Episode 1 Chapter 2
The Betrayed Turnabout

July 28, 9:43 am
District Court
Defendant's Lobby No. 1

"Let go. I won't thrash. Honest."

Mona watches her escorts hurry away with heavy eyes. Even after a full night's rest, her blood pressure still seems to be a bit thin, so she's yet to fully recover her strength. Then again, she realizes that because she's this exhausted, she might cause less trouble than she would have otherwise. Regardless, now isn't the time to idle around or stare off into space. She goes to meet with her lawyers, who have been waiting in silence for her, and gives a courteous bow.

"Sorry about yesterday. It hasn't been that bad in a long time."

Mia nods, accepting her apology. "Don't worry about it. We're glad you're back with us… though you still look a little pale. Will you be alright?"

She stands back up, shyly rubbing her head. "I've got that wound well stitched up this time, so I probably won't freak out again."

Phoenix thoughtfully strokes his chin. Well, I guess that makes sense… if I had a gaping hole in my stomach, I sure wouldn't keep calm.

"So, where does that leave me now?"

And with that, the pleasantries are over. Mia makes a worried frown as she replies firmly, "Not in a good spot, unfortunately. Now that the prosecution is aware of your injury, they'll only add insult to it."

Nonetheless, she shrugs as if it's barely an issue. "Well, that only means we have to push back harder. I said I didn't kill him, and I meant it."

Mia nods. "Yes, I thought as much, which is why I asked Phoenix to retrieve a certain piece of ammo for our next attack."

"Huh?" He quickly catches on, though. "Oh! You mean that file you asked me to find, right? But how will it help? I didn't see anything on Ms. Spectra or the victim…"

"Yet, it does relate to this case… to the victim, in particular."

"The victim?"

Now, it catches Mona's attention too. "Hm? What is that file?"

Mia gives it to her straight. "It's a criminal record from two years ago on a certain former Interpol agent."

She stares blankly with half-open eyes, as if she didn't collect up what she's just heard, but in fact has become deep in thought.

Phoenix passes his chief a curious look. "Interpol? What does Interpol have to do with the victim?"

"It seems he knew one of their agents rather well." She smiles, explaining, "You see, Mona was rather open with information on him. I picked up on a few hints she gave the last time we met, and they led me to browse the library archives. It's supposed to act as our trump card, so that's why I called you to pick it up yesterday."

"Huh… good thinking as always, Chief. Do you think we'll need to rely on it this time?"

"If we must, then we will. Until then, I think it's best to proceed carefully and avoid stirring up further trouble."

"Hey, could I take another look at it again? I didn't quite get through it yesterday, since we were so concerned over her…"

"I've already stored its data in the Court Record. You'd do well to open it up when you get the chance."

"Right. Thanks, Chief."

She turns back to Mona, checking on her again. She's gone completely still – motionless, even – and doesn't shift her gaze off the floor. "Mona?" She gently taps her on the shoulder.

It seems to snap her out of her trance and she turns back to her. "…What?"

"You've become awfully quiet. Is something the matter?"

Mona breaks out a grim smirk. "Of course not."

Mia and Phoenix exchange uncomfortable looks. Even when she isn't freaking out or acting overly aggressive, that creepy smile of hers is anything but pacifying. It's always unclear when her next manic episode is due, but the transitions between each of them are pretty obvious… like now.

When the bailiff finally announces it's time, she relieves a stretch of her arms and strolls inside with a cheerful whistle. Normally, a content client is what any lawyer would want, but this client of theirs is most dangerous when she smiles.

July 28, 9:59 am
District Court
Courtroom No. 2

The gavel rings true and everyone settles in their seats. "Court is now reconvened for the trial of Ms. Xilin Ying."

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

"The defense is ready, Your Honor."

"Very good. I expect both sides to have done a little more work this time. It won't do to have a rerun of the last session."

"Of course, Your Honor. I'm glad to explain all the mysteries we left off from yesterday."

He turns to the prosecutor. "Indeed, Mr. Payne? Can you really answer them all?"

"I wouldn't be standing here if I couldn't." He leads the court's attention to a report he's drawn up from his table. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you may recall, there was some slight confusion over the identity of the blood on one of the knives. Here, I have a copy of the results from the blood test performed on it."

When the judge receives the copy in hand, he raises a surprised look. "Hmm… According to this, it seems the donor of the blood is none other than the defendant herself!"

The gallery is shaken up already, but this time, they remain relatively quiet.

"I even personally requested that forensics examine the shape of her wound as well, and it was found to match the dimensions of the knife in question."

"Hmm…"

"Furthermore," Payne continues, "We have also confirmed with forensics that the fingerprints left on it include those of the victim. It couldn't merely be a coincidence that the defendant's blood is on it as well. Without a doubt, the defendant and the victim did engage in a fight."

The judge nods. "Yes, that much is apparent by now… but what about regarding the defense's proposition of there being a third person?"

"Your Honor, through our investigations, I can safely say that nothing was found that could suggest a third person entered the room… aside from our witness from yesterday, of course."

"N-nothing at all?" Phoenix cringes behind his side of the bench.

The judge shakes his head, sighing. "Well, that certainly doesn't help the defense's case. It seems there really wasn't any room for doubt in the first place."

There's a twinkle in his eyes. "It's as I was saying since yesterday, Your Honor. I'm glad you understand now."

"Ch-Chief, they're back on the offensive…"

"Naturally. The detective was generous enough with information about it, after all."

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it sound any better."

"Don't forget, Phoenix. We still have an ace up our sleeves. This trial is far from over."

"Well, Mr. Payne. I must say I'm impressed. Though the first day of trial proved somewhat shaky for you, you seem to have recovered completely."

"I wouldn't say it was 'shaky' in the least, Your Honor, but it's true that all the defense has accomplished thus far is waste the court's time. I believe we're just about ready to move onto the verdict."

The judge nods. "So it seems." He turns back to Mia. "Well, Ms. Fey? Do you have anything to add?"

"…Of course, Your Honor. I'm surprised to see how lacking the prosecution's investigations have been."

Payne is understandably insulted. "E-excuse me? How do you mean?"

The judge raises an eye at her. "Does the defense wish to continue making the claim that a third person was in the room?"

She shakes her head. "No, Your Honor. The defense is prepared to accept that as truth. However, that doesn't exclude other possibilities."

"Other possibilities?"

"Hmph! What other bluffs have you come up with this time, Ms. Fey?"

"Oh, it's no bluff, Mr. Payne. I just have a question for you."

"A question? About what?"

"Did you at least inquire into why the victim ended up with a knife in the first place? It seems highly improbable that a knife would simply be lying around somewhere for him when the fight broke out."

"Well, that's…" An idea springs upon him. "Of course! The victim must have expected that the defendant was dangerous and brought one with him to defend himself! After all, the defendant has admitted to us during questioning that she always carries a knife with her. In case she became unstable for any reason, he would have a better fighting chance."

"But that's strange. Why would the victim even try to threaten his cousin with a knife at all? That's not how you deal with people with a split-personality disorder. If anything, it'd only make things worse."

"Yes, I will have to agree there. It's just like showing a chicken the butcher's knife before drugging it. The chicken obviously wouldn't be very happy and could even tear off its own feathers while it's panicking."

…How did he even get to bringing that up? Don't tell me it's from some sort of childhood memory…

"Well, perhaps he didn't realize things would get out of hand," Payne replies. "Fights don't exactly break out when you expect them to."

"…For the most part, anyway."

"W-what?"

"Think about it. Why else would a person bring a knife when meeting with another? I doubt they were handling arts and crafts that night."

"B-but… that's ridiculous!"

The judge turns to him. "What is, Mr. Payne? I don't think I've quite caught up yet."

"What I'm saying, Your Honor," Mia answers instead, "is that it was the other way around." She juts out her finger as if to solidify her point. "The victim was the one who planned to murder my client!"

And once again, the gallery is amid noise, and once again, the noise is quelled by the gavel. Nonetheless, the judge isn't any less rattled. "M-Ms. Fey! How did you come to that conclusion!?"

"Th-that's right! Do you have even the slightest bit of proof for your outlandish claims!?"

That's her cue. "If you're asking for a motive, then allow me to provide one possibility." She draws up the crime scene photo from the Court Record, pointing to the victim's hand.

He appears to have been holding a locket, which has been left open. In it, a young brunette is pictured. Her clear blue eyes and freckled face are accompanied by a bright grin, and her hair bun is adorned with a hairpin shaped like an orchid. She even has a few streaks of hair dyed green. At first glance, this doesn't even look like someone who would be from Interpol, but looks may be deceiving.

"See that there's a locket with someone's picture in the victim's hand?"

The judge nods. "Yes, that much is obvious."

"Why is this locket here at all?"

"Really, Ms. Fey, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," Payne scoffs, "It's clearly the victim's possession. No other sets of fingerprints were found on it."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But I'm asking about why it's been left open like this. Isn't it odd that the victim would bring out a locket of all things, especially to a confrontation?"

The judge blinks. "What is so strange about that? Isn't it obvious to anyone that the person pictured there was a lover of his?"

"So, is Ms. Fey suggesting that he should have taken out a different picture? Is this one not pleasing to you?" Payne sneers.

"Well, she's alright… doesn't look that bad, honestly," Phoenix comments.

She pretends she didn't hear him. "Actually, Your Honor, there's nothing to suggest that they are lovers… but that's beside the point. It's apparent that the victim thought this young woman was important enough to talk about that night, hence why it's in his hand in the first place."

"Yes, anyone can tell that with a single glance," the judge comments.

"Which leads me to my next piece of evidence."

"W-what? There's more?" Payne shrinks in anxiety.

She now digs through the Record again and raises up a few sheets of paper. "Your Honor, I just so happen to have a certain file on this particular woman in the picture."

"Oh? So what is that file?" the judge asks curiously.

"It's an old criminal record."

"A-a criminal record!?"

"W-what!?" Payne looks just as shocked.

Mia shakes her head and smirks back. As she thought, the prosecution is severely lacking. "This woman's name is Lily Tigers. She was a former Interpol agent who had gone missing several years ago while still on duty."

"A missing Interpol agent?" the judge parrots.

"Prior to her disappearance, however, it seems she was caught up in a little trouble – three times, in fact; and the third time, she was convicted on heavy charges of espionage and murder. Her execution swiftly followed, six months later."

"Oh, dear…"

"W-wait a moment, Ms. Fey," Payne cuts in, "Just where did you find that file? Information on members of Interpol aren't simply open to the public."

"As a matter of fact, I located it among the court library archives downstairs."

"W-what!? But that can't be! Why would such a classified file be there of all places!?"

"…Whoever had been reading it previously must have left it there intentionally."

"So who was it? Who was this prankster that thought it was funny to misplace classified information!?"

"I don't have the answer to that, Your Honor… but the one who first alerted me to it was the defendant herself."

"Th-the defendant…?"

Payne is sweating bullets again. "B-but how? Interpol doesn't release information on its members, former or otherwise, without good reason! Even our district's Chief of Police doesn't necessarily have access to that information."

"Yes… however, it doesn't apply to this particular file."

"What are you talking about?"

"This file is property of Zheng Fa police. It wasn't retrieved from our precinct at all."

"Huh…?"

"Huh…?" The judge follows suit.

"Huh…?" So does Phoenix.

And a great silence overtakes the entire room.

Mia continues as usual, "But, as curious as that mystery is, it's not the issue here. Your Honor, the defense has reason to suspect that the victim bore a grudge toward the defendant over Ms. Tiger's disappearance and subsequent death."

"…And what is this reason, Ms. Fey?"

"To answer that, I suggest calling the defendant up to the stand. She is the only one remaining who can clear up the questions of that night… as well as how they led to the victim's attempt at suicide."

"E-excuse me!? Suicide!?"

"Yes, according to the defendant, it was actually simply a suicide and she was entirely the victim."

Slowly but surely the voices in the gallery pick up again, but they hastily quiet themselves as the gavel rings out.

Payne remains unmoved. "…Hmph. Well, that's only natural. The accused certainly wouldn't want to sound like she had anything to do with the crime."

"Regardless, we won't be getting anywhere without her testimony. Your Honor, what do you say?"

The judge ponders over the suggestion and nods in approval. "Very well. I will allow it." He glances over to the defendant's seat, calling her over, "Defendant, please come up the stand. Your testimony is required."

Payne sighs, shaking his head. "I hope you know where you're going with this, Ms. Fey. Should this following testimony not lead to any new information related to this incident, you must accept the consequences."

Mia nods back, ever unwavering. "Of course, Mr. Payne. You don't need to worry about me. In fact, I suggest sitting back down and enjoying the rest of the trial."

"…Bah. It won't be as simple as you make it out to be…"

And true enough, though not quite how he expected it to be, it isn't so simple. Mona doesn't move from her spot. Her eyes are shut once again, and she's slumped back against the seat.

The judge strikes once with his gavel to catch her attention. "Ms. Ying! The court is waiting on you!"

"…"

He shakes his head, sighing. "Bailiff, please wake her. We don't have time to waste."

"Wait, Your Honor," Mia interrupts, "give us a moment. We'll talk with her."

"Oh, well, if you insist…"

Phoenix watches her for a bit, and then turns back to Mia. "…That wound of hers was already fixed, right? It couldn't have opened up already…"

"…Actually, this time around, I think she's just a little tired. She didn't look very perky earlier, after all." She turns to him. "Could you go wake her up, Phoenix?"

"H-huh? Why me?"

"Why not you? You haven't had much to do thus far anyway."

"But, why don't we just leave it to the bailiffs?"

"I think she'd be less agitated if she wasn't surrounded by cops. The last thing we need now is another tantrum."

He frowns, as if pouting over it, but obliges without another word. He cautiously approaches Mona's seat, which is surrounded by a pen that keeps her isolated, and lightly knocks on the wooden fence. "Uh… Ms. Spectra? Wake up. We need you to talk…"

She still doesn't respond; instead giving him a soft snore.

…She really is asleep. He sighs, raising his voice. "Ms. Spectra! Can you hear me?"

"…"

He's grown impatient. "Mona! Wake up already!"

"…Mrph. Huh?" She drowsily opens her eyes. "What? Is the trial over yet?"

"No, it's not. We need you to talk."

She sits back up, scratching her head. "About what?"

Mia answers for him. "About Lily Tigers and your cousin… and how you're a part of it."

"…" She snaps to attention, but doesn't yet meet her at eye level.

"How about it, Mona? Er, do you mind if I call you that? Since Chief keeps calling you that, it's started to catch on…"

"Suit yourself. As for the testimony…" She folds her arms and returns Mia a disapproving look. "No."

He replies in disbelief, "N-no?"

Mia stands her ground. "Why not?"

"Because I assure you…" and she reveals another cocky face, "it's got nothing to do with this case."

"…!"

"W-what!?" Phoenix gasps.

Now the prosecutor seems to have regained his confidence. "Hee hee hee… It's as I was saying all this time. I'm pleased to see that even the defendant herself can see through the defense's meaningless bluffs."

Now the judge gasps. "Wait a moment! It was a bluff all along!?"

"No, wait, Your Honor! Please give us a moment!" She turns back to her stubborn client. "Mona, how are you so sure about that?"

"I won't deny that Lily and Aaron were pretty close sometimes, but this particular incident is a completely different story."

"A-a different story?" Phoenix repeats.

"What do you mean?" Mia demands.

"Allow me to testify, then."

The judge nods. "Yes, please do. We've been waiting to hear from you. What exactly happened in that room?"

Phoenix turns to Mia with a slightly worried look. She sighs, beckoning him back over. Whatever Mona is up to now, there has to be a good reason. She did insist she was innocent, after all…

Mona clears her throat and begins her account. Though she bears an apathetic expression, there may be some other lying just beneath that mask.

"I got a call that morning from Aaron asking me to meet him in an apartment where he was temporarily residing. It sounded like he wanted to ask me a few things. Thinking little of it, I agreed to a post-midnight arrangement. As it turned out, he was making a private investigation into a certain mercenary group, and kept prodding me with those questions. I kept refusing to answer and eventually, he got fed up with me. In fact, he even threatened me that knife. I disarmed him and snatched that knife away, but he tackled me and took mine. We clashed for a bit, and at some point, I got distracted and was stabbed in the gut. I was in pain, but I didn't black out just yet. That's when I saw him stab himself. When he didn't get back up again, I went to treat my wound before I left."

The entire courtroom has been put into an awed silence; some with horrified gasps, others with solemn frowns, and even others with blank stares.

The judge has a pensive look about him. "Hmm… so you insist it was a suicide, then?" He opens his eyes again. "Incidentally, Witness, did you see the other witness from yesterday, Ms. Merchant?"

"She was curled up behind the door. I didn't give her much thought since I had a wound to tend to first."

He nods. "Well, I suppose that's understandable."

"Um, wasn't it 'Ms. Marchande', actually…?" Phoenix points out.

"You know who he's talking about," Mia replies flatly.

"In any case, the defense may proceed with their cross-examination."

"Yes, Your Honor."

"So, Chief, what do you think? Did this incident happen without anything to do with Ms. Tigers?"

"She's still insisting on that claim; that's for sure. But…"

"But?"

"I feel that she may actually be hiding something very important. We're going to need to dig a little deeper."

Mia turns to the stand with a suspecting look, to which Mona barely gives a glance.

"Ms. Spectra… Could you explain in more detail about what you two were talking about?"

"As I was saying, he was investigating into an underground mercenary group."

"A m-mercenary group?" the judge asks, "You mean… like those people who get paid for all sorts of underhanded jobs and never seem to agree with any one side?"

"That's a pretty subjective view on them, but yes. Unbelievably, my cousin accused me of being among them."

"And you say you kept refusing to answer him? Why is that?" Mia keeps pursuing.

"I had no obligation to tell him. He's the one who let his fancies run off on him."

"Even then, a simple 'no' to any of his questions would suffice. To refuse to answer…"

"I told him 'no', but he wouldn't take it. I then stopped answering any of his questions."

The judge sighs, looking disapprovingly at her. "My, he must have been completely convinced you did something terrible."

"Your Honor, you of all people should know that unless one has evidence, any claim made is moot."

"Yes, that is true. It's one of the most important laws of the courts: 'Innocent until proven guilty'."

…Then why does it seem like every one of these trials starts off with you accepting everything the prosecution says!? Mia huffs to herself.

"How long has that judge been a judge anyway?" Phoenix asks, agreeing with her discontent.

"Who knows?" All I know is that he deserves to retire already…

"In any case, you say he became 'fed up' and then threatened you?" the judge opts to clarify.

"Yes. He was always a short-tempered kind of guy. If we weren't on opposite sides, we would have made an amazing duo for a drama."

He shakes his head. "Witness, please refrain from making unnecessary comments."

"…" She glances toward the defense, as if expecting something.

"…! Wait a moment!" Mia does indeed catch on. "Ms. Spectra, what do you mean by 'on opposite sides'?"

"As a matter of fact, I was investigating into him as well. He accused me of being a mercenary, and I accused him of being a spy. Either way, we were both working against each other."

"Really? And why did you suspect him as much?"

"If you must know, I had my suspicions regarding Lily's disappearance for a while. Even before the news reported on it, I heard about it from him."

"You heard it from… him?"

"How did he know about it before the media did?" Phoenix wonders.

"That's why I began to suspect him. He knew something about it, and he didn't want to tell me anything. It's only fair that I don't bother answering him." She lets out a huff. "He used to brag to me about being the better fighter, even though we were always about even during our sparring matches…"

The judge gives her a stern frown. "Ms. Ying, your nostalgic memories will have to wait. Please stay on topic here."

"…" She doesn't seem to hear him; instead seems to be deep in thought.

Mia continues, "But just a while ago, you were pretty content with discrediting my claim that Ms. Tigers' case wasn't involved."

"It really wasn't. I would have left the room without engaging him in a fight. Even if we left it at a stalemate, I wouldn't have cared."

"Really? Why not? Was he not your only lead?"

"No, he was. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even agreed to meet with him."

"Then why drop the pursuit?"

"Because I still had another chance. That day, before I met with him, I snuck into his apartment while he was out and uncovered a few things for myself."

"Y-you broke and entered into the victim's apartment!?" the judge exclaims.

"It's not like I'm a cop. I don't have a search warrant. It was the only thing I could do."

"Er, I would rather believe that you could have alerted the police instead of acting on your own…"

"Not a chance. The matter would be lost in the paperwork, and I'd get nowhere closer."

Mia moves on. "In any case… Ms. Spectra, what are these 'things' you found on him?"

"Well, for one, I realized after all that time I hadn't seen him, I noticed his lack of tidiness hadn't changed at all."

"…What does that have to do with anything?"

"That was one 'thing'."

She fights the urge to plant a hand on her face. "No, Mona. Please only mention things related to our case…"

"But think about it. The only things we touched during our struggle were the table we sat at, the chairs around it, and a nearby coat rack. Everything else was left as is."

W-what!? But the crime scene photo is a complete mess! What about the pictures scattered on the floor and all the broken pottery, for instance!?

Phoenix shrugs. "Well, these things happen."

"…Phoenix, we're going to have another talk later."

"H-huh? A-about what, Chief?" He grins awkwardly.

"You know exactly what I mean."

"…" He whimpers.

She turns back to Mona. "Anything else you noticed, particularly relating to your investigations?"

"There was a certain file."

"A file?"

"A criminal record, in fact, on one Lily Tigers herself."

"…!" Mia hastily draws hers out. "By any chance, was it this one?"

"Oh, you found it? Awesome."

"I thought so! You led me to finding this file in the court library, didn't you?"

"W-w-wait right there!" Payne cuts in again, "Are you saying the defendant knew that file was placed there!?"

"Duh. I was the one who planted it there."

"But why there!? Why not turn it in to the police directly and let them sort it out?"

"I could hold it over his head in case anything – like this trial – happened. It was one of the last places he would have looked, after all. If I had brought it to our meeting, it may have been stolen."

An idea strikes upon Mia's head, "…Ah-hah!" and she grins back at her. "So is that it? That's the reason why he had to silence you?"

"…!" At least the prosecutor seems to have caught on well. He's back in his downpour of sweat. "Y-you can't mean…!"

Mona shrugs. "Pretty much. He probably thought I had gotten rid of it altogether and was pretty pissed about it too."

Mia looks even happier than ever now. "Well, I suppose my previous claim wasn't quite on the mark, but I think we've come to a fair conclusion… don't you think, Your Honor?"

"…! H-huh? Ah, er… what are your referring to, Ms. Fey?"

"I mean that our victim had a very clear motive for murder. This information is supposed to be top-secret. Only members of Interpol or the Zheng Fa police should have accessed to it, and yet, the victim did. Mona had suspected he was a spy, and this file was the perfect evidence! She could have leaked that information out. I figure Interpol would have been delighted to award her… isn't that right, Ms. Spectra?"

"…" Mona makes a sly grin to herself. She seems to be very amused by something to that extent. "Yeah, sure."

"W-what!?" Payne cries. He might as well have burst into tears at this point.

The gallery bursts into a clamor at this shocking development, and are promptly silenced by the gavel.

"Oh!" The judge nearly jumps in his seat. "W-why, that… That makes complete sense! Now, I may not condone the defendant's efforts toward the cause, but even I must commend her for them! It seems that one piece of evidence was everything she needed to ensure herself her security!"

"But of course, Your Honor. I may be insane, but I'm not stupid." Mona looks so proud when she makes that statement.

Then, an "Objection!" comes screeching from the other side.

"W-what is it now, Mr. Payne?" the judge asks, surprised that he was startled.

"Now, hold on a moment, Your Honor. I admit that the defense has done a decent job with indicting the victim for attempted murder, but…"

"But what?" Mia retorts.

"You've still yet to prove that the victim really did commit suicide! All we have at this point is the defendant's testimony, but there's still room for doubt!"

"You don't say…" Mona makes a subtle smirk.

"W-well, it's true we need a little more information for that…" The judge turns back to Mia. "Well, Ms. Fey? Do you have anything that can prove this?"

"…I think I do, Your Honor."

"…!" Payne slumps over again. "You've got to be kidding me! How…?"

"Let's think about it this way, everyone. The most logical route that the victim should have taken after disabling the defendant is to look for that file. There's a big problem with that, though."

"And why's that?" the judge beckons.

"He couldn't have known where to look, right?" Phoenix suggests, "Mona didn't tell him a thing."

"Yes, that's true, but more importantly…" She returns to the rest of the court. "Please recall what this witness had said just earlier: 'He probably thought I got rid of it altogether…'"

"Huh? So, uh, what does that mean for him, exactly…?"

"That could mean the victim believed it was already too late; that she had already leaked it and his secret was out. Fearing the worst that Interpol would try to track him down, he decided the best course to take was his own life, to silence himself forever."

And once again, a great silence overtakes the courtroom, complete with confused, flabbergasted, or otherwise pensive expressions on everyone's faces.

And it's the one at the center of it all that breaks the silence. "…So, are we done now? Can I leave yet?"

"…Er, well, I suppose…" is the only thing the judge can respond with.

"YES!" Mona finally seizes this moment to hop right out of the pen around her seat, bursting aloud with a maniacal laughter. Upon landing back on the ground, she grinds her feet into the ground and wrestles with the cuffs on her hands. In a matter of seconds, the chains snap cleanly apart with a loud "Plink!" Then, she's running out the door, hollering with glee in what seems to be a foreign language.

"Hold it!"

She's already at the double doors when she stops and looks back to find Mia's disapproving stare. "What?"

"Mona, please. Court is still in session. You promised to behave, didn't you?"

"But my verdict's settled."

"Even then, you still have to stay for it."

"…" She grumbles under her breath as she returns to her place and flops down in it.

Phoenix, meanwhile, is still having a hard time comprehending what just happened. More specifically… S-she snapped them! She snapped the steel chains apart! What the heck is she!?

The judge lets out a cough to clear his throat. "Ahem. Well, now. After a long and tedious detour, I believe we have reached a solid conclusion of the facts. It seems evident that the defendant was merely a victim of assault after all, and it was the victim who was out for blood."

Mia nods. "That's right, Your Honor."

And then, yet another "Objection!" comes on cue, but all that follows is silence and another sweat downpour.

The judge looks somewhat disappointed as he turns to him. "Yes, Mr. Payne? On what grounds do you object?"

"…Um… I… I object…" Payne stammers, unfortunately coming up with no counterargument. "…though I don't really have any-"

"Overruled. Come now, Mr. Payne. The fact remains that you have failed to uphold your stance. Not only was the witness you summoned not as decisive as she claimed to be, but also the lack of decisive evidence on your part is only the result of your lacking investigative efforts. Perhaps it's about time you return to law school and relearn the basics of crime solving!"

"N… Noooooo!" he yelps, but then quickly corrects himself, "…Er, I-I mean, Yes, Your Honor…"

He turns back to Mia. "Well, well, Ms. Fey. I must say, I'm impressed yet again! For a moment there, I was convinced you really were bluffing the whole way… In fact, you probably were, now that I think about it. Nonetheless, you managed to pull through another critical situation!"

"Thank you, Your Honor." Phew… so we ended up with a wild goose chase, but thankfully, things seem to have settled themselves after all.

"And without further ado, I will now announce the verdict."

The next moment, two giant words flash into view thanks to the overhead holographic projectors. They read: "Not Guilty". And then, there's a shower of confetti from who-knows-where, complete with the cheers of the gallery.

"That is all. Court is now adjourned!" And the gavel rings for one last time.

July 28, 3:18 pm
District Court
Defendant's Lobby No. 1

"Yes! We did it, Chief! That's another one for the score reports!"

"Whew… I'm glad things still managed to work out. We sure ended up in a tricky situation, but I'm glad Mona didn't cause too much trouble. In fact, we really have her to thank for saving our case."

"…" And yet, for some reason, Mona seems just a bit gloomy. She was the happiest person in the room just earlier, and now, she's taken a sudden mood swing to the other extreme.

"Mona? What's the matter?"

"…What am I going to do now?"

"What do you mean? You're free. As I said before, I'll wave the contingency fee for you until you can pay me back eventually."

"No, really… what am I going to do? I don't have anywhere to go."

"Huh?" Phoenix keeps up the questions, "Don't you have a place to stay?"

"No… I was living with my cousin, but I can't stay there anymore. The landlady hates me… Besides, I don't even want to stay in any apartment ever from now on…"

…Poor girl. I didn't even think about how she'd be after this case…

Mia, however, comes up with an idea. "Hey, Mona, how about this? You can stay with my sister."

She finally looks up with dreary eyes. "…Huh?"

"She lives in a little village up in the mountains called Kurain Village. If you don't mind the countryside or paranormal activity, she'll definitely welcome you in."

"…Really…?"

"Really. She's a pretty fun girl. I'm sure you two will get along."

"…I don't really care for paranormal stuff, though."

"That's fine. Just don't tell her that. She really loves that stuff."

…A village girl up in the mountains who's also an occult freak? Geez, it somehow reeks of suspicion… Er, but I'd better not say anything or Mia might get mad…

"Well, thanks for the offer. I guess I can stay there for a bit until I decide on somewhere else…"

"If you ever want to come back, feel free to. You're always welcome with us."

"…" Mona nods her head and gives a gentle smile of her own. Once again, she seems like a completely different person, but at least this one is a lot more amiable. She then pulls out a card from her pocket and hands it to Mia. "Um… here."

"Oh, what's this?"

"It's my business card. If you ever need an extra helping hand, just give me a call. I'll be there…"

There's a single name written on it, and it reads "Mona Spectra". Below it, however, is much more noteworthy: "Freelance mercenary". Then, in the corner, there's a single phone number, probably to her cell.

Mia gives it a long stare. "…You were a mercenary after all?"

And just like that, the meeker version of Mona is gone, replaced by the much cockier one from earlier. "This isn't the first time I've gotten in trouble, you see."

"…"

"Don't worry. I've escaped from all previous charges thanks to a little luck manipulation."

"…That's not a very comforting thing to hear."

"Relax. It ain't illegal if it ain't caught."

"What? Of course something that's illegal is illegal no matter what!" Phoenix refutes it.

"Sure, sure."

…I really wished she could have stayed as the other one. Why did she have to jump to this one…?

"Alright, I'm going. Gotta pick up my precious utility belt and knife from the precinct. Can't exactly keep up this job without my tools… Ciao."

She begins strolling off and away, but stops just short of the doors when she turns back around. "By the way… Thanks for the acquittal. You guys sure are useful." And she's gone.

The remaining two watch her go in silence and then turn to each other.

"…Chief? What did she mean by 'useful'?"

"…I don't know, and I don't think we should question it, in case there are any bad implications…"

"Er… bad implications, huh…?"

The two share a moment of unease before they finally take their leave.

And another successful case comes to a close. Mona seemed really delighted to join Mia's sister in the countryside and headed off for the place as soon as she picked up her things. Mia and I, meanwhile, went back to our office and it was business as usual.

True enough, Mia was spot on as usual. I finally managed to find myself a case of my own, and thanks to her advice, I somehow got through it. Well, even if my client didn't exactly pay us, aside from a certain clock he made. Dang it, Larry…

We wouldn't hear from Mona again in a while, other than through those occasional calls Mia made to her sister. Mona would always show up on the other line somehow to interrupt a meaningful conversation. Still, it's not like it's any harm done… well, beside against my pride. Seriously, why does she have to pick me as a target all the time?

Still, I was glad we have a mercenary on our side… until a certain case when my suspicions were cast on her once again… and Mia would no longer be with us.

Episode 1: The Betrayed Turnabout, End.