Ace Attorney: Hope for a Brighter Future Chapter 4: Episode 1, Day 1, Trial 4, a phoenix wright: ace attorney fanfic

A/N: Time for the finale, hope you guys enjoy it.

Mentioned Canon Characters:

Phoenix Wright/Ryuuichi Naruhodou

Winston Payne/Takefumi Auchi

Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney/Gyakuten Saiban.

Episode 1: A Turnabout up in Smoke

Day 1, Trial, Part 4: The True Culprit

March 28, 2082. 12:55. Courthouse, Courtroom No. 4.

A few minutes after the Judge had made his decree, the obnoxious law student, Genkin Ranyou, had been brought back to the witness stand. He seemed a little upset to have been dragged back into the courtroom. As he frowned, Genkin produced a wad of money from his blazer and started fanning himself with it. "What's the big idea calling me back here all of a sudden? I was taking the most excellent nap back in the waiting lobby, and then the next thing I know, I'm being awoken by that oafish bailiff over there and he tells me that I have to come back in here and do something else." He let out a great big yawn and stretched his arms, while continuing to fan himself with his money.

I sweatdropped. 'Well sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, Your Majesty.'

"Is the trial still going on? I assumed it would've finished ages ago," said Genkin. "Hasn't Professor Takumi been found guilty yet?"

"On the contrary, Ranyou-san, it appears that the Professor is innocent of this crime. All the definitive evidence against him has been disproven and now we are most certain that the person who murdered Professor Yamazaki is this mysterious person named Hacker-san," the Judge replied.

Genkin looked confused. "Hacker-san?" he repeated in confusion.

I sweatdropped again. "Umm, Your Honor. The culprit's name isn't Hacker; the culprit is a hacker. Let me just make that clear before we go any further."

"Oh right, sorry I got confused there for a second," the Judge replied.

"I don't understand. Professor Takumi's not the killer?" Genkin asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"While it has yet to be completely proven, yes, that's how it appears to be at this point," Auchi replied in a flustered tone. "So we called you back in here to ask you some more questions."

"Why me in particular?" Genkin asked. He looked over to me. "You said the killer is a hacker, right?" Genkin scratched his head. "I don't know anyone who could possibly fit that criteria. What could I possibly tell you about all of this?"

"Well, you see, Ranyou-san," I held up the memo with Genkin's name on it, "While you were in the Prosecutor Waiting Lobby, we discovered that Professor Yamazaki was investigating this hacker, and we managed to get ahold of the notes he took during said investigation, thanks to Dean Kyoukun. And a few minutes ago we found this small memo hidden amongst the rest of Professor Yamazaki's notes. And on this memo is a list of students who we assume all attend Yumei University, and one of those students in particular is you, Ranyou-san."

"…!" Genkin looked surprised, and then that surprise quickly turned into confusion. "Me? I'm on this list?"

"Yes, it may be a thin lead, but considering the fact that this memo was hidden amongst the rest of the notes taken by Professor Yamazaki, concerning this investigation, I think it deserves a once-over," I explained.

Genkin fell silent. "…"

"So then, Ranyou-san? Do you have any ideas as to why Professor Yamazaki would've listed you amongst this particular group of students?" I asked him.

Genkin looked away. "Nope, I don't have a clue."

"Ranyou-kun, if you're keeping something from us, now is the time to come clean," Professor Takumi replied. "There's a reason that Yamazaki wrote down your name on this list, and I think you know what that reason is. Please, I want to believe in my former teaching assistant."

Genkin raised his hands up in the air and shook his head as he shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry Professor, but I really have no idea. I wish I could help, but I can't tell you what I don't know."

"Hanamura-san, if nothing is coming from this line of questioning, then perhaps it's best if we excuse this witness and think of another lead we can pursue. After all, it is like the witness says, he can't tell us what he doesn't know," the Judge suggested.

"Yeah, I mean, what would you like me to do? Guess what that list is?" Genkin asked in a snide tone.

'His reaction when I first brought up that memo says it all. He's hiding something. And he thinks he can get away with it if he just plays dumb. But I'm not gonna let him slide that easily,' I thought to myself. I smirked and then nodded. "Sure, why not? Would you please give some testimony about what you think this list is, Ranyou-san?"

Genkin's eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

"What's the meaning of this, rookie?! You want the witness to guess the meaning behind that list?!" Auchi exclaimed.

"Hanamura-san, uncertainties can't really be admitted as fact in a court of law," the Judge added. "Where exactly are you going with this?"

"I'm just taking the witness up on his offer, Your Honor. Ranyou-san asked if I wanted him to guess what this list is, and so I thought, why not?" I replied.

"I don't really see the harm in it either, Your Honor," Professor Takumi added.

"But that's…that's…" Auchi was at a loss for words.

"This is highly unusual. I can't say I've ever heard of anyone giving testimony based on a guess," the Judge replied. Then he closed his eyes and mulled things over. "Hmm." And then a few moments later he opened his eyes and addressed me. "Hanamura-san, are you really sure that something will come of this?"

"I'm certain, Your Honor," I replied in a confident tone. 'And by that, I mean, I'm bluffing my ass off to keep that smug bastard on the stand,' I secretly thought to myself.

"Your eyes tell a different story, Hanamura-san," the Judge replied, catching on quickly to my true state of mind. Then he sighed. "But seeing as these are special circumstances, and how Auchi-san no longer seems to be with us…"

"Perfect win record…ruined…stupid rookie…curse my bloodline…" Auchi appeared to be in his own little world. He was hanging his head over his desk while incessantly muttering something to himself.

I sweatdropped. 'Having control of his whole murder case slip away from him must be pushing him over the edge. Geez, are all prosecutors stressed out about winning cases? Or is the Auchi clan just a special case?'

"…I suppose I have no choice but to allow it," the Judge continued. Then he banged his gavel down upon his desk. "Witness, I hereby order you to give testimony relating to your…guess."

"Y-You can't be serious? What kind of stupid trial is this?" Genkin replied in an unnerved tone as his eyes began to twitch.

"I'll thank you to hold your tongue, witness. The court does not take kindly to being called stupid, frankly that's just mean," the Judge replied.

"Hanamura-kun," Professor Takumi called out to me.

"Yeah, I know," I replied, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "He really doesn't want to be up there. He must not have expected this at all, meaning everything that he said before was rehearsed. Do you think it's really him, Professor?"

"I don't know," Professor Takumi replied. Then he turned to me. "I'd like to think that my own teaching assistant wouldn't even think about doing something so horrible." Then he looked back at Genkin. "But those aren't the reactions of an innocent man. He's hiding something, and it's up to us to find out what that something is. Don't hold back on my account."

"I wasn't planning to, Professor," I replied.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

Guess About the Memo

Statement 1: "I've never seen that memo before," Genkin quickly stated.

Statement 2: "I didn't have any interactions with Professor Yamazaki, I've barely ever said two words to the guy."

Statement 3: "So why is my name on that memo? Honestly I haven't a clue."

Statement 4: "Maybe he was planning on writing me and a few other students a recommendation letter?"

END OF TESTIMONY

"Well that was a very short testimony, but I guess that's to be expected when it was about a guess," said the Judge. "Hanamura-san, I must warn you right now. The court doesn't take kindly to its time being wasted. If something doesn't come of this, I see a hefty penalty in your future."

I took a deep breath and then replied, "I understand, Your Honor. The Defense is ready to begin the cross-examination."

"Very well then, let the cross-examination begin," the Judge replied, before banging his gavel down upon his desk.

"I have faith in you, Hanamura-kun. You can do this," said Professor Takumi.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

Guess About the Memo

Statement 1: "I've never seen that memo before," Genkin quickly stated.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Is that really the truth though?"

"Yes, of course it is. I don't have any reason to lie," Genkin replied as he glared at me. "And if you just give me a second to explain myself, I'll prove it."

'This is a complete 180 to how he acted during his first testimony. He didn't see any of this coming. Which makes this the perfect chance to knock him off his game,' I thought to myself.

Statement 2: "I didn't have any interactions with Professor Yamazaki, I've barely ever said two words to the guy."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "You never interacted with Professor Yamazaki? I kind of find that hard to believe. You worked as Professor Takumi's TA, and he and Professor Yamazaki were old friends and colleagues. You're telling me in all that time your paths never crossed once?"

Genkin started to sweat a little, and also started scratching his head, giving clear signs that he was getting nervous. "O-Okay, maybe I misspoke. I had talked to him before. I…I just meant that I didn't know him on a more personal level."

"You've never taken any classes with him?" I asked.

"Why would I? He taught prosecutorial law. I'm studying to become a defense attorney. We're in two completely different areas of study," Genkin replied.

"Huh, that's odd. I remember that when I went to Yumei, I still took a class or two with professors in other fields of study, and last I checked I'm a defense attorney. Come to think of it, I think I did have at least one class with Professor Yamazaki himself," I replied as I stroked my chin.

Genkin got flustered again. "O-Oh, you don't say? Well then I guess that just means that I don't have to take as many classes as you did. The curriculum's probably just different, yeah that's it."

'Hmm, he's lying through his teeth, but about what exactly?' I asked myself.

Statement 3: "So why is my name on that memo? Honestly I haven't a clue."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Is that really the truth though?" I asked again.

"I'm telling you, that's just the way it is! Now lay off, you insignificant bug of an attorney!" Genkin shouted at me in fury.

The Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk. "Ranyou-san, one more outburst like that and I'll have you held in contempt of court. Is that clear?"

Genkin growled. "Yes, Your Honor," he spat out.

'I'm definitely getting under his skin. Just a little more pressure and he's bound to slip-up,' I thought to myself.

Statement 4: "Maybe he was planning on writing me and a few other students a recommendation letter?"

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "A recommendation letter, huh? Is that what you think this memo is referring to? If that's the case, then why was it tucked away into a report about a secret investigation that Professor Yamazaki was conducting?"

Genkin looked flustered again. "I…I don't know, maybe it got put in there by accident or something?"

"Okay then, let me ask a different question. Did Professor Yamazaki often write recommendation letters for students?" I asked.

"Yeah, he had garnered quite a reputation for himself back when he still practiced law, his name still rings heavy today even among the most powerful of law firms and the top tier of the DA's office," Genkin replied. "But he only gave his recommendation to students who did exceptionally well in his class. I was acing his class, so that's probably why my name's on that memo."

'Wait. Just now.' I smirked. 'That's it, I've got him.'

"Ranyou-kun is definitely hiding something. Just how involved in this is he?" Professor Takumi asked.

"I don't know, Professor. But we'll find out one way or another," I replied.

Statement 2: "I didn't have any interactions with Professor Yamazaki, I've barely ever said two words to the guy."

Press.

"You've never taken any classes with him?" I asked.

"Why would I? He taught prosecutorial law. I'm studying to become a defense attorney. We're in two completely different areas of study," Genkin replied.

Genkin got flustered again. "O-Oh, you don't say? Well then I guess that just means that I don't have to take as many classes as you did. The curriculum's probably just different, yeah that's it."

"Oh really? Well if that's the case, then how come you are in fact taking his class just like I did?" I asked.

Genkin's eyes widened. "Wh-What?!" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Hanamura-san, are you saying that the witness is lying?" the Judge asked.

I nodded. "Yes I am, Your Honor."

"I'm not lying! How dare you slander a Ranyou like that?!" Genkin exclaimed. "Do you know how much power my family's name holds?!"

"I'm not afraid of you, or your family, Ranyou-san," I replied in a confident tone. "One's wealth or power doesn't matter in a court of law, if someone's lying on the stand then it's my job to prove it."

Genkin's eyebrows twitched. "Why you smug little…!" Then he took a deep breath and calmed down. Then he smiled at me with that smug grin of his and scoffed. "You nearly had me there for a second, but it's going to take a lot more than that to fool a Ranyou. You're bluffing, you don't have anything to prove I'm lying."

"Hanamura-san, is this true? I won't tolerate any bluffs, not at this crucial point," the Judge added.

I shook my head. "I'm not lying at all, Your Honor. The only one who's lying is Ranyou-san. He took Professor Yamazaki's class and did have a connection to him. And I can prove it."

"Well then where's your evidence?" Genkin replied in a smug tone. "Go on, present it, I'll humor you. But the moment you fail to prove anything, I'm going to personally see to it that my family ruins you," he threatened. "When we're finished with you, Hanamura-san, forget about practicing criminal law. You'll be lucky if you can work in traffic court."

"I'm not afraid of you," I replied. "You're just an arrogant little punk who thinks he has the God-given right to look down on others just because your family is a little more affluent than others. I'll say it again, all your family's money, all your family's power…it doesn't mean squat here. This is between me and you, Ranyou-san."

Genkin shot a wicked death glare at me. "…"

"You want evidence so bad? Fine. I'll give it to you. But I don't think you're going to like it," I replied with a smirk.

MAKE A DECISION: What proves Genkin's lying about his connection to Professor Yamazaki?

Present evidence

Genkin's own words

Pick Option Two.

"Your Honor, the evidence that proves the witness is lying is…the witness's own words," I replied.

"Wh-What?!" Genkin exclaimed in confusion.

"Explain yourself, Hanamura-san," the Judge replied.

"Earlier when I asked about Ranyou-san's guess regarding the memo, he stated that it might've been a note Professor Yamazaki made to himself about writing recommendation letters for certain students." I picked up a transcript of Genkin's testimony and then began to read from it. "Ranyou-san went on to state the following: 'Yeah, he had garnered quite a reputation for himself back when he still practiced law, his name still rings heavy today even among the most powerful of law firms and the top tier of the DA's office. But he only gave his recommendation to students who did exceptionally well in his class. I was acing his class, so that's probably why my name's on that memo.'" I looked up from the transcript. "Ranyou-san stated that he had no real connection to Professor Yamazaki other than talking to him a few times while working for Professor Takumi, but this is a lie. Ranyou-san knew Professor Yamazaki in a different manner. He was taking his class!"

"Crap!" Genkin exclaimed as he started sweating bullets.

Whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, and the Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk until everyone was silent. Then he gave Genkin a disapproving look. "Ranyou-san, you are a law student. You should know that perjury is a very serious crime. Why would you try so hard to conceal your connection to the victim from the court?"

"I…I just didn't think it was necessary to mention it. So I took one of his classes, so what? Is it really that big of a deal?" Genkin replied in a flustered tone.

"Apparently it is a big deal, otherwise you wouldn't have gone through the effort to hide it, or reacted so violently," I replied. "So the question becomes, why didn't you want us to know that you were taking Professor Yamazaki's class?"

"J-Just let me keep testifying, I'll explain everything, I swear," Genkin replied.

The Judge sighed. "Very well, you may keep testifying, but please no more lies."

'Alright, I caught him in a lie. Now let's see what comes of this,' I thought to myself.

The Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk. "The cross-examination shall continue."

Statement 5: "Okay I was lying before, I admit it. I did take Professor Yamazaki's class. I just didn't say so at first because I didn't think it was necessary information," Genkin said in an unnerved tone.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "You didn't think it was necessary? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean, so what if I took his class? What does that have to do with anything?" Genkin asked.

"Hmm, I guess that's true. I can't see myself as to why it would be such an important detail. Still though, you shouldn't have lied when you said you had no other connection to the victim," the Judge replied.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was just nervous is all. Please, give me a second chance. Ask me anything you want, I swear I'll tell nothing but the truth," said Genkin.

"Well he seems to be a little more forthcoming now," Professor Takumi said to me.

"Yeah, which leads me to believe that there's something else he's keeping from us. There has to be a reason why he didn't want us to know that he was one of Professor Yamazaki's students," I replied.

"Well then I suggest we probe for some more information. Ranyou-kun's offering to answer whatever question you ask him, take him up on that offer and see what you can come up with. Who knows? You might find another contradiction hiding deeper within his testimony," Professor Takumi replied.

I nodded. "Leave it to me." Then I stroked my chin and started to think. 'Now what exactly should I ask him about?'

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

How was Professor Yamazaki's class?

Do you know anyone who would want to harm Professor Yamazaki?

Were you close with Professor Yamazaki?

Pick Option Three.

"How close were you with Professor Yamazaki exactly?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Genkin asked.

"Well earlier you said that the memo we found with your name on it might be a list of students that Professor Yamazaki was going to write recommendation letters for. And you also claimed that Professor Yamazaki only gave his recommendation to the students who were at the head of the class, so to speak. So I assume you were doing incredibly well in his class, correct?" I replied.

Genkin scoffed. "You could say that."

"Well usually students form deep connections with their professors, I know I formed one with Professor Takumi here," I replied as I motioned to Professor Takumi. "And my grades in his class were just a little above average. I assume that a student who was acing a professor's class would be close with that professor as well, if not more so. So were you closer with Professor Yamazaki than you let on?"

"Well I wouldn't say we were that close, he wasn't really a sociable guy, you know?" Genkin replied as he crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. "But I did try my best to be on his good side. I had heard from some of the other faculty members that he could drink like a fish, so I ordered him some special rum from overseas to butter him up."

"You bought him some rum from overseas?" I replied.

"Yeah, I was hoping to use it to get him to do me a favor in the future, but when I gave it to him all he did was thank me and then go on his way. I guess he just thought of it as a symbol of appreciation, like an apple or something," Genkin replied. "Good money down the drain," he added with a huff.

"That's kind of odd for Yamazaki," Professor Takumi remarked.

"Professor?" I replied in confusion.

"Yamazaki did indeed drink like a fish, he certainly enjoyed his liquor. That and his smoking were the only two vices that he allowed himself. But ever since his wife passed he took better care of himself. He would only have a drink or two when it was a special occasion. And receiving a gift like that would have certainly put a smile on his face." Professor Takumi sighed. "I guess our case had already gotten to him by that time." Then he looked at me. "Oh pay me no mind, Hanamura-kun. Just the musings of an old man who's outlived all his friends."

'Actually, I wonder if there's something more to this,' I thought to myself. "Your Honor, I'd like the witness's last statements added to the current testimony," I said.

"Very well, witness please amend your testimony," the Judge replied before banging his gavel down upon his desk.

"Umm, o-okay?" Genkin replied in a confused tone.

Statement 6: "I wanted to try and get on Professor Yamazaki's good side, and I heard through the grapevine that he was an avid drinker. So I ordered a special brand of rum from overseas to give to him as a present," said Genkin.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "And you said this rum was expensive, correct?"

"Very expensive. It used to be shipped to different parts of the world but the production of it was discontinued before the establishment of the Initial Trial System, and since then it's been almost impossible to find even in the rum's country of origin. It cost me a king's ransom to obtain that bottle, and it seemed like Professor Yamazaki could've cared less. Money well spent indeed," Genkin replied. Then he smirked and produced a wad of money from his blazer and started fanning himself with it. "But still, that was just a drop in the bucket for a Ranyou."

'Oh the joys of being rich,' I thought to myself as I sweatdropped.

Professor Takumi huffed. "This is a little disheartening to hear, Yamazaki never told me he received such an extravagant gift, from my own teaching assistant no less. When my birthday rolled around, all Ranyou-kun thought to get me was a new tie."

I sweatdropped again. 'Honestly, Professor. Now's not the time to be jealous.'

Present Bottle of Rum.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. Then I held up the empty bottle of Bacardi 151. "Ranyou-san, the rum that you gave Professor Yamazaki, it wouldn't happen to have been this bottle of Bacardi 151, would it?"

Genkin's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he began to sweat bullets. "S-S-So what if it was?"

"Well you see, Professor Yamazaki was drinking on the night of his death. As a matter of fact, the whole bottle was empty when it was found. So as you could imagine, he passed out in his office. And someone took advantage of his inebriation and turned his office into a tinderbox," I replied.

"That doesn't prove anything!" Genkin exclaimed as he glared daggers at me. "I…I gave him that bottle last semester!"

"Why are you getting so testy all of a sudden, Ranyou-san?" I asked.

"You can't fool me, you insignificant worm! I was not there that night! And I won't let you say I was!" Genkin shouted.

"…!" Auchi seemed surprised.

"…!" as did the Judge.

"…!" as did Professor Takumi.

"…!" as was I. "Ranyou-san, I never said anything about you being there with Professor Yamazaki, all I said was that I thought it was interesting how the same bottle of rum that you got him as a gift was what he was drinking right before he died."

"…!" Genkin realized his slip of the tongue.

"And according to Professor Takumi, Professor Yamazaki would never turn a gift like that away. His behavior that you described earlier on in your testimony isn't normal. And your outburst right now, that's fishy as well." Then it came to me. 'Wait, that's it!' I smirked. "Well Your Honor, it seems that something came from this after all."

"Hmm, what exactly do you mean, Hanamura-san?" the Judge asked.

"We have an opportunity to learn more about what exactly transpired that night because Ranyou-san's testimony revealed one important fact. He was with Professor Yamazaki before he was murdered!"

"Noooooooo!" Genkin looked like he received a sucker punch from the air. A flurry of banknotes came flying out of his blazer as he struggled to maintain his balance and tried to use the railing on the witness stand to support his weight.

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

Bottle of Rum Updated.

Whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, and once again the Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk until the courtroom was silent once more. "Ranyou-san, that's twice you've willingly withheld information from the court. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Genkin looked like he was at a loss for words. "I…I…I…"

"Ranyou-kun, were you really there that night? Did you speak to Yamazaki after my fight with him?" Professor Takumi asked.

Genkin continued to sweat profusely, and he also started pulling at his hair in frustration. "I…I…I…"

"Is it you?" someone suddenly asked. Then the next moment, Tomoko had reappeared on the witness stand to Genkin's left. "Are you the killer?"

"…!" Genkin's eyes widened in shock.

"Ku-Kurosaki-san?" I muttered in confusion.

"Kurosaki-san, what is the meaning of this? You haven't been called to testify," said the Judge.

"Th-That's right, big-mouthed brats like you shouldn't speak until they're told to," Auchi added in a weak tone, probably frightened by Tomoko a little.

"Please let me speak, Your Honor. This is my case as much as it is your's," Tomoko said in her defense. I couldn't help but notice the fire in her eyes. This was more serious than I had ever seen her.

'She must sense it too, we're finally nearing the end,' I thought to myself. 'Fighting for the truth until the bitter end, she's a true detective alright…oh, I mean, private investigator.'

The Judge seemed surprised by Tomoko's tone. "I…I see. Well, yes. I suppose it is. Your investigation was what caused the culprit to take such drastic actions, so I can understand why you want to help catch them."

"…" Tomoko didn't reply, she just stared at the Judge in a serious manner.

The Judge sighed and then nodded. "Very well, you may speak your piece, Kurosaki-san."

"OBJECTION!" someone suddenly shouted.

"…! Hanamura-san, was that you?" the Judge asked.

"Umm, no I didn't say anything, Your Honor," I replied.

"It wasn't me either, Your Honor," Auchi replied.

"Nor I," Professor Takumi added.

"It was me," Genkin replied. We all turned to him to see that he had regained some of his composure. He was now shooting us a nasty look, complete with a fearsome growl. "I object! You hear me, I object!"

"What exactly are you objecting to, Ranyou-san?" the Judge replied in a confused manner.

"This! This whole stupid trial! You don't think I know who this bitch is! She's a detective! She was sent to Yumei to spy on us!" Genkin shouted. "She and that stupid attorney, they're in cahoots!"

"Private investigator," Tomoko responded with a growl.

"Wh-What are you talking about? How did you know she was really a private eye?" I asked in confusion.

"I know everything!" Genkin shouted. "And I'm not letting you control this trial anymore! I'm not going to stand here and get railroaded by you two! I'm not saying another word! Not another Goddamn word! You hear me?!"

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "Oh no, you don't. I'm not letting you weasel your way out of this. I know you met with Professor Yamazaki on the night of his death. And you're not going anywhere until you tell us everything you know."

"…" Genkin made a zipping motion with his fingers to show that his lips were sealed.

"You're not getting off that easy! The Judge can order you to talk!" Tomoko exclaimed.

"…" Genkin simply glared daggers at Tomoko.

"Umm, yes that's correct," the Judge replied. "Ranyou-san, the court hereby orders you to testify."

"…" Genkin simply flipped the Judge the bird.

"Wh-Why I never! I hereby find the witness guilty…of just being plain rude," the Judge replied in a flabbergasted tone.

"First Dean Kyoukun refuses to testify and now Richie Rich here is acting like an unbelievable spoiled brat. Really nice witnesses you've got here, Auchi-san," I replied.

"H-How is this my fault?" Auchi replied.

Tomoko grabbed a hold of Genkin's blazer collar and hung him up in the air. "Enough games! Tell us what you know, right now!"

"…" Genkin still didn't respond.

"K-Kurosaki-san, I understand your frustrations, but there is no need for violence," said the Judge. "Please unhand Ranyou-san immediately."

"Tsk," Tomoko clicked her tongue, and then begrudgingly let go of Genkin. Then Tomoko looked at me. "You're the only one who can get him to talk now, Hanamura."

"M-Me?" I replied.

"You can't let this end here, he's hiding something, we all know it," Tomoko replied.

"…" Genkin kept up his silent treatment.

"If the witness won't testify, I'm afraid there's not much that we can do," the Judge replied. "Being held in contempt of court doesn't seem to frighten Ranyou-san that much anymore."

"If I may make a suggestion, Your Honor," Professor Takumi suddenly spoke up.

"Yes? What is it, Professor?" the Judge replied.

"If the witness refuses to cooperate we can't proceed with the trial," said Professor Takumi. Then he folded his arms and continued to speak. "But there are ways of forcing him to cooperate."

"I don't follow, as I already stated, being held in contempt of court doesn't seem to matter that much to Ranyou-san. Beyond that, there's not that much I can do," the Judge replied.

"Maybe there's not anything you can do, Your Honor, but there is something Hanamura-kun can do," Professor Takumi replied.

"Something I can do?" I repeated in confusion.

"Your Honor, the Defense would like to request permission to treat the witness as hostile," said Professor Takumi.

"H-Hostile?" I repeated the word in confusion.

"Hostile? What on Earth are you talking about?" Auchi asked.

"…?" Genkin also seemed confused.

Professor Takumi chuckled. "You all are probably too young to know about this, but back before the days of the Initial Trial System, things in the courtroom were pretty different. Laws and rules had different standing and different meanings, and the legal system was very…complicated to say the least. The Initial Trial System was created to alleviate the overburdened courtrooms by introducing simple laws and rules which made cases easier to try and easier for the public to understand. But at the same time we lost the right to make use of anything that was discarded by the Initial Trial System. One such example was a technique that comes in handy in situations just like these. In some circles it's known as the Adverse Witness Clause, or better yet, the Hostile Witness Clause. Using this ruling the Defense or the Prosecution can treat any uncooperative witness as hostile, meaning they have the right to ask the witness questions without the witness having to testify. These are called leading questions, the point of which is to get the witness to slip up and loosen their lips."

"OBJECTION! Why of all the…?! Of course it would be another lawyerly trick!" Auchi shouted as he slammed his hands down upon his desk.

"It's not a trick, if anything it's more of a one-sided cross-examination. And it wasn't just used by attorneys, prosecutors made use of it too," Professor Takumi replied.

"Yes, it's been several decades since then, but in my youthful days, watching my grandfather preside over trials, I do recall overseeing several trials in which this technique was used," the Judge added. "And I think my father was presiding when it was first banned due to the introduction of the Initial Trial System."

'The Judge's father and grandfather were also Judges? Wow, it must be a family business,' I thought to myself.

"But Professor Takumi, it is as you say. The Initial Trial System outlawed this technique's use, meaning there's no way we can make use of it now," the Judge replied.

"That would be the case, if the law prohibiting it hadn't already been overturned," Professor Takumi replied.

"What do you mean overturned?" Auchi replied.

"It was about two months ago, I believe. A young attorney in Osaka found a legal loophole allowing him to exploit the Hostile Witness Clause and win his case. Since then several law articles have been published on the subject and the Supreme Court made a ruling on it, that was last week I believe. The Hostile Witness Clause has become accepted legal practice once again. Any attorney or prosecutor who is willing can make use of this technique," Professor Takumi explained.

"That better not be a bluff," Auchi replied.

Professor Takumi chuckled. "My bluffing days are long behind me, I assure you."

"Hmm, bailiff. Please bring me my copy of last week's issue of Legal Today, it should be in my office. If the Professor is telling the truth, there should be some mention of this ruling in there," said the Judge.

"Yes, Your Honor. I'll be right back," the bailiff replied before rushing out of the courtroom.

I sweatdropped. 'There's actually a magazine called Legal Today?'

"I can read your mind, Hanamura-kun. I had that same look on my face when I first heard about that magazine. But it's actually pretty interesting, and it gives you a lot of information on new laws, precedents, and rulings you may not even be aware of. How about as a thank you present, I will buy you a subscription to it when this is all over?" Professor Takumi asked.

A few minutes later, the bailiff rushed back into the courtroom and handed the Judge the magazine. "Here it is, Your Honor. I hope you don't mind; I took the liberty of skimming through it. The article you're looking for is on Page 12."

"Page 12, you say?" the Judge replied as he accepted the magazine. Then he flipped through the magazine pages until he landed on the page that the bailiff had mentioned. Then his eyes widened. "Why here it is! According to this article, appropriately named Permission to Treat the Witness as Hostile Again, Your Honor, a ruling was made just last week that repealed the law regarding this specific technique from the Initial Trial System's ban."

Genkin's eyes widened in shock. "…!"

Auchi banged his head down upon his desk. "Why did I even bother objecting? Of course they get their way. Of course they do. I should've just stayed in bed today," he whined.

I sweatdropped again. 'Could it really even be said that there's a prosecutor on this case anymore?'

"So does this mean that everything's in order, Your Honor?" Professor Takumi asked.

The Judge nodded. "I see no reason as to why I shouldn't allow your request. And from the looks of it Auchi-san is in no mood to object."

"It has to be a bad dream…it's just a bad dream…" Auchi muttered to himself as he buried his face in his desk.

The Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk. "The Defense is hereby granted permission to treat the witness as hostile."

"Well that's a win for us. But I'm still not exactly sure what we won. How does this Hostile Witness Clause work exactly, Professor?" I asked Professor Takumi.

"Well it's not that different from what you usually do, find contradictions until you get the witness to crack. Only when using this technique, you won't have to listen to the witness's testimony before getting the chance to cross-examine them. Instead you're going to ask the witness leading questions," Professor Takumi explained.

"Leading questions? What are those exactly?" I asked.

"Usually, you have to wait before the witness says anything to ask them any questions. But in this case, you have all the power. You can ask the witness whatever you want," Professor Takumi replied. "But this is important, you can only ask yes or no questions."

"Yes or no questions?" I replied.

"Ranyou-kun thinks he can outwit us by not testifying but I doubt he will try and weasel his way out of this. After all, he knows as much about this as you do. I bet you can trick him into talking by slowly piecing together the bigger picture with those simple questions. Then when you think you know what he's trying to keep quiet, throw it right back in his face," Professor Takumi replied.

"I think I understand now," I replied. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

"At a boy, Hanamura-kun. And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask," Professor Takumi replied.

CROSS-EXAMINATION: HOSTILE MODE

"Alright, Ranyou-san. You don't need to testify; I'm going to figure things out on my own. All I need you to do is answer yes or no to the following questions," I said to Genkin. "Are you okay with that?"

Genkin scoffed. "Fine, whatever. Not like it'll help anyway."

"That's the spirit, now then, first question," I replied. 'I can ask him anything I want now, but I should probably keep all of my questions on the current subject. I'm treading into uncharted territory here, so I should move carefully.'

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Is your name Genkin Ranyou?

Were you taking Professor Yamazaki's class?

Is the sky blue?

Pick Option Two.

"Were you taking Professor Yamazaki's class?" I asked.

"Yes," Genkin replied.

'Alright, so far, so good. What's next?' I thought to myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Did you do well in Professor Yamazaki's class?

Do you have a girlfriend?

Was Professor Yamazaki your favorite teacher?

Pick Option One.

"Did you do well in Professor Yamazaki's class?" I asked.

"Yes," Genkin replied.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Did you give Professor Yamazaki a bottle of rum as a present?

Are you rich?

Do you know Professor Takumi?

Pick Option One.

"Did you give Professor Yamazaki a bottle of rum as a present?" I asked.

"Yes," Genkin replied.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Do you want to become a defense attorney?

Are you a drinker?

Was the rum used to butter up Professor Yamazaki for a favor?

Pick Option Three.

"Was the rum used to butter up Professor Yamazaki for a favor?" I asked.

"Y-Yes," Genkin replied in a flustered tone.

'Hmm, he wanted a favor from Professor Yamazaki. But what kind of favor exactly? If only I could ask him directly, but I can only ask yes or no questions. Looks like if I want to know what the favor was about, I'm going to have to guess. The Judge shouldn't mind some trial and error, as long as my questions are still on subject,' I thought to myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your tuition?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your grades?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to Professor Takumi?

Pick Option One.

"Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your tuition?" I asked.

"No," Genkin replied.

'Nope, let's try again,' I thought to myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your tuition?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your grades?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to Professor Takumi?

Pick Option Three.

"Was the favor you wanted to ask related to Professor Takumi?" I asked.

Genkin smirked in a cocky manner. "No," he replied.

I sweatdropped. 'One more time.'

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your tuition?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your grades?

Was the favor you wanted to ask related to Professor Takumi?

Pick Option Two.

"Was the favor you wanted to ask related to your grades?" I asked.

"…!" Genkin's eyes went wide and he began to sweat bullets again. "Y-Y-Yes," he muttered.

"…!" I was surprised at his reaction. 'Could all of this be about his grades? Why? What's wrong with Ranyou-san's grades?'

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Is the country we live in Japan?

Were you really failing Professor Yamazaki's class?

Do you know Kurosaki-san is a private investigator?

Pick Option Two.

"Ranyou-san, were you lying earlier? Were you really failing Professor Yamazaki's class?" I asked.

Genkin kept sweating, and started ruffling his hair. "Y-Yes," he replied.

'I'm onto something,' I thought to myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Have you eaten anything yet today?

Does your family have ties to the Yakuza?

Do your grades have something to do with Professor Yamazaki's murder?

Pick Option Three.

"Do your grades have something to do with Professor Yamazaki's murder?" I asked.

Genkin started to pull at his hair. "Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes," he choked out.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Were you still at Naruhodou Hall around the time of Professor Yamazaki's death?

Did you hate Professor Yamazaki?

Do you know my name?

Pick Option One.

"Were you still at Naruhodou Hall around the time of Professor Yamazaki's death?" I asked.

"Y-Yes!" Genkin exclaimed.

'He's nearly there. And I think I have the full picture. Time to call him on it,' I thought to myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

Did you hear anything suspicious that night?

Did you see anyone else still there that night?

Did you kill Professor Yamazaki because of your grades?

Pick Option Three.

"Ranyou-san, did you kill Professor Yamazaki because of your grades?" I asked.

Genkin's whole face went red. "Y-Y-Y-Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssss!" Genkin shouted at the top of his lungs. And then in a manner similar to what happened before, Genkin received a strong uppercut from the air. A flurry of banknotes came flying out of his blazer as he toppled over and landed on his head, with his legs hanging over the railing. The banknotes fluttered down to the floor and landed on top of Genkin.

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION: HOSTILE MODE

Whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, and the Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk until everyone was silent. "Order! Order!" the Judge exclaimed. He appeared to be absolutely flabbergasted. "I can't believe this! One of the first times that this method has been used in a courtroom in several decades and it brings forth a new revelation! R-Ranyou-san, are you really saying that you murdered the victim?"

Genkin was still sweating profusely. He looked down at the floor, unable to look anyone in the eye. "Y-Y-Yes, I am. There's no use hiding it anymore. That bumbling attorney has guessed the truth. I…I killed Professor Yamazaki."

"Y-You seriously admit it?" Auchi replied, sweating a little bit as well.

"There's no point in lying anymore. I killed him, end of story," Genkin replied.

Professor Takumi sighed. "I never would've guessed that my own pupil could betray me so."

"…" I silently observed the events unfold.

"Ranyou-san, these are grave charges that you're confessing to. Grave charges indeed," the Judge replied. "You do realize that anything you say here will be used against you, correct? When this trial concludes, you will most likely be brought up on charges."

Genkin still looked very unnerved. "I…I…" Then he swallowed. "I understand, Your Honor. I'll be cooperative. Please, let me set the record straight, here and now. Consider it my last testimony, as well as my confession."

I stroked my chin. 'Something's not right here. He was adamant about staying quiet before, but now he's ready to confess to murder? Is the power of leading questions that overwhelming? No, this is something else,' I thought to myself. Genkin looked more than nervous, he seemed scared. 'And furthermore, is he really the killer? There's no clear evidence that he did it, and yet…' I looked to Auchi and then back to Genkin. 'Neither one of them is raising an objection.'

"Ranyou-san, if you cooperate now it might go a long way in the future. If you are willing, the court will gladly hear your confession at this time," the Judge replied. The Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk. "This shall be the last testimony of this trial. The witness will confess their crimes to the court."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

My Confession

Statement 1: "The truth is that I was in grave danger of failing Professor Yamazaki's class. With my current grade point average, I guess I could have afforded to fail at least one class. But you don't understand. Perfection is the essence of being a Ranyou. If I failed I would be an embarrassment to my family," said Genkin.

Statement 2: "Throughout the semester I had pleaded with Professor Yamazaki to simply pass me and I would make it worth his while. That rum I got him wasn't the first bribe I made. But he rebuffed me each and every time."

Statement 3: "Eventually, I decided that the only way I was going to ensure that my record remained unblemished was if I took drastic measures."

Statement 4: "I may not look it, but I'm actually quite gifted with computers. I hacked my way into the school's grading system and changed my grades in Professor Yamazaki's class, without the stubborn old toad being any the wiser."

Statement 5: "Then after seeing how easy it was to hack the school and change my grades, I came up with an ingenious idea. I created a little side business in using my skills to help other challenged students. I would leak test answers, change a grade here and there, and make a nice little profit."

Statement 6: Genkin started sweating. "But unfortunately, I did too much and my presence was noticed. Professor Yamazaki confronted me that day and told me that he knew I was the hacker. And I was left with no choice."

Statement 7: "If I were expelled or even worse, the Ranyou name would have been disgraced. So I decided to silence Professor Yamazaki and erase all evidence of my existence. And to do this, I burned down Naruhodou Hall with Professor Yamazaki still inside."

Statement 8: Genkin began to sweat again. "I…I'm sorry I didn't come forward before now. I was just too scared of what might happen. But I'm ready to face the music now."

END OF TESTIMONY

"I see. So you're this hacker person that we have been looking for?" the Judge asked.

"Y-Yes, Your Honor," Genkin replied. "That's me."

"You're the hacker?" Tomoko replied in a confused tone.

"What? Am I not what you were expecting? Sorry to get your hopes up, but I'm not some big bad guy who's cold and ruthless to the core. I'm just a sniveling little kid, who was trying his hardest not to disappoint his parents," Genkin replied in a defeated manner.

"…" Tomoko was silent.

Professor Takumi sighed. "Ranyou-kun, how could you have fallen so low?"

"Well then, Auchi-san, do you have any objections to the witness's confession?" the Judge asked Auchi.

Auchi groaned. "No, your Honor. The Prosecution…rests," Auchi choked out as his punch perm deflated and drooped down over his face.

'This is it, after the Judge makes his ruling. It will all be over. I'll have won my first murder case. And Professor Takumi will be a free man once again. But is it really okay to leave things like this?' I asked myself. My eyes shifted to Genkin once again. He looked so afraid for someone who had suddenly grown a conscience. It wasn't a fear of being found guilty, no it was something else. There was something else that Genkin was hiding.

I don't really know what was going through my mind at that point. Another suspect was confessing to the murder. My client was going to be found innocent, if I said nothing. And yet I couldn't help but wonder. Is it really okay to let everything end this way? When it seems so unfinished? When there are still so many unanswered questions? Ranyou-san killed Professor Yamazaki. Was that really the truth?

"Well this has been a long trial full of unexpected developments, but it looks like everything has been cleared up at long last," said the Judge. "With the witness's confession and no other evidence pointing to the defendant as the culprit, I think I have enough information to reach a verdict. The court hereby finds the defendant, Professor Shuichi Takumi, not…"

"OBJECTION!" I shouted.

"What in blazes?!" the Judge exclaimed. "Hanamura-san, was that just a reflex again?" he asked me in confusion.

I shook my head. "No, not this time, Your Honor. This is a real objection. The Defense fully objects to the end of this trial!"

"Wh-Wh-What?!" the Judge exclaimed.

"What?!" Professor Takumi exclaimed.

"What?!" Tomoko exclaimed.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttttttt?!" Auchi exclaimed. An explosion of whispers and murmurs erupted in the courtroom. They were louder than ever before.

What's going on?! This isn't over yet?!

Is that attorney crazy?! His client's about to be found not guilty!

How long are they going to drag this on for?!

I don't understand! Isn't that rich boy the killer?!

Maybe all the pressure's just gotten to the poor boy?! In his confusion he's forgotten the meaning of the word: objection!

The Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk. "Order! Order! I will have order!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. It took a full minute for the courtroom to fully go silent, and then the Judge addressed me. "Hanamura-san, what the devil are you saying?! Your client is about to be found innocent! And you don't want to end the trial?!"

"What's the meaning of this, rookie?!" Auchi shouted.

I slammed my hands on my desk. "It would be a grave miscarriage of justice to end the trial this way!" I shouted in reply. "The point of a trial is to find the truth behind a crime! And the Defense feels that the truth is not yet within our grasp! There are too many unanswered questions! And frankly, after all the tricks and lies that have come from this witness, I don't think we can trust anything he says! Much less a confession to murder!"

"Are you insane! You've won already, and you still don't want to let this go?!" Auchi replied.

"This is about more than just winning a trial, or proving my client innocent. This is about getting justice for the victim and finding the truth! And I don't feel as if we have accomplished either of those things yet! The trial must continue!" I shouted.

"Y-You're unbelievable!" Auchi exclaimed.

"Hanamura-san, this is uncharted water we're moving into. Never in all my years on the bench have I seen an attorney who wants to continue a trial even when his client is about to be found not guilty. What else is there left to answer? The witness has already confessed to the crime. Even if it is as you say, and his words aren't worth that much. Why would he lie about something like this? Confessing to a murder is not something to be taken lightly," the Judge replied.

"That…I don't know yet, Your Honor," I replied with an added sigh. "But I'm not blowing smoke. Every fiber of my being is screaming that Ranyou-san is hiding something else."

"…" Genkin was still sweating bullets.

"…" Tomoko was silent as well. She appeared to be mulling things over in her mind.

"I…I…I honestly don't know what to do here," the Judge replied.

"Your Honor, if I may?" Professor Takumi suddenly asked.

"Yes, what is it Professor?" the Judge asked.

"I was the one who asked Hanamura-kun to represent me in court, so I have intended to leave my fate in his hands since this trial began. If he believes that there is more to this case than meets the eye, then I am willing to take the chance and follow him to that truth. Even if it means having to wait just a little while longer for my name to be officially clear. I am all for continuing the trial," Professor Takumi replied.

"Thank you, Professor. I promise, your belief in me is not misplaced," I said to him.

"Hmm," the Judge muttered to himself as he mulled things over. Then he turned to face Auchi. "What do you say, Auchi-san?"

Auchi's punch perm drooped over his face as he replied in a morose tone, "Seriously? I was actually starting to look forward to the end of this trial. I just want to go home and lie down." All his confidence had been completely crushed.

"Well, I'm afraid your nap will have to wait a little while longer," the Judge replied. "After all the time we have invested in this trial today, it just wouldn't feel right to leave any doubt in the air." Then he banged his gavel down upon his desk. "The trial shall continue. Hanamura-san, you may begin the cross examination of the witness's "confession"."

"With pleasure, Your Honor," I replied with a confident smirk.

"…" Genkin was still sweating bullets.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

My Confession

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Why have you been lying about your grades this entire time?"

"I...I just didn't want to admit it. If I admitted to myself what my grades really were, it would have meant that the whole horrible night wasn't just something I dreamed. I actually burned down a building with someone else inside. I actually killed someone," Genkin replied. Then he locked eyes with me. "But I don't care what happens anymore, I just want this to end."

"I see, please continue," the Judge replied.

Press. "HOLD IT!" I shouted. Then I sweatdropped. "And after going through all that trouble, it never occurred to you that if you just studied like you were supposed to, maybe your grades wouldn't be so bad?"

"Truth be told, I never study. There was no need. I've never had this kind of problem in a class before, my grades have been absolutely perfect up to till this point," Genkin replied. Then he sadly chuckled. "But now that I think about it, maybe my father greased the wheels a bit when it came to my education. I guess, this was the first time in my life where money couldn't solve any of my problems."

'Oh poor little rich boy. My heart goes out to you,' I thought sarcastically.

Statement 3: "Eventually, I decided that the only way I was going to ensure that my record remained unblemished was if I took drastic measures."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Drastic action? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Just hang on a second, I'm getting to it," Genkin replied in a frazzled tone.

"…" I remained silent.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you're also admitting to being the hacker as well as the killer, correct?"

Genkin started to sweat again. "Y-Yes, that's right. I hacked into the school's grading system and changed my grades in Professor Yamazaki's class. It was actually pretty easy to be honest."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "But why go through all that trouble? You were bound to get caught eventually with that continuous exposure."

"I…I guess I was just blinded with greed, and I couldn't think straight," Genkin replied.

"You have more money than anyone could possibly ever need, was it really worth it?" I replied.

Genkin looked away. "You can never have too much money."

I sweatdropped. 'That is an unsatisfying answer.'

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "You said in your first testimony at the start of the trial that after you returned from lunch and witnessed the professors' fight, you talked a little more with Professor Takumi and then left Naruhodou Hall for the day. When exactly did Professor Yamazaki confront you in all of this?"

Genkin kept sweating. "Okay, the truth is that I hanged back for a while longer than I said before. I ran into Professor Yamazaki during that time and he confronted me about his findings."

'Drat, I thought I had him for a second. But I guess I can't really prove that what he's saying now didn't happen,' I thought to myself as I stroked my chin. 'Oh well, time to probe the rest of his testimony. Something's bound to shake loose eventually.'

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "There's something I want to ask you about that fire."

"L-Like what?" Genkin asked.

'Hmm, what indeed?' I asked myself.

MAKE A DECISION: What should you ask Genkin?

What time did you set that fire?

What did you use to set the fire?

What did you do after you set the fire?

Pick Option Three.

"What did you do after you set the fire?" I asked.

"After I set the fire?" Genkin seemed confused by the question. "Umm, not much. I got out of the building before the blaze trapped me inside as well, and after that I went home and pretended like nothing happened. I didn't sleep a wink for the rest of the night though. It's true what they say, the guilt really does weigh heavy on your mind."

"You didn't do anything else?" I asked.

"No, not that I remember. I was in a hurry to leave, I knew the fire department would be there any minute," Genkin replied.

"Your Honor, I would like for the witness's last few statements to be added to the current testimony," I said to the Judge.

The Judge nodded. "Very, the witness shall amend their testimony," he replied and then banged his gavel down upon his desk.

Statement 8: "After I set the fire, I went straight home and didn't return till late in the afternoon on the next day," Genkin explained.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Are you sure you didn't do anything else before leaving the campus?" I asked.

"No, I'm telling you, I left as soon as possible. I didn't want to risk the chance of getting caught by lingering around," Genkin replied. "

I smirked. 'Interesting,' I thought to myself.

Statement 9: Genkin began to sweat again. "I…I'm sorry I didn't come forward before now. I was just too scared of what might happen. But I'm ready to face the music now."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Why come clean now? If you had just kept quiet, you might not be in this situation."

"I can't deal with the guilt anymore," Genkin replied. "And Professor Takumi has always been good to me. I can't let him take the fall for something I did. So just end this trial already, I'm ready to receive my punishment."

"Well, Hanamura-kun? Notice anything?" Professor Takumi asked.

"Actually, yes I do, Professor," I replied.

"Well then, what are you waiting for lad? Smash his testimony to pieces," Professor Takumi replied.

Statement 8: "After I set the fire, I went straight home and didn't return till late in the afternoon on the next day," Genkin explained.

Present Kyoukun's Blackmail Note.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted.

"Just as I suspected, every single word out of your mouth has been a complete lie. I don't know exactly why you're lying about this yet, but I will not rest until I find out," I replied.

"I…I…I don't know what you're talking about," Genkin replied in a flustered tone. "I'm telling you, I'm the hacker. I burned down Naruhodou Hall. I killed Professor Yamazaki. It was all me."

I shook my head. "No, it wasn't. You're involved in this alright, but I don't think you're our culprit. Because if you were the culprit, then you wouldn't have left out such an important detail in your so-called confession."

Genkin looked upset. "What the hell?! Why are you being so defiant?! I'm trying to get your client off the hook! Why are you so insistent on looking a gift horse in the mouth?!"

"Because, I don't want this to end until I find out the truth of Professor Yamazaki's death. And what you're selling isn't the truth at all," I replied.

"Stop being so annoying! I'm the killer! I'm the killer dammit!" Genkin exclaimed.

I shook my head again. "If you were the killer then you wouldn't have blatantly left out this detail when confessing your crimes," I replied. I held up the blackmail note that Dean Kyoukun had received.

Genkin looked surprised. "Wh-What's that?"

"Oh this? This is a threatening note that the real killer sent Dean Kyoukun the morning after Professor Yamazaki's murder. It clearly states that the killer is indeed the hacker who has been terrorizing Yumei University for the past several months, and it outlines clear instructions for the Dean, following the murder. Apparently, the Dean was forced to comply with the killer's demands under the threat of causing them to lash out and kill again," I explained.

"Wh-What?! Why didn't…?!" Genkin started sweating profusely and pulling at his hair.

"Why didn't what?" I replied. "Finish your thought, Ranyou-san."

"Arrgh! Dammit!" Genkin shouted in defiance as he slammed his fists down upon the witness stand's railing.

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

Whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the courtroom, and the Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk until everyone was silent. Then he gave Genkin a disapproving look. "Ranyou-san, why do you continue to waste this court's time with your endless lies?"

Genkin slammed his fists down upon the witness stand's railing again. "It's not a lie! I am the killer, I swear! Why won't you people just let this end?!"

"That's not the way this works. A trial shouldn't conclude until the whole truth is revealed. You're not the killer, but for some reason you are insistent that you are," I replied.

"I am the killer! And I can prove it! I have evidence that supports my claims!" Genkin exclaimed.

"…!" My eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what?! You do?!"

"Evidence?!" Professor Takumi exclaimed.

"R-Ranyou-san, you have new evidence for the court?" the Judge asked in confusion.

Genkin continued to sweat profusely, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yes, Your Honor, I do. I just didn't think I would need to share it, so I kept quiet about it. But it looks like I have no choice." He reached into the right pocket of his pants and pulled out a very surprising object. A silver lighter that had the initials T.Y. engraved on the side of it. He clicked the lighter and a small burst of fire ignited. "I think you guys have been looking for this, right?"

"That lighter! Professor is that…?!" I exclaimed in confusion.

Professor Takumi nodded and started sweating bullets. "There's no doubt. That's Yamazaki's lighter. It's the same, right down to the initials. Takeshi Yamazaki."

Once again, the shock was so great that it felt like I had just been shot with a loaded gun. I collapsed onto my desk and shouted at the top of my lungs. "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The murmurs and whispers filled the courtroom again and the Judge banged his gavel down upon his desk until everyone was silent. "If Professor Takumi can vouch for the lighter's authenticity then I think it's safe to say that this is indeed the key piece of evidence we've been looking for."

"And if that's the case, then what we theorized earlier is true," Auchi added. "The culprit did in fact remove the lighter from the scene. So it's safe to say that the culprit is the one who has the lighter in their possession."

"And that's me! See I told you! I did it! I killed that stubborn old bastard!" Genkin shouted. It was weird, he seemed to be almost happy that he was in possession of evidence that could nail him for a crime.

"No way! It's true?!" Tomoko exclaimed.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter added to the Court Record.

The Judge shook his head. "Hanamura-san, I must say this changes things completely. After all, you were the one who determined that the victim's personal lighter was the cause of the fire and theorized that the culprit took it from the crime scene as they made their escape. Ranyou-san, having said lighter in his possession, seems to make things pretty clear."

I started sweating bullets as I looked on at the scene in horror. 'It kind of does, doesn't it?' I thought to myself. 'Dammit, what's going on? He shouldn't have the lighter. But somehow he does? Was I just reading into things too much? Is he really the killer?'

"Hanamura-kun?" Professor Takumi called out to me.

"Huh? Umm, I mean, yes Professor?" I replied.

"You looked like you were on the edge there for a second. Are you okay?" he asked out of concern.

"Did I look that bad?" I replied with a sad chuckle. "Guess I don't take disappointment that well."

"Come on now, chin up," Professor Takumi replied. "All hope's not lost yet."

"But what if I'm wrong? What if Ranyou-san really is the killer and I've gotten way off track?" I replied.

"What does your gut tell you?" Professor Takumi asked with a smirk.

"My gut, Professor?" I replied.

"It's time like these, when doubt fills in the air that a good attorney must forget about everything else and just listen to their gut. Trust your instincts, they'll never steer you wrong," said Professor Takumi.

"…" I remained silent while I contemplated his advice.

"Now tell me your answer. Do you think this trial is over yet?" Professor Takumi asked.

I shook my head. "No, it's not. My gut is telling me that there is much more to this picture than what we're seeing."

Professor Takumi nodded. "Very well then. If there's more to this, then find a way to discredit Ranyou-kun. If he's not the killer, then he must have gotten that lighter in another manner."

"Yeah, that makes sense. The killer had to have been the one who took the lighter. Everything else about this case is so precisely detailed, it's hard to believe that they would forget about it and leave it at the crime scene. So if Ranyou-san isn't the killer, then he had to have gotten his hands on that lighter sometime after that," I theorized. Then I frowned. "But there's no way to figure that out without Ranyou-san's cooperation. And he doesn't look like he wants to talk right now. So we're still stuck."

"You studied all of Ryuuichi Naruhodou's former cases when you were in school, correct?" Professor Takumi asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, Naruhodou-san is like my idol. I know every one of the strategies that he used in court. Though I'm better at studying than I am at practicing."

"Then you should know what he would do in court whenever he got stuck. It was the same thing that his mentor did before him, and her mentor before that, and also the same thing he taught his pupils," Professor Takumi replied.

"…!" I thought about it for a moment and then it came to me. "Turn my thinking around. That's it, I should just go with the logic that Ranyou-san is not the killer. Instead of thinking about why he has the lighter now, I should think about how he got it. The true killer had to have handled it off to him at some point. There might be evidence left on it that they overlooked."

"That sounds like a plan. Though I doubt a crafty killer such as the one we're dealing with would have left much trace of themself behind. Most likely, the only fingerprints we'll find on the lighter are Ranyou-kun's," Professor Takumi replied.

"We'll never know if we don't try," I replied. "Let's take a closer look at that lighter." I turned my attention to Genkin. "Ranyou-san, I don't know why you want to get convicted of murder, so badly. But I do know one thing for sure, and that is the fact that you did not kill Professor Takumi."

Genkin growled at me. "Why won't you just stop?! You've already won! What more do you want?!"

"I want the truth! And I'm not going away until I find out what it is!" I exclaimed.

"Hanamura-san, are you saying that you still believe Ranyou-san is not the culprit?" the Judge asked.

I nodded. "I am, Your Honor. The Defense believes that Ranyou-san did not take the victim's lighter from the crime scene, it actually came into his possession later on. Someone else had that lighter on their person, and I believe that same someone else is the true killer. And if you let me examine that lighter a little more closely, I think I can prove it," I replied.

"V-Very well, if you say that you can prove the existence of this new suspect, then I see no reason why we shouldn't give you the chance," the Judge replied, a little surprised by my newfound confidence.

"You've got to be kidding me?! Why won't you people just let this end?!" Genkin shouted.

"I'll thank you to hold your tone, Ranyou-san," the Judge replied. "Now then, bailiff please hand Hanamura-san the lighter."

"Yes, Your Honor," the bailiff replied. Then he collected the lighter from a disgruntled Genkin and handed it over to me.

"This is the only piece of evidence we have left in our arsenal, Hanamura-kun," said Professor Takumi. "Let's hope it gives us what we need to turn the tables once again."

I snapped on a new pair of rubber gloves and then held the lighter in my gloved hands. Then I took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," I replied. Then I began to closely inspect each side of the lighter, but unfortunately I found nothing of interest. Then I flipped up the lighter's lid, and examined the inside closely. And then I saw something unexpected wedged between the side of the lighter and the spark wheel. "What's that?" I asked myself. I carefully pulled the foreign object out of the inside of the lighter and then examined it more closely. The foreign object turned out to be a thread that was light blue in color.

Loose Thread added to Court Record.

"It looks like a thread. Very curious for it to end up in there, but I don't know if it has anything to do with the case," Professor Takumi remarked at my find.

"Let's just say for argument's sake that it is connected to Professor Yamazaki's murder. Professor, what kind of clothes was Professor Yamazaki wearing that day?" I asked.

"Oh, he was wearing the same outfit shown in his profile picture," Professor Takumi replied.

"And Ranyou-san?" I asked.

"He was wearing the same outfit that he has on today, if I'm not mistaken," Professor Takumi replied.

"Then this thread couldn't have come from either of them. And the only other person who handled this lighter was the killer. So that means that the killer had to have been wearing something light blue in color at the time of the murder, and this loose thread was caught inside the lighter," I explained.

"Someone who was wearing light blue? Hmm," Professor Takumi began to think, and then a few moments later it came to him. "…!"

"Professor? Have you thought of someone? Do you know who this loose thread came from?" I asked.

"Yes, I do," Professor Takumi replied. "And you've already met them. They were wearing the same outfit that day as well."

"…!" Then I realized it as well. "Professor, you don't think…? Him? Really?"

"Anyone is capable of murder, Hanamura-kun. And if we're right, then the person that we think he is, is most likely just a front. The killer's actions throughout this case have revealed his true colors," Professor Takumi replied.

I sighed. "Only one way to find out." I turned back to face Genkin. "Ranyou-san, I think I understand a little of what's going on now. There is someone else involved in this case, isn't there? And that same someone gave you Professor Yamazaki's lighter, didn't they?"

"…!" Genkin's eyes widened and he began to sweat profusely again.

"Hanamura-san, are you saying that the witness didn't take the lighter from the crime scene? Someone else gave it to them?" the Judge asked in confusion.

I nodded. "Yes, I think so, Your Honor. And if I'm right, I think this person did a whole lot more than just give Ranyou-san that lighter. I think they were the person who burned down Naruhodou Hall and killed Professor Yamazaki."

"…!" Genkin's volume of sweat increased. He started to use the many banknotes hidden in his blazer as makeshift hand wipes.

"I believe that Ranyou-san is involved in all of this somehow, but I don't think he's the one pulling the strings. No, someone else has calculated and planned for all of this. We are dealing with a truly methodical puppet master. And Ranyou-san, I know who it is," I replied.

"…" Genkin looked down at the floor. He began to tremble in fright.

"…!" I realized something. "You're afraid of him, aren't you?"

"…" Genkin continued to tremble.

"That's it, isn't it? He truly frightens you. That's why you won't speak up now, even after all of this. That's why you're screaming that you're guilty, when I know for a fact that you're not. He's making you do this. Right now, you're nothing more than his puppet. Is that what you are? A puppet? I thought Genkin Ranyou didn't take trash from anyone. Why does this guy scare you so much?" I replied.

Genkin finally looked up at me. His face was pale, and a look of pure terror had enveloped his eyes. "You don't understand. You don't understand what he made me do. I tried to back out of it, but he wouldn't let me."

"You tried to back out of what?" I asked.

"Going along with it. Killing Professor Yamazaki," Genkin simply said. "What I said was true. Up to a point. I set the fire. But I didn't know about Professor Yamazaki! I swear! I didn't know he was still in his office! I didn't even see him!"

"You didn't see him?" I replied.

"I came back to Naruhodou Hall late that night. He told me that he left Professor Yamazaki's office unlocked and sure enough it was. Then I grabbed the open rum bottle on top of his desk and this old matchbook on a nearby shelf, as per instructions, and then I poured the rum out in a line leading out to the hallway. Then I lit the end of it with the lighter and ran out of the building, leaving the bottle and the matchbook out in the hallway," Genkin explained. "But I never saw Professor Yamazaki. He wasn't in the office when I did this! I only found out late that he died in the fire."

'Professor Yamazaki wasn't in his office? How can that be?' I asked myself. 'This has to be the truth though. I can feel it.' I then looked at Genkin. "Is there any way you could have missed him?"

"The office was pretty dark. But I doubt it. One thing was weird though now that I think about it," Genkin replied.

"Oh? What's that?" I replied.

"I felt kind of dizzy when I was starting the fire," Genkin replied.

"Dizzy?" I replied in confusion.

"Yeah, it was just for a few moments, but it was really disorienting. It was probably just my nerves getting to me though," Genkin replied.

'Hmm. Maybe I should make a note about this,' I thought to myself.

Genkin's True Testimony added to the Court Record.

"So just to reiterate. This wasn't your plan? It was his, and you were just an accomplice?" I replied.

"I…I didn't want to do it. I swear, I know I can be a real jerk when I want to be, but I'd never even think of doing something like that. Honest. I couldn't sleep at all because of the arson. Finding out that I helped commit murder too. It's awful. But he told me that if I didn't help him, he would expose me for the fraud I am. He would bring an anonymous tip to the Dean that I was cheating, and then go after my family, and make it his life's mission to tear apart their empire. He said he worked for powerful people, people that view families like mine as bugs they can squash whenever they please. I looked into his eyes, and I believed he would make good on those threats if I didn't do whatever he said," Genkin explained.

"He…he has that much power?" I replied in confusion.

"All I know is, I didn't question him after that. Even when he told me that if things didn't go according to plan and Professor Takumi was proven to be innocent and my involvement was discovered, that I should admit that I did everything myself and present the lighter to prove it," Genkin replied.

"They planned that far ahead?!" I exclaimed.

"He plans for everything. Nothing gets past him. He is not a guy you want to mess with, trust me. While you're trying to think one step ahead of him, he's thinking twenty steps ahead of you. Please, just end it here. Professor Takumi's free to go, and he said that if I went through with this before my trial starts he would make the evidence and my confession disappear and I'd be a free man," Genkin explained.

"Why I never?! Who in the devil does this scoundrel think he is?! Making such mockery of the justice system!" the Judge exclaimed.

"I honestly don't know, but he told me that he's done it before, multiple times, and has always gotten away with it. Don't you see? Everybody gets what they want in this situation. Professor Takumi is found not guilty, that bastard gets to run away, and I'm finally free of him. Just end this already. Please, I'm begging you," Genkin pleaded.

I shook my head. "I can't do that, Ranyou-san. You're forgetting about one person who doesn't win in this situation. His name was Professor Takeshi Yamazaki. Where's his justice? His killer gets to go free, and the truth of his murder is gone forever. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can live knowing that. I'm going to bring his killer to justice, if it's the last thing I do!" I exclaimed.

"…!" Genkin was taken aback.

Tomoko smiled. 'Hanamura,' she thought to herself.

Professor Takumi smiled as well. "Acting as a courageous warrior who smites down lies and fights towards the truth in the arena that is the court of law. Wasn't that the kind of attorney you said you wanted to become, Ranyou-kun? Well feast your eyes on a person who has the same dream as you."

"…" Genkin looked down at the floor.

"Don't you see? If you do what this monster wants, he'll only have new leverage to hang over your head," Professor Takumi explained. "He said he could make the evidence against you and your confession easily disappear. But what's to stop him from making them reappear? He'll just keep making you do more unscrupulous things until he owns you and you can no longer defy him. But you have the power to stop him right now before it gets to the point of no return. Please, I implore you. Help Hanamura-kun fight this monster, help him avenge Yamazaki. Please. It's my last request for you, my former pupil."

"…" Genkin stayed silent for a moment. And then he sighed. "Can you really stop him? Stop him from hurting my family or anyone ever again?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I promise you, I will defeat him."

Genkin nodded. "Okay, I'll help you."

I smiled. "You're making the right decision, Ranyou-san. Now listen up, in a moment I'm going to show you a picture of the person who I think is behind all of this, and all I need you to do is to say if they are the one who blackmailed you. You got it?"

Genkin nodded again. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Okay then," I replied. "Is this the person who ordered you to help them kill Professor Yamazaki?"

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PROFILE: Who is the true killer?

花村希望 (Hanamura Kibou) – Age: 26. Gender: Male. A rookie attorney who is starting a bit later in his law career than most people do for personal reasons. He's not that confident in his abilities yet but he has a big heart and never loses hope.

巧舟逸 (Takumi Shuichi) – Age: 65. Gender: Male. A former professor in criminal law defense at Yumei University, he was actually Kibou's old advisor when he attended Yumei. He's a good, honest, studious man who believes whole-heartedly in justice and the truth. He's Kibou's first client and the defendant of this case.

花村日向 (Hanamura Hinata) – Age: 15. Gender: Female. Kibou's younger sister. She idolizes her brother and does her best to make him proud. She's a very kind and generous girl who never hesitates to stand up for the people she cares about.

裁判官 (Saibankan/Judge) – Age: 81. Gender: Male. A Judge who's a little past his prime and yet still continues to oversee trials to this day. But he seems to always deliver the right verdict so maybe he's gotten wiser with his old age.

亜内正崇 (Auchi Masataka) – Age: 34. Gender: Male. A snobby prosecutor who's apparently the grandson of the loser prosecutor, Takefumi Auchi, who was always mercilessly beaten by the great Ryuuichi Naruhodou. Though he claims he doesn't have his family's bad luck, and has apparently not lost a single case in his ten years as a prosecutor.

山崎剛之 (Yamazaki Takeshi) – Age: Deceased. Gender: Male. The victim of this case. He was a professor in criminal law prosecution and Professor Takumi's lifelong rival. He's the victim of this case.

乱用現金 (Ranyou Genkin) – Age: 21. Gender: Male. The youngest son of the Ranyou Group, who are rumored to have ties to the Yakuza due to their almost criminal business practices. He was one of Professor Takumi's teaching assistants and aims to be a defense attorney so he can help defend his family's empire.

教訓勝浩 (Kyoukun Katsuhiro) – Age: 60. Gender: Male. The current Dean of Yumei University and a former prosecutor who worked alongside Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki back in the day. He seems very short-tempered about most things but he cares deeply about his school and his students.

直樹尚希 (Mugai Naoki) – Age: 22. Gender: Male. Professor Yamazaki's former teaching assistant. He aims to be a prosecutor, but despite being smart and talented he's very shy and aloof. It's very unlikely he'll make it as a prosecutor.

黒崎知子 (Kurosaki Tomoko) – Age: 24. Gender: Female. A private investigator who also specializes in cybercrimes. She's kind of rude and just plain weird, but she seems like a good person. And she very clearly cares about her work as a private investigator.

Present Naoki Mugai's Profile.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted.

Genkin's eyes grew wide in fright when I showed him the profile photo. "Yeah, that's him. No doubt about it. Naoki Mugai, or whatever the hell his real name is. He was the one who forced me into helping him kill Professor Yamazaki."

"N-N-Naoki Mugai?!" the Judge stuttered out in surprise.

"That scrawny, little law student?!" Auchi exclaimed in surprise.

The entire courtroom erupted into one of the loudest commentary sessions yet. The Judge furiously banged his gavel until they ceased their muttering. "Order! Order!" the Judge shouted. Then he looked down at Genkin. "R-Ranyou-san, are you absolutely sure that this is the person who blackmailed you into helping them murder the victim?"

"100% sure. I know how he comes off at first, but trust me, it's all an act. I've never met anybody so cold and ruthless in my entire life. Just thinking about him now gives me the chills. I swear, I'm not making this up. He's the one you want," Genkin replied as he prostrated himself before the court. "I'm sorry for all the lies that I've told you so far, but I promise I'm telling the truth now. You have to believe me."

"Still though. That soft-spoken young man who could barely testify is the culprit? It seems a little hard to believe," the Judge replied, still on the fence.

"Then that just means, he's a very good actor, Your Honor. I believe whole-heartedly in what Ranyou-san is saying," I replied.

"Hmm, I'm still not sure," the Judge replied.

"How about this, Your Honor? Let's not officially accuse Mugai-kun yet. Why don't we just bring him in and have him answer a few questions? It does appear that Ranyou-kun met with Yamazaki that night, even though Mugai-kun claimed to be the last person to see him alive. Let's see what he can tell us about this. And if he just so happens to say something incriminating that backs up Ranyou-kun's accusation, then we will formally accuse him. This way, we can cover all of our bases," Professor Takumi replied.

"Hmm," the Judge muttered as he closed his eyes and thought about the idea. Then he opened them and replied, "I'm not entirely sure I feel right about calling a witness to the stand under false circumstances. However, it is as you say, Professor. If Ranyou-san did indeed meet with the victim that night then it's only right that we confirm this with Mugai-san." Then he nodded. "Very well, the court hereby recalls Naoki Mugai to the stand." Then he banged his gavel.

A few minutes later, Naoki Mugai was up at the witness stand again. And this time he was all alone. Naoki was fidgeting and biting his nails again, just as he had done before. I looked over at him intensely. 'This really is a dedicated act. I can't believe this guy fooled me so easily,' I thought to myself.

"Mugai-san, we're sorry to bother you again, but we have reached a stage in the trial where we require some more information from you," said the Judge.

"O-Oh, is th-that so?" Naoki replied.

"Yes, witness," Auchi continued. "It appears that the defendant is not guilty of this crime, and we have in fact set our sights on a new suspect. Genkin Ranyou, the defendant's former teaching assistant." Auchi unfortunately was a very bad actor. His body expressions didn't match his words at all.

"R-Ranyou-san? Y-You think h-he k-killed Professor Ya-Yamazaki?" Naoki replied in confusion.

"That's our current theory, yes," I replied. "And we have also determined that you might not have been the last one to see the victim alive. Apparently, after you left, Ranyou-san had some words with the victim. About what, we're not entirely sure. But since he lied about his whereabouts, and meeting the victim we think that he's the best bet as the true killer. Unfortunately, we're missing some more information and evidence to formally accuse him so we were wondering if you could help us out." I decided to keep all of our cards close to the chest, until a better opportunity presented itself. 'No need to let him know everything we know yet. Best to keep him in the dark as much as possible and see if he slips up,' I thought to myself.

"R-Ranyou-san met with Pr-Professor Yamazaki that n-night? I had n-no idea," Naoki replied. "A-And you need m-my help?"

"Yes, we wanted to know if you could give us some more information about your last few hours with Professor Yamazaki, and also about when you left the building. Even if you didn't see Ranyou-san at that time, you might've seen something else that can help prove his guilt. So what do you say? Will you cooperate with us?" I asked.

"W-Well, if you th-think what I have to s-say can help in a-anyway, then of c-course I'll help," Naoki replied.

"Very well, then the witness is hereby ordered to testify in more detail about the hours leading up to the victim's death," said the Judge, before banging his gavel.

'He doesn't seem suspicious yet, but the further I press, the more likely he is to realize that we're onto him,' I thought to myself.

"Hanamura-kun, you should know that if Mugai-kun is the true killer then these next few testimonies are going to be a bloody fight for the truth. I have faith in your ability to beat him, but I'm just warning you that this next step is the real deal," Professor Takumi whispered to me.

I nodded in reply. "I know Professor. Don't worry, I'm ready for whatever he may throw at me. I swear I'll get justice for you and Professor Yamazaki."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

The Night of the Crime

Statement 1: "W-Well it's like I said b-before in my previous test-testimony," said Naoki.

Statement 2: He began to point his index fingers together as he looked down at the floor. "After Professor Ya-Yamazaki got into that fi-fight with Professor Ta-Takumi, he trudged b-back to his office and I f-followed after him to m-make sure he was o-o-okay."

Statement 3: "When we got b-back to his o-office, Pro-Professor Yamazaki asked me to f-fetch him one of the b-bottles from his pr-private stash of li-liquor. I handed h-him the b-bottle and he p-pulled out two sh-shot glasses, one f-for me and one f-for him."

Statement 4: Naoki started to fiddle with his glasses. "He as-asked me if I c-could stick ar-around for a while and h-have a drink with h-him, but I politely d-declined. I'm n-not that much of a dr-drinker."

Statement 5: "I did st-stay and talk with h-him for a few hours th-though. After the f-fight he had, he s-seemed really d-depressed and it didn't f-feel right to leave him a-alone."

Statement 6: "Before I kn-knew it, it was al-almost 22:00 and the Pro-Professor was on the v-verge of falling a-asleep. I asked if he w-wanted me to dr-drive him h-home but he r-refused and said that he would just r-rest for a few hours in his off-office before heading h-home himself."

Statement 7: He looked back down at the floor. "And then I l-left the building and w-went home. That's pr-pretty much it. S-Sorry, if I wasn't m-much help."

END OF TESTIMONY

"Hmm, it doesn't appear that there's that much new information in this testimony," said the Judge.

"Again, I-I'm sorry. B-But I don't know wh-what else I sh-should talk ab-about. It w-was a p-pretty uneventful n-night," Naoki replied.

"Nevertheless, the Defense would like to cross-examine the witness," I replied. "Who knows? You might know more than you think you do, Mugai-san. Let me ask a few questions and we'll see."

"W-Well okay, sure. A-Ask me anything," Naoki replied, being very cooperative.

"Very well then, Hanamura-san you may proceed with the cross-examination," the Judge replied.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

The Night of the Crime

Statement 1: "W-Well it's like I said b-before in my previous test-testimony," said Naoki.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "…"

"…" Naoki was silent.

"…" as was Auchi.

"…" as was the Judge.

"…" as was the gallery.

I blushed in embarrassment. "Umm, sorry. I kind of jumped the gun there, huh? There's no questions I have regarding this statement."

The Judge sighed. "Honestly Hanamura-san, please think before you shout. The witness will continue their testimony."

Professor Takumi smiled at me. "Shake it off. Shouting things at random statements is all part of being an attorney."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "I don't think we ever covered this the first time around but where in the building exactly did this fight take place?"

"O-Oh? Y-You don't know?" Naoki asked. "U-Umm, d-do you have a d-diagram of the b-building?" I showed Naoki the floor plans of Naruhodou Hall that I had in my court record.

"It was r-right here, o-outside of Pr-Professor Takumi's off-office," Naoki replied as he marked the scene of the fight on the diagram.

Naruhodou Hall Building Diagram Updated.

"Alright, thank you for that," I replied. "Now then, one more question if I may? Just to be clear, you didn't talk to any of the other witnesses or the defendant when you were all gathered together, right?"

"…" Naoki was quiet at first. "W-Well not before the f-fight at least. B-But after Professor Ya-Yamazaki went b-back to his office, I sp-spoke briefly to e-everybody else in pa-passing before following h-him. J-Just some st-standard gr-greetings and ap-apologies on be-behalf of the Prof-Professor."

"Would this include Ranyou-san?" I asked.

"Y-Yes, actually," Naoki replied. Then he started pointing his fingers together again. "B-But now that I th-think about it, Ra-Ranyou-san s-seemed kind of d-distracted when I was ta-talking to h-him. H-He barely acknowledged me."

"Distracted how?" I asked.

"W-Well, he seemed to be f-fixated on the d-direction Professor Ya-Yamazaki w-went in after the f-fight, to be ho-honest," Naoki replied.

"I see, alright, that's all I wanted to know. Please go on," I replied. 'Now he's starting to remember certain pieces of info about suspicious behavior from Ranyou-san. How convenient.'

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "And just to be clear," I held up the bottle as evidence, "This is the bottle that you gave Professor Yamazaki?"

"Y-Yeah that looks like it," Naoki replied. "He h-had that and six other di-different bottles of v-varying sizes in a sm-small cabinet in his off-office."

"Hmm, interesting. I have quite a liquor cabinet myself at home," the Judge replied. "But I've never drunk a whole bottle with just one other person in a single night before."

"Well, a-actually, Y-Your Honor…" Naoki replied and then went onto his next statement.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you didn't have anything to drink that night?"

Naoki shook his head. "N-No, it w-was just the Professor. H-He was r-really distraught. I g-guess he was trying to dr-drink his tr-troubles away."

'Hmm, could he be lying about this?' I asked myself.

"Hanamura-kun?" Professor Takumi called out to me. I turned to meet his gaze. "I know what you're thinking, but there's no real reason he would lie about something like that. And it makes more sense to think that he wasn't drinking. This murder plot was clearly intricately and carefully planned out. A drunk individual couldn't pull off such a thing. Besides, I think there's another tiny contradiction that deserves your attention."

"A tiny contradiction, Professor?" I repeated his words in confusion.

He nodded. "Yes, so tiny that even he missed it. Who knows? That could be the key to unraveling this whole case."

"And I don't suppose you're going to tell me what it is?" I replied with an added sweatdrop.

"…" Professor Takumi didn't respond.

I sighed. "Thought so."

Statement 5: "I did st-stay and talk with h-him for a few hours th-though. After the f-fight he had, he s-seemed really d-depressed and it didn't f-feel right to leave him a-alone."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Did you two talk about anything in particular?"

Naoki shook his head. "N-No, not really. H-He asked me wh-what I did o-over the break, wh-what was go-going on in my p-personal l-life, and th-then he t-told me a lot of long st-stories about his t-time as a pr-prosecutor."

Professor Takumi chuckled. "That sounds just like Yamazaki. Such a boisterous blowhard reveling in his glory days. Tell me, did he tell you the story of the Koko Gitaa trial?"

"Umm, yeah actually. The en-ending was really surprising. I didn't s-see it coming at all," Naoki replied with a big smile.

Professor Takumi chuckled again. "Haha, yes that was quite an interesting trial. A real highpoint for his career."

'Wait a second. Koko Gitaa. Why does that name sound so familiar?' I asked myself.

Professor Takumi looked at me. "…" But he said nothing.

'I can't read your mind, Professor! This is not the time for a teachable moment! Please, tell me what I should be looking at!' I inwardly shouted. Then I sighed again. 'Fuck it.' I looked up at the Judge. "Your Honor, I want the witness's last statements amended to the current testimony."

"Is an old trial story really that relevant to the case, Hanamura-san?" the Judge replied.

"Extremely, Your Honor. In fact it's so relevant that I couldn't even begin to know how to explain it to you," I replied.

The Judge sighed. "In other words, you have no idea why it's relevant, do you?"

'Read me like an open book,' I thought to myself.

"Very well, I don't see any harm in it. The witness will amend their current testimony," the Judge ordered and banged his gavel.

Statement 6: "Pr-Professor Yamazaki told me s-several stories about old tr-trials he was in-involved in when he was a pr-prosecutor. The b-best one was the K-Koko Gitaa trial. The en-ending was so sur-surprising. I can't b-believe Professor Ya-Yamazaki still ended up g-getting a con-conviction," said Naoki, wearing a light smile on his face.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So all the stories he told you were about trials he won?"

Naoki nodded. "Yeah, that's r-right. To be hon-honest, I th-think he was k-kind of br-bragging. B-But he seemed to be in a b-bad mood so I p-put up with it and in-indulged him."

"He won a guilty verdict in this Koko Gitaa girl's trial too, you say?" I asked.

Naoki nodded again. "Y-Yeah. When he t-told me that one, I ac-actually hung off ev-every word. It was such an in-interesting trial."

"I see. I'll have to look it up for myself after this trial is over," I replied. 'Koko Gitaa. Why does that name sound so familiar?'

Statement 7: "Before I kn-knew it, it was al-almost 22:00 and the Pro-Professor was on the v-verge of falling a-asleep. I asked if he w-wanted me to dr-drive him h-home but he r-refused and said that he would just r-rest for a few hours in his off-office before heading h-home himself."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So Professor Yamazaki decided to sleep in his office?" I asked.

Naoki nodded. "J-Just for a little wh-while. He s-said he'd sl-sleep off the rum for a f-few hours and th-then dr-drive home."

"Well good for him for not getting behind the wheel while intoxicated," the Judge replied. "And it was awfully nice of you to offer him a ride, young man."

Naoki seemed embarrassed. "Th-Thank you, Y-Your Honor. It just s-seemed like the right th-thing to do."

'Don't give this kid a gold star yet, Your Honor. He's still our prime suspect for this murder, in case you've forgotten,' I thought to myself as I sweatdropped.

Statement 8: He looked back down at the floor. "And then I l-left the building and w-went home. That's pr-pretty much it. S-Sorry, if I wasn't m-much help."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Did you notice anything odd or suspicious when you were leaving the building? Anything at all?"

Naoki thought about it for a minute before replying. "N-Not really. The building was pr-pretty dark when I was l-leaving. N-Not a single light w-was on. I co-couldn't see a th-thing."

'Hmm, doesn't look like there's anything here,' I thought. "I can't really get a read on this kid. I have no idea what's a lie and what's the truth."

"Well in my expert opinion, this boy is lying through his teeth," Professor Takumi replied.

"What?!" I exclaimed in a whisper. "How can you tell?!"

"Years of practice. We were right about him, rest assured. He is our man. Now it's just a matter of making him show his true self and catching him in a lie," Professor Takumi replied. "He's not invincible. I saw one or two contradictions in that testimony. My advice, point out each one and trip him up. Then we can start the real battle. But be careful. He's bound to set up traps here and there for us going forward. I know his type."

With assurance that I was on the right track, I was ready to get back to work. "Alright, Professor. I'm ready."

Present Photo from Before the Murder.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "Sorry, could you tell me how many shot glasses Professor Yamazaki pulled out again, Mugai-san?"

"Oh? Sure. T-Two. One f-for me and one f-for him," Naoki replied.

I then held up the photo from the security footage and showed it to Naoki. "That's what I thought. Now could you do me a favor and take a good look at this photograph."

"O-Okay?" Naoki replied and looked at the photo.

"Now then, how many shot glasses are on the desk in this photograph?" I asked.

Naoki looked confused at first, but a few moments later his eyes went wide. "…!" It was only for a moment, but he was definitely caught off guard.

"Hanamura-san, what is the meaning of this? Is there something wrong with the witness's statement about the shot glasses?" the Judge asked.

I then showed the Judge the photo. "Yes, Your Honor. And it's very easy to see if you know basic addition. The witness stated that Professor Yamazaki took out two shot glasses, but as you can clearly see in the photograph…"

I waited for the Judge to arrive at the answer on his own. A few moments later, his eyes widened. "There's only one shot glass on the victim's desk!"

"That's correct, Your Honor. One shot glass. Not two, just one. Which means the witness is lying," I replied in a confident tone.

But my contradiction fell short. "Umm, ac-actually there's a s-simple explanation f-for this," Naoki replied.

"Huh?" I replied in confusion.

"A-After I told the Pro-Professor that I didn't feel like dr-drinking, he put the other sh-shot glass away and just p-poured himself a drink. Th-That's why there's only one on h-his desk," Naoki replied.

This time I was the one who was caught off guard. "What?!" I exclaimed.

"S-Sorry, I guess I n-neglected to mention th-that. I didn't think an-anything of it because it s-seemed so tr-trivial," Naoki replied.

Auchi chuckled. "Well I suppose if anybody can get held up on something trivial, it's Hanamura-san," he replied.

That barb didn't really sting that much though. "Oh, were you still here? I thought you left a while ago," I replied in a surprised tone.

That barb stung Auchi really badly. "Am…am I honestly that forgettable?"

"Hmm, well in any case, I think Mugai-san's explanation covers up this contradiction, Hanamura-san. I think we should get back to the cross-examination," the Judge replied.

"I un-understand that since you're cr-cross-examining me you h-have to p-point out contradictions, but the w-way you focused in on s-such a little th-thing. It kind of feels l-like you think I'm p-purposefully lying. D-Do you think that, H-H-Hanamura-san?" Naoki asked in a confused tone. But his mask was already slipping. His eyes did not match his expression. They were as sharp as daggers.

"It's my job to assume everyone is lying. Don't take it personal. If I see a contradiction, I call it out. That's what an attorney does," I replied.

"I see. What a stupid profession," Naoki muttered. This time with no stutter.

My eyes widened in surprise. "…!"

The Judge banged his gavel. "Let the cross-examination resume."

Present Professor Takumi's Profile.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "I found another contradiction, Mugai-san. And this one isn't so trivial," I said in a confident tone as I put my hands on my hips.

"There's a contradiction in this statement? Why would the witness lie about this story he heard from the victim?" the Judge asked.

"That I don't know yet, Your Honor. But I can safely say for sure that this statement is one big fat lie," I replied.

"…!" Naoki looked unnerved again. It looked like he managed to catch him off guard for a second time.

"Well then, please explain your contradiction to the court, Hanamura-san," the Judge replied.

"With pleasure, Your Honor. The contradiction can be summed up in two words. Koko Gitaa. I thought that name sounded familiar. I actually heard it earlier today before the start of the trial, when Professor Takumi was giving me some last minute advice and sharing a bit about his first trial. A trial in which a young guitarist named Koko Gitaa was the defendant, and my client the defense attorney."

"What?!" Naoki exclaimed in horror.

Professor Takumi chuckled in delight. "I was hoping you remembered, Hanamura-kun. Nicely done, you triggered my trap perfectly. And I guess I should thank you as well, Mugai-kun, for stepping into it so easily."

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

Naoki was glaring at the Professor and I with intense hatred. "You two tricked me!"

"So wait, let me get this straight. The trial involving this Koko Gitaa woman was not the victim's, but the defendant's?" the Judge asked in a state of confusion.

"That is correct, Your Honor," Professor Takumi replied. "My first ever client was a sweet and beautiful young guitarist named Koko Gitaa. It wasn't easy by any means, but I managed to prove her innocence and get her acquitted. There of course was a prosecutor in the trial, but it certainly wasn't Yamazaki. No, that man wishes he could hold a candle to Yamazaki." He looked over at Auchi. "In fact, Prosecutor Auchi, you may know him well. I believe his name was Muyou Auchi."

"…!" Auchi gasped in horror and started sweating bullets. "Th-That's my father," he replied in an embarrassed tone.

"Needless to say, there is no way that Yamazaki told Mugai-kun the story of my first trial. I didn't even know Yamazaki when I was starting out. I doubt he would know anything about that trial, much less claim it as his own victory," Professor Takumi explained.

"Lying bastard! Is this how you win all your cases?!" Naoki replied.

I smirked. "Mugai-san, I can't help but notice that you're acting a little hostile towards the Professor and I. And your personality seems to have changed as well. You're not stuttering anymore."

"…!" Naoki finally realized that he had abandoned his persona. He quickly tried to fix his mistake. "Y-You two j-just got me a little mad is all. I d-don't like to be tr-tricked. Th-that's not a n-nice thing to do."

"If a trick is what it takes to catch you in a lie, then Hanamura-kun and I will pull out every trick in the book," Professor Takumi replied in a confident tone.

Naoki growled in a defiant tone. "You want the truth? I fell asleep halfway through that drunk's ramblings, and I tuned out the other half that I stayed awake for. I didn't hear any of those stupid stories. So yeah, when you brought up that Koko Gitaa girl like it was something Professor Yamazaki talked about regularly, I jumped on the idea. I wasn't lying, I was just adding a little false detail to my statement. It doesn't matter anyway. So what if I don't remember anything he talked about?"

"This isn't the only discrepancy in your testimony. First the missing shot glass and now this. The details which you call trivial are starting to paint a very bad picture for you, Mugai-kun. These contradictions lead the Defense to one conclusion, isn't that right, Hanamura-kun?" Professor Takumi motioned for me to continue his logic.

'He wants me to deliver the next strike, huh?' I thought to myself. 'But do I even know the path his logic is following?'

"Well, Hanamura-san? What does this tell you? Please enlighten the court," the Judge ordered.

'I don't have a choice, do I? Okay, think. The missing shot glass and the false story. Mugai-san tried to conveniently explain them away but what if I think about them from a different perspective?' I thought about it for a second and then it came to me. "…!" I slammed my hands down upon my desk and prepared to produce my theory. "Your Honor, the Defense believes that…"

MAKE A DECISION: What do the contradictions in Naoki's testimony suggest?

Naoki wasn't with the Professor

Naoki has a very bad memory

Pick Option One.

"These contradictions tell the Defense one thing, the witness's testimony is nothing but a big lie. The reason Mugai-san couldn't remember that there was only one shot glass and the reason that he fell for the Koko Gitaa trick so easily is very simple. Mugai-san was not with Professor Yamazaki that night," I explained.

"…!" Naoki seemed unnerved again. He looked away from me and a nasty grimace took hold of his face.

"What?!" the Judge exclaimed in surprise. "But the witness's testimony since the very beginning of the trial has been that he was with the victim a few hours before his death. If anything, being the last person seen with the victim would make one look even more suspicious. Why would Mugai-san lie about such a thing?"

"…" I didn't have a response.

"…" and it looked like the Professor didn't either.

"Well? Does the Defense have a response?" the Judge asked.

"…" I kept up my confident look, but also kept my mouth shut.

"…" and the Professor did the same.

"Umm, Hanamura-san? Professor Takumi?" the Judge replied.

I finally said something. "The Defense…umm…well the Defense…" I sighed and then wore a defeated face. "The Defense has no earthly idea why the witness would do this, Your Honor."

"None at all," the Professor added. He was also wearing a defeated look on his face.

Naoki lightly snickered. "So let me get this straight. I forget a tiny little detail about a missing shot glass and don't pay attention to some boring stories Professor Yamazaki told me in his drunken state, and that leads you to the conclusion that I'm lying about being there at all?"

The Judge nodded. "True, these contradictions that the Defense has presented to the court are tenuous at best. And there has been no reason presented as to why the witness would go through the trouble of lying when it casts suspicion on himself from the get-go."

Naoki smirked. "But just to make things clear. I don't have anything to do with the crime. You brought me back up here because you said that you think Ranyou-san is responsible for the Professor's death, but I fail to see how my "lie" has anything to do with this. Why would I lie about such a thing in the first place? It's like the Judge says. If my story is true then that means that I was the last one seen with the victim. Making me the automatic prime suspect. If I really was the killer, why would I do that? It makes no sense. The only logical conclusion is that I'm telling the truth and I have nothing to do with the crime. Instead of looking for lies that aren't there, maybe you should be focusing on finding proof to further incriminate Ranyou-san."

"…" I stared intently at Naoki. 'I know he's lying. I know he is, but I can't prove it. The Judge is right, the contradictions are really flimsy. And to make matters worse, I don't have a reason to back up our theory. It really doesn't make sense. Why would he come up with a lie that casts suspicion on himself? Even if Professor Takumi was arrested for the crime, wouldn't his testimony paint him as a suspect at trial?' I asked myself. Then I thought back to Genkin's "confession". 'Wait. If all that really was planned from the beginning. Then it might not matter. If Ranyou-san is telling the truth, and Mugai-san is pulling the strings from the shadows. Then he could have forced Ranyou-san to confess in the event that things reach an impasse like this. After all, if somebody confesses to a crime, the court has to take it seriously. That would give him enough time to find a way to get rid of the evidence against him. But still...why tell a lie that places suspicion on you in the first place?'

The Professor could tell I was thinking really hard about all of this. "Hanamura-kun, remember how Naruhodou-san got out of tough spots like these."

I decided to take the Professor's advice. 'Turn my thinking around. Okay, let's try to think about it this way then. What if he had to lie about being there? He didn't have a choice in the matter. He had to make up this story to…do what?' I asked myself. I thought over everything that Naoki had talked about since the beginning of the trial and then a thought occurred to me. 'Wait. Wait! Could it really be that simple?!' I inwardly exclaimed. I frowned. 'But it's still not enough. If I don't prove he's lying, then my theory will easily get dismissed. I need another contradiction, something irrefutable. But what else is there?' Then suddenly I felt something tiny hit my back. I looked behind me and saw that a small paper ball had landed at my feet. I crouched down to pick it up and unrolled it. And a slip of paper inside fell to the ground. I picked it up and examined it. It was a receipt to a local specialty wine shop that was dated on 03/24, the day before the fire. Then I looked over the paper ball that the receipt was inside. I was surprised to see that the paper ball was actually a written message. 'A note, from who?' I looked at the top of the paper and spied a familiar infinity symbol. 'Kurosaki-san, of course.' Then I quickly read over the contents of the note.

Don't be discouraged. He is lying. I asked Ranyou a few more questions while you were cross-examining Mugai, and found out something that proves it. The bottle of rum that Ranyou gave Yamazaki was actually bought and given to him on the night of the murder. Ranyou met with Yamazaki and gave it to him after the fight he had with Takumi. And get this. Ranyou didn't tell Mugai any of this. You can figure out the rest, right?

My eyes widened. 'This is it! This is the ammunition I need!'

Receipt added to the Court Record.

"Is there a problem, Hanamura-san?" I heard the Judge ask.

I rolled the note back up and kept it under the desk. I didn't want anyone to get wise of my outside help. 'Kurosaki-san, you are the best,' I thought to myself and smiled. Then I stood back up from under the desk. "Sorry, Your Honor. I dropped my pen and had to retrieve it. Anyway, I'd like to get back to the cross-examination, if I may?"

"Really? But haven't we already covered everything?" the Judge asked.

"How much longer are you going to keep up this charade? If you really think that Ranyou-san is the killer then why don't you start grilling him?" Naoki asked.

'I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? Having your puppet dance some more for you? Not a chance. I'm only interested in the puppet master,' I thought to myself. I smirked and nodded. "You know what? You're right, Mugai-san. I think that's about all the information we can get from you. But if I may ask you one more question before you leave?"

Naoki sighed. "If you must."

"Alright, to sum up everything you've said so far, after the fight with Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki, you said a few words and apologies to the people involved and then followed Professor Yamazaki back to his office. Then he asked you to fetch him one of the bottles in his cabinet so he could have a drink; you did so, but you didn't drink with him. Then a few hours later, you left the Professor's office, leaving him by himself to sober up. Is this all correct?" I asked.

Naoki nodded. "Yeah, that's everything."

I held up the bottle in question. "Alright, then here's my question. Just to be absolutely clear, this is the bottle you retrieved from the cabinet, correct?"

Naoki nodded again. "Yes, like I said before, that's the right bottle. Now if that's it, may I please be excused, Your Honor?"

The Judge nodded. "Yes, I don't see why not. The witness is hereby…"

"OBJECTION!" I shouted, startling the Judge.

"Hold on, witness. I believe Hanamura-san has an objection to you leaving the stand," the Judge replied.

Naoki glared at me. "What is it now? I answered your dumb question, so why are you so determined to keep me up here?"

"Because you're lying, and I want to know why," I replied in a confident tone.

"Again with this?!" Naoki exclaimed. "We've already been over this. I don't have any reason to lie. In fact, me saying that I was there just before the crime took place makes me look suspicious. If I was lying, why would I try to make myself look suspicious?"

"I couldn't figure that out either to be honest. But after a lot of mental exercises, it finally hit me. It's not that lying and saying you were there benefited you in any way, it's that you had to lie. You didn't have a choice in the matter because you left evidence behind that proves you were at the office. You couldn't explain away that evidence so you had to create a story that helped do it for you," I replied.

"…!" Naoki looked unnerved again. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Evidence? You make it sound like I'm a criminal."

"Where are you going with this, Hanamura-san? The witness had to lie about being in the office because of evidence that proved he was there? That sounds like circular logic. And what kind of evidence are you talking about exactly?" the Judge asked.

I shook my head. "In no way is it circular logic, Your Honor. It's actually very simple, if you'll let me explain."

The Judge nodded. "Very well, you may proceed."

"Thank you," I replied. "Now then, first thing's first. The evidence that forced Mugai-san to create this story. Auchi-san?" I called out to the badly beaten down prosecutor. He seemed very surprised to be called upon.

"Huh? Me?" Auchi replied in confusion.

"Yes, you," I replied. "Let me ask you a question. You didn't go into it when you presented it to the court, but did you have this bottle checked for fingerprints?"

Auchi was confused. "Y-Yes, there were several fingerprints, belonging to multiple people, found on the bottle."

"And may I ask, who those fingerprints belong to?" I asked.

"Umm, well there were three sets of prints. The first belonging to the victim, the second belonging to the current witness, and the third belonging to the other witness, Ranyou-san," Auchi explained.

Bottle of Rum Updated.

"Well the prints make sense, I suppose. All three of those people came into contact with the bottle at one time or another," the Judge replied.

I shook my head. "Unfortunately, that is not the case, Your Honor. With the current facts the Defense has, it makes no sense for one person's prints to be on this bottle."

"I see. And which person are you referring to, Hanamura-san?" the Judge asked.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PROFILE: Whose prints shouldn't be on this bottle?

Present Naoki Mugai's Profile.

"TAKE THAT! That of course would be the current witness on the stand, Naoki Mugai," I replied. "His prints should not be on this bottle."

Naoki snickered. "Are you braindead or something? Don't forget that I was the one who fetched this bottle from Professor Yamazaki's cabinet. Of course my fingerprints would be on it."

"But that's not true now, is it? That was just a story you created to justify your prints being on the bottle," I replied.

Naoki scoffed. "You're not going to let this go, are you? I'm not lying. My testimony is 100% true. And frankly, I'm getting tired of you attacking my credibility without any proof. If you say that I wasn't in Professor Yamazaki's office, then I say: "prove it"."

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: What proves Naoki's testimony is a lie?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Cause of Death: Smoke inhalation. Autopsy results show that he had an increased blood alcohol level, meaning that he was inebriated. The victim was most likely unconscious at the time of death because of this. It should also be noted that due to the extensive damage the fire caused to the victim's body it was impossible to find a specific time of death. The fire was started around 2:00 and since the cause of death is smoke inhalation it's a logical leap to say that the victim died around that time as well.

Naruhodou Hall Building Diagram – A diagram of Naruhodou Hall before it was burned was drawn up by forensic investigators. It shows several things, including a server farm located on the first floor, Professor Takumi's office located on the second floor, and Professor Yamazaki's office located on the third floor. There is also a fire escape on the right side of the building, and large windows on each side of the ends of each floor. The fight between the Professor took place outside Professor Takumi's office on the second floor.

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Photo from Before the Murder – An image still pulled from the remains of Naruhodou Hall's security footage. The time stamp on the still reads: 22:33:46. So it was taken roughly three and a half hours before the victim's estimated time of death. This time stamp has not been altered in any way. In it you can see Professor Yamazaki in his office, sleeping and hunched over his desk with a nearly empty bottle of rum and a single dirty shot glass next to him. There are also two other things to note, a matchbook and a portable stove placed on a nearby shelf.

Matchbook – Found at the scene of the crime, stuffed inside an empty rum bottle. The bottle protected it from the fire. It is believed to have been what started the fire. Bears Professor Takumi's prints, though he claims it's because he used it as evidence in an old murder case. The matchbook was made by the Mikabi Matches company, a company that has since gone bankrupt. Its packaging, though crumpled up now, is very unique. So it stands to reason that this matchbook was indeed evidence in that old murder case.

Mysterious Case from the Past – Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki were the attorney and prosecutor in charge of a certain case in the past. The victim of which was another attorney, and what's more, a friend of Professor Takumi's. Apparently the case got so much coverage that it put law enforcement and the media in a frenzy. A permanent gag order was placed on the case that forced them to close it unresolved. Professor Yamazaki got a call about the case on the day of his death and got into a fight with Professor Takumi about reopening it. Though apparently, Professor Yamazaki has already reopened it by himself and has even gotten ahold of the old evidence used in it.

Bottle of Rum – Professor Yamazaki was drinking on the night of his death, from a bottle of Bacardi 151. A very strong alcohol brand from the island of Bermuda. The whole bottle was empty upon discovery. It might've been used as an accelerant for the fire. This bottle was bought the day before the fire and given to the victim by Genkin Ranyou after his fight with Professor Takumi. There are three sets of prints on it, belonging to Professor Yamazaki, Genkin Ranyou, and Naoki Mugai.

Portable Stove – Professor Yamazaki kept a portable stove in his office. Investigators have proven that the stove was turned on at some point prior to the fire. It's propane-based so it could've also helped in the fire.

Tomoko's Investigation Report – According to Tomoko's investigation, the servers at Naruhodou Hall were believed to contain clues as to the hacker's true identity. But before Tomoko could determine who the hacker was, the servers were destroyed in the fire.

Ouroboros Investigations Business Card – One of Tomoko's many business cards for her P.I. agency, Ouroboros Investigations, named after Ouroboros the self-eating snake. Its logo has a very particular and unique design.

Kyoukun's Blackmail Note – A typed and printed note was found by Dean Kyoukun the morning after the fire. Judging by the message, it's highly likely that this note was left by the true killer, and it also gives a very strong hint that the killer is the hacker, as they ordered Dean Kyoukun to suspend Tomoko's investigation under threat of more violence.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

(2/1) According to my independent investigation, the hacker has been at work for quite some time. At least since the beginning of the last semester, maybe even before that. The data logs for the entire campus show that unauthorized access has been granted to specific files and data caches. Not just containing private information about the school itself, but personal information about the students, teachers, and faculty as well. I have even discovered that my own personal files have been looked into without my knowledge. I consider this a grave oversight on my part, but it does prove one thing. This hacker is someone truly gifted and has been perfecting their craft for years. They've been very cautious and meticulous in their search, which is why it took me so long to actually catch on to their existence. But as to what it is they're searching for exactly, I still have no idea.

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

(2/6) I have discovered a way to narrow down the suspects. I am currently in the process of comparing the computer usage history for the whole campus to the times where unauthorized access was reported by the data logs. I can't involve any of the other students or faculty who help maintain the campus's network, as I do not know at this point who I can trust. As such, this arduous task falls solely to me.

(2/10) The comparison is taking longer than expected. I'm now even starting to compare the computer usage of students and faculty who rarely even use the campus computers, if at all. So far I haven't had any luck.

(2/22) I haven't had any luck at finding out the hacker's true identity yet. I have abandoned my comparison test, as I have gone through almost every single name in the student and faculty registry. No one had logged onto any campus computers at the same time of each incident. I can only guess at this point that the hacker is using their own personal device to hook up to the campus network. And if this is the case they are probably smart enough to be using proxy servers to hide their unscrupulous activities. At this point in time there's no real way of identifying them.

(3/10) I have informed Dean Kyoukun of the fruitlessness of my efforts and have recommended that we look into hiring a private investigator. I've heard word of an up and coming young lady who has a very noteworthy background in solving cybercrimes. Perhaps she would be a great asset.

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

(3/14) I think I'm onto something! The hacker seems to be here for two purposes. 1: They were hired to search for something in particular. This has been made very clear by their previous actions. And 2: The hacker also seems to have their own personal motivation for their crimes. There's been a recent rash of accusations made by other professors about students cheating in their classes. This goes for my class as well. I think the hacker might also be helping certain students cheat on assignments and exams. If this is the case then their motivation may be just as simple as monetary gain. They were likely hired to search for something in particular by a third party, and in the meantime they are using their position to make a quick buck for themselves by loaning out their services to all interested parties. And if they're greedy, they might slip up and make a careless mistake.

(3/15) I've made another important discovery, but this one fills me with unfathomable dread. I think I know what exactly the hacker was hired to search for. I've noticed an increased amount of activity through Naruhodou Hall in particular. To be more specific, my private records as well as the private records of my colleagues, Takumi included. Though I've managed to keep our private data locked up tight, there have been several attempts made to bypass my security. Whatever they are after, is in there. I at first thought it to be slightly odd. After all the only things of value that both Takumi and I have in our own private data is notes for our classes and dossiers of all our old cases that I managed to digitize. And that was when it hit me. Our old cases.

I tried to persuade myself that I was mistaken, that the hacker's true goal was something else. But my mind kept wandering back to one thing. That case. Mine and Takumi's last case. The case that nearly consumed us both. Could it be? Is someone else looking into that case after all these years. I have to know for sure.

(3/16) I could not dissuade my curiosity any longer. I know I made a promise with Takumi, but I can't ignore it any longer. I have to know the truth. And if that means that I delve back into the past then so be it. I visited the police's evidence lockup and asked to borrow the evidence for our last case. Thankfully they didn't kick that much fuss over an ex-prosecutor borrowing evidence from a murder case that had gone that cold. If I'm right, then the hacker, or more appropriately their client, is linked to this case somehow. If so, it might mean what Takumi and I have thought all along, the true killer is still out there. I must reopen the case by myself. I can't get Takumi's hopes up without any definitive evidence.

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Matchbook – A Mikabi Matches brand matchbook. All that remains of a forgotten business. Twenty matches were originally included in this book, but during the trial it was made clear that one match had been used and was missing from the book. Fingerprints are on the matchbook, I at first thought they were the fingerprints of the suspect in the case but when I did a spot check analysis and compared ridge patterns, they were revealed to be Takumi's. He must have mishandled them at some point during the trial.

I also lit one of the matches myself to test them out, but I'm afraid time has gotten the best of them. They wouldn't light no matter what I tried. I even tried to light them with my trusty lighter, it didn't even so much as make a spark. Pity, I wanted to try and recreate the burn patterns. Perhaps the arson investigator and I overlooked something.

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

Burn Pattern Analysis – A report made by the arson inspector at the fire department. According to the report, gasoline was poured around the building and then ignited causing the flash fire to spread quickly. The fire started from the outside of the building.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

(3/25) My worst fears have come to pass; the killer is still out there. And now they've finally decided to come after Takumi and I. The phone call I received earlier this afternoon was proof enough, someone wants me to drop this case immediately. I'm not usually one to respond to threats, but I believe whole-heartedly that this individual is capable of the most monstrous things. Dean Kyoukun, I've sent this to you in the hopes that you and Takumi will continue what I started if anything should happen to me. I pray that my paranoia is just the ravings of an old man. But just in case, help Takumi use my notes and the evidence from that trial. There is a much bigger game at foot than we anticipated. The hacking, that case. It's all connected somehow, I know it. You and Takumi are two of my oldest friends. I trust you will solve this case.

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Genkin's True Testimony – Genkin admits to starting the fire with the rum and lighter, but he swears he had no idea that Professor Yamazaki was there. He wasn't in his office at the time the fire started. Genkin also remembers feeling kind of dizzy while he was starting the fire.

Receipt – This receipt is from a specialty liquor store. It was printed on 03/24, the day before the fire, and after the fight between Professors Takumi and Yamazaki. And it shows the purchase as an expensive bottle of rum and the customer as one Genkin Ranyou.

Present Receipt.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. I held up the receipt. "The Defense would like to enter this new evidence into the Court Record. A receipt from a local specialty liquor store detailing the purchase of a familiar product. One bottle of Bacardi 151 rum."

"Hmm? Let me see that," the Judge replied. I walked up to the bench and handed him the receipt. The Judge looked over the receipt and confirmed its contents. "…! Why, this receipt says that the one who bought the bottle was Genkin Ranyou and the date of the purchase is 03/24."

"That is correct, Your Honor. Though Ranyou-san mentioned buying this bottle for Professor Yamazaki in a previous testimony, he lied about the day that he actually purchased the bottle. In fact he purchased it the day before the fire. And if you'll look at the time printed on the receipt as well, you can even see that the bottle was bought and paid for after Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki had their fight," I explained.

"…!" Naoki was very surprised. "A…receipt?"

"OBJECTION!" Auchi shouted. It was kind of cute that he was still trying. "And where did you get this receipt, rookie?"

"It was given to me by another one of your witnesses, this time Genkin Ranyou himself. If you're really that concerned about it being a forgery, we can have someone go to the liquor store and check their records for a copy. But I really think that will just be a waste of time," I replied.

"…" and Auchi shut down without another word.

"As I was saying," I continued my explanation. "This receipt tells us one thing. After the fight between the two professors, Ranyou-san bought this bottle of rum from the liquor store. We can assume by the fact that it was found in Professor Yamazaki's office with his prints on it as well, that Ranyou-san gave it to him. But then the question becomes, how did the third person, Naoki Mugai's, prints end up on the bottle?"

"…" Naoki was silent. He knew trying to fight here was futile.

"Isn't it possible that Mugai-san simply got the bottle from Ranyou-san and then passed it off to the victim?" the Judge replied.

I shook my head. "No, that's not possible. Because if that was the case, the witness would have said so by now. Instead he kept claiming that he found the bottle in Professor Yamazaki's liquor cabinet. If he got the bottle from Ranyou-san, why not just say that from the beginning?"

"…" Naoki was still silent.

"I have a theory. Mugai-san didn't know that this bottle was bought that very day, much less that Ranyou-san was the one that bought it. If he did, he would have mentioned it in his prior testimony. Another thing then becomes clear. There is no way that this could have been the bottle that Mugai-san fetched for Professor Yamazaki. Because that bottle wasn't even in his liquor cabinet yet!" I exclaimed, causing a commotion in the courtroom.

The Judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order!" the Judge shouted. "Hanamura-san, if that is the case then that calls Mugai-san's entire testimony into question."

I nodded. "My point exactly, Your Honor. It is as the Defense has stated numerous times. The witness is lying. This whole sit-down with Professor Yamazaki never happened. I'm willing to bet that after the fight, Professor Yamazaki and Mugai-san went their separate ways. There are simply too many contradictions in the witness's testimony to prove otherwise."

Naoki scoffed again. "Alright, fine. I admit it. I was lying."

"You…you were?" the Judge replied. Then he scowled. "Lying in court is a very serious matter. Why would you do such a thing?"

Naoki smirked. "Why don't you ask Hanamura-san? I think he's got it all figured out."

"H-Hanamura-san? Is it true? Do you know why the victim was lying?" the Judge asked.

"…" I said nothing while Naoki and I locked eyes. 'This is it. The point of no return. I know the truth, now I just need to prove it. The real fight begins now,' I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and then nodded. "The Defense does indeed have a theory as to why the witness lied. It is as I said before, the witness came up with this story to hide the true meaning of the evidence they left behind. Namely, his fingerprints left on the bottle of rum. Since we've proven that this story is false and surmised that Ranyou-san was in fact the one who personally gave the victim the rum a few hours before the crime was committed, the question becomes how did the witness's fingerprints come to be on the bottle? Well, here's my answer."

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: Why were Naoki's fingerprints on the bottle of rum?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Photo from Before the Murder – An image still pulled from the remains of Naruhodou Hall's security footage. The time stamp on the still reads: 22:33:46. So it was taken roughly three and a half hours before the victim's estimated time of death. This time stamp has not been altered in any way. In it you can see Professor Yamazaki in his office, sleeping and hunched over his desk with a nearly empty bottle of rum and a single dirty shot glass next to him. There are also two other things to note, a matchbook and a portable stove placed on a nearby shelf.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Receipt – This receipt is from a specialty liquor store. It was printed on 03/24, the day before the fire, and after the fight between Professor Takumi and Yamazaki. And it shows the purchase as an expensive bottle of rum and the customer as one Genkin Ranyou.

Present Matchbook.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. "As I said before, the witness didn't have a choice but to fabricate this story because he had to explain away the evidence that he was forced to leave behind at Professor Yamazaki's office. Namely, his fingerprints on the bottle of rum. Keeping that in mind, and knowing that the witness didn't have any other specified time in which he could come into contact with this bottle. I think I know how his prints ended up on it. Actually, there's only one opportunity where the prints could have ended up on the bottle." I held up the matchbook. "When this matchbook was being stuffed into the bottle in order to preserve it for the investigators to find."

"…" Naoki didn't raise an argument.

"But as we have surmised. The true culprit of this case was the one who did that in order to shift blame onto the defendant. So if what you're saying is true, Hanamura-san, then that means that…!" the Judge was about to piece it all together before I cut him off.

I nodded. "That's right, Your Honor. It can only mean one thing."

"This is it, Hanamura-kun. I believe in you. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you, every step of the way," said Professor Takumi.

I took another deep breath and then spoke again. "Your Honor, at this point in time, the Defense would like to formally accuse the current witness, Naoki Mugai, of the murder of Professor Takeshi Yamazaki."

The courtroom erupted in a series of loud murmurs and whispers. And it took the Judge a full minute to calm everyone down. "Order! Order! I will have order!" the Judge shouted, while banging his gavel. When there was silence, the Judge looked down at Naoki. "Mugai-san, the Defense has accused you of being the true culprit of this crime. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Naoki folded his arms. "Just one thing really. Their accusation amounts to nothing."

"How can you say that when I've proven quite clearly that you've been lying to us this whole time, and you were the one who stuffed that matchbook into the bottle of rum?" I replied.

Naoki scoffed again. "I'll admit that I was lying, and since you've bested me with your logic, I'll admit that you're right on the second front too. I was indeed the one who put the matchbook in the bottle. But so what? How exactly does that prove that I was the one who killed Professor Yamazaki?"

"…" I couldn't reply.

"Nothing else to add? Well then, if you don't mind I think I'll go ahead and try to prove my innocence. Your Honor, I would like to testify about why I can't be the killer and how the Defense's claims are meaningless," said Naoki, looking up at the Judge.

"Very well, that is your right," the Judge replied.

'I didn't think it was going to be that easy. Now that we've driven him into a corner, he's ready to attack. But I'm ready for a counterattack,' I thought to myself.

The Judge banged his gavel. "The court will now hear new testimony from the current witness, Naoki Mugai."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

What Really Happened

Statement 1: "Okay, here's the real truth," said Naoki, wearing a smug smirk on his face.

Statement 2: "After Professor Yamazaki had his fight with Professor Takumi, I left the building."

Statement 3: "Later that night, I came back to the building because I realized that I left something behind and needed to collect it."

Statement 4: "Then I saw Genkin Ranyou running down the stairs on the second floor. It was dark and he was in a hurry so I guess he didn't see me though."

Statement 5: "Curious, I went up to the third floor to see why Ranyou-san was running away. And then I saw it."

Statement 6: "There was a large orange light seeping out of the cracks of Professor Yamazaki's closed office door. I went to investigate and carefully opened the door."

Statement 7: Naoki pretended to be scared as he told his story. "The sight I saw horrified me. A great big raging inferno had engulfed the entire office. But I couldn't make out anything inside with all the smoke."

Statement 8: "I did manage to see that there was an empty bottle and a matchbook outside the door though. Putting two and two together, I figured that Ranyou-san had used those two things to start the fire."

Statement 9: "I didn't want him to get away with it, so I put the matchbook inside the bottle so it would stay safe and then ran as fast as I could outside the building."

Statement 10: "After I was safely outside the building, I called the fire department on a nearby pay phone. But I was worried that they might think I had something to do with the fire so I didn't leave my name and just left."

Statement 11: Naoki continued his testimony, wearing a fake solemn expression. "I found out the next morning that Professor Yamazaki was in the fire. I just hadn't seen him."

Statement 12: "I'm sorry I kept this secret for so long. But I was honestly scared when the police arrested Professor Takumi instead of Ranyou-san. I thought that maybe his family got to them and that if I came forward my life would be in danger," Naoki added with a fake frightened tone.

END OF TESTIMONY

The Judge seemed surprised. "Oh my. What a detailed testimony."

Professor Takumi looked discouraged. "I have to admit, that was rather good. And his facial expressions really sold it."

"But he's still lying, isn't he?" I asked.

Professor Takumi nodded. "Oh most definitely. I'm just saying that he's a very gifted liar."

I sweatdropped. "If that's the case then it's going to be very hard to trip him up."

"Just remember, Hanamura-san. Even a very well-crafted lie can be exposed. You just have to find a detail that doesn't fit with the facts and pull on it. Then the whole web of lies will come undone quite nicely," Professor Takumi replied.

"Well then, the Defense may proceed with the cross-examination," said the Judge, before banging his gavel.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

What Really Happened

Statement 1: "Okay, here's the real truth," said Naoki, wearing a smug smirk on his face.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Okay, we're all listening. Start talking."

"I will if you let me give my testimony first," Naoki replied in curt manner.

"Patience, Hanamura-kun. Don't get caught up in his pace. Stay calm and listen to the whole testimony before jumping on his statements," said Professor Takumi.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just got a little excited. Please continue."

Statement 2: "After Professor Yamazaki had his fight with Professor Takumi, I left the building."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So to reiterate. Everything you told us before about what happened after the fight was a lie, right?"

"Well not a total lie. I did say a few words of apology to the other people who witnessed the professors' blowout, but I didn't follow Professor Yamazaki afterwards. I decided to go home instead," Naoki replied.

"I see, but you did come back to the building later on, correct?" I replied.

"That's right," Naoki replied.

Statement 3: "Later that night, I came back to the building because I realized that I left something behind and needed to collect it."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "And what was this item in question?"

Naoki patted the satchel strapped to his left shoulder. "My bag. So much had happened that day that I forgot I left it in Professor Yamazaki's office. I didn't remember until later that night though."

"Why not just wait until the morning to go collect it?" I asked.

"I'm curious about that as well. Why would you go back to the building so late at night just to retrieve your bag?" the Judge asked.

"I always carry around my personal computer in this bag with me. I really couldn't go a night without it so I had to retrieve it. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal though. Since his wife passed, Professor Yamazaki always stays late at his office," Naoki replied.

'He owns a computer, huh? I wonder if that's what he's been using to hack the university?' I asked myself.

Statement 4: "Then I saw Genkin Ranyou running down the stairs on the second floor. It was dark and he was in a hurry so I guess he didn't see me though."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you saw Ranyou-san there that night as well? Why didn't you report him to the police considering the circumstances?"

"Well I didn't think that much of it at first. I mean, Ranyou-san was a teaching assistant just like me so I figured he was at the building working late and was just in a hurry to get home. But it didn't end there," Naoki replied.

Statement 5: "Curious, I went up to the third floor to see why Ranyou-san was running away. And then I saw it."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Saw what exactly?"

"The fire," Naoki simply replied in fear.

Statement 6: "There was a large orange light seeping out of the cracks of Professor Yamazaki's slightly ajar office door. I went to investigate and carefully opened the door."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "And that's when you saw that his office was on fire?"

"Yes, that's right," Naoki replied.

"And why exactly didn't you try to save Professor Yamazaki?" I asked.

"Well…" Naoki continued his testimony.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "You couldn't see anything at all?"

"No, the fire had consumed everything in the office. I didn't even know Professor Yamazaki was inside until the next morning," Naoki replied. "I just thought that Ranyou-san had committed arson as some form of revenge against Professor Yamazaki. I knew I couldn't do anything to put it out so I decided to run and exit the building as fast as I could. But as I turned to run I saw something else."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "And so you decided to put the matchbook in the bottle? But why?"

"I know that glass objects can survive in a fire. I didn't want to get in trouble for taking evidence away from a crime scene so I put the matchbook in the bottle so it wouldn't get destroyed by the fire. But I also thought that my fingerprints could point to me as the arsonist so I made up the story about drinking with the Professor so I could explain them away. I know it was wrong to lie, but I just didn't want to get in trouble."

Statement 9: "I didn't want him to get away with it, so I put the matchbook inside the bottle so it would stay safe and then ran as fast as I could to the nearby fire escape and climbed down."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "But the person whose fingerprints were on the matchbook turned out to be my client's. If you thought that Ranyou-san was the one who started the fire, why didn't you ever say anything?"

"…" Naoki rubbed his shoulder in silence. "To be honest, I was a little afraid of Ranyou-san. I've heard the rumors about his family having ties to the yakuza. I was scared that if I said anything my life might be in danger. But I can't stand by anymore and let him get away with it."

'Oh, how noble. Give me a break,' I thought to myself.

Statement 10: "After I was safely outside the building, I called the fire department at a nearby pay phone. But I was worried that they might think I had something to do with the fire so I didn't leave my name and just left."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So by the time you got outside, Ranyou-san was already gone?"

Naoki nodded. "Yes, that's right. The building went up really fast too, so it was pretty bright out thanks to the fire. I didn't see anyone else around."

'I doubt he would lie about that. There's probably nothing new here,' I thought to myself.

Statement 11: Naoki continued his testimony, wearing a fake solemn expression. "I found out the next morning that Professor Yamazaki was in the fire. I just hadn't seen him."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So just to reiterate, you didn't see Professor Yamazaki in the fire when you were at his office?"

Naoki shook his head. "No, I didn't even go into the office. The flames were too big and it was way too hot. I just put the matchbook in the bottle and ran as fast as I could. I swear, if I'd have known the Professor was still in there, I would've tried my hardest to save him."

'Wait a second. That statement right there,' I thought to myself. "Your Honor, the Defense requests that the witness add that last statement to his testimony."

"Very well, so ordered. The witness will amend his testimony," the Judge replied, before banging his gavel.

Statement 12: "I swear, I never even went into Professor Yamazaki's office. The flames were much too big to even risk it."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "You didn't go in? Not even once really quick?"

Naoki shook his head. "No, as soon as I saw the fire I didn't dare enter the office. Normal people tend to avoid fire after all."

"True, enough," I replied. 'But I have a feeling that you're not normal,' I thought to myself.

Statement 13: "I'm sorry I kept this secret for so long. But I was honestly scared when the police arrested Professor Takumi instead of Ranyou-san. I thought that maybe his family got to them and that if I came forward my life would be in danger," Naoki added with a fake frightened tone.

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted.

"So you keep saying. But I still say you should've come forward sooner. An innocent man's life is hanging in the balance here."

"I wish I could change the past, but unfortunately I can't. The only thing I can do now is try to set things right," Naoki said in a sincere tone.

'I swear, if I didn't know any better I would say he's completely innocent in all of this. He really is a good actor. Which means I'm going to need to pull out all the stops in order to trip him up,' I thought to myself.

Statement 12: "I swear, I never even went into Professor Yamazaki's office. The flames were much too big to even risk it."

Present Naoki Mugai's Profile.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. Then I smirked and put my hands on my hips in a confident manner. "That was a nice story, Mugai-san. You have a real talent for storytelling. You might even want to consider a career in creative writing. That is if you don't mind doing so from a prison cell."

Naoki glared at me. "I don't like that arrogant tone. If you have a problem with my testimony then just come out and say it. Knock it off with the theatrics."

"Okay then, since you asked so nicely. My problem is with your explanation as to why you went back to Naruhodou Hall that night. You said you had to retrieve the bag you left in Professor Yamazaki's office, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right. So what?" Naoki replied.

"Well, I just find it odd that you managed to retrieve your bag when you said that you never went into the office," I replied.

"…!" Naoki's eyes widened when he realized he made a fatal slip of the tongue. He started to sweat profusely.

The Judge shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't understand. Is the witness not wearing the bag in question? Clearly that means he managed to retrieve it, does it not?"

I nodded. "Yes, but Mugai-san's testimony says otherwise. I can't think of any reason as to why he would lie about something so trivial, so that suggests that he simply forgot about it when he was creating that testimony off the top of his head."

"…" Naoki silently started biting his nails.

"And furthermore, if that bag Mugai-san is holding was indeed in the fire, wouldn't there be evidence supporting that fact? From where I'm looking, the bag looks to be in pristine condition. And even if the witness washed it afterwards, I think there would still be a faint smoky smell coming from it after it only being a few days since the fire. Why it's almost like that bag was never in the fire at all," I explained.

"…!" Naoki bit hard on one of his fingers and it began to bleed. He then began to apply pressure to it by balling it up in his sweater sleeve to stop the bleeding.

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

"Another false testimony, Mugai-san? The court's opinion of you seems to be growing worse by the minute," the Judge replied.

Naoki growled and fiddled with his glasses. Then he glared at me. "You think you're so smart, don't you? Kibou Hanamura." Then he unfastened the latch on his bag and pulled out the contents for all to see. The contents were actually pretty surprising. First he pulled out a very high-end computer monitor, and then a matching computer, and then more monitors, a lot of wires, a keyboard, and finally a fancy-looking wireless mouse. All of that was apparently stuffed away inside that small bag of his. It was honestly like some kind of magic, including how he managed to lug that all around with him. Then in a matter of moments, he constructed a makeshift computer desk out of the witness podium and surrounded himself with four monitors, while he stood behind them and began typing furiously away at the connected keyboard. A few moments later, he looked up from his keyboard and smirked. "However, your life story doesn't seem all that impressive. Average grades your entire academic life, barely passed the national bar exam after taking it three times, and been out of the legal game for two years even after obtaining your attorney badge."

"…!" I was surprised by the sudden information he was spewing. "A-Are you…researching me, right now?"

"I assure you, there's not that much here to comb through. A cursory internet search pulled up pretty much all the relevant information available. Let's see here." He looked over all four monitors and continued prattling off information about me. "You come from a standard upper middle class family. Your mother was a professional artist, and your father a decorated inspector at the Tokyo Met. Oh I see, so this is the reason why you've haven't set foot in court since you graduated. Masayoshi and Nene Hanamura, survived by their two children, Kibou and Hinata. You've had to raise your little sister on your own since your second year of university. No wonder you didn't have any time to further your own career."

"…!" I glared at Naoki in contempt.

"There's more here too. Shall I read on? Or better yet should I dig into your sister next?" Naoki asked.

"…" I growled at him.

He chuckled. "Word to the wise. Do not mess with me. With one stroke of my keyboard I can ruin your life."

The Judge banged his gavel again. "Mugai-san, I demand you turn off and put away those infernal devices immediately! And I better not hear you make any more threats to the Defense, is that clear?!"

"Crystal, Your Honor. But if you don't mind, I'm choosing to ignore your warning," Naoki replied, before continuing to type.

"Wh-What?!" the Judge exclaimed.

"I seem to recall being called back to the stand to give testimony regarding Ranyou-san. But since I've gotten up here, I've received nothing but hostility and slander from the Defense. And the Prosecution's objections have been laughable, if you could even call them objections to begin with," Naoki added.

"Wh-Why you…?!" Auchi seemed unnerved as well.

"I feel cheated and so I'm going to do all I can to defend myself, and that includes what I do best." Naoki began to type away at his keyboard again. "Or should I tell the entire courtroom about how one of your search histories contains over a 1000 different results containing the words "male pattern baldness"?"

"The Prosecution has no objections to the witness's devices, Your Honor!" Auchi screamed.

The Judge cleared his throat. "Quite right, I hereby withdraw my order. The witness may continue."

'One second the Judge doesn't even know what a computer is and now he knows the terror that search histories can bring?' I asked myself with an added sweatdrop. 'And from the sound of it there are multiple people with that specific search history.'

"Ahem, I say we should also indulge Mugai-kun on this whim, Hanamura-kun," Professor Takumi added.

'Et tu Professor?' I thought to myself.

Naoki smirked at me. "This is just a taste of what I can do. Give me ten minutes and I can have you declared a wanted criminal in every prefecture in Japan. Half an hour and I can make it world-wide. You do not want to mess with me."

I clenched my fists and grit my teeth in anger. But then the Professor brought me back to my senses. "Calm down, Hanamura-kun. He's just trying to get a rise out of you. He's only threatening you because you're so close to uncovering the truth. Don't stop here, keep fighting."

I took a deep breath. "You're right, Professor. This is no time to let my emotions cloud my judgment." Then I stroked my chin and began to collect my thoughts. 'Still though, this little display proves it. He has to be the hacker.' I slammed my hands down on my desk again. "The Defense is not afraid of your little scare tactics, witness. We already know how badly you botched your last job. Being discovered by Professor Yamazaki so easily and being forced to murder him just to escape. Well we have you cornered now. Even if…and that's a big if…you can skate on the murder charge. You're going away for hacking at the very least."

Naoki scoffed. "Please, I know when I'm beat, and trust me you're an annoyance more than anything. How many people do you think I've helped with my services over the years? I have dirt on a lot of people, dirt that I'm sure the authorities would love to get their hands on. I won't spend a day in prison, trust me."

'They're not going to make any deals with you if you're a convicted murderer, and that's what's coming next for you. Count on it,' I thought to myself as I silently glared at Naoki.

"Your Honor, I'd like to give one last testimony if you please? I promise, this will satisfy all of the court's questions," said Naoki.

The Judge sighed. "I suppose we have no choice but to hear you out." The Judge banged his gavel. "The court will now hear the "last" testimony of Naoki Mugai."

'Game time!' I inwardly exclaimed.

WITNESS TESTIMONY

Naoki Mugai, Occupation: Hacker

Statement 1: "There's no use hiding the obvious anymore. Especially not when I have such damning evidence in front of me. I am the hacker who's been messing with Yumei University's servers," said Naoki.

Statement 2: "About a year ago, I was hired by a client to keep tabs on Takumi and Yamazaki. I don't know the details, but my client was worried about them for some reason."

Statement 3: "After about six months I got bored of my surveillance job and decided to make a little extra cash by loaning out my services to the less academically gifted students of Yumei."

Statement 4: "I changed test scores, rewrote essays, handed out answer sheets, hell I even managed to hack into the grading system and hand out a few free points here and there. It was a nice little side business."

Statement 5: "Unfortunately, I got a little too greedy and Yamazaki noticed my presence. Though he never managed to put it together, it was me."

Statement 6: "Little did I know that one of my many clients got worried about being exposed and took matters into his own hands to ensure that he wouldn't be caught. Genkin Ranyou. That's your killer. All I did was try to help him and a few dullards out of a jam."

END OF TESTIMONY

The Judge shook his head. "Pardon me for not believing a word you say, considering your previous testimonies. Hanamura-san, please don't make me eat my words."

I nodded. "Will do, Your Honor."

Naoki furiously typed away at his keyboard. Then he turned around all his computer monitors to face me and they spelled out a message:

8R1N9 – 1T – 0N – L053R!

CROSS-EXAMINATION

Naoki Mugai, Occupation: Hacker

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you admit you're the hacker that Professor Yamazaki and Kurosaki-san were looking for?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Naoki replied. "What do you get paid by the word or something? Or are you just part parrot?"

"Just to clarify," I replied.

"Yes, yes, I'm the hacker. Okay? Moving on now," Naoki replied.

Statement 2: "About a year ago, I was hired by a client to keep tabs on Takumi and Yamazaki. I don't know the details, but my client was worried about them for some reason."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "I want some more information on this front before we proceed. Who was this client that hired you? And what did they want exactly?"

Naoki smirked. "Sorry, but I'm holding onto that little tidbit for my future deal. I'm not saying a word about any of my clients until then. Besides, that has nothing to do with Yamazaki's murder. It's an unnecessary detail."

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "You have no right to decide what is, or isn't important in a cross-examination. I'm the one asking the questions here."

"OBJECTION!" Auchi shouted. I looked over to him to see what he was whining about, but he just looked confused. "Huh, that wasn't me, was it?"

"What the…?" I was confused.

Then Auchi started to speak again. "The witness is correct, Your Honor. This mysterious client who hired the witness has no clear relevance in this case. This line of questioning is pointless." Again, Auchi seemed confused. His mouth wasn't moving with his words. That's when I noticed Naoki, fiddling with his keyboard again.

'Is he…faking Auchi's voice?'

"Well, I must say, this actually is a good argument, Auchi-san. Objection sustained. Move along, Hanamura-san," the Judge replied.

'Am I seriously the only one who saw that?' I asked myself.

"Oh, why thank you, Your Honor," Auchi replied, wasting no time taking credit for the objection.

Naoki snickered in delight. "Yeah, smooth move, Prosecutor-san."

'Smug bastard!' I growled.

"Don't pop a vein, Hanamura-san. How about this? I won't tell you who my client is but I will tell you what they wanted. Basically, they wanted information," Naoki explained.

"Information? On Yamazaki and I?" the Professor asked.

"That's right. Specifically anything related to your work in the courtroom. They gave me the point of not asking too many questions and I immediately understood. My assignment was to gather as much information I could and keep tabs on the two of you accordingly until my client told me to stop. It was a long-haul assignment, so I did my best to position myself in an area I could operate from. I enrolled myself in Yumei University under a fake transcript and got a job as one of Yamazaki's teaching assistants. There I could watch over you two and sneak a peek at your personal files. Nobody suspected a thing," Naoki explained.

Statement 3: "After about six months I got bored of my surveillance job and decided to make a little extra cash by loaning out my services to the less academically gifted students of Yumei."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "Exactly how many students came to you for your help?"

Naoki sighed. "Another meaningless question? Fine, I'll answer if I must. I can't recall the exact number off the top of my head, suffice it to say, more than you think. It wasn't just students from the law department either. I got requests from medical, mathematics, hell even art students. Word of mouth soon followed and I ended up getting quite a hefty client base, and a ton of cash too."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "How could you do all of this and still it took so long for Yumei to find out about you?"

Naoki shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. If you ask me…" He began typing again and then spun around his monitors to show another message:

7H3Y'R3 – A11 – C0MP13T3 – M0R0N5

"It took months before even Yamazaki knew what was going on. It just goes to show, they should have hired someone with sharper eyes and a younger mind to be in charge of network security, instead of foisting it off on some fat geriatric who didn't even learn a thing about my field until his late fifties." He snickered again. "Honestly, seeing the guy work was pathetic. I can't tell you how many times I had to resist the urge to show him how weak his code really was. But I had to maintain my cover, I couldn't risk him pinpointing me as a suspect."

Statement 5: "Unfortunately, I got a little too greedy and Yamazaki noticed my presence. Though he never managed to put it together that it was me."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you didn't even tell Professor Yamazaki about your computer skills when you met him?" I replied.

"No way. I couldn't risk it, no matter how much I wanted to show off. He may have been old but he was still smart," Naoki replied. "Thanks to that he never did manage to figure out that it was me."

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "So you're once again saying that it was all Ranyou-san? He started the fire that killed Professor Yamazaki and destroyed the building?"

"That's right, it was all him. I didn't lie about that part. I did catch him in the act and stuffed the matchbook into the bottle. Then I climbed down the fire escape and called the fire department. That part is true, I swear. But that's all that happened."

'You're not getting away with this,' I thought to myself. 'I'll get you, I swear.'

"Well that's my entire testimony. Care to hear it again? I don't mind. We can go over it for as long as you want," Naoki replied. "Just know that every time we do, I'm going to dox someone you care about. I think I'll start with you sister. I'll give you one freebie, but that's it," said Naoki in a malicious tone.

'Calm down, Kibou. He won't be able to do anything once you trap him,' I thought to myself.

Present Kyoukun's Blackmail Note.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "You didn't do anything besides planting the matchbook in the bottle? I find that hard to believe. You were definitely involved in this. And this blackmail note that you sent Dean Kyoukun the morning following the fire proves it. The contents of this note could only have been written by the hacker. And as you've just told the court, that hacker is you," I explained.

Naoki snickered again. "I was wondering when you were going to pull that out. Took you longer than I expected."

"You seem to think this is a laughing matter. But I assure you, it's not. This note proves you killed Professor Yamazaki and burned down Naruhodou Hall," I replied.

"Alright then, let me ask you this. Do you have any proof that I made that note? Or even any proof that I delivered it to Kyoukun?" Naoki asked. "No, I'd imagine not. Otherwise you would've said something already. And as far as I can tell, that note was typed out on a computer and printed. You certainly can't do a handwriting analysis, so there's no way to tell who made that note. Why it could've easily been Ranyou, trying to foist all the blame on me." He began typing again and then a familiar voice rang out.

"The witness is correct, Hanamura-san. That note that you possess can't be considered evidence at all in this case. There's no definitive proof of who made it. Presenting it at this stage was very idiotic. Yes, very idiotic indeed. If I were you, I'd give up on being an attorney and go join the circus instead, you big clown." That was definitely the Judge's voice, but I'm pretty sure he didn't say any of that. At least I hope not.

"Did…did I say all that?" the Judge asked himself.

'Dammit, he's right. We've been thinking that this note was sent by the hacker but there really is no way to know for sure that it was. I need something more definitive.' Then I remembered. 'Wait, I do have something definitive! I just need to trip him up and shove it in his face.' I cleared my throat. "I'd like to ask you another question. Did you by chance see what Ranyou-san used to start the fire?"

"No, but it was pretty obvious that it was the matches that were left at the scene," Naoki replied.

"That's what we thought at first too, but it actually turned out to be this lighter," I replied as I held up Professor Yamazaki's silver lighter. "Ranyou-san had it on his person but he claims that he was given this by the person who told him to kill Professor Yamazaki."

"Oh?" Naoki replied.

"Yes, in fact he said that the person who gave him this lighter was you, Mugai-san," I replied.

"Interesting, but again you come down to a lack of evidence. I've never seen that lighter before in my life," Naoki replied.

"Really? This lighter belonged to the victim. It was taken from him around the time of his death. Are you sure you have no memory regarding this particular lighter? Professor Yamazaki never showed it to you or anything?" I asked.

"No, I've never seen it and I've never touched it. Ranyou is lying to you," Naoki replied.

"That's all I needed to hear," I replied with a smirk. Then I pointed at him and shouted. "OBJECTION!"

"What?!" I finally caught Naoki off guard.

"You say that you've never seen or touched that lighter? Well I say that you're lying through your teeth, and I have evidence that proves it," I replied.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: What proves Naoki handled the lighter at some point?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Present Loose Thread.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. I opened the lighter and showed the court the loose thread that I had found inside of it a while ago. "I'd like to call the court's attention to this blue thread inside the lighter. It is the Defense's position that this thread was left behind by an individual who came into contact with this lighter recently. And as we've all seen, there is only one person in this courtroom who is wearing blue. Isn't that right, Mugai-san?"

"Th-That doesn't prove anything!" Naoki turned to Auchi and shouted at him. "Hey Prosecutor! What are you just standing there for?! Argue with him!"

"Wh-What who me?" Auchi seemed surprised that Naoki was actually acknowledging his existence.

"Oh forget it! I'll do it myself!" Naoki began typing at his keyboard again.

Then the fake Auchi's voice shouted out again. "OBJECTION! That thread proves nothing! It could have come from anywhere! I say it has no bearing on this case!"

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "You're forgetting, "Auchi-san". We have this amazing thing in our criminal justice system called fiber analysis. With a few simple tests we can tell if this blue thread came from the witness's sweater."

The fake Auchi cried out, "Hnggghhh!" as Naoki slammed his fists down on his keyboard in frustration.

Then after a few moments, Naoki smirked again. "Ha, but who's to say when that thread got tangled up in the lighter? It could have been weeks ago."

"Setting aside the fact that you already testified that you never touched the lighter, I can already prove that you were wearing that sweater on the day of the incident thanks to eyewitness testimony. In this case, the four witnesses who were with you and Professor Yamazaki on the day in question. Professor Shuichi Takumi, Genkin Ranyou, Dean Katsuhiro Kyoukun, and Tomoko Kurosaki," I replied.

"I believe that's a new sweater too, isn't it? As I recall, the first time I saw you wearing it was that day," Professor Takumi added.

Naoki growled in frustration and slammed his fists down on his keyboard again. "Dammit!"

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

The courtroom got rowdy again and the Judge banged his gavel again. "Order! I will have order!" He looked down at Naoki. "Mugai-san, this is some damning evidence against you. How do you respond to the Defense's claims?"

"Bullshit! What else?! Okay, I may have touched that lighter! But I didn't do anything with it! I certainly didn't give it to Ranyou!" Naoki shouted. He was starting to lose control of his emotions. We had him on the ropes, just a little more pressure.

The Judge shook his head. "Another lie? Why am I not surprised? I've taken as much of your audacity as I can handle. After this trial concludes I will see to it that you are indicted for perjury."

"Overruled! I withdraw my ruling," the fake Judge declared.

The Judge shook his head. "I did not say that. Now I am ordering you to give the court more testimony about the lighter. And if you continue to try my patience you will be put into contempt of court. Do I make myself clear?"

Naoki growled again. "Yes, Your Honor."

WITNESS TESTIMONY

That Damn Lighter

Statement 1: "I messed with that damn lighter out of curiosity, okay? I have no idea how Ranyou got it, but it definitely wasn't from me. There wasn't even a time I could've given it to him. End of story," said Naoki.

END OF TESTIMONY

The Judge shook his head. "That was not a proper testimony. I order you to tell us more."

"It's okay, Your Honor," I replied. "That one statement is enough."

"V-Very well then, proceed with the cross-examination, Hanamura-san," the Judge replied.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

That Damn Lighter

Press.

"HOLD IT!" I shouted. "What…?"

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. "You said you only needed one statement! Either present evidence or give up, rookie!"

"But…"

"Objection sustained," the fake Judge replied. "Stop wasting the court's time with your moronic drivel, Hanamura-san. You are a disgrace of an attorney."

"I couldn't agree more," said another familiar voice. "Why on Earth did I pick you to defend me?" Looks like he made a fake Professor Takumi too.

"You suck, Nii-chan!" And a fake Hinata? How dare he?!

I looked around the courtroom. 'Seriously? Is no one going to call him on this?' I asked myself. Then I sighed. 'Fine. I already have the evidence anyway. Let's just present it and move on.'

Statement 1: "I messed with that damn lighter out of curiosity, okay? I have no idea how Ranyou-san got it, but it definitely wasn't from me. There wasn't even a time I could've given it to him. End of story," said Naoki.

Present Naruhodou Hall Building Diagram.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "But there was a time when you could have given Ranyou-san the lighter, Mugai-san. In fact, you were kind enough to mark it for me right on this building diagram, remember?" I replied, showing Naoki the building diagram. I pointed to the mark Naoki made earlier showing where Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki had their fight.

"…!" Naoki's eyes widened.

"As we've already heard. Everyone who was there at Naruhodou Hall that afternoon was witness to the Professors' fight, including you and Ranyou-san," I replied. "In his notes, Professor Yamazaki mentions that his lighter had gone missing before he died. My guess is that you stole it from him and then passed it off to Ranyou-san when no one was looking. You also probably took the opportunity to tell him what he needed to do. Admit it, Ranyou-san might've started that fire, but it was your plan. You coaxed him into helping you commit arson and murder."

Naoki pounded his fists down on his keyboard again. This time the four fake voices came out of the computer, and they all shouted the same thing. "Dammit/Dammit/Dammit/Dammit!"

END OF CROSS-EXAMINATION

"Well it seems that we've finally reached the end of this long and arduous trial," said the Judge. "I trust the Defense has nothing more to add?"

I nodded. "That's correct, Your Honor. We are satisfied with this outcome."

At least I was until I heard him snicker once again. "Hehe. Hehehehe. Hehehehehehehehehe. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahaha!" Halfway through it turned into more of an evil cackle. "You think you've won?! Bullshit! You haven't done anything! Are you too stupid to realize that?! All you've proven is one thing! Ranyou killed Yamazaki!"

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Think about it! He gave Yamazaki the rum and got him drunk! He had the lighter! He had a motive! And to top it all off, he already confessed!" Naoki shouted.

"But that's just because you forced him to do it!" shouted. "You gave him the lighter!"

"So what if I did?! That doesn't prove that I told him to kill Yamazaki! On that note, it's just my word against his! And besides that, what else do you have on me?! Some fingerprints on a bottle which I already gave a reason for being there?! A blackmail note for Kyoukun that I may or may not have typed?!" Naoki shouted. Then he snickered again. "I'll admit that I gave him the lighter, I'll admit that I lied about being with Yamazaki to cover for him, hell I'll even admit that I told him that Yamazaki was on to him! But I will not admit to killing Yamazaki! That was all Ranyou!"

"But that's not true! This was your plan! You purposely committed the murder with arson so you could destroy the server farm that would expose you!" I shouted.

"You're forgetting, every one of my clients, including Ranyou, would have lost everything if that investigation happened! He asked me to get him that lighter and I did! I assumed he was just going to burn down the building! I had no idea that he was planning a murder too! But he forced me into helping him frame Professor Takumi with the matchbook! I admit it okay, I knew what I was doing with the bottle! You think I'm bad?! You don't want to cross the Ranyou clan! He did it! He did it! He was the one who forced me to help him! Not the other way around!" Naoki shouted at the top of his lungs. Then he furiously typed on his keyboard and spun his computer monitors around again. They spelled out the message:

R4NY0U – KI113D – Y4M4Z4K1 – 1D10T!

"B-But that's…that's…"

"That's what?! Not what happened?! Prove it! Prove that I killed Yamazaki! Oh but you can't, can you?! Because Ranyou was the one who actually started the fire! Even if I did tell him what to do, how can you prove it?! There's nothing you can do! So just drop it!" Naoki started typing on his keyboard again.

"This farce of a trial has gone on long enough! Just accept your not guilty verdict and get on with your life, rookie!" the fake Auchi exclaimed.

"Hanamura-san, if you continue to badger this witness without any evidence there will be a hefty penalty in your future," said the fake Judge.

"Would you just quit already! I'm sick of this whole thing, I want my freedom!" the fake Professor exclaimed.

"Nii-chan, I'm tired! Can we please just go home?!" the fake Hinata exclaimed.

Then another fake voice began to speak. "There's no shame in quitting while you're ahead. Did Mugai-san really kill Professor Yamazaki? Or was it all a lie by Ranyou-san? Does it really matter? Either way the Professor is free. Isn't that what you came here to do?" It was me.

'What do I do? What do I do? We've come so far. But he's right. I don't have any solid evidence I can use against him. He's guilty. I know he's guilty. But I can't prove it. What do I do?!' I inwardly exclaimed.

At that moment, I was truly lost. I had exhausted all of my evidence, fought so hard, and yet it still wasn't enough. The Professor would go free, and Ranyou-san might too if Mugai-san kept his word to him, but Mugai-san would never face proper punishment for what he did, and Professor Yamazaki's case would be closed without ever reaching a satisfying conclusion. I didn't know what I should do. But then in my hour of need, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Hanamura-kun. Don't give up. You're so close. I can wait a little while longer. Please, bring my dear friend justice. Catch his killer. Please, I beg of you," Professor Takumi pleaded. He had a desperate look on his face. He was counting on me to finish this. To avenge his friend.

"But I don't know what to do. He's right, we don't have anything conclusive. At this point it's just Ranyou-san's word against his. I failed. I'm sorry, but there's nothing more I can do," I replied.

Professor Takumi shook his head. "You can't give up. Remember, an attorney fights until the bitter end. Think the whole case over from the beginning one more time and I'm sure you'll find an answer."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll try. All I can do is try."

"That's all I ask for," Professor Takumi replied.

"Alright, here it goes." And then I began to think the whole case over from top to bottom. Time seemed to stop completely as I was left entirely with my own thoughts.

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

"Alright, let's start at the beginning. An unknown individual hired Naoki Mugai to spy on Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki, so Mugai-san enrolled at Yumei University under a fake transcript and got a job as one of Professor Yamazaki's teaching assistants. However, he ended up taking on a side business of helping students cheat. Who was one person in particular he helped cheat?"

Present Genkin Ranyou's Profile.

"Right. Ranyou-san. He helped Ranyou-san cheat. And little did Mugai-san know, he got the attention of Professor Yamazaki, who had Dean Kyoukun bring Kurosaki-san to the university to help him catch Mugai-san. Now Mugai-san claims that Professor Yamazaki never suspected him, but Professor Yamazaki was really, really smart. I doubt he would've been fooled by Mugai-san if I even saw through him. Maybe I should consider the possibility that Mugai-san lied about this too. Professor Yamazaki figured out it was him. Come to think of it, Professor Yamazaki asked for Tomoko to be brought to Yumei but she never even talked to him that day. Even if something else was bothering him, surely he would've made time for her regarding the hacker. Could it be that he didn't meet with her because he didn't consider it a priority anymore?"

MAKE A DECISION: Did Professor Yamazaki realize Naoki was the hacker?

Definitely

Maybe not

Pick Option One.

"That had to be the case. Come to think of it, why else would Professor Yamazaki bring Mugai-san to Naruhodou Hall in the first place if not for that? Mugai-san said that he was going over lectures and other things with him, but that could easily just have been another lie. Now then. Mugai-san definitely stole Professor Yamazaki's lighter. He would have been the only one in this case who could've gotten that close to him, besides Professor Takumi. He passed the lighter off to Ranyou-san later that day. He must've been planning this for a while and chose then to strike because Professor Yamazaki was about to expose him. Then there's the rum. Did Mugai-san know about that?"

Present Receipt.

"No, he didn't. Otherwise that receipt wouldn't have caught him off guard so much. He probably told Ranyou-san to just use some alcohol to start the fire. Ranyou-san probably didn't know that there was liquor in Professor Yamazaki's office so he went to buy some before returning to the building and handed it off to the Professor. Fast forward to that night. Professor Yamazaki is liquored up and the fire is started. And it was definitely arson, right?"

Present Arson Investigator's Report.

"Yep. Definitely arson. The fire department did a thorough job and determined that the leftover rum was used as an accelerant. So Professor Yamazaki dies asleep in the fire. Or at least that's what we thought at first."

Present Genkin's True Testimony.

"According to Ranyou-san, Professor Yamazaki wasn't in his office when the fire was started. But what could that mean? If he wasn't in his office then where was he?" Then I thought about it for a second. "Wait a second. Wait a second! Did Professor Yamazaki actually die in the fire? His body showed signs of smoke inhalation so that was ruled the official cause of death, but could he have died from something besides the fire?"

Present Portable Stove.

"This is a propane-powered stove. If you were to turn this on indoors without proper ventilation it could be fatal. According to the forensics team, the stove was found to have been powered on recently. But is there any proof that it was on during the incident?"

Present Photo From Before the Murder.

"Wait a second. The red light for the portable stove is shining. That means that the stove was on when this image was taken. Propane gas is colorless so it wouldn't show up on camera, but what if the whole office was filled with it when this image still was lifted. Could this really have happened? Could Professor Yamazaki really have died from the poorly ventilated stove and not the fire?"

MAKE A DECISION: Did Professor Yamazaki die in the fire or from a gas leak?

He died in the fire

He died from a gas leak

Pick Option Two.

"It had to have been the gas leak that killed him. The fire didn't start for at least three and a half hours after this image was seen on the security camera. Even if this doesn't show that he's dead, he would've easily been dead by then. But that leads to another problem. Propane gas is highly flammable. Starting a spark in a room filled with the stuff should cause a massive explosion. But no explosions were reported that night. It was just a large fire. Which means the gas must have dissipated by then. But how?"

Present Naruhodou Hall Building Diagram.

"That's right. There are large windows on each side of the hall. After killing Professor Yamazaki, all the killer had to do was open the windows and let the propane dissipate. And there's a sure fire way to prove this theory correct."

MAKE A DECISION: How can this be proved as the true murder method?

Fiber Analysis

Ballistics Analysis

Fingerprint Analysis

DNA Analysis

Pick Option Three.

NAOKI'S FINGERPRINTS ARE ON THE PORTABLE STOVE THAT KILLED PROFESSOR YAMAZAKI

CONCLUSION REACHED

'That's it! That's it!' I inwardly exclaimed.

"Well then, as much as it pains me to say it. I'm afraid we cannot draw any further conclusions from this witness's testimony. As such I'm afraid we must now end the trial," said the Judge.

"OBJECTION!" I shouted. "Not yet. I have one more question, Your Honor. Just one more question."

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted while Naoki typed away at his keyboard. "This trial has gone on for long enough, Your Honor. The Prosecution believes that the witness should be excused."

"OBJECTION!" Professor Takumi shouted. "Hanamura-kun just has one question more. And I think we owe it to ourselves to do everything possible in order to reach a satisfying conclusion to this trial."

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. "What could possibly still be left to talk about? This is just a meaningless stall tactic from the Defense, Your Honor!"

"OBJECTION!" Auchi shouted. "I object to the continued use of my voice by the witness!"

'Finally, someone calls him on it,' I thought to myself.

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. "Don't try to stop me! Someone has to do your job since you're clearly not fit for the task!"

"ORDER!" the Judge shouted. This caused the entire courtroom to go silent. "Well that was rather fun. Now I understand why you attorneys and prosecutors are always shouting like that." Then he looked down at me. "Now then, Hanamura-san. This trial has gone on for quite a while. I could extend the trial to tomorrow, but I too feel we have reached a conclusion, albeit a rather confusing one. It might be best to end things here and settle it at another trial."

"Yeah, if you're so concerned about Ranyou, maybe you can represent him in that trial too," Naoki added.

'We both know you'll have found another way to weasel out of this by then. But that's not going to happen. This ends now,' I thought to myself. I looked up at the Judge. "Please, Your Honor. I believe if you just give me five more minutes, I can solve every last remaining mystery in this case and prove once and for all who the true killer is," I pleaded to the Judge.

"Hmm," the Judge thought about it for a few moments. "Well, considering the circumstances, I suppose I can indulge you on this point. But just five more minutes, not a moment more. And please don't make me regret this, Hanamura-san."

"Thank you, Your Honor. You won't be disappointed, I promise." I cleared my throat and then got up from behind my desk and walked into the center of the courtroom so everyone could see me clearly. "Ladies and gentlemen, through the past few testimonies and cross-examinations I have learned one thing. Our core understanding of this case has been wrong from the very beginning. It is the Defense's belief that Genkin Ranyou did start that fire. However, we now know for certain that he did not murder Professor Yamazaki. The reason being, Professor Yamazaki did not die in that fire."

"What?!" Professor Takumi exclaimed.

"What?!" Naoki exclaimed.

"What?!" Auchi exclaimed.

"What?!" the Judge exclaimed.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttttttt?!" the entire gallery exclaimed.

"That is correct. From the very beginning, we have assumed that the killer started the fire in order to murder Professor Yamazaki and destroy Naruhodou Hall. But in reality, there were two different crimes perpetrated that night. An arson by Genkin Ranyou and a murder committed by that man in the witness stand, Naoki Mugai!" I shouted.

"…!" Naoki typed away at his keyboard and then spun his monitors around.

W – T – F – ?!

"And I can prove it with just a few pieces of evidence. First, Prosecutor Auchi," I called out to the bewildered prosecutor.

"Umm, yes?" Auchi replied.

"The portable stove that you talked about in your opening argument. Do you have the actual stove with you?" I asked.

"Umm, well, uh…" Auchi looked down under his desk. "Hold on, I think it's down here somewhere. Oh yes, here it is." Auchi poked his head back up and handed me the portable stove. "I wasn't planning to bring it out because I didn't see the point. I thought I had a strong enough case to begin with…but…"

"But you didn't bring it out because there was evidence on it who pointed to someone other than my client, correct?" I replied.

"…" Auchi silently nodded.

"And whose fingerprints did you find on this stove if I may ask?" I replied.

"There were only two sets, Professor Yamazaki's and Naoki Mugai's. But we just assumed that the stove was turned on prior to the fire. The arson investigators only half-guessed that it had anything to do with the arson. That's why I didn't press the issue anymore, well that and the fact that it didn't seem related to the defendant," Auchi explained.

"And let me guess, the most recent prints, on top of all the other ones, belong to Naoki Mugai?" I asked.

"…" Auchi silently nodded.

I shook my head. "You should have brought this to the court's attention sooner, Auchi-san. But better late than never, I always say." Then I addressed the courtroom again. "Anyway, without further ado allow me to introduce you to the true murder weapon."

"Hanamura-san?! Are you serious?! The victim didn't die in the fire?!" the Judge exclaimed.

I shook my head. "No, he did not. And one piece of evidence suggests it."

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: What suggests Professor Yamazaki might not have died in the fire?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Present Autopsy Report.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. "If you carefully read over the autopsy report you'll see these two lines, which paint a very malicious picture when seen in a different context." I read the lines in question: "It should also be noted that due to the extensive damage the fire caused to the victim's body it was impossible to find a specific time of death. The fire was started around 2:00 and since the cause of death is smoke inhalation it's a logical leap to say that the victim died around that time as well." I looked up from the autopsy report. "As you have just heard, the time of death is a complete estimate based on the cause of death. Smoke inhalation. The medical examiner attributed this to the fire which is why they placed the time of death around that time. However, the body was too badly burned to give a proper time of death. So I ask you this. What if the victim died of smoke inhalation in another way?" I held up the portable stove. "Like from a gas leak for example?"

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. "There is no proof that the stove was used in that way! The victim could have simply been making some dinner before his death!"

"OBJECTION!" I shouted back. "Actually, I have proof that can't be the case," I replied.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: What proves the stove is part of the murder plot?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Present Photo from Before the Murder.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. "If you look at this image still taken from the security camera in Professor Yamazaki's office, you can see that the portable stove on the shelf is indeed turned on. But at the same moment, Professor Yamazaki is fast asleep. This image still was taken three and a half hours before the murder. Even if this was taken as soon as the stove was turned on, by that time, Professor Yamazaki would have asphyxiated on the gas. But if you ask me, I don't think he's sleeping at all. I think this image still shows him already dead."

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. "Then couldn't it just be an accidental death, not murder?"

I shook my head. "No, because someone had to have turned the stove off prior to the fire. Propane is highly flammable and a single spark would have caused an explosion. But no explosions were reported at the scene. Which means the gas had to dissipate by then. And if you refer to the building's diagram, there are large windows on either side of the hall. It is the Defense's belief that the true killer asphyxiated Professor Yamazaki with the gas from his portable stove and then opened the windows to let the gas dissipate. And we have eyewitness testimony that proves this is what happened."

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: What proves there was a gas leak?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Present Genkin's True Testimony.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. "According to Ranyou-san's final testimony, when he was starting the fire he began to feel extremely dizzy. This is one of the symptoms of exposure to a gas leak. There must have still been a little propane in the air, which is why the fire spread so quickly."

"OBJECTION!" the fake Auchi shouted. I looked over at Naoki. He was starting to sweat bullets again, and he was biting at the fingers of one of his hands, while furiously typing away at his keyboard with the other. "Th-This is ridiculous. Ranyou also testified that the victim wasn't in his office when he started the fire! How do you explain that?!"

"Quite simply," I replied.

"What?!" Naoki exclaimed.

"I told you already. I only need five minutes to prove your guilt. I still have two. And the truth is Professor Yamazaki really wasn't in his office that night was he? He was here."

CHOOSE THE RIGHT EVIDENCE: Where was the victim when the fire started?

Kibou's Attorney Badge – My attorney badge. Proof that I can practice law and defend the innocent in the courtroom. It took me a while to actually get this.

Today's Paper – Today's newspaper, given to me by Hinata. It contains an article on the back that talks about Yumei University's recent hacking scandal.

Autopsy Report – The victim of this case, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki's autopsy report.

Victim: 山崎剛之 (Takeshi Yamazaki)

Estimated Time of Death: Around 2:00

Arson Investigator's Report – The ignition point of the fire was Professor Yamazaki's private office. The fire appears to have been set with accelerant, presumably alcohol.

Professor Yamazaki's Notes – Professor Yamazaki's investigation notes on the hacker plaguing Yumei University. He sent these notes to Dean Kyoukun's office personally the day before the fire.

Page (1/5)

Hacker Case Summary

Page (2/5)

Investigation Notes

Page (3/5)

Investigation Notes Continued…

Page (4/5)

Investigation Notes Continued (That Case)

(3/24) I've done an inventory of all the evidence left over from the trial. I'll make note of the important pieces here:

Used Match – A single burnt match was found at the scene of the crime.

I will make notes of the other pieces of evidence when I have finished examining each of them fully.

Page (5/5)

Something Must Be Done!

Best regards, Professor Takeshi Yamazaki.

Student Memo – Professor Yamazaki included a list of students inside his notes on the investigation. On the list is a familiar name. Genkin Ranyou.

Professor Yamazaki's Lighter – The victim's personal lighter. It is most likely the murder weapon in this case.

Loose Thread – A loose blue thread was found inside Professor Yamazaki's lighter. This might belong to the person who started the fire.

Present Naruhodou Hall Building Diagram.

"TAKE THAT!" I shouted. I pulled out the building diagram and showed my answer. "Ranyou-san agreed to burn down Naruhodou Hall for the true killer, starting with Professor Yamazaki's office. Of course if he saw the Professor lying at his desk, odds are he wouldn't have gone through with it. So the true killer must have moved the body for a short period and then moved it back after Ranyou-san started the fire and ran away. Ranyou-san testified that he ran down the stairs to escape the blaze, leaving the fire escape unattended. The true killer must have dragged the Professor's body out there after asphyxiating him. The fire escape is right next to Professor Yamazaki's office so it would have been simple work to drag his body back and forth, and then quickly run down the fire escape to escape the blaze."

"…!" Naoki started visibly trembling. It appeared to be a large mix of fear and anger.

"And before you say anything, there's no way Ranyou-san could have done that himself. For one big reason. The stove. Only your and the victim's fingerprints are on it. I bet you just assumed that it would burn up in the fire." I sighed. "Well it didn't, but ironically we almost missed it completely." I smirked. "Too bad, you were so close. But you can't run away from this. Now it's your turn to be caught in a fire. The fire of condemnation. So just admit it already!" I pointed at Naoki. "Naoki Mugai, it could have only been you!"

"…" Naoki suddenly stopped trembling and went completely quiet.

Y-You wa-wanted to see me, Pr-Professor?

Hello Mugai-kun, thank you for coming in today. Please have a seat.

Wh-What's this about?

First of all, please stop using that fake stutter. You're not fooling anyone.

What?

I'm going to cut straight to the chase. I know that it's you who's been hacking the school.

What are you talking about?

Don't play dumb. It took me a while to figure it out but then I realized that the cheating and grade changing began in my class. Specifically on a test in which I only gave the answer sheets to my teaching assistants for proofing. I've already talked to the others and cleared them, by process of elimination, you're my man.

…

You can stay silent if you like, but it's not going to change the fact that I know it's you.

…

But that's not the only reason I called you here. I know that you've been digging into my personal files too. Particularly my old case notes. And you've been trying to get into Takumi's too, haven't you?

…

This is about that case, isn't it? Who are you really? What do you want?

I'm only looking for the info my client requested. Everything else was just to make some easy cash.

So you admit it?

Not that much point in hiding it anymore, is there? I assume you've already called the police?

Actually, I haven't.

What?

Don't get me wrong, normally I'd drag you away in handcuffs myself, but it just so happens that I want to hire you.

What?!

Whatever your client is paying you, I'll double it, no triple it. I just want you to tell me who they are and what they know.

I…I can't do that. Trust me, this is a person you don't want to cross. If they even suspect I betrayed them, I'm as good as dead.

I don't care. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Either you tell me what I want to know, or I report you to the police.

…

Are we clear?

And what's to stop you from reporting me even after I give you what you want?

Nothing. You're just going to have to take that chance.

*Ring-ring-ring*

Excuse me for a second. Hello? ... ... …! Who is this?! What do you want?! Hello?! Hello?!

What's the matter? Telemarketer?

Who was…?!

Did I neglect to mention that they're always watching me.

You! You aren't going to get away with this!

…

Mugai-kun…I would've thought…you were halfway across the…world by now.

Drunk off your ass? Why am I not surprised? Looks like that idiot Ranyou made himself useful after all. Now for the fun part.

What…what…are you doing?

Nothing you need to worry about. Just relax, have another drink and take a load off.

Mugai-kun…you won't…get away…with this.

I already have. It didn't have to be this way, you know? You couldn't have left well enough alone? But it's too late now. If I don't get rid of every last shred of my presence here, I'm a dead man. So you have to die. Sorry, Yamazaki. You just got too close. But if it makes you feel any better, you were right, the killer's still out there.

Then a few moments later Naoki started snickering. "Hehe. Hehehe. Hehehehehehe." Then it turned it to a maniacal cackle. He started to furiously type away at his keyboard, and then he spun his monitors around and showed that they were cackling along with him. "Hahahahahahhhhhahaahhahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahhhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahaahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahhhhhahaahhahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahhhahahahhahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahahaahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahaha!" Suddenly the computer started smoking, and then it quickly caught fire. The monitors began to show error messages. Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Error! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! Does not compute! System failure! System failure! System failure! System failure! System failure! Then the monitors started to fizzle out, and then one by one they exploded. The force knocked Naoki off his feet and he flew across the room, knocking his head on the courtroom's entrance doors and passing out. His hardware was now left burning at the witness stand.

"Bailiff! Get the fire extinguisher immediately!" the Judge ordered, while everybody began to panic and began to frantically open windows to get the smoke out. And then a stray spark from the tech fire got carried off by the breeze and lit Auchi's pompadour like it was a birthday candle.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh! I'm burning! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Auchi ran around the courtroom like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Stop, drop, and roll! Don't you know anything?!" I shouted.

Finally the bailiff got to Auchi and extinguished the fire. However, Auchi's hair was ruined. Then in a panic Auchi threw the burning smolders off and revealed that his pompadour was actually just a bad wig. He was completely bald underneath it. "My hair! My beautiful hair!" Auchi began to weep relentlessly over the loss of his "hair".

About ten minutes later, the bailiff had successfully put out the fire and everyone was back in their seats. "Well that was certainly quite an ordeal. However, it appears that everyone is in good condition." Then he looked over at Auchi, still sobbing over the burned smolders of his bad wig.

"My hair, my beautiful hair," Auchi whined.

The Judge shook his head. "I know your pain all too well, Auchi-san. Please do cheer up though. We're not quite finished here yet. Now what of the state of Naoki Mugai?"

Auchi stopped sniffling for a second and raised his head. "He's still unconscious at the moment, but the police have taken him into custody. They plan to charge him with Professor Yamazaki's murder as soon as he's fit to stand trial." Then he lowered his head again. "My case, my beautiful case." Now he was whining about the case? Crybaby.

"What about Ranyou-san?" I asked the Judge. "He may be guilty of arson but the Defense believes he had no prior knowledge of the murder. Mugai-san merely set him up as the killer."

Auchi looked up again. "He's been arrested too, but from the sound of it he plans to cooperate in order to convict Mugai-san. So the police may offer him a deal for less time."

'Well that's about as good as can be expected, I guess,' I thought to myself. 'After all, he did break quite a few laws even if he didn't commit the actual murder.'

"Ranyou-kun must learn his lesson. But thanks to you, he'll still have a life to return to after he gets out of prison," said Professor Takumi. "Don't be so discouraged. You did a wonderful job."

"Thanks, Professor," I replied with an added smile.

"Now then, I think it's high time we end this trial. Will the defendant please take the stand?" the Judge instructed. A few moments later, Professor Takumi was at the witness stand. "We have managed to avoid quite a miscarriage of justice in today's trial. I am happy to see that my faith in my old friend was well-grounded. It gives me no greater joy than to say the following words: the court hereby finds the defendant, Professor Shuichi Takumi…"

NOT GUILTY

Then confetti rained down upon Professor Takumi as the gallery cheered. He was a very humble man though, and took his acquittal with great eloquence. He smiled and then bowed to the courtroom. Then he turned to me and gave me a teary-eyed look. "Thank you so much, Hanamura-kun!" he exclaimed, before bowing to me.

"No thanks necessary, Professor. No thanks necessary," I replied as I clapped and cheered along with the gallery.

March 28, 2082. 14:30. Courthouse, Defendant Waiting Lobby No. 4.

"We did it! I can't believe it! We actually pulled it off!" I exclaimed.

"What are you saying, Hanamura-kun? I barely helped you at all back there. Especially towards the end. No, that was all you. This may be my acquittal, but this is your win. Congratulations," Professor Takumi replied.

"You're being too modest, Professor. You helped me reach that conclusion by convincing me to press on. If it weren't for you, I'd have given up a long time ago," I replied.

Professor Takumi smiled. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. In the meantime, here comes our first admirer."

And sure enough, Hinata appeared and tackled me into a hug. "Nii-chan, you did it! You won! You were so cool!"

I rubbed my head in embarrassment. "Oh, really? Well I guess maybe a little at the end."

"Don't compliment him too much, his head will swell up like a balloon." Tomoko appeared as well, accompanied by Dean Kyoukun.

"Kurosaki-san? Dean Kyoukun?" I replied.

"Why do you look so surprised? Did you forget we were after the same guy?" Tomoko replied as she crossed her arms. "I helped you out quite a few times during this whole thing, so this is my victory as much as it is yours. Got it?"

"R-Right," I replied with an added sweatdrop.

"Takumi, my old friend. I feel like I must apologize again for my role in this. If I had simply come forward in the beginning and told the police about the blackmail, you could have been spared from having to endure this trial," said Kyoukun.

"Bah, think nothing of it Katsu. Even if you had come forward, it would've just been Ranyou-kun's head on the chopping block instead of mine. But thanks to Hanamura-kun here, Yamazaki has been thoroughly avenged," the Professor replied.

Kyoukun bowed to me. "Thank you, thank you so much for helping my dear friend."

"It was my pleasure," I replied.

Then Kyoukun stood up and smiled. "It gives this old man hope to see a Yumei alum triumph like this. I expect to hear good things about you in the future."

"Thanks for the support, Dean Kyoukun. But honestly, after going through this whole trial, I think I might take a break for a little bit," I replied.

"Oh come now, you can't just hang back after your first victory. You must strike while the iron is hot and continue making your mark on the legal world," Dean Kyoukun replied.

"I agree, you have a natural talent for this, Hanamura-kun. It would be a shame to see those talents go to waste," Professor Takumi added. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you a little later, but now seems as good a time as any."

"Professor?" I replied.

"Though I may be retiring from teaching, for quite some time I've had the itch to return to the courtroom. Not as a defendant mind you, but as an attorney. So a few months ago I retook the bar exam and had my license reinstated. I have a little money saved up and I've decided to open my own law office. I was wondering if you'd like to join me," Professor Takumi replied.

"You're offering me a job? A chance to work with you?" I replied. "But are you sure you want a rookie like me on your payroll?"

"But of course. To be honest, I was thinking about asking you even before this trial started. If anything good came out of this whole thing, it was that I got to see you in action for myself. And there's no doubt in my mind now that I want you on my team. I can't afford to pay you that much just yet, but I promise that you'll get a lot of experience. I already have several clients lined up for us," the Professor explained.

"Well this is so sudden…I don't…" I muttered.

Hinata cut me off. "He'll take it."

"Hinata!" I exclaimed.

"Right now you're working two jobs just to support us," Hinata replied. "I'll always appreciate the sacrifices you made just to take care of me, but I'm not eight years old anymore. I can help too. I'll get a part-time job and help out more around the house. Who cares if we make less money? You'll be working your dream job with a great partner by your side. So please, don't worry about me so much, take the job."

"Hinata," I replied. I smiled at her and then hugged her. "Thank you for the support." Then I turned to the Professor. "Alright Professor, I accept your offer. Let's both do the best job we can." We both reached out to shake hands.

"Welcome aboard, Hanamura-kun," Professor Takumi replied.

"Glad to hear it. Who knows, I might be requesting your law office's cooperation one of these days," Dean Kyoukun replied. He patted me and the Professor on our shoulders. "Don't be strangers, you two. Call me anytime and we'll get drinks together." Then he turned to leave. "Now I must get back to the school. I have a lot of paperwork waiting on me. But once again, congratulations."

'He wants to go out for drinks? Did I just become good friends with Dean Kyoukun?' I asked myself.

"I should get going too. I've been ignoring my other clients to focus on this case, but before I go…" Tomoko retrieved some of her business cards and handed one to Professor Takumi and one to Hinata. "I already gave Hanamura one, but just in case you guys ever have a need for a P.I., here's my card." She then leaned into Hinata and whispered something, and then Hinata giggled. Then Tomoko turned to leave and waved goodbye before exiting the lobby.

"What did she tell you?" I asked.

"It's a secret," Hinata replied with another giggle.

"What? Come on, since when are you two so chummy?" I replied.

"While you were grilling that hacker guy, she found me in the gallery and we watched the end of the trial together. She's actually a pretty nice person when you get to know her," Hinata replied.

'Nice person, huh?' I thought to myself.

Nice wasn't really a word I would use to describe Tomoko Kurosaki. After that trial I thought our paths would never cross again, so I didn't pay her much mind. Little did I know that we would meet again very soon, and our relationship would change forever. But that's a story for another time.

"Alright, first thing's first, we should celebrate! The Professor's acquittal, Nii-chan's first win, and a brand new job! We have a lot to celebrate!" Hinata exclaimed.

"And just what did you have in mind, young lady?" Professor Takumi asked.

"It's lunch time so let's go get something yummy, on Nii-chan!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Hey, since when am I paying? I thought I was part of the celebration," I replied.

"Semantics," Hinata simply replied. "Come on, I want either burgers or noodles. You choose."

"Why are those the only two options? So weird," I replied.

"I haven't had either in a long time, so hard to choose," Professor Takumi replied.

"Professor, please don't indulge her. We'll get whatever you want," I replied. Then I felt a chill run up my spine. Someone was watching me! I turned around and saw that no one else was there in the lobby. 'Just my imagination?' I asked myself. Then I sighed and turned back around and ran to catch up with Hinata and the Professor.

Out of that trial two mysteries remained. The identity of the client who hired Naoki Mugai as well as the connection to Professor Takumi and Professor Yamazaki's last case in the courtroom. Though we didn't receive any answers to those questions that day, this was only the beginning. What followed was a mystery so big that it nearly destroyed me and everyone I cared about. But again, that's a story for another time.

The End

A/N: And that is the end of Episode 1. When will Episode 2 be out? No idea, but it will not come out all at once like this one. Like I said at the very start, this is based on an old fanfic that I wrote several years ago. This episode was pretty much completed before I stopped. I just had to write the ending. But again, I would very much appreciate anyone who wants to be my co-writer. I have outlines for the rest of this story but I need help writing scenes and dialogue. If anyone is interested, please PM me. That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed it.