Sayaka and Madoka went to the detention center after meeting with Mami. The girls walked in together and met Mr. Tohr Rent. He had a brownish-grey firefighter's suit with a bright green jacket that had silver reflective tape on it. Tohr had slightly dark skin, frazzled brown hair and cold green eyes.
"So… w-what happened? Why were you linked to the burning of Bluecorp?" Madoka asked with a stutter. Tohr smiled softly.
"Easy now, dear… you don't have to be nervous when you talk to me." Tohr had a low, gentle voice. "I was linked to that event because I had recently lost my job at the fire department… I guess the police thought I had a revenge play in mind…" Tohr spoke calmly. Sayaka shook her head.
"I won't accept a reason like that. I can tell that you're an innocent person." Sayaka responded. Tohr smiled.
"Thanks for believing in me, Miki. Really," Tohr crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "I hope you can prove my innocence to this court…" Tohr spoke solemnly. Sayaka nodded.
"I know I can do it. You'll be a free man soon!" Sayaka waved goodbye to her client as she left the detention center with Madoka by her side. Sayaka took a deep breath.
"Are you prepared, Sayaka?" Madoka asked in a nervous tone. Sayaka exhaled.
"I'm ready, Madoka. I'm not letting Tohr's trust in me go to waste." Sayaka spoke boldly.
"H-How many trials have you been through up until now?" Madoka asked.
"Only three. I'm still pretty new at this. I'm not exactly a perfect role model." Sayaka's tone came out a bit shaky. "I never thought I'd be in a position to teach you about the trial process… honestly I'm not sure I was ready to teach you all this, when I'm still trying to figure things out myself." Sayaka had a slightly downtrodden look on her face. Madoka smiled up at her.
"I think you're a good teacher, Sayaka! You and Mami helped me out a lot lately! I feel like I wouldn't be standing here without you." Madoka tried to cheer up her friend. Sayaka smiled softly.
"Thanks, Madoka." Sayaka began. "I'm glad to have you here with me. Let's try our best today." Sayaka took another deep breath and walked into the courtroom with Madoka.
"Wow… the courtroom looks a lot different from an attorney's desk." Madoka pointed out. Sayaka smiled.
"Yeah. I imagine being on the defendant's chair was stressful." Sayaka responded. "Does it feel good to be here beside me, Madoka?" Sayaka looked to her friend. Madoka smiled.
"Of course it does!" Madoka responded as the gallery filed into the courtroom. Kyoko walked in and took her place at the Prosecutor's desk. Her once nasty glare was replaced with a serious expression. She took out an apple and put it on her desk as the judge came in. The judge then slammed down his gavel.
"The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Tohr Rent!" The judge announced.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honour!" Kyoko spoke sharply, with her arms crossed.
"The defense is ready, Your Honour." Sayaka spoke with conviction. Kyoko took a bite out of her apple.
"Very good." The judge responded. "Now the prosecution may provide their opening statement." The judge announced.
"Very well." Kyoko began. "Late last night, the Bluecorp Building caught fire. A can of napalm was emptied onto the office floor, near to where the victim was working her night shift. She recognized the danger and ran for her life. At the back entrance, the defendant lit up a match, then held the burning flame towards the napalm, which burst into a fiery inferno. The victim, Mrs. Melissa Kauffman, escaped with severe burns on her body before she fell to the ground. She was then shot in the head with a sniper rifle, dying when the bullet pierced her skull." Kyoko spoke with confidence before pulling out a bolt action rifle with a scope. "This is the murder weapon. A basic bolt action rifle with a magnifying scope for increased accuracy." Kyoko submitted the weapon. The judge nodded.
"Thank you, Miss Sakura. I will submit the rifle to evidence." The judge announced. "Now, the prosecution may call its first witness." The judge called. Kyoko smirked.
"Very well! The prosecution calls Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand!" Kyoko responded with confidence. Gumshoe took the stand, smiling a happy smile.
"Witness! I want your name and occupation!" Kyoko ordered. Gumshoe proudly saluted.
"Dick Gumshoe! Detective!" Gumshoe spoke with renewed confidence. Kyoko smiled.
"Sounds like you're feeling better after your last trial, Detective. Do you feel comfortable testifying to the court what you found?" Kyoko asked.
"Yes, ma'am! I will share exactly what I found!" Gumshoe prepared himself to testify. "So I arrived at the Bluecorp Building early in the morning. The back of the building was charred by the flames, with little more than a frame remaining. There was a trail of soot that led to the back entrance and spread all the way around to the kitchen. This was where the napalm had touched the floor, and as a result, where the flames had burned. A can of napalm was retrieved from the kitchen, as was a matchstick, or what remained of it. The victim's footprints were dusted off, revealing a path to the back entrance. That is all that I found." Gumshoe explained his findings. The judge nodded.
"Thank you for your findings, Detective." The judge spoke gently. "Now, the defense may begin its cross examination." The judge announced.
"Footprints? I didn't see any at the building." Madoka tilted her head. Sayaka shook her head.
"I should ask him about the footprints for sure. Good call, Madoka." Sayaka responded. Then she turned to Gumshoe.
"Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "What about those footprints?! They weren't there when I investigated the building! How could they have been there last night?" Sayaka asked.
"I dusted off the soot on the floor after you left, and I discovered a bunch of footprints, leading from the victim's office to the back entrance." Gumshoe responded.
"So this proves that the match would have been lit at the building's entrance." Sayaka came to a conclusion. "Other than that… I don't see any glaring contradictions." Sayaka thought to herself. The judge nodded.
"Is this all you have to share, Miss Miki?" The judge asked.
"Dammit… I've gotta think of something. I have to in order to keep the case going and find the real killer…. Fuck, I'm drawing blanks!" Sayaka tried to think, but something wasn't clicking. Gumshoe's testimony was too solid. "Wait, the rifle. He never mentioned the rifle. I'll try that." Sayaka had an idea.
"Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "About the rifle… you know, the murder weapon. I noticed you never mentioned it among the things you found. Did you find it and not tell us? If so, where did you find it?" Sayaka tried something slightly desperate. Gumshoe reeled back.
"Objection!" Kyoko shouted back. "Gumshoe did not find that rifle. I did. And I found it at the scene of the crime, hidden away in a stash of bushes at the back entrance." Kyoko pointed out exactly where she found the rifle. "Along with it, the police force developed a map of the crime scene, detailing exactly where the defendant was found!" Kyoko revealed a map of the scene.
"Why that is vital evidence, Miss Sakura. Thank you for submitting it to court." The judge announced. Then he turned to Sayaka. "Do you have any counter argument for this claim?" The judge asked.
"N-No, your honour." Sayaka responded, exasperated. The judge nodded.
"Very well. The defense's cross examination period has ended." The judge announced as Gumshoe left the stand. Then the judge looked towards Kyoko. "Does the prosecution wish to call a witness to the stand?" The judge asked. Kyoko nodded as she took a bite out of her apple.
"Yes, your honour. I have a witness who has insight on the case." Kyoko responded.
"Good. The prosecution may call their second witness." The judge's voice boomed.
"The prosecution calls Mrs. Wendy Oldbag to the stand!" Kyoko ordered. Wendy walked up to the stand with a bruiting, serious expression.
"Witness! I want your name and occupation!" Kyoko pointed her pocky stick at Wendy, whose eyes began to sparkle.
"Oh dearie~" Wendy began. "You can just call me grandma!" Wendy spoke in an affectionate tone. Sayaka's eyes were at half mast. Madoka tilted her head. Kyoko shot Wendy a vicious glare.
"No nicknames, witness. Just your name and occupation!" Kyoko growled, pointing her pocky stick right between Wendy's eyes.
"Alright. I am Wendy Oldbag. Security Guard for Bluecorp." Wendy announced her name and occupation. Kyoko nodded.
"Good. Now testify to the court exactly what you saw!" Kyoko ordered. Wendy smiled as her eyes sparkled.
"I won't let you down, dearie~" Wendy cheered as she put her serious face back on. Madoka watched with curiosity. "I was working the late shift. It was dark out, and my station was near the kitchen where the fire started. A stray can of napalm was left in the kitchen. I paid it no mind at first, but after I had left, a fire broke out. I had arrived just in time to find Miss Kauffman's body dead on the ground, with a suspicious figure hiding out in the bushes with a gun. The police came quickly and he left his gun behind, along with a small can of soda." Wendy finished her testimony, with a gruff expression. The judge nodded.
"That is a solid testimony, Mrs. Oldbag." The judge spoke calmly. "Now, the defense may cross-examine the witness." The judge announced. Sayaka and Madoka looked at each other.
"Did you hear the contradiction I heard?" Sayaka asked.
"Is it about the can of soda? I don't remember seeing one." Madoka responded. Sayaka shook her head.
"No, Madoka. Although I should press on that." Sayaka noted.
"Go for it, Sayaka!" Madoka cheered on her friend.
"Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "About that can of soda, what did it look like? Was the defendant holding the soda when you saw him?" Sayaka asked.
"The can of soda was purple! Grape flavour!" Wendy shouted. Tohr shook his head. Perhaps he did not like grape soda. "I saw the suspicious party holding the can of soda, along with the gun. Then he dropped them like they were on fire!" Wendy continued. Sayaka made notes of Wendy's statement. Then she remembered the contradiction she wanted to object to.
"Okay, time to ask about the fire…" Sayaka thought to herself as she pulled out the can of napalm. "Objection!" Sayaka shouted. "The can of napalm. How did you find it?" Sayaka asked.
"Oh, it was just laying on the oven, opened right up." Wendy fibbed. Sayaka shook her head.
"Funny. That's not how I found it." Sayaka replied. "I saw it standing up on the table, opened up for all to see."
"Nonsense, it was opened when I saw it! I didn't think much of it at first, but that's how I saw it!" Wendy screeched. Madoka covered her ears. Kyoko glared at Wendy, covering her ears.
"Since you didn't think much of it, you must have seen it before the fire. If it was open and laying on the oven… how did you not feel napalm on the floor?" Sayaka asked. Wendy glared and pulled her lower lip forwards.
"Objection!" Kyoko shouted. "How could the witness have felt napalm on the floor if she was wearing shoes on the job?!" Kyoko asked.
"Objection!" Sayaka shouted back. "Tell me you haven't felt the rain seeping through your shoes before! Mrs. Oldbag had to have felt the napalm when she walked through the trail of napalm to get out of work." Sayaka countered with her own idea. Wendy screamed, causing Kyoko, Madoka, and the gallery to cover their ears. The judge slammed down his gavel.
"Order! Order in the court!" The judge shouted to try and refocus the court. "Witness, if the can of napalm was truly open and laying down, how could you not have felt or seen napalm pouring from the can?" The judge asked.
"How was I supposed to know?! Napalm is a clear liquid!" Wendy shouted at the judge.
"Are you telling me you couldn't have heard a splashing sound when you walked through the liquid?" The judge asked.
"N-No! I didn't hear a thing!" Wendy retorted. Sayaka's eyes laid at half mast, as did Madoka and Kyoko's eyes. The judge shook his head.
"You may testify again, Mrs. Oldbag. But please make sure this testimony is accurate." The judge ordered. Wendy groaned.
"Yes, your honour." Wendy relented. "Anyway… so yes, I did feel and hear the splashing of napalm on my shoes. It went all the way from the kitchen and it left a set of wet footprints behind when I walked out the back door. When I did, I saw the defendant's face, along with that of a big, muscular man with dreadlocks tied up behind him. The two of them were getting into an argument and the defendant threw a can of grape soda onto the sidewalk. When the fire broke out, I saw both of them running away from the police." Wendy finished her second testimony.
"I hope this testimony is more accurate, Mrs. Oldbag." The judge responded. "Now, the defense may cross examine the witness again." The judge announced. Sayaka and Madoka looked at each other.
"Why did Mrs. Oldbag bring up that other person?" Madoka asked.
"From how she described him, he might be that Cha'various guy Mr. McDyess described. Oldbag never mentioned his name… or the gold chain." Sayaka responded. "But that's not what caught my attention. It's the footprints. Along with how she saw them when the fire broke out." Sayaka told Madoka about what she noticed. Madoka thought about it for a bit before a lightbulb appeared over her head.
"Yeah! Ask her about the footprints!" Madoka said. Sayaka nodded.
"Objection!" Sayaka shouted. "Those footprints… would those happen to be the same footprints that were dusted off yesterday?" Sayaka began.
"What does that have to do with the case" Wendy asked.
"Everything, actually. That would mean the footprints in the hallway belonged to you, Oldbag. The path you claim to have taken from the kitchen to the back door, was the path of the footprints we found! And since you knew about the can of napalm, along with the way it was set down… that must mean you were the one that put it there in the first place!" Sayaka laid into Wendy's claim. "And furthermore, when the police were called, you said you saw the defendant and the accomplice fleeing the building and running away from the police… but earlier you said they had been arrested as soon as the police arrived! Which one is it, Oldbag?!" Sayaka finished.
"Objection!" Kyoko shouted as she bit into her apple, leaving only the core. "While you were right about the police being there to arrest the defendant immediately, you're missing something." Kyoko countered. "I ran a fingerprint test on the can of napalm. The fingerprints did not in fact, belong to Mrs. Oldbag!" Kyoko smirked. Sayaka and Madoka reeled back.
"See?! I had nothin' to do with that can! I only found it laying on the stove and spilling its contents!" Oldbag shouted.
"D-Damnit…" Sayaka groaned. The gallery began chattering for a bit before the judge slammed down his gavel.
"Order! Order in the court!" The judge yelled. "Does the defense have any objections to this claim?" The judge asked.
"N-No, your honour…" Sayaka responded. Madoka looked at Kyoko with a nervous stare.
"Very well, then. The defense's cross examination period has ended." The judge announced. Wendy stomped off the stand and left the courtroom. "Now, the prosecution may call its next witness." The judge announced.
"Very well, your honour! The prosecution calls Mr. Kareem McDyess to the stand!" Kyoko spoke clearly. Kareem appeared on the stand, carrying his boombox and wearing fancy shades.
"Witness, I want your name and occupation!" Kyoko pulled out her pocky stick and pointed it at Kareem.
"Yo Yo Yo! I'm MC Dyess! Rapper of the future!" Kareem responded while making a peace signed. Kyoko growled.
"NAME. AND. OCCUPATION. NO SPECIAL TITLES. JUST YOUR NAME AND OCCUPATION!" Kyoko shouted.
"Ohhhh, we doin' it that way. All business like and stuff-" Kareem put down his boombox and crossed his arms. Kyoko sighed.
"Just tell me your name and occupation, for god sakes…" Kyoko groaned.
"Aight then. I'm Kareem McDyess. I'm a junior rapper." Kareem responded.
"See? How hard was that? Now testify to the courts what you saw on the night of the murder!" Kyoko ordered. Kareem shrugged his shoulders and smiled cheekily.
"Kay then, girl! I'll tell y'all what I saw!" Kareem then switched on his boombox to put a beat behind his words. "It was another night in the alleys. I was walkin' home from the studio when I saw the sky shrouded in smoke. When I found the source, I saw bluecorp on fire! There was a soda can, along with two peeps. The defendant, and my buddy Cha'various Zahair. The defendant appeared to have been yelling at Cha'various when the cops arrived. That's about everythin' I saw, y'all!" Kareem testified, while bouncing his body back and forth, holding a makeshift microphone.
"You're certainly a unique witness." The judge commented. "Very well then! The defense may begin their cross examination." The judge announced. Sayaka and Madoka looked at each other.
"Sayaka, did you see any contradictions?" Madoka whispered.
"Nope." Sayaka shook her head. "That's most of the same stuff he said yesterday. Though I wanna know more about Cha'various Zahair. That guy sounds suspicious." Sayaka responded before turning to Kareem. "Hold it!" Sayaka shouted. "About Mr. Zahair… what's he like? Could he be the muscular person Mrs. Oldbag described?" Sayaka asked.
"Ah, so yer curious!" Kareem began. "Cha'various Zahair. I like to call him Dr. Z. He taught me a lot about rappin' He's a big dude. Muscular, with a set of dreads on the back of his head. He's a real shouty guy if you get up in his face." Kareem described his friend.
"I'm guessing he has a close relationship with the defendant, if he was seen next to him at the scene of the crime." Kyoko added as she took out an apple.
"Not really. Bro never told me about any firemen. Mans tellin' me more 'bout the cops and the ballers than any firemen." Kareem shrugged his shoulders.
"What exactly do you mean by ballers?" The judge asked, entirely oblivious to the culture of the streets.
"Basketball stars, judge! Streets got plenty of ballers. Dr. Z talks about 'em cuz he wanna be one of 'em." Kareem smiled as he made a thumbs up sign. "Mans said he had practice on the night of the murder. Never guessed he'd be all the way out there." Kareem added. Sayaka made note of Kareem's statement.
"Another thing, Mr. McDyess. What about the defendant? Was the person you saw the defendant at all?" Sayaka asked. Kareem looked at Tohr and shook his head.
"Not sure. This doesn't appear to be the dude I saw beside Dr. Z…" Kareem spoke solemnly. Sayaka slammed the desk. This was a perfect moment to strike.
"Objection!" Sayaka shouted. "If the defendant isn't the person you saw… then why did you say in your testimony that it was?" Sayaka asked.
"U-Ummm…" Kareem mumbled. "I… thought that's who I saw. I saw a fireman's jacket and when I heard about the arrest, I just assumed that was him. N-Now that I see the defendant… he looks a bit less stocky than the fireman I actually saw." Kareem corrected himself. The judge shook his head.
"I believe the rest of your testimony must be called into question, Mr. McDyess. You cannot make assumptions like that with lives on the line." The judge spoke boldly.
"Objection!" Kyoko shouted, taking a bite from her apple. "Your honour, Mr. McDyess's testimony is solid enough. All he has pointed out, except for the identity of the fireman at the scene, was solid evidence. While he may have been wrong about who was there, the evidence remains." Kyoko explained. The judge turned to Sayaka.
"Any objections, Miss Miki?" The judge asked. Sayaka shook her head.
"No objections, your honour. Mr. McDyess's new perspective provides reasonable doubt that the defendant was actually guilty. He admitted to his mistake and corrected himself." Sayaka responded. Kyoko was surprised by the lack of an objection. The judge nodded.
"Very well then. The defense's cross examination period has ended." The judge announced as Kareem walked off the stage. Then the judge slammed down his gavel.
"This trial has gone on long enough for one day. The court will temporarily suspend proceedings until tomorrow." The judge spoke with authority. "For today, this court is now adjourned." The judge slammed down his gavel as he and the gallery filed for the exits.
"Come with me, Miki. Alone." Kyoko motioned for Sayaka to follow her. Madoka quailed in fright.
"W-Why should she?! You're big and mean and-" Madoka's voice indicated a sense of fear, but Sayaka advanced towards Kyoko.
"I'll be fine, Madoka. I promise." Sayaka reassured her friend as she followed Kyoko into the lobby. "So… what is it that you want to talk about, Sakura?" Sayaka asked. Kyoko handed Sayaka an apple.
"It's about the case itself, Miki." Kyoko began. "You listened to me yesterday, when I said I wanted to find out if the defendant really was guilty, didn't you?" Kyoko asked.
"Find out… so this means… you're not sure if he's really guilty. Right?" Sayaka took a bite out of the apple. Kyoko shook her head.
"Something about what you said last week… it made me start to rethink the way I do things. Every time I faced you… you always beat me. It got me thinking. What am I doing wrong? Why have I lost to you twice? But then… I remembered what you said in the middle of the Maggey Byrde trial. You said you fight for the truth. You said you wanted an accurate verdict. You said you defend those who are truly innocent. That led me to think about whether or not the people I've convicted really were guilty. It led me to rethink my entire purpose for becoming a prosecutor in the first place." Kyoko spoke with her heart. She sounded very unsure of herself, unlike previous encounters. "The more I heard from you, from Gumshoe, from the witnesses… the less I believed that the defendant was guilty. I don't even know if this one is really guilty. The whole thing is making me think about what a prosecutor is really meant to do." Kyoko continued as she crossed her arms. Then she looked Sayaka in the eyes. "If you win… it'll be because you know what really happened. And I'll know, too. When you beat me the first time, I thought it was a fluke. When you beat me the second time, maybe it was bad luck. But when something happens a third time… it's not luck. It's a trend. Knowing how you prize truth… how you defend those you know are innocent… knowing all that will show me what's really going on." Kyoko finished her speech, just as Sayaka finished the apple, leaving a core behind.
"Sakura…" Sayaka began, but Kyoko stopped her.
"Prove to me tomorrow that your ideals are correct… Sayaka." Kyoko then turned around, but before she left the courthouse, she looked back at Sayaka. "Tomorrow's trial will be all the proof I need, as to whether or not your belief in your client is the truth. Don't disappoint me." Kyoko opened the door of the courthouse and then shut it behind her. Sayaka needed a moment to process everything Kyoko had just said. About truth, about her way of thinking, about what Sayaka had said the previous week. She returned to the defense lobby to see Madoka, who gave her a big hug.
"Madoka… I'm starting to think…" Sayaka began.
"Starting to think… what?" Madoka asked.
"I'm starting to think my message about truth is getting to Kyoko." Sayaka smiled softly as she led Madoka out of the courthouse. She had a lot to think about over the course of the next investigation. This next trial suddenly had a lot more weight to it, now that Sayaka's beliefs were on the line. Now, more than ever, she had to find the truth, not only to save her client, but also to finally convince Kyoko to join her in her quest for truth.