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  April 13th, 9:37 am
  Tokyo District Court, Courtroom No. 2

---Music: Blood of Villain ---

  Maya tries to talk to me, which I can barely hear over the outrageous stir the audience is in. "I thought the curator was suspicious BEFORE he just had a fit of extremely-obviously-evil laughter," she says as she punches her open palm aggressively. "Plus, he only came out of left field with this accusation when Yashin mentioned searching his office. Nick, there's no way he's telling the truth about Kuchibiru-san!"
  I, in turn, look at Yurui Kuchibiru, who I'm fairly certain is literally tearing up. "I mean, even if we don't know him that well... in my honest opinion, I don't think he could commit murder even if he wanted to."
"Exactly!" Maya insists, "I won't be able to sleep at night if we let him take the fall for this crime... there's no way it was him. There has to be some way to turn this back on Hibiki."
Sae hops right into the conversation herself. "I know how you feel, Maya. But I've been thinking hard on this. We know that Hibiki is obviously the culprit... but we have nothing to prove it."
Maya opens her mouth to protest, but Sae holds her hands out to gesture Maya to calm down. "Listen, I know this sounds cold. But shouldn't we stop and consider the situation here? If we try and contest the guard's confession, then suspicion will fall back on Akira-kun. Or, possibly onto Mask☆DeMasque, who is just as much a wildcard in this scenario. Having either of them convicted would be much worse for a lot of different reasons."
"... You have a point," I admit, "You're just trying to weigh our options objectively, I can see that. But you don't honestly believe Hibiki is innocent, do you?"
"Hell no!" Sae snaps back, "Make no mistake, my vote goes towards going down fighting. I just... wanted to be realistic about what we're truly risking here if we make that call."
"Then let's fight!" Maya voices strongly, "Question every statement, present every piece of evidence... I just know that everything will work out if we stick to our guns!"
This is a tough call from a logical standpoint, but from an emotional one? I'm just as charged as they are. "I think all three of us agree."
"All five of us," Akira adds from the sidelines, including his cat Morgana I can tell, "We both want you to hit that bastard with everything you've got. We aren't trampling over another innocent person just so I can walk free."
  "Then it's settled," I nod, "First thing we need to do is point out how this confession doesn't make sense with what we know."

---(Music End)---



---Music: Telling the Truth 2007 ---

My blood is pumping like crazy after yelling loudly enough to get the attention of what was otherwise an out-of-control room. With my shout breaking the noise, people actually start paying attention to the Judge's gavel strikes, and the combined effort has everyone settled down.
With the air open enough to be heard now, I'll get right to it. "Kuchibiru-san! Whether or not you are confessing to the crime doesn't change the facts!" I forcefully assert, "And your claim contradicts everything we've learned about this crime! The fact that your fingerprints were on the alarm on the other side of the atrium is something that the prosecution even went out of their way to use as proof that you couldn't have done this!"
Kuchibiru doesn't respond, he just continues shivering and staring straight down into the ground, unable to even make eye contact. Seeing as he won't answer, I keep appealing to him. "You can't be serious! Please, think about what you're doing! I don't know your reasons for making this confession, but... do you really want to be imprisoned and labeled a murderer for the rest of your life...? Did you truly kill Austin Translation?!"
He bites his lip so hard I'm worried it may start to bleed. I know he's telling a lie. I don't know why, but this is a bluff, and I need to call it like one. I slam the surface in front of me with both hands. "Kuchibiru-san. Please. If you are going to do this... at least testify to the details! If you really did commit this crime, then the court needs you to explain exactly how you did it!"
Hibiki, still planted at the witness stand, doesn't take this sitting down.

---(Music End)---



---Music: Tension ---

  His voice has a hollowness to it; a soft, whisper-like reservation that sounds similar to the voices snake characters have in cartoons. "You heartlesss wretchesss! Think of the sssuffering you are inflicting on poor Missster Yurui! Can you even imagine the pain and the guilt he mussst feel? The courage it mussst have taken him to admit sssuch a wrongdoing?"
"Don't listen to him, he's full of shit," Akira himself speaks bluntly, turning to look at the security guard. "Kuchibiru-san, what dirt does your boss have on you? Blackmail? Is he threatening you?"
The guy still doesn't speak so much as a word. Even the Judge isn't sure what to make of this. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but if Kuchibiru-san is personally admitting to the crimes, then..."
Sae punches the table and raises her voice to the point where it's almost scary.



"Your Honor, please, stop for a moment and see how wrong this is!" she pleads, "We don't know enough to take this confession at face value!"
Hebi, quite upset by the way this discussion is moving, speaks again. "What kind of farccce of a court isss thisss?!" he criticizes, "Thisss man is confesssing his guilt in front of all of usss! You're all cccharlatans parading yourssselvesss asss upholdersss of the law!! Missster Yurui, I want to think about everything very carefully... before making your decccisssion..."
"Leave him alone, he can speak for himself!" Maya yells back in frustration.
The Judge's gavel comes down with a crack.

---(Music End)---

The Judge closes his eyes and holds a firm, almost frowning expression. "It is indeed up to the court's discretion whether or not to accept a confession of guilt as valid evidence. Kuchibiru-san, you have every right for a due process. Knowing the consequences of being convicted for this crime, and your rights as a citizen... do you honestly confess your guilt to this murder?"
Every last one of us watches the security guard, each of us holding our breath in anticipation almost to the point of getting dizzy. The guy's lips start to tremble as if they are trying to mumble something, and, finally, he opens them to speak...
Before he can get a word out, a very gruff voice yells out from the audience.



What takes me by surprise is that the voice is, surprisingly, speaking fluent English. Specifically with an Italian-American accent that makes me think of old Mafia movies. "Jack. Over here," the male voice speaks as if vying for attention.
Jack? Who is Jack? I wonder what THIS outburst is going to be about..?

---Music: Kitaki Family ---

  I look to see an older gentleman who is dressed sharply and wearing a hat, just like a mobster. His aged, serious face is further accented by the shadow from his hat completely obscuring his upper face, so I can't even see his eyes. It's hard to make out his actual appearance, but in spirit alone he gives off a vibe that he could star in a Godfather movie.
Kuchibiru is staring at the man as well. "You talkin' to me?" he asks back to the figure. I didn't think Kuchibiru would be bilingual, but he sounds more comfortable with English than he does with Japanese.
"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!" the older man speaks from the audience. He removes his hat, revealing a short and well-kept hair cut, and yet... his eyes are still obscured by shadows. Actually... I may be imagining things, but I think I saw them move up and down a tad as he spoke. There's no way that those big black blotches are comically large eyebrows or something, right...?
Upon seeing the man's fan clearly without his hat, Yurui's face lights up in both shock and amazement. "B-B-Big Wins?! Is that y-you!? Why are you here?!"
It's hard to tell who is understanding what they're saying and who isn't, but at least Maya, the Judge, and I all follow their conversation. "You're why I'm here, kid. I came a long way so I could bring you back home. Jack. My cugine. Why did you run away?"
Yurui--or, Jack? I guess?-- looks back down to the ground nervously, shaking his head. "I-I-I'm sorry, boss... I just... I'm scared. And, I didn't want to cause any more trouble for you..."
The mob-looking man ("Big Wins?" Is that his nickname...?) shakes his head quite adamantly. "The only trouble you're causing is for my boy who wants to know why his big brother amscrayed all the way across the ocean."
Kuchibiru looks extremely remorseful. "I, I didn't mean to worry Wocky... but, boss... y-you know what happened. I-I'm a dead man if they find me!"
"You're no dead man. You're a family man," is the decisive response, "And the Kitaki family is here for you."
"B-Boss... I don't know what to--"
Hibiki jumps into the conversation with a spiteful tone of voice. "I don't know what thisss isss about, but... remember, 'Yurui,'" he states, using his fingers to make air quotations around the name, "Your sssecret ssseemsss dangerousssly clossse to being revealed... you wouldn't want that, would you, 'Yurui...?'"
"You. Zip it. Capisce?" Big Wins speaks, coming down with such an authority that Hibiki shuts his mouth quickly. "Jack. There's a second reason I'm here. 'They' have started to spread out their operations into this country, too. My people are still trying to figure out why. But it's only a matter of time until they find you. You will be a lot safer if you come back to us."
Jack squints his eyes closed and tries to build up confidence to speak. "I'm... sorry to c-cause you so much trouble, boss...!!"
"Jack," Big Wins speaks firmly, "You aren't causing anybody no trouble. What you did for us--for Wocky--is something I will never forget. My family owes you a debt that I intend to pay with interest. On my very honor... I will make sure that you stay safe. Capisce?"

---(Music End)---

I can see a tear drip down Jack's cheek for the briefest of moments. The mild mannered security guard raises his head and takes a deep breath. His appearance doesn't change much, though he does remove his glasses. It's his presence that changes drastically. I can definitely feel him giving off rays of newfound confidence. "Thanks, boss," he nods.
The Judge remains skeptical. "Could either of you gentlemen explain precisely what that was all about?"
Jack nods his head. "Your Honor. I'm sorry for misleading you, I truly am. But, my real name is Jack Canary. I'm American, and used to live in California."
*!*

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

I can't say I saw this coming. Like, not even slightly. He must be super well-adjusted to living in this country, because I would have never guessed he wasn't from here.
"Mr. Canary," the Judge asks with a curious tone, "Why on Earth have you been pretending to be someone else?"
"Back home in Los Angeles, I was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs, and... well, I had to leave the city. The country, even. I didn't realize it, but I had made enemies with a huge crime family. Witness protection had the resources to help me relocate and start a new life with a new name."
"I see," the Judge replies, with a tone that has shifted from curiosity to empathy, "I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been starting anew so far away from home. And you must have been in extreme danger to need to leave the country entirely."
"I... still am," speaks with a hint of hesitation. The confidence that he's exuding seems to waiver in and out as if he's momentarily struggling to stay standing strong.
The Judge tilts his head while considering his next question. "Mr. Canary, what reason do you have for revealing your identity now, in the middle of this trial? Doesn't that put you in danger all over again?"
"I was already in danger. Hebi Hibiki found out my true identity and has been keeping it a secret in order to blackmail me," Jack explains, still a bit shaky.
He takes a deep breath and, finally, his confidence cements itself. "But now, I have... family. Family who I can trust. I'm not afraid of you anymore, Hibiki-san."
"Thisss isss ridiculousss!" Hibiki argues, and the more upset he gets, the more it almost looks like the red streaks in his hair stand on end. "I ssshould be the one afraid of you! I'm lucky to be alive, when you could have killed me too that night...!! Your Honor, thisss man already confesssed to being a murderer!"
After a long bout of relative silence, Yashin's shout as she enters the conversation feels very dramatic.

---(Music End)---



"This has been quite the soap opera," Yashin announces, "But I believe I've heard enough that I can start to speak my mind."
"I am quite interested in the prosecution's take on the events happening here," the Judge returns.

---Music: Restlessness ---

"Even if Mr. Canary confesses, I won't accept it under the current circumstances," she explains, "I'm here today because we need to figure out who killed the victim and why. I hope my straightforwardness won't be misinterpreted as rudeness, but quite frankly, I don't care who it ends up being. Finding the real culprit is our main objective here, today, and there are still too many unanswered questions. If anything, the prosecution's stance is to request further testimony from Mr. Canary now that he's not keeping secrets anymore."
Now that she's pointing her tenacity away from Akira and in a different direction, I can see the strength of her conviction even more clearly. A prosecutor who focuses entirely on the truth, regardless of whether or not it helps their "case" is the kind of rival that I respect the most.
Jack nods his head. "I can do that. I can tell you everything I saw that night," he asserts matter-of-factly.
"That would be much appreciated, Mr. Canary," the Judge approves respectfully.
He walks to the stand as instructed, and Yashin takes over with the court formalities. "Mr. Canary. Just so we are clear on all of the details, I'm asking you for your name and occupation."
"Jack Canary. I used to own a small cafe in Los Angeles before I moved. For the last sixth months, however, I've been working as a security guard for the Sniffsonian museum."
"Very well," the Judge nods, "But I would like to make one thing clear before you being. I can look past the fact that you were under oath using an assumed name, given the circumstances. However, for the sake of testifying factually for this trial, I cannot allow any more false information. Please testify to the events as you truly witnessed them, with no more secrets."
"I understand, your Honor," Jack agrees, taking a deep breath before beginning.

---(Music End)---

---Music: Looming Danger (Persona Q) ---

-- Covering Up the Crime --

"Everything I said before was true. I heard the same sounds as Mask☆DeMasque described, and pulled the nearest alarm.
I ran downstairs, and on the ground floor, I found the victim's body on top of a broken easel but under a cracked statue.
Hebi Hibiki showed up a few minutes later, running full speed, covered in sweat, and panicking. He was really alarmed to see me, and demanded to know why I hadn't gone home yet.
After calming down, he ordered me start destroying parts of the statue and moving things, and to not ask questions.
Obviously, if I were to tell anyone, he would reveal my identity, so I had to do what he said..."

---(Music End)---

*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: High Pressure ---

The court is in complete shock. This is such an extreme amount of crucial information to take in! Hibiki seems like he's ready to flip his lid, but keeps himself calm in the meantime.
"My word..." the Judge speaks in awe, "You were forced into altering the crime scene?"
"I'm... I'm sorry. I had no choice," Jack laments.
The Judge seems disappointed. "That in and of itself is a serious matter that we may need to address later."
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Yashin cautions, "We need to assess the validity of the testimony, first."
"Indeed," the Judge agrees, "I will now give the defense the opportunity to cross-examine the witness."

---(Music End)---

---Music: Looming Danger (Persona Q) ---

"What are our thoughts, guys?" I poll.
Sae is the first to propose a direction to pursue. "This is the most raw detail we've gotten about the murder itself, or at least a point very soon after it happened. If this is true, then Mr. Canary is the first person to find the scene of the crime as it was."
"Oh! And I can add to that suggestion!" Maya contributes, "We can ask him about specifically what Hibiki had him change at the scene of the crime! He's the only one that would know the 'before' and 'after' of the crime scene."
"Both very good calls," I agree, "And I'm curious as to how the statue was so badly destroyed, myself... if Mr. Canary was pressured into destroying it, he can tell us exactly how. So let's get to business, then."



"Mr. Canary," I begin after collecting my thoughts, "You would have been the only person to have seen what the scene looked like, if you got there before Hibiki did. Plus, if you tampered with the scene, then you must know exactly what was changed. Can you please be extremely specific in explaining to us what Hibiki had you do?"
Jack takes a deep breath, and I can already expect this to be a doozy of an explanation. "He wanted me to make the crime scene more confusing without leaving traces, so he gave me a pair of the special gloves the museum staff uses when they are handling art, which wouldn't leave fingerprints. He had me roll the statue slightly so we could get underneath it to the body. He had me scatter around the pieces of wood everywhere, and move the broken painting somewhere else. We rolled the statue back on to him, and then he had me smash up a bunch of the statue until most of it was unrecognizable."
I immediately think back to the strange markings on the statue shards that we, and realize we need to address the question up front this time.



"Mr. Canary, how did you destroy the statue? No one can grind solid stone to dust with their bare hands. What did you use?"
"When I found the body," Mr. Canary specifies, "There was a hammer on the ground nearby. I was told to pick up that hammer and use it..."
"A hammer?" I repeat, "Like, the tool used to strike nails in?"
"Yes. It was a normal sized hammer that anyone could have in a toolbox. One of the few things Hibiki did actually mention while he was mumbling and pacing was that the victim had attacked him with that hammer."
*!*
Sae recognizing the importance of this for what it is. "Miss Yashin, was a hammer found at the crime scene at all when you investigated?"
"No, there wasn't..." she speaks, holding her chin as she thinks, "But that makes sense. A hammer WOULD leave almost a perfectly round indentation at the points where it would hit."
Maya raises the next question. "Mr. Canary, what happened to the hammer, then?"
"I still have it, actually," he elaborates, "I was told to get rid of it, but I ended up not doing that because I already didn't feel right about any of this..."
"Is it with you now?" Sae presses further.
"Yes, actually. It's in my car trunk in the parking lot."
"This could be absolutely crucial!" Maya reasons, "We need that hammer presented to the court!"
"I completely agree," the Judge nods, "Detective Ristu, would you escort the witness to his car to retrieve the evidence."
"No problem, your Honor," Ritsu agrees, and they're off in no time.
  It only takes a few minutes before they are back, with an ordinary hammer inside of a plastic evidence bag. "Detective," Yashin calls to him, "Could you run fingerprint tests on that hammer? Figuring out who held that hammer and why will be important."
"I'll definitely do that," Ritsu salutes, "Just give me that boys some time to run a test and we'll come back with results as soon as we can."
With Ritsu leading, some of the police officers exit the courtroom to go scan for fingerprints. In the meantime, I'll add the Hammer to the evidence list, because I feel like it will certainly come up again.
"Now," I continue on, "Mr. Canary, is there anything else you can remember as far as further details go?"
"Well," Mr. Canary prepares to add, "Before we rolled the statue back onto the body, Hibiki was very specific about removing a chunk of stone from the victim and completely grinding the bloodied parts to dust."
*!*
It seems like everyone wants to start asking questions, the prosecution included. But, while we still have the floor, we need to pry at this new information as best we can. "Mr. Canary, would you please add the last thing you said to your testimony?"
"Oh, uh, sure," he complies.

"Hibiki was very specific about removing a chunk of stone from the victim and completely grinding the bloodied parts to dust."

"Nick," Maya tugs at my suit sleeve, "This could be big! This directly contradictions what we thought about the murder! You should present some evidence to compare!"
"My thoughts exactly, Maya," I agree, preparing to present a key item.

---(Music End)---



"Mr. Canary, I need to review the Autopsy Report with you," I state, holding the very documents in my hand. "Despite everything else, we've yet to truly figure out any details about the murder itself, specifically the wounds that were inflicted on the victim. We know that the majority of the body-wide trauma had to come from falling off of the balcony and subsequently being crushed by the statue. But, another element was the torso wound, where a splinter of wood was found. Are you telling us that the wound wasn't inflicted when falling onto the wooden easel?"
Mr. Canary shakes his head. "When I was rolling the statue off and looking at the body, I noticed that he had already been stabbed by the tip of a stone sword that must have belonged to one of our statues. It was one of the pieces that the curator had me specifically destroy as thoroughly as possible, and he decided to have me replace it by putting a wood shard in the wound."

---Music: Suspicion (Persona 5) ---

"I was actually talking to the one of the police coroners the day after the incident," Yashin adds, "And they were mentioning that the shape of the puncture didn't quite match the wood that supposedly inflicted it. They ended up agreeing that the impact of a long fall could have moved the wood around and changed the wound shape and depth."
I gulp and feel as if my brain is overheating just trying to figure out how all of these vague details could possibly piece together. "So the statue itself is what caused the stab wound... that complicates things a lot. And the real question is... how in the world could that be possible if the statue was pointing the sword straight up?"
"I... don't know," Jack speaks, trying to recall as best he can, "But I do know that at least part of the sword was already separated from the rest of the statue, that's the only way that the sword piece could have been underneath the body."
"I see," Maya comments, "So the statue, or at least the sword, was already broken before it was pushed off the balcony."
"How could that be? Statues aren't exactly easy to break," Sae points out, rightfully so.
I may have an idea, but I'll run it by the team first. "Actually... maybe the answer is right in front of us. We already know what destroyed the statue after the murder, so what's to say the same tool didn't damage the statue before?"
In fact I bet I can present some evidence, here!
"Your Honor, I believe that we may have figured out something important. There's no way anyone could break a solid statue with their bare hands. The only feasible way the statue could have been damaged would be with some other instrument. And, we already know that there was a tool being used that night. The defense asserts that, either intentionally or accidentally, the Hammer was used to break off part of the statue's sword."


"That would explain a lot," Maya agrees, "And now that you've got me thinking. Given that the nature of the threatening text messages... it's possible that the hammer may have belonged to the victim, and perhaps he was planning on using it threateningly."
"This goes in line with one of our assumptions as well," Sae concurs, "That there was likely a physical altercation that night... just on the balconies, rather than the ground floor. If for some reason that hammer were being swung around as a weapon, a statue could easily have been damaged in the process."
Maya still recognizes another issue, however. "That still wouldn't explain how the guy ended up getting stabbed by part of the sword. Maybe it was an accident?"
"Well, it wouldn't be the first instance I've seen of someone getting impaled by a statue..." I mention, "But, again, the statue we're dealing with had a sword pointed high up in the air. I don't think it's possible that someone could have accidentally gotten stabbed."
"Could the stab have been intentional?" Sae proposes. "If we assume for some reason or another the sword was broken off--let's say, someone was swinging a hammer around haphazardly, for example--then the sword may have been on the ground for someone to pick up and use."
Yashin has something to say, it seems.



"I overheard the speculation on the defense's side over what items were used to damage what targets. I have to refer back to the Autopsy Report, however. There's something that has been bothering me since the start, and that's specifically how the victim at some point had to have taken a severe blow to the head."
*!*
"Oh... we totally forgot about that, huh..." Maya reflects, dispirited.
"And yet, we still haven't conclusively determined what caused the head trauma," Yashin continues on. "It sure looks to me like the only thing readily on hand to strike the blow would have been the Hammer that the witness told us of."
"That makes a lot of sense, as well," the Judge comments, "When I think of how hard I strike with my gavel, and imagine a hammer in its place... why, a hammer could easily cause a skull fracture!"
Remind me to stay on the Judge's good side...
Yashin has a look on her face that tells me that she has something important figured out. Or, at least, she must think she does... "The hammer is clearly a weapon which can kill, even if we don't know which of the two men brought the hammer with them. On one hand, a hammer would indeed be a fairly innocuous improvised weapon to bring around if the victim really did bring it. But, a hammer is also a tool that any type of business establishment may have available for utility or repair purposes. Would a security guard not also know exactly where to locate any toolboxes or such within the museum?"
That's a fair assessment, but I have a counter for that line of thinking. "But, the fact that a security guard like Mr. Canary is already equipped to handle security concerns is also a factor. He would have had a billy club, a taser, pepper spray... there's any number of completely realistic items he would have had on hand to subdue a trespasser by completely non-lethal means. He'd be doing his very job, and there would be nothing to hide or cover up, nor would anyone have died!"
"Unless, of course," she flips, "That trespasser is a threat to the museum curator, and needed to be silenced."
"Wait..." Maya blinks, "Is there a word for what a group of sharks is called together? She didn't just jump the shark, she jumped, like, multiple sharks to reach that conclusion."
I'm not entirely sure that's the exact meaning of that phrase, but I get where she's coming from. "I have to agree, that's just making more huge assumptions, Miss Yashin."
"Not really," she shakes her head, "I mean, wouldn't that also make perfect sense given the context of the witness being blackmailed by the curator? With the life or death information that Mr. Canary was being blackmailed by, it was important enough that he was willing to destroy evidence and tamper with a crime scene. It's completely plausible that murder could have been wrapped into all of the things that he did, as well."
*!*
Now that's a shock... the blackmail so blatantly points to Hibiki as the suspicious one. I didn't think it could be turned around in any other way.
"The biggest wildcard in this entire situation is the curator, Hibiki-san. The fact of the matter is, however, that he literally could not have committed the crime. It's completely impossible, something that we established quite some time ago. The only thing we can do here is try our best to figure out who else would have been around and able to commit the murder. At this point, Mr. Canary is the only one left who could have possibly done it."
Damn it... her reasoning is pretty solid. And the way she spoke with such certainty, it sounded like every word was undeniable truth.

---(Music End)---

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, everyone," detective Ritsu announces as he enters the courtroom, "But we finished our tests for fingerprints."
Oh man, here we go... this could make or break the case...
"We found two set of fingerprints on the Hammer... those belonging to the victim, Austin Translation, as well as prints belonging to the witness, Yurui Kuchi- er, sorry, Jack Canary."
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: High Pressure ---

"You're kidding..." Sae mumbles.
"That's because Hibiki had me use the hammer to destroy the statue!" Jack tries to explain frantically, "He didn't even show me he had the special gloves until after I had already picked up the hammer and started smashing!"

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

"It all comes together," Yashin speaks with a snap of her fingers. "Austin Translation stayed in the museum after closing that night in an attempt to reach the museum curator, Hebi Hibiki. While climbing the stairs to reach Hibiki-san, he must have ran into the security guard, Jack Canary. Whether or not they talked to any extent or immediately came to blows, we can only assume that Mr. Canary somehow determined that the victim posed a deeper threat than just a regular burglar. My guess is that seeing the hammer the victim was carrying was probably the tip off that the victim wasn't on good terms with the curator. In whatever altercation ensued, the hammer managed to smash a nearby statue, specifically part of a sword. We know from the puncture wound on the victim that, either in self defense or otherwise, Mr. Canary had to have picked up the stone blade and stabbed the victim with it. The head injury tells us that the victim was then struck as well. The most likely explanation is that he dropped his hammer when stabbed, which the witness picked up and then used."
Ack...!! This is almost exactly the way we were thinking the events played out! I can't believe this... did the security guard really commit the murder, after all...?
"The remaining explanation to how the victim ended up is this:" Yashin continues on, "After being stabbed and then struck in the head, if the victim wasn't dead already, he would have certainly been out for the count. He may have stumbled backwards and fallen, or he may have been pushed or tackled while in a daze... specifically how he fell isn't important, but he did fall from the first floor balcony."
"But what of the state of the statue?" the Judge questions, "That perplexes me as well."
"And that's a very astute point of interest that we do need to explain," Yashin nods, "And I think I've got that figured out as well. The statue, being partially broken in the fight, would have potentially been evidence as to where the fight took place and how the murder was committed. Simply speaking, the statue had to go. It was a liability. And, as all of the statues were placed on top of wheeled platforms for the sake of moving... pushing it to the railing and leveraging it until it tipped over and fell would have been more simple than you'd think. Then, it was just the cleanup. The witness got to the crime scene before anyone else could, destroyed anything that could have left fingerprints, scattered items around to make the scene more confusing, and then acted like he had found the body like that once the curator arrived."
*!*
*!*
*!*
"I can't believe it..." Sae speaks with eyes wider than I've ever seen her with, "Did she really get it all figured out completely like that...?"
"Remarkable!" the Judge compliments, "This entire murder was shrouded in so much mystery and confusion, yet you managed to explain all of it with those deductions!"
Mirroring the bow she gave at the beginning the trial, Yashin once again leans forward with one arm crossed diagonally over her chest. "Mr. Wright, Miss Maya, Niijima-san; I want to sincerely thank you for your assistance today. And, Kurusu-san, I do apologize for almost implicating you in something you didn't do. But, thanks to everyone here, we were able to discover what really happened."

---(Music End)---

I'm... speechless. Everything she just said makes sense, and is essentially the same conclusions we were able to draw. Maybe... maybe we really are in the wrong here. I just don't know anymore.
Well. At least we're getting Akira acquitted. At the end of the day, that's all we were here to do. We didn't have much reason to begin with to vouch for Mr. Canary.
But, still... something feels wrong here. Is this really how things happened that night...?

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

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

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  April 13th, 9:37 am
  Tokyo District Court, Courtroom No. 2

---Music: Blood of Villain ---

  Maya tries to talk to me, which I can barely hear over the outrageous stir the audience is in. "I thought the curator was suspicious BEFORE he just had a fit of extremely-obviously-evil laughter," she says as she punches her open palm aggressively. "Plus, he only came out of left field with this accusation when Yashin mentioned searching his office. Nick, there's no way he's telling the truth about Kuchibiru-san!"
  I, in turn, look at Yurui Kuchibiru, who I'm fairly certain is literally tearing up. "I mean, even if we don't know him that well... in my honest opinion, I don't think he could commit murder even if he wanted to."
"Exactly!" Maya insists, "I won't be able to sleep at night if we let him take the fall for this crime... there's no way it was him. There has to be some way to turn this back on Hibiki."
Sae hops right into the conversation herself. "I know how you feel, Maya. But I've been thinking hard on this. We know that Hibiki is obviously the culprit... but we have nothing to prove it."
Maya opens her mouth to protest, but Sae holds her hands out to gesture Maya to calm down. "Listen, I know this sounds cold. But shouldn't we stop and consider the situation here? If we try and contest the guard's confession, then suspicion will fall back on Akira-kun. Or, possibly onto Mask☆DeMasque, who is just as much a wildcard in this scenario. Having either of them convicted would be much worse for a lot of different reasons."
"... You have a point," I admit, "You're just trying to weigh our options objectively, I can see that. But you don't honestly believe Hibiki is innocent, do you?"
"Hell no!" Sae snaps back, "Make no mistake, my vote goes towards going down fighting. I just... wanted to be realistic about what we're truly risking here if we make that call."
"Then let's fight!" Maya voices strongly, "Question every statement, present every piece of evidence... I just know that everything will work out if we stick to our guns!"
This is a tough call from a logical standpoint, but from an emotional one? I'm just as charged as they are. "I think all three of us agree."
"All five of us," Akira adds from the sidelines, including his cat Morgana I can tell, "We both want you to hit that bastard with everything you've got. We aren't trampling over another innocent person just so I can walk free."
  "Then it's settled," I nod, "First thing we need to do is point out how this confession doesn't make sense with what we know."

---(Music End)---



---Music: Telling the Truth 2007 ---

My blood is pumping like crazy after yelling loudly enough to get the attention of what was otherwise an out-of-control room. With my shout breaking the noise, people actually start paying attention to the Judge's gavel strikes, and the combined effort has everyone settled down.
With the air open enough to be heard now, I'll get right to it. "Kuchibiru-san! Whether or not you are confessing to the crime doesn't change the facts!" I forcefully assert, "And your claim contradicts everything we've learned about this crime! The fact that your fingerprints were on the alarm on the other side of the atrium is something that the prosecution even went out of their way to use as proof that you couldn't have done this!"
Kuchibiru doesn't respond, he just continues shivering and staring straight down into the ground, unable to even make eye contact. Seeing as he won't answer, I keep appealing to him. "You can't be serious! Please, think about what you're doing! I don't know your reasons for making this confession, but... do you really want to be imprisoned and labeled a murderer for the rest of your life...? Did you truly kill Austin Translation?!"
He bites his lip so hard I'm worried it may start to bleed. I know he's telling a lie. I don't know why, but this is a bluff, and I need to call it like one. I slam the surface in front of me with both hands. "Kuchibiru-san. Please. If you are going to do this... at least testify to the details! If you really did commit this crime, then the court needs you to explain exactly how you did it!"
Hibiki, still planted at the witness stand, doesn't take this sitting down.

---(Music End)---



---Music: Tension ---

  His voice has a hollowness to it; a soft, whisper-like reservation that sounds similar to the voices snake characters have in cartoons. "You heartlesss wretchesss! Think of the sssuffering you are inflicting on poor Missster Yurui! Can you even imagine the pain and the guilt he mussst feel? The courage it mussst have taken him to admit sssuch a wrongdoing?"
"Don't listen to him, he's full of shit," Akira himself speaks bluntly, turning to look at the security guard. "Kuchibiru-san, what dirt does your boss have on you? Blackmail? Is he threatening you?"
The guy still doesn't speak so much as a word. Even the Judge isn't sure what to make of this. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but if Kuchibiru-san is personally admitting to the crimes, then..."
Sae punches the table and raises her voice to the point where it's almost scary.



"Your Honor, please, stop for a moment and see how wrong this is!" she pleads, "We don't know enough to take this confession at face value!"
Hebi, quite upset by the way this discussion is moving, speaks again. "What kind of farccce of a court isss thisss?!" he criticizes, "Thisss man is confesssing his guilt in front of all of usss! You're all cccharlatans parading yourssselvesss asss upholdersss of the law!! Missster Yurui, I want to think about everything very carefully... before making your decccisssion..."
"Leave him alone, he can speak for himself!" Maya yells back in frustration.
The Judge's gavel comes down with a crack.

---(Music End)---

The Judge closes his eyes and holds a firm, almost frowning expression. "It is indeed up to the court's discretion whether or not to accept a confession of guilt as valid evidence. Kuchibiru-san, you have every right for a due process. Knowing the consequences of being convicted for this crime, and your rights as a citizen... do you honestly confess your guilt to this murder?"
Every last one of us watches the security guard, each of us holding our breath in anticipation almost to the point of getting dizzy. The guy's lips start to tremble as if they are trying to mumble something, and, finally, he opens them to speak...
Before he can get a word out, a very gruff voice yells out from the audience.



What takes me by surprise is that the voice is, surprisingly, speaking fluent English. Specifically with an Italian-American accent that makes me think of old Mafia movies. "Jack. Over here," the male voice speaks as if vying for attention.
Jack? Who is Jack? I wonder what THIS outburst is going to be about..?

---Music: Kitaki Family ---

  I look to see an older gentleman who is dressed sharply and wearing a hat, just like a mobster. His aged, serious face is further accented by the shadow from his hat completely obscuring his upper face, so I can't even see his eyes. It's hard to make out his actual appearance, but in spirit alone he gives off a vibe that he could star in a Godfather movie.
Kuchibiru is staring at the man as well. "You talkin' to me?" he asks back to the figure. I didn't think Kuchibiru would be bilingual, but he sounds more comfortable with English than he does with Japanese.
"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!" the older man speaks from the audience. He removes his hat, revealing a short and well-kept hair cut, and yet... his eyes are still obscured by shadows. Actually... I may be imagining things, but I think I saw them move up and down a tad as he spoke. There's no way that those big black blotches are comically large eyebrows or something, right...?
Upon seeing the man's fan clearly without his hat, Yurui's face lights up in both shock and amazement. "B-B-Big Wins?! Is that y-you!? Why are you here?!"
It's hard to tell who is understanding what they're saying and who isn't, but at least Maya, the Judge, and I all follow their conversation. "You're why I'm here, kid. I came a long way so I could bring you back home. Jack. My cugine. Why did you run away?"
Yurui--or, Jack? I guess?-- looks back down to the ground nervously, shaking his head. "I-I-I'm sorry, boss... I just... I'm scared. And, I didn't want to cause any more trouble for you..."
The mob-looking man ("Big Wins?" Is that his nickname...?) shakes his head quite adamantly. "The only trouble you're causing is for my boy who wants to know why his big brother amscrayed all the way across the ocean."
Kuchibiru looks extremely remorseful. "I, I didn't mean to worry Wocky... but, boss... y-you know what happened. I-I'm a dead man if they find me!"
"You're no dead man. You're a family man," is the decisive response, "And the Kitaki family is here for you."
"B-Boss... I don't know what to--"
Hibiki jumps into the conversation with a spiteful tone of voice. "I don't know what thisss isss about, but... remember, 'Yurui,'" he states, using his fingers to make air quotations around the name, "Your sssecret ssseemsss dangerousssly clossse to being revealed... you wouldn't want that, would you, 'Yurui...?'"
"You. Zip it. Capisce?" Big Wins speaks, coming down with such an authority that Hibiki shuts his mouth quickly. "Jack. There's a second reason I'm here. 'They' have started to spread out their operations into this country, too. My people are still trying to figure out why. But it's only a matter of time until they find you. You will be a lot safer if you come back to us."
Jack squints his eyes closed and tries to build up confidence to speak. "I'm... sorry to c-cause you so much trouble, boss...!!"
"Jack," Big Wins speaks firmly, "You aren't causing anybody no trouble. What you did for us--for Wocky--is something I will never forget. My family owes you a debt that I intend to pay with interest. On my very honor... I will make sure that you stay safe. Capisce?"

---(Music End)---

I can see a tear drip down Jack's cheek for the briefest of moments. The mild mannered security guard raises his head and takes a deep breath. His appearance doesn't change much, though he does remove his glasses. It's his presence that changes drastically. I can definitely feel him giving off rays of newfound confidence. "Thanks, boss," he nods.
The Judge remains skeptical. "Could either of you gentlemen explain precisely what that was all about?"
Jack nods his head. "Your Honor. I'm sorry for misleading you, I truly am. But, my real name is Jack Canary. I'm American, and used to live in California."
*!*

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

I can't say I saw this coming. Like, not even slightly. He must be super well-adjusted to living in this country, because I would have never guessed he wasn't from here.
"Mr. Canary," the Judge asks with a curious tone, "Why on Earth have you been pretending to be someone else?"
"Back home in Los Angeles, I was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs, and... well, I had to leave the city. The country, even. I didn't realize it, but I had made enemies with a huge crime family. Witness protection had the resources to help me relocate and start a new life with a new name."
"I see," the Judge replies, with a tone that has shifted from curiosity to empathy, "I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been starting anew so far away from home. And you must have been in extreme danger to need to leave the country entirely."
"I... still am," speaks with a hint of hesitation. The confidence that he's exuding seems to waiver in and out as if he's momentarily struggling to stay standing strong.
The Judge tilts his head while considering his next question. "Mr. Canary, what reason do you have for revealing your identity now, in the middle of this trial? Doesn't that put you in danger all over again?"
"I was already in danger. Hebi Hibiki found out my true identity and has been keeping it a secret in order to blackmail me," Jack explains, still a bit shaky.
He takes a deep breath and, finally, his confidence cements itself. "But now, I have... family. Family who I can trust. I'm not afraid of you anymore, Hibiki-san."
"Thisss isss ridiculousss!" Hibiki argues, and the more upset he gets, the more it almost looks like the red streaks in his hair stand on end. "I ssshould be the one afraid of you! I'm lucky to be alive, when you could have killed me too that night...!! Your Honor, thisss man already confesssed to being a murderer!"
After a long bout of relative silence, Yashin's shout as she enters the conversation feels very dramatic.

---(Music End)---



"This has been quite the soap opera," Yashin announces, "But I believe I've heard enough that I can start to speak my mind."
"I am quite interested in the prosecution's take on the events happening here," the Judge returns.

---Music: Restlessness ---

"Even if Mr. Canary confesses, I won't accept it under the current circumstances," she explains, "I'm here today because we need to figure out who killed the victim and why. I hope my straightforwardness won't be misinterpreted as rudeness, but quite frankly, I don't care who it ends up being. Finding the real culprit is our main objective here, today, and there are still too many unanswered questions. If anything, the prosecution's stance is to request further testimony from Mr. Canary now that he's not keeping secrets anymore."
Now that she's pointing her tenacity away from Akira and in a different direction, I can see the strength of her conviction even more clearly. A prosecutor who focuses entirely on the truth, regardless of whether or not it helps their "case" is the kind of rival that I respect the most.
Jack nods his head. "I can do that. I can tell you everything I saw that night," he asserts matter-of-factly.
"That would be much appreciated, Mr. Canary," the Judge approves respectfully.
He walks to the stand as instructed, and Yashin takes over with the court formalities. "Mr. Canary. Just so we are clear on all of the details, I'm asking you for your name and occupation."
"Jack Canary. I used to own a small cafe in Los Angeles before I moved. For the last sixth months, however, I've been working as a security guard for the Sniffsonian museum."
"Very well," the Judge nods, "But I would like to make one thing clear before you being. I can look past the fact that you were under oath using an assumed name, given the circumstances. However, for the sake of testifying factually for this trial, I cannot allow any more false information. Please testify to the events as you truly witnessed them, with no more secrets."
"I understand, your Honor," Jack agrees, taking a deep breath before beginning.

---(Music End)---

---Music: Looming Danger (Persona Q) ---

-- Covering Up the Crime --

"Everything I said before was true. I heard the same sounds as Mask☆DeMasque described, and pulled the nearest alarm.
I ran downstairs, and on the ground floor, I found the victim's body on top of a broken easel but under a cracked statue.
Hebi Hibiki showed up a few minutes later, running full speed, covered in sweat, and panicking. He was really alarmed to see me, and demanded to know why I hadn't gone home yet.
After calming down, he ordered me start destroying parts of the statue and moving things, and to not ask questions.
Obviously, if I were to tell anyone, he would reveal my identity, so I had to do what he said..."

---(Music End)---

*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: High Pressure ---

The court is in complete shock. This is such an extreme amount of crucial information to take in! Hibiki seems like he's ready to flip his lid, but keeps himself calm in the meantime.
"My word..." the Judge speaks in awe, "You were forced into altering the crime scene?"
"I'm... I'm sorry. I had no choice," Jack laments.
The Judge seems disappointed. "That in and of itself is a serious matter that we may need to address later."
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Yashin cautions, "We need to assess the validity of the testimony, first."
"Indeed," the Judge agrees, "I will now give the defense the opportunity to cross-examine the witness."

---(Music End)---

---Music: Looming Danger (Persona Q) ---

"What are our thoughts, guys?" I poll.
Sae is the first to propose a direction to pursue. "This is the most raw detail we've gotten about the murder itself, or at least a point very soon after it happened. If this is true, then Mr. Canary is the first person to find the scene of the crime as it was."
"Oh! And I can add to that suggestion!" Maya contributes, "We can ask him about specifically what Hibiki had him change at the scene of the crime! He's the only one that would know the 'before' and 'after' of the crime scene."
"Both very good calls," I agree, "And I'm curious as to how the statue was so badly destroyed, myself... if Mr. Canary was pressured into destroying it, he can tell us exactly how. So let's get to business, then."



"Mr. Canary," I begin after collecting my thoughts, "You would have been the only person to have seen what the scene looked like, if you got there before Hibiki did. Plus, if you tampered with the scene, then you must know exactly what was changed. Can you please be extremely specific in explaining to us what Hibiki had you do?"
Jack takes a deep breath, and I can already expect this to be a doozy of an explanation. "He wanted me to make the crime scene more confusing without leaving traces, so he gave me a pair of the special gloves the museum staff uses when they are handling art, which wouldn't leave fingerprints. He had me roll the statue slightly so we could get underneath it to the body. He had me scatter around the pieces of wood everywhere, and move the broken painting somewhere else. We rolled the statue back on to him, and then he had me smash up a bunch of the statue until most of it was unrecognizable."
I immediately think back to the strange markings on the statue shards that we, and realize we need to address the question up front this time.



"Mr. Canary, how did you destroy the statue? No one can grind solid stone to dust with their bare hands. What did you use?"
"When I found the body," Mr. Canary specifies, "There was a hammer on the ground nearby. I was told to pick up that hammer and use it..."
"A hammer?" I repeat, "Like, the tool used to strike nails in?"
"Yes. It was a normal sized hammer that anyone could have in a toolbox. One of the few things Hibiki did actually mention while he was mumbling and pacing was that the victim had attacked him with that hammer."
*!*
Sae recognizing the importance of this for what it is. "Miss Yashin, was a hammer found at the crime scene at all when you investigated?"
"No, there wasn't..." she speaks, holding her chin as she thinks, "But that makes sense. A hammer WOULD leave almost a perfectly round indentation at the points where it would hit."
Maya raises the next question. "Mr. Canary, what happened to the hammer, then?"
"I still have it, actually," he elaborates, "I was told to get rid of it, but I ended up not doing that because I already didn't feel right about any of this..."
"Is it with you now?" Sae presses further.
"Yes, actually. It's in my car trunk in the parking lot."
"This could be absolutely crucial!" Maya reasons, "We need that hammer presented to the court!"
"I completely agree," the Judge nods, "Detective Ristu, would you escort the witness to his car to retrieve the evidence."
"No problem, your Honor," Ritsu agrees, and they're off in no time.
  It only takes a few minutes before they are back, with an ordinary hammer inside of a plastic evidence bag. "Detective," Yashin calls to him, "Could you run fingerprint tests on that hammer? Figuring out who held that hammer and why will be important."
"I'll definitely do that," Ritsu salutes, "Just give me that boys some time to run a test and we'll come back with results as soon as we can."
With Ritsu leading, some of the police officers exit the courtroom to go scan for fingerprints. In the meantime, I'll add the Hammer to the evidence list, because I feel like it will certainly come up again.
"Now," I continue on, "Mr. Canary, is there anything else you can remember as far as further details go?"
"Well," Mr. Canary prepares to add, "Before we rolled the statue back onto the body, Hibiki was very specific about removing a chunk of stone from the victim and completely grinding the bloodied parts to dust."
*!*
It seems like everyone wants to start asking questions, the prosecution included. But, while we still have the floor, we need to pry at this new information as best we can. "Mr. Canary, would you please add the last thing you said to your testimony?"
"Oh, uh, sure," he complies.

"Hibiki was very specific about removing a chunk of stone from the victim and completely grinding the bloodied parts to dust."

"Nick," Maya tugs at my suit sleeve, "This could be big! This directly contradictions what we thought about the murder! You should present some evidence to compare!"
"My thoughts exactly, Maya," I agree, preparing to present a key item.

---(Music End)---



"Mr. Canary, I need to review the Autopsy Report with you," I state, holding the very documents in my hand. "Despite everything else, we've yet to truly figure out any details about the murder itself, specifically the wounds that were inflicted on the victim. We know that the majority of the body-wide trauma had to come from falling off of the balcony and subsequently being crushed by the statue. But, another element was the torso wound, where a splinter of wood was found. Are you telling us that the wound wasn't inflicted when falling onto the wooden easel?"
Mr. Canary shakes his head. "When I was rolling the statue off and looking at the body, I noticed that he had already been stabbed by the tip of a stone sword that must have belonged to one of our statues. It was one of the pieces that the curator had me specifically destroy as thoroughly as possible, and he decided to have me replace it by putting a wood shard in the wound."

---Music: Suspicion (Persona 5) ---

"I was actually talking to the one of the police coroners the day after the incident," Yashin adds, "And they were mentioning that the shape of the puncture didn't quite match the wood that supposedly inflicted it. They ended up agreeing that the impact of a long fall could have moved the wood around and changed the wound shape and depth."
I gulp and feel as if my brain is overheating just trying to figure out how all of these vague details could possibly piece together. "So the statue itself is what caused the stab wound... that complicates things a lot. And the real question is... how in the world could that be possible if the statue was pointing the sword straight up?"
"I... don't know," Jack speaks, trying to recall as best he can, "But I do know that at least part of the sword was already separated from the rest of the statue, that's the only way that the sword piece could have been underneath the body."
"I see," Maya comments, "So the statue, or at least the sword, was already broken before it was pushed off the balcony."
"How could that be? Statues aren't exactly easy to break," Sae points out, rightfully so.
I may have an idea, but I'll run it by the team first. "Actually... maybe the answer is right in front of us. We already know what destroyed the statue after the murder, so what's to say the same tool didn't damage the statue before?"
In fact I bet I can present some evidence, here!
"Your Honor, I believe that we may have figured out something important. There's no way anyone could break a solid statue with their bare hands. The only feasible way the statue could have been damaged would be with some other instrument. And, we already know that there was a tool being used that night. The defense asserts that, either intentionally or accidentally, the Hammer was used to break off part of the statue's sword."


"That would explain a lot," Maya agrees, "And now that you've got me thinking. Given that the nature of the threatening text messages... it's possible that the hammer may have belonged to the victim, and perhaps he was planning on using it threateningly."
"This goes in line with one of our assumptions as well," Sae concurs, "That there was likely a physical altercation that night... just on the balconies, rather than the ground floor. If for some reason that hammer were being swung around as a weapon, a statue could easily have been damaged in the process."
Maya still recognizes another issue, however. "That still wouldn't explain how the guy ended up getting stabbed by part of the sword. Maybe it was an accident?"
"Well, it wouldn't be the first instance I've seen of someone getting impaled by a statue..." I mention, "But, again, the statue we're dealing with had a sword pointed high up in the air. I don't think it's possible that someone could have accidentally gotten stabbed."
"Could the stab have been intentional?" Sae proposes. "If we assume for some reason or another the sword was broken off--let's say, someone was swinging a hammer around haphazardly, for example--then the sword may have been on the ground for someone to pick up and use."
Yashin has something to say, it seems.



"I overheard the speculation on the defense's side over what items were used to damage what targets. I have to refer back to the Autopsy Report, however. There's something that has been bothering me since the start, and that's specifically how the victim at some point had to have taken a severe blow to the head."
*!*
"Oh... we totally forgot about that, huh..." Maya reflects, dispirited.
"And yet, we still haven't conclusively determined what caused the head trauma," Yashin continues on. "It sure looks to me like the only thing readily on hand to strike the blow would have been the Hammer that the witness told us of."
"That makes a lot of sense, as well," the Judge comments, "When I think of how hard I strike with my gavel, and imagine a hammer in its place... why, a hammer could easily cause a skull fracture!"
Remind me to stay on the Judge's good side...
Yashin has a look on her face that tells me that she has something important figured out. Or, at least, she must think she does... "The hammer is clearly a weapon which can kill, even if we don't know which of the two men brought the hammer with them. On one hand, a hammer would indeed be a fairly innocuous improvised weapon to bring around if the victim really did bring it. But, a hammer is also a tool that any type of business establishment may have available for utility or repair purposes. Would a security guard not also know exactly where to locate any toolboxes or such within the museum?"
That's a fair assessment, but I have a counter for that line of thinking. "But, the fact that a security guard like Mr. Canary is already equipped to handle security concerns is also a factor. He would have had a billy club, a taser, pepper spray... there's any number of completely realistic items he would have had on hand to subdue a trespasser by completely non-lethal means. He'd be doing his very job, and there would be nothing to hide or cover up, nor would anyone have died!"
"Unless, of course," she flips, "That trespasser is a threat to the museum curator, and needed to be silenced."
"Wait..." Maya blinks, "Is there a word for what a group of sharks is called together? She didn't just jump the shark, she jumped, like, multiple sharks to reach that conclusion."
I'm not entirely sure that's the exact meaning of that phrase, but I get where she's coming from. "I have to agree, that's just making more huge assumptions, Miss Yashin."
"Not really," she shakes her head, "I mean, wouldn't that also make perfect sense given the context of the witness being blackmailed by the curator? With the life or death information that Mr. Canary was being blackmailed by, it was important enough that he was willing to destroy evidence and tamper with a crime scene. It's completely plausible that murder could have been wrapped into all of the things that he did, as well."
*!*
Now that's a shock... the blackmail so blatantly points to Hibiki as the suspicious one. I didn't think it could be turned around in any other way.
"The biggest wildcard in this entire situation is the curator, Hibiki-san. The fact of the matter is, however, that he literally could not have committed the crime. It's completely impossible, something that we established quite some time ago. The only thing we can do here is try our best to figure out who else would have been around and able to commit the murder. At this point, Mr. Canary is the only one left who could have possibly done it."
Damn it... her reasoning is pretty solid. And the way she spoke with such certainty, it sounded like every word was undeniable truth.

---(Music End)---

"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt, everyone," detective Ritsu announces as he enters the courtroom, "But we finished our tests for fingerprints."
Oh man, here we go... this could make or break the case...
"We found two set of fingerprints on the Hammer... those belonging to the victim, Austin Translation, as well as prints belonging to the witness, Yurui Kuchi- er, sorry, Jack Canary."
*!*
*!*
*!*

---Music: High Pressure ---

"You're kidding..." Sae mumbles.
"That's because Hibiki had me use the hammer to destroy the statue!" Jack tries to explain frantically, "He didn't even show me he had the special gloves until after I had already picked up the hammer and started smashing!"

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

"It all comes together," Yashin speaks with a snap of her fingers. "Austin Translation stayed in the museum after closing that night in an attempt to reach the museum curator, Hebi Hibiki. While climbing the stairs to reach Hibiki-san, he must have ran into the security guard, Jack Canary. Whether or not they talked to any extent or immediately came to blows, we can only assume that Mr. Canary somehow determined that the victim posed a deeper threat than just a regular burglar. My guess is that seeing the hammer the victim was carrying was probably the tip off that the victim wasn't on good terms with the curator. In whatever altercation ensued, the hammer managed to smash a nearby statue, specifically part of a sword. We know from the puncture wound on the victim that, either in self defense or otherwise, Mr. Canary had to have picked up the stone blade and stabbed the victim with it. The head injury tells us that the victim was then struck as well. The most likely explanation is that he dropped his hammer when stabbed, which the witness picked up and then used."
Ack...!! This is almost exactly the way we were thinking the events played out! I can't believe this... did the security guard really commit the murder, after all...?
"The remaining explanation to how the victim ended up is this:" Yashin continues on, "After being stabbed and then struck in the head, if the victim wasn't dead already, he would have certainly been out for the count. He may have stumbled backwards and fallen, or he may have been pushed or tackled while in a daze... specifically how he fell isn't important, but he did fall from the first floor balcony."
"But what of the state of the statue?" the Judge questions, "That perplexes me as well."
"And that's a very astute point of interest that we do need to explain," Yashin nods, "And I think I've got that figured out as well. The statue, being partially broken in the fight, would have potentially been evidence as to where the fight took place and how the murder was committed. Simply speaking, the statue had to go. It was a liability. And, as all of the statues were placed on top of wheeled platforms for the sake of moving... pushing it to the railing and leveraging it until it tipped over and fell would have been more simple than you'd think. Then, it was just the cleanup. The witness got to the crime scene before anyone else could, destroyed anything that could have left fingerprints, scattered items around to make the scene more confusing, and then acted like he had found the body like that once the curator arrived."
*!*
*!*
*!*
"I can't believe it..." Sae speaks with eyes wider than I've ever seen her with, "Did she really get it all figured out completely like that...?"
"Remarkable!" the Judge compliments, "This entire murder was shrouded in so much mystery and confusion, yet you managed to explain all of it with those deductions!"
Mirroring the bow she gave at the beginning the trial, Yashin once again leans forward with one arm crossed diagonally over her chest. "Mr. Wright, Miss Maya, Niijima-san; I want to sincerely thank you for your assistance today. And, Kurusu-san, I do apologize for almost implicating you in something you didn't do. But, thanks to everyone here, we were able to discover what really happened."

---(Music End)---

I'm... speechless. Everything she just said makes sense, and is essentially the same conclusions we were able to draw. Maybe... maybe we really are in the wrong here. I just don't know anymore.
Well. At least we're getting Akira acquitted. At the end of the day, that's all we were here to do. We didn't have much reason to begin with to vouch for Mr. Canary.
But, still... something feels wrong here. Is this really how things happened that night...?

  To be continued...

  ---(Music End)---

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

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