So here it is. The random stories that Neptunia'll parody on. In each chapter, the Neptunia cast will parody either a chapter or an episode or a special scene in certain anime or games or cartoons. Oh, and some parodied series might return in the future chapters for either any continuation or some random episode based off the same series parodied. Any suggestions or episode request are open and can be left at the 'Reviews' section. So without further ado, let's get started.
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Hyperdimension Neptunia x Phoenix Wright : Ace Attorney Episode.
Neptune : Ace Attorney : The First Turnabout
Chapter Rating : T
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The screen was black until it receded only to reveal a dead girl lying on the wooden floor with blood continuously pouring out of her head. And then the scene transitions to a hand holding a statue, or rather, a trophy of a singer with his guitar on his waist, blood covering the head part.
"Oh no... No! Not like this!"
The scene now transitions to an image of a girl with her face blackened for some reason. Although blackened, we can still see the expressions on her face.
"I can't afford to get caught here. No! It can't end like this!"
And then the girl's mouth suddenly turned into a wide grin.
"But wait, there's that girl just now. Oh, I know. I'll make it look like SHE did it! Ahahaha! AAAhahahaha!"
...
September 16, 2012. 9:30 a.m.
Planeptune Court, Court Hall.
...
"Wow. I never knew there would be THIS many people." a girl said in excitement.
"Well, this is a court after all." another girl said in response to the other girl. "But you're right though. I never expected it to be this much. This many people is what making me nervous all of a sudden."
"I'm feeling a bit nervous too, y'know."
"Neptune, Nepgear, are you two ready yet?"
The scene transitions to a large door where a girl who is sitting on a large floating book is. And in front of her are two purple-haired girls; one with short hair and one with longer hair.
"Oh, hiya Histy. Whatcha doing here?" the one named Neptune asked the floating girl named Histoire.
"Histoire, I thought you have some jobs to do back at the Basilicom." Nepgear asked Histoire.
"I know, but this requires immediate attention as, well you know, this case involves two of our friends, Neptune, Nepgear." Histoire explained.
"Two of our friends? I wonder who could it be?" Nepgear pondered.
"Nep-Nep! Ge-Ge!"
"H-Hey, slow down."
"And there they are."
Right on cue, two girls appeared before Neptune and Nepgear. One of them is a pink-haired girl dressed in a pink sweater with a matching pink skirt, while the other is a brown-haired girl dressed in a black jumpsuit underneath a blue jacket a few sizes too big for her.
"Iffy? Compa?!" Neptune gasped in shock.
"Goodness, what are you two doing here?" Nepgear asked the two.
"So, Histoire hasn't told you two anything, huh?" IF said in disappointment. "Well, it's like this..."
*later*
"Goodness! Why would they do that?" Nepgear gasped in shock.
"I don't know, Ge-Ge. I don't know." Compa said in a sad tone.
"But damn them. They just catch me without even questioning and now if I'm not saved, I'll be put to prison." IF said in an angry tone while clenching her fist. "If only I knew who did it..."
"Don't worry, IF. I have arranged two lawyers that will be defending you." Histoire assured IF, which in turn made her happy.
"Really? Who are they? When will they arrive?" both IF and Compa asked in unison.
"They have already arrived." Histoire said.
"Really? Where?" And then IF and Compa began searching for the two lawyers whom were supposed to defend IF, but they couldn't find them.
"Histy, where are these lawyers? I couldn't find them."
"Nor could I."
"Actually, these two here will be your lawyer." Histoire said as she floated behind Neptune and Nepgear and tapped their shoulders. IF and Compa were having a hard time believing what she just said just now. And then they gasped in realization.
"E-EEEEHHHHHH?!"
"N-No way! Neptune and Nepgear, especially Neptune, lawyers?" IF asked in disbelief. Histoire replies with a nod. And then, IF just threw herself into the ground and cried like a toddler. "You know what? Forget it. There's no way in hell these two, especially Neptune, would be able to defend me. If I had known about this earlier, I would've just turned myself to the police rather than humiliate myself with their, especially Neptune's-"
"Now why the hell are you always "Especially Neptune" this, "Especially Neptune" that, huh? Hey, I'm not that stupid you know!" Neptune shouted back with her face blushing like a rose.
"Calm down, you two. Do not fight." Histoire commanded Neptune and IF to stop fighting. Of course they stopped, but not without sticking out their tongues towards each other.
"Neptune, I don't want to have you losing focus to your real objectives, alright. Now calm yourself down." Histoire told Neptune, which Neptune finally managed to calm herself down.
"Neptune please, we need to focus on this case here. If we don't, IF will be thrown in prison or worse, face judgment." Nepgear said.
"Yeah yeah, I know. Sorry."
Histoire looked at the girls before she heard her watch rang.(Since when Histoire wears a watch?) She looked at her watch, only to find that time is running out.
"Quick, you two. The trial is about to start." Histoire warned them.
"What? It's almost time already?" Compa asked.
"But we weren't fully prepared yet." Neptune said in panic.
"Sorry, IF. But you'll have to follow the police to where the defendants stay." Histoire regrettably told IF.
"It's okay. I was about to go anyway." IF then approached Neptune and Nepgear. She held her by their uniform's chest-part. "Please, I beg of you. Please win this case so that I will be released. I don't want to go to jail. I'm innocent. Prove to them I'm innocent, okay? I'm counting on you two." If then walked away with a police officer assisting her. While she walked away, IF turned around and glared at Neptune. She did the "I'm watching you!" hand-sign and said, "Especially you, Neptune.", before turning back.
"What?! I thought we were past that already!" Neptune shouted in annoyance.
"Neptune, Nepgear, you must get ready. The trial will start in 5 minutes. Remember what I taught you, and make sure you don't fail us. Got it?" Histoire told Neptune and Nepgear, with them replying "Yes, ma'am." while putting their hands at their forehead in a saluting position. Histoire then walked away towards one of the doors other than the door they're currently at.
"Well, Neptune. This is it." Nepgear said nervously.
"Yeah. If we lose, we'll lose Iffy as well." Neptune replied nervously.
They then pushed the large doors open to enter the courtroom, only to be stopped by Compa. They turned around and they saw Compa in tears.
"Nep-Nep, Ge-Ge, please win this case. I don't want to lose IF. We've already lost a friend and I don't want to lose another." Compa said with sobs in between. "So, please. Win this one."
"Don't worry, Compa. We'll handle it." Neptune reassured Compa.
"Thanks, Nep-Nep." Compa then turned around to leave the place. "I guess I'll be watching from the spectators' seat then."
"Don't worry, Compa. We promise we'll win this." Nepgear said as Compa walked away.
"See you later." Neptune said to Compa before she disappeared out of sight.
"Well, let's do this Nep. Jr.. I've played enough Garuda Wright to be able to defend IF." Neptune proudly claimed.
"Neptune, please remember this is not a video game." Nepgear deadpanned.
"I know, but at least I might have the general idea of how the court works, y'know."
"Well, what are we waiting for? We've wasted enough time already."
"Yeah. Let's go."
"Right."
And with that, they entered the courtroom.
...
September 16, 2012. 10:05 a.m.
Planeptune Court, Courtroom No. 1
...
The courtroom was pretty noisy that time. Everyone had things they want to talk about. And among them are Neptune and Nepgear. They are talking about their preparations and are currently assorting the evidences they have gathered so far.
"So the evidences we have gathered so far are the victim's autopsy report and the victim's passport." Neptune said after assorting the evidences.
"I wonder if any one of them will be useful for us during this case." Nepgear pondered.
"Oh, don't worry. In the Garuda Wright games I've played, every evidence has its uses, even if used once." Neptune assured Nepgear.
"But that's a game. This is real life, Neptune. Not everything in the game works that way here, understand?"
"Wowzers. It sure is harsh to hear a lecture coming from you, sis." Neptune sweatdropped at that comment.
During the whole time the court is filled with chatter and a ton of other noises, it was pretty noisy until some slams are heard. It was the judge slamming the gavel on his table.
"Order! Order in the court!" And with that, the once-noisy courtroom turned silent, like, instantly. Since the defense's and the prosecutor's desks are quite close to the judge's tall desk, they couldn't see the judge yet. But from the voice, it sounded like a girl. But something was amiss, Neptune thought. Why? Because she could almost recognize the voice, but she let it by as she deemed it as a possible distraction from her goal to free IF.
"*ahem* Sorry about that, the desk was too tall and I had to stack a few boxes for me to sit on." said the judge.
Upon seeing the judge, Neptune and Nepgear(and IF and Compa) stared in disbelief with their mouths wide agape.
"K-K-Kei, you're the judge?!" Neptune exclaimed.
"Neptune, quiet!" Nepgear shushed Neptune.
Kei coughed in cue to Neptune's sudden ranting. "Well, sorry about that, Well, if I must tell you, the judge for today cannot come to solve the case for he had some business to be taken care of." Kei then turned to Neptune. "But please, I would rather be called "Your Honor" than my name at the moment, so please refrain from using my name when talking to me. Understand?"
(Wow. She's as strict as ever, huh?) Neptune sweatdropped nervously.
"Now then, without further ado, let's begin the trial." Kei then arranged the papers at her desk. "Is the prosecutor ready?"
At the prosecutor's desk, there stood a blonde-haired girl in black clothing similar to that of a tuxedo. "The prosecutor is ready, Your Honor."
"Is the defense ready?" Kei asked Neptune.
"The d-defense is r-ready, Your Honor." Neptune said, stuttering a little during the speech.
"Ms. Neptune, Ms. Nepgear, this is your first case, I believe?"
"That w-would be correct, Your Honor." Nepgear answered nervously.
"Hmm... You seem nervous. Try to control your nerves, you'll need to calm down if you want to get things working right. Right, Neptune?"
"Y-Yes, Y-Your Honor." (Well, that's a start, I guess?) Neptune thought.
"Alright. Where were we? Oh yeah." She cleared her throat to get everyone that was noisy to be quiet. "Ms. Kirisame, your opening statement, please."
"Certainly, Your Honor." The prosecutor currently known as Kirisame then arranged her papers on her desk and stood straightly. "The murder took place yesterday in a residents apartment at 4:00 p.m., Your Honor. The cause of the murder? A hard blow from a blunt object. The victim in question is Lyrica Justine, also known worldwide as 5pb.."
(Lyrica... Justine?) IF thought. (Wait, she has a last name?!)
"She started a singing career for over three years as of now, starting at the age of 13. The victim has just returned from her concert trip in Leanbox just the day before the murder happened, Your Honor."
"Hmm... Continue."
"The victim was found dead just a few meters from the entrance door. Also, her head was bleeding when she was found."
"Thank you, prosecutor. Now will you tell to the court, what was the murder weapon used to kill the victim?"
"Certainly, Your Honor." Kirisame then took out a picture out of her file and showed it to the court. "This is the murder weapon, Your Honor." The picture shows a trophy.
"A... trophy?" Kei asked.
"That's what we thought, Your Honor. Under close inspection, it's actually a statue."
"A... statue?"
|OBJECTION!|
"?"
"Your Honor, I believe that is a trophy, not a statue." Neptune claimed.
"Neptune, what are you doing?" Nepgear said in a low voice.
"And what makes you so sure of your claim, Neptune?" Kei asked in a serious tone.
"Well, it's that.. er..." Neptune suddenly found herself lost in answers. "Well, in that engravement-thing, there's 5pb.'s name written on it, right?"
"Really? Is her name really written in there?" Kei asked Kirisame.
"Actually, now that you mention it, her name IS written in it. But from the looks of it, it looks like something an amateur would make since, well it's a bit messy, or so to say." Kirisame said uncertainly.
"Hmm... Let me see that picture." Kei ordered Kirisame. As soon as she had that picture, she looked into it and... "My, you're quite right, Miss Kirisame. The handwriting does look a little messy." Kei then returned the picture to Kirisame. "Alright, without further ado, let's REALLY start the trial on Ms. IF now."
{Statue is added to the Court Record}
Kei then slammed the gavel on her desk. "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, you may call in the defendant." Kei stated.
"Yes, Your Honor. The prosecutor will call in the defendant to the stand."
...
And then IF stood at the stand between the prosecutor's and the defense's desks.
"Now, Miss IF, would tell to the court why did you kill 5pb., considering that you are a close friend to her-"
"I FREAKING TOLD YOU, I DIDN'T KILL HER!" IF snapped. She then calmed her down a little bit before continuing. "I didn't even get to see her when she returned, and when I visited her she wasn't there. I thought she was just late, so I waited." IF's eyes suddenly began to be filled with tears. "That is until I heard about her death. AND THEN SOME BASTARD DECIDED TO FREAKING FRAME ME KNOWING I'M ONE OF HER CLOSEST FRIENDS!" She then slammed the stand and climbed on it while pointing her finger at the crowd. "SO IF I FIND THAT ANY ONE OF YOU IS THE REAL MURDERER, OHH YEAH, YOU'RE SO GOING TO GET YOUR F**KING A** F**KED UP LIKE A SLEDGEHAMMER DRIVEN UP YOUR F**KING A**ES WHILE STUFFING YOUR A** WITH A ROADKILLED SKUNK THAT'S COVERED IN-"
Kei slammed the gavel multiple times to get IF's attention."Order! Order! Order! ORDER I SAY! I will have orde-"
"YOU SHUT UP, KEI! I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE THE JUDGE RIGHT NOW, BUT ALL I CARE IS TO FIND TO REAL MURDERER THIS F**KING INSTANT!"
Suddenly, IF instantly turned quiet and fell down from the stand unconscious. She was then brought away from the stand, out of the courtroom.
Kei slammed the gavel and released some tension within her to calm herself down. "Good grief. What. A. Violent. Person she is."
"Tell me about it." Kirisame deadpanned while sweating bullet-rains.
"Is it a good thing or a bad thing I saw that coming?" Neptune pondered.
"I don't know, but I have never seen IF this violent before." Nepgear said still in shock from the incident.
"You tell me." Neptune deadpanned.
"The defendant must really have some anger issues if that's what you're looking for. *ahem* Anywho, she has been tranquilized and is now being... how should I say it... "kept" inside a cage so that she would no longer go out dealing violent outbursts anymore." Kei stated in disappointment.
(They locked her in a cage?! What is she, a zoo animal!?) Nepgear thought angrily.
"Now then, let's get to what we were doing. *ahem* Alright then, the prosecutor will bring in the witness of the murder." Kei stated.
"Yes, Your Honor. The prosecutor asks the witness to stand at the witness' stand."
...
Standing at the stand is a orange-haired girl aging around 25-30 years old, dressed in a white shirt with a black tie and a surprisingly fitting green skirt. From the looks of it, she may or may not be a university student.
"Now, the witness shall tell us your name and occupation." Kirisame stated.
"Yes, most certainly. My name is Kaori Kamiya, age 24. I work as a newspaper salesma- I mean, saleswoman. Sorry about that."
"No problem. Now Mrs. Kaori-"
"Mrs.? But I'm not that old yet, am I?" Kaori said.
"Um... that's not relevant to the case right now, so-"
"Just Kaori is fine. Or you wanna call me Kat?"
"Seriously, this girl is beginning to annoy me." Neptune deadpanned.
"I'll just go with Kaori then." (Man, we're just starting and she's already starting to annoy me already.) Kirisame sweatdropped. "Anyway, Ms. K- I mean, Kaori, would you mind explaining about what you saw at the murder scene?"
"Hmm... Hold on, I'm trying to recollect my thoughts here. Okay, done. Now, shall we begin?"
(That's my line actually...)
"Alright, Neptune. We gotta pay attention to this one." Nepgear said.
"You got it." Neptune said while showing a thumbs-up to Nepgear before looking at Kaori.
...
Witness Testimony
...
[Well, there I was, leaving newspapers by the doors of subscribed users from door to door, floor to floor until I climbed to the third floor. I was putting a newspaper down at one of the floor's room's door when I heard another door opened. I turned towards the source to see a girl running away from a room and that girl was the defendant, Your Honor. From the looks of it though, she seemed to be in a rush. Also worth mentioning, she left the room with the door opened. Curious, I took a look inside, and OMG, it was not what I expected it to be. Well, to be clear, I saw a dead woman lying on the floor just some distance away from the door with blood flowing out of her head. B-But I didn't go inside. Seeing the dead person, I immediately called the police and told them what I saw. Well, tried to, but I found the phone in her apartment not working, so I went to the nearby park to call the police with a public phone. That is all. Oh, and I also remember the exact time when it happened. It was around 12 noon, Your Honor.]
...
"Hmm... Incidentally, why didn't the phone in the victim's apartment working, Kaori?"
Kirisame intruded the conversation. "Actually Your Honor, yesterday, at the time of the murder, there was a blackout in the building."
"Really? But aren't phones supposed to work during a blackout?"
"While that is true, Your Honor, some older models phones do not function normally during a blackout. And her phone was one of them."
"But still, phones are made wireless nowadays, right? So why do some phones here are still connected to electric sources like a television would?" Kei asked.
"Phones work differently in Planeptune from in Lastation, you know." Kirisame deadpanned.
"Oh yeah. I for got we're in Planeptune today."
(Seriously, Kei? And I thought you were the type to know "everything"...)
"*ahem* Anyway, here's the blackout record for your perusal, Your Honor." Kirisame then presented the record.
{Blackout Record is added to the Court Record}
"I see. Neptune, you may cross-examine the witness." Kei stated.
"Cross-examine? What's that?" Nepgear asked.
"Cross-examine, huh? Well, it's basically you finding any faults in the witness' testimony, or something like that I guess."
"Hmm... Is that what a cross-examination is?" Nepgear pondered. "Wait, you said there were faults in the witness' testimony, right? Then that means, the witness is lying?"
"Probably. At least, that's what I learned from the Garuda Wright games I've played. You just need to press 'im and see if any lies come out."
"Neptune! Nepgear! Will you or will you not cross-examine the witness?" Kei asked angrily.
"Y-Yes, Your Honor. We- I was just explaining how things work here to Nepgear, that's all." Neptune answered.
"Well, we don't want to waste any more unneeded time, so please go on with the cross-examination as fast as you could."
"Certainly, Your Honor."
...
Cross-Examination
...
[Well, there I was, leaving newspapers by the doors of subscribed users from door to door, floor to floor until I climbed to the third floor.]
|HOLD IT!|
"Huh, Nepgear?"
Nepgear slammed the desk before questioning Kaori. "Miss Kaori-
"I told you, no "Miss"s!" Kaori shouted at Nepgear.
"Right, sorry. *ahem* Anyway, Kaori, were you really distributing newspapers from door to door, floor to floor like you said?"
"What are you talking about? Of course I was." She then giggles for a bit. "After all, I make a living from this."
"So you distribute newspaper to earn a living?"
"Yes."
"That's fine and all, but can you please continue with your testimony?" Kirisame asked Kaori.
"Hey, I was just about to. Anyway, as I was saying..."
...
[I was putting a newspaper down at one of the floor's room's door when I heard another door opened. I turned towards the source to see a girl running away from a room and that girl was the defendant, Your Honor.]
|HOLD IT!|
This time, it was Neptune that pressed the witness. "Are you really sure the girl you see running away was IF- I mean, the defendant?"
"Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I saw it with my own eyes. It was really her, the defendant."
"Ooookaaayyy..."
"So what next?"
...
[From the looks of it though, she seemed to be in a rush. Also worth mentioning, she left the room with the door opened. Curious, I took a look inside, and OMG it was not what I expected it to be.]
|HOLD IT!|
Nepgear slammed the desk and started pressing the witness. "So what was this something "you did not expected it to be"? Would you kindly explain to us?"
"Just hold your horses, I was just getting to that part." Kaori said in an annoyed manner.
"You may continue, Kaori." Kirisame stated.
"Right. Now where was I?"
...
[Well, to be clear, I saw a dead woman lying on the floor just some distance away from the door with blood flowing out of her head. B-But I didn't go inside.]
|HOLD IT!|
It was Nepgear again. "Why didn't you go inside?"
"Huh? Why didn't I go inside?"
"Yes. Would you mind explaining to us why didn't you enter the room?"
|OBJECTION!|
Kirisame then explained on Kaori's behalf. "Isn't it obvious? She just didn't want to intrude a person's private belongings, that's all."
"Y-Yeah, what she said."
(Now that I think of it, even with dead people, it IS rude to intrude other people's belongings. So I'll let this one slide.)
"Kaori, you may continue."
...
[Seeing the dead person, I immediately called the police and told them what I saw. Well, I tried to, but I found the phone in her apartment not working. So I went to the nearby park and called the police there with a public phone.]
|HOLD IT!|
Nepgear, again, pressed the victim.
"Kaori, if I may ask, why wasn't the phone in the victim's apartment working again?"
|OBJECTION!|
"Weren't you paying attention? We already stated that there was a blackout in the apartment, so what more do you want to know?" Kirisame objected.
"But one question remains, what was the model of the phone in the victim's apartment?" Nepgear pressed.
|OBJECTION!|
"The phone model has nothing to do with the case. It's irrelevant information."
|OBJECTION!|
"Yes, it does, Kirisame. It could be a clue to explain why the witness ran to the nearby park to call the police. Or better yet, why didn't the victim use her own cellphone?"
"Um, actually, I'm a poor person, barely living with enough money to buy food for three. And all of us in our family still don't have even a single cellphone, Miss Lawyer."
"You sure are dressed like a rich person to me." Nepgear deadpanned. The crowd can be heard muttering in the background.
*slam slam slam*
"Order! Order! I will have order!" Kei shouted. "Nepgear, Kirisame, you two actually brought me to the question in mind. Why didn't the victim just used her cellphone?"
"Like the witness stated, Your Honor, she is a really poor person and she can't even afford a cellphone of her own." Kirisame explained.
"If she really is that poor, then I guess this can be excused." *slam* "Alright, Neptune and Nepgear, you may continue with your cross-examination."
...
[Oh, and i also remember the exact time it happened, Your Honor. It was around 12 noon, Your Honor.]
|HOLD IT!|
"Aw... When do I get to press 'er?" Neptune complained.
"Not now, Neptune." She then turned to Kaori. "Kaori, how can you be so sure about the time when you found the body?" Nepgear then slammed the desk. "Surely you must not know what time it happened, right?"
"Hey, didn't I tell you before? I work on morning and afternoon shifts, and I did said I was delivering newspapers around the residence, so..."
"Actually, you didn't mention anything about working in morning or afternoon shifts, Kaori." Kei stated.
"Really? I was sure I said it though."
|OBJECTION!|
"Your Honor, the shifts the witness works on has nothing to do with the case at hand. She might have just forgotten about it anyway." Kirisame stated.
"Hmm... I suppose so."
Neptune and Nepgear were trying to find a contradiction in the witness' testimony. As Neptune laid on her back for a while, angry about the fact that she never got to press the witness not even once, Nepgear suddenly figured something out. "Wait a minute."
|OBJECTION!|
"Huh?"
"Your Honor," Nepgear then shows a paper containing a report of some sort. "Kaori said that she saw the body at 12 noon, right?"
"Yes, I heard that too."
"But in this autopsy report, it clearly states that the possible time of death of victim was probably around 4 to 5 p.m.." Nepgear then slammed on the desk. "So how can Kaori see her dead body at 12 while the autopsy report says she died at around 4?"
The witness's face suddenly became shocked. The crowd muttered about it.
*slam*
"Order! Order!" Kei said as she slammed the gavel. "What are you trying to pull here, Nepgear?"
"Let's think about it, Your Honor. How come she can see the dead person's body at 12 whereas the murder took place at around 4. It doesn't make sense."
"Hmm? You're right. Alright, Kaori, explain to us about the inconsistencies of the time of the murder."
Kaori began sweating as she tried to explain. "Well, you see, I... er..."
|OBJECTION!|
"You Honor, the witness was just mistaken about the time, that's all." Kirisame explained.
"But she totally said she was absolutely sure about the time, Kirisame. How do you explain that?" Kei asked in a stern voice.
"Um... The witness may rework on her testimony, but this time tell us about your inconsistencies about the time of the murder. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am."
...
Witness Testimony(The Time of the Murder)
...
[Well, you see, I was just mistaken about the time, that's all. In fact, I didn't see the time anywhere, or rather I heard it from the TV in the victim's room. She must be watching a recorded program before being murdered. The time was actually mentioned in the TV. I heard it say, "It was 12 in the afternoon.", Your Honor. Sorry about the misunderstanding.]
...
"Hmm... You "heard" it from a TV, huh? I... see... *ahem* Alright, the defense may cross-examine the victim now."
...
Cross-Examination
...
[Well, you see, I was just mistaken about the time, that's all. In fact, I didn't see the time anywhere, or rather I heard it from the TV in the victim's room.]
Without even thinking, Neptune declared an objection even before the witness could finish her sentences.
|OBJECTION!|
"What is this about, Neptune?" Kei asked.
"Neptune, have you found anything contradictory yet?" Nepgear asked.
"Of course I have." Neptune then pulled out a paper containing some record. "Your Honor, the witness is clearly lying about the time of the murder."
"And what is she lying about this time?"
"This!" Neptune then presented the judge the Blackout Record. Neptune slammed the desk before stating her objection. "Your Honor, there was a blackout in the building between 4 to 5, right?"
"Yes?" And then Kei had a look of realization in herself. "Wait, you can't mean..."
"That's right, Your Honor. She couldn't have heard the TV!" Neptune slammed the desk before continuing, "She must've heard something else!"(Sweet! I've always wanted to act like Garuda Wright!) Neptune then pointed towards the witness, which in turn made the witness shocked. The crowd could be heard muttering again.
(Nice going, Neptune! You totally got her there!) IF thought.
*slam*
"Order! Order!" Kei then calmed herself down. "Witness, what is the meaning of this?!"
"Your Honor, this witness is lying about the TV because there was a black at the time, so how can she have heard the TV."
"Neptune!"
Kirisame, on the other hand, didn't expect this to happen and she was frozen in place while thinking about how to get the witness back into safety. And then it her her, something she suddenly have thought of.
|OBJECTION!|
"?" Everyone suddenly became quiet.
"Your Honor, the witness would like to make another testimony to fix the inconsistencies in her testimony. She was confused after all."
"Is that so? Then the court would allow the witness to testify once more to the court. But this time, be sure to give accurate information."
"Just great... I knew this was gonna happen." Neptune muttered to herself.
...
Witness Testimony("Hearing" the Time)
...
[About the time of the murder, I didn't actually "hear" it... I "saw" it! There was a table clock in the apartment, wasn't there? Yeah, the murder weapon! That statue. That must have been what I saw. I'm completely honest with this one, Your Honor. No lies this time.]
...
"Hmm... If what you say is true, then the defense may cross-examine the witness now."
"Gladly, Your Honor."
"Though before you may begin you cross-examination, I have a question for the witness."
(Way to kill the mood, Kei.) Neptune deadpanned.
"So Kaori, a table...clock, you say?" Kei asked Kaori.
"Um... Yes, Your Honor?"
"And you said it was the murder weapon, the statue of a singer, correct?"
"Yes, Your Honor. Why?" Suddenly Kaori snapped in realization. (Oh no, I'm messed up here.I shouldn't have told her that. Prosecutor, help me here.)
"Would you kindly explain what do you mean by that?"
Kirisame intruded the conversation. "Um, actually Your Honor, upon closer inspection, the statue is in fact a clock. It was designed to look like a statue, or a trophy, or something."
"Hmm... I see."
"And another thing, Your Honor. When you tilt the neck of this clock, it will tell you the time. Or rather, "sing" you the time, Your Honor."
{Information on Statue updated in the Court Record}
"Hm-hmph... I see. Well then, the defense may begin the cross-examination."
(Finally!) "Gladly, Your Ho-"
|HOLD IT!|
(What now?!)
Kirisame continued explaining. "About the tilt-to-sound-the-clock thing, Your Honor, it could only work in 10-minutes integrals, so let's say it's 10:37 now-"
"It IS 10:37 as of this moment Kirisame, so could you please pick a different time?"
(Just when are we going to cross-examine now?) Neptune thought while clenching her fists impatiently.
"Okay then. Let's say it's 12:46, and if you try to sound the clock during that time, it will not sound, Your Honor." Kirisame explained.
"Then could you please demonstrate, Kirisame?"
"Certainly. It's 10:38 right now, right? So I'll try to sound it right now." And so, Kirisame tried to sound the clock but tilting its neck, but no sound will come out. No matter how many times she did it, the clock won't sound.
"See?"
"I see. *ahem* The defense may began the cross-examination."
Neptune and Nepgear remained quiet however.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to defend your defendant?" Kei asked.
"Are you sure we're not gonna get interrupted again, Your Honor?"
"Um... Nope. Why?" But she was met with two deadly glares from the Nep sisters. "Right. Sorry for taking away your time. Anyway, the defense may now-"
|HOLD IT!|
"I knew it!" Neptune and Nepgear shouted in frustration.
"Sorry about that. I just had to do it, you see? It's just too tempting to tease two little girls frustrated like that." Kirisame said while chuckling.
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Not funny, Kirisame." Nepgear deadpanned.
*slam* "Kirisame, stop it. We're on a serious matter here."
(And the way you guys are handling it, it looks no more than a meer joke to me.) IF thought while already losing her spirit to live.
"The defense will begin the cross-examination. No more interruptions, got it?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
(Finally the judge has some consideration for us!)
...
Cross-Examination
...
[About the time of the murder, I didn't actually "hear" it... I "saw" it!]
|HOLD IT!|
Nepgear slammed the desk before pressing the witness. "So you "saw" the time?"
"Yes, that would be correct. Yes." Kaori said nervously.
Neptune then slammed the desk. "So you "saw" it? As in, cutting-the-"time"-in-half "saw"?"
Nepgear(and IF) facepalmed herself. (Neptune...)
"Hahahahaha...! NO!" Kirisame then slammed her desk. "Neptune, if you were trying to make a joke, then I'll say that while it is funny, you should know when to make jokes."
Kei then slammed the gavel afterwards. "This is a murder trial, Neptune. We're here to solve trials, not to make jokes. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Honor..."
"Now then. The witness may continue with her testimony."
...
[There was a tableclock in the apartment, wasn't there? Yeah, the murder weapon! That statue. That must've been what I saw.]
|HOLD IT!|
Nepgear pressed the witness. "Now how would you know that the statue is a clock? You must explain to the court how you know about the clock-statue."
|OBJECTION!|
"The witness knows about the clock because I told her about it. Do you need any other explanation?" Kirisame asked. "Or do you have anything to say about it?"
|OBJECTION!|
"Yes, I do! So tell me Kirisame. At first glance, even you thought it was a statue, don't you? So how can someone like her know about the clock in the statue, let alone read the time on that clocked statue. How do you explain that?"
|OBJECTION!|
"Don't make me repeat myself, Nepgear. I told her about the newest information about the clock and that's that. Understand? Unless you have proof to prove it."
"She's right, Nepgear. You can't just make accusations without proof, so... Objection sustained!" Kei stated.
(What? Are you serious?! Wait a minute... proof? Proof... Proof?!)
"Is something wrong, Nepgear?"
"Um... Nothing really, Neptune. It's just that..." Nepgear then turned to Kei. "You Honor, about that last statement, I definitely have proof!" Nepgear then slammed the desk. "And that proof is... this!"
"Wait, isn't that... the murder weapon?"
"Yes, that's correct Your Honor." Nepgear then turned to Kaori. "Now tell me something, Kaori. How on Gamindustri would you know at first glance that this statue here is a clock?"
Kaori looked surprise and was about to back off when the judge asked her the same question. She was about to say something when...
|OBJECTION!|
"Nepgear. Have you forgotten that the witness has never entered that house? So that proves it that she knows it by my information." Kirisame stated.
"No. If she really were to have known about the clock-statue because of your info, then there's no way she'll believe it right away. She would've still have doubts about the statue even after being informed by you or any other people. So that just shows that she has entered the house."
"Which means?"
"Which means..." Nepgear slammed her desk before continuing. "...the one who actually murdered Miss Lyrica, was YOU! Miss Kaori Kamiya!"
At full rage, Kaori ripped her hair apart(It turned out to be a wig.)(Not!), screaming in pain and agony and threw it at Nepgear's face. "YOU! You and your "Objection" this and "Objection" thats, you guys were really putting me on edge here!" The crowd gasping and muttering in response to that.
*slam slam slam*
"Order! Order! I commence order!" Kei then recollect her thoughts correctly. "Nepgear. What is the meaning of this?"
"Well, Your Honor, it's like I just said: The real murderer is Miss Kaori Kamiya. She killed Lyrica in her apartment."
"But the witness just said-"
"Yes, she said that, but how would she know about the statue that is a clock? Surely she couldn't have known about it any other way except by going into the apartment and holding the statue herself!"
"AAAAHHHHHH?!"
"So you're saying that, SHE's the murderer?"
"Yes, Your Honor. See, she went into the apartment, probably doing Goddess-knows-what, and then when she saw Lyrica, she went for the nearest blunt object and hit her right on the head. Because she would be holding the bottom part, the head would be the part that's going to hit her head, right? So as the head hits Lyrica''s head, the neck was tilted and the voice of the statue telling the time was burned directly into Miss Kaori's head. And that's why she was sure the time of the murder was at 12 noon. It's because she was the one who killed her!"
"My, is that true?" Kirisame asked.
"And to prove it to the court, Kaori'll surely recognize the voice of the clock." She then grabbed the clock. "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, I present to you, the talking clock."
...
"The time is 10:50 now. Thank you."
...
Immediately after hearing that, Kaori screamed and then slammed her face multiple times on the witness stand's desk. Neptune tried to stop her, but to no avail. The crowd muttered and Kei went *slam slam*
"Order! Order! Wow, guess that really got her. Alright, it would seem that Miss Kaori is the guilty one here. So without further ado, I will be-"
|OBJECTION!|
"? Miss Kirisame?"
"Nepgear, I'm fascinated at your ability to point out the truth out from the witness herself. But tell me something: If she really did kill the victim, Lyrica, at 12, then why did the forensics said that the estimated time of the murder was around 4-5 p.m.?"
"What?!"
"And also, can you explain about the 4-hour gap between the stated time of the murder and the real estimated time of death? And why was the time Kaori stated was 4 hours earlier than the estimated time of death?" Kirisame said with a grin.
"What? No, well that's..."
"So you have no proof, do you? Well, without proof, you can't prove that Kaori killed Lyrica, now can you?"
(Crap! I completely forgot about it! Now what do I do?) Nepgear thought.
"Hmm... The prosecutor is right, Nepgear. After all, in the courts of justice, it's all about the proof, Nepgear. You can't just make false accusations without proof to support you claims."
"Wha?! But I- she- No, it can't be! I was wrong!?" Nepgear clutched her head as she thought all of her efforts were in vain.
"Nepgear?"
"It's over, Neptune. She has a strong alibi with her. I tried everything, and the 4-hour gap is the only thing I forgot. The most important piece of info." Nepgear then hugged Neptune. "Oh Neptune, we failed. We failed to save IF."
"Now, hold on Nepgear. You can't just give up like that! It's not like you to give up so easily." Neptune tried to assure Nepgear.
"I know, but it's no use anymore. I have nothing to point out anymore. It's hopeless." Nepgear then began to cry.
While Nepgear cried, Neptune began to think up of a way to turn the case around. (What do I do? I don't even know what to do now. Wait, this case. I think I've been into one of these situations before. The murder happened in an apartment, the witness was a newspaper salesman, or rather, woman for this case, a clock-statue for a murder weapon... Wait, it's all coming to me now. Hold on, does that mean...)
*slam slam slam*
"Order! Order! Order! ORDER!" And pretty much instantly, everyone silenced themselves and the court became as quiet as if there were nobody in the court. "Now that the defense is left quiet and no more objections are made, I would like to declare the final verdict. *ahem*"
(Oh no, she's about to declare the verdict. I gotta be fast about this.)
"The court would like to declare the defendant..."
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
"Hold on, who said that?"
"That would be me, Your Honor!" Neptune claimed.
"Neptune?"
"Neptune, what is the meaning of this?" Kei demanded Neptune to explain.
"Your Honor, I have proof regarding the 4-hour gap!"
"Really, Neptune? YOU have proof?!" Nepgear asked in shock.
"Yep."
"R-Really?! Then would you care explaining about it to the court?"
"Certainly!" Neptune then presented the victim's(Lyrica's, or rather, 5pb.'s) passport. "The proof's all here in this, Your Honor!"
"A... passport?"
"Not just any passport, Your Honor. It's the victim's passport." Neptune stated.
"And what about it?" Kirisame asked.
"Remember, Kirisame, at the start of this trial you said that the day before the murder, the victim had only returned from her trip to Leanbox, right?"
"Yeah? Wait, don't tell me-"
"That's right, Kirisame. The victim has just returned from her trip to Leanbox. And she probably brought the clock along with her to Leanbox."
"And...?"
"And everybody knows that Leanbox's time from Planeptune's was 8 hours in difference. So that would mean one thing." Neptune slammed the desk before pointing at Kaori. "The clock wasn't 4 hours slow, it was actually 8 hours fast!" Kaori clutched her chest in response while the crowd went mad.
*slam slam slam*
"Order! Order! Order!" But the crowd still went mad and muttered here and there about this and that.
*slamslamslamslamslamslamslamslam*
"Order! Order! Order! ORDER! ORDER! ORDER! ORRRDEERRR!"
Finally the ruckus in the court seemed to have died down. Seemed.
"Phew. Finally. Neptune, would you mind explaining it again?"
"Of course, Your Ma- I mean, Your Honor!" Neptune then pulled out the passport. "According to this passport, the victim, Miss Lyrica, has just returned from her trip to Leanbox the day prior to the day of the murder. And since the clock doesn't exactly tell whether the time was a.m. or p.m., we could just be general about it and assume that Miss Lyrica returned from the trip and forgot to reset the clock to the time at Planeptune. And also, since the clock was never reset, the clock stayed that way until the murder." Neptune then slammed the desk again until a crack is heard. But she ignored it. "So, in conclusion, the real murderer here... is YOU! Miss Kaori Kamiya!"
After that, Kaori screamed to the top of her lungs, ripping what remains of her hair off before clutching her chest and fainted on the spot.
...
"Ms. Kirisame, where's the witness?" Kei asked Kirisame.
"She was taken into an ambulance, Your Honor. That is, the ambulance was headed towards the police station, Your Honor." Kirisame answered.
"Very well then." Kei then turned to Neptune and Nepgear. "Neptune, Nepgear, I must say that it is a pleasant surprise to see you two actually solving a case like this. I'm very well surprised, I tell you."
"Well, thanks Your Honor." Neptune and Nepgear said in unison.
"But to be honest though, I wasn't even confident we will win the case." Nepgear said unconfidently. "But it was all thanks to Neptune we won the case. So thank her instead."
"No, no. I couldn't have done it without you, Nep Jr. So I think we both deserve the praise, Nep Jr." Neptune assured Nepgear.
"Aw, thanks sis." Nepgear then hugged Neptune.
"*ahem* Now that the case has been solved, I would like to declare the final verdict." Kei stated. "The court finds the defendant, IF,..."
|Not Guilty|
"The defendant, IF, is now free to go. The crowd as well as the defense and the prosecute will be dismissed from the court. That is all. The court is adjourned!" Kei then ended the trial with a final slam to the gavel.
...
September 16, 2012. 11:05 a.m.
Planeptune Court, Court Hall.
...
"Wow, Nep-Nep, Ge-Ge, I'm really proud of you two. You actually managed to save IF from being declared guilty. I'm so happy." Compa greeted Neptune and Nepgear before crying tears of joy.
"We did what we could, Compa." Neptune said. "But to be honest, Compa, I really thought we were going to lose this case. I mean, like, seriously. I was not expecting to win."
"Which reminds me, Neptune." Nepgear then stared at Neptune. "How did you know the passport was the proof for the 4-hour gap?"
"Honestly, I wasn't thinking straight myself. I... just do what came to mind, that's all." Neptune said, but she was met with unbelieving glares. "All right, to be honestly honest though... But first, promise me not to laugh when I tell you about it, got it?" Nepgear and Compa nodded in agreement. "Okay, here I go." Neptune took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "Okay, to be honestly honest, this case turned out to be quite similar to case 1 of the first Garuda Wright game I've played and I kinda remembered the progression of the case and all that, so please don't laugh." Neptune raised her face to see Nepgear and Compa with black squiggly. "W-What's with that look, you two? You're giving me the creeps here."
Nepgear and Compa then tapped Neptune's shoulders. "Uh, what's going on here?"
"Neptune... I can't believe I'm saying this, but... for the first time, I'm actually glad you played games before." Nepgear and Compa said in a disbelieving tone.
(Now that doesn't sound honest. At least you could try to make it look like you're being honest with me, y'know...)
And then they heard some screaming their names from somewhere. They turned around to look for the source, only to see IF running at them at high speed. They couldn't do anything when IF jumped to hug Neptune and Nepgear.
"Oh, thank you guys! Thanks a million, you two. I'm really grateful with the two of you!" IF embraced them with a tear-filled eyes. "If it wasn't for you two, I would've been in jail right now. How can I ever repay you two?"
"Um, you're welcome IF. But to be honest, I think the one who deserves more praise is-" Before Nepgear could finish her words, IF was already hugging Neptune.
"Neptune, I don't know how you did it, but you saved me! You saved me from getting the 'Guilty' verdict! That last statement of yours, that was the one that got me out of here." IF then hugged Neptune even harder, causing Neptune's face to become pale. "Neptune, if there are any doubts I have had against you, I take it all back, alright? I want you to know that I'm eternally grateful for what you've done for me."
"Uh, Iffy?" Compa called to Iffy.
"What? Oh, sorry Compa. I was so happy to see Neptune I didn't even notice you. Sorry if I made you feel-"
"But that's not the case right now. Look at Nep-Nep." Compa then pointed towards Neptune.
IF slowly turned her head towards Neptune and... they found her unconscious with spirals as her eyes. "Huh? Neptune!"
*a spiral transition later*
"Sorry about that, Nep. I didn't know I was suffocating you. Please forgive me." IF apologized.
"Oh, no worries. I'm not angry at you." Neptune assured IF.
"Really? You're not?"
"Now why would I be angry at the one I'm trying to save? I'm actually happy that I was able to save you, Iffy."
"Yeah. But if only Fivey was here to see this now though..."
"Yeah... I know how you feel, IF." Nepgear sighed.
"Yeah, it's just that, it's such a waste that she died just a few days after I gave her the gift I made for her." IF then released a sad sigh.
"Really? You made her a gift?" Compa asked.
"Yeah, for her birthday." IF stated.
"What did you give her, Iffy?" Neptune asked.
"Yeah, which reminds me, I couldn't even give her the present I bought for her. I was supposed to give it to her when she returned, but now she's dead." Neptune said in a sad tone. "But what did you give her, IF?"
"Oh, the clock." IF answered.
"Um... Clock? What clock?" Nepgear asked.
"Oh, you know, the clock with the figure of a singer holding a guitar that tells you the time when its neck is titled. Why?" Before she knew it, Neptuen and Nepgear both suddenly had black squiggly.
"You mean the murder weapon used in this case?!" Neptune and Nepgear shouted in shock.
"Yeah, I know. I can't believe it will be used as a murder weapon either." IF said in full regret. (I knew I should've waited for until she returned.) Unknowingly to her, a drop of tear formed in her eyes.
"No, Iffy. Don't cry. It wasn't your fault. You wouldn't have known something like this would happen, would you? So stop thinking about it." Compa said before accidentally slapping IF. She realized what she has done and apologized, but IF pushed her apology.
"No, Compa. You're right. I shouldn't be grieving over the past anymore, right? The past's the past." IF said. She then turned to Neptune and Nepgear. "Well, since it's all over now, why don't we head out and go grab us some lunch? My treat."
"R-Really, Iffy?" Neptuen asked while her eyes sparkles.
"Yep. And I'm being serious now." Neptune then hugged IF. "What the?!"
"Aw, thank you Iffy. Now let's go and grab some food at McRonalds." Neptune cheerfully said before rushing out the door. But she was pulled back by Nepgear.
"Seriously, Neptune. Learn some manners."
"Hehehe..."
"Well then, why don't we have a chat while we walk to McRonalds? Sound great?"
(Wait, she's seriously bringing us to McRonalds) Neptune thought. (Oh well, might just play along.)
As they walked out the door, they talked about... well, things. And one of them was:
IF : Hey, do you girls want to know one more thing about the clock I made for Fivey?
Nepgear : You mean the murder weapon? What about it?
Neptune : Nep Jr., please don't mention about the case anymore, okay?
Nepgear : Alright.
Compa : So, what else about it that we still don't know about?
IF : Did you know that while I made it to look like a trophy or a statue of a singer holding a guitar, and you know there is a clock inside it, right? Well, did you know that there's a phone in it?
Neptune : What? No way!
IF : Yeah. I even made three of them. One for Fivey, one for me and the other one for someone special.
Nepgear : "Someone special"? *gasp* Don't tell me you already have a boyfriend, IF?
IF : No, it's nothing like that.
Neptune : Then it's for your girlfriend?
IF : No! You guys are misunderstanding things here. It's just for a friend of mine, that's all.
Compa : Who would it be, Iffy? I gotta know.
IF : AAAHHH! If you guys won't shut up, you guys are treating me, got it?
Neptune : What?! No way!
Compa : But you're the one who agreed to treat us to a meal, right?
IF : I said, shut up!
*cue laughter*
Also, while they walked out, we now focus on Kirisame. As she watched the four girls walking and talking until they have completely exited the court hall, she then unbuttoned her uniform to reveal a French maid's outfit. She stored her used uniform in a bag and proceeded to grab a broom that's been leaning against the wall near her and sat on it. The broom was floating on its own and with Kirisame's control over the broom, she then flew out of the court. Nobody saw her flying out of the court door and she was never heard from again. Until another murder case arose. And with that, the scene fades into darkness and we are yet to hear a narrative.
"The case today ended well, but who would've thought that same clock to appear in another case, again as the murder weapon. And this time, it concerns someone special to me. Never would it occur to me that I'll see that clock again. In such a short time too."
XXXXX
So there, do you like it? I hope I was not being too repetitive during the whole chapter. As always, if there are any mistakes found, please let me know in a review or a PM. Well, that is all I hope. Thank you once again for taking your time to read this story of mine. Any review or likes are largely appreciated. My name is ChromaLuke, and I'll see you guys next time. Ja~ mattane~!