJECTION!
"…Do not be so easily swayed by the devil’s ways, Aki," Ryo objected. "If you saw her do it, you saw her do it."
"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I saw her do it!" Aki pumped her fists. "Nice try, yellow devil!"
OBJECTION!
"Don’t try to sweep this under the rug!" Nijika was getting tired of these delusions. "There’s a difference between pushing the victim and watching the victim fall!"
"…So, she broke the window and had the victim fall herself?" Ryo asked. "You didn’t forget about the hammer, did you?"
"U-Urk…"
Right… it had her fingerprints…
"That hammer is kind of a pain, huh?" Kita asked. "We’re not getting much to work with."
"I guess I should try to get more details instead," Nijika sighed. "So… you saw the crime immediately?"
"Yes! When I got out of the bathroom, I looked to my right and saw that green-haired witch just standing there! I didn’t know what to do, so I went back inside the bathroom until she left-"
OBJECTION!
"Ms. Tekina, I’m afraid you’re mistaken," Nijika pointed. "When you got out of the bathroom, you looked to your right to see the crime?"
"Is something wrong?" Aki asked.
"Tell me…" Nijika pulled out the layout. "If you were to leave the girl’s bathroom and look to your right, where would you be facing?"
"You’d be facing the back of the observation deck, right?" Kita asked.
...
"…O-Oh!" Kita’s eyes widened.
"Correct!" Nijika slammed her desk. "Wouldn’t she have had to turn to her left? After all, the crime happened at the front of the observation deck!"
…
…
"Is… that all?" The judge asked.
"H-Huh? That was a contradiction… right?" Nijika stuttered.
"So what?" Ryo asked. "She could’ve just turned to her left instead and saw the crime, problem solved."
"Hmm… I have to agree with her, senpai," Kita scratched her head. "S-Senpai? Why are you smiling like that?"
"Hehehe, silly Ryo…" Nijika smirked. "I’m afraid it’s not that easy."
"W-What?" Ryo was a little taken aback.
"The witness couldn’t have turned to her left either!" Nijika pulled out the construction warrant. "Behold!"
"Wh… Where did you get that!?" Ryo slammed her desk with her fist.
"You might wanna ask Detective Yami about that," Nijika smugly folded her arms.
"Detective… Yami…" Ryo mumbled as she pulled out her emergency stash of weeds for stress eating.
"Mind filling me in, Ms. Ijichi?" The judge asked.
"According to this warrant, one of the deck’s support beams were scheduled to be repaired around the time of the crime. Because of this, a few fake walls were setup to cover the beam. These walls were actually placed within the path from the elevator doors to the women’s restroom."
"I see… so you certainly wouldn’t be able to see the crime to your left!" The judge said.
"Care to explain, Aki? Why don’t you cut the magical act and tell us exactly where you were at the time of the murder!?" Nijika pointed.
"Eek! C-Curse you, yellow devil!" Nijika somehow manifested a sharp gust of wind onto Aki.
"Amazing, Ijichi-senpai!" Kita clapped. "You turned it around like it was nothing!"
Hehe… take that, Ryo!
"Well Aki? Which is it!?" Nijika asked. "The court demands an explanation from you-"
OBJECTION!
"…Ah! I-Ijichi-senpai!" Kita gasped.
Nijika felt the slap of a hundred dandelion leaves to her face. Her vision greenified, her mouth full of bitter weeds.
"Dandelions… considered to be a perennial weed because of how fast they can spread in gardens. They’re unpredictable and can get out of control easily if not taken care of. It’s ironic how a bright yellow flower… can only exist to waste everyone’s time."
"Woah… Ryo-senpai knows so much!" Kita smiled.
Nijika spat out a dandelion. "…What?"
"Where was the witness during the crime? Better question: who cares?" Ryo shrugged.
Nijika brushed the weeds of her face. "H-Huh?"
"I’m sorry Ms. Ijichi, but I have to agree with Ms. Yamada," The judge shook his head. "Left or right, she still saw the moment of the crime."
"All she had to do was turn a corner. Right, Aki?" Ryo asked.
"A-Ah! Yes! That is correct! Nicely done, Sorceress Yamada!" Aki bowed.
Grr… she’s filling the holes in her testimony!
Nijika slammed her desk. "Your Honor! The defense would like the witness to give an ACCURATE testimony to the court!"
The judge nodded. "Very well. Witness, please testify once more about when you first arrived to the observation deck."
"O-Of course, Your Honor!" Aki stuttered.
"What are we gonna do, Ijichi-senpai?" Kita asked.
"She’s gotta be hiding something…" Nijika furrowed her eyebrows. "Time to press her like there’s no tomorrow!"
***
Testimony
"O-Okay, I went to the observation deck to take a break from the hot spell outside. I also really had to go to the bathroom, so I took the elevator up-"
HOLD IT!
"Why there? Why not the bathrooms at the bottom?" Nijika pressed.
"W-Why? Well, I didn’t know where else to go!" Aki stammered.
"You… didn’t know? Didn’t you say you always came to Enoshima to pick on birds?" Nijika asked.
"I-I was in a hurry, that’s all! I just… wasn’t thinking straight!"
"Still… it’s quite a long way, no?" Nijika asked. "If you really were in a hurry-"
OBJECTION!
"Nijika, quit stalling," Ryo interjected. "I wanna go home."
"Wha- Would it kill you to wait!?" Nijika grumbled.
"Yes, yes it would," Ryo nodded.
"Is there a point to your line of questioning, Ms. Ijichi?" The judge asked.
Judging by her reaction… I’ve gotta be on the right track!
"Yes, Your Honor!" Nijika slammed her desk. "The defense believes that this testimony… is the key to solving this case!" The gallery fell into a commotion.
"S-Senpai! Are you sure you know what you’re doing?" Kita asked.
"Um, not really…" Nijika scratched her head. "But this is all we’ve got, so let’s make it count!"
"Order! Order!" The judge pummeled his gavel. "Very well, then. You may continue questioning the witness."
"Thank you, Your Honor," Nijika said. "Now, Aki! Why didn’t you go for the bathrooms below?"
"H-Huh? Because… b-because…" Aki nervously fidgeted with her jumbo pen. "I-It was… locked…"
"What was locked?" Nijika asked.
"Ah! I-I mean, the bathrooms below were locked! Y-Yes! They were occupied!" Aki insisted.
… She has to be lying, but what for?
"Something you’d like to add, Ms. Ijichi? Your eyes are bulging from your head," The judge asked.
What was it that Sis did? Back things up?
"…Aki. I just want you to clarify something for me," Nijika asked. "The bathroom upstairs… was it also locked?"
Aki jolted in surprise. "H-Huh!? N-No, of course not!"
"Where are you going with this?" Ryo sighed.
"Let’s reconsider the testimony we’ve heard so far," Nijika rubbed her chin. "Aki was using the women’s restroom, which was on the right side of the observation deck. She first said that she looked to the right and saw the crime immediately."
"That was proven to be impossible, yes?" The judge asked.
"Right. But then there’s the question: why would she tell us that?" Nijika asked.
"Ngghh…" Aki started sweating bullets.
"That’s true, why would she lie about something like that?" Kita asked.
"I can only think of one reason," Nijika slammed her desk. "Aki did not witness the crime from the women’s restroom!"
The gallery started murmuring. "Order! Order!" The judge banged his gavel. "Ms. Ijichi… if the witness wasn’t by the women’s restroom, where do you suppose she was standing at the time of the crime?"
"It’s simple, Your Honor," Nijika smirked. "All we have to do is match her position with her testimony! Right… over… here!"
"But that’s… that’s the men’s restroom!" The judge’s eyes widened.
…
"H-Hey! D-Don’t look at me like that!" Aki covered her beet red face. The gallery went into an uproar.
"Order! Order!" The judge pounded his gavel. "Ms. Ijichi, please explain what’s going on here!"
"Recall the first testimony given," Nijika said. "Aki said that when she got out of the restroom, she turned to look to her right and immediately saw the crime. Now, this wouldn’t make sense if she was on the same side as the women’s restroom. However…"
"…It would make more sense the other way around!" Kita gasped.
"Exactly! The only way her testimony would fit…" Nijika slammed her desk. "…is if she was watching from the same side as the men’s restroom!"
"N-NO! P-PLEASE STOP!!" Aki tried to cover her ears.
"Admit it, Aki!" Nijika pointed. "All your testimony brought us to one conclusion… you were using the men’s restroom that day!"
"AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!" Aki gripped the sides of her head as her eyes started spiraling. "THAT’S RIGHT, I WAS THERE! YOU GOT ME… AHAHAHAHAHA…"
"O-Order! I will have order!" The judge banged his gavel to silence the chattering gallery as Aki continued to laugh in embarrassment.
"I think you broke her, Ijichi-senpai," Kita said.
I might’ve pressed a little too much…
"W-Witness! You were using the men’s restroom?" The judge asked.
"…Y-Yes…" Aki sighed as she buried her face in her hands. "Ughhh… I wanna die…"
"…Dare I ask what were you doing in there?" The judge relunctantly asked.
"I-I-It’s not what it looks like!!" Aki exclaimed. "I just… really had to go…"
"You didn’t think to use the women’s restroom?" Nijika asked.
"W-Well, the door was locked," Aki said. "I couldn’t open it, and I couldn’t hold it in, so…"
"W-Wait, it was locked?" Nijika slammed her desk. "Why didn’t you say so earlier??"
"B-Because it was too embarrassing!! I’m sorry!!" Aki cried.
"If that bathroom was locked, that would mean someone was using it, no?" Kita asked.
"Exactly! Someone else was there at the scene of the crime!" Nijika pointed.
OBJECTION!
"That could’ve been the victim, or the defendant," Ryo objected. "Your 'someone else' doesn’t exist."
OBJECTION!
"You don’t know that! That’s only a possibility!" Nijika fought back.
OBJECTION!
"…And yours is any better?" Ryo asked. "Where do you think this 'someone else' came from, anyway?"
"Have a look at this!" Nijika pulled out the victim’s newspaper article. "This is an article talking about a drug trafficking case that’s currently under investigation in Enoshima."
"Are you suggesting that there’s a connection between this case and the murder?" The judge asked.
"Yes! This was apparently found on the victim’s body that day," Nijika said. "The defense firmly believes that this case was what killed Ms. Kataru!"
OBJECTION!
"…You’re bluffing, aren’t you," Ryo folded her arms.
Uh oh… was it that obvious?
"E-Even so, you forget that Ms. Sasaki doesn’t have a motive! I think my possibility at least deserves some scrutiny!"
"Great, so a drug dealer did it," Ryo sighed. "Nijika, we don’t even know who to look for."
"We don’t… but it’s a much better possibility to work with," Nijika rubbed her chin. "My client had no reason to murder the victim. She was only a stranger to her!"
"So, if this case was related to that other case…" Kita said.
"…We would have ourselves a motive," Nijika finished her sentence. "Why else would the victim be carrying this newspaper clipping around?"
…
The judge thought carefully. "…Very well. The court acknowledges the defense’s position. The motive presented is plausible, as it is the only motive we currently have. On that note, I would like to bring today’s proceedings to a close. The evidence presented today points to the defendant as the culprit. However! We have yet to establish a proper motive, and another person could have possibly committed the crime. Several other relevant points were made, yet this leaves me wondering what exactly happened in the observation deck that day. The court requests further investigation from both the defense and the prosecution. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Your Honor," The two attorneys agreed.
"Then, that is all. This court is adjourned!" The judge pummeled his gavel.
***
October 11th, 3:04PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 3
Nijika stretched her arms as hard as she could with a satisfied grin on her face. Things went surprisingly well for a change. Even when she was running dry on evidence, she still managed to pull through. She even got to show Kita a bit of what she learned from her sister.
I can’t believe I just did that…
"Kyaa! That was so exciting!" Kita smiled. "Nicely done, senpai!"
"I agree, that was honestly amazing," Sasaki chuckled.
"Haha… thanks, you guys," Nijika plopped her back on the lobby couch. That was probably her favourite thing to do here.
"So, what’s next?" Sasaki asked.
"We’ll have to go down to the observation tower again, maybe they’ll let us check out the deck this time," Nijika said.
"Yeah! You just hang in there, Sattsu. We’ll be done with this case in no time!" Kita clenched her fists.
"I guess I’ll see you at the detention center then, take care," Sasaki waved goodbye.
…
"Alright!" Nijika shot back up from the couch. "Let’s go, Kita-chan! We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s make the most of it-"
"IKUYO!!"
A loud, angry voice echoed from the lobby doors. Nijika turned her head to see a woman with short, red hair briskly walking towards the three. She could see an attorney’s badge attached to her coat.
"What do you think you’re doing here? Why haven’t you been answering my calls!?" The woman hastily asked.
"M-Mom!? How did you find me??" Kita asked, and then looked behind the woman. Seika and Komina were standing there.
"O-Oh…"
"We are going home right this instant, young lady!" The woman yelled.
"Home?? I’m not going anywhere until Ijichi-senpai finishes this case!" Kita angrily replied.
The woman looked at Nijika. "You… You stay away from my daughter. I don’t need you influencing her to run away!"
"H-Huh?" Nijika was slightly taken aback. "Wait, but I didn’t-"
"Let’s go, Ikuyo," The woman firmly demanded.
"But Mom-"
"NOW."
…
Kita surrendered and followed the woman out through the lobby doors.
…
…What just happened?
"Nice work on the trial, Nijika," Komina walked up to her, with Seika next to her.
"A-Ah, thank you," Nijika stuttered. She still had to get used to that voice.
"So, were you gonna tell us about your friend?" Seika asked.
"She just wanted to help! I didn’t know her mom was looking for her," Nijika scratched her cheek.
"Sorry about that… Kuruyo tends to overreact most of the time," Komina said.
"You guys know each other?" Nijika asked.
"Lawyer circles… you know how it is," Seika said. "She can be pretty misunderstanding at times, but she’s a nice person at heart."
"So what, you drove her here out of the kindness of your heart? That’s so sweet of you, Sis," Nijika teased.
Seika’s cheeks were tinted red. "I-I just did it so that she wouldn’t nag me to death."
"You should be more honest with yourself, Sis."
"That’s about enough out of you."
Komina laughed. "Well, I think it’s time to head back. Good luck with the case, Nijika."
"See you soon," Seika waved. The two left through the lobby doors.
…
"H-Hey! I still need a ride!"
Notes:
The first half of chapter 3 done, introducing Ikuyo Kita to the Kessoku crew. I hope I did her character justice as the staple legal assistant in the original games. I also hope the illustrations help with explaining the layout of the place. I've never been to the observation tower myself, so I guess this is just my own rendition of it.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated in the comments. Thanks for reading.
meow (Guest) on Chapter 1 Tue 06 Jun 2023 12:11PM UTC
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