King: Lot's of stuff going on. I had to take a little longer to make sure this one ran well enough. There was also other things in life. Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Chapter 20 baby~! Let's do this!

Court is now in session.

Inspiration: Ace Attorney

/\

Ruby couldn't help but sigh. "Well that's fun…"

Yang leaned back and placed her hands behind her head, "At least his time he wasn't crazy. Just sleep deprived."

"Let's hope this next one isn't a bad one…"

Sun sighed, "And now you've jinxed it."

The screen formed again without King to pause it. They saw the world in grey scale. A man walked through an office of some kind. They didn't see any more than his shoes and bottom of his pants. The only indication of his identity was a cane accompanying each step.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. He had finally appeared in earnest. He was curious to see what happened next.

Ozpin's cane fell from his hand soon after. The top of the cane was patterned in blood.

Glynda and Ironwood shared a glance a moment. This cannot end well.

Ozpin fell to a knee before the camera pulled along to show Ozpin with a knife embedded in his back.

Glynda covered her mouth in shock.

Ironwood doesn't much better off. Sure, he and Oz would but heads, but they were still friends.

The screen blacked out before seeing a series of words type in: [Arc & Company Law Offices, 07:46].

"Arc Law offices?" Weiss blinked. "He's a lawyer?"

Nora chuckled a little. "Well that's fun. But I doubt it'll be as funny as the last one."

Ruby gestured toward the screen, looking toward her friends, "Are we going to ignore the part where Professor Ozpin died?!"

"Of course not." Weiss sighed.

This time, the world was vibrant with color. A lovely office with a nice plant in the corner. A young man was sitting at a desk, reading a book. They saw Jaune, dressed in a white button-up shirt, blue pants, and black dress shoes. He had a blue suit jacket hanging nearby. He also had his hair under control for once in his life.

Weiss nodded, "At least he looks the part…"

Coco sighed a little, "Kind of boring though. He looks good, but it's hardly that impressive."

Jaune sighed. Another day, another… day? I've got nothing. He smiled a little. At least a quiet day meant everything was…

RING RING

Jaune sighed, "Me and my big mouth." He picked up the phone, "Arc & Company Law Offices. This is Jaune Arc."

"Jaune… We're going to need you to come in…"

Ren raised an eyebrow. He had just called Jaune. A lawyer… why would he need to do that?

"Ren? What's going on?"

"You remember Old Man Ozpin?"

Ozpin sighed being called old. He wasn't wrong, but still…

"Of course, I do."

"He's dead, Jaune. Murdered in his own office."

Jaune froze, "W-what?!"

"Yeah… We arrested a suspect. She wants to hire you."

Jaune sighed, "Okay, then why not call me herself?"

"You'll see soon enough…"

The screen went black again, letters typing through: [Vale PD Holding Center, 08:27].

Sun smirked, "Kind of reminds me of a cop show or something."

Neptune nodded, "Little bit."

Jaune walked in to find Ren waiting near the hall to the questioning rooms. This Ren was dressed in a long, green trench coat. He had a light scar on is chin. When he noticed Jaune he waved. "Hey."

Jaune walked over and was led to the holding room. "So, what am I dealing with?"

"First, you get her statement. After that, you're on your own. We're swamped today. Thankfully, it's all paperwork and not… you know…"

Jaune nodded as they reached the room. He opened the door to find a young woman sitting at the interrogation table. She had two-tone brown and pink hair. Her eyes followed the same theme, as did her outfit. Jaune was more than a little off guard with that, she looks like a walking ice cream cone!

Neo smirked a little, finally being part of the show. His ice cream crack also wasn't wrong, so she didn't hold it against him.

Jaune sighed and nodded. "Alright." He sat down opposite her as Ren left the room. Jaune could hold his own, and Neo was cuffed to her chair and the table, but an officer was kept outside incase anything happened.

Jaune looked over toward Neo and watched her a moment in silence. After a while, he pulled a pen and notepad from his coat pocket and moved it toward her. "I'll need your statement if I'm going to be your defense lawyer."

This got a look of surprise from Neo. She fully expected the guy to be a prosecutor given his stance as a huntsman in training. Those who knew him, however, were fully aware of his need to defend the innocent. I just worked for him.

Neo blinked in surprise, her brown and pink eyes switching places. She looked down at the notepad and took the pen.

The officer, a young woman and likely fresh out of the academy, burst through the door, fully expecting Neo, a murder suspect, to lunge toward Jaune.

Jaune crossed his arms and sighed. "You are not helping, officer."

She grabbed Neo's hands and took the pen. "She could easily use this as a weapon. I can't be too careful!"

Ironwood could see the logic. His Drill Sargent had told him to look at objects like he were in prison, anything can be a weapon if you try hard enough. It got him out of more than a few scrapes in the past. If this girl was a killer, there's the possibly she knew that fact as well.

"And how am I supposed to get a statement from her otherwise? She can't speak."

The officer paused and blinked. She looked down toward Neo, who had a rather annoyed look on her face. The officer looked between Neo and Jaune a few times before mouthing, "Oh…" She let go and moved to the door again. "Um… Sorry. I though she was using her right to remain silent or something…"

"That's for the officers. I'm her lawyer. I need to know what happened and I need a statement if I'm supposed to help. If she doesn't speak up right away, I have to infer she can't speak."

Neo blinked in surprise. That was… rather insightful of him.

Weiss was equally as amazed, "He's… not wrong, I suppose."

The officer chuckled nervously. "I'll… be outside. Call me if you need me…"

When the officer was out again, Neo picked the pen up again and started to write her statement for her legal defense.

[The Statement of Neapolitan in the case of the murder of Ozpin].

Neo wasn't used to anyone knowing or seeing her full name.

Yang saw the full name and things started to click. Neapolitan… white, brown, and pink color scheme… The girl is a walking ice cream pun! Then that got her thinking. Blake's color scheme follows black. Weiss is white. Ruby is red… Oh my gods! That's hilarious! Yang, being blonde and a lover of puns, pulled the golden color scheme on purpose. The fact that her team all followed the same idea subconsciously was amazing!

[A few days ago, Ozpin came to my ice cream shop to offer to buy the location.]

Neo drooled a little. The idea of running her own ice cream shop was an amazing idea to her. Surely… she'd have to take care of any product that didn't sell~

[I told him to leave. That I'd never sell my shop. But… I'm having difficulties keeping up in the market. I'm losing too many customers for one reason or another. It's only a matter of time before I have to close up shop.]

Neo looked up in pain. NO! Not the ice cream! Don't let it be true!

[I was running out of options. It was either sell the shop or go out of business. I went to Ozpin's office yesterday evening, hoping I could find a way around things. Maybe even stay on as the inhouse manager. But he told me it was 'too late' and that the deal was off. My business would sink, and I got angry. I stormed out and promised I wouldn't sit back and just take it. Not that I said anything out loud.]

Jaune looked down at the statement and nodded. "Okay… Thank you for your statement. I'll look into things and be ready for tonight."

Neo nodded, but wasn't sure how things would go. She knew Jaune by reputation. The best of the best of legal defense, he's never lost a case.

Weiss was dumbfounded. "No way! No one's that good a lawyer!"

Neo hoped he's find a way to prove her innocence.

The screen turned back again to show a new set of words typed out, [Ozpin's Office, 9:12].

The screen returned to form, showing a crime scene. They saw a tape outline of a body on the ground. The office itself was rather nice. It was large enough to allow for a set of couches and a coffee table between them. In the back, Ozpin's desk was facing away from a large window. As Jaune entered, he started to look around with a more detailed eye.

He found a wall clock behind Ozpin's desk, a digital clock reading [09:14]. Another clock sat on the desk reading the same, only in analog, facing him. Strangely, another desk clock was sitting on the wooden surface, a small digital clock reading [12:00]. Both small clocks were facing away from the window. Jaune turned around to find another clock above the entryway reading 5:27 with a second hand over 42.

Jaune deadpanned, "How many clocks does he need?"

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Why do only two of them read the actual time?"

Yang folded her arms, "That's a good question." She tried to figure out why it would be so weird.

Jaune knew Ozpin was a rather… eccentric, but he'd never seen the office to put it into words. He walked along through the room, taking into effect anything he could. Most of the evidence was collected and ready for trial, but he needed to find anything that could have been missed. Unfortunately, the room was brushed clean. He couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

Jaune knew he didn't have all day, however. He had to get to the court by 12:30. From there, he'll have to do his best to keep Neo's head above water until the court day ends. He only has three days to prove Neo's innocence to the court. If he fails, she gets locked away for a good long time. For now, he had to get moving…

Weiss was skeptical, and a little angry, of the situation. "Three days? Three days from arrest?! How is that at all workable?!"

Winter thought for a moment, "Perhaps its to streamline the court process. Though… I'd hate to see the crime rate that would require that."

The black screen returned with new typing, [Kingdom of Vale Criminal Court #1].

When they could see the world again, they saw a symmetrical court room. Stands behind either side for the citizens and two legal benches opposite one another. The tall podium in the back of the court for the judge was facing the group with a large symbol of Vale on the front. A semi-circle of a railing was opposite that and connected to a slightly raised platform.

Blake's eyes narrowed slightly, "That's their court?"

Yang shrugged toward her partner. No one was really sure what they were expecting, after all.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Peter Port!"

The large man with a mustache sat up in the judge's bench and held his gavel close. He dressed as any stereotypical judge would, in a long black robe. Though, few judges still dressed like that in Vale.

Ozpin chuckled a little seeing Port as a judge.

Port slammed his gavel to get the crowd to calm. "Right then! Let's get started. Is the Defense ready?"

The camera showed Jaune standing behind one of the legal benches, "Yes, your honor. We're ready."

Port nodded and turned to the opposite side. "Is the Prosecution ready?"

The camera moved to show a rather anger inducing figure. Standing opposite Jaune was the large brute of a man with buzzed brown hair. He wore a black suit with a golden broach resembling an eagle with wings spread. He smirked, "We're ready, your honor."

Velvet was rarely angry. Few things in this world could truly get under her skin. One thing that could… Cardin Winchester. And seeing Cardin on screen opposing Jaune? That wasn't fun.

Everyone in the audience agreed with her. Some knew him and wanted to break his legs. Some were perpetually disappointed in the young man. Some just thought he was an annoying prick.

Port nodded. "Right then. Will the prosecution please begin their statement of the facts as we see them?"

Cardin nodded and picked up a piece of paper, reciting the statement.

[Statement of the facts. Ozpin, a local business mogul, was murdered last night in his own office. The murder weapon, a double-bladed piercing knife, was found embedded in his back. Cause of death is by a ruptured lung and blood loss. Time of death is placed between 11:30 and 12:00 based on his body's condition. The cleaning staff discovered the body and called the police at 5:00 AM. The evidence and testimonies collected in the following hour led the investigation team to arrest the defendant.]

Blake was not taking that well. "That all happened in one day?!"

Weiss slumped in her chair, "What's with this place?"

Port nodded. "Right then. Let's begin, shall we?" Port slammed his gavel again and the proceedings began.

Yang sighed, "This is going to be so boring…"

Blake rolled her eyes, "Just think of it like a mystery novel."

"You and your books…"

Cardin folded his arms and smirked. "The prosecution will call our first witness," he picked up a paper again, "Mr. Alexander Peach."

Ruby perked up, "Professor Peach?" It was interesting to see their Herbalism and the Huntsmen teacher on the screen for the first time.

"Oh cool!" Yang smiled. "We get to see Prof. Peach in this now."

A man walked up behind the railing. He was dressed in a pink, two-piece suit. His pink hair was cut short and clearly combed. He smiled toward everyone. "Hello. Nice to meet you all."

Port smiled back, "A pleasure!"

Cardin sighed at it all. "Mr. Peach. Please state your name, occupation, and how you knew the deceased."

Peach's smiled fell into a somber face. "My name is Alexander Peach. I work at Ozpin's office building as a caretaker. My job is to make sure all the plants are healthy to keep up the appearance of the offices."

Ozpin smiled and nodded, "I could see that. He always loved growing and maintaining his own garden."

Cardin nodded, "And you were the one that called the police?"

Peach sighed, "Yes."

"Now, if you would be so kind, could you explain what happened to court."

Peach nodded, "Alright."

[The testimony of Alexander Peach].

"My wife and I work in Ozpin's building. The night before, we were finishing our work when we saw Neo walk in toward Ozpin's office. At the time, we thought nothing of it and left normally. The next day, Celia walked into Ozpin's office to fix something that I certainly don't understand. She found him on the floor with that knife in his back…"

Yang groaned, "Yeah… cause this is so interesting…"

Blake glared toward Yang, but she was ignored.

Port was silent a moment before turning toward Jaune, "The Defense may begin their cross-examination."

Jaune nodded, "Thank you, your honor."

[Cross-Examination of Alexander Peach].

Jaune thought back, he needed something in Peach's testimony. He wasn't sure what yet. "So, Mr. Peach. You said both you and your wife work in Ozpin's building."

Alexander smiled, "Yessir!"

"What do you both do on the job?"

"Well, I'm a sort of gardener. My job is make sure the office plants look good and brighten up the space. Celia is a mechanic and fixes a lot of technical things."

"And what did she need to fix in Ozpin's personal office that morning?"

Alexander shrugged. "Something in his ceiling. A leak, maybe? I'm not sure."

Sun was getting a little bored now. "Why would that matter?"

"I might later on." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "There's more going on here than we see…"

Jaune nodded. "Right then. Next… what time did you see Ms. Neo walk in?"

Alexander thought for a moment. "It was near closing, so about 9:30 PM. There about."

"9:30 PM?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Yep!"

Jaune smiled.

Cardin, however, wasn't so happy to hear that.

Ruby blinked, "What's going on? Was that important?"

Jaune took in a breath. Suddenly, he shouted, "HOLD IT!" The words seemed to manifest in front of the screen in a comic-like impact bubble with red lettering.

This sent a slight shiver up all of their spines. Yang was suddenly invested again. "What the heck was that?"

The wording disappeared and the camera pulled back to Jaune. "I believe there's a contradiction here."

Cardin growled, "I certainly don't see it."

Jaune smirked, "You should. You read it off a moment ago." Jaune picked up a piece of paper, "Ozpin's time of death wasn't 9:30, when Neo arrived. Rather 11:30 to Midnight. A full two hours later!"

Cardin looked like he'd just been punched in the gut. Not in a metaphorical sense, either. His reaction looked like he'd actually been physically struck.

Yang chuckled, "A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?"

Velvet couldn't help but grin at her bully being backed into a corner like that.

Cardin groaned, but regained some composure. "Clearly, she stabbed him at 9:30 and he died two hours later."

"I doubt it. Ozpin wasn't a young man anymore. For his body to hold out for two hours as he bled onto the floor? Without once having anyone notice or hear any groans?"

Cardin groaned, but smirked after a moment. "You're right."

Jaune wasn't expecting that. "What?"

"What?" A few in the audience shared the confusion.

Cardin's smirk grew, "Well, she clearly didn't stab him at 9:30, when everyone else was nearby. But, maybe that wasn't the point of that meeting. She returned after hours to kill Ozpin when no one else was around!" Cardin picked up a copy of Neo's statement, "After all, she's admitted to being very angry after she left the office that night."

Jaune groaned. He had hoped that could put a scratch on Cardin's armor, but it didn't do too much, apparently. Jaune sighed. He'd have o keep going, but not here. "No more questions, your honor."

After a few minutes, Peach was led away and Port closed his eyes in thought. "The evidence as it stands does not sufficiently place Ms. Neo at the crime scene."

Cardin interjected, "But it doesn't disprove it either. We're still at square one…" Cardin started to smirk again. "With the Defendant at the scene and with a motivation for murder."

Neo didn't like where this was going. She, personally, didn't mind the murder charge. She's done plenty. But the Neo on screen wasn't her. She owned and operated an ice cream parlor (aka living the dream). She wasn't a career criminal…

Jaune groaned. He had to figure out something!

Cardin's grin spread from ear to ear. "Face facts. The Defendant was in the office. She tried to accept a defunct deal and left angry. A passion project dying would certainly be enough to drive her to murder. Face it, she was the one who put that knife in Ozpin's back! It's that simple!"

Jaune scratched his head in frustration. It couldn't be that simple! There had to be something he was missing! She couldn't have stabbed Ozpin in the… Jaune suddenly went wide eyed. "In the back…"

Cardin raised an eyebrow.

Yang couldn't help but lean in.

This got a smirk from Blake, "Not so boring after all?"

Yang sighed.

Port sighed. "Unless the Defense has… well… a defense to utilize, it may be best to…"

The camera snapped between various locations to show Jaune's actions. His right foot dragged back. His body turned. His left hand raised up to his chest. A finger extended as he swiped his hand to a pointing position.

And then it happened.

"OBJECTION!" The letters appeared like the last time.

They could almost feel the power behind that phrase. Coupled with his stance, it almost felt iconic.

Cardin slammed his fist into his desk, "You cannot be serious! We all know she's responsible for sticking that knife in Ozpin's back!"

Jaune smiled. "Really? I think you're overlooking something."

"And what would that be?!"

Ruby smiled. "Yeah! What is it?!"

Jaune placed a hand on Neo's head, accenting her height. "She's 4'10. In heels."

Eyes turned toward Neo, expecting her to be outraged by her height being pointed out. Neo, however, just shrugged. It was a statement of fact. Her height never bothered her. In fact, it's been rather helpful over her time as a criminal.

"So?!"

"So… Ozpin was 6'6. A little hard for someone nearly two feet shorter to stick a knife in your upper back, don't you think?!"

If Cardin was punched before, this time he was hit by a truck.

Port blinked in surprise. "He does have an excellent point…" He cleared his throat before continuing, "However, this does not prove her innocence, either. We will investigate the scene again and reconvene tomorrow. Dismissed!" He slammed the gavel again and people started to file out.

Neo smiled up toward Jaune, prompting him to sigh, "We're not out of this yet. I bought a day, but I need to go back and look into things further. If all goes well, I might be able to clear things up by tomorrow's trial."

Neo patted his shoulder in encouragement before she was led away, back to the holding cell.

Jaune thought for a while. "Okay… Best to see what I can find." Jaune left the court and returned to the office. He had to find something…

[Neo's Parlor, 20:22]

"20:22?" Ruby asked.

Ironwood tapped his finger on his chair, "8:22 PM as written in military time."

"Oh! Got it!"

Jaune, after being told to stay away from the crime scene while the investigation team was on site, decided to look through Neo's shop to see if he could find some evidence to prove her innocence somehow. He looked around to try to find… anything. But it was mostly ice cream. Thankfully, the power was still active, so the treats weren't melting. Unfortunately, he didn't find much in the way of evidence. As he walked through, something caught his eye behind the counter. He leaned over and found a knife, rather similar to the one in Ozpin's back.

Jaune sighed, "Oh… that's not good."

Neo blinked. It was all too recognizable. That was the knife she kept hidden away in her umbrella.

"Or maybe…" Jaune picked the knife up and brought it with him. "Best to take it just in case."

Black out.

[Day 2, Kingdom of Vale Court #1, 9:30 PM].

Everyone had returned and was in place when Port slammed his gavel again. "Right then! Let's get back to it."

Jaune hoped he could nip this in the bud sooner rather than later. "Your honor, we still have no indication of how Neo could even reach Ozpin's upper back, let alone stab him."

Cardin smirked.

Velvet groaned, "Oh no…"

Coco sighed. "I hate that prick."

Cardin pulled up a file folder, "Actually, we do." He pulled out a photo from the folder, "Fresh from the investigation team!"

The photo showed a shoe print on Ozpin's desk. A high heeled boot, similar to the kind Neo wears on a daily basis, pointed toward one of the clock faces. Jaune was handed a copy of the photo.

"So, there you have it. She jumped up on the desk to compensate for the height difference."

Jaune groaned. That was a problem.

Weiss blinked a moment. "Hang on a second…"

Ruby turned toward her partner, "Something wrong?"

Weiss thought out loud for a moment, "Weren't the clocks facing away from the window?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"But the boot is point toward the window…"

"HOLD IT!" There it is. Jaune followed the same train of thought. "There's a contradiction here!"

Cardin scoffed. "I don't see how! You're just trying to grasp at straws."

Jaune ignored him and gestured toward the photo. "Notice the boot print in this photo is facing toward a clock. The small analog clock, which, if I'm not mistaken, was facing away from the window."

"So what?!"

"So, if we can see the face of the clock, it means the print is facing the window, and away from the crime!"

Cardin didn't seem to react this time.

Ruby was a little concerned given the constant over reaction. "Oh… that can't be good."

Cardin grinned, "Maybe you're right. Maybe she was facing the wrong way. Or… it was a jumping point."

Now it was Jaune's time to react, "What?!"

"According to her records, the Defendant is very acrobatic, having earned medals in the past."

Neo nodded. She was certainly capable of winning contests in acrobatics, if not for the whole… wanted criminal thing.

Cardin continued, "Surely someone that capable could use this as a jumping off point and turning to stab him midair. The height and force would be more than enough to compensate for her size."

Jaune groaned. Neo tapped his shoulder and pointed toward the photo. She gestured toward the edge of the desk. Thankfully, Jaune was able to figure out what she was getting at. "Nice try, Cardin! But a kick off wouldn't be on the top of the desk. She'd kick off the desk's corner!"

Neo nodded with a grin. It was best if the jumping point wasn't a horizonal surface if you can manage it.

Cardin groaned, but didn't waver. "Regardless, it does place her at the scene and shows how she could have killed him. But, that was just a proof of concept. The prosecution would like to call our next witness."

Port nodded, "Proceed."

Cardin picked up a paper again. "The Prosecution calls Neptune Vasilias."

Weiss blinked. "Neptune?"

Said blue haired boy looked up in surprise.

The Neptune to step up looked like a stereotypical action hero, complete with scars and eyepatch.

Yang started to laugh seeing that.

Neptune scoffed and folded his arms.

Cardin addressed the blue haired man, "Please give your name and occupation for the court."

Neptune glared toward Cardin, "Pretty sure you already used my name, but whatever. I'm Neptune. I run a self-defense shop in town."

Port interrupted. "Pardon, but what is a 'self-defense shop'?"

Neptune smirked, "I make it a point to sell items for personal defense. Things like pepper spray, batons, knives of various form…"

Weiss had to admit, it was a decent business strategy to have all that in one place should it be needed. Though, the licenses would be a nightmare to keep track of.

Cardin smirked. "Quite… Now, have you ever met the Defendant in your store."

"Sure. She came in way back to buy a concealed knife. Fits into a parasol for easy travel."

Cardin scratched his chin in thought, "And you just sold it to her?"

"One, there isn't a law against hidden blades like this. Two, if there was, she has a license from another kingdom."

Ironwood was skeptical, "Why wouldn't they have a law against hidden blades?"

Ozpin was thinking the same thing, but thought about it out loud, "Perhaps its for self-defense and because it's inherently short range. I'm guessing the police would carry firearms…"

Ironwood nodded, but still didn't like the idea.

Cardin brought out a familiar item. It had an evidence tag, stating it was collected on the first day of the investigation, "So… this umbrella…"

Neptune glared toward him, "Parasol."

Cardin's eye twitched. "The hell's the difference?!"

Jaune tapped a finger on his desk, waiting for the point, "One's for rain, the other is for sun." This earned a nod from Neptune.

Neo blinked. She had been unaware of that distinction. She always just called it an umbrella. Granted, the fact that it was made of lace made it almost useless in the rain.

Cardin rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Do you sell parasols like this in your shop?"

Neptune nodded, "I do. They're usually custom orders. She came in and asked for a standard lace. It was weird, but a sale's a sale."

"And tell me, what kind of blade would fit into this item?"

Neptune looked at Cardin like he was crazy, "Long, thin, usually double-edged…"

Cardin smirked, "Like, say, the murder weapon?" Cardin held the parasol up to show a hole on the bottom of the handle. "Notice the blade is gone." He pulled up the murder weapon. "Now, notice the style of this murder weapon. It fits right in."

Ruby slammed her fist onto her open palm in realization, "Oh! That's why he took the sword from the ice cream shop!"

Jaune sighed in relief. "HOLD IT!" Jaune smirked toward Cardin, "Nice try Cardin. But it won't be that easy." He pulled out the knife from the parlor. "But I think you'll find this is the blade that belongs in that parasol."

Cardin seemed to be struck again. "Where the hell did you find that?!"

"In Neo's ice cream parlor. Behind the counter." Jaune took the parasol and the blade into either hand. He slid them together and they fell into form with a click. "Perfect fit."

Cardin groaned and told Neptune to be led off. Jaune didn't have any questions, so the merchant was led back out of the court.

Cardin scoffed, "But that doesn't change anything. After all, the blade is a generic form for both. They would both likely fit into the umbrella." No one was going to bother correcting him. That was a lost cause.

Velvet smiled a little. She didn't like the idea of anyone being a lost cause but felt a little cathartic at Cardin's failings.

Jaune sighed. "Right then…" Jaune thought to himself for a moment. Something in his head got him to jump in surprise.

Cardin groaned. "So, Ozpin's murder is still on going and it's clear that…"

"HOLD IT!"

"Goddammit! What now?!"

Velvet never knew the joy of catharsis by proxy. Now? Now she knew its pleasures of seeing her bully backed into a corner. She only agrees here because there's no real harm. Just annoyances while still acting as needed.

Jaune pulled up the picture of the foot print. "Something's been bugging me about this picture."

"You can't be serious."

"I wasn't sure at first, but I think I figured it out."

"And you couldn't bring it up before?!"

"You didn't exactly give me the chance to. But since I have some time from your bunk witness, I felt it best to speak up now. Especially now that we know the intended purpose of the blade used."

"You know what? Fine. Go nuts. Let's hear your new conspiracy theory."

Jaune nodded. "Appreciated. Now, let's start with the print itself. It's rather full, isn't it?"

"Pardon?"

Neo nodded. She knew where he was going, given her need to always keep track of her actions and any evidence she'd leave behind. Most others among them didn't.

Jaune continued, "If this print was in motion, there'd be a scuff mark of some kind. This print was made in a stationary position. Which leads me to ask, why would that be? Then I remembered Ozpin's clocks. The broken digital clock on his desk is always reading 12:00. But it doesn't blink."

Yang clued in first. "Right! If a digital clock brakes, it shuts down! But if it's stuck on 12:00, it always blinks!"

Ruby groaned, "I hate it when that happens…"

Jaune folded his arms and smiled, "So why doesn't it? Then I remembered that, yesterday, Alexander Peach said his wife worked on something in the ceiling of Ozpin's office. Put that together and it makes an interesting picture. I hereby request from the court an investigation into the ceiling of Ozpin's office just above his desk."

Cardin sighed. "Sure. I'll allow it. That way, when they find nothing, you can finally give up and people will see you for the crack pot you are."

Coco smirked. "I get the feeling they will find something that might just turn this whole thing around.

Port nodded one. "Alright. We'll reconvene in two hours after the investigation."

The screen turned to black with the message, [Kingdom of Vale Court #1, 11:50].

Cardin looked very angry. He hated the fact that he had to say it. "After an investigation of Ozpin's ceiling area… the court found a hidden safe integrated into the structure above his desk."

Velvet cheered for this. Jaune was kicking Cardin to the curb! It was amazing to see. This got Coco to try to tease her, but she didn't care! It was that amazing!

Jaune smirked. "And inside?"

Cardin's eye twitched. "We don't know."

Port raised an eyebrow, "You didn't open it?"

Cardin groaned, "We can't. While we were able to remove the safe without compromising the structure, the material was impossible to open safely. The digital lock has a closed system that requires a certain code. It goes into lockdown if combinations fail enough times. We were unable to get in."

Yang chuckled a little at the unintended pun.

Jaune thought for a moment. "If I might try something…"

Port nodded, allowing Jaune to try. Cardin scoffed, "Good luck…"

Jaune then put in a six-digit combo. When if failed, much to Cardin's enjoyment. Then he tried again.

Click

Cardin's grin gave way to surprise.

Jaune smirked. "The broken analog clock above the door showed 5:27:42. Put that into a six-digit combination, and you get 0-5-2-7-4-2 or 1-7-2-7-4-2. Turns out, it was the former."

Inside the safe was a beautiful, polished ruby, yellow topaz, and amber necklace wrapped in 22 karat gold.

Coco whistled. "Damn! That's a beautiful necklace. But why was it in Ozpin's safe?"

Jaune saw the necklace and nodded to himself. "Do you know what this is, Cardin?"

Cardin just shrugged. "Should I?"

"One would think. This is one of a set of four necklace piece called the Maidens."

Ozpin blinked in surprise. This was an unexpected development.

"These pieces are one of a kind. This happens to be the Autumn Maiden. Any of the pieces could be sold at a price to let a person live in luxury for several lifetimes."

Weiss's mind went blank. The shear value of that one necklace was more than the income of the SDC for ten years ten times over! And that's only one of them! Imagine what would happen if someone got all four!

Jaune continued, "Given the footprint and the placement of the safe, I submit that this was the target of the crime! Ozpin was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

Cardin groaned again. "What does that prove?! If anything, it just hurts the Defendant's case more! The money that necklace would sell for could keep her shop open for decades!"

"Remember Cardin, Neo is sub-five-foot. She's not tall enough to reach the ceiling, even with the desk as a boost. Not to mention the fact that none of us were aware of the safe until today."

Cardin gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the desk. After a moment, he took a breath and looked back up. "The Prosecution would like to call its last witness, an eye witness, who saw everything as it happened…"

Neo groaned, sort of. If she could, she would have. She didn't like where this was going.

The witness was led in. She was a woman in a flowing red dress. Her heels clicked as she walked. Everything about her showed she was a woman of power.

Cinder blinked. She wasn't expecting to see herself as a witness for the prosecution. But she had to admit, she at least liked this portrayal so far.

Cardin crossed his arms, "Please give your name for the court."

She smiled. But it was a smile that felt off. "My name is Cinder Fall. I live in the building across from Ozpin's office."

Cardin nodded. "Now, if you would be so kind as to give your testimony…"

"Of course."

[The Testimony of Cinder Fall].

"I had planned to stargaze that night since there was supposed to be a meteor shower, so I was on the roof with my telescope. But the cloud cover was horrid. I couldn't see anything! I was starting to pack up when I saw it through the window! That girl was trying, and failing, to reach toward the ceiling. But Ozpin walked in and caught her in the act. She jumped around him and stuck a knife in his back before he could shout out. She ran off after that."

Neo didn't like Cinder. That was evident every time they were in the same room. Even when they weren't. So, this Cinder taking a crack at her height was annoying. She could tell when someone was objectively stating a fact and when they were mocking her.

Cardin nodded. "Thus, the necklace was still in the safe and we know how things went. I think we're done here."

Jaune glared toward his opposition, "Hang on, Cardin! I still get to cross-examine your witness."

Cardin rolled his eyes. "Fine. But be quick about it."

[Cross-Examination of Cinder Fall].

Jaune thought over her testimony. "You said you went out to stargaze on the roof of your building?"

Cinder nodded. "That's right."

"Can anyone vouch for your presence?"

Cinder sighed. "Unfortunately, my hobby isn't shared by too many in my building, so no."

Ruby thought for a moment, "So… she doesn't have an alibi either?"

Yang looked to her sister in surprise, "Ruby? Where did you learn that word?"

Ruby just pointed, "Uncle Qrow."

Winter sighed and shook her head, "Of course it was…"

Qrow just took another sip from his flask.

Jaune thought for a moment, "When did this happen?"

Cinder thought for a moment. "Around 11:40."

"And how were you aware of that? Last I checked, there's no clocks on rooftops."

Cinder tapped her chin. "I remember seeing it in the clock in Ozpin's office."

Cardin's eye twitched. "No…"

Cinder looked toward him in confusion. As per the court's rules, she was unaware of the day's proceedings so as to ensure justice is played out.

Jaune smirked. "OBJECTION!"

Nora jumped up and copied Jaune's pose. "Objection!" She giggled. "That's so fun to say!"

Cinder jumped a little hearing that.

"The clock you'd be able to see in that office from the outside was broken! And last I checked, it read 5:27."

Cinder felt her eye twitch a little. A small spark effect flying off. "Then it seems my memory had failed me there. I remembered the clock, but the time must have been on my scroll."

Cardin tried to act as damage control. "The human mind can easily be fooled by such things. Blending memories made of valid bits of the whole."

Jaune nodded, deciding to continue with a different section of her testimony. "Hang on… You said your stargazing was on your building's roof."

"We've been over this Arc." Cardin tried to move on.

Jaune nodded, "We did. But there's something off about that. If you were stargazing on the roof, you'd be looking upward. Yet you said you saw the murder out of the corner of your eye and into an office. At an angle that would make it impossible to see anything!"

Cinder growled. A small fire effect appearing before she calmed down again. "Obviously, my building is high enough to see into the building."

Jaune smirked. "Then you'd never see anything through your telescope."

Cinder shook, the fires building again.

"I have the feeling you're hiding something Ms. Fall."

Cardin slammed his hand onto the desk, "Enough Arc! You're making it sound like my witness was the murderer!"

Cinder slammed her fisted onto the railing.

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Well now…"

Cinder glared. A petty criminal? Really? That's all she came to in this one?

Cinder started to laugh. "Fine then, Mr. Defense Lawyer! Then pray tell, what did I see through my telescope?!"

Jaune thought for a moment. He smirked for a second, "I'd say you did see into Ozpin's office."

Cinder grinned, "See? Even you can see reality when…"

"I'm not done, Ms. Fall. You saw into Ozpin's office, because that was your intended target!"

Cinder growled. "What exactly are you saying?!"

"I'm saying that you've been watching Ozpin for a while now. You knew about the Maiden necklace hidden away by spying on his office. You waited until someone came along and planned to use them as a scapegoat for your heist!"

Cinder seemed to have a small explosion near her head as her anger boiled.

Cinder couldn't fault the plan, but she couldn't condone the lack of preparation.

Jaune pointed toward Cinder with the pose from before, "You have no alibi, no evidence as a witness that doesn't throw yourself under the bus, and no way out of this without an answer! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Cinder was shaking. "You think you can prove…"

"I think I can!" He pulled out the murder weapon. "Neptune stated most of these blades are custom orders." He pulled Neo's blade for comparison, showing a small number. "The non-custom sets have serial numbers. The murder weapon doesn't. Small little things that most people wouldn't notice. I bet if we ask, Neptune would be able to tell us who bought this particular blade."

Cinder's shaking was getting worse.

"And, if I may, I noticed your particular heels when you walked in. A better version for being on your feet than normal high heels. And a perfect match for the print on Ozpin's desk!"

Ruby was amazed. "This Jaune is really smart!"

Weiss nodded. "He's more observant than anything. Simply taking out the falsities to find the truth."

Jaune continued. "I have the feeling you did see the time on the clock in Ozpin's office, from the inside! You planned to steal that necklace! But you couldn't see the combination and couldn't get the safe open! So, you got caught and killed Ozpin to get away! You planned to pin everything on Neo and come back to steal the Maiden before any of us were aware it was there! Face it! Your testimony is falling apart as you grasp at cinders!"

Yang doubled over in laughter.

Cinder, however, didn't take it so well. She screamed out as the fire effects surrounded her.

A small black out was followed by a full color recap of the events exactly as Jaune had told it. Complete with Cinder jumping down to kick Ozpin around. Her height of 5'11 making it much easier for her to reach Ozpin's upper back with the blade.

Nora went starry eyed. "Oh my gosh! So that's how it all went down!"

Ruby cheered, "Go Jaune! Figuring all that out!"

When things returned to normal, Port shook his head and sighed. "Given recent… events, I think we can all say that my verdict should be fairly obvious. I find the Defendant…"

[NOT GUILTY]

Jaune sighed in relief. Another case down. Another innocent person saved from prison. Another hidden criminal put behind bars. All in a day's work for Jaune Arc: Ace Attorney!