Disclaimer: Sigh… Ace Attorney belongs to Capcom, not me.

Author's Note: Yet another one-shot from my old drabble collection. This is probably my favorite one, because seriously… Why did none of this occur to anyone throughout Turnabout Serenade?

Circumstantial

"…And that is why only Machi Tobaye could have committed the crime," Ema concluded.

"Ach, excellent performance, Fraulein Detective," Klavier chuckled.

"Indeed. I believe I have enough information to pronounce my verdict—"

"Objection!"

Ema, Klavier, and the judge blinked as Apollo suddenly slammed his fists into his desk. Trucy grinned as Apollo cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Ema… But there's a problem with your testimony. It's based on… what was the term… circumstantial evidence?"

"Whatever do you mean, Herr Forehead? It's a solid testimony," Klavier interrupted.

"Exactly!"

"I'm sorry, but no." Apollo shook his head. "For one thing, Machi is much smaller than Mr. LeTouse! If Machi really did use the revolver, his arm would probably be broken. Plus, he'd have to aim upwards in order to shoot the victim in the shoulder, so the bullet holes would be in the ceiling, not the wall!"

"That's trivial. It's entirely possible that—"

"It's not trivial! There's no way Machi could have used the revolver. Besides, shouldn't his fingerprints be on it?"

"Well…"

"And then there's the thing about Machi supposedly carrying Mr. LeTouse, and Daryan's guitar, all the way up that tower. Okay, maybe he could have carried the guitar, but definitely not Mr. LeTouse's corpse!"

"A… Ahhhh!" Ema shrieked, covering her face. "No way!"

"Mr. Justice!" the judge blinked. "What are you getting at here?"

"I'm getting at the fact that Machi Tobaye could not have committed the crime!"

"Ach, Herr Forehead? An interesting idea, but it's still just as circumstantial as Fraulein Detective's…" Klavier sighed. "I believe some proof is in order, ja?"

"Well… There was one odd thing about the crime scene… When we found Mr. LeTouse's body, there was something written on the floor, but it was smeared away. The only person who could have done that was the killer, and Machi can't see!"

"…Actually, I conveniently got a report concerning that this morning. Herr Tobaye can, in fact, see, but you do have a good point."

"But…!" Ema sputtered. "This whole time…!"

"Ach, so sorry, Fraulein. But your testimony is a bit faulty."

The judge shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Skye. However, the prosecution and the defense will require a bit more research into the circumstances of the killing. Court is adjourned!"

Ema flew from the courtroom as soon as the judge finished speaking, her face a brighter pink than her glasses. Everyone who passed by her could have sworn she was muttering something to herself the whole way out about "Stupid rookie attorneys…"