Judge Kirigiri noticed something going on in the witness stand. "Miss Harukawa, why are you on your phone?"

"Don't mind me. My attention is focused on something I was already working on," Maki said. She had a flip phone, which she was currently studying on the screen. "Keep going with the trial."

"It's not like there's much cause to keep the trial going," Sato said defiantly. "After all, you can't prove a connection between me and Natsumi."

"Miss Sato, I proved that you were in the music room at around the time the murder happened," Tenko pointed out. "Unless you can come up with an explanation for your presence there, we have to question you about it!"

"I can choose to not say anything. You're the one that dragged me here in the first place."

She's really not going to say anything until I force her, will she? But how do I prove that she knew Natsumi before the murder?

"Defense, you have five seconds to answer," Byakuya said. "Otherwise, this entire line of questioning is going to be dismissed."

"You can't just decide that!" Tenko exclaimed. Byakuya held up a hand with five fingers out, and started counting down.

The only real connection is that they're both Reserve Course students! How do I get a motive from that?

An image flashed in Tenko's head, of Mikan explaining how she saw Natsumi bullying Mahiru on a previous occasion.

"I have your proof for you!" Tenko declared, just as Byakuya was holding up a single finger. "And it relates to Natsumi!"

"Tenko, you've never met her before," Mahiru said. "I don't know how you can confidently say what she might have been thinking."

"Maybe so. But I have heard accounts of her. About how Natsumi bullied you," Tenko said in a serious tone. "And how none other than Miss Sato herself put a stop to it."

"You mentioned something to this effect earlier in the trial," Judge Kirigiri said. "How is this related to whether the witness knew that the victim would be in the music room?"

"Because I have a question for my client!" Tenko turned towards Fuyuhiko in his defendant bench. "Has Natsumi mentioned something to you about befriending a pair of girls?"

"My sister said a lot of things, so you'll have to be more specific," Fuyuhiko answered. "And you'd better have a good idea of what you are doing!"

"Do you remember Natsumi saying anything about a photography club?" Tenko asked. This is the only path forward I see. So I pray that you have the answer I need!

"She joined one back in middle school. Bragged a lot about it too, saying how she could summon her servants on her-" Fuyuhiko stopped, as the full implications of his words hit him. "Cell phone."

"I heard a similar story! So I bet that if we were to look through Natsumi's phone, we'll find the number for both Mahiru and Sato! Not only that, but they still have her number too!" Tenko spoke with confidence over something she couldn't exactly prove. "And that is the connection between Miss Sato and Natsumi!"

"...There's no point in hiding it anymore, then. You're right about one thing, Tenko," Mahiru said. "We did meet Natsumi, back in middle school."

Sato had a pensive look on her face. "We all had our reasons for joining the club. And Natsumi's reasons were a big reason why we all became friends…"

"I am Natsumi Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Little Sister! But you can also call me the future Ultimate Photographer! Now what brings you to this club?"

"My mother is a famous wartime photographer. So I started taking photos too, but I'm not sure if they're any good," Mahiru said bashfully.

"They're excellent, Mahiru, and I'll keep saying it as many times as it takes," Sato said firmly.

"You can take whatever kind of photos you want. As long as you're also witnessing my rise into Hope's Peak Academy!" Natsumi declared. "I have officially decided that you will be the ones by my side when it happens!"

"I never did learn why Natsumi was so dead set on going to Hope's Peak," Sato continued. "But one day, a recruitment letter arrived, and it was for Mahiru."

"I was shocked, because I still couldn't see anything special about my photos. But…" Mahiru closed her eyes, her expression pained. "Natsumi was even more shocked. After that day, something changed in her. She started to look at me with disdain, then anger… then loathing."

"But this is where you have it wrong, Miss Chabashira. You claim that we still had each other's numbers," Sato said. "And that actually goes against your claim. We still saw Natsumi as a friend, and certainly had no reason to kill her!"

Oh no, that's right! My case is too close to falling apart! "Are you sure? Because you certainly seemed to avoid talking about Natsumi before. If there's nothing to hide, you should testify about your relationship with her!"

"If that's what it finally takes to convince you," Sato said, rolling her eyes. "I don't see why there should be a problem."

Witness Testimony

Sato and Natsumi

"Sure, me and Natsumi didn't always agree, but we've known each other for years," Sato said. "I know not to take her attitude too seriously."

"I would have been glad to let Natsumi become the Ultimate Photographer, if I could," Mahiru said. "But I know she can't stand pity, so I couldn't mention that to her."

Sato put a hand on her hip. "Even if we had each other's numbers, that's not proof that we met with each other on the day of the crime. She met with her brother, end of story."

"It's ridiculous to suggest that Adzumi would have a reason to hurt Natsumi," Mahiru shouted, putting her hands on her hips. "I didn't want anything to happen to either of my friends!"

"My final statement on the matter is this: maybe we weren't as close as before, but Natsumi was still my classmate," Sato said. "And so I wouldn't kill her."

End Testimony

"The focus of this testimony seems to be that of motive," Judge Kirigiri said. "We've already heard from the prosecution that the defendant and the victim were family, and so had a motive only significant to them."

"We've proven that Mahiru, Sato, and Natsumi have a connection," Tenko countered. "And it's one they've tried to hide up until now!"

"We aren't hiding anything anymore," Mahiru said. "Look, I don't care how else this trial ends. As long as I can keep anything bad from happening to Adzumi."

"Mahiru…" Sato put an arm around the photographer's waist. "I wish I could thank you for all you've done for me."

Peko smacked the defense bench with her wooden sword. "You are getting ahead of yourselves. Until your testimony has been cross-examined, this isn't over."

"That's right. If this is the truth, I want to personally confirm it," Tenko added. "And if you aren't, then I will expose it!"

"Enough of your dramatics," Byakuya scoffed. "At least try to pretend you are taking this trial seriously."

But I am taking this trial seriously!

It wasn't something strictly related, but Tenko found herself curious. "Do you really mean that, Mahiru? You would have given up coming to Hope's Peak for Natsumi?"

"I mean, she was my friend. I knew how much coming to this school meant to Natsumi, even if she never explained why," Mahiru said, her voice sounding choked. "Even when she started hating me, I still wanted to do something for her."

"..." Fuyuhiko stared at Mahiru, but his eyes held no trace of anger, albeit they had no other emotion either.

"As the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, I will state that your photographs did earn you the title of Ultimate Photographer, Miss Koizumi," Judge Kirigri declared. "Your kind heart is admirable, however."

"Somehow hearing that from you doesn't make me feel that better," Mahiru said disdainfully.

"Was there a reason you asked about this, Tenko?" Peko asked curiously.

"Because Mahiru's feelings about this are still important. Especially if she really was an accomplice," Tenko answered. "Any insight on her actions is going to matter!"

"Then if you are already in that mindset, you could look into her other testimony," Peko said. "But remember to keep focus on Sato."

"She is the lead suspect, after all…" Tenko returned to the testimony. "HOLD IT! You say that Adzumi doesn't have a reason to hurt Natsumi. But why are you speaking on her behalf? Let her say it herself!"

"You are starting to get very annoying. You seem to think we were getting into fights all the time," Sato said, huffing. "But if you had proof of that, you would have presented it by now!"

"...!" A small movement caught the corner of Tenko's eye. Looking next to Sato, Tenko saw that Mahiru's eyes seemed to be flicking towards her. Where is Mahiru looking? It seems to be… at Sato's arm?

"HANG ON! Mahiru, is there something about Sato that bothers you?" Tenko asked.

"Um, I'm not sure what you mean, Tenko. I wasn't even talking at the time," Mahiru said. "Maybe you misheard me?"

"She didn't mention you saying anything. You are looking at Sato's left arm," Peko said. "Which I believe has a scar on it."

"Care to explain what that scar is, Miss Sato?" Tenko smacked her bench with her hands. "Who gave it to you?"

"I already told you that it was an accident," Sato said. "Repeating that here won't mean anything."

"That's not true." From the audience stand, Mikan suddenly spoke up. "I helped you tend that wound, and it wasn't from an accident."

"Mikan! If you have something to add to this, come down to the witness stand!" Tenko said urgently.

"There would be no point for her to come down if she's only to go right back," Judge Kirigiri said. "Say your piece from your seat, Miss Tsumiki."

"I'm the Ultimate Nurse, so sometimes my classmates ask me to patch their wounds," Mikan said. "That day was n-no exception. I was walking around, t-trying not to t-trip on my own feet, when-"

"You sound like you're already in danger of tripping over your tongue," Sato said. "Look, Mahiru's got this under control. You don't need to add anything else."

"Besides which, this is you, Mikan. Chances are you're going to trip and fall out of your seat," Mahiru said, exasperation in her tone. "Or forget a detail, or your skirt is going to fall down. So it would probably be best if you sit down and skip all of that."

"...No." Mikan said quietly.

Sato glared at the nurse. "What was that?"

"No, I'm not going to sit down, and not going to be quiet!" Mikan cried out. "I know I don't do things right often. My classmates pity me because of it. You pity me, Mahiru."

"I'm looking out for you, Mikan," Mahiru said. "Because you do really need it."

"I don't need anyone to look after me. Because… Tenko believes in me! Even knowing what a screw-up I am, she thinks I can be good," Mikan exclaimed. "So if she wants to hear it, I want to say what I remember!"

"Of course I want to hear it, Mikan! Even if I don't know what you are going to say, it will be important!" Tenko declared.

"Thank you so much!"

Turning her attention to the court at large, Mikan said. "Mahiru and Miss Sato ran up to me, because they had a wound they urgently needed to heal. It turned out to be a nasty cut on Sato's left arm."

"Which would explain the scar in the same place. But what does this have to do with the trial?" Byakuya asked impatiently.

"Because I reflexively asked Sato why she was hurt, and she told me it was from a switchblade," Mikan explained. "Of course, I asked who did it, and Sato told me 'just a blonde bitch that thinks she's better than everyone else'. She didn't say anything else beyond that."

"But we can put together the pieces from there. Sato and Natsumi have been feuding for a while now," Peko said.

"And in an investigation of Natsumi's room, we discovered that she did own a switchblade. Likely the same one she used on Sato on that day!" Tenko pointed at Miss Sato. "Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Sato staggered back, clutching onto her chest. "...You still haven't explained it. How I was supposed to know that Natsumi was going to be in the main building that day."

"Then let's return to the trial at hand," Byakuya said. "Until the defense provides this proof, if they even can."

"All that, and we're back to the cross-examination. Unbelievable," Tenko groaned, as Mikan sat down with a disappointed expression. "How many more arguments do they have?"

"You have them on the ropes. They haven't been able to disprove your recent points," Peko said, "So give them no choice but to be forced to explain themselves."

To do that, I have to prove that Sato could have known Natsumi's location that day. "HOLD IT! So why are you so sure that Natsumi met with her brother? Remember, you still haven't told us how you knew they had an appointment."

"Adzumi probably made an assumption. She knew that Natsumi was part of the Yakuza," Mahiru said. "So she thought they had some kind of dramatic yakuza arrangement."

"Certainly wouldn't surprise me," Adzumi said, playing with her hair. "I mean, what other appointment could it have been?"

If this is a matter of appointments… wait a second! There's that evidence that we choose not to use earlier!

Tenko slammed her bench with her foot. "OBJECTION! There is in fact another appointment this could have been! One that Natsumi personally noted down!"

"The defense did say that they investigated the victim's room," Judge Kirigiri said. "Then you found proof there?"

"We found none other than a calendar, on which Natsumi wrote down a note: 'Ten a.m. Music Room. Time to settle this once and for all!' This was for the day of the crime!" Tenko exclaimed.

"Yes, this would prove that she made the appointment. But it could have been with her brother," Sato pointed out.

"You have it backwards. Fuyuhiko is the one person that this note would make no sense for," Peko cut in. "For the reason that you referenced earlier- Fuyuhiko and Natsumi live together. If they needed to talk about something, they had all the time in the world after school."

Sato doubled over, holding her stomach as if someone slugged her. Mahiru glared at Peko. "What if it was something they couldn't talk about at home?"

Peko shook her head. "Then that makes it even more nonsensical that Natsumi would leave the note in open view, where anyone that entered her room would have seen it."

"There's a bigger problem here, if we read the text itself! For one, the appointment was at ten in the morning, but Fuyuhiko didn't arrive in the music room until after that!"Tenko exclaimed. "On the other hand, Mikan had been at the stairs to the second floor at around that time, before Mahiru sent her away!"

"The purpose of the appointment was to 'settle something once and for all'. That would indicate either Mahiru or Sato," Peko said. "But only Sato has knowledge of someone that was in the music room, about the text message that Natsumi sent to her brother."

"Which can only lead us to one conclusion. Natsumi made an appointment with Sato to meet with her in the music room, and Sato met with her- shortly before Natsumi died!" Tenko declared.

Sato's head snapped forward, her hair falling around her like a curtain. Mahiru placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Adzumi, are you okay?!"

"...Natsumi. Natsumi Natsumi Natsuuuuummiiii." Sato muttered.

"Uh… I think we might have broken Sato too hard," Tenko observed nervously.

"It would be problematic if she isn't mentally sound enough to confess her crimes," Peko said, watching Sato.

"You think I'm that one that's crazy?" Sato lifted her head, but at an angle. "From where I'm standing, it's this court that's crazy."

Tenko could feel her stomach clench. There is something deeply wrong with Sato! Is this the weight of her murder finally getting to her?

"Okay let's say that I did meet with Natsumi. We talked things out, after which I simply left the room and went on my way," Sato explained. "With Natsumi still alive after I left."

Byakuya smirked confidently. "Thus, the timeline of this crime is straightened out. Miss Sato and Miss Kuzuryu had their meeting, as noted by the latter's calendar. Sato left the crime scene, after which the defendant entered the music room for a separate matter. It is during this second meeting that the murder happened!"

"But- but- how did Miss Sato know about Natsumi's meeting with her brother, then?" Tenko asked desperately.

"That's simple. When I talked with Natsumi, I saw her texting with her brother," Sato said, smiling arrogantly. "That's all it was."

"Yet you did not think to mention this sooner. What a farce," Peko said in a frustrated tone.

"It seems as if all doubts have been cleared up in this trial," Judge Kirigiri said. "This has been a long trial, but we can finally bring it to a close."

This is bad, this is really bad! If I can't think of anything, this trial really will come to an end! But what hasn't been explained by this point?

The answer occurred to Tenko, and she saw that it couldn't be simpler.

"Defense, do you have any closing remarks?"

"I have remarks, alright! How can we possibly end this trial-" Tenko karate-chopped her bench. "When we still don't know what the murder weapon is, after all this time!"

Byakuya put a hand up to his mouth, gnawing on his fingernails. "And what do you expect these witnesses to know about the murder weapon?"

"If Sato is the murderer, then the weapon is going to be something that points to her alone," Tenko said. "If she insists on her innocence, she must explain why she couldn't have killed Natsumi in the music room!"

"If Adzumi can explain this, will you finally be satisfied," Mahiru said, looking Tenko in the eyes. "And leave her alone?"

"If I'm wrong, I will gladly acknowledge it, Mahiru," Tenko said, meeting her friend's gaze. "But I did not come this far to not arrive at the truth!"

"As this is the final issue that has not been cleared up in this trial, this will also be the final testimony," Judge Kirigiri said. "I ask that the defense and prosecution bring their best arguments to this."

"I have always given my all in this trial," Byakuya said smugly. "But I want to see what the defense considers their best."

Sato swayed back and forth. "Once I give this testimony, I will never have to hear about Natsumi again. Natsumi… Natsumi…"

Even now, I don't know what this murder weapon could possibly be. But I must believe I can find it, so I can settle this case once and for all!

A/N: Next chapter, if all goes well, the verdict will finally be rendered for this trial. I thank anyone that has been with me on this journey so far. Let's all see it through to the end together. See you next time! Please review.