'Yes, I was above the ceiling when I heard the voice, I had heard there was a, er, "small window" there before, It was in the middle of my performance... I had no time to report what I had heard, As to why I was there... I cannot say, I am bound to secrecy on this matter'
'B-Bound to secrecy!?'
the judge asked, his eyes widening
'In my line of work, one has many obligations to uphold'
she said
'But you say you were in the middle of your performance! So this did happen during the second set!'
'...I did not witness the crime, you must understand. I only know what I heard'
the Judge nodded his head
'Yes, but you must tell us what you were doing, in detail!'
Klavier smirked over at apollo
'That's what the cross-examination is for, ja, Herr Forehead?'
Apollo stared back at him
'Our mission in this court is to discern the truth. No obligation, no binding pact, may hinder that mission'
he said cooly as he moved back a few strands of his beautiful blonde hair, the judge closed his eyes as he thought for a moment
'Hmm... Very well. Mr. Justice, you may begin the cross-examination'
trucy glance over at him from the corner of her eyes
'Wh-What are you going to do, Apollo!?'
Apollo nervously clutched onto his pen as he stared down at the testimony
'...I'm going to find out the truth'
"...She was up above that ceiling for a reason. I just have to get it out of her"
'Lamiroir, truth be told, the reason for your presence above that ceiling is quite clear. Especially when you consider what happened during your performance'
'What "happened"...?'
she said, her blind eyes moving in the direction of his voice
'Yes. It's all right here on this video'
he played the song to the court, after a couple of lyrics later, apollo paused the performance
'As we can see, Lamiroir was clearly not on stage for her entire performance!'
the Judge's eyes widen
'Ah...'
'Though it saddens me to be so realistic... Lamiroir is incapable of actually vanishing, let alone teleportation. So, the only explanation is that she was hidden from view. And during that time, she moved to the back of the forum'
Trucy tuggd at his arm, her eyes suddenly very sharp
'Apollo!'
'Wh-What, Trucy?'
'It's not nice to reveal a magician's secrets! And it's against the rules!'
apollo gave her a look
'I'm a lawyer who works for your dad! I'm not supposed to be nice!!'
trucy huffed but didn't say anything more, the judge blinked as he tried to process this all
'This... is all very fascinating. But how is it possible? There is only twenty seconds between when she disappears nad reappears! She couldn't have moved that fast!'
he then looked over at klavier, who seemed as quiet as ever
'Is... something wrong, Prosecutor Gavin?'
apollo looked over to see klavier's expression, for once he wasn't grinning like usual, he was frowning, and looked very conflicted on what to even think anymore, he felt a little ping in his heart and gut seeing that, ..he didn't like seeing klavier like that, but he swallowed down his ping sympathy and went on with his job
'...This was his concert, his show. He knows how the illusion was performed'
'Ah ha!'
'He's just realizing his own oversight. Let's look at the cross-section diagram again. Here, we can trace a route through the ceiling... It goes from the stage, through the backstage to the rear of the forum'
'Ah... Aaaaah!'
'Recall Lamiroir's testimony from yesterday..."I was on my way from the stage to the backstage exit. There was something like a little window there... That's how I saw it"'
the judge slowly nodded
'She went from the stage to the backstage exit... ...a perfect description of this route above the ceiling!'
'Lamiroir knew of this because of her part in the illusion. But she wasn't the only one who knew'
klavier blinked at him
'What...?'
'Just now in the lobby, Machi told me something "I know. I know if I opening vent... ...I can leave stage and back... backstage"'
'He said that!?'
he cried out in alarm, apollo nodded
'Oh, were you not informed, Prosecutor Gavin?'
apollo said as he raised a brow, grinning a little, but trying not to show just how smug he actually was in the moment, klavier bit his lip for a moment
'............ I... I knew about the vanishing act, of course. Yet, I had no idea of the route that would be used. Why didn't that magician tell me!'
trucy shrugged
'Magicians only reveal details of their acts on a need-to-know basis. They're the bread and butter of a magician's life, you know'
"Which is why he bound Lamiroir to secrecy..."
'...Well, Lamiroir?'
Lamiroir looked off to the side for a moment, then turned her head at apollo's voice
'...I am impressed, Mr. Attorney. Machi was right about you'
the judge stared down at the singiner
'So... what does this mean? Are you saying you used this route above the ceiling?'
she nodded
'...I did'
'Well, that's that... but I'm still a little confused'
apollo looked up at him
'Why's that, Your Honor?'
'As I said before... There was very little time between when she disappeared and when she reappeared. Twenty seconds, tops! How could she do it so fast? Especially if she stopped to hear the shooter's voice!'
Apollo felt his cheeks turned a bit pink at that, he ducked his head a bit
'That... That's a good question
he mumbled out, he swore he heard klavier chuckle, which further added to his uncomfortableness
'Can the witness explain this to the court?'
Lamiroir shook her head sadly
'I... cannot'
the judge only nodded
'...Very well. Mr. Justice?'
Apollo quickly straightened up his back, looking up at the judge
'Yes?'
'It's all up to you. Do your thing'
Apollo awkwardly tugged at his own arm as he stared up at him confused
'Um, what thing, Your Honor?'
'You need to explain how Lamiroir was able to teleport like she did. Or I'm throwing your case out with the bathwater
Apollo felt his nerves pick up
"Why do I get picked on? It's Lamiroir who isn't going along with the program here!"
Lamiroir then spoke in
'As I have stated before... I am not at liberty to speak of the illusion that night in detail'
'Then, you'll just have to tell us what you can. We'll hear your testimony on this. Mr. Justice, it will be your job to wring the truth out of her'
Lamiroir nodded
'Yes, if you would, please'
Apollo cleared his throat quietly as he tried to calm down his anxiety
'...Right'
"I feel like I'm meeting Mr Wright again!..."
Trucy smiled as she gave him a thumbs up
'Good luck, Apollo!'