Sayaka returned to court to face Kyoko one more time. The gallery chattered to start the trial before the judge slammed down his gavel.
"We gather here today to resume the trial of Ms. Maggey Byrde. Is everyone prepared?" The judge asked.

"The defense is ready, your honour!" Sayaka spoke proudly.

"The prosecution is ready, your honour." Kyoko spoke sharply. The judge nodded.

"Very well. The prosecution shall review the events of the case thus far." The judge announced.

"Understood, your honour. The detective, Dick Gumshoe, has taken his leave after sharing valuable evidence. Since he left, two witnesses have testified, with one of them wholly relying on the other for his testimony. Suspicion has been cast upon a pink haired girl, thanks to Mr. Mitchell Riley's testimony and accompanying evidence." Kyoko explained the events of the previous trial. The judge nodded.

"Thank you for the refresher, Miss Sakura. The prosecution may now call its next witness." The judge announced. Kyoko smirked.

"Very well! The prosecution calls Ms. Rae Dius to the stand!" Kyoko ordered. Rae walked up to the stand, wearing her usual smile. Kyoko took out a pocky stick and pointed it at Rae.

"Witness! Your name and occupation!" Kyoko barked.

"My name is Rae Dius. I work at the reception desk for El Bombi." Rae spoke softly.
"Very good. Now witness, testify to the courts what you had seen on the night of the murder!" Kyoko ordered. Rae nodded.

"There was a staff meeting the day of the murder. There were five people, including myself, Ms. Maggey Byrde the defendant, and a pink haired girl, Miss Karina McLaurin. The defendant spoke of a promotion she would receive the next day. Everyone except Miss McLaurin was happy for her, and after the meeting, we all dispersed to resume our normal jobs. That night, when I had gotten home from work, I heard an explosion in the distance. It rang throughout my home, around 4 blocks away. The next morning, I learned that Mr. Grant Axelrod had died in the explosion. Ms. Byrde was arrested and Miss McLaurin was absent from work. That is all." Rae gave her testimony.

"Thank you for your testimony, Ms. Dius." The judge nodded. "Now, the defense may begin their cross examination." The judge announced.
"Okay… that sounds a lot like Mr. Riley's testimony." Sayaka thought to herself. "Perhaps I should ask about the people's jobs." Sayaka had an idea. "Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "So what jobs do the five of you perform?" Sayaka asked.
"I run the reception desk. Mr. DeAnthony Hunter works as the custodian. Mr. Mitch Riley operates the assembly line. Ms. Maggey Byrde and Miss Karina McLaurin worked security." Rae spoke in detail. Sayaka jotted these notes down.

"Did Ms. Byrde describe the kind of promotion she was due to receive?" Sayaka asked. Rae nodded.

"Yes. Ms. Byrde explained that she would be promoted to Project Manager." Rae detailed Maggey's promotion. Then another idea came to Sayaka.

"Hang on… when Mr. Riley described Miss McLaurin, he said nobody knew her name. Rae seems to know it. I should press her on that." Sayaka remembered Mitch's testimony. She looked at Rae.

"Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "One more thing. You said the pink haired girl was named Karina McLaurin, correct?" Sayaka asked. Rae nodded.

"Indeed, I did." Rae responded. Sayaka raised an eyebrow.

"Yesterday in his testimony, Mr. Riley said that nobody knew Karina's name. Why do you know her name?" Sayaka asked. Rae shook her head.

"Oh… Mr. Riley should have been more specific. We all know her as Karina McLaurin. We don't know of her real name." Rae dropped a crucial detail.

"Huh?! Real name?" Kyoko asked. Rae nodded.

"Yes. It is well known that Karina McLaurin is not the girl's real name. It is an identity she claims to have taken up in recent times. None of us know why she wants to abandon a previous name." Rae explained. Kyoko and Sayaka both reeled back in shock. The gallery chattered for a bit before the judge slammed down his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!" The judge yelled. "So you're saying Miss McLaurin is only an alias?" The judge asked. Rae nodded.

"Yes. It is an alias. That is all I need to add." Rae spoke solemnly. The judge nodded.

"Very well then. The defense's cross examination period has concluded. You are free to go, Ms. Dius." The judge announced.

"Thank you for the time, your honour." Rae bowed before leaving the stand.

"Now, the prosecution may call its next witness." The judge spoke with authority. Kyoko bit into her apple.

"Alright then! The prosecution would like to call Miss Karina McLaurin to the stand!" Kyoko commanded. Karina came up to the stand, wearing a rather annoyed expression.

"Witness! I want your name and occupation. Your current identity will do for now." Kyoko ordered. Karina shot her a glare.

"I'm Karina McLaurin. I work at the assembly line for El Bombi." Karina shouted. Kyoko took out a pocky stick and pointed it at Karina.

"Good. Now testify to the court what you saw on the night of the murder!" Kyoko ordered. Karina chuckled quietly.
"Sure! I'll tell ya exactly what happened!" Karina spoke with a very bitter tone. "It all began after the staff meeting concluded. I went back to my post at the assembly line. I saw Maggey walkin' through the assembly line, far away from her security post. She had a smile on her face. She talked about a promotion in the staff meeting, and I couldn't have cared less. After work, I went home and listened to my parents screaming at each other. The sound of their voices drowned out the explosion where Axelrod died. I only heard about it the next morning. Then I put two and two together. Maggey's promotion was a plan to kill Axelrod and take his position, gaining his wealth." Karina testified. The judge nodded.

"That is a very different account from the rest, Miss McLaurin." The judge spoke. Karina scoffed.

"Yeah? Well all of my co-workers are close friends with Maggey. Of course they'd try to stick up for her." Karina spoke sharply. The judge nodded.

"Very well. The defense may begin their cross examination." The judge announced. Sayaka was noticeably miffed.

"I smell a lot of contradictions… but how do I get them across? This lady's a liar and I know it." Sayaka thought to herself, digging through her evidence folder. Then she remembered Rae's testimony from earlier. "Objection!" Sayaka shouted. "There are two different testimonies that contradict yours!" Sayaka began. "Mr. Riley's testimony contradicts how you got home from work. He says that you had left work shortly after the meeting, giving a nasty look to Mr. Axelrod on the way out. You said you had stayed the rest of the work day." Sayaka pointed out.

"Why would I go home early? I only live two blocks away from work and I don't have to be home early." Karina responded.

That reminds me of the second testimony." Sayaka continued. "Ms. Dius's testimony claimed that she heard the explosion all over her house, four blocks away from the scene of the crime. If it was audible from that far away, how did you not hear it over your bickering parents?" Sayaka asked. Karina grimaced.

"So what if the explosion was loud? They all are! Even with my door closed, all I could hear were my dipshit parents." Karina tried to counter. The judge shook his head.

"I find that hard to believe, Miss McLaurin. A person's voice is not louder than an explosion from that distance." The judge spoke sternly.
"Objection!" Kyoko shouted. "So what if Miss McLaurin went home early? That doesn't prove that she was at the scene of the murder." Kyoko countered.

"Objection!" Sayaka shouted. "Maybe it doesn't, but Mr. Riley's testimony gave me a very important detail." Sayaka continued.

"Oh yeah? What is it, lawyer?" Karina asked.
"He said that shortly after the explosion he saw you running down the street, away from the explosion. You said you were at home when the explosion happened, and that you did not hear about it until the next day!" Sayaka made a big claim. Karina was visibly upset.

"I already said that Mitch is a damn liar! All he cares about is protecting Maggey!" Karina shouted back.

"Objection!" Kyoko added on. "Even if Miss McLaurin was running that way, how can you tell Mitch saw her and not Maggey?" Kyoko asked. Sayaka nodded.

"He said that he recognized your hair and body shape clearly, despite the dark sky. He wanted to ask why you were running. Were you scared of explosions? Were you late to get home from her already late shift? Those are legitimate question for him to have when he suddenly sees you running away from an explosion at your own job site." Sayaka pressed further. Karina growled. "So tell me, Miss McLaurin. Why did you run away from the explosion?" Sayaka asked a question and put her finger up to her brooch. The background turned blue as her vision focused on Karina.

"Okay, so I was running from the explosion. Explosions terrify me. I was indeed working late hours that night and when I heard the explosion, I picked up my black gloves and I ran for my life!" Karina's eyes dilated twice. Once when she mentioned fear of explosions, and once when she mentioned picking up the gloves.

"Right there!" Sayaka shouted. "I found two separate lies in one paragraph!" Sayaka shouted. Karina began to sweat.

"Oh yeah? Tell me where I'm wrong!" Karina challenged Sayaka.

"You mentioned a fear of explosions." Sayaka began. "If that were the case… why would you work at a dynamite factory where explosions are a constant risk?" Sayaka asked.

"Explosions are scary, lawyer! Tell me you wouldn't freak out if something exploded nearby!" Karina growled.

"Second, the gloves. You said you picked up the gloves when you ran away… but the detective found these black gloves at the scene of the crime, NEAR MR. AXELROD'S OFFICE!" Sayaka presented crucial evidence. Karina shrugged.

"Okay then, lawyer. If you're so sure I did it, how can you prove that those gloves are mine?" Karina asked. Sayaka smirked.

"Ms. Byrde, show the witness your gloves!" Sayaka spoke confidently. Maggey smiled sweetly as she revealed her white gloves. Karina grimaced.

"Objection!" Kyoko shouted, biting into one of her pocky sticks. "So what if the defendant wears white gloves?! How do you know those gloves belong to Karina specifically?!" Kyoko asked. Sayaka then took a deep breath.

"Oh, shit." Sayaka thought to herself. "How do I prove that these gloves belong to Karina specifically?! How do I know they don't belong to someone else?" Sayaka thought long and hard. Then, she remembered something. She did not see another pair of gloves. This pair was the only one that turned up. Then she gathered the courage to object, but the judge slammed down his gavel.

"Miss Miki, If you do not have a point to get across, then what point is there to prolonging the trial?" The judge asked. It seemed like this was now or never.

"Objection!" Sayaka shouted, ready to present her case. "I ran an investigation into the scene of the crime. I did not find any gloves myself… but the detective did. These black gloves… and they appear to match the size of your hands!" Sayaka shouted. Kyoko, Karina, and the Judge all reeled back at once. Karina was visibly sweating.
"SO WHAT IF THEY MATCH MY HANDS! YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT I WORE THEM ON THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER!" Karina shouted.

"You said yourself that they were yours, when you said you picked them up and ran home. That, along with the size of your hands, proves that those gloves were yours!" Sayaka shouted. "And furthermore, the gloves certainly made contact with the door to the office. If they hadn't, the fingerprints would not have been so clearly smudged!" Sayaka pointed directly at Karina, who reeled back in anger.

"Objection!" Kyoko shouted, pointing a new pocky stick at Sayaka. "Okay, Miki. If you're so certain that the witness did it, please. TELL THE COURT EXACTLY HOW IT HAPPENED!" Kyoko challenged.

"Objection!" Sayaka shouted back. "Here's how I believe it happened." Sayaka began. "It was late at night at the factory. Mr. Grant Axelrod was alone in his office… when Miss McLaurin came in. She felt slighted, when Ms. Byrde got promoted instead of her. Mr. Axelrod is known to pay his lower ranking employees poorly, so Miss McLaurin felt the need to take things into her own hands. She brought a stack of dynamite and a shotgun to the office, wearing gloves to cover her tracks. She shot the phone on the desk to prevent Mr. Axelrod from calling the police. Then she lit the dynamite and threw it at Mr. Axelrod to blow him up… and take Ms. Byrde's position for herself. She then shut the door behind her as she left the office, leaving Axelrod to blow up. Then she ran out of the building and called the police herself… in order to pin the crime on Maggey Byrde… and to protect her fake identity." Sayaka explained what happened in the case. Karina looked defeated, with a saddened look on her face.
"Witness… is this what truly happened? Please be honest." The judge asked. Karina sighed.

"Yeah… the lawyer's right. If she knows about my fake identity, then she was bound to know about my crimes." Karina admitted defeat. Kyoko was surprised.

"Crimes? As in… more than one?" Kyoko asked. "And another thing… if Karina McLaurin isn't your real name… then what is it?!" Kyoko needed answers. Karina sighed.

"I'll tell you everything. My name is Yuli Rickson. Sister of Kane. My brother was always better than me at everything. Music, studies, athletics, everything. My parents loved him so much and I couldn't stand it. I wanted him gone so that my parents would love me again. So I conspired with a security guard named Ihd Eeot to get him killed, and he set up his co-worker Ihr Esponsible to take the fall. Then Ihd was found out. He said my real name in court, knowing the police would never find me thanks to the fake name I took up a year or so ago. In that year with my fake name, I was working a nightmare job under Axelrod with late hours and awful pay. I wanted a promotion so that I could escape the turmoil of my parents fighting each other over Kane's death. Then Maggey got the promotion I wanted, and my chance at escape was gone. So I took out my anger on Axelrod and blew him up, then pinned it on Maggey so the new boss would give me the promotion she stole from me. Now that I'm going to jail anyway, what's the point of this fake identity anymore? My parents will never love me again now that I'm a murderer…" Karina, now revealed to be Yuli, began crying as she explained everything to the court. Kyoko stared at her with a nasty glare. Sayaka teared up slightly. The gallery was silent for minutes on end. The judge sighed.

"I am truly sorry to hear about your home life, Miss Rickson." The judge began. "However, that does not excuse you from facing punishment for your roles in two different murders. It is truly unfortunate that your life played out the way it did." The judge spoke solemnly. Yuli nodded.

"Yeah… my life sucks. Jail would honestly be an upgrade over my broken home." Yuli admitted as the bailiffs came to arrest her. The situation had calmed down long enough for the court to reset and for Maggey to take the stand.

"This trial has taken a series of unexpected turns, but we have finally reached its end." The judge spoke with a relieved tone. "Now without further delay, this court finds the defendant, Ms. Maggey Byrde…" The judge lifted his gavel. "Not Guilty!" The judge announced the verdict, and the gallery cheered. "This court is now adjourned!" The judge slammed down his gavel as the gallery filed out of the courtroom. Maggey had the sweetest smile on her face as she left the courtroom with Sayaka.

"Thanks for defending me, Sayaka!" Maggey spoke with an excited tone.
"Wow, f-first name already?!" Sayaka was a bit shocked to hear Maggey use her first name so quickly, judging by an surprised expression on her face. "Y-You're welcome, Ms. Byrde." Sayaka tried to reel the conversation back in, despite the stutter. Maggey saluted to her new friend.

"I think you would be a great friend!" Maggey began. "You're honest, genuine, sweet, and you speak with your heart! You remind me a lot of Mr. Phoenix Wright, the amazing lawyer who saved me from my own bad luck twice! You talk a lot like he did in his trials!" Maggey's eyes watered a little bit, pairing well with her smile. Sayaka's eyes widened and her brows raised.

"S-Seriously?! I remind you of THE PHOENIX WRIGHT?!" Sayaka asked. Maggey saluted once more.

"Yep! I know him pretty well, and you remind me a lot of him! I'd love to talk to you again sometime!" Maggey spoke glowingly of her new friend. Sayaka smiled back.

"I'd love to see you again too, Maggey! Hopefully in a better situation than a trial." Sayaka replied. Her body language displayed a sense of trust in Maggey.

"I hope so too, even with my bad luck." Maggey turned to leave the courtroom. "I'll see you again soon, Sayaka!" Maggey waved goodbye.
"See you around, Maggey!" Sayaka waved goodbye as she left the courthouse. On her way back to the office, she thought about what she said to Kyoko yesterday.
"There's a difference between putting on an act and being nice. I've had fake friends, and they were all the same. They showered me with hollow compliments and praises to get something from me because they knew I was a nice person. That's not being nice. Maggey isn't like those fake friends. Her optimism and compassion are the real deal." Sayaka smiled, knowing she was right about Maggey in the end. She hoped that Kyoko had learned from this trial, just as she did. She had hoped Kyoko would be more conscious of the truth in future trials. Perhaps she would find out sometime soon.