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  April 13th, 9:02 am
  Tokyo District Court, Courtroom No. 2

---Music: High Pressure (Persona 5) ---

The Judge tries to pull everyone back into the trial with quite a few gavel strikes. "Miss Yashin, what have you been thinking withholding such a crucial piece of evidence?!"
  "I wanted to leave nothing uncertain by giving the defense ample opportunity to try and prove me wrong. And, I'll be honest, you almost had me by establishing that the murder could have happened on a different floor. I was even starting to think that this Mask☆DeMasque character may have had something to do with the murder. But, even if the location was slightly different... ultimately, a very key factor hasn't changed."
"I already see where you're going with this," Sae comments, with a very serious expression, "It's about how we know the crime scene was altered."
Yashin takes a bit of a formal bow. "You're spot on, Niijima-san. It's factual that the statue was further damaged and the painting was moved, so there's no arguing that someone visited the scene where the body landed to make those changes. Even if the murder happened on the first floor... the killer still visited the ground floor to tamper with the scene, and that's exactly when and where they left a clue."
"This isn't good..." I mumble, trying to use a stern expression to hide the fact that I'm in a cold sweat. "I thought she was being ridiculous for insisting Akira was the culprit when almost literally nothing else seemed to support that."
"This must have been her trump card all along," Maya infers with an accusatory tone.
I've been gripping the edge of my bench so tightly that it's hurting my fingers. The worst part is, I can't think of a way to counter this...

---(Music End)---



---Music: Last Surprise ---

A new voice entirely shouts and catches us all off-guard. Who could this be?
An audience member is standing up. It's a slender and tall man wearing fairly ordinary clothes. The sound of his voice as well as his demeanor feel almost regal, and I get the vibes of an artsy-type of person. He looks familiar, if only because of the blue hair. Is this one of Akira's friends?
The Judge looks towards the young man. "Excuse me, but who might you be?"
"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, your Honor," the man responds, and his manner of speech is very polite and formal. "The defendant, Kurusu-san, is an acquaintance of mine. We were both invited to the museum on April 11th, and I can attest that he was present with me in the atrium during general business hours."
Yashin isn't buying it.



"I would like to elaborate to the court that these hair strands were located near the broken easel and the body--an exhibit area which is kept off limits by stanchion poles and chains. No one should have entered the roped-off area, even if it was during the day."
"I'm loathe to admit, but the two of us indeed stepped into the off-limits area during the day. I'm the artist who painted the piece that was destroyed later that night."
*!*
Yashin eyes him cautiously. "And you say you were both in that area? Why?"
  The man turns his gaze to the side, as if regretful. "Kurusu-san is an art enthusiast of sorts. He was in the process of critiquing my work, and we were both... roused by disagreeing opinions. In the heat of passion, we both went up to my painting to point out specific details more closely, and at some point I began shouting. Now that I think in hindsight, I recall we made such a spectacle that the entire atrium was looking at us. How dreadfully embarrassed I would have been in any other state of mind."
Yashin doesn't seem to have a response ready quite yet, as her eyes are closed and she's holding her chin while focusing intensely.
"It wasn't one of my finer moments," Yusuke continues, "But I can assure you, within seconds of our outburst, we apologized to museum security and vacated the off-limits area, and left shortly thereafter."
The Judge's meditative expression almost mirrors Yashin's. "So, what you are asserting, is that the defendant was in fact present by the easel earlier in the day during standard business hours, before the crime even happened."
"Actually," Yurui contributes, "I was there when this happened. The staff and I were almost worried a fight was going to break out with how loud they were yelling."
"I see," the Judge acknowledges. "And would either of your two be willing to testify to these points for the court?"
"That may not be entirely necessary," detective Ritsu adds his two cents, "It should be easy enough to determine if this is true or not, especially if the entire atrium's worth of people were watching."

---(Music End)---

"That's very true," the Judge agrees, "But I believe we should hear the thoughts of the defense as well as the prosecution, not only on this matter, but whether or not it effects their arguments."

---Music: Restlessness ---

This has all happened so quickly that I've barely had a chance to think, much less speak. But now is as good a chance as ever to speak my mind. "The defense continues to strongly assert that the only pieces of evidence even possibly connected to Kurusu-san are completely circumstantial, and we still believe him to be unrelated to any crimes which took place on the night of the 11th."
Yashin doesn't seem too terribly phased by this. "Other than finding it extremely uncanny how surprise testimonies keep appearing every time the defendant is implicated... the prosecution has no new opinions. Circumstantial or not, his hair was still there, and we can't prove exactly when it got there. Kurusu-san is still the prime suspect and most likely individual to have committed the crimes."
And what I find uncanny is how neither her nor the police have made any connection with Akira and the Phantom Thieves. We know for certain that detective Ritsu is aware of Akira's true identity. Is he purposefully helping us out by not mentioning anything? I'm not sure if we can count him as an ally on this one... he has a duty as an officer of the law. I wish I could figure out what he's thinking right now.
And don't even get me started on Yashin. I know a person like her would have done her research before a trial, so I can only assume she knows about his past. But, there have been plenty of moment during this trial that she could have easily revealed Akira's criminal history to paint him even more suspicious... that first comment she made about the uncanny testimonies was definitely directed at us, after all. Maybe she has reasons to not bring it up yet? Or, maybe she actually doesn't know that Akira is the leader of the Phantom Thieves? There's no way to tell right now. At the very least we should move forward expecting her that she knows more than she's letting on.
"Hey, Nick, that's enough day dreaming, don'tcha think?" Maya snaps her fingers. I guess I was zoned out while processing all of this.
Right. Back to it, then. "Yashin, I understand how even though Kuchibiru-san was at the scene of the crime, he has somewhat of an alibi as to where he was at the time of death. But, Hibiki-san was also present with him when the police arrived. Either one of them could have potentially altered the crime scene. In fact, those two would have had the most opportunity to actually do so. So why haven't you and the police been considering the curator as a suspect? Mask☆DeMasque being able to steal documents right from his office proves the curator wasn't in his office at the time, which is where he was alleged to be."
"If we take our masked friend's words at face value," she establishes, ready to rebound a counterargument, "Then we know that the curator was headed downstairs to a lower point. That much I'll almost accept. However, what is it we've been talking about from the start when it comes to the layout of the stairs from floor to floor?"
Maya tilts her head curiously. "That it's a pain actually getting anywhere because they are so spread out...?"
"Exactly," Yashin nods. "If we consider the time frames once more in relation to what Monsieur Masque testified, then Hibiki-san left his office at 9:14 pm. The alarm was pulled at 9:17, and that couldn't have been more than a minute after Kuchibiru-san heard the moment of the murder. There's only about a two or three minute window of time between those two points. Even if we assume Hibiki-san was going to continue walking downward--which we can't say for certain, either, he could have been going elsewhere--there's no way that he could have even reached the first floor, much less murder someone there."
I bite my lip. "That's a pretty strong argument. It all goes back to the damn stairs and how spread out they are."
"I seriously hate the jerk who designed that museum," Maya growls with spite.
I may have been hearing things, but I could have sworn a number of hushed voices from the audience sitting around Kitagawa-san all grumbled, "You have no idea..."

---(Music End)---

The Judge seems ready to reflect on all that has progressed so far. "It feels as if we haven't particularly gotten anywhere despite all of the reasonable arguments and theories. We still aren't clear on who was present and at which locations during the time frame of this murder."
"Detective," Yashin calls out, grabbing Ritsu's attention, "Did anything ever come of restoration attempts on the statue itself? I've had that point of interest on the back-burner until there was more news."
Sae also remember the topic. "I do recall detective Ritsu mentioning that when we were heading to the tech specialist yesterday. He said that forensics experts were trying to recreate the statue so we could figure out which one exactly fell on the victim, right?"
"Oh, thank you for reminding me," Ritsu nods with a smile, "I got a few text messages about that earlier. So far, we've been having a lot of difficulty with restoration attempts. The thing is really screwed up, but they mentioned making some small progress."
Yashin smiles and snaps her fingers. "If that's the case, now may be the perfect time to address the matter of which statue actually crushed the victim. That could potentially tell us a lot about where the entire event started and ended. Is there anything they can present to the court?"
"I think the forensics team has been waiting for their cue to do just that," Ritsu nods, "I can have them bring their findings on in now."
"Excellent," the Judge commends with a nod, "Please do so, detective. I'll allow a few moments for your men to get situated."
The doors to the court open, and an officer rolls a small table with wheels underneath into the room. I can see what looks like a few chunk of statue placed on the table, covered in plastic wrap. This must be what the forensics people have been able to reconstruct up to this point.
"I'm a bit surprised," the Judge remarks, "I didn't expect the recovered areas to be so... small." But soon after making that statement, he backtracks. "Though, given how destroyed the statue looked in the crime scene photographs, being able to put together even this much is actually an impressive feat."
"We'll take what we can get!" Maya speaks with optimism.
"My primary concern, however," the Judge continues, "Is what analyzing these pieces can actually tell us. I only took one art history course in college, and that was... well, a very long time ago. Will we be able to determine what statue this was based on such small samples?"
That shouldn't be a problem, because we have just the evidence for that.



"Your Honor, the defense can definitely help with that," I offer, "When we were investigating the museum, we made a list of all of the statues we could account for, which we were able to cross-reference with the Atrium Exhibit Guide. We were able to determine that four statues were missing."
"Good thinking," Yashin compliments with a surprisingly friendly tone, "It only makes sense that whichever statue was destroyed that night would naturally no longer be on display."
"Exactly," Maya nods, "Narrowing it down could potentially give us the answer, depending on how distinct the repaired portions are."
The Judge has another request of us. "Would you mind going into detail for the court so that we may know a little bit more about what we're trying to match these pieces with?"
Oh man, I didn't think we'd be quizzed on the statues themselves. I bite my lip with embarrassment. "Oh, uh... all we really know is what we see in the pictures in the exhibit guide."
"Hmm," the Judge accepts, "Well, the curator himself is still in the audience. He would know better than anyone, yes?"
  Ritsu shakes his head. "Unfortunately, he's currently refusing to speak and sitting in the lobby. He's rather, er, upset, at the moment..."
"It's all well and fine," Yashin shrugs with a smile, "Didn't we have an artist in the audience, anyway? Maybe he can help."
Her gaze locks on to the blue haired man from before. His eyes widen and blink a bit in response to the sudden call out. "Oh, uh, am I the one you're speaking of?"
"Yeah!" Maya concurs, "Would you be able to brief us on the statues, Kitagawa-san?"
"Well, I can most certainly try," he answers from a middle ground between confidence and and embarrassment.

---Music: Reasoning (Persona 4) ---

"Sounds like we've got a game plan," I acknowledge amiably, "I've got them in alphabetical order, here... first up, is David. Or, at least, a replica made in spirit of it."
I've at this point handed the guide over to the bailiff who is projecting the images on screen a screen, and the first he zooms in on is the picture accompanying David. It's a well-toned man in a pose of repose, it seems. Even I recognize this statue. He has his left arm bent towards his chin as if he's thinking about something. Aside from that, nothing particularly stands out in terms of the physical sculpt.
"Ah, David! Of course. This is a very well-known statue in the art world. In premise, it is very basic. It's simply a statue of a nude man, the namesake. It's in the careful detailing and perfect anatomy that the true beauty shines. Judging by this picture... the crafting has quite a bit of technique. A trained eye can tell that there are slight differences from the original piece, such as the pose, the direction the head is facing, and the musculature; that makes sense it would have differences from the source, given that I can assume it was made in tribute rather than to plagiarize."
"The next up is Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante," I announce, trying to pronounce it as best as I can, and the display in turn shifts along with me to the next statue."
On the screen next is a statue of a young woman who is wearing slender, almost form-fitting, armor. Her right arm hangs normally from the side, though that hand is clenched into a fist. Her left arm sticks out proudly and dramatically at an upward angle, and she's holding a sword within her grip. She holds a pose which really seems to give a sense of victory.
"Hmm," Yusuke hums softly as he stares with eyes like a hawk, analyzing the next picture. "This is clearly a work inspired by the French saint who is known across the world. Right from the start I can point out several significant dissimilarities between this particular statue and other more traditional ones representing the same saintly icon. It's interesting the artist chose to omit any kind of flag or banner, which the woman is normally associated with. I can see they opted to have her standing on foot rather than riding a horse, which is another common element. Though I suppose a life sized horse for her to ride would have taken much more time and effort to craft. However, 'bland' is the last word I'd use for the final piece for this art. In forgoing superfluous details they were able to capture just how stunning and inspiring a figure that Joan of Arc was. The attention to the finer details are marvelous."
"Next on the list is Perseo Trionfante," I move right along, and the next displayed exhibit guide photo shows a statue of a man who is nude as well, and the pose seems nearly identical to the last statue we just looked at. This statue has the right arm idle at the figure's side. However, the right hand is holding a sword at the figure's waist. The left arm is extending outwards at a slightly rising angle, but instead of holding up a sword triumphantly, he is instead holding a severed head by the hair, and the hair looks to be made of snakes.
Yusuke nods as he holds his chin, still staring strongly at the image. "I suppose that this sculpture would come off as confusing or even shocking without the proper context. To begin, the head belongs to Medusa the gorgon of Greek mythology--a snake monster, if you will. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Medusa and her deadly gaze which turned any who looked at her into stone. Perseus, also a mythological figure, used his ingenuity to come up with a strategy to face her. By viewing her reflection against his metal shield he could approach her safely without looking directly at her. Defeating her with his shield this way is one of the many feats that made Perseus a hero. In this piece, Perseus is holding up Medusa's head by the snakes of her hair. This very moment of Medusa's defeat is a common and even popular scene for sculptors everywhere, though I'm curious why this particular work lacks the hero's iconic shield."

---(Music End)---

"That wraps up the list," I conclude.
"Fascinating," the Judge comments respectfully, "Your knowledge is much appreciated, Kitagawa-san! All three statues are so simple in the premise of a single person standing, yet remarkably different in their various details. I can only hope this information guides us in determining more about where the statue originated. That location could change our entire outlook on the murder. I will now allow the defense as well as the prosecution a chance to inspect and analyze these restored pieces of statue."
"Be thorough, and take your time, Mr. Wright," Sae encourages, "If you focus carefully, I know you'll find a way to learn more about the true killer."
I nod to my friends, and I approach the table in the center of the court, with Yashin doing the same on the opposite side. We're given gloves so as to not mess up the evidence as we investigate, and we get right to it. It's time to get up close and see what these pieces are.
There are a handful of statue chunks of various shapes and sizes, some more discernible than others. I'd say probably about four solid chunks that could possibly give us information. "Well, Mr. Wright, let's have at it," Yashin says as she claps her hands and rubs them back and forth enthusiastically, "I'll let you pick the one we start with."
"Much appreciated," I reply back to match her sportsmanship. The longer this trial goes on, the more it starts to feel like we're on the same team. Two sides of the argument working together, trying to find out what truly happened that night. Still, I can't let my guard down just yet. Gotta be wary of any kind of sneak attacks from the prosecution, after all.

---Music: Logic Trinity ---

First piece I pick is a narrow, somewhat lengthy piece that looks to be the outer surface of something. I try to view it from many different angles to try and get an intuitive sense of what it may be. It's completely smooth and ever so slightly curved... what could this be?
"I think I may have an idea," Yashin confides to me, "Try holding it up against your forearm and see if the length of the piece is comparable."
Sure enough, it almost matches the length of a forearm. "I think you've got that right. It's sad that it's completely smooth though. It's impossible to tell if it's a bare arm like David or Perseus, or wearing plate armor like Joan of Arc."
"Can't really tell if it's a left or right arm, either," Yashin comments further, "But the shape looks like it's tapering, so it must be part of the forearm getting close to the statue's wrist.
Is there anything else I'm missing here? I double check everything. There seems to be one more point of interest, in that there's a somewhat distinct mark on the edge of this chunk. There's a bit of a half-circle. I'd almost say it looks like a dent or an imprint of some sort. I can see the jagged lines where the forensics team must have glued the pieces back together, and even though lines go through it, the edges of the circle match, together still forming the circle shape that's almost perfectly round.
If there's an imprinted mark on an otherwise perfectly smooth surface, something would have had to have made it, right? "I think this part of the statue must have been struck with something," I announce, "And whatever it was left a perfect circle."
"What could leave a circular mark...?" Yashin poses. We're both at a loss. "Perhaps we should keep that in mind moving forward, and look at another piece."
  I choose the piece in the center, as it actually looks like a fairly defined piece. I slowly and carefully rotate it around to view it from every angle possible. It's a fist, I can tell that much. A clenched left hand, to be specific. It seems to have similar, perfectly round marks at various points, always in the center of cracked areas. "I see more of the round circle marks... I think that the same object must have caused them. Now that we know that there was some sort of blunt object involved, it makes more sense how the culprit would have been able to completely smash up the statue to be so unrecognizable."
"So now we know that some sort of weapon was involved," Yashin agrees, "And a blunt object could very well have been the cause of the injury the victim suffered to the head."
Hmm... We haven't even really considered how the various injuries happened to the victim. This statue really IS giving us a lot of new insight. "Now, what about the hand itself?" I change. The fist isn't fully clenched in to itself, but it isn't hollow either. Rather, there is a solid center inside of the curled thumb and fingers which looks different. On both the top and bottom, the holes are jagged as if broken.
I hand it over, and Yashin observes carefully as well. "Interesting. I think we're both going to reach the same conclusion, here."
"Namely, that this statue had to have been one of the ones holding something in this hand," I specify.
"That counts out David, then," she reasons. "Now, if we're talking about objects, I think I know just which piece to look at next, if that's the case."
She moves on to a small piece that is narrow and tube-like. "Let's take a look at this next," she suggests.
Peculiar indeed. It's very narrow, too narrow to be a human limb or anything of that nature. What else would be narrow...?"
Well, two of the statues are holding a sword... a sword hilt is pretty narrow! Well, specifically the part that's gripped. "This may be what the hand was holding! I bet if we try and match it to the hole at the base of the hand, it will fit!"
Like a surgeon, I try to carefully join the two pieces together. It's... not a match, though. The grip isn't wide enough to match the size of what's missing from the fist. "Damn... maybe not."
"No, I think you were right. I think this is just too low down on the grip, and the forensics team probably weren't able to find the upper part of the grip. If they had found it and it was a fit, they would have sent both of these pieces us glued together already, yeah? The rest of the grip must have been too destroyed to repair."
"That's a good point," I agree, "So, if that's the case, then we can pretty much confirm this hand was holding a sword."
"I think this last piece coming up next actually IS part of the sword. Let's find out," she continues.
There's one more piece, and it's very flat and straight. It clicks for me as instantly as it did for Yashin that this must be a part of the blade. It has markings near the edges and between the cracks like every other piece we've seen, as well, but evidently the blade wasn't smashed enough to prevent this small piece from being put back together. "That has to be it, this is most definitely a sword. So, if we know the statue was holding a sword in its left hand, it must have been..."
David
Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante
Perseo Trionfante
---Music: Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2002 ---

"I think we've figured it out, your Honor," I announce to the court, "The statue that fell on the victim had to be Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante!"
"Hey, Nick!" Maya calls, "I think you guys need to keep looking a little deeper! If this statue was involved with the murder, check it for fingerprints and stuff! There has to be leftover clues, right?"
"Actually," Ritsu jumps in, "We did find a trace of a fingerprint on the very edge of that piece that was the sword's grip, but it was so smashed and ground down that it's indecipherable."
Yashin seems lost in thought for quite a few moments, before making a suggestion of her own. "Detective, what about blood? Did we check the statue for blood yet?"
"Well, yes and no," he tries to explain, "A lot of the statue pieces were smashed and ground up so drastically that they looked like dust. Sure enough, most of the dust we found had traces of the victim's blood in them. Somehow blood got on the statue, and if I had to make a hypothesis as to why, I'd say the murderer destroyed the bloodied areas as much as possible to hide anything traces of involvement."
"What about the pieces we're looking at right now?" I question, "Were they checked for blood as well?"
"That's right," he nods again, "The only trace was on the piece you're holding right now. It's so dried it is hardly noticeable to the naked eye, but there was a tiny spot of blood on the sword blade. The victim's blood, in fact."
*!*
"That's strange..." Sae comments with a puzzled look, "How did blood end up getting on the statue...? Especially on the sword. In the picture, Joan of Arc is raising her sword arm to the sky, at almost double the height of a regular adult."
"I wouldn't be able to tell you why," Ritsu laments, "I guess it all goes back to the physical altercation the victim had. At some point during the fight, maybe blood just happened to splatter in that direction, somehow."
Maya seems particularly caught up thinking about this. "Hey, Nick, when adding this to the evidence, make a note that Jeanne's sword is very high up. My gut tells me that something isn't right about that."
I'm in agreement on that point. We'll have to look into that point more as we go forward. "I guess it is about time to put these observations to paper. I'll be sure and do that, Maya."

I finally add the Broken Statue Shards to the evidence list. I need to make specific notes on this evidence.
We've got the statue identified as Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante.
There are slight indents, perfectly circular, at all of the cracking points.
The statue was holding a sword in its left hand.
The sword was pointed high up to the sky, taller than normal people.
The sword blade had traces of the victim's blood.
---(Music End)---

Yashin reaches her arms behind her back to stretch, and she looks relieved. "That was fun, being able to tag-team with you, Mr. Wright. I really got a sense of your attention to detail and could feel your experience firsthand."
Given that she has been very friendly from the start, I don't doubt this as a genuine compliment. It's actually a relief having an opponent who is not only polite but willing to work with us. "I should be thanking you as well, Yashin. A few of the observations you made I may not have caught."
"Don't worry about it," she smiles, "But from here on, we need to both get back in the ring. Now that we've discovered more details, it's our jobs to use them."
That's absolutely correct. We should really put these discoveries under the magnifying lens now to discern everything we can.
"Your Honor, if I may," detective Ritsu announces.
"What is it, detective?" the Judge asks in response.
"Niijima-san referred us to a local tech repair specialist a while back, because the victim had a broken phone on his person when we found the body. Under police supervision, they've been hard at work on trying to restore it. A while ago, one of my boys texted me that the repairs are finished, and they just finished escorting it to the courthouse now. They'll be here momentarily to present it to the court."
*!*
"This could be big," Maya speaks with cautious anticipation, "I feel like we've been trying to put together a puzzle with the most important pieces missing. Finding out what the victim was doing that night could change everything!"
"Indeed," Yashin agrees, seeming eager more than anything, "Let's bring them on in as soon as we can."
Hmm. Didn't expect the topic to change. I'll have to keep the statue shards in the back of my mind, because I know we'll come back to them later.
A bit of time passes, but eventually the courtroom doors swing open and a squad of people enters. There are several officers, the center of which is holding a phone inside of a plastic bag. Near the back of the pack are a girl with orange hair and a man with a goatee and a white suit complimented by a hat. I can only assume the girl with orange hair must be Alibaba. She's a lot younger than I expected.
"Here you are, sir," one of the officers states formally as he hands the evidence over to detective Ritsu.

---Music: Trance Logic ---

"It looks brand new!" the Judge speaks in awe, "I could never have told it was broken at all, much less crushed by a statue!"
"Actually, your Honor," Ritsu begins to correct, "It actually IS a brand new phone. Our repair person did her work on the SIM card, which contains a lot of personal data within a phone. Must have been tricky repair work, given how small the thing is. Anyway, they just took the card and put it into a new phone."
"Fascinating," the wide-eye'd Judge comments, "So in essence, with this new phone you should be have all of the data that was on the broken phone?"
Ritsu nods his head. "That's right. Would you give us some time to do a search through the info on the phone, your Honor?"
"By all means," the Judge agrees, "We need you to be as thorough about it as possible."
"Of course, you can count on us," Ritsu agrees with a salute.
  We all expect to wait for several minutes, but Ritsu is surprisingly quick at going through the phone. "There's barely any personal data on the phone at all. All I can see is a single contact, nicknamed 'Hibiki,' and there's a text conversation with that number."
*!*
"It's rather one-sided, as well... it's only a handful of texts," Ritsu clarifies.
"Would you read them to the court, detective?" the Judge instructs.
"Sure will:"

---(Music End)---

Everything quiets as we wait for the detective to narrate the mysterious texts.

"8:55 pm: Been looking for you all day
8:55 pm: You already know what we need to talk about
8:55 pm: Ill be waiting at the atrium ground floor exit
8:56 pm: Fifteen minutes should be enough
9:07 pm: We can keep this civil
9:08 pm: Getting real impatient
9:10 pm: Have it your way
9:13 pm: Already omw up to your office now
9:14 pm: You're not gonna be happy once I get there"

---Music: Telling the Truth 2002 ---

"That's the last message on the phone, you Honor," Ritsu concludes.
"Whoa..." Maya gasps, "So now we're positive he had business with the curator!"
"Unfortunately, that might leave us with more questions than answers," Sae replies, not trying to be cynical so much as realistic.
"That may be, but this confirms something very important," I assert to the court, "Namely, that the victim was moving from the ground floor to the third floor before he was killed!"
Yashin is yet again holding her chin and tilting her head curiously. "So it all starts to come together. If the victim was headed up to the office, then we know with absolute certainty that the struggle and murder had to have happened on the first floor as you've suggested."
This is crucial new info to work with. I'll go ahead and add the Repaired Phone to our evidence list, along with a copy of the texts themselves.
"So," the Judge reflects, "The next integral question would be: who else would have been there to have killed him?"
Sae, Maya, and I all nod. This is the right time and place to call out the person we've been suspicious about from the start.
"The defense would like to present a theory as to that, your Honor," I announce.
"Oh?" the Judge asks, "And who exactly do you suspect?"
"If we look at the texts and who they were sent to, the answer is obvious. It had to have been--"
  Hebi Hibiki shouts to interrupt me.

---(Music End)---



"Let me testify! I demand to be able to testify!" he yells, practically foaming at the mouth, "I want to set the records straight before these contemptible lawyers start spewing false accusations!!"

---Music: Elegant ~ And Excellence ---

The Judge strikes his gavel. "Hibiki-san, you have already been warned..."
Yashin coughs and jumps in before the Judge can finish. "The prosecution maintains the same opinion from before, in that we will accept new testimony if it means helping us to find the truth."
"Hmm!" the Judge responds, too surprised to continue being upset. "Are you certain about that, Miss Yashin?"
She nods. "I suppose you can get a second opinion from the defense to see what they think."
Maya huddles the three of us together. "Heck yeah! The witness stand is exactly where we want this creep!"
"Agreed," Sae nods, "This is our best chance yet."
We're all together on this, so I let the Judge know. "Your Honor, the defense agrees. We have no issues at all with the curator testifying. His involvement in the events of that night are paramount to our understanding"
The Judge thinks it over. "Alright. Hibiki-san, you may come before the witness stand."
He walks his way over as allowed, and he holds his hands behind his back in a very formal way. His posture is impeccable, and his expression and disposition are all serious to the point that it's almost uncomfortable.
"I know you've already been introduced, but I'll give a quick reminder to the court," Yashin offers, "Hebi Hibiki, curator of the Sniffsonian Museum of Tokyo. Correct?"
"Correct," he repeats.
Yashin straightens her bowtie a little. "So, Hibiki-san, what in specific about this crime are you here to testify about today?"
"I can explain why the victim was in the museum that night in the first place," he offers.
*!*
*!*
*!*
  "What took you so long..." Maya questions, too softly for him to hear.
The court is heating up, and I can hear that the viewers are on the edges of their seats just based on the volume of their chatter. The Judge puts a lid on the noise with two gavel strikes, however. "Hibiki-san. I thank you for bringing yourself to the witness stand today. You may begin your testimony."

  ---(Music End)---

---Music: Bonfire (Persona Q) ---

-- Visitor After Hours --

"As a man of culture, Austin Translation is one such friend I had made in my travels abroad.
I was expecting to see him during the day, but was so busy running the museum that we had to postpone our get together.
As his visit was cause for celebration, I sent my staff home that night so the two of us might share talk of travels over tea.
The new security system would certainly keep the two of us safe as we would meet one another, without needing extra staff.
It certainly worked splendidly, considering it lead to the arrest of that scoundrel who didn't get a chance to steal anything."

---(Music End)---

"Intriguing," the Judge comments, "May I ask why you didn't testify when requested earlier?"
"With due respect, your Honor, my activities outside of my work are my own private matter," he explains, brushing off his shoulder a few times, "I had hoped to leave it that way. But, if I must discuss my life for the sake of the trial, then, well... here I am."
"That makes sense. As much as it is unfortunately that your personal life was impacted by this, I am grateful that you recognized the importance of disclosing this information to us. I believe its now time for the defense to cross-examine this testimony.

---Music: Bonfire (Persona Q) ---

"There's a lot we could pick apart, here," I recognize, "The only question is where to start."
"Well, the location of their meeting is important," Sae points out, "We should ask about that."
"Sounds like a plan," I nod.



  "Hibiki-san. About your intention to meet with the victim. We need to know more specifics about the meeting. I know that a previous witness, Mask☆DeMasque, said he saw you leaving your office, as well. When you left your office, was it specifically to go see the victim?"
Hibiki's eyes shift back and forth cautiously, as if he's on high alert. "Of course. I thought that much was obvious. He was waiting for me, after all," he answers.
"And where exactly were the two of you to meet...?" I ask further.
His eyes remain shifty, and he seems to hesitate. "Well, I believe I kept him waiting for longer than I had realized. As he was making his way up, I left my office as well, and had assumed we would meet halfway. The two of us could both go down to the cafeteria on the ground floor."
"That entire story is a lie," Sae speaks to us sharply, "Based on everything you two told me, Hibiki not only barely knew the victim--if at all--and was visibly upset when you mentioned the victim while speaking with him."
"That's true," Maya agrees wholeheartedly, "It shouldn't be hard at all to shoot down this testimony. Do we have proof that the relationship between the two of them wasn't a simple friendship?"
"That we do!" I nod confidently, "In fact, we were just looking at our proof a moment ago. We basically got all we needed to know straight from the victim's mouth, after all!"

---(Music End)---



"I'm sorry, Hibiki-san," I begin, "But the relationship you claim to have had with the victim just simply isn't true. We can prove exactly what kind of relationship you had with the victim based on the very text messages he sent you by reading them off of this Repaired Phone!"

  ---Music: Telling the Truth 2001 ---

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wright," the Judge speaks to me as if to caution me, "But you'll have to be more specific. There are quite a few messages here, and the overall tone and subject of the conversation are both vague."
"Let's take a look at the latter half in particular:

9:07 pm: We can keep this civil
9:08 pm: Getting real impatient
9:10 pm: Have it your way
9:13 pm: Already omw up to your office now
9:14 pm: You're not gonna be happy once I get there

"Now, is 'keeping things civil' something that a friend would tell another friend out of the blue?" I reason, "More than anything, it sounds like their interactions that night, or even their whole relationship, was tense!"



"That... is a remarkable point!" the Judge concedes, "The tone of these messages do sound almost confrontational."
  "And, you only left your office once the victim stated he would actively be coming to you. That sounds to me like you were trying to avoid him."
Hibiki's eyes turn into more of a glare, and this time I'm positive I see him hissing his tongue sporadically. "I told you, I was very busy. I had barely had time to even check my text messages. I didn't realize I had worn his patience by keeping him so long."
"Take a look at the last text, as well:" I draw attention to, "In fact, the way this entire conversation is formatted, it almost sounds like he's threatening you."
*!*
Hibiki jerks a little in shock. Looks like we hit the nail on the head. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this wasn't a planned meeting at all. Why didn't you reply to him, even once?"
*!*
The audience's intensity is rising more by the second. "Did you even want to meet with him in the first place? Or did you leave your office entirely under pressure from the texts the victim sent you?"
"I think we're making real progress here, Nick!" Maya cheers me on.
Seeing as he won't respond to me, either, I keep going. "Hibiki-san, I think the nature of your 'meeting' with the victim was entirely different than you explained. The real reason you went to meet with him was because:
You were happy to see an old friend
You were sad to keep him waiting so long
You were frightened that he was coming for you
This one is obvious. "You were frightened, knowing that the victim was coming your way! Given that there are multiple staircases between floors, I would even go so far as to say you were probably trying to leave the museum, hoping that you wouldn't end up meeting him at all!"
  I know that he's going to be stumbling off guard after being caught in a lie like this, so I'll leverage our advantage to try and get more out of him. "So, do tell, Hibiki-san: what exactly happened to your 'friend' when the two of you eventually DID meet?"

---(Music End)---



Yashin's shout let us all know she's about to jump in. "Mr. Wright, regardless of the nature of this meeting, one thing is very clear: the witness never met with the victim that night."
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: Poison Queen (God Hand) ---

I have a bad feeling about this, I can only dread whatever it is she's about to try and argue. "It all comes down to the times of the events of that night. So that I may remind the defense: the witness left his office at 9:14 pm. The alarm was pulled at 9:17 pm, in response to hearing the loud crashes that must have been the falling objects. Even if we assume that the security guard, Kuchibiru-san, was lightning quick and pulled the level as soon as he heard the noise, that only leaves about a three minute period, and that's being generous. The fact of the matter is, Hibiki-san could have never made it all the way to the first floor in that amount of time without running, and even then, it would have only given him mere seconds to actually commit a murder, which just isn't feasible."
"That's... a reasonable assessment," Sae frowns.
"Exactly, Niijima-san! Regardless of walking, jogging, or running, the witness would have only been able to move down one floor, at most. The first floor was just too far and away from the office, so Hibiki-san being the culprit is, speaking plainly, impossible."
*!*
I grit my teeth. I knew that she was going to launch a counter attack eventually, but I didn't expect it to be now of all times.
"So, if the curator was too far away from the scene of the murder, and the security guard was on the opposite side of the atrium... then the defendant is the only involved party whose location we can't account for."

---(Music End)---

Maya shouts out in response.



"He's the only one out of all three of those who you can't even prove was in the museum that night at all!" she argues.
"Hmm," Yashin hums while contemplating that point. "To be honest, your Honor... the prosecution just hasn't physically investigated the areas where the crimes are alleged. I don't think we can confidently convict the defendant on this."
*!*
That was... extremely unexpected.
The Judge seems to be in agreement. "It sounds like the ground floor was the only area fully put under police scrutiny. Am I to understand you are requesting more time to investigate, Miss Yashin?"
She's not going to make the decision without heavy thought first, I can tell. "I believe that would be for the best, your Honor. We just need more time, and a chance to search the first floor balcony. And, given the masked criminal's involvement, we need to search the curator's office, as well..."
Hibiki cries out so loudly that it's alarming.



We all turn to him, and his head seems to be leaning down as he stares at the ground, his wig casting a shadow over the top half of his face to the point where we can't see his eyes.

---Music: Regret ---

  "................... I had sincerely wished it would not have to come to this," he finally speaks gravely.
Even the Judge is startled by this outburst. "Hibiki-san...?"
"I wished so dearly that I could have stayed quiet. But, I need to do my due diligence, and admit the truth, loathe as I may be to do so... I witnessed Yurui Kuchibiru kill Austin Translation."
*!*
*!*
*!*
The Judge bangs his gavel repeatedly, but even he can't get the crowd fully under control. People are still whispering and gossiping, even after the height of the noise is quieted down.
"I don't buy this for a second!" Maya huffs, "Hibiki is way too suspicious, I don't trust his testimony!"
"Something about this feels... wrong," Sae tells me, "This doesn't doesn't add up. There has to be more to it, right...?"
Akira himself is not taking his eyes off Hibiki, and his staring is so intense that it gives me shivers. Even in the hot seat as the defendant I can tell he's not comfortable with this development.
Though... Kuchibiru was the closest to the first floor. I guess it... makes sense? I know for fact that Hibiki is doing all kinds of shady things, but, maybe murder isn't one of them. After all, Yashin just proved he couldn't have possibly done it. Maybe we're letting our biases get in the way of fair judgement. But, still... did that meek security guard really commit a murder...?
Hibiki looks upon Kuchibiru with an expression that seems very empathetic, and he does sound like he's regretful in some way. “I’m so, so sorry my poor Yurui… you’ll do the right thing and admit your guilt, won’t you…?”
Hibiki's voice must have been just loud enough for everyone to hear it, as the noise quiets down to almost silence, and the room looks at the security guard. He's staring at the ground and visibly shaking in place as he bites his lip, but after a handful of incredibly tense moments, he opens his mouth. Only to stutter all over the place. "I-I'm... sorry... t-the one who k-k-killed Transl-lation-san... was..."

---(Music End)---

He takes in a deep breath to steady himself and his speaking, and finally finishes his sentence. "... Me."
*!*
*!*
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: Blood of Villain ---

The ensuing gavel strikes from the Judge, thunderous as they are, ultimately fall on deaf ears. Deaf because of how loud of an uproar the crowd is in, that is. "Order! I will have order!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.
With everyone focused on Yurui or the Judge, Hibiki must know that he isn't the focus of attention anymore. He has his tongue out, hissing, but with a sinister grin. "Hehe... Hssehsse..." he softly chuckles, over and over again, rising in intensity to the point where he's in full laughter. "Hssssssshahahaha!" he cackles, throwing his head back which causes his wig to fall off. Under his powdery white wig is a full head of blonde, yellow hair which is accented by several lines from his scalp to his neck that look blood red. Red and yellow must be his true colors. How fitting, for a snake like him.
With Hibiki's hissing and laughing ringing in my ears, I desperately try to collect my thoughts. We're getting what we want, right? If the security guard is convicted, that means Akira is moments away from being acquitted completely, and we can all move on with our lives. But something is seriously wrong here. Yurui is shaking in his boots and looks like he wants to cry.
"Niijima-san, Mr. Wright, Miss Maya..." Akira calls to us, and I see him with a look of steely determination on his face, "This isn't right. Please, keep going with this trial. I don't think Yurui is telling the truth. We can't let Hibiki walk free after all this. We have to prove that he's the true killer."
He's right. All of us agree, wholeheartedly. We can't let things end like this. But... what do we do from here? I think about the only thing we can do is try to appeal to Yurui to testify more...?
I'll do everything I can to try and change his fate. But, by the end of it all, the outcome of this trial will be up to Yurui Kuchibiru himself.

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

  ---Music: Jingle ~ That's All For Today ---

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Description
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  April 13th, 9:02 am
  Tokyo District Court, Courtroom No. 2

---Music: High Pressure (Persona 5) ---

The Judge tries to pull everyone back into the trial with quite a few gavel strikes. "Miss Yashin, what have you been thinking withholding such a crucial piece of evidence?!"
  "I wanted to leave nothing uncertain by giving the defense ample opportunity to try and prove me wrong. And, I'll be honest, you almost had me by establishing that the murder could have happened on a different floor. I was even starting to think that this Mask☆DeMasque character may have had something to do with the murder. But, even if the location was slightly different... ultimately, a very key factor hasn't changed."
"I already see where you're going with this," Sae comments, with a very serious expression, "It's about how we know the crime scene was altered."
Yashin takes a bit of a formal bow. "You're spot on, Niijima-san. It's factual that the statue was further damaged and the painting was moved, so there's no arguing that someone visited the scene where the body landed to make those changes. Even if the murder happened on the first floor... the killer still visited the ground floor to tamper with the scene, and that's exactly when and where they left a clue."
"This isn't good..." I mumble, trying to use a stern expression to hide the fact that I'm in a cold sweat. "I thought she was being ridiculous for insisting Akira was the culprit when almost literally nothing else seemed to support that."
"This must have been her trump card all along," Maya infers with an accusatory tone.
I've been gripping the edge of my bench so tightly that it's hurting my fingers. The worst part is, I can't think of a way to counter this...

---(Music End)---



---Music: Last Surprise ---

A new voice entirely shouts and catches us all off-guard. Who could this be?
An audience member is standing up. It's a slender and tall man wearing fairly ordinary clothes. The sound of his voice as well as his demeanor feel almost regal, and I get the vibes of an artsy-type of person. He looks familiar, if only because of the blue hair. Is this one of Akira's friends?
The Judge looks towards the young man. "Excuse me, but who might you be?"
"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa, your Honor," the man responds, and his manner of speech is very polite and formal. "The defendant, Kurusu-san, is an acquaintance of mine. We were both invited to the museum on April 11th, and I can attest that he was present with me in the atrium during general business hours."
Yashin isn't buying it.



"I would like to elaborate to the court that these hair strands were located near the broken easel and the body--an exhibit area which is kept off limits by stanchion poles and chains. No one should have entered the roped-off area, even if it was during the day."
"I'm loathe to admit, but the two of us indeed stepped into the off-limits area during the day. I'm the artist who painted the piece that was destroyed later that night."
*!*
Yashin eyes him cautiously. "And you say you were both in that area? Why?"
  The man turns his gaze to the side, as if regretful. "Kurusu-san is an art enthusiast of sorts. He was in the process of critiquing my work, and we were both... roused by disagreeing opinions. In the heat of passion, we both went up to my painting to point out specific details more closely, and at some point I began shouting. Now that I think in hindsight, I recall we made such a spectacle that the entire atrium was looking at us. How dreadfully embarrassed I would have been in any other state of mind."
Yashin doesn't seem to have a response ready quite yet, as her eyes are closed and she's holding her chin while focusing intensely.
"It wasn't one of my finer moments," Yusuke continues, "But I can assure you, within seconds of our outburst, we apologized to museum security and vacated the off-limits area, and left shortly thereafter."
The Judge's meditative expression almost mirrors Yashin's. "So, what you are asserting, is that the defendant was in fact present by the easel earlier in the day during standard business hours, before the crime even happened."
"Actually," Yurui contributes, "I was there when this happened. The staff and I were almost worried a fight was going to break out with how loud they were yelling."
"I see," the Judge acknowledges. "And would either of your two be willing to testify to these points for the court?"
"That may not be entirely necessary," detective Ritsu adds his two cents, "It should be easy enough to determine if this is true or not, especially if the entire atrium's worth of people were watching."

---(Music End)---

"That's very true," the Judge agrees, "But I believe we should hear the thoughts of the defense as well as the prosecution, not only on this matter, but whether or not it effects their arguments."

---Music: Restlessness ---

This has all happened so quickly that I've barely had a chance to think, much less speak. But now is as good a chance as ever to speak my mind. "The defense continues to strongly assert that the only pieces of evidence even possibly connected to Kurusu-san are completely circumstantial, and we still believe him to be unrelated to any crimes which took place on the night of the 11th."
Yashin doesn't seem too terribly phased by this. "Other than finding it extremely uncanny how surprise testimonies keep appearing every time the defendant is implicated... the prosecution has no new opinions. Circumstantial or not, his hair was still there, and we can't prove exactly when it got there. Kurusu-san is still the prime suspect and most likely individual to have committed the crimes."
And what I find uncanny is how neither her nor the police have made any connection with Akira and the Phantom Thieves. We know for certain that detective Ritsu is aware of Akira's true identity. Is he purposefully helping us out by not mentioning anything? I'm not sure if we can count him as an ally on this one... he has a duty as an officer of the law. I wish I could figure out what he's thinking right now.
And don't even get me started on Yashin. I know a person like her would have done her research before a trial, so I can only assume she knows about his past. But, there have been plenty of moment during this trial that she could have easily revealed Akira's criminal history to paint him even more suspicious... that first comment she made about the uncanny testimonies was definitely directed at us, after all. Maybe she has reasons to not bring it up yet? Or, maybe she actually doesn't know that Akira is the leader of the Phantom Thieves? There's no way to tell right now. At the very least we should move forward expecting her that she knows more than she's letting on.
"Hey, Nick, that's enough day dreaming, don'tcha think?" Maya snaps her fingers. I guess I was zoned out while processing all of this.
Right. Back to it, then. "Yashin, I understand how even though Kuchibiru-san was at the scene of the crime, he has somewhat of an alibi as to where he was at the time of death. But, Hibiki-san was also present with him when the police arrived. Either one of them could have potentially altered the crime scene. In fact, those two would have had the most opportunity to actually do so. So why haven't you and the police been considering the curator as a suspect? Mask☆DeMasque being able to steal documents right from his office proves the curator wasn't in his office at the time, which is where he was alleged to be."
"If we take our masked friend's words at face value," she establishes, ready to rebound a counterargument, "Then we know that the curator was headed downstairs to a lower point. That much I'll almost accept. However, what is it we've been talking about from the start when it comes to the layout of the stairs from floor to floor?"
Maya tilts her head curiously. "That it's a pain actually getting anywhere because they are so spread out...?"
"Exactly," Yashin nods. "If we consider the time frames once more in relation to what Monsieur Masque testified, then Hibiki-san left his office at 9:14 pm. The alarm was pulled at 9:17, and that couldn't have been more than a minute after Kuchibiru-san heard the moment of the murder. There's only about a two or three minute window of time between those two points. Even if we assume Hibiki-san was going to continue walking downward--which we can't say for certain, either, he could have been going elsewhere--there's no way that he could have even reached the first floor, much less murder someone there."
I bite my lip. "That's a pretty strong argument. It all goes back to the damn stairs and how spread out they are."
"I seriously hate the jerk who designed that museum," Maya growls with spite.
I may have been hearing things, but I could have sworn a number of hushed voices from the audience sitting around Kitagawa-san all grumbled, "You have no idea..."

---(Music End)---

The Judge seems ready to reflect on all that has progressed so far. "It feels as if we haven't particularly gotten anywhere despite all of the reasonable arguments and theories. We still aren't clear on who was present and at which locations during the time frame of this murder."
"Detective," Yashin calls out, grabbing Ritsu's attention, "Did anything ever come of restoration attempts on the statue itself? I've had that point of interest on the back-burner until there was more news."
Sae also remember the topic. "I do recall detective Ritsu mentioning that when we were heading to the tech specialist yesterday. He said that forensics experts were trying to recreate the statue so we could figure out which one exactly fell on the victim, right?"
"Oh, thank you for reminding me," Ritsu nods with a smile, "I got a few text messages about that earlier. So far, we've been having a lot of difficulty with restoration attempts. The thing is really screwed up, but they mentioned making some small progress."
Yashin smiles and snaps her fingers. "If that's the case, now may be the perfect time to address the matter of which statue actually crushed the victim. That could potentially tell us a lot about where the entire event started and ended. Is there anything they can present to the court?"
"I think the forensics team has been waiting for their cue to do just that," Ritsu nods, "I can have them bring their findings on in now."
"Excellent," the Judge commends with a nod, "Please do so, detective. I'll allow a few moments for your men to get situated."
The doors to the court open, and an officer rolls a small table with wheels underneath into the room. I can see what looks like a few chunk of statue placed on the table, covered in plastic wrap. This must be what the forensics people have been able to reconstruct up to this point.
"I'm a bit surprised," the Judge remarks, "I didn't expect the recovered areas to be so... small." But soon after making that statement, he backtracks. "Though, given how destroyed the statue looked in the crime scene photographs, being able to put together even this much is actually an impressive feat."
"We'll take what we can get!" Maya speaks with optimism.
"My primary concern, however," the Judge continues, "Is what analyzing these pieces can actually tell us. I only took one art history course in college, and that was... well, a very long time ago. Will we be able to determine what statue this was based on such small samples?"
That shouldn't be a problem, because we have just the evidence for that.



"Your Honor, the defense can definitely help with that," I offer, "When we were investigating the museum, we made a list of all of the statues we could account for, which we were able to cross-reference with the Atrium Exhibit Guide. We were able to determine that four statues were missing."
"Good thinking," Yashin compliments with a surprisingly friendly tone, "It only makes sense that whichever statue was destroyed that night would naturally no longer be on display."
"Exactly," Maya nods, "Narrowing it down could potentially give us the answer, depending on how distinct the repaired portions are."
The Judge has another request of us. "Would you mind going into detail for the court so that we may know a little bit more about what we're trying to match these pieces with?"
Oh man, I didn't think we'd be quizzed on the statues themselves. I bite my lip with embarrassment. "Oh, uh... all we really know is what we see in the pictures in the exhibit guide."
"Hmm," the Judge accepts, "Well, the curator himself is still in the audience. He would know better than anyone, yes?"
  Ritsu shakes his head. "Unfortunately, he's currently refusing to speak and sitting in the lobby. He's rather, er, upset, at the moment..."
"It's all well and fine," Yashin shrugs with a smile, "Didn't we have an artist in the audience, anyway? Maybe he can help."
Her gaze locks on to the blue haired man from before. His eyes widen and blink a bit in response to the sudden call out. "Oh, uh, am I the one you're speaking of?"
"Yeah!" Maya concurs, "Would you be able to brief us on the statues, Kitagawa-san?"
"Well, I can most certainly try," he answers from a middle ground between confidence and and embarrassment.

---Music: Reasoning (Persona 4) ---

"Sounds like we've got a game plan," I acknowledge amiably, "I've got them in alphabetical order, here... first up, is David. Or, at least, a replica made in spirit of it."
I've at this point handed the guide over to the bailiff who is projecting the images on screen a screen, and the first he zooms in on is the picture accompanying David. It's a well-toned man in a pose of repose, it seems. Even I recognize this statue. He has his left arm bent towards his chin as if he's thinking about something. Aside from that, nothing particularly stands out in terms of the physical sculpt.
"Ah, David! Of course. This is a very well-known statue in the art world. In premise, it is very basic. It's simply a statue of a nude man, the namesake. It's in the careful detailing and perfect anatomy that the true beauty shines. Judging by this picture... the crafting has quite a bit of technique. A trained eye can tell that there are slight differences from the original piece, such as the pose, the direction the head is facing, and the musculature; that makes sense it would have differences from the source, given that I can assume it was made in tribute rather than to plagiarize."
"The next up is Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante," I announce, trying to pronounce it as best as I can, and the display in turn shifts along with me to the next statue."
On the screen next is a statue of a young woman who is wearing slender, almost form-fitting, armor. Her right arm hangs normally from the side, though that hand is clenched into a fist. Her left arm sticks out proudly and dramatically at an upward angle, and she's holding a sword within her grip. She holds a pose which really seems to give a sense of victory.
"Hmm," Yusuke hums softly as he stares with eyes like a hawk, analyzing the next picture. "This is clearly a work inspired by the French saint who is known across the world. Right from the start I can point out several significant dissimilarities between this particular statue and other more traditional ones representing the same saintly icon. It's interesting the artist chose to omit any kind of flag or banner, which the woman is normally associated with. I can see they opted to have her standing on foot rather than riding a horse, which is another common element. Though I suppose a life sized horse for her to ride would have taken much more time and effort to craft. However, 'bland' is the last word I'd use for the final piece for this art. In forgoing superfluous details they were able to capture just how stunning and inspiring a figure that Joan of Arc was. The attention to the finer details are marvelous."
"Next on the list is Perseo Trionfante," I move right along, and the next displayed exhibit guide photo shows a statue of a man who is nude as well, and the pose seems nearly identical to the last statue we just looked at. This statue has the right arm idle at the figure's side. However, the right hand is holding a sword at the figure's waist. The left arm is extending outwards at a slightly rising angle, but instead of holding up a sword triumphantly, he is instead holding a severed head by the hair, and the hair looks to be made of snakes.
Yusuke nods as he holds his chin, still staring strongly at the image. "I suppose that this sculpture would come off as confusing or even shocking without the proper context. To begin, the head belongs to Medusa the gorgon of Greek mythology--a snake monster, if you will. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Medusa and her deadly gaze which turned any who looked at her into stone. Perseus, also a mythological figure, used his ingenuity to come up with a strategy to face her. By viewing her reflection against his metal shield he could approach her safely without looking directly at her. Defeating her with his shield this way is one of the many feats that made Perseus a hero. In this piece, Perseus is holding up Medusa's head by the snakes of her hair. This very moment of Medusa's defeat is a common and even popular scene for sculptors everywhere, though I'm curious why this particular work lacks the hero's iconic shield."

---(Music End)---

"That wraps up the list," I conclude.
"Fascinating," the Judge comments respectfully, "Your knowledge is much appreciated, Kitagawa-san! All three statues are so simple in the premise of a single person standing, yet remarkably different in their various details. I can only hope this information guides us in determining more about where the statue originated. That location could change our entire outlook on the murder. I will now allow the defense as well as the prosecution a chance to inspect and analyze these restored pieces of statue."
"Be thorough, and take your time, Mr. Wright," Sae encourages, "If you focus carefully, I know you'll find a way to learn more about the true killer."
I nod to my friends, and I approach the table in the center of the court, with Yashin doing the same on the opposite side. We're given gloves so as to not mess up the evidence as we investigate, and we get right to it. It's time to get up close and see what these pieces are.
There are a handful of statue chunks of various shapes and sizes, some more discernible than others. I'd say probably about four solid chunks that could possibly give us information. "Well, Mr. Wright, let's have at it," Yashin says as she claps her hands and rubs them back and forth enthusiastically, "I'll let you pick the one we start with."
"Much appreciated," I reply back to match her sportsmanship. The longer this trial goes on, the more it starts to feel like we're on the same team. Two sides of the argument working together, trying to find out what truly happened that night. Still, I can't let my guard down just yet. Gotta be wary of any kind of sneak attacks from the prosecution, after all.

---Music: Logic Trinity ---

First piece I pick is a narrow, somewhat lengthy piece that looks to be the outer surface of something. I try to view it from many different angles to try and get an intuitive sense of what it may be. It's completely smooth and ever so slightly curved... what could this be?
"I think I may have an idea," Yashin confides to me, "Try holding it up against your forearm and see if the length of the piece is comparable."
Sure enough, it almost matches the length of a forearm. "I think you've got that right. It's sad that it's completely smooth though. It's impossible to tell if it's a bare arm like David or Perseus, or wearing plate armor like Joan of Arc."
"Can't really tell if it's a left or right arm, either," Yashin comments further, "But the shape looks like it's tapering, so it must be part of the forearm getting close to the statue's wrist.
Is there anything else I'm missing here? I double check everything. There seems to be one more point of interest, in that there's a somewhat distinct mark on the edge of this chunk. There's a bit of a half-circle. I'd almost say it looks like a dent or an imprint of some sort. I can see the jagged lines where the forensics team must have glued the pieces back together, and even though lines go through it, the edges of the circle match, together still forming the circle shape that's almost perfectly round.
If there's an imprinted mark on an otherwise perfectly smooth surface, something would have had to have made it, right? "I think this part of the statue must have been struck with something," I announce, "And whatever it was left a perfect circle."
"What could leave a circular mark...?" Yashin poses. We're both at a loss. "Perhaps we should keep that in mind moving forward, and look at another piece."
  I choose the piece in the center, as it actually looks like a fairly defined piece. I slowly and carefully rotate it around to view it from every angle possible. It's a fist, I can tell that much. A clenched left hand, to be specific. It seems to have similar, perfectly round marks at various points, always in the center of cracked areas. "I see more of the round circle marks... I think that the same object must have caused them. Now that we know that there was some sort of blunt object involved, it makes more sense how the culprit would have been able to completely smash up the statue to be so unrecognizable."
"So now we know that some sort of weapon was involved," Yashin agrees, "And a blunt object could very well have been the cause of the injury the victim suffered to the head."
Hmm... We haven't even really considered how the various injuries happened to the victim. This statue really IS giving us a lot of new insight. "Now, what about the hand itself?" I change. The fist isn't fully clenched in to itself, but it isn't hollow either. Rather, there is a solid center inside of the curled thumb and fingers which looks different. On both the top and bottom, the holes are jagged as if broken.
I hand it over, and Yashin observes carefully as well. "Interesting. I think we're both going to reach the same conclusion, here."
"Namely, that this statue had to have been one of the ones holding something in this hand," I specify.
"That counts out David, then," she reasons. "Now, if we're talking about objects, I think I know just which piece to look at next, if that's the case."
She moves on to a small piece that is narrow and tube-like. "Let's take a look at this next," she suggests.
Peculiar indeed. It's very narrow, too narrow to be a human limb or anything of that nature. What else would be narrow...?"
Well, two of the statues are holding a sword... a sword hilt is pretty narrow! Well, specifically the part that's gripped. "This may be what the hand was holding! I bet if we try and match it to the hole at the base of the hand, it will fit!"
Like a surgeon, I try to carefully join the two pieces together. It's... not a match, though. The grip isn't wide enough to match the size of what's missing from the fist. "Damn... maybe not."
"No, I think you were right. I think this is just too low down on the grip, and the forensics team probably weren't able to find the upper part of the grip. If they had found it and it was a fit, they would have sent both of these pieces us glued together already, yeah? The rest of the grip must have been too destroyed to repair."
"That's a good point," I agree, "So, if that's the case, then we can pretty much confirm this hand was holding a sword."
"I think this last piece coming up next actually IS part of the sword. Let's find out," she continues.
There's one more piece, and it's very flat and straight. It clicks for me as instantly as it did for Yashin that this must be a part of the blade. It has markings near the edges and between the cracks like every other piece we've seen, as well, but evidently the blade wasn't smashed enough to prevent this small piece from being put back together. "That has to be it, this is most definitely a sword. So, if we know the statue was holding a sword in its left hand, it must have been..."
David
Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante
Perseo Trionfante
---Music: Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2002 ---

"I think we've figured it out, your Honor," I announce to the court, "The statue that fell on the victim had to be Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante!"
"Hey, Nick!" Maya calls, "I think you guys need to keep looking a little deeper! If this statue was involved with the murder, check it for fingerprints and stuff! There has to be leftover clues, right?"
"Actually," Ritsu jumps in, "We did find a trace of a fingerprint on the very edge of that piece that was the sword's grip, but it was so smashed and ground down that it's indecipherable."
Yashin seems lost in thought for quite a few moments, before making a suggestion of her own. "Detective, what about blood? Did we check the statue for blood yet?"
"Well, yes and no," he tries to explain, "A lot of the statue pieces were smashed and ground up so drastically that they looked like dust. Sure enough, most of the dust we found had traces of the victim's blood in them. Somehow blood got on the statue, and if I had to make a hypothesis as to why, I'd say the murderer destroyed the bloodied areas as much as possible to hide anything traces of involvement."
"What about the pieces we're looking at right now?" I question, "Were they checked for blood as well?"
"That's right," he nods again, "The only trace was on the piece you're holding right now. It's so dried it is hardly noticeable to the naked eye, but there was a tiny spot of blood on the sword blade. The victim's blood, in fact."
*!*
"That's strange..." Sae comments with a puzzled look, "How did blood end up getting on the statue...? Especially on the sword. In the picture, Joan of Arc is raising her sword arm to the sky, at almost double the height of a regular adult."
"I wouldn't be able to tell you why," Ritsu laments, "I guess it all goes back to the physical altercation the victim had. At some point during the fight, maybe blood just happened to splatter in that direction, somehow."
Maya seems particularly caught up thinking about this. "Hey, Nick, when adding this to the evidence, make a note that Jeanne's sword is very high up. My gut tells me that something isn't right about that."
I'm in agreement on that point. We'll have to look into that point more as we go forward. "I guess it is about time to put these observations to paper. I'll be sure and do that, Maya."

I finally add the Broken Statue Shards to the evidence list. I need to make specific notes on this evidence.
We've got the statue identified as Jeanne d’Arc Vaillante.
There are slight indents, perfectly circular, at all of the cracking points.
The statue was holding a sword in its left hand.
The sword was pointed high up to the sky, taller than normal people.
The sword blade had traces of the victim's blood.
---(Music End)---

Yashin reaches her arms behind her back to stretch, and she looks relieved. "That was fun, being able to tag-team with you, Mr. Wright. I really got a sense of your attention to detail and could feel your experience firsthand."
Given that she has been very friendly from the start, I don't doubt this as a genuine compliment. It's actually a relief having an opponent who is not only polite but willing to work with us. "I should be thanking you as well, Yashin. A few of the observations you made I may not have caught."
"Don't worry about it," she smiles, "But from here on, we need to both get back in the ring. Now that we've discovered more details, it's our jobs to use them."
That's absolutely correct. We should really put these discoveries under the magnifying lens now to discern everything we can.
"Your Honor, if I may," detective Ritsu announces.
"What is it, detective?" the Judge asks in response.
"Niijima-san referred us to a local tech repair specialist a while back, because the victim had a broken phone on his person when we found the body. Under police supervision, they've been hard at work on trying to restore it. A while ago, one of my boys texted me that the repairs are finished, and they just finished escorting it to the courthouse now. They'll be here momentarily to present it to the court."
*!*
"This could be big," Maya speaks with cautious anticipation, "I feel like we've been trying to put together a puzzle with the most important pieces missing. Finding out what the victim was doing that night could change everything!"
"Indeed," Yashin agrees, seeming eager more than anything, "Let's bring them on in as soon as we can."
Hmm. Didn't expect the topic to change. I'll have to keep the statue shards in the back of my mind, because I know we'll come back to them later.
A bit of time passes, but eventually the courtroom doors swing open and a squad of people enters. There are several officers, the center of which is holding a phone inside of a plastic bag. Near the back of the pack are a girl with orange hair and a man with a goatee and a white suit complimented by a hat. I can only assume the girl with orange hair must be Alibaba. She's a lot younger than I expected.
"Here you are, sir," one of the officers states formally as he hands the evidence over to detective Ritsu.

---Music: Trance Logic ---

"It looks brand new!" the Judge speaks in awe, "I could never have told it was broken at all, much less crushed by a statue!"
"Actually, your Honor," Ritsu begins to correct, "It actually IS a brand new phone. Our repair person did her work on the SIM card, which contains a lot of personal data within a phone. Must have been tricky repair work, given how small the thing is. Anyway, they just took the card and put it into a new phone."
"Fascinating," the wide-eye'd Judge comments, "So in essence, with this new phone you should be have all of the data that was on the broken phone?"
Ritsu nods his head. "That's right. Would you give us some time to do a search through the info on the phone, your Honor?"
"By all means," the Judge agrees, "We need you to be as thorough about it as possible."
"Of course, you can count on us," Ritsu agrees with a salute.
  We all expect to wait for several minutes, but Ritsu is surprisingly quick at going through the phone. "There's barely any personal data on the phone at all. All I can see is a single contact, nicknamed 'Hibiki,' and there's a text conversation with that number."
*!*
"It's rather one-sided, as well... it's only a handful of texts," Ritsu clarifies.
"Would you read them to the court, detective?" the Judge instructs.
"Sure will:"

---(Music End)---

Everything quiets as we wait for the detective to narrate the mysterious texts.

"8:55 pm: Been looking for you all day
8:55 pm: You already know what we need to talk about
8:55 pm: Ill be waiting at the atrium ground floor exit
8:56 pm: Fifteen minutes should be enough
9:07 pm: We can keep this civil
9:08 pm: Getting real impatient
9:10 pm: Have it your way
9:13 pm: Already omw up to your office now
9:14 pm: You're not gonna be happy once I get there"

---Music: Telling the Truth 2002 ---

"That's the last message on the phone, you Honor," Ritsu concludes.
"Whoa..." Maya gasps, "So now we're positive he had business with the curator!"
"Unfortunately, that might leave us with more questions than answers," Sae replies, not trying to be cynical so much as realistic.
"That may be, but this confirms something very important," I assert to the court, "Namely, that the victim was moving from the ground floor to the third floor before he was killed!"
Yashin is yet again holding her chin and tilting her head curiously. "So it all starts to come together. If the victim was headed up to the office, then we know with absolute certainty that the struggle and murder had to have happened on the first floor as you've suggested."
This is crucial new info to work with. I'll go ahead and add the Repaired Phone to our evidence list, along with a copy of the texts themselves.
"So," the Judge reflects, "The next integral question would be: who else would have been there to have killed him?"
Sae, Maya, and I all nod. This is the right time and place to call out the person we've been suspicious about from the start.
"The defense would like to present a theory as to that, your Honor," I announce.
"Oh?" the Judge asks, "And who exactly do you suspect?"
"If we look at the texts and who they were sent to, the answer is obvious. It had to have been--"
  Hebi Hibiki shouts to interrupt me.

---(Music End)---



"Let me testify! I demand to be able to testify!" he yells, practically foaming at the mouth, "I want to set the records straight before these contemptible lawyers start spewing false accusations!!"

---Music: Elegant ~ And Excellence ---

The Judge strikes his gavel. "Hibiki-san, you have already been warned..."
Yashin coughs and jumps in before the Judge can finish. "The prosecution maintains the same opinion from before, in that we will accept new testimony if it means helping us to find the truth."
"Hmm!" the Judge responds, too surprised to continue being upset. "Are you certain about that, Miss Yashin?"
She nods. "I suppose you can get a second opinion from the defense to see what they think."
Maya huddles the three of us together. "Heck yeah! The witness stand is exactly where we want this creep!"
"Agreed," Sae nods, "This is our best chance yet."
We're all together on this, so I let the Judge know. "Your Honor, the defense agrees. We have no issues at all with the curator testifying. His involvement in the events of that night are paramount to our understanding"
The Judge thinks it over. "Alright. Hibiki-san, you may come before the witness stand."
He walks his way over as allowed, and he holds his hands behind his back in a very formal way. His posture is impeccable, and his expression and disposition are all serious to the point that it's almost uncomfortable.
"I know you've already been introduced, but I'll give a quick reminder to the court," Yashin offers, "Hebi Hibiki, curator of the Sniffsonian Museum of Tokyo. Correct?"
"Correct," he repeats.
Yashin straightens her bowtie a little. "So, Hibiki-san, what in specific about this crime are you here to testify about today?"
"I can explain why the victim was in the museum that night in the first place," he offers.
*!*
*!*
*!*
  "What took you so long..." Maya questions, too softly for him to hear.
The court is heating up, and I can hear that the viewers are on the edges of their seats just based on the volume of their chatter. The Judge puts a lid on the noise with two gavel strikes, however. "Hibiki-san. I thank you for bringing yourself to the witness stand today. You may begin your testimony."

  ---(Music End)---

---Music: Bonfire (Persona Q) ---

-- Visitor After Hours --

"As a man of culture, Austin Translation is one such friend I had made in my travels abroad.
I was expecting to see him during the day, but was so busy running the museum that we had to postpone our get together.
As his visit was cause for celebration, I sent my staff home that night so the two of us might share talk of travels over tea.
The new security system would certainly keep the two of us safe as we would meet one another, without needing extra staff.
It certainly worked splendidly, considering it lead to the arrest of that scoundrel who didn't get a chance to steal anything."

---(Music End)---

"Intriguing," the Judge comments, "May I ask why you didn't testify when requested earlier?"
"With due respect, your Honor, my activities outside of my work are my own private matter," he explains, brushing off his shoulder a few times, "I had hoped to leave it that way. But, if I must discuss my life for the sake of the trial, then, well... here I am."
"That makes sense. As much as it is unfortunately that your personal life was impacted by this, I am grateful that you recognized the importance of disclosing this information to us. I believe its now time for the defense to cross-examine this testimony.

---Music: Bonfire (Persona Q) ---

"There's a lot we could pick apart, here," I recognize, "The only question is where to start."
"Well, the location of their meeting is important," Sae points out, "We should ask about that."
"Sounds like a plan," I nod.



  "Hibiki-san. About your intention to meet with the victim. We need to know more specifics about the meeting. I know that a previous witness, Mask☆DeMasque, said he saw you leaving your office, as well. When you left your office, was it specifically to go see the victim?"
Hibiki's eyes shift back and forth cautiously, as if he's on high alert. "Of course. I thought that much was obvious. He was waiting for me, after all," he answers.
"And where exactly were the two of you to meet...?" I ask further.
His eyes remain shifty, and he seems to hesitate. "Well, I believe I kept him waiting for longer than I had realized. As he was making his way up, I left my office as well, and had assumed we would meet halfway. The two of us could both go down to the cafeteria on the ground floor."
"That entire story is a lie," Sae speaks to us sharply, "Based on everything you two told me, Hibiki not only barely knew the victim--if at all--and was visibly upset when you mentioned the victim while speaking with him."
"That's true," Maya agrees wholeheartedly, "It shouldn't be hard at all to shoot down this testimony. Do we have proof that the relationship between the two of them wasn't a simple friendship?"
"That we do!" I nod confidently, "In fact, we were just looking at our proof a moment ago. We basically got all we needed to know straight from the victim's mouth, after all!"

---(Music End)---



"I'm sorry, Hibiki-san," I begin, "But the relationship you claim to have had with the victim just simply isn't true. We can prove exactly what kind of relationship you had with the victim based on the very text messages he sent you by reading them off of this Repaired Phone!"

  ---Music: Telling the Truth 2001 ---

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wright," the Judge speaks to me as if to caution me, "But you'll have to be more specific. There are quite a few messages here, and the overall tone and subject of the conversation are both vague."
"Let's take a look at the latter half in particular:

9:07 pm: We can keep this civil
9:08 pm: Getting real impatient
9:10 pm: Have it your way
9:13 pm: Already omw up to your office now
9:14 pm: You're not gonna be happy once I get there

"Now, is 'keeping things civil' something that a friend would tell another friend out of the blue?" I reason, "More than anything, it sounds like their interactions that night, or even their whole relationship, was tense!"



"That... is a remarkable point!" the Judge concedes, "The tone of these messages do sound almost confrontational."
  "And, you only left your office once the victim stated he would actively be coming to you. That sounds to me like you were trying to avoid him."
Hibiki's eyes turn into more of a glare, and this time I'm positive I see him hissing his tongue sporadically. "I told you, I was very busy. I had barely had time to even check my text messages. I didn't realize I had worn his patience by keeping him so long."
"Take a look at the last text, as well:" I draw attention to, "In fact, the way this entire conversation is formatted, it almost sounds like he's threatening you."
*!*
Hibiki jerks a little in shock. Looks like we hit the nail on the head. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this wasn't a planned meeting at all. Why didn't you reply to him, even once?"
*!*
The audience's intensity is rising more by the second. "Did you even want to meet with him in the first place? Or did you leave your office entirely under pressure from the texts the victim sent you?"
"I think we're making real progress here, Nick!" Maya cheers me on.
Seeing as he won't respond to me, either, I keep going. "Hibiki-san, I think the nature of your 'meeting' with the victim was entirely different than you explained. The real reason you went to meet with him was because:
You were happy to see an old friend
You were sad to keep him waiting so long
You were frightened that he was coming for you
This one is obvious. "You were frightened, knowing that the victim was coming your way! Given that there are multiple staircases between floors, I would even go so far as to say you were probably trying to leave the museum, hoping that you wouldn't end up meeting him at all!"
  I know that he's going to be stumbling off guard after being caught in a lie like this, so I'll leverage our advantage to try and get more out of him. "So, do tell, Hibiki-san: what exactly happened to your 'friend' when the two of you eventually DID meet?"

---(Music End)---



Yashin's shout let us all know she's about to jump in. "Mr. Wright, regardless of the nature of this meeting, one thing is very clear: the witness never met with the victim that night."
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: Poison Queen (God Hand) ---

I have a bad feeling about this, I can only dread whatever it is she's about to try and argue. "It all comes down to the times of the events of that night. So that I may remind the defense: the witness left his office at 9:14 pm. The alarm was pulled at 9:17 pm, in response to hearing the loud crashes that must have been the falling objects. Even if we assume that the security guard, Kuchibiru-san, was lightning quick and pulled the level as soon as he heard the noise, that only leaves about a three minute period, and that's being generous. The fact of the matter is, Hibiki-san could have never made it all the way to the first floor in that amount of time without running, and even then, it would have only given him mere seconds to actually commit a murder, which just isn't feasible."
"That's... a reasonable assessment," Sae frowns.
"Exactly, Niijima-san! Regardless of walking, jogging, or running, the witness would have only been able to move down one floor, at most. The first floor was just too far and away from the office, so Hibiki-san being the culprit is, speaking plainly, impossible."
*!*
I grit my teeth. I knew that she was going to launch a counter attack eventually, but I didn't expect it to be now of all times.
"So, if the curator was too far away from the scene of the murder, and the security guard was on the opposite side of the atrium... then the defendant is the only involved party whose location we can't account for."

---(Music End)---

Maya shouts out in response.



"He's the only one out of all three of those who you can't even prove was in the museum that night at all!" she argues.
"Hmm," Yashin hums while contemplating that point. "To be honest, your Honor... the prosecution just hasn't physically investigated the areas where the crimes are alleged. I don't think we can confidently convict the defendant on this."
*!*
That was... extremely unexpected.
The Judge seems to be in agreement. "It sounds like the ground floor was the only area fully put under police scrutiny. Am I to understand you are requesting more time to investigate, Miss Yashin?"
She's not going to make the decision without heavy thought first, I can tell. "I believe that would be for the best, your Honor. We just need more time, and a chance to search the first floor balcony. And, given the masked criminal's involvement, we need to search the curator's office, as well..."
Hibiki cries out so loudly that it's alarming.



We all turn to him, and his head seems to be leaning down as he stares at the ground, his wig casting a shadow over the top half of his face to the point where we can't see his eyes.

---Music: Regret ---

  "................... I had sincerely wished it would not have to come to this," he finally speaks gravely.
Even the Judge is startled by this outburst. "Hibiki-san...?"
"I wished so dearly that I could have stayed quiet. But, I need to do my due diligence, and admit the truth, loathe as I may be to do so... I witnessed Yurui Kuchibiru kill Austin Translation."
*!*
*!*
*!*
The Judge bangs his gavel repeatedly, but even he can't get the crowd fully under control. People are still whispering and gossiping, even after the height of the noise is quieted down.
"I don't buy this for a second!" Maya huffs, "Hibiki is way too suspicious, I don't trust his testimony!"
"Something about this feels... wrong," Sae tells me, "This doesn't doesn't add up. There has to be more to it, right...?"
Akira himself is not taking his eyes off Hibiki, and his staring is so intense that it gives me shivers. Even in the hot seat as the defendant I can tell he's not comfortable with this development.
Though... Kuchibiru was the closest to the first floor. I guess it... makes sense? I know for fact that Hibiki is doing all kinds of shady things, but, maybe murder isn't one of them. After all, Yashin just proved he couldn't have possibly done it. Maybe we're letting our biases get in the way of fair judgement. But, still... did that meek security guard really commit a murder...?
Hibiki looks upon Kuchibiru with an expression that seems very empathetic, and he does sound like he's regretful in some way. “I’m so, so sorry my poor Yurui… you’ll do the right thing and admit your guilt, won’t you…?”
Hibiki's voice must have been just loud enough for everyone to hear it, as the noise quiets down to almost silence, and the room looks at the security guard. He's staring at the ground and visibly shaking in place as he bites his lip, but after a handful of incredibly tense moments, he opens his mouth. Only to stutter all over the place. "I-I'm... sorry... t-the one who k-k-killed Transl-lation-san... was..."

---(Music End)---

He takes in a deep breath to steady himself and his speaking, and finally finishes his sentence. "... Me."
*!*
*!*
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: Blood of Villain ---

The ensuing gavel strikes from the Judge, thunderous as they are, ultimately fall on deaf ears. Deaf because of how loud of an uproar the crowd is in, that is. "Order! I will have order!" he shouts at the top of his lungs.
With everyone focused on Yurui or the Judge, Hibiki must know that he isn't the focus of attention anymore. He has his tongue out, hissing, but with a sinister grin. "Hehe... Hssehsse..." he softly chuckles, over and over again, rising in intensity to the point where he's in full laughter. "Hssssssshahahaha!" he cackles, throwing his head back which causes his wig to fall off. Under his powdery white wig is a full head of blonde, yellow hair which is accented by several lines from his scalp to his neck that look blood red. Red and yellow must be his true colors. How fitting, for a snake like him.
With Hibiki's hissing and laughing ringing in my ears, I desperately try to collect my thoughts. We're getting what we want, right? If the security guard is convicted, that means Akira is moments away from being acquitted completely, and we can all move on with our lives. But something is seriously wrong here. Yurui is shaking in his boots and looks like he wants to cry.
"Niijima-san, Mr. Wright, Miss Maya..." Akira calls to us, and I see him with a look of steely determination on his face, "This isn't right. Please, keep going with this trial. I don't think Yurui is telling the truth. We can't let Hibiki walk free after all this. We have to prove that he's the true killer."
He's right. All of us agree, wholeheartedly. We can't let things end like this. But... what do we do from here? I think about the only thing we can do is try to appeal to Yurui to testify more...?
I'll do everything I can to try and change his fate. But, by the end of it all, the outcome of this trial will be up to Yurui Kuchibiru himself.

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

  ---Music: Jingle ~ That's All For Today ---

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