A/N: The second trial day of this case finally begins. There is an uphill battle ahead for our main characters. But there is a much more organized defense this time around. Enjoy, my readers!

September 18

Hope's Peak Academy Legal Department, Defendant Lobby

9:30 A.M.

The Tenko Chabashira that entered the defendant lobby was a far cry from the same Tenko that had entered yesterday. Instead of being tired, angry, and clueless, Tenko was focused, determined, and with a plan on how to approach this trial.

"Good morning, Kuzuryu and Pekoyama!" Tenko called out. "Are you ready for the battle that's ahead?"

"First of all, there are two battles to fight," Fuyuhiko corrected. "There is this rigged trial that the headmaster has put on, and there is the killer's attempts to cover up this crime."

"So you are saying these are separate events? I suppose the headmaster didn't seem to care who the killer really is, so they wouldn't have met," Tenko said thoughtfully.

"As far as the farcical trial goes, I have an idea," Fuyuhiko said. He grinned in an intentionally arrogant manner. "The administration needs for this to at least appear fair, right? Otherwise people are going to ask too many questions. So you force them to put on a fair trial, really dig into their stupid precious image!"

"I like the sound of that, Kuzuryu!" This would mark the first and perhaps only time that Tenko would ever agree with the Ultimate Yakuza. But right now, she honestly preferred Fuyuhiko to the headmaster.

"That is only half of what must be done," Peko reminded them. "Even in a fair trial, the true killer's crime must be exposed through evidence."

"That is my main job here today. But please aid me until the very end, Pekoyama!" Tenko had come this far through the case with the swordswoman, and couldn't imagine another person she'd rather have at her side for the end.

"I will. For Fuyuhiko to finally be freed from these false charges, but also to finally learn what happened to Natsumi," Peko said, closing her eyes. "That's how important this trial is."

"Then you should appreciate the extra help," Maki said, arriving in the courtroom with Ibuki and Mikan in tow.

"Hello~! I'm here for no reason!" Ibuki declared.

Maki sighed. "I might regret this, but I have a feeling that these girls will be useful. I do not believe that there is a rule against this trial having an audience. So I am going to watch it, with these two."

"I hope I'm not too much of a disturbance," Mikan whimpered. "But I did promise I would give my testimony if asked."

"Just having you here is enough! And I mean all of you," Tenko said, smiling brightly. "So please, lend me your strength!"

"Are we done with the touchy-feely crap?" Fuyuhiko asked. "The trial is going to start soon!"

"Right, Kuzuryu. Let's head into the courtroom!" Tenko exclaimed.

"One more thing." Maki gave Tenko a serious expression. "Whatever happens in there, Tenko, keep a cool head. The enemy wants you to lose your temper and sink your own case."

"I will do my best, Maki." Tenko appreciated the advice from her classmate.

"And if Chabashira still needs a guiding hand, that is why I am here," Peko added. "But no matter what, we must press on."

That's true. Even though I am going to question a close friend… I must confirm the full truth from her, personally!

September 18

Hope's Peak Academy Legal Department, Courtroom

10:00 A.M.

"Court is now back in session for the trial of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu." Jin Kirigiri blinked his eyes in surprise. "But I see we have some unexpected guests."

In a makeshift gallery stand behind Tenko, Maki, Ibuki, and Mikan were all seated. There was a similar gallery stand behind Byakuya, but no one was seated there.

"I get to be part of the background chatter!" Ibuki said cheerfully.

"We're here to cheer on our classmate, since he is on trial." Mikan added nervously. Maki didn't say anything.

"If that's all, then I suppose I see no issue with this." Judge Kirigiri directed her attention to the room at large. "Are the defense and prosecution ready?"

"The defense is ready!" Tenko shouted, with a voice full of confidence.

"The prosecution is ready," Byakuya said, with his normal arrogance. "And I would appreciate no more useless noise."

"Then lay out your case," Judge Kirigiri said. "Previously, there was trouble establishing a murder weapon. There is also an issue that a previous witness had information that they should not have had."

"Which is exactly where I will take this case next. We will summon that witness, Mahiru Koizumi, and give her a chance to amend her testimony," Byakuya said. "Her response will make the truth of this case clear."

Tenko unconsciously clenched her fists. There is no avoiding it, is there? I have to face Mahiru, and determine the truth!

"Hello, everyone. What can I do for you today?" Mahiru asked, with her usual friendliness.

"You know full well what that is, Miss Koizumi," Byakuya said. "You are to make clear why only the defendant could have brought the murder weapon to the crime scene."

"Geez! It wouldn't kill you to be less rude about it," Mahiru said, her tone filled in exasperation. "Fine. I know I 'have' to do it, but I won't be happy about it."

Witness Testimony

Fuyuhiko and the murder weapon

"I don't know much about the murder weapon, so this is only my best guess," Mahiru said. "But I think it might be a pair of knuckle dusters."

"When the prosecutor prepped me earlier, he informed me the fatal wound was a jagged bruise on Natsumi's head," Mahiru continued, putting a finger on her chin.

"So logically speaking, the only weapon that would fit the description is something portable like knuckle dusters. And the only person that would have weapons like that on hand is Fuyuhiko."

Mahiru frowned, looking down at the ground. "Of course I don't want to suspect my classmate, but there hasn't been another explanation, has there?"

End Testimony

Headmaster Kirigiri shook his head. "So we are back to this- the fatal wound is so strangely specific, only someone with the connections the defendant has could have produced the weapon."

"I am glad you see things my way, Your Honor," Byakuya said, smirking. "The defense wanted to drag the case in pointless circles, but it will always return to this simple fact."

Peko had an intense look on her face. "It seems that Mahiru will be a difficult opponent."

"Really? How do you figure?" Tenko said, looking at her co-counsel.

"From yesterday's investigation, we have learned that she is likely an accomplice, at the very least," Peko said. "Yet Mahiru had a testimony prepared that painted herself as uninvolved."

It's not like Mahiru to come up with such a wicked plan. That's not what's going on here… right?

Tenko couldn't avoid digging deeper, so she considered the angle she wanted to approach it at. "HOLD IT! But that's only your theory. You can't say for sure that's the weapon!"

"I suppose that's not wrong, Tenko. But it's what the prosecution came up with," Mahiru said. "And I don't know what else it could be, no matter what else I think of."

"We discussed this very theory the previous day, but the defense insisted on wasting time," Byakuya said coolly. "But now you must come up with your own answer, or accept mine."

"I'll never accept an answer from a jerk like you!" Though Tenko hated to admit it, he had a point. All the shouting in the world would do nothing if Tenko didn't have something to back it up with.

"HOLD IT! Mahiru, did Togami tell you anything else about the fatal wound?" Tenko asked.

"No, that's about it. He did show me a picture." Mahiru's face went pale. "All that blood… only a steel weapon could have done that."

At this point, Tenko understood that she needed help. "Pekoyama, do you have an idea of what to do?"

Peko crossed her arms, deep in thought. "Mahiru is determined to wall us with her 'innocent witness' act. My only advice to you is to suggest another viable possibility."

I don't know what the murder weapon is, after all this time. But maybe I can show the court that there isn't only one explanation!

"Mahiru, you think that the only possible weapon could be one of steel. But there is something weird that everyone should consider!"

Tenko recalled the observations about Natsumi's body. "The victim's head smelled of salt water! If a traditional weapon had been used on her, then what caused this?"

"STOP TALKING! Perhaps the killer tried to wash the blood off of the victim's head with water from the aquarium tank," Byakuya said.

"OBJECTION! Then they did a terrible job! The photo of the victim showed that their head is covered in blood!" Tenko pointed out.

Byakuya slammed his hand on his bench. "Then what, pray tell, is the explanation for this fact that you've brought up?"

"That at some point, Natsumi's head got splashed with aquarium water," Tenko said. "So you can't claim the murder is as simple as 'Fuyuhiko attacked Natsumi', unless you can explain how this fits in!"

"Urgh! The defense's attempts at being cheeky are not appreciated," Byakuya said, grimacing. "The testimony makes it clear that even the defendant's own classmates think that he's the killer!"

So he's passing the buck onto Mahiru. Of course.

"HOLD IT! Do you agree with this guy, Mahiru? Do you really think he's reliable in any way?" Tenko asked incredulously.

"Of course I haven't listened to a word this guy has said this entire time."

Mahiru ignored the indignant noises that Byakuy made, and continued, "But the way Fuyuhiko has been acting has been bothering me. Checking the broken fish tank, then the window, then locking himself inside… I didn't know what to think."

"...! Mahiru, could you add that to the testimony?" Tenko said.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Mahiru said casually. This made Tenko pause.

Does she remember what she talked about yesterday?

But Tenko couldn't linger on this thought too long. Drawing a breath, she shouted, "OBJECTION! Mahiru, you told me something different yesterday."

"Did I? You'll have to refresh me on that," Mahiru said, scratching her face. "A lot happened yesterday."

"You told me that the one that locked Fuyuhiko into the music room was none other than you!" Tenko pointed out.

"Oh, that's what you meant." Mahiru sighed. "Did someone ask you to bring that up?"

"No, no one did! I just want to hear you say it before the court: why did you lock Kuzuryu in the music room?" Tenko asked.

Mahiru crossed her arms, her lips pursed in a frown. "Honestly? Because for a moment, I was scared. You wouldn't know this, Tenko, but Fuyuhiko has a habit of threatening to kill anyone and anything he doesn't like. When he looked at me through the window of the music room, the look in his eyes was so frightening."

"I just found my younger sister dead! How the fuck did you expect me to react?!" Fuyuhiko shouted.

"Is the defendant saying that he did have a desire to kill the witness upon being seen?" Judge Kirigiri asked.

"OBJECTION! Of course not! He is saying that he was overwhelmed with emotion during an extreme situation!" Tenko quickly said. "And as the defense, I would like to request that he please save his comments!"

Fuyuhiko growled in a displeased manner, but he knew he had no choice but to hold his tongue.

"I almost pity you, defense. You really have your hands full," Byakuya said. "But this is your own fault."

"It seems that we fell straight into Mahiru's trap," Peko said, narrowing her eyes. "She had that testimony ready to paint Fuyuhiko in the worst light."

"Defense, do you have any rebuttal to the witness's testimony? Because so far, it does not look good for the defendant." Judge Kirigiri said sternly.

Rebuttals? I wish I had one ready, but I don't!

"We've taken a wound, but it's not serious. We just need to be more vigilant," Peko said. "I think right now, we should take stock of what we know."

"Um, on the day of the crime, there was a shattering noise that four girls heard. Mahiru went straight to the music room," Tenko said, recalling out loud. "After that, she saw Kuzuryu in there and immediately locked him in there."

Wait, I think I see an issue here!

Judge Kirigiri took a gavel in his head. "It seems that there is no reason to continue the trial."

"HOLD IT! No, something is wrong here!" Tenko declared.

"Now what, defense? Are you going to rant worthlessly some more?" Byakuya asked in the most patronizing voice.

Maki told me that I can't get angry! I can't let them get to me!

"I have something very important to say! So far, the prosecution's theory is that the murder weapon is something small that could have been smuggled out. But if the murder happened when you alleged that it does…" Tenko smacked her bench with her palm. "Then there's a problem!"

"The defense will please stop damaging school property," Judge Kirigiri said in an annoyed voice.

"Previous testimony has established that Kuzuryu was watched the entire time he was in the music room, until he was arrested by police," Tenko continued. "And nothing was thrown out the window. So answer me this: How did he not get caught with a weapon?"

"Urgh… you are a real thorn in my side," Byakuya said, while having no other rebuttal.

"I believe that the defendant strongly objected to a body search, after arrest," Judge Kirigiri said. "It would certainly give reason to believe he had something to hide."

"I don't believe it's the judge's duty to share their theories on the crime," Peko said in a tense voice.

But the headmaster is a 'judge' that has already made up their mind. So I have to force him to take another path!

"Instead of making up an overly complicated situation, consider what I suggested yesterday," Tenko said. "That the crime happened earlier, and the killer simply walked away with the weapon!"

"No such person exists!" Mahiru exclaimed.

"That is a very direct statement, Mahiru. Do you have proof of that?" Peko asked.

"For one, if there were such a person, they would have been brought up by now," Mahiru explained. "Besides, all four of us watched each other the entire time. So none of us could have gone to the music room earlier."

This time, Tenko spotted the issue instantly. Mahiru is definitely lying! But… why is she lying?

"No, that might not be true," Tenko said. "Mahiru, you need to explain something! According to Mikan, you met with her a full half hour before either Saionji or Ibuki appeared."

"Yeah, Hiyoko played one of her pranks on Mikan, so I had to convince the poor girl to get something to eat," Mahiru said. Her calm tone belied how hard she was gripping her camera strap.

"And after that, Mikan told me that you stayed by the stairs to the second floor all by yourself. So tell me…" Tenko drew her arm back, and pointed at Mahiru. "What were you doing at that time?"

"Hey, why are you yelling at me, Tenko? It's not what it looks like!" Mahiru shouted.

"Then you tell us what happened there," Peko said, pinning her classmate with a stern expression. "And leave nothing out."

"I believe I see where the defense is going. If this witness testifies that she heard someone on the second floor, it gives credence to the idea of a third party," Byakuya said, "But if she says otherwise, they have nowhere else to go."

Ugh, he just had to notice that! Togami isn't going to give me an inch, so I have to try harder going forward!

"I have no issue testifying. I'm sure that Tenko is going to see it my way in the end," Mahiru said, smiling at the aikido master.

"I will definitely treat your testimony fairly, and pursue the truth!" Tenko exclaimed. But where that truth is headed, I don't know.

To be continued.

A/N: Mahiru makes for a truly difficult opponent. As such, the testimony will continue next chapter, as the defense tries to figure out the truth in her words. See you next time! Please review.